Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing a free audio arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This series has been fun so far! This is the third in the A Jump in Time series where we follow a couple of teenagers Dan and Sam as they go back to different time periods to find out more about the secret time jumping society Dan's Father was apart of while also learning from the past, but not altering it.

I don't want to go too much into detail as it is the third book in the series. You could read the book as a standalone, but I think you get more from it by reading it in order. It has a 90s feel to it, and a "Where in Time is Carmen Sandiago" kind of vibe to it. It is marketed as YA and appropriately so, but still a fun adventure for adults as well.

I definitely recommend, especially if you're a 90s kid, as it will bring back some nostalgic feelings.

Dan Renfrew is just 17 years old and finding high school a challenge after being home schooled by his father who died a year ago. But he has a secret I
Life as a time jumper to repair glitches in history that could alter its course. Dan and Sam travel together to ancient Mongolia in 1179 meeting a Mongol teen determined to rescue his wife. Can they help to ensure the future of Ghengis Khan?

Very well written and well narrated novel (I listened to the audiobook). Good characters in this well paced, action packed novel. Enjoyed the location of this time travelling adventure.

This was so good a mix of history and fantasy books like this amaze me and I enjoy them alot every time the one thing I will say is I did not realise it ended when it did as it was a little abrupt

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This was a fun time jumping novel. I really enjoyed the next installment in this series and am loving how the overall plot of the series is coming together. I am looking forward to seeing what happens next and if Dan and Sam will be able to stop Victor’s plot for world domination by messing with history. The historical elements in this book were, once again, well done and fascinating. I am loving this series.

This series gets more enjoyable with each installment. I especially enjoy that each book showcases a different historical era. I didn’t know that much about the Mongols so I learned something during this book. I thought this story was different in that it was more focused on Dan and Sam was more of a side character in this one. Dan is a great character & he keeps a great attitude even though he has had so many challenges in his life I love time travel books and this book is a great addition to the genre. By the end of the book things were looking up for Dan, I’ll be looking forward to the next book.

The narrator is wonderful & I enjoyed listening to them read this story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Imberfex Books for a copy of this audio book.

I had the chance to listen to the advance copy of the audiobook being released on May 13, 2025 for this book. The timing, voice, and clarity of the audio recording itself were all great. The paper and e-reader editions are already available, published September 2024. Thank you to Netgalley and Imbrifex for the free copy.

The Mongol Ascension is a young adult historical fiction from a series where a teenage boy named Dan goes back in time to a different historical period and place in each book and has to find a glitch to help save history. The Mongol Ascension is about exactly what it sounds like - the rise of the Mongolian Empire, but the experience for the reader is more personal following the activities of this teenager as he has to figure out where and when he is. It was exciting, with plenty of action and interpersonal dynamics without being too heavy, gory, or adult. In addition to the time-jump arc there's a larger story developing across the series highlighting a division between at least two factions of people who can time travel. That has the promise to become very action-packed in future books and added just the right level of tension/danger to the chapters that happened in the present time while Dan is going to school and doing other sorts of research.

As historical fiction I thought it was good, well researched, and not too heavy on any academic style of historical knowledge - kids would read it without feeling it was for school - but at the end there is an epilogue with more historical data. It's a perfect introduction to dip your toes into the early days of the Mongolian Empire and gives you plenty of interesting leads on other things you might want to read about in the future.

More generally, as YA fiction, I appreciated that there was teen dating drama without anything inappropriate for younger teens. I WILL happily hand this book to children who would find this interesting. It would even be a great read aloud for a younger audience, though the relationship between Dan, Sam, and Jenna. The main character is well developed with some of the mixed up thinking you'd expect from a teen boy. I feel like with at least two other time jumps under his belt (from books one and two), the gear that he had, his jump-partner, and some good luck most of what he did was possible, even if a couple of things skirted the line of implausibility. The story developing between the two factions of time jumpers was prevalent enough in the book to hook me, and I will definitely grab the next book to see what happens next.

To be fair to a young adult novel I am rating it 4 stars based on how relatable and engaging this book is for young readers. I know the teens in my life will like it (I am going to gift it to two kids this summer, and the series to my son) and I feel like it's a safe bet for any parent. There's nothing lurid, obscene, or grotesque. Varga manages to cover battle scenes that would have had a lot of carnage without the imagery becoming problematic for young readers but not so watered down you'd lose the teens - this was not an easy feat!

If I was rating this book for myself it would have been a solid 3-star book that I am glad I read, keeping my attention, getting a chuckle out of me, and immersing me in an interesting story with a setting I've never experienced. I would have liked to see a little more depth in the Mongolian characters, a little more historical focus, and a little more plausibility in one scene where he meets with some other time jumpers near the end of the book. I will not read it again, it wasn't life changing, but it was fun and I want to read the next one.

A great escapist story with a blend of mystery, sci fi and historical fiction keeping you entertained. Well worth a read.

After finishing The Mongol Ascension, I decided I needed to go back and reread the first book in the series, The Last Saxon King. My initial thought when I finished this book was, "Is this my favorite series?" It very well may be, but if it’s not, it’s definitely at least in the conversation.

We again follow Dan, who, from the opening few chapters, seems to have transformed from a brave 16-year-old to a 17-year-old superhero with how he handles a bully at school. He trash talks while effortlessly defending himself, which was amazing.

After the slight deviation from the plot and showing us Dan's regular life, we go back to the grind of trying to find out what the big bad Victor has in store for them and get revenge for his dad's murder.

Dan is again joined by Sam, and their emotions are at an all-time high. They both know they love each other, but Sam is at least afraid to show it and let go of everything. I love their relationship, and I’m rooting for them to figure it out.

If the name didn’t give it away, this time, we jump to the Mongol Empire and see a young man who may or may not turn out to be a brutal ruler. Dan and Sam must protect him and ensure history repeats itself to keep the present day safe. While doing this, they continue trying to find more of Victor's men to flush out more of his plan.

I really love how Dan tackles everything head-on in his book, even Victor. I loved every part of this story and can't wait for the next one.