3.5⭐️ (may change my mind after more time to think.)

The first book in this series, Evocation, was one of my favourite books of last year, so I’m left a little conflicted in my rating of Ascension. I adore the characters and the gothic, occult background, but I just didn’t feel that same magnetic pull that the first book had.

I enjoyed it, and enjoyed the continued exploration of Rhys, David and Moira’s relationships, including a little bit of jealousy and possessiveness from Rhys toward the end. And as always, Moira is everything to me. But this book I just really felt for her, especially as I was reminded that she’s only 24(!!!), for having to constantly be the one to almost regulate the other two.

Also, I love Rhys, I feel for him, but damn. While I know he’s supposed to, and that this was necessary for his character, I was so stressed out while also not feeling much urgency for the other plot in the background—I wanted more from the paranormal/supernatural elements. Everything felt quite slow plot wise until the last 30%. And the last book’s plot? I thought there would be more inclusion of that.

“The vibes were, to put it plainly, fucked.“

However! Once again, S.T. Gibson’s writing is luscious and addictive. Her characters are so real and flawed, and even the side characters that are fleshed out and messy in their own right. I loved the addition of Max, and I hope we see more from him.

I’m still very excited to read the rest of this series, especially Moira’s book. She is undoubtedly my favourite character and deserves a break.

“How could Rhys ever deny her anything, when she looked at him like that?”

I think I’M in love with Moira.

(A huge thanks to Angry Robot for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.)

ST Gibson is the master of the gothic occult novel. As ever, she excels at character development. She uses multiple POVs to great effect, immersing you in the minds of the characters. This is a double-edged sword because Rhys’ life choices make for pretty difficult reading, particularly in the first half of the book.

Indeed, if Evocation was David’s book, Ascension is Rhys’s book. Rhys is finally High Priest of Boston’s secret Society, but power and ambition prove a dangerous cocktail, one that goes straight to Rhys’ head.

I did struggle with the fact that I did not particularly like Rhys in this book, though David and Moira continue to be charming. I think it is quite brave to write an unlikeable character, which creates the conflict necessary drive forward the plot, which is essentially about the inner workings of Rhys, David, and Moira’s relationship – with some more lovable side characters thrown into the mix.

If you love the characters, and their relationship, then you will love Ascension.

*Thank you to Angry Robot Books for the eARC via NetGalley

I loved Evocation and was really excited for Ascension, but I’ve just finished it and I’m unfortunately feeling pretty disappointed.

So, Evocation was basically David’s story, and Ascension is more about Rhys. Ascension taught me that I really, really do not like Rhys. He’s a selfish liar. He tells himself he doesn’t deserve the love of Moira or David and I think we’re meant to disagree but no, I actually think he’s right, because he’s such a turd while Moira is a saint and David may be an asshole but he’s a redeemable asshole.

Aside from my hatred of Rhys, I could not get into the story at all. Up until the last 15%, I was a bit bored, and I was also really confused as to why the society was soooo important that Rhys was willing to ruin his life over it. I got the impression in Evocation that the society was basically a gentleman’s club + some relatively safe magic stuff, but in Ascension, Rhys’ stress level is through the roof, his relationships and friendships are in trouble, and he’s completely unhinged over it. I know Rhys is ambitious, but it felt kind of misplaced.

There was a huge Rhys problem introduced at the end of Evocation and I thought for sure it would play a pretty big part in this book. It did not. It was mentioned a couple times, basically just in passing, and I don’t really understand why. The problem has to be solved soon. It’s a time-limited problem and they don’t have any idea how to fix it. I thought it was a little weird that they didn’t work on finding a solution even in the background of Rhys’ other, more temporary issues in this book.

As I mentioned earlier, the last 15% was interesting and I do like where it ended up but getting there just wasn’t very fun.

