Every Sky a Grave is the first installment in The Ascendance Series that left my mind blown and with a thirst for more. As I mentioned in my review, I had a great time reading that book even though I still wasn’t sure I grasped The Ascendance hierarchy correctly. So, when I dived into Every Star a Song, my heart buzzed with excitement. The blurb gives off the feeling of mystery and a shocking revelation. Does Every Star a Song lived up to my expectation?

It began three months after the ending of the first book. Elyth—former Advocate of the Voice, now exiled—was on some planet trying to live a low life. But danger seemed to be her devoted follower because The First House found out where she is and they brought a special unit to capture her. She thought they were going to kill her but gave her a mission to explore a new planet instead. A mission that tightly related to her, or to be precise, to what she had done in Qel. When she arrived at the planet, The House might as well kill her because the things she found there is quite possibly worse than death.

A sci-fi with a perfect balance of suspense, goosebumps covered my body while I was reading Every Star a Song past midnight. Starting with a bang, Elyth’s capture brought only a tiny glimpse of what is to come. As soon as she stepped on the new planet, things were never the same. Why was there suddenly a strange sound coming from the beautiful but strange-looking forest? They have just arrived, gave them some time to settle and rest. Don’t scare me, I mean, don’t scare them to death yet.

I didn’t need to worry about the pace, instead, I worried this book would leave a scar on my fragile mind. Horrifying things kept coming up, I didn’t have time to recover. Hideous and awful creatures, a landscape that changed mysteriously? I think this book was somehow fit to be read in October as it’s the month of terror. Unlike the previous book where the first half of the book is used to introduce the world to the readers, reading the sequel was like on a rollercoaster of a nightmare. Frightening, yes, but I couldn’t get enough of it.

Now, I cannot not talk about the characters because they made everything so much better. For starters, I liked Elyth a lot! It wasn’t like I disdain her in the first book but she seemed unsure and hesitant. Now, she has learned from the past and grown into a remarkable woman. Her understanding and power of the Deep Language also got better. Thus, there were moments where my jaw dropped when seeing Elyth in action. How do I sum it up in a sentence? It was like seeing an upgraded version of someone.

Although most of the characters are new, Posey did an impressive job with them because compared to the characters from Every Sky a Grave, the ones from the sequel are more fleshed out. Their backstory and traits made them stand out and alive. If I have to pick a favorite, I’d choose Captain Ames. His humor and professionalism caught my attention from the start. If I was ever given a mission to explore a new planet and encounter alien and possibly dangerous things, I’d react the same way as Captain Ames: “And I thought this couldn’t possibly get any weirder.”

One thing that I am lowkey waiting for is the relationship between Elyth and Grief. I wanted to know how they’ve changed since the event on Qel because things didn’t end well for both of them. In this book, the dynamics between the two were new yet familiar. Frankly, I wasn’t as interested in Grief as I once was because Elyth was just incredible she took up a large chunk of my attention throughout the story. There were still too many secrets shrouding over Grief, I wish I could get to know him better in the next book.

Overall, Every Star a Song was a spectacular sequel to The Ascendance Series. Shocking facts were being revealed and they seemed to arouse new questions. With such an ending and epilogue, the third book should be exceeding any of my expectations. I’m afraid I couldn’t tell where Posey would go from here. I just hope that I’d survive from whatever horror the next book would bring.

Thrilling and suspenseful with twists that would have your mind engrossed and your heart burst, Every Star a Song is perfect not only for the fans but also for readers who crave an unforgettable read. It challenges your nerve and imagination through a series of horrifying events.

Another enjoyable and meditative read in this series. I was happy to be back in Elyth's company as she reunited with old friends and foes and dig deeper into the secrets of the universe. Both cerebral and action packed at different times, I continued to enjoy the world building.

A few times I felt a little lost in the narrative, but the ending was good.

I assume there will be more books in the series as there seems to be many more stories to tell.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

The second book in the ascendance series , the first being every sky a grave.
This was a highly enjoyable book, and I didn't find it as slow as the first book

I have never before let out a wail of despair upon reading a dust jacket, but it happened with "Every Star a Song". Why? Because I read the words "An unforgettable conclusion to the acclaimed duology", and I so desperately wanted this to be at least a trilogy! As with "Every Sky a Grave" (book 1) the story, the writing, the characters are all perfectly crafted. Reading this book was a beautiful experience. I smiled, I gasped, and I cried a few tears too. Please, please, please give us more - another duology would be beyond awesome!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

**Includes spoilers from Posey’s first book in this duology “Every Sky a Grave”. Read ahead at your own risk. **

We left Every Sky a Grave with Elyth leaving the First House to embark on her new future, free of the reigns of the Paragon and the rulings of the First House.

