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Ascension (The Water Series) Kindle Edition

by Kara Dalkey (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 47 ratings
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“Dalkey’s intriguing marine world brims with descriptions of Atlantis and mermyd life”—first in a captivating young adult series of ritual and romance (Publishers Weekly).  
 
Sixteen-year-old mermyd Nia has one wish: to gain glory for the noble Bluefin Clan by becoming an Avatar, one who rules Atlantis through a telepathic connection with an ancient alien race. But first she must be chosen as a candidate by her clan, and then pass the Trials. Nia is sure she can outswim and outwit anyone else in her family, which is why she is shocked when her bumbling cousin is chosen instead.
 
At least her crush Cephan is competing in the Trials. Of the lowly Stingray clan, he toils in the Lower Depths of Atlantis and gives Nia a glimpse of her undersea city that changes everything she thought she knew. Secrets and lies are submerged in the heart of Atlantis, and the upcoming Trials will put Nia’s loyalty to her clan to the test, and bring her world crashing down around her . . .
 
“An exotic undersea world is given vivid life . . . A detailed and refreshingly original submerged society, continually revealing deeper layers and hidden crannies that hint at a rich and complex history . . . The exhilarating twists and turns carry readers gasping into a stunning cliffhanger that will leave them clamoring for the next installment.” —Kirkus Reviews
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Previous page
  1. Reading age
    12 - 17 years
  2. Print length
    192 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    7 - 12
  5. Publisher
    Open Road Media Teen & Tween
  6. Publication date
    November 21, 2023
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Not Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
  10. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  11. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This imaginative debut book in the Water fantasy series stars an appealing, strong-willed 16-year-old who dreams of ascending to the Low Council that, conjointly with the High Council, rules Atlantis. Nia aspires to become an Avatar like her grandfather, one of 10 mermyds who pair off with a highly intelligent alien Farworlder to govern their underwater city. But Nia's Bluefin clan chooses Garun, her "hardly noticeable" cousin to represent them in the Trials, the contest to select a new council member. And Nia soon learns that her underwater city "is not quite the perfect and open place it seems." First, Nia discovers a secret prison holding an Avatar and his Farworlder, then she realizes that her grandfather is manipulating the trials in Garun's favor. Dalkey's intriguing marine world brims with descriptions of Atlantis and mermyd life, including details of the Trials and the ceremony joining Avatar and Farworlder not to mention the mystery surrounding Garun's likely ascension to the council. Some of the plotting, however, seems truncated next to all this exposition: for example, the alliance between Nia's boyfriend, Cephan, and the imprisoned Avatar could have been more clearly drawn, and readers never learn why Nia's family opposes her entering the Trials. Perhaps more will be revealed in the next installment, Reunion (due in April), but even given these vagaries, readers will relate to the heroine, from her jealousy of Garun to her excitement at seeing Cephan. There is enough intrigue right to the finish to keep this story afloat. Ages 12-up.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Kara Dalkey is the author of several fantasy books, including Little Sister, The Nightingale, and Blood of the Goddess series. She lives in Gunnison, CO. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0CM9J2R9Q
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media Teen & Tween (November 21, 2023)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ November 21, 2023
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3410 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 47 ratings

