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.

I loved coming back to this world!
The secret society has had a major change!
But can Rhys survive that change.
The pressure around him causing his life and all his relationships to fall apart!
David explores new connections; Moria and Rhys explore their connection with David.
This book is spicer than book 1 but still so interesting and the magic world continues to expand.

The one part I didn’t quite enjoy is that the equation of the set up of the book was the exact same as the first
We aren’t saving David this time it’s Rhys
The conflict builds the same way, the major magic scene is in a similar part as book one.

But ST Gibson gives us some interesting set up for book 3 as magic content to expand. I will def be reading the next one (:

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

S.T. Gibson once again shows her brilliance. Combining deep and flawed characters, interesting world-building, and emotional challenges, she entraps you in a world fueled by magic and ambition.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC.

S.T. Gibson once again shows her brilliance. Combining deep and flawed characters, interesting world-building, and emotional challenges, she entraps you in a world fueled by magic and ambition.

I don't know how to feel about this series yet. I didn't LOVE book 1, but I did love the characters and was interested enough to give book 2 a shot. I'm pleased to say that I liked this one a bit more, but it was still lacking in the plot department. It wasn't 100% gripping, but what did keep me engaged was the characters. I love David and Moira so much, and while I like Rhys a little less (especially for most of this book), his journey in this book made sense to me, and I understood it, so I ended up with a little more respect for him as a character than I had before.

The issue is the plot, though. It lacked excitement and stakes, which was my main issue with the first book as well. Things were a little boring for most of the story, and that just doesn't match the vibes of the things that happen and the situations these characters get into. (view spoiler)

Things picked up a little in the end, though, and that was great. The last 20% was the most engaging. It still lacked weight, I don't know how else to put it, but it was fast-paced and interesting. I appreciated Rhys' development and hope that, while greed is still a core part of who he is (and I like the way the author explored greed through him and didn't completely exorcise it from him), he manages to keep working on himself for the better. Though it kinda sucks that he's obligated to do that, in a way, to continue having access to power, it's clear he learned his lesson.

Overall, I love S.T. Gibson's writing, I really like the vibes of this series and the magic (though I wish there was more worldbuilding), I love the characters (some more than others), and I'm leaving this book excited for the next one, which I hear will focus on my lovely Moira.

Ascension by S.T. Gibson

3.25⭐

First of all, I got to say that S.T. Gibson is my all time favourite author. And I feel like I didn't read this book at the right time. Because this was my before bed book during my exams 😅. After finishing, I feel like this would have been a better book to read faster. To go through it so slowly was not the right move. However, the ending I did read way faster and that was also when the story grasped my attention way more, and I enjoyed the read a lot.

Ascension is the second installment to Evocation, the summoner's circle. Therefore don't read this review if you have not read Evocation, because it might contain spoilers.

In the sequel we continue were we left off and Rhys steps into his new role as High Priest. However... Rhys is insatiably ambitious and will this ambition be his undoing?....

I was a bit scared to start this, because I wanted it to live up to all Gibson her previous books. This was not my favourite, however, it was still very enjoyable and great.
The magic system is so unique and especially if you love spirits, demons and angels in an urban fantasy than this is the book for you.

The story does continue in a bit of the sameness of the previous one, however, there is a new mystery part which I really enjoyed. Additionally I also really like to read about the polyamorous relationship and how the characters navigate their relationship. Their communication skills are so good! I love it when characters in relationships are able to communicate well with each other and come to a good decision together.

Gibson is a master in writing complex characters and not just the main three, but also the side characters such as Leda, Nathan and Kitty, and Antoni had their moments of shine, which I loved. The only let down was that Gibson is normally the queen of angs and drama, and this installment had a lot less of this except for the ending... which definitely made up for it on that part.

I am very excited where the next book will take us, especially since I feel like the next one will be about Moira and I adore her character so much.

Thank you so much @angryrobot and @netgalley for this e-arc.

I was looking forward to reading this book and it pains me to say I struggled with it a lot. It’s just too difficult for me to continue with such an unlikable character. I didn’t think Rhys was a strong character in Evocation and man, he’s just insufferable here. I couldn’t get into the plot, possibly due to the 3rd person POV, it’s so cold and informal. It lost the plot from the end of the first book, it had no action or intrigue.

Thank you to Angry Robot and NetGalley for the arc of Ascension, which was one of my most anticipated books of the year! S.T. Gibson just never misses. The way they write feels likely poetry and is remarkably dark and mysterious.

Our beloved polycule goes through some trials and tribulations in this next installment of the Summoner’s Circle series. There is of course a lot of angst and some incredible character development over the course of this story. I am so excited to see where this series goes in the next book.

This was a great sequel to Evocation, building upon Rhys' character in ways that weren't previously this deeply explored. I liked coming to understand the inner workings of his mind more intimately as he shouldered the role of High Priest, and how his ambition often clashed with what he could reasonably endure on his own as an occultist with more limited gifts than other members of the society. S.T. Gibson's writing is really well refined, creating great intrigue in even the more mundane scenes between Rhys, Moira and David. It was a pleasure to get more scenes of the three of them navigating their newfound relationship; I love how they communicate with one another and share different kinds of love that intertwine beautifully. While this instalment might not have been as high tension as the last, given the previous plot with David and his possession, this was an immersive read nonetheless!

The wait for this book was well worth it, and is already one of my favorite reads of the year. Gibson's Ascension builds on the already perfect world of Evocation in ways I didn't even think possible!!!

Thank you, NetGalley & Angry Robot, for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!

Ascension by S.T. Gibson was everything I hoped for and more!! A spellbinding continuation that expanded on everything I fell for in Evocation and tore me apart in the best way. Rhys, Moira, and David’s relationship evolves in such a layered, emotionally satisfying way. Even though Moira and David aren't romantically tied, watching their bond strengthen was unexpectedly tender and one of my favorite aspects of the book. That kitchen scene? IYKYK. 🥲

Rhys is still my favorite ambitious disaster bisexual, spiraling through priesthood, polyamory, and hellish politics and I loved every minute of his unhinged little descent. The inner conflict, the external chaos, the demon deals... it was juicy. And while I did clock a few twists early, Gibson still hit me with plenty of curveballs I absolutely did not see coming.

The tension? Top-tier. The vibes? Deliciously dark. The pacing? Addictive. I need the next installment yesterday. Until then, I’ll be summoning patience (and maybe a demon or two) to get by. 🖤✨