Distortion by Victor Dixen

Synopsis (from Goodreads) 

Publisher: Hot Key Books
Released: 18th of October 2018 

Six girls, six boys: looking for glory and romance on Mars 

They thought they were masters of their destiny.

They are the twelve pioneers of the Genesis programme. 

They thought they were taking part in the most extraordinary of missions.

In fact, they are the victims of the cruellest of plots.

Leonor was looking for glory - and love - on Mars.

She thought she would be able to open her heart there. 

But what she has done is open up a Pandora's box of her past ...

What I Have to Say 

I've never had such a different reaction to a sequel as the first book before, but as much as I loved Ascension, I really hated Distortion. It was a massive disappointment. Sometimes I read a book and get caught up in the action and the mystery of it all and I don't notice that actually, the writing itself isn't so great. I think that's the case with Ascension. I'm not withdrawing my recommendation. I still loved Ascension. It's worth reading for all the secrets and lies and mystery. But having a book like Distortion, where most of the mystery is already revealed and there's not the big build up of the first book? It becomes clear that the actual writing is very lacking. I don't know whether this is a translation issue or the original text, but it's really off-putting 

I like the main 12 characters a lot. Their dialogue may be really stilted and formal, but their actions and their motivations shine through. I think this is what will keep me reading this series. Because even though Serena is turning into more and more of a comic book villain, even though I find the way that they've paired up nice and neatly with each six couples being madly in love completely and utterly ridiculous and unbelievable, I want to see what comes next for them. I want them to survive and win out against all the odds stacked against them. 

So this is a very mixed review. There are some really good things about the series, but it's not one that I want to shout about and push on my friends anymore. 

My thanks go to Netgalley and Hot Key Books for providing me with this copy for review.