Thank you to NetGalley, S.T. Gibson, and Angry Robot for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

This has been a highly anticipated sequel after reading Evocation last year. I was beyond thankful to get approved for this book. There is something special about these characters that I will read anything with them in it. Moira is still my favorite character. She is such a great complex character. I can't wait to read more about her. Oh, David, the mistakes that you made were frustrating and irritating. But I loved how things turned out for him. One of many things that I love about S.T. Gibson is her atmospheric settings and ability to create complex characters. Many quirks were revealed about each character that make them feel like real people, but also make me want to know more about why they do these things. I can't wait to see what happens in the next book. It's going to feel like forever until the next book. I shouldn't have finished Ascension so quickly. But it's an addictive story. Please, look up TW's. I can't recommend this series more.

4 stars

The author of A Dowry of Blood and Evocation is back with book 2 in The Summoner's Circle series. Fans of the first book, Evocation, are in for more occult magic, intrigue, and lust with familiar main characters Rhys, David, and Moira.

In this story, Rhys has risen to High Priest of the occult society and is drunk with power and drowning in his own insecurity. As Rhys summons more and more demons to try to prop himself up and gain the fame and respect he so desperately craves, he begins to lose himself and those he loves. Moira and David know something is wrong but are unable to help as Rhys keeps pushing them father and farther away. When a dark figure from David's past emerges, will he fall for the enigmatic Max?

This series is slowly finding its voice and I enjoyed this book much more than the first. The pacing picked up quickly and some of the side stories were interesting. I liked the addition of some new faces including Nathan and Kitty, Dion, and David's sister Leda was more present. The developments in the main relationship with Rhys, David, and Moira also took some interesting turns and I am looking forward to the next book in the series to see how the shifts continue.

I read Evocation last year and loved the introduction to Gibson's Boston occultist scene that introduced us to David, Rhys and Moira. That was absolutely David's book, and while this is Rhys' book it didn't go where I thought it would based on how Evocation ended - and for the most part this was a thing i was happy about. I assume the curse removal will be sort of the overarching through-line of the full series so i don't mind that we didn't deal much with it here (Rhys had plenty of other issues to tackle first here) but I'll be interested to see how it inevitably gets dealt with.
I am glad this book is told in multi-POV because of the triad Rhys is probably my least favorite and he definitely got to his most insufferable in this book. And while Gibson deftly navigates his inner turmoil and the anxiety and pressure he puts on himself, really drawing the reader in to his self destruction, it was nice to have the space of the other perspectives. Moira is still queen of my heart and i cannot WAIT for her book next. I loved the development of her relationship with David - their dynamic has been my favorite since the first book and their growing affection and comfort with each other is really powerful. David continues to woo and charm me despite his nepo-baby bravado - we can see right through you ya big baby.
Gibson has a way of writing these books that makes me feel like i'm a fly on the wall of the occult society, all seeing but i always really feel so present in her narratives. the smoke and incense and herbs surround me and i fall into her prose and enjoy every minute.

What a fantastic sequel!

I always feel a mix of excitement and trepidation when approaching the sequel to a book I loved — will it reel me in, sweep me up in a great story, and let me take an amazing journey with fantastic characters again? Or will it be a disappointment, potentially also spoiling the previous book I loved so much?

Ascension was most definitely not a letdown. In facf, it was the complete opposite: a fantastic, immersive journey, from beginning to end.
We meet our favorite characters again, which is already exciting, but this time we shift focus to Rhys. I’m an official, card-carrying member of the David Aristarkhov fan club, but I loved this shift in focus. We still get both POVs, but we learn more of what makes Rhys tick, what he struggles with, what he’s willing to risk and what will tip him over the edge… and whether he can be brought back once he does.
This is, once again, an incredible adventure in the field of occultism but it is so much more: it’s a story about strength, weakness, ambition, fear, love, and how everything can be a driving force in some way… though we always have to be mindful of our goals, and the direction we drive ourselves into.

S.T. Gibson paints an incredibly vivid picture and astoundingly solid, three-dimensional characters that you cannot help but being swept away with, experiencing all they do right alongside them. It is an incredibly intense, nearly addictive reading experience, but she structures everything so skillfully that by the end you don’t feel bereft by the sudden lack of your fictional companions, as it often happens, nor dizzy in the aftermath of all that action and tension; instead you find that things have come full circle and you feel perfectly satisfied — dare I say, sated even (if that calls to mind specific imagery, it may not be entirely accidental.)