Three years have since passed and Elyth seems to have found the quiet life she sought out only for it to be put in jeopardy by the arrival of Hezra agents. Forced from her new life, she finds herself face to face with Hezra and her beloved sister Nyeda. Hezra and the First House have aligned for some reason yet to be known to Elyth. Thinking that the Paragon has enlisted Hezra to kill Elyth for her departure from the Ascendance, she is shocked when they instead ask for her help.

“An alliance,” Elyth said “Because you feared what I might become?”

“No Exile,” Nyeda said “Because we fear what you already are.”

“And,” Nyeda added a moment later. “Because we need your help.”

Troubled by this new alliance between her former house and their enemy, she is under no obligation to help. A new planet has mysteriously appeared in the shadow of Qel and Hezra are sending a unit to investigate it. In typical Elyth style after the events of book 1, she queries why they haven’t sent the almighty Paragon herself. She wasn’t expecting the reply that they had, and she’s now missing.

Elyth, along with Nyeda and a contingent of Hezra agents prepare to depart to Qel’s shadow with the hope of finding the Paragon of the First House. While things appear mostly-normal, that soon changes. The planet is deadly, people are dying and it seems like the planet itself is trying to talk to them.

What I love about this duology from Posey is that we have a relatively small cast and as such you get a beautiful insight into each of them. They aren’t filler characters to make the world feel bigger, they have important parts to play in this book and they each leave a mark.

Two favourites for me are Korush and Subo. I won’t go into too much detail about Subo but I loved the discussion of whether its soul exists and if Korush and Subo share one. It’s strange to feel something for what is essentially a machine but my god did that hit me in the feels. Korush I can’t help but love, he is a true follower of The Way and though a man of few words, he is quite the character.

Captain Ames deserves a shout out too for being the light-hearted relief and bringing a sense of normality to this otherwise extraordinary group of individuals. I love how he knows he is out of his depth and yet, still endeavours to help.

Varen, I have a bit of a love-hate relationship with. I like how he sees the world and how he tries to encourage Elyth to arrive at the conclusion he’s already at. He feels like a teacher that is just waiting for his pupils to get to his level. I hate him for one of the reasons in the book which I cannot say here but he redeems himself with his actions towards the end.

Elyth will always be my favourite, she is a complex character that is constantly growing. Despite leaving the House and having no obligations, she will always do the right thing. She is a natural leader and will endure so much hardship in following her own beliefs. Courageous and inspirational. I adore her.

This is a brilliant sequel to Every Sky a Grave. I loved seeing Elyth grow and realise her true potential. It was great to see the other side of the Ascendance and it feels like it would be easy for this story to continue in a new series which I would LOVE to see.

It’s fast paced, full of action and an absolute pleasure to read, I highly recommend it.

REVIEW: Don’t read the full blurb for this one – it contains far too many spoilers regarding Elyth’s initial adventures. And if you have picked this one up without having first read Every Sky a Grave, it’s not a major problem. Some time has passed since the events of the first book, and Posey is sufficiently skilled that you can quickly work out what is going on without needing to know about Elyth’s previous adventures. That said – I think this is an outstanding series, so I’d advise that you read it, anyway.

As with the first book, I was struck by Elyth’s nuanced and subtle characterisation. She is very capable, but spends a lot of time quietly observing from the sidelines – and such characters are tricky to write. It’s all too easy to make them appear overly passive, or plain boring and Elyth is neither. It doesn’t hurt that once again, I was swept up in the cracking story, full of adventure and tension. Which meant I wasn’t sure exactly what was going on for a large portion of the book – other than it wasn’t anything good…

But who is responsible? Could it be the recklessly dangerous Varden? Or maybe one of the scarily clever scientists working for the ruthless organisation partly responsible for running the Ascendance. And amongst the elite team put together to investigate this latest crisis were some thoroughly likeable people who I didn’t want to see either hurt, or find out they’re the villains. Posey’s vivid descriptions of the rogue planet brought the landscape to life in all its threatening beauty. And he has the knack of writing routine so that it’s still gripping, which gives the action scenes extra shock value when they appear to come from nowhere.

All in all, this was an outstanding read. I got to the point where I had nearly finished the book and I didn’t want such a thoroughly satisfying reading experience to end – and that’s when I know I’m in the middle of something special. Very highly recommended for all science fiction readers – and those who enjoy a gripping adventure. While I obtained an arc of Every Song is a Star from the publisher via Netgalley, the opinions I have expressed are unbiased and my own.
10/10

‘If a voice can end worlds, what is the price of silence?’ - cover tag line.

