Actual rating :: 2.5/5
Distortion starts mere minutes after the end of Ascension, the first book in the Phobos series, which was great because I knew exactly what was going on. Unfortunately, I found the pacing pretty slow at the beginning, and though it did pick up I still felt that the whole book was just very s l o w.
The book starts with the grand question: to carry on to Mars or to turn around? And I’m honestly quite surprised it took 80 pages for them to finally make the decision to continue to Mars.
I did enjoy the new landscape and how all the characters interacted with it. I felt like I understood the layout and surroundings very easily which was just as well. Again, like Ascension, this book is complete with annotated and detailed diagrams that really help with understanding and world building; it’s one of my favourite aspects of the book because I honestly can’t name another book that has that sort of thing, which is great!
A little issue I had with the book is how the characters talk and act. They do not act their age, and their speech confirms that – if the characters were 12 then maybe it’d be more believable. I still felt like I could not connect with our main character Leonor. She’s still rather childish and indecisive which constantly frustrated me (she was the main reason it took almost 100 pages for a decision to be made), which is a shame. I still do hope that I can become more fond of her in the next book when that comes out.
Overall, the concept of this series still remains unique and exciting, but the way it’s been executed makes it less enjoyable to read and experience, though hopefully Collision, the next book, can be a turning point for these books.
Distortion starts mere minutes after the end of Ascension, the first book in the Phobos series, which was great because I knew exactly what was going on. Unfortunately, I found the pacing pretty slow at the beginning, and though it did pick up I still felt that the whole book was just very s l o w.
The book starts with the grand question: to carry on to Mars or to turn around? And I’m honestly quite surprised it took 80 pages for them to finally make the decision to continue to Mars.
I did enjoy the new landscape and how all the characters interacted with it. I felt like I understood the layout and surroundings very easily which was just as well. Again, like Ascension, this book is complete with annotated and detailed diagrams that really help with understanding and world building; it’s one of my favourite aspects of the book because I honestly can’t name another book that has that sort of thing, which is great!
A little issue I had with the book is how the characters talk and act. They do not act their age, and their speech confirms that – if the characters were 12 then maybe it’d be more believable. I still felt like I could not connect with our main character Leonor. She’s still rather childish and indecisive which constantly frustrated me (she was the main reason it took almost 100 pages for a decision to be made), which is a shame. I still do hope that I can become more fond of her in the next book when that comes out.
Overall, the concept of this series still remains unique and exciting, but the way it’s been executed makes it less enjoyable to read and experience, though hopefully Collision, the next book, can be a turning point for these books.