Thank you Netgalley and Angry Robot for the ARC!

*3,5 stars*

Like Evocation this book was filled with dark academia vibes I love and intricate relationships. While at some times I felt like there was some stuff that got very close to cheating or at least shitty communication. Even in a poly relationship, which I will admit I don't fully understand, it was clear boundaries weren't discussed and unspoken boundaries were crossed.

That being said, holy shit Rhys was so annoying in this book TT . TT
David and Moira were the thing keeping this book upright because I really started to loathe Rhys. This whole book is just him creating problems, refusing help and digging himself in a deeper hole! And yeah it definitely is realistic that people would do this, but man was it frustrating to read. It shocks me how both David and Moira just kind of ignored it and walked around the problems for so long. This man is not a capable leader and I don't get how NOBODY stood up to him.

I still enjoyed the story and the way these dynamics evolved, but I think it was just a bit too messy for me. It's beautiful to see how you can royally fuck up and both your partners still forgive by you and stay supportive, but man it was chaotic. And yes I do agree with Rhys' internal monologue, he is greedy and powerhungry, but in the end he is an anxious over-achiever. I think I just don(t mesh with his character. I almost thought to myself "Moira and David should just platonically get together and leave Rhys".
But maybe I'm just a hater at heart hahah.

The experience was enjoyable though, I liked the little plot twist with Max and just the introduction of him as a character. I feel like he was a bit of a forbidden fruit for David. I think I might just be a David fangirl and that's what makes me so forgiving of David's flaws and not Rhys'.

So yeah I will probably continue with the series, but I just get annoyed with Rhys man.

Each book in The Summoner's Circle series is focused on a character. The first book was mostly David's story and Ascension is focused on Rhys. We follow him as the new High Priest. He is trying to balance his work responsibilities with his personal life with Moira and David. Complicating their trio is a person from David's past. I didn't enjoy this book but not quite as much as the first. The stakes didn't feel quite as high. The story focused a lot more on the personal lives of our main trio. They have learned to communicate better and this leads to some more interesting spicy scenes. I can't wait for the next book. It is going to be focused on Moira and I'm dying to get more of her story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ascension, the third installment in The Summoners Circle series (and second full-length novel), follows Rhys, David, and Moira, three magic dabblers whose lives grow increasingly entwined after the events of Evocation. Rhys’ promotion to High Priest of The Society, an underground occult group, throws their poly relationship into new territory as they navigate the shifting dynamics.

I really enjoyed Evocation for its character-driven storytelling, especially the growth of each main character. From what I’ve seen in other reviews, I might be in the minority for loving Rhys most, but I found him deeply relatable. His anxious spirals, emotional fragility, and reactions under pressure felt so painfully familiar. He was incredibly human.

In Ascension, though? I hated him, and that’s a testament to S.T. Gibson’s writing. His ambition and desire for control gradually twist him into someone unrecognizable. While I originally felt he was more suited for leadership than David, who struck me as too laid-back, Rhys ultimately let the power consume him. Watching his worst traits come to the surface made the redemption arc all the more satisfying; now he truly has something to prove to the people he loves.

I struggled with their dynamic in the previous book, partly because I couldn’t understand how jealousy wasn’t a stronger factor. But in Ascension, I really came to appreciate the bond between the trio. David and Moira’s blossoming friendship was especially lovely. The way their magic connects them added something special to their relationship.

The side characters also stood out. Each brought something unique to The Society, and the “found family” energy felt earnest. I loved that they held Rhys accountable while still rooting for him. Antoni was a highlight for me- his leadership style offered a compelling contrast to Rhys’. And Lena was so unique. I’m eager to see where she goes in future installments.

One small critique: a major plot point from Evocation, something genuinely life-altering, felt a little brushed aside here. It’s mentioned only a couple of times, even though they’d previously spent so long researching demons. Given Rhys’ anxious nature, I expected those events to linger in his mind far more.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed Ascension and can’t wait for the next book. I enjoyed S.T. Gibson’s writing and as this was my first series from her, I’m absolutely diving into her back catalogue next!

