I'm not sure I've ever been in a situation with a book where I adore, admire and am adversely conflicted by a nine-year-old protagonist. Matthew S. Cox has managed to do something that most authors struggle with; given an authenticity to the voice of a young girl. And all the while Cox is able to bring the reader into an intriguing dystopian future that could be our own with only a few missteps.

Nine Years Old
I cannot possibly say enough good things about the construct and characterization that Cox gives to one little girl. We see the story through her eyes and learn as she learns; yet all the while being a little bit smarter than her (as we know what a McDonald's arch is, and perhaps how to play Magic: The Gathering). This nine-year-old girl, Maya, is smarter than the average nine-year-old but it's in a believable and concise way. She spends all her time being a doll for advertisements; or studying online. Therefore she knows little of socialization and a lot about random things that are not all that helpful if you end up on the run from (what feels like) everyone. Maya has genuine relationships with others and like many children falls instantly into trust with some people. Children seem to have an innate sense of who to trust when they are not taught to fear everyone; and as Maya has not had to fear anyone in her life she falls easily into the hands of others. Luckily for her, most of the people she ends up with are not out to get the ransom money they expect she is worth.

The Action
There is so much action (especially at the beginning) of this book that it's hard to believe that along the way Cox is able to also tell a charming story focusing on family, love and friendship. In and amongst the bombs going off, death defying drone flights and other equally terrifying (and deadly) shoot-outs we manage to find a connection with each character that Maya encounters. Heir Ascendant reads very quickly because of this action and is likely to keep readers on the edge of their seat. From the opening sequence to about 50 pages in you will have a good sense for this book and it's style. I'd say if you don't enjoy it at that point you can safely put it away and not finish it. But I dare you to not want to know more about Maya and her plight after those first 50 pages.

Dystopian
It's not a mystery for my regular followers that I love dystopian books. The only genre I value above dystopia is fantasy. And give me a messed up fantasy world anyday and I'll be thrilled. The technology in Cox's dystopian world is interesting. It's beyond what we have today; but not so far beyond that it's hard to relate to or believe in. I really appreciate this link back to today's world that Cox makes so that we feel like this dystopian world is very plausible. The easier it is to relate to a dystopian book the better we are at feeling connected to the story and it's characters.

Overall
I really, really enjoyed this story and cannot wait to get my hands on the second book. I know it's a bit harder to find but I encourage you to seek it out if you love dystopian stories that feature children. There are so many wonderful themes in Heir Ascendant I couldn't possibly list them all. Cox jumps from the meaning of motherhood, or what makes a mother; over to what makes a bad guy bad? Are all people who fight to stay alive bad? Or are they only bad when they cross a line? And thus, of course the question is, where is that line?
Regardless of how you answer the above questions there is one thing for sure in Heir Ascendant; you will be cheering for Maya to 'win'. Even if you are not sure what 'winning' might look like for Maya you'll want her to be happy, safe and loved because she's just that loveable. But watch out because she's a little daredevil that is willing to steal your heart and jump off a cliff with it. Action, family, love and dystopian values all mix together in Heir Ascendant to give it a rounded out story, characters and setting.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

This was my first book by Matthew S. Cox and is the one that started my love of his stories. I plan to work my way through the rest of his series' and if they turn out to be as compelling and imaginative as "Heir Ascendant" was, I will be a very happy (reading) bunny! I hope people begin to pay more attention to indie authors and publishers as there are some truly spectacular titles out there just waiting to be discovered. I always remind myself that some of my favourite books of the last year were from small, indie publisher and there are countless times when I can say I was truly blown away by an indie author's work. I do hope people consider reading them more and find out for themselves that indie books have the same potential as conventionally published ones to absolutely blow you away. "Heir Ascendant" is a perfect example of this!

Maya Oman is a fantastic protagonist - she is smart, sassy, wise beyond her nine years and you really root for her in the dire situations that she finds herself in. She helps to balance out the dark dystopian setting by being positive and a force of nature. It would be difficult for even the most hard-nosed person not to admire her with what she endures and all at such a young age. Despite only being nine, she has a deep inbuilt sense of morality and this leads to her having a large problem with her biological mother who is both ruthless and useless. The author does use some of those dreaded tropes but this didn't have an impact on my reading experience as the book is so damn good, it would have taken some real deep flaws to put me off. Cox has an accessible and easy writing style which whisks you into the story and grips you quickly. He also knows how to hold your interest with an unpredictable and thrilling plot. Basically, everything just worked and came together in a magical way. Cox has created an intriguing and dangerous dystopia that is a difficult place in which to live for anyone let alone a youngster who is more or less looking after herself owing to her mother's neglect and narcissism.

All in all, this is a book that I will remember for a long time to come, this is partly thanks to the wonderful Maya - I couldn't have loved her more if i'd tried! I look forward to the third book in the series and will be checking out which of the author's other series' to try out next. I am optimistic that I will appreciate them as much if not more than the wonderful "Faded Skies" series. If you are wondering whether to give this a go then what you waiting for? You're in for a treat let me tell you!

Many thanks to Curiosity Quills Press for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

A tale of kidnapping and a dystopoia where human lives aren't worth the cost of the drugs made to keep them alive. An interestingly told story.

Summary: Maya is a nine year old Rapunzel who is trapped inside her tower by her evil biological mother. Which is very original Grimm Fairy tale of this story before parents complained and everyone acquired evil stepparents. <spoiler> Instead of hair and a prince she's abducted by a rough group who intend on using her to acquire a ransom or medication for the killer illness called Fade. Through her wits and determination she rescues herself while obtaining a replacement mother and causes a revolt.</spoiler>
<spoiler>
She's a genetically engineered child created by a woman who has no motherly instincts. She's a prop for her mother's pharmaceutical company.

Topics in this book: Sexualizing a child to advertise medication, pedophilia, the threat of assault or sexual assault, PTSD and poverty. I'm sure there is more but this is what I can remember.

Advertisements: She wears clothes that are more for adult than child

Pedophilia is discussed after the fact due to Sarah who something happened with her and the landlord. Maya & Sarah take him down under the assumption he's the one who called the blueberries on her and got Genna taken away.

“You tell me everything that happened, okay? It’s not your fault." in regards to her encounter with the guy. Every book and people need this in their stuff until we're no longer having to deal with people blaming victims.
</spoiler>
Recommend? If you don't mind a patchwork of a story with the protagonist being a genetically modified nine-year old then yes. In the acknowledgement talks about how this was originally a short story and when you're reading you can tell it's been stretched. But the acknowledgement seems to help confirm this. <spoiler> It feels like maybe three main things were wanting to be addressed with this and used journeying across places to fill in the gaps between them. Which isn't bad in itself but the story works and flows well when Maya & Genna are together.</spoiler>

Rest of review <a href="http://www.spoonsnbooks.com/2018/03/this-was-originally-downloaded-through.html">here</a>

A suspenseful look at a WWIII dystopian world, a young's girl's search for her place in it, and her eventually becoming a rebel leader against her mother and her mother's values. Entertaining.

Ascendant's power comes from Xenodril, a drug capable of reversing the effects of Fade, a disease some claim came from aliens or from the governments that predate the war. Only Ascendant sells it, and at a price only Citizens can afford. The rest are left to die."
This is a continuation of the ever popular dystopia genre. An innocent "haves" wants to help the "have nots". Overall, I enjoyed this novel. I recommend it to those wanting a gritty dystopian sci-fi novel driven by complex characters.

I read this book although it's not in my usual genres of books. The premise sounded interesting although it ended up going in a different direction than I anticipated. The story involves a nine year old girl who is the daughter of an executive of a large pharmaceutical company. Her mother has !ittle to do with her and Maya mostly takes care of herself. The only interaction she has with her mother is when she's needed for photo shoots promoting company products. The real story begins when Maya is abducted and held for ransom. The story takes some twists and turns that I did not see coming. The book was filled with a lot of adventure and I enjoyed it a lot. I will look for future books by this author.

First off, look at that cover. It. Is. Gorgeous. Secondly, this book was great! The characters were easy to connect with and the world building was creative, unique, and different from a lot of YA out there nowadays. I would definitely recommend this book.

Heir Ascendant surprised me, it is far from easy to write a science fiction novel where a 9 year old girl is the central figure.   No matter how intelligent she is, she is still a child.  Matthew Cox did a superb job of making Maya authentic. Though she is intelligent, she is naive and starved for affection and that makes her vulnerable. Some may question her sudden deep attachment to Genna, but in a way it’s realistic.  Genna may have been one of her kidnappers, but she also protected Maya, and Maya being starved of any kind of female attention was drawn to that and what Genna represented - a strong but emotional female figure.  

I won’t be giving too much away by saying that the majority of the novel focuses on Maya’s attempts to find and rescue her new mother.  She doesn’t intend to be a hero or an agent for change, she is just a little girl, but Matthew Cox proves just how powerful the desire for an ideal can be.  

Cox’s world is far from friendly.  Most people live in crumbling ruins, living a hard existence.  Lucky ones go to the city to work during the day.  The city is where citizens live and everything you dream of can be found for a price.  Drones patrol and the police are little more than corporate enforcers.  Worst of all is the Fade, a deadly disease leftover from the war.  Noone is safe from the disease, and the treatment is only available to those with the means to pay.  

Heir Ascendant is an impressive science fiction novel, richly imagined with a large cast of characters.  At its heart though is one 9 year old girl determined to find her new mother.  I look forward to reading the next novel in the series.

5 / 5

I received a copy of Heir Ascendant from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this strange book
vanessa a powerful ceo in charge of a company that sells all forms of drugs to help combat fade..a new deadly disease.....or does she....

maya is vanessa daughter who helps advertise her mothers drugs and she is 9 years old, and one day she is kidnapped and thats where the story begins because for most of her life she has been kept in solitary condition in an apartment with no mother to keep her company just computers

maya is held to ransom by these people but vanessa has other ideas about paying and so the story continues at quite a pace

my only bugbear about this story is that the hero...maya is 9 years old and what she has to go through ,so in my mind i thought of her as older and really enjoyed the story from then on...

plenty of action though in some places hard to believe with maya again being 9 but who wouldnt want to ride on a drone to save her would be mom

This book was all over the place and really choppy. I couldn’t finish it.