My thanks to HarperVoyager for an invitation to receive an advance review copy via NetGalley of ‘Every Star A Song’ by Jay Posey in exchange for an honest review. I elected to purchase its unabridged audiobook edition, narrated by Laura Lefkow, and combined listening with reading. I was also invited to take part in its blog tour.

This is Book Two in Posey’s Ascendance series and continues the story that began in ‘Every Sky A Grave’. Obviously, I don’t want to head into spoiler territory about Book 1 as some readers may not yet have read it. So, I will tread carefully about plot details of Book 2.

Three years after the events on Qel in ‘Every Sky’, Elyth, a woman with the power to destroy planets with a single word, agrees to join a team that is about to explore a mysterious new planet. Yet they quickly find themselves faced with an adversary that threatens the entire universe.

I found this a strong sequel that brings Elyth into contact with other members of the Ascendance; so rather than working as a lone agent she is part of a larger operation with the attendant interpersonal dynamics.

Posey’s world building continues to be excellent and as a result I found it very easy to immerse myself in the narrative. I felt that there was a good balance between the novel’s action sequences, character interaction, and its more philosophical aspects.

I admire Elyth as a character and while I found the ending perfect, I find myself hoping that there will be further books in the Ascendance series, either continuing her story or expanding into the wider universe.

Excellent epic science fiction. Highly recommended.

Every Sky a Grave was a book that I’d picked up on a whim because the premise intrigued me, and it ended up being a fantastic and incredibly surprising read. I hadn’t known quite what to expect, and I was blown away – and what I particularly enjoyed about it was the writing and the use of language. In my mind, that is where the heart of this series lies – in language, and how it can be used and how it can be corrupted and this sequel which has the challenge of following on from a strong debut stays true to that essence but takes a different approach which also polishes some aspects and shows just what Posey is capable of.

In Every Star a Song follows a separate storyline, although the connections were there – and what I particularly enjoyed about this one is that it opens up the world through the characters. Elyth is a fantastic character, and I was glad to see her again. She underwent a lot of growth throughout the first book and had really come into her own. In Every Sky a Grave the story was primarily focused on her, but in Every Star a Song this viewpoint expands as we have her working with a group of people, although she still dominates the story – but this wider perspective is both refreshing and also allows us to see different sides of Elyth as well. But, it was through the rest of the team that she was working with, that I felt we really got to see Posey’s characterisation skills at play.

There is a small cast of characters, but it is very much a case of quality over quantity, and I thoroughly enjoyed every one of the new characters, and I liked that it took time for the team to come together. They had a shared goal – along with the shadow of the threat of a previous expedition team that had disappeared, but they were still strangers and had to learn to work together. It felt very natural watching them coming together as the story progressed, with ups and downs – distrust and betrayal, and very human emotions in those kinds of situations getting in the way, before giving away to a team that had a wonderful dynamic and some great banter towards the end.

‘“I don’t believe I’d like to come back this way,” he said.

“I don’t believe I want to come this way a first time,” Korush said from the opposite side.’

It’s hard to choose a favourite from the new characters, and especially because I love Elyth so much as a character. However, if I had to choose one I’d probably choose Varen because he just had such a wonderful charm and so much depth to him. He was the character that certainly caught me by surprise the most, and I absolutely loved his interactions with Elyth especially towards the end of the book – although boy did it twist my heart in wonderful and painful ways.

‘…she’d been certain that she would find him standing in its midst, his schoolboy grin greeting her with a mischievous did I do that? glint in his eye.’

While the characters have expanded, the setting itself was a lot more focused and lay in the background in this book. The worldbuilding had been established in Every Sky a Grave – and was fantastically done, and I did love returning to the Deep Language and just that exploration of what language can do – and here, beyond some exploration of Qel’s Shadow and the immediate setting, it took on a supporting role. I think this worked really well, especially with the expansion of the cast, and because it helped move away from one of the few things that I had found was a problem with the first book, which was the pacing being slowed a little too much in places by the description. Here Posey has found a wonderful balance between the description of the world, the characters and the action, and it made for a book that flowed beautifully from start to finish and had me on the edge of my seat on more than one occasion.

