“I keep climbing, despite it all. The only place I truly feel free is pressed against
granite. Dangling from a thin rope, with no guarantees. It’s worth the pain of rejection, the broken bones, the sick feeling in my gut when I know I am about to be passed over. It’s the only thing I’ve done in my short life that is worth it all.”
Klarke has had a singular goal—to become an Ascenditure and serve her kingdom. An elite force tasked with feeding the king, procuring medicine for the sick, and protecting the bridges and dams leading in and out of the kingdom, Ascenditures put their lives on the line to help others. The strongest climber of her generation, Klarke should be an obvious choice to join the ranks, but hers is a kingdom that expects women to stay home, and she is repeatedly passed over until civil unrest threatens to boil over into complete rebellion. When the king declares she will be allowed on a probationary period, she’s soon embroiled in a conspiracy far more sinister than simple sexism as she finds herself fighting for her life and the lives of her other Ascenditures.
Set in the rock-climbing world of an alpen kingdom, Dabney gives us a refreshing female-driven adventure novel so desperately needed in young adult literature. Klarke isn’t a tropey teenage girl fighting the world character sometimes found in YA fantasy, but a strong, complicated character who has the experience and dedication to achieve her goals, but once she finds herself exactly where she thought she wanted to be, battles her own ambition and the expectations placed upon her not only by her government but the people she loves most. As a result, what could be a straightforward high fantasy novel is a captivating thriller written in beautiful prose, providing an insightful, unflinching portrayal of institutionalized sexism and oppression of women and other marginalized people. This novel is a must-read, not only for teenage girls, but anyone longing for an adventure novel filled with high-stakes political intrigue, lush fantasy worlds, and complex characters.