Ascension, the sequel to the magic filled polyamorous and spicy fantasy romp Evocation by S.T. Gibson, picks up not long after the events of the first book.
Rhys, Moira and David have settled into a loving throuple until the weight of his new position as High Priest starts to weigh too heavily on Rhys. Secrets run rampant, old crushes return, demons demand their due and soon everything Rhys holds dear is in jeopardy.
Thank you to NetGalley and Angry Robot for the opportunity to read and review this book which I am giving 3.5⭐️.
This series is definitely my favorite work by this author. I really enjoy the relationships between our three main characters. Some of the side characters get even more time to shine in this book which helps flesh out the world even more. Even though this book is still told with rotating POV chapters I enjoyed the fact that this book was distinctly Rhys’s story as compared to book 1 being David’s. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series and am hoping that it will be Moira’s time in the spotlight. I will be posting about this book on my social media (TikTok and YouTube) closer to its release date.

If there’s anything I can always count on S.T. Gibson for, it’s to gift us with beautifully crafted characters and rich atmosphere. Ascension is another hit for me. I love seeing how these characters interact with each other and the occult. If you are looking for a steamy, character driven, urban fantasy/romance with poly and LGBTQIA+ rep, this is for you. Our sweet boy Rhys went THROUGH IT and boy does he mess a lot up. It was a blast to read about. I finished this book in a single day, I truly could not stop reading.

The characters, as with the first book, are the real stars here. They all feel so real and have their own complex thoughts, feelings, and dynamics with each other. I have to say, though I love all of the characters in this book, Moira and Leda (give us more Leda!) were the biggest standouts for me. They are so interesting and I hope they each get their own book in the future.

In terms of spice, this book is filled with deliciously small morsels of spice. It is on page and open door, however I would say most of the spicy scenes are generally relatively short. That being said, we do explore the dynamics between our trio more in depth than the first book and there are some longer and more in depth scenes in this book (Chapter 40 I am looking at you).

The reason this isn’t a 5 star for me is because the plot felt a bit weak to me. Although above I mention that we are following Rhys as he is going THROUGH it (and he is), the stakes never felt very high. but the character deep dives and interpersonal conflicts were more than enough to compensate for a lack of plot for me.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can’t wait for the next one!

DNF at 33%

Honestly it’s me. I love Gibson’s writing, ADOB was my favorite read of 2024 but I can’t seem to get into the world of Rhys, Moira and David. I kind of dragged myself through Evocation and wanted to give Ascension a shot but it just isn’t for me

Rating this good on the basis that if you're angry at the character, not at the author, the book's well written.
things I enjoyed:
-this furthered the relationships in the first book, so some very cute scenes with the main trio
-the theme of ascension was very nicely done
-Rhys's backstory
-more Leda!
-David having a Time again (so many shades of David in this one. soft David, angsty David, David-in-love)
things that I would have loved to see:
-the magic system and world that I loved so much in Evocation seemed to have taken a back seat in this
-love as the solution to everything, which considering what happened here just didn't provide any payoff to all the tension building up
-Moira acting as the glue to force everyone together (which in the way it appeared here seemed to weaken Rhys's character and make her lack depth) - hopefully the third book will be about her and she will be more than a bridge between these two
All in all, this was decent - don't let me put you off. A solid second book and one I probably will reread, just a few things that kept it from being a five star read.

Goodness, gracious! If you thought evocation was good You are not ready for the amazingness that is Ascension! I absolutely fell into this book and could not get out of it until the very last page.

I truly wanted to start reading this quite a while ago, but got caught up in finals and if it was any other week, I would’ve shoved all of that homework aside and just read because I was so excited to get this ARC copy from angry robots!

You absolutely love the characters and fall in love with the story over and over again! You will fall into this story with the cinematic depiction of characters! The world building is spot on, and I absolutely loved seeing how everything kind of came together!

5⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the second entry in the Summoner's Circle series by author S.T. Gibson. The character development in this book is insane. I loved getting to follow Rhys' story. The trajectory across the book was complex and fantastical elements. A great read.

Ohh Rhys’s book was messy, stressy and a bit depressy in the most entertaining ways! Chock full of Catholic guilt, angst and smut, this was a great installment to the series.

Ohh Rhys’s book was messy, stressy and a bit depressy in the most entertaining ways! Chock full of Catholic guilt, angst and smut, this was a great installment to the series.

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

Despite my having some issues with Evocation, I was eagerly awaiting this sequel as I grew interested in the characters quite a bit, especially after Odd Spirits (the prequel to this series). All in all, I liked Ascension for the same reasons why I liked Evocation: the characters and their dynamics with one another. Thanks to this installment, Rhys is now a fully fleshed out character. He's ambitious and driven as you saw in Evocation but in this book you see the depths of his insecurities and his fears that ultimately he is not someone deserving of love and kindness. He was in turns both very sympathetic and maddening as you watch him make one lousy mistake after another throughout.

I also had the same reason for not loving Ascension as I did with Evocation. Namely, the plot and stakes of the story felt low despite it involving people's souls. There's something about the pacing that strips the plot of any urgency and the conclusion to whatever suspense this book built up was middling at best.

In the end, it was a pretty good installment to the series. I'd say if you're one for character-driven stories and liked Evocation for that, this will not disappointment. If you're hoping for something plot heavy, this won't satisfy.

Ascension is a gorgeous and dark urban fantasy!

This is the second in the Summoners circle series and was one of my mostly highly anticipated books this year and it did not disappoint. S.T. Gibson writes complex character relationships so well and uses these to hook you into the story.

What I loved in particular:
-Rhys very believable transition from using demonic assistance to help him manage adult life to getting in over his head.
- David and Moira friendship was the real heart of the story. I loved that he wants to hang out with her all the time, buy her Prada and kill anyone who makes her cry! ❤️
- I love that a team effort was required to save and keep Rhys from the brink, it’s nice to have more than one hero.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Angry Robot for this ARC.

I’m always excited to read S.T. Gibson’s new work, but this isn’t the first time I’ve found her books difficult to review. On one hand, I continue to enjoy the overarching premise of the series and the direction the story is taking when it comes to the supernatural. On the other, this installment brings back some of the frustrations I had with the first book and adds a few new ones along the way.

The concept of a secret occultist society operating in plain sight in Boston remains a strong and compelling foundation for the narrative. I especially appreciate the focus on occultism, sorcery, and the supernatural - areas where the author clearly has both interest and expertise, lending the story a sense of depth and authenticity. You can genuinely learn a lot about religions and cults through the book, which adds a nice layer to the reading experience.

That said, the series is heavily character-driven, and this volume is no exception. Much of the focus is on Rhys, whose inner life and responsibilities as the Society’s High Priest take center stage. Gibson does a good job balancing work-related, bureaucratic challenges with heavier themes such as overambition, Catholic guilt, and biphobia. I generally enjoy character-driven narratives, and this installment delivers in that regard—even if Rhys isn’t my favorite character. What was a bit disappointing, though, was the lack of a strong external conflict. Unlike the first book, which paired character development with high stakes, this sequel lacks a central quest or pressing threat, which slows the pacing and, at times, makes the plot feel like filler.

The polyamorous relationship between the three main characters is explored more deeply in this installment, and I have to admit—it works better now as an established dynamic than it did when first introduced. That said, I’m still somewhat conflicted about it. I can’t quite shake the feeling that the relationship didn’t evolve organically from the characters’ individual arcs and still functions more as a plot device than something fully earned through emotional development.
Everyone treats the love triangle arrangement as a given, but the emotional groundwork that would make it feel truly convincing still feels thin. In fact, there are moments in this book that suggest this dynamic might not be exactly what these characters need—especially in David’s case. It doesn’t ruin my overall enjoyment of the series, but I did find myself occasionally resisting the characters’ happiness, which isn’t ideal.

