What do you think?
Rate this book
Guardians of Ascension #1
Ascension
Ascension is both the title of the first book and the name of my dimensional world full of winged vampires, hunky warriors and women with extraordinary preternatural powers. To become a vampire, a mortal man or woman must demonstrate power and prove worthy of ascending to the next dimension. But the process of ascension is dangerous since the enemy, intent on conquering two worlds, tries to corrupt the most powerful ascenders and turn them into beautiful but villainous death vampires.
Battling the enemy are the Warriors of the Blood, a small brotherhood of men, vampires one and all, weary from centuries of war, each craving but resisting the presence of a woman in his life.
Destiny does not rest, does not sleep, but plots the undoing of each warrior’s heart as a series of preternaturally powerful women arrive on the scene to torment, to challenge, to demand surrender…
Battling the enemy are the Warriors of the Blood, a small brotherhood of men, vampires one and all, weary from centuries of war, each craving but resisting the presence of a woman in his life.
Destiny does not rest, does not sleep, but plots the undoing of each warrior’s heart as a series of preternaturally powerful women arrive on the scene to torment, to challenge, to demand surrender…
478 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 28, 2010
93 people are currently reading
8396 people want to read
About the author
Caris Roane
59 books1,629 followersI confess I've had a love affaire with vampires for several years now, especially warrior vampires, the kind found in the books of Sherrilyn Kenyon, Lara Adrian and JR Ward. Though I've been published in Regency Romance under the pseudonym Valerie King--and yes one of my Regency Novellas features a vampire--one day I woke up knowing I had to create my own contemporary world of the warrior vampire.
For some mystical, magical reason, early in the process, my vampires appeared with enormous beautiful wings and it has been the most amazing experience to include flight in my novels, in both battle scenes and scenes involving spectacle. My special vampire world, published by St. Martin's Press, is introduced in the first book called, ASCENSION (12-28-2010). The second book, BURNING SKIES (May of 2011), opens up the world a little bit more. And even as I write this, I'm on the final draft of my third novel, WINGS OF FIRE (September of 2011). What a thrill it has been to live with my ascended vampires through the creation of this extraordinary, multi-dimensional world!
For more information about my unique take on the vampire mythos, check out my website at carisroane.com and my book release video on YouTube by putting in the search phrase, Caris Roane Ascension.
With every hope you'll enjoy reading my books set in the World of Ascension, All my best, Caris Roane
For some mystical, magical reason, early in the process, my vampires appeared with enormous beautiful wings and it has been the most amazing experience to include flight in my novels, in both battle scenes and scenes involving spectacle. My special vampire world, published by St. Martin's Press, is introduced in the first book called, ASCENSION (12-28-2010). The second book, BURNING SKIES (May of 2011), opens up the world a little bit more. And even as I write this, I'm on the final draft of my third novel, WINGS OF FIRE (September of 2011). What a thrill it has been to live with my ascended vampires through the creation of this extraordinary, multi-dimensional world!
For more information about my unique take on the vampire mythos, check out my website at carisroane.com and my book release video on YouTube by putting in the search phrase, Caris Roane Ascension.
With every hope you'll enjoy reading my books set in the World of Ascension, All my best, Caris Roane
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 386 reviews
May 15, 2011
5 STARS!!!
OMFG, WHY ... WHY hasn't anybody who read this series recommended it to me before now??? Seriously guys, shame on you all! I just wish I had read this book much sooner than now, it's freaking amazing! A Must read for all pnr romance lovers out there like me.
As I have mentioned many, many times in my previous reviews, there are several things a book in this genre has to have to be a fav for me:
1) Amazing Characters: In this book we get introduce to many new characters, but specifically to a band of brothers by blood who have swear to protect humans from the bad guys. I haven't read about a close and funny group like this since BDB and midnight breed. If you loved those series as much as I did, you're gonna adore this book. We have that amazing camaraderie between warriors, that one which makes as laugh and love them so much. We also have a head who rules above them, and in this case she is a kick ass girl about 9000 years old,lol, what's not to love??
2)Most original plot I have read in a while: We have a world with 6 different Earths, situated in different dimensions. First Earth is ours, the one we know and live in. Then we have 2nd Earth which is the one our super HAWT warriors live in. To get to that Earth, you must ascend. The other Earths, we don't know nothing about as the doors to them have been close several thousands of years ago and not even communication has been possible. We just know the more ascended you are, the most angelic the plot becomes. Our warriors are no angels though, they are thought sons of bitches who would sacrifice everything to save humans from people from 2nd Earth who has gone rouge.
For me the plot is one of the most important things I appreciate in a book. Not many authors in this genre take it really into consideration, so when I see a book with an amazing plot like this one I just can't help to love it.
3)A Terrific HERO and HEROINE: Let's start with the hero... OMG... what can I say? Just HAWT! I loved him. Sexy, possessive and lethal. He may have not been the leader of the warriors but he was one of the strongest. I loved that the writer didn't start the first book with the most strongest of them all as the hero because now that will be the book I will be longing to read the whole time I'm reading this series. Kerrick has suffer so much, which is only natural as he has been alive for thousands of years. It will take him a while but to understand he really can have some things he decided not to have ever again, but that will only make it sweeter once he gets them.
The heroine was just amazing. I have been dying to read about a heroine like this since forever. I love my heroines STRONG and powerful and Alison Wells is just as strong as the leader of 2nd Earth. But the amazing thing is that she has been human for 30 years and containing her powers because they made her a freak. Then, from one moment to the next, she gets the possibility to ascend, a super hot vampire with how wings as her guardian and the possibility to live in a world she has always dream of! But she is also very sweat and good-hearted which makes us see her even more real.
4) Super strong and unnatural attraction, IMPOSSIBLE to avoid:
This has been used in many series but not all authors know how to do this well. Caris Roane is definitely one of the wise ones, I just couldn't get enough of this couple. The attraction was perfectly managed because while they needed to be together and recognized they were destined to mate they still tried to avoid it as it could only end bad. So we get this constant sexual tension between the two of them but the necessity to not see it through. Here is where most authors mess up because they have us waiting for something to happen between the hero and the heroine the first 80% of the book... BORING... well, in the case of this author we get it from the beginning, just little by little but it doesn't take them much to get the whole thing.
Also there's just so much in a mating between beings from 2nd Earth, is amazing. To really mate they must share their bodies, blood and mind all at the same time, and both of them must do it together.
5) Science fiction Rocks!: I adore well-created fictional plots and this is definitely it. In this installment we don't have humans with some weird powers, no, we have super strong beings who can do so much with many different amazing powers. We have different dimensions we don't know nothing about but will be dying to know the whole time.
Sigh** I haven't been this excited about a series in this genre since the big ones, like BDB, Psy changeling, midnight breed, LOTU, dark hunter, Immortals after dark and demonica. This series has serious potential, I just hope the next books are better because this could become a new obsession for me. I'm so excited to read more.
OMFG, WHY ... WHY hasn't anybody who read this series recommended it to me before now??? Seriously guys, shame on you all! I just wish I had read this book much sooner than now, it's freaking amazing! A Must read for all pnr romance lovers out there like me.
As I have mentioned many, many times in my previous reviews, there are several things a book in this genre has to have to be a fav for me:
1) Amazing Characters: In this book we get introduce to many new characters, but specifically to a band of brothers by blood who have swear to protect humans from the bad guys. I haven't read about a close and funny group like this since BDB and midnight breed. If you loved those series as much as I did, you're gonna adore this book. We have that amazing camaraderie between warriors, that one which makes as laugh and love them so much. We also have a head who rules above them, and in this case she is a kick ass girl about 9000 years old,lol, what's not to love??
2)Most original plot I have read in a while: We have a world with 6 different Earths, situated in different dimensions. First Earth is ours, the one we know and live in. Then we have 2nd Earth which is the one our super HAWT warriors live in. To get to that Earth, you must ascend. The other Earths, we don't know nothing about as the doors to them have been close several thousands of years ago and not even communication has been possible. We just know the more ascended you are, the most angelic the plot becomes. Our warriors are no angels though, they are thought sons of bitches who would sacrifice everything to save humans from people from 2nd Earth who has gone rouge.
For me the plot is one of the most important things I appreciate in a book. Not many authors in this genre take it really into consideration, so when I see a book with an amazing plot like this one I just can't help to love it.
3)A Terrific HERO and HEROINE: Let's start with the hero... OMG... what can I say? Just HAWT! I loved him. Sexy, possessive and lethal. He may have not been the leader of the warriors but he was one of the strongest. I loved that the writer didn't start the first book with the most strongest of them all as the hero because now that will be the book I will be longing to read the whole time I'm reading this series. Kerrick has suffer so much, which is only natural as he has been alive for thousands of years. It will take him a while but to understand he really can have some things he decided not to have ever again, but that will only make it sweeter once he gets them.
The heroine was just amazing. I have been dying to read about a heroine like this since forever. I love my heroines STRONG and powerful and Alison Wells is just as strong as the leader of 2nd Earth. But the amazing thing is that she has been human for 30 years and containing her powers because they made her a freak. Then, from one moment to the next, she gets the possibility to ascend, a super hot vampire with how wings as her guardian and the possibility to live in a world she has always dream of! But she is also very sweat and good-hearted which makes us see her even more real.
4) Super strong and unnatural attraction, IMPOSSIBLE to avoid:
This has been used in many series but not all authors know how to do this well. Caris Roane is definitely one of the wise ones, I just couldn't get enough of this couple. The attraction was perfectly managed because while they needed to be together and recognized they were destined to mate they still tried to avoid it as it could only end bad. So we get this constant sexual tension between the two of them but the necessity to not see it through. Here is where most authors mess up because they have us waiting for something to happen between the hero and the heroine the first 80% of the book... BORING... well, in the case of this author we get it from the beginning, just little by little but it doesn't take them much to get the whole thing.
Also there's just so much in a mating between beings from 2nd Earth, is amazing. To really mate they must share their bodies, blood and mind all at the same time, and both of them must do it together.
5) Science fiction Rocks!: I adore well-created fictional plots and this is definitely it. In this installment we don't have humans with some weird powers, no, we have super strong beings who can do so much with many different amazing powers. We have different dimensions we don't know nothing about but will be dying to know the whole time.
Sigh** I haven't been this excited about a series in this genre since the big ones, like BDB, Psy changeling, midnight breed, LOTU, dark hunter, Immortals after dark and demonica. This series has serious potential, I just hope the next books are better because this could become a new obsession for me. I'm so excited to read more.
January 25, 2012
Ascension took me a while to read, when I typically devour most paranormal romances. The writing style didn't grab hold of me and refuse to let me go, which is a shame. However, I did like enough about this book to keep me wanting to continue the series.
What I liked
*The concept of ascensions was captivating. I loved the idea that there were various Worlds accessible via dimensional gates that only a person who had ascended could pass through. This had some metaphysical aspects that appealed to me as a person with interest in the ethereal and the scientific.
*I liked the mix of high tech science with fantasy aspects which are integral to this book.
*The romance was strong and involving despite the dense writing style. The steam and attraction elements were well done.
*I'm a sucker for a brotherhood of warriors. What can I say?
*Good action sequences, and the displays of superhuman abilities were well done. I had these images of large-scale, majestic battles between winged warriors. She conveyed this imagery very well.
*There's something about winged people that just does it for me. These aren’t angels, but I’d probably lump them into that category because of the whole ascended being with wings aspects.
*Endelle is a character that totally stands out. Normally, you don't see these kinds of outre', unabashedly over the top alpha females in these books. She is a good source of humor and I love that her word is law, even to this group of very powerful warriors.
*I liked the concept of the breh-hedden. While the fated mate theme is nothing new, I liked the way Roane presents her version. Although I'm not 100% keen on the idea of a hot warrior who is your fated mate smelling like fennel/licorice (Marcus, a secondary character smells like licorice to Havily), at least it's kind of unique.
What could have been better
*Honestly, I think that this could have stood a very liberal edit, at least 50 pages. I felt as though there were excessive pages and words used than were needed to tell this story. This was quite striking considering that I had a question mark in my mind over the whole concept until about 300 pages had gone by. A surgical use of words could have conveyed more of what the author intended in a more concise fashion, and made for a shorter, easier read. Admittedly, I'm a reader who prefers more short and snappy writing. I can get past that with a really compelling read. However, in the case of this story, it just felt apparent to me that not all the words she used were needed.
*I felt that most of the warrior brethren are still somewhat sketchy as far as characters. I can name them and give brief traits about them, but for all the length of the story, I would have liked a better integration of them in the narrative than I saw. This made the book have a samey feel in comparison to other popular paranormal series out there, when there is more than enough to distinguish this book from others in the genre.
*The villain was a bit sketchy too. I couldn't feel his motivations. I was told rather than shown these, and it didn't quite ring through to me. I hope that he is better developed in the subsequent books.
Final Verdict:
After a rather slow, frustrating read, with some moments of brilliance that spurred me on to keep reading, I can say I liked this book, but I did not love it. I like the ideas, and I really want to fall in love with this book. I hope that I will feel more drawn in with the subsequent books since I have gotten a introductory feel to this world. For a first book in a high concept series, Ascension isn't bad. It is just one of those books that it takes patience and determination to get through.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars .
What I liked
*The concept of ascensions was captivating. I loved the idea that there were various Worlds accessible via dimensional gates that only a person who had ascended could pass through. This had some metaphysical aspects that appealed to me as a person with interest in the ethereal and the scientific.
*I liked the mix of high tech science with fantasy aspects which are integral to this book.
*The romance was strong and involving despite the dense writing style. The steam and attraction elements were well done.
*I'm a sucker for a brotherhood of warriors. What can I say?
*Good action sequences, and the displays of superhuman abilities were well done. I had these images of large-scale, majestic battles between winged warriors. She conveyed this imagery very well.
*There's something about winged people that just does it for me. These aren’t angels, but I’d probably lump them into that category because of the whole ascended being with wings aspects.
*Endelle is a character that totally stands out. Normally, you don't see these kinds of outre', unabashedly over the top alpha females in these books. She is a good source of humor and I love that her word is law, even to this group of very powerful warriors.
*I liked the concept of the breh-hedden. While the fated mate theme is nothing new, I liked the way Roane presents her version