I wanted to get this review posted sooner, but when you get head-down in the final stretch of a draft, it’s easy to lose track of time. Oops. What day is it again?
Ascension by David Combs is a story of descendant Guardians (read: witches) whose power and duty is passed down to every first born of a second born in the Carmichael family. Think Charmed, but with a mentor/mentee Sith lord-like arrangement. Actually, I can’t back that up, as this is only the first installment and I don’t know if anyone has to kill anyone else to gain power.
Anyhow, it follows Anne-Marie and Angelica, with the former filling the teacher role. The story moves from Angelica’s present-day origin story to Anne-Marie’s distant past one, introducing us to the almost Faustian arrangement the Carmichael’s have with their land.
Initially I was daunted by what felt to be slow pacing. By the end, I was placated by the fact that this is the first installment of a series, and that any questions I don’t have answers to now will hopefully be addressed. How has Anne-Marie lived so long? Who is the anthropomorphic lavender flame lover? How does Aiden get from where he starts to where we meet him now? So many questions, and while some cliffhangers feel forced, this one felt natural for dovetailing into the next installment, which I can assume will give me some of those answers.
If you want to read my whole review, you can find it on Goodreads. You can follow the author on Instagram at @david_combs_author.
Thank you to David Combs for the free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.