Speaking of David - he remains my favorite character, and his chapters were by far the most compelling, even though they largely center on relationship drama. That said, I’m not entirely sure how I feel about the way his arc wraps up here. I won’t go into detail to avoid spoilers, but once again, it ties back to the “love triangle as imperative” issue—and everything else seems orchestrated to reinforce that point.

Still, if you enjoyed the emotional and interpersonal dynamics in the first book, you’ll likely find more of the same here. I’ll definitely continue with the series—especially since the third book is supposed to focus on Moira. I have high hopes, particularly because in this installment she mostly served as a point of reference for Rhys, rather than as an independent character with her own arc.

Thank you to the publisher for yet another great arc from S.T. Gibson, I just can’t get enough of her writing and I can always count on her to deliver a great story. I adored the first book and novella, and this was everything I could have asked for in a sequel.
After the way the first book ended I thought this one would just be a repeat of it, but this plot went in a different direction than I expected which was great. We got to see a new depth to the characters and how they navigate their relationship with such emotional intelligence. I also loved how the author expanded upon the different occult beliefs and styles and how they can even coincide with Catholicism which was rather shocking to me. There is a very big detail left unanswered, though, about a certain curse that I hope we get to read about at some point. But the ending wrapped things up in a happy bow so maybe the author leaves it up to our interpretation. Either way, as always I’m excited to keep reading anything this author has to throw at us.

The second novel of The Summoner's Circle starts off by putting leadership power in the hands of a power-hungry, self-centered, demon-magnate...that sounds like something that doesn't have any potential for trouble, right? So Rhys's ascension is the seed of this brew, but add some leftover financial troubles, and some unwanted media attention to spice up the blend for their secret society, stir in a few new characters especially one with a strong power of his own and history with one of the main characters and this distillation is on its way to a powder keg. On a personal front the dynamic of the trio is also affected by the stirrings. As with Evocation, this is a character-driven story and these characters certainly create drama at every turn. There is a good balance between story telling and spicy scenes for anyone who likes some plot in their romantasy. And the story has a gratifying ending. (3.5/5)
I received access to this eARC thru NetGalley (for which I want to thank NetGalley and the publisher, Angry Robot) for an honest review. The opinion expressed here is my own.

this book felt mostly like filler to me in terms of how the plot moved forward and all the contrivances that come with that. however, the characterization as with other s.t. gibson novels is what i'm reading for anyway so i don't mind. rhys specifically grows so much in ascension from flashbacks of him not feeling good enough in comparison to his peers who grew up rich to his current role as the high priest, which includes both the highs and the lows. i loved how gibson wrote his mental health journey especially in terms of how his actions affect others and how relationships are rebuilt in the aftermath. i'm still excited to read the last book and will absolutely read anything gibson writes in the future.

Found this such a compelling read. Moira, David and Rhys are such fascinating characters with a wonderfully intricate dynamic.

I will say, I’m not sure I’ve completely got my head around how all the magic works, but I didn’t find that detracted from the story.

It was pretty hard to read Rhys’ journey, but also captivating. The way he gradually fell into self destruction made it hard to like him for much of the novel. Just wanted to shake him and be like what the hell are you doing!? However, I did, on the whole, love how it ultimately resolved.

There’s something about Gibson’s writing that really draws me in and makes me want to keep reading.

This is hands-down my favorite in-progress series right now! I was immediately hooked after reading Evocation, more so after reading Odd Spirits, and now even more after completing Ascension. I absolutely adore these characters and am totally invested in their storylines. Within this book, specifically, I fell even more in love with the characters and the deep relationships and bonds they have with each other. There were so many times while reading that I found myself forgetting to breathe because I was too busy eating up every word of what was happening in the book. I cannot wait for the rest of the books in the series, as I am on the edge of my seat to see how certain things play out.

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.