Ascension

Ascension

ST Gibson

Book Review

ARC Read from Angry Robot

5 Stars

This is the second book in the series after Evocation, and a novella, I highly recommend reading before diving into this one.

Rhys takes upon himself to fill the evocation spot at the club of sorcerers he and David run.

We get a bigger glimpse into the status of the club, the details around it, the character involved in it, and how Rhys plans to take over and make it amazing.

The issue is Rhys is way in over his head and is running on self-doubt, trauma, and stress (aren’t we all?).

This made his character depth incredible and really allowed me as a reader to understand more of Rhys’ motives and weird actions and things he does.

ascension st gibson

I was so happy for David in this book, I really began to enjoy his character more than I ever thought I could, as I already fell in love with him in Evocation.

When I tell you this is an amazing continuation of the characters, their story, and what’s next in store for them, St Gibson did a truly wonderful job giving the reader the answers they were seeking from the prior works with these amazing characters. I cannot understand how truly dynamic these characters are, they pop off the page and have a special place in my heart.

I need to vent about Rhys slightly in this review because he stressed me out SO much:
-Rhys gets in WAY over his head and those that love and care for him get WORRIED, which, as they should.
-Rhys is a bit reckless with what he considers to be good protection methods for dealing with realllllly intense summonings, like, DONT, please use protection, you stress me out
-I love his character so much but I also want to sit him down and slap him and make him chill

When I tell you Moira is my favorite, she’s my favorite. I was able to see some of the character art in the Novella that supplements these two stories and I am so here for Rhys and Moira. She doesn’t put up with it, but she also is such a solid rock and foundation. She could have easily been a brat and unsupportive, but she is genuinely I think the most mature out of all of them.

Alright, time for the content and twigger warnings so y’all know what you are singing up for. This book does dive into some darker themes, but it’s done with the execution of a wizard, because St. Gibson is magical, and so it truly ads depth to the story. I will not be admitting how many times I cried while reading this one. Be prepared to be ripped in half.

Long story short I do not have the proper words to describe how much I loved this book, these characters, the cover art, like everything. I am so picky when it comes to MM romances, like. SO PICKY. ST Gibson has my heart and I need to read everything this author writes immediately.

CW TW:
-Religious struggle and distress
-Self harm
-References to past child abuse
-Biphobia and polyphobia
-Explicit sexual content
-Ageplay (super light, i had ZERO issues with it and I will dnf dark romance and others for weird age play, this one is nothing too wild)
-Sexual themes of dominance and submission
-Disordered eating behaviors
-Attempted blackmail
-Marijuana use
-Drinking and smoking

Thank you Angry Robot and Net Galley for the ARC. I am leaving this honest feedback voluntarily.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Currently-reading

Make Me a Monster
Hardcover is half off on the gross Zon! You bet I bought that real quick I know its going to be a 5 star read Im so excited Pre read: its on sale yall get it get it get it Will update once I have finished the book
tagged: currently-reading
The October Film Haunt
tagged: currently-reading
Vanguard: A Dark Post-Dystopian Romance
tagged: currently-reading, darkromance, and arc-reads

goodreads.com

Other Reviews

  • Waves of Desire: Regency Historical Romance

    Waves of Desire: Regency Historical Romance

    By Lauren Everly Book Review Rating: 5 stars Full Review My experience with historical fiction and historical romance prior to…

    Read More

  • Dear Debbie

    Dear Debbie

    By Freida Mcfadden Book Review Rating: 5 stars Full Review: This book comes with: -Female rage-Unreliable narrators-Plot twists I didn’t…

    Read More

  • Sparks Fly

    Sparks Fly

    Zakiya N. Jamal Rating Book Review After reading [book:If We Were a Movie|216724320] and being completely blown away by that…

    Read More

  • A Killer Wedding

    A Killer Wedding

    by Joan O’Leary Sep 23 2025 pub date Rating Review This book was packed with way more humor than I expected because…

    Read More

  • The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet

    The Shocking Experiments of Miss Mary Bennet

    by Melinda Taub Pub Date Sep 30 2025 Rating Review Are you a fan of retellings? Do you like Frankenstein? Do you…

    Read More

Previous:
Next: