The Ascended by Bree Grenwich and Parker Lennox
Published by Kensington Books
Age Group: Adult
Format: Fiction
Genres and Categories: Black Characters, Brown Characters, Multiracial Characters, Blood Magic, Death Magic, Elemental Magic, Uncreation, Various Magic, Dark Fantasy, Romantasy, Theological Fantasy, Deity Characters, Magic Users, Royalty Characters, Family Drama, Mental Health, Trauma, Vision impairment
Series: Aesymarean Duet #1
My Rating:
Published on: 24th February 2026
Pages: 476
Disability Representation: Mental health, trauma, visual impairment and scars.
Buy this Book! Amazon UK / Amazon US / Barnes & Noble / Blackwells / Bookshop.org US / Bookshop.org UK / Waterstones
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The high-stakes trials of Carissa Broadbent's The Serpent and the Wings of Night meet the forbidden romance of Keri Lake's Nocticadia in the first of the Aesymarean Duet, as twins thrust into a brutal tournament for godhood must navigate forbidden desires and their own drive for revenge.

In a world where divine power bleeds into the mortal realm, Thais Morvaren has mastered the art of deception. To her seaside village, she's just a fisherman's daughter, serving oysters to summer tourists. In secret, she hides her ability to forge weapons from starlight-a power that would force her into the deadly Trials of Ascension.

But when a priest's ritual exposes her divine heritage, Thais is seized and conscripted into the trials against her will. Now trapped in a competition she never wanted to enter, she transforms her fear into purpose: to kill Olinthar, King of the Gods-the father whose divine touch proved fatal to her mother.
To take down a god, she must become one, even if it costs her everything.

What she doesn't expect is her twin brother's powers suddenly manifesting, forcing him into the trials alongside her-leaving Thais to protect more than just herself.

Worse still, the selection ceremony binds her to a mentor: Xül. A necromancer prince with blood-soaked hands, a sharp tongue, and dark secrets of his own. From the moment they meet, sparks fly. He's insufferably arrogant, she's stubborn to the bone, and neither has any intention of yielding to the other... or to the heat between them.

Each trial survived brings her closer to godhood, but beneath the spectacle of competition, something ancient and malevolent stalks the shadows of the divine realm-a darkness that threatens to unravel the heavens themselves.

Thais may have been forced into the Trials seeking survival, but she'll finish them seeking vengeance.
And the cost of godhood is rising.

Because some stars aren't meant to be weapons.

Some stars are meant to fall.

This book was provided for free by NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book!

Content Warnings:

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The Ascended by Bree Grenwich and Parker Lennox tells the story of a world where magic serves the gods, and a young woman hides her abilities in a small town. Discovery brings the priests of the Aesymar down on the heads of her and her loved ones. Thais is torn from her home, along with her twin, who the priests believe shares her power. They find themselves thrust into the Trials of Ascension, a series of trials designed to eliminate the weak for the entertainment of the Aesymar. Whoever is still standing wins the coveted position of ascending and joining one of the pantheons. 

The twins have a secret, though, one that will change everything if they’re discovered. Desperate to protect her brother, both Thais and Thatcher are shocked when he displays powerful magic of his own. Separated, the two fight to survive the brutal training under their mentors and the upcoming trials. Funnelling their fear and anger into something useful, the twins make a pact to kill the king of the gods, something that they can only achieve by ascending.

It isn’t just the trials that prove to be treacherous. Tensions between the pantheons are on the rise, and there’s a greater threat that lingers in the shadows. 

Filled with politics, drama, and romance, The Ascended introduces an incredible world of magic and gods. With high stakes and enemies-to-lovers romance, it was right up my alley. There are some authors whose writing clicks with you from the first page, and Grenich and Lennox had me hooked from the start. From the complex characters and the banter to the world-building, I was blown away by this book. The way Grenich and Lennox approached magic was interesting, and the system they created is unique. This is definitely worth a read if that is something you enjoy in your fantasy!

Thanks for reading my book review for The Ascended by Bree Grenwich and Parker Lennox!

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