The ending was powerful – and I was holding my breath for the last ten per cent, and it really showed Posey’s skill with balancing action and emotion, and here was where we got to see Deep Language at its best. It’s also the strongest reminder that this series treads the boundary between SciFi and Fantasy, and it just worked so well that I had to go back and reread it straight away just to soak in what happened. The epilogue has me excited for what might lay ahead too. Just a wonderful, wonderful conclusion to a fantastic book.

Every Star a Song is a fantastic read that I all but flew through, and honestly, I just love Posey’s way of writing so much that I would happily read it all over again. Plus, I wasn’t ready for my time with Elyth to end, because she really is such a great character. I would highly recommend The Ascendance series, especially for anyone who enjoys SciFi that leans into science-fantasy, and with some truly beautiful writing. I look forward to seeing what the author will do in the future.

Sitting down to write this review is proving to be hard. I simply don’t know where to begin; the various aspects of this book rumble around in my head, as they have done since I closed the final page and set the book down.

Every Star A Song is a sequel to Jay Posey’s Every Sky a Grave which I read and loved last year. It follows Elyth, a Daughter of the House and speaker of the Deep Language whose purpose was to analyse and kill planets where that Deep Language has been corrupted. Set over three years after the events of the previous book, Elyth finds herself drawn back into the fold when she is brought into an expedition to explore a new planet, where the previous expedition there had disappeared without a trace.

It is a very different story to the first book, yet still stays true to the series’ essence. While the first focused primarily on Elyth alone, here we see her working with a group of people. A change which really worked in the book’s favour. I loved each of the new characters in this team and seeing them come together as the book progressed was a delight. It was these character interactions that really made me love this book through the natural banter, the worry, even the instances of distrust and betrayal which occurred. Elyth still commanded the pages but having these extra characters really helped ground the story and allow us to see different sides of Elyth as well.

Elyth’s own internal struggles of who she is and where she fits in are reflected in the team as well as the world around her. The world of the Ascendance is an interesting one and we see a bit more of the two ruling powers through the members of the Hezra and the House joining the expedition. Mostly, however, the world-building focus is on the exploration of Qel’s Shadow as the group try to figure out what is going on and what it means for the wider galaxy. Seeing the dark and more vengeful sides of it were thrilling to read, and I lost track of the number of times I gasped aloud as reveals and revelations occurred. The Deep Language was still beautiful to read as Elyth put it in action, and while I was disappointed that we didn’t see much of it at the start, this changed as the book went on.

Throughout the book I laughed, I cried, I held my breath and sat on the edge of my seat. This was an excellent read from start to finish. Where the first book suffered a little from pacing as it set everything up, Every Star A Song had no such issues and I found myself flying through. I thoroughly enjoyed joining Elyth on this adventure and am only sad that it is over. I just want more.

There's a kind of open jawed debut which feels common in science fiction at the moment. A self-contained novel which does decent complex world building, introduces a well fleshed out protagonist and possibly some universe shaking along the way. Every Sky A Grave, the previous book by Jay Posey was exactly that kind of book - there was an ending which was final enough but left characters in flux. As I got near the end of the book (or the percentage ran down in this case), it was clear that not every mystery would be solved, the galactic tyrants would still be in place and our genocide-monger who had belatedly discovered that destroying planets might actually be a bad thing, was on the run. It could have ended.

Every Star a Song therefore felt a little artificial as a follow-up, not least as it packs the genocide background that Elyth the lead has in a tidy box. Instead it produces a discrete new adventure (vaguely linked to the previous one) and a different kind of book. Here she is slotted into a fellowship of uneasy companions to solve a mystery – a planet has appeared out of nowhere and is acting even stranger than a planet just appearing out of nowhere. Every Sky A Grave spent much of its time in Elyth’s head, so it is interesting to see here in a group, it sandpapers off some of the more unique aspects on the previous book, but does make it consistently exciting read (even if the mystery character reveals in the middle and at the end are pretty obvious in a Galaxy that seems to have only twenty characters). It also continues its “sci-fi that is actually a fantasy” theme, the Deep Language (with which Elyth could destroy a planet with a word) is still employed as magic here, and spaceships, blasters and robots just act as need be. There is a creepiness though to much of the action which was appreciated.

The sequel to anything surprising will always be less novel, and in trapping the lead on a planet with no escape and a small team Posey did not have to do any additional filling in on the blanks of his seeming space Utopia. But I appreciate that instead time has been spent on characters, and action – which unpacks the underlying themes. I can’t say I was shocked by the ultimate ending, which considering where the book started I should have been, but unlike Every Sky A Grave, this book needs and will be getting a sequel to tie off its loose ends. There is a bit of “putting people in place” going on, but I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the journey.