Ascension is the second full-length novel in The Summoner’s Circle series. In it we follow Rhys, the new High Priest of Boston’s secret occult society, as he struggles for power. Driven by ambition, he is a complex and flawed character and I was so curious to see what he did after the ending of Evocation.

I have to say that I love S. T. Gibson’s writing style. She always chooses fascinating supernatural topics, like the occult, and writes about them in a wonderfully gothic manner. In this case, Boston is a great setting for the underground world of the paranormal. But along with these gothic themes, there are of course very dark subjects. Gibson is very honest about her books’ content and gives in-depth trigger warnings so just check at your discretion!

I once again liked the focus on David, Rhys and Moira’s relationship. This is one of the first poly relationships I’ve read about and whilst I don’t love all of the characters equally (Rhys I’m looking at you) I just really want them all to be happy.

If I’m right, there will be one more book in the series which is from Moira’s perspective which I am so very excited for!

thanks to angry robot books for the e-ARC

4 stars

I had a whole opinion rollercoaster reading this book because I was not really enjoying the first half. rhys was my least favorite character of the last book, and he does not come across particularly sympathetic here—I don’t really care that his dream is to be a tyrant leader of all the magicians due to not growing up special. life isn’t fair and no one deserves control of others.

with that being said, I think he grew in complexity and became more sympathetic throughout the book. do I think either of his relationships are healthy? no. david and moira have a healthier relationship with each other than either does with him. but he did suffer a lot throughout this book, and it was a good combination of self-inflicted and totally unfair to make it maximally angsty. by the end, I was pretty pleased by the character development and how the different relationships grew stronger through deliberate communication and effort. a very strong finish!

the plot was decent but nothing special: this book was definitely more character-driven but the plot-based complications added something to the narrative.

Thank you Netgalley and Angry Robot for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed Evocation, but this installment of the series fell very flat for me. Ultimately, I think it was because the previous plot from Evocation was barely mentioned, even though it is extremely time sensitive and serious. It is mentioned as almost an afterthought, and something to be dealt with later. I also believe Rhys is my least favorite character in this series. The decisions he made did not make sense to me, and resolved in a way that felt almost too easy. His motivations were not relatable, and I was shocked at how badly he treated everyone around him yet was forgiven rather easily. I think this was a weak installment in this series, but I am hopeful future books in this series are better.

Ascension dives deeper into the magical world and very human drama of my favourite disaster polycule. The characters are always a highlight of Gibson's writing for me and it was no different in Ascension. David reckons with his teenage years, including an old crush who reappears. Moira has plenty of breadcrumbs setting up for her book which I'm very excited to see play out!

And Rhys' angst was a highlight - he really goes through the wringer in this one. I love characters suffering the consequences of their actions and boy does Rhys suffer. I was especially wrecked by his belief he must be useful to be loved.

I loved how the world opened up a bit more and we got to peek into the different magical orders. I'm very hopeful we'll see more in the next few books!

I really enjoyed reading Ascension and I'd absolutely recommend the series to anyone who likes messy characters, the esoteric, and writing that makes you feel like you should be drinking whiskey neat! Thank you to Angry Robot for the ARC!

4.5 stars rounded up.

This was fun. Perfect? No. Extremely enjoyable? Absolutely! Made me cross fingers for a speedy release of the next one? Totally!

This is Rhys's book, so as expected lots of insecurity, ambitions, and Catholic guilt. Moira's still relegated to being the almost perfect supportive wife (even though she is showing cracks, and it has made her so much more interesting and made me really excited about the next book, which should be Moira's).
David's dealing with his own insecurities, and trying to figure out what his place in their relationship is. Their dynamics are fun to read about even though it occasionally gave me whiplash from going from huge arguments to intimacy within a page or two. The three of them are still really engaging and charming and I do feel invested in their story, which is what really carried me through this book. And yes, I did enjoy the spice :)

There's more background on the magical world in this book - the divisions between different types of magic and orders and how the hierarchy works, which I found fascinating. Other occult leaders show up and that's something that I also really appreciated.

The only thing that kept me from giving Ascension full 5 stars was lack of urgency from the characters. I had the same issue with Evocation as well. Rhys is going through something serious and everyone sees it and recognizes it, and yet people just wait around and hope he deals with it himself? And they continue letting him flail (and fail) until things really get dark? This is the only thing that made me feel a bit frustrated, but YMMV of course.