I feel I should also mention that I admire and appreciate the author’s attention to detail when it comes to both the setting and the side characters — nothing is really left half-done.

I do have a couple of minor qualms which I can’t go into without major spoilers so I won’t, but I’ll say that it comes down to very personal likes and dislikes and they didn’t take off more than 1/4 star, so at 4.75 this is still one of my top books of 2025 and I’ll be recommending it obnoxiously loudly to one and all!

I love this series so far! Moira, David, and Rhys are an iconic trio and I'm excited to see just how further along the story has gotten in this installment. S.T. Gibson is slowly but surely becoming one of my favorite authors and I'm looking forward to more works in the future

I loved the sequel of Evocation. Rhys was struggling so much in this book and both Moira and David do their best to help him. I absolutely loved Moira, she is my favorite character and I’m so excited to read her sorry. Meeting Max was funny. Can’t wait to get the physical copy of the book, and all of ST Gibson’s works as well.

I found the first half of this pretty frustrating but for personal taste reasons, it’s extremely an uphill journey reading someone just make awful choice after awful choice BUT the great thing about hills is once you reach the top you get to go WHEEEEEE all the way down and that’s extremely the case here! What the first half has in slamming my head against a wall the second half has in drama, delicious gossip, scandal! Overall I had fun! I’m excited for the next one!

ST Gibson just queer dark academia right. Ascension is a fantastic book, and a great follow up to Evocation! I really enjoyed it. The focus is primarily on Rhys in this one. And at first, I was having a hard time watching him, let's say, do the things he does, so I don't spoil it. I got a bit frustrated. But then you know what I realized? It's because Rhys reminded me of myself. And although it's fantastic to see the good of yourself in a character, it's a little bit jarring to see the less good, however equally important.
I throughly enjoyed that we still had Moira and David's POVs though, I continued to enjoy seeing everything from each of their unique perspectives. We also got to know the side characters more, like Antoni, and the introduction of a new character as well in Maximillian.
I always struggle to do reviews for sequels as I dont want to spoil this one or the first one so I will say, if you like dark academia, queer characters, found family, dark magic, difficult family dynamics, polygamous relationships, morally grey characters, and morally distressing situations, these books are absolutely for you.

I absolutely loved the first book in this series, evocation, and the follow up was just as entertaining. I enjoyed the journey Rhys went on in this, that boy needed to be humbled a little bit. Moira and David continue to be iconic characters and I’m very excited to see where the story goes from here

I really enjoyed this book! A great follow-up to EVOCATION and ODD SPIRITS. On the one hand I feel like the inciting incident and its consequences (the whole "sigil in the park" mystery) got lost somewhere along the way (and only came up again at the end when it's already solved), so there didn't feel like a ton of urgency driving the book forward. HOWEVER, I have also been reading ST Gibson's work long enough to understand that this is not the point; the point is the characters and their relationships and that's what I'm really here for. I identified heavily with Rhys and also wanted to smack him upside the head for most of the book. I love whatever David and Moira have going on, and seeing it evolve has been a joy. I will be sat right here until the next installment is out.

3,5* rounded up.

This series is difficult for me to rate and review, it seems. I loved Evocation and disliked Odd Spirits.

Ascension contains elements of what I enjoyed in Evocation - the magic, the development of the main relationship, and David's history (he's my favourite character of the main throuple). It also (re)introduces interesting secondary characters. I absolutely adored Leda in this one and still don't know what to think of Max.

But I don't particularly like Rhys so a book focusing on him was bound to not exactly disappoint but not engage me that much. The central plot was also not really interesting for me until about half of the book. And I'm starting to be fed up with what worked for me in Evocation because it was the first novel in the series and I was getting introduced to the characters - namely, the constant characterisation that is spelled out over and over again to drone into the readers that Moira is this, Rhys is this and David is this. I got it for the first time ffs. I like seeing it in action, which, to be fair, I'm getting a plenty, but I find the spelling out unnecessary.

I'm still curious about the resolution of the overarching plot (which didn't move forward at all in this book) so I will read the conclusion. I'm also curious if Max will reappear.