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Kara Dalkey

Kara Dalkey

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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
47 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Tawny Jean
5.0 out of 5 stars Favorite
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2021
Verified Purchase
Been one of my favorite books since i was a little girl. Cant wait to reread the rest of the series
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Miss. M
5.0 out of 5 stars I read this series as a kid and still enjoy picking them up after a stressful day
Reviewed in the United States on March 21, 2016
Verified Purchase
I read this series as a kid and still enjoy picking them up after a stressful day. An amazing retelling of a mythos I grew up on as a small child. These will always have a place in my heart.
3 people found this helpful
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Baillie
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on February 26, 2018
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I read this book back in 6th grade, I am now 21 yo, I loved the book then and it is still good now.
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Jennifer Mo
4.0 out of 5 stars Uneven, but quite readable
Reviewed in the United States on July 10, 2002
The cover art is gorgeous. Well, it is. The most ecstatic of my praise for Ascension undoubtedly goes to the cover, although it doesn't quite match Kara Dalkey's description of Nia. The book itself is a fairly decent read, but at the risk of being facetious, about half a star of my rating goes to the designer and illustrator of the covers for the trilogy.
I imagine that it is exceedingly difficult to write a book about a culture completely submerged in water, and Kara Dalkey clearly puts some thought into the creation of this society, with attention to details in the type of houses, foods, materials, social classes, and schools. I particularly liked the pun inherent in the academy, where pupils swim after the instructor in a group, rather like a school of fish. Dalkey goes to considerable lengths to invent life in Atlantis, and many of the elements, such as the Farworlders and their Avatars, are intriguing and pleasingly exotic.
But for all that, it's still hard to, er, completely submerge oneself in Nia's watery realm. For one thing, I have never managed to hold coherent conversations underwater; even a single word usually comes out hopelessly garbled. There is no evidence that they speak any differently than humans-- if giggles result in a stream of bubbles, surely speech does too? But what is more jarring to any feeling of complete integration in Nia's world is not the occasional inconsistency, but the feeling that it is a carefully fabricated, intricately thought out work of imagination, a sensation that the best works of imagination never convey. I was never fully convinced in the existence of Kara Dalkey's Atlantis as I was in, say, Lloyd Alexander's Prydain or Paula Volsky's Vonahr. Often the abundance of detailed descriptions do not provide a sense of realism and smooth integration into Nia's world so much as make the book seem like a stilted tour guide to Atlantis, complete with information on local delicacies, transportation, entertainment, and customs. From a book written from Nia's perspective, even with the third person narration, there are too many explanations that a native of Atlantis such as Nia probably wouldn't even think twice about. Occasionally, such as in the school scene, things become even more bogged down with awkward, bulky history lessons about Atlantis.
What really saves Ascension is Nia herself. Unlike the other rather flat and/or undeveloped characters in the book, the villains in particular, she is completely believable, realistic, and likable despite-- or because of-- her flaws. Nia's emotions as the startling events in Atlantis occur are realistic without being overdone or sickeningly melodramatic; for a character who isn't even human, she's a much more convincing teenager than many other fictional, human, teenagers.
Ascension isn't really a complete tale of itself, unfortunately, and while it doesn't end on an outright cliffhanger, having the rest of the trilogy on hand would probably be a good idea. Despite the Water trilogy's flaws, I do think that it is a series worth reading, particularly when in later books more mythology become entertwined in surprising ways. Readers who liked Ascension might also enjoy Diana Wynne Jones's The Power of Three, which deals partially with mermaids (of a sort, anyway)...
3 people found this helpful
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Marie S.
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United States on December 8, 2017
Verified Purchase
Great!
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Theatre Kidd
5.0 out of 5 stars Atlantis, in a completely new light
Reviewed in the United States on November 27, 2003
Nia is a young mermyd who lives in the city of Atlantis. She dreams of becoming an Avatar, one of the rulers of the city, but is completely and totally surprised when her family chooses her cousin, Garun, to compete in the trials instead of herself. Things get even stranger when she discovers that the entire council is scheming to get Garun into the position as new Avatar. Nia's boyfriend, Cephan, is also in the running to become Avatar, but she fears that he doesn't have a chance.
This book is really wonderful fantasy/fiction, and this is probably the best mermaid book I've read lately. It's easy to read (and, especially if you're a speed reader, it's the right size and length :), and it's also very interesting and detailed. The entire story gets played out in the trilogy, and, let me tell you, if you hang in and finish all three books, you will think: 'Man, that's good.' And you have to read the books in order, because the first one kind of sets the stage, the second starts the conflict, and the third ends it and ties the ends that were floating around up.
I would definitely recommend this to anyone!
6 people found this helpful
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R. M. Fisher
3.0 out of 5 stars "Take Heart Niniane, for You are the Knife..."
Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2004
"Water: Ascension" is the first in a trilogy concerning sixteen-year old Nia, a mermyd of a prominent clan in the undersea realm of Atlantis. The City is ruled by squid-like Farworlders, and their Avatars - mermyds that undergo a special bonding ritual that allows them to communicate with the Farworlders and govern Atlantis wisely. To be an Avatar is the highest honour a mermyd can achieve, and it is Nia's dream. She believes she has a good chance at winning the position against other young candidates from other clans, but is devastated when her family instead chooses her cousin Garun instead of her.

The mystery deepens when Cephan, the young mermyd she likes, shows her a prisoner mermyd and a Farworlder that are kept as secret prisoners deep in the core of Atlantis. Nia is shocked at this, believing her city to be a purely benevolent citadel where things like dungeons and punishments are non-existent. The mystery deepens when Nia begins to suspect that her family is using magic to help Garun win the Seven Trials that each competitor must go through - and even her beloved grandfather Dyonis seems in on the conspiracy.

"Ascension" is followed by two more books; "Reunion" and "Transformation" and this is a beginning worthy enough to track them down, even though I am not a fan of authors/publishers that needlessly split their books into more than one volume. It will appeal most to readers between ten and twelve, as it is quite a slender book but there is quite a lot of exposition put in concerning how the bond between Avatar and Farworlders works, how the city runs and the layout of the Trials.

At times all of this is badly presented to the reader, often being too complicated or too contemporary (and with mentions of cloth existing underwater). For instance, there are references to "turtle-taxis" and "kelpaper journals," as well as words such as "biochemical" and "having a crush (on someone)". This would not be so bad if the time-period was assumed to be contemporary, but as it turns out in later books, it's actually set in medieval times.

But Atlantis itself is vividly portrayed, from its homes and markets, its meeting places and engineering mechanism and the "dry rooms" where air still exists to preserve documents. Kara Dalkey also has a gift with names, as all of the mermyds have appropriately aquatic, and somewhat Grecian names: Thalassa, Pelagia, Maru, Pontus and Callimar are just a few examples.

Nia herself is a great heroine: smart, athletic, spunky, but not too good to be true - her faults make her a well-rounded person, err, mermyd. She's very easy to relate to, and her motivations are clear and understood. By the end of this particular phase in her life, most will be reaching for the next book. Also, in a completely unrelated statement, I think the cover art on this book (and the next two) are just beautiful. I know it's wrong to judge a book by its cover, but if you did, this one would be the winner.
12 people found this helpful
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orangebuffalo2
5.0 out of 5 stars A tale of the undersea dives into your feelings
Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2008
This book was amazing and changed your feelings each time in the book. If you were to read this book, be prepared to face changing feelings. The author does an amazing job describing everything and sometimes makes you feel like you're right there and are the person it's happening to. Have fun reading this almost life changing story...
One person found this helpful
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