Overall, just as enjoyable as Evocation! Cannot wait until the next one!

P.S. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for giving me the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you AngryRobots and NetGalley for gifting this ARC ✨️

After reading Evocation, I knew I needed to read more about these characters. So I was really happy when I got approved of this ARC.
This second book mainly focuses on Rhys and his struggles of becoming the High Priest.
To be completely honest, Rhys annoyed me so much this book! 😂 However, I feel like I was supposed to get irritated with him. Well.. it worked haha
He started te become selfish and high on power and my sweet boy changed so much 🥲 But therefore it was also nice to see how he grew and learned to accept help from others. You really saw his personal journey

One thing I also loved about Ascension, was how you don't work towards one thing, but a lot more important moments. I was a bit scared Rhys' 'struggle' (I don't want to spoil too much 🤭) would stay undiscovered until the end of the book but that wasn't the case at all!
There are so many memorable incidents so you feel like you've read more than just one single book. And it doesn't even feel rushed! ✨️

The only thing I missed a bit was my boy David. He is such a fun character and I felt like he was a bit left out in the first half of the book. But luckily Moira and Leda were there and I also loved to get to know them more!

Overall, definitely worth reading if you liked Evocation!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the sequel to Evocation. I really enjoyed Evocation (4 stars), but I enjoyed Ascension so much more (4.5 stars!).

We get so much deeper into Rhys, David, and Moira. We learn so much more about who they are as people. All 3 of them go on different character growths through this book, and I truly loved them all.

Rhys, (who I share a name with; AND it’s both our middle names?? wild!!) has the most impact and impressive character growth in this book. He starts out as stuck up and power hungry. He wants to ensure the Society stays strong, and honestly uses too many demons to achieve this. He slowly turns into a stuck up fuckin ASSHOLE, but by the end of the book?? I LOVED this character arc. You’ll understand why when you read this book.

Moira, on the other hand, has a different type of character arc. I found that hers was less obvious, but I still really enjoyed hers!!

David had a pretty big one too. He starts a new relationship with a guy his father let stay at their house when David was 16 (and he was 22). Nothing happened during that summer, but the two of them try a relationship in their adult years. David was down BAD for him, and by the end of the book, it’s wild. I don’t want to spoil anything, but David’s arc was so fascinating to read.

I loved this second book in this series and I can’t wait to see how this series progresses!!!

Like Evocation, Ascension feels is like a warm, cosy blanket wrapped around you on a cold, cold night.

This sequel has a much faster pace compared to the first book and focuses primarily on Rhys and his greed and desire for more power. Intertwined with this we get so see some wonderful character growth from Rhy and David; and some lovely character exploration of Moira.

There were some time jumps within the story that took me a minute to figure out but it didn't detract from the story much.

Overall I really enjoyed Ascension. S.T Gibson's writing has such warmth and depth that is distinctly their own.

Thank you to Angry Robot Books and NetGalley for the ARC.

It's no secret that I ADORE S.T. Gibson's queer, dark fantasies, and that Evocation was one of my top reads of that year. So I couldn't have been more excited to dive into this sequel, thanks to Netgalley. The story opens with probably the healthiest, most beautiful poly relationship I've ever read in fiction. No toxicity, no intrigue or complications because the baseline of this story and world is that Moira, David and Rhys love each other deeply, unapologetically and honestly. Honestly their relationship and conversations and scenes of queer and poly joy and domesticity is 90% of why I will keep reading this story. That said, this one faltered for me on two significant counts. The story is Rhys-centric this time, and honestly, I find him as insufferable as I find Moira and David absolutely fascinating. The fact that they're both into Rhys is honestly their only flaw. Heck, I am disappointed that David's new/old flame in this got sidetracked because he at least treated David right. In any case, the bulk of this story is hand wringing about power going to Rhys's head, he basically SUCKS as a partner and leader, and his literal demons make a hot mess for everyone to clean up. Aaaaand that's pretty much it. Honestly, I don't know what else to say because I'm still kinda reeling from the "that's it?!" of it all. If this series is leading up to some big paranormal showdown, it sure is taking it's sweet time in the boring neurotic corners of a world that should be a lot more thrilling. Perhaps a Moira-centric book after this will course correct.