I absolutely love S.T. Gibson’s writing- Evocation hooked me, and Blood of a Dowry is still one of my favourites to date. Ascension is a brilliant follow-up that dives deeper into all the messy magic, power plays, and complicated relationships I was obsessed with in book one.

Rhys stepping into his High Priest era? Iconic. The tension, the rituals, the vibes- immaculate. Dark academia meets demon drama and I am so here for it. If you loved the first one, this absolutely delivers. Bring on book three!

🌟🌟🌟.5 / 5

Thank you so much S.T. Gibson and NetGalley for the Arc!

I enjoyed the book. Moira is still my favourite character, and she's still just as amazing, and can't wait to see if there's a 3rd book just about her. David is still grand and a really great character! I love them both equally and really enjoyed them in this second book. They’re my absolute faves and the best characters, and I will die on that hill. They just have that special connection that makes me love reading their chapters. Absolutely loved more of the magic in this book and liked seeing more of the other characters part of this magical community.

Okay, with that being said, I cannot stand Rhys here. In the first book he was okay, and I felt iffy about him, but not enough to really make a solid judgement. But with this second book, it really just cemented how much I disliked him.

If Rhys has a million haters, I'm one of them.
If Rhys has 50 haters, I'm one of them.
If Rhys has 1 hater, I'm one of them.
If Rhys has 0 haters, I'm dead.

His whole I have to prove to everyone that I'm someone, that I'm a name to be recognized, just irked me so much. I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt because I could sympathize with wanting to prove that you are someone and work your way towards being that someone. But his constant need for that and his lack of admitting when he was too far in just made me dislike him more and more. And how he got snippy with Moira when she was only trying to help him during that conference call after the newspaper thing. RED FLAG AF!

Over all, I really enjoyed the book and had a lot of mixed feelings about reading it, but if I’m being honest, I would still reread it.

In Ascension, S. T. Gibson illustrates a gothic story rich in candor, love, and revelation.

Dare I say, Antonio and Kitty are fighting for first place as my favs in this series!?
This series is not for the faint of heart. Often times, I needed a break because the dumpster fire that was Rhys nearly gave me hives! My boy was struggling this book.

One thing I really respect about this book is that it delves deep in the inner-workings of polyamorous couples. So often in other stories, couples are thrown together and they don't have to work at it. I find that unrealistic. Moira, Rhys, and David had to struggle and the multi POV chapters helped the reader to understand their logic behind their actions. I loved getting glimpses into Moira's thoughts because her revelations about herself had me chomping at the bit. CHOMPING!

🩸 multi POV
🩸 Sexual fluidity
🩸 LGBTQ
🩸 FMM intimacy
🩸 Demons
🩸 light intimate power play
🩸 slow burn

Thank you S.T. Gibson, Angry Robot, and NetGalley for an ARC of Ascension.

When I read Evocation I fell in love with the characters. David, Rhys and Moira were such wonderful characters to follow and I've been STARVING for more of them. I devoured this book in about a day and honestly? I think I loved it more than Evocation which I didn't think was possible. Despite my love for a drama queen, i.e David, Rhys story was just as capitative as Davids and kept leaving me going "just one more chapter". The developments in the Romance were enjoyable but the conflicts were also well thought out and made sense for the characters and didn't at all feel forced or shoe horned in. S.T Gibson as she has done before wove a beautiful story with real and flawed characters that just leaves you wanting more and more and more. Ascension is one of the best things I've read all year and will keep me recommending this series until the end of time itself.

This is my most anticipated read of the year and it absolutely did not disappoint. Rhys’ is the man we all needed. Reading about his backstory and his desire for both power and love then seeing both come true is complicated, given the struggles presented in this book. Very excited for what’s next for these characters!

S.T. Gibson… never a letdown, and this book is no exception. Evocation was my favorite novel of last year so I was nervous that the sequel wouldn’t live up to expectations, but I should have known better. I loved getting to know the other characters better, and I loved even more the further development of the world. The pacing was ideal, as per S.T. usual, and the plot was so interesting. Very excited for the next book!