The Ascended
Affiliate link: buying through it supports BookRank at no extra cost to you.
About the book
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 seeki
Where the score comes from
The sources average 8.8 across 41 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 18% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Rankings average of 7.8. That is how 8.2 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hardcover | 8.8 | 41 | 100% |
Reader voices
The most-liked reviews on Hardcover (credited to their authors).
“This was an good start to a series (duology?), even if some parts were predictable (and I slumped pretty significantly mid-book … like my reading pace halved). I say predictable, but only because of Riftborne and Duskborne. If I hadn’t read those first, I would have not connected any dots at all. That being said, I do agree with everyone else’s sentiments that reading those two books before this one is a wise choice. Thatcher being Aether was definitely something I figured out very early on in the book (I’m talking like 13% in and I had it figured out). It didn’t feel like this was supposed t…”
Frequently asked
What is The Ascended rated?
8.2 out of 10, from 41 reader ratings across 1 independent sources.
Is The Ascended worth reading?
Readers give it 8.2/10 from 41 ratings in open sources.