Listen, I think I'm the odd one out here... I love LOVE this series, but Ascension? Not so much. This felt like pointless filler and lacked the drama that the rest of the books had, but am looking forward to Moira's book!

The series keeps getting better. I loved the first book, but this one exceeded my expectations. I can never get enough of these characters. They're all so special to me, and I was praying for everything to work out. David quickly became my favorite character. I adored reading him from every point of view. 

We got so much lore in this book! Getting to know the society a bit better and connecting with other leaders was so much fun. I enjoyed the exploration of other practices as well. With the introduction of the others, such as Dion, I hope there is a chance to learn about the other groups. I am curious about the club. We only got to see it a little through Moira; I wanted to see more of Leda’s practice. She is so cool; I hope we get more of her in future books. 

 I appreciated how much poly representation there is all in one relationship. The three of them alone included many different aspects of poly relationships and dynamics. They aren't perfect, but they are perfect for each other. Their love for each other is so beautiful it makes me want to cry. Please let the trio be happy!

Amazing book, 5/5 stars. I can’t wait for the next one!

I received this story as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This sequel surprised me right away in grasping my attention and holding it through the entire story. The first book was a bit slow moving but this one fully developed the magical societies and how they functioned within each other and within normal society.

Rhys’s struggle with good, greed, people pleasing, and power was beautifully laid out. I loved that he was raised in a catholic conservative family but had an untreated anxiety disorder, was openly bisexual with everyone but his family, and led a secret occultist society that summoned demons. His battle with his personal demons reflected into his real life battle with the demons he was utilizing in his society life was brilliantly mirrored.

David’s character growth was wonderful executed. He really explored the trauma caused by his childhood and acknowledged his destructive behavior. His commitment to being sober, his growth within the society and his exploration of a relationship with Max all helped him to achieve the happiness and personal growth of society leadership and a true balance in his relationships with Rhys, Moira, Leda and the rest of his friends.

Moira’s character kept all others balanced and getting to see her grow into her full powers was exhilarating.

Overall I was happy to see growth with this story and look forward to reading additional stories by this author.

ngry Robot for the chance to read this book in advance.

I genuinely cannot say enough good things about David. He’s my favorite drama queen. I say it with love. Moira, my god. She’s a gem. And Rhys— What a hot mess. Emphasis on hot.

I so thoroughly enjoyed seeing the relationship between my favorite paranormal throuple continue to grow and develop. Some of the plot spacing in this did feel off. Namely big jumps in speed. However , im fine with it. It wasn’t enough to make me stop in my tracks so I wouldn’t dock points for this. But just a fair warning— You might feel like you need to re read a page or two because of it.

Overall, I am in freaking LOVE. It has been rare lately that I feel such a genuine connection between characters and ST Gibson has once again nailed it.

Ascension by S.T. Gibson invites you to sit down so it can spill some tea and tell you about an overly ambitious man who makes a whole lot of bad decisions and ruins his life. Add in some demons and a dash of magic, and you have been served a bitter drink that is hard to enjoy. The trio from The Summoner’s Circle series returns to tackle not a demonic pact, but a new problem: Rhys.

Feeling inadequate with a lot to prove, Rhys decides he needs extra demonic powers to help him reach his goals. It’s the only way he can remain powerful enough to protect the ones he loves and help the struggling occult society flourish once again. But when a random public ritual catches the media’s attention, Rhys and the society fear the fingers will point to them and spur a satanic panic wave. With a tenuous hold on his inner and literal demons, Rhys begins to erode away his relationship with Moira, David, and the entire supernatural society at large with huge consequences.

There is a bizarre, blasé attitude about all the horrible things happening in this book, and it saps the tension from the entire story. It was hard to care about the bad decisions Rhys was making when the consequences were only a moment of discomfort. Rhys has overextended himself with demon contracts, and his behavior sucks. His actions are hurting the people around him, and these characters get mad in the moment, but the plot’s fast pace doesn’t let that hurt fester. It’s a vibe shift from the first book, which languished in the ticking clock that was David’s impending doom. Ascension reads more like a reality TV show following a secret occult society. Rhys does something bad. Everyone yells. The night ends. Characters reconvene to talk it out. And then the next event happens. Rhys is just the problematic paranormal friend starting drama, and everyone reacts on a level equivalent to if he caused an embarrassing scene at dinner.

