Review - Distortion by Victor Dixen

Distortion by Victor Dixen

Published 18th October 2018 by Hot Key Books

Star Rating - ***.5

Goodreads Challenge -40/50

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

After a speed-dating show that is literally out of this world, twelve young astronauts are set to become the first humans to colonise Mars. They are also the victims of the cruellest of plots.

Léonor thought she was a pioneer on an extraordinary mission. She thought she had left all regrets behind her on Earth. But when memories are this painful, there can be no forgetting . .

My Thoughts

After reading and really enjoying the first book in this series, Ascension, and being left with that ending I knew I had to pick this one up. I enjoyed this one as well but not as much as the first. I wonder if it suffers a little bit from 'middle book syndrome'. Anyway, here are my thoughts...

What I Liked

• I enjoyed the setting, I liked how it moved between both Mars and Earth. It was interesting to learn more about Mars and it was obvious the author had done some research into what that environment would be like. I actually quite enjoyed the sciencey aspects of this story. 

• The first book in this series focused a lot on the development of the relationships between the boys and the girls and this did continue in this book. It was great to see them finally meet in real life and there was some really positive examples of acceptance however, there are a few things I have a couple of issues with. I also enjoyed learning more about some of the characters back stories and there is still some things left unexplained that I hope we find out about in the next book. 

• The plot really picked up the pace towards the end. The last 50 pages or so moved quite fast and I found myself wanting to know what was going to happen. There are still a lot of things left to be explained and this book ended on a huge cliff hanger! I find myself struggling to make predictions when it comes to this story and I enjoy that as it means I need to read to find out more. 

What could of been better

• This book was a lot slower than the first one. It wasn't as fast paced or suspenseful until it got to the last 50 or so pages. This meant I found myself reading a lot slower than I did the first time round and I felt like I wasn't as invested in the story to begin with as I was with the first one. That soon changed with that ending though. 

• I wasn't a fan of Kris and Alexei's relationship, I didn't like the way Alexei treated Kris. This may have been purposeful as I understand not all relationships are good however, I don't feel like it was challenged enough and therefore could be toxic to some readers. That being said one bad relationship out of six isn't bad and it's not a main point of the story so it's not at the fore front of this novel. 

Overall another enjoyable read. I found it fun but not as good as book one, it felt a bit like a filler to me. However, that ending has got me wanting more and I can't wait to get my hands on the final book in this series. 

Overall Rating (3.5)