Rhys is too ambitious for his own good, and his thirst for power dominates this story and the characters in it. Because his decisions significantly impact society, many of the issues primarily affect his relationship with David, who receives a slightly greater share of the spotlight in this story. But Moira, his wife, is basically a footnote. She only gets called into moments for very specific plot purposes. It’s weird that she’s so removed from everything when she’s married to the man who is the main problem. Moira is pushed so far outside the sphere of influence that she feels distant and out of touch with what’s going on in this story. This was a huge damper on my experience with book two because she is my favorite character, and it was a bummer to see her have less influence on the plot.

I am also dumbfounded by some of the plot choices made in Ascension. Book one ends with a large, unresolved demonic issue, and it’s not even addressed. It’s mentioned in passing with a hand wave and a sentiment of “oh, we’ll figure that out later, I guess.” That was a wild choice when handling the big bad from book one. It’s as if Gandalf just stopped caring about the ring in The Two Towers. It reeks of a series that had to cram in a middle book to extend its time in the sun. The second atrocious choice is the inciting incident of the entire plot, but yet it doesn’t stick around to actually be inciting. Everyone gets in a tizzy with the staged public ritual, but no pressure or consequences actually come from the media, normal society, or other practitioners. It was a weird, shallow plot tool that tried to influence an entire book only to fade into the background and never be seen again.

Ascension was bewildering. The tone shifts away from its contentious, heartfelt predecessor and becomes a supernatural entertainment show that is living for the drama. Even this beloved throuple couldn’t satisfy me, and I’m left a little dazed and confused from the events.

Rating: 6.5/10 - Ascension
-Brandee

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. The thoughts on this story are my own.

4.75
This was a highly anticipated sequel for me and I'm so glad it lived up to my expectations! S. T. Gibson is truly a master at character work and her prose captures the messy beauty of human relationships perfectly.

Rhys is struggling in his role as high priest. Even with the help of his demons, the society demands more than he can give, leading him to neglect his relationships, including with his wife Moira and his boyfriend David. Then bad press surrounding an amateur summoning by an unknown sorcerer threatens to expose the society and puts Rhys on even thinner ice.

This is equal parts thrilling and romantic. I'm so glad this is going to be a four book series!

TLDR: These characters will break your heart and put it back together better. If you want a book about urban magic, secret societies, demons, some angels, queer folks being amazing, and about polyamourous folks this has it all.

If you thought Rhys, David, and Moira were just good and fine and everything was chill after Evocation yeah that was a pipe dream. There is so much going on in this book. S.T. Gibson is so talented with her bend of hard hitting and driving plot that keeps you engaged in the day to day of all 3 of our main characters and the greater magic society all while developing each individual relationship within the triad. There is so much individual growth that happens in this book and I am so here for it.

The looming plot and problems in this book, even when I saw the issues and was bracing I was not prepared and I loved every second of this. I cannot wait for Moira's book. I will read literally anything S.T. Gibson puts out. Also there is few authors right now putting out such beautiful and diverse sex scenes for queer folks.

🌶️🌶️🌶️3 / 5
The smut in this novel uses explicit language and a decent amount of detail. There is a good balance of plot and romance. There are several spicy scenes throughout the book, at least two or three, but potentially even more.

Review by Nic @polycraftory on Instagram, Tumblr, and Tiktok, where I do book reviews and crafts with my polycule. If you are curious about my thoughts on more books, you can find me @businesswife on Storygraph. You can also find content warnings on my Storygraph review of this book. You can also find my reviews @polycraftory on Goodreads.

This one was messy, magical, and emotionally chaotic in the best way. I’m still not totally sold on the plot, because it dragged in places, but the characters? Fully obsessed. Rhys is the perfect disaster, Moira is a powerhouse, and David quietly wrecks me. The magic, ambition, and slow unraveling of it all had me hooked by the end. Bring on the next book, I’m ready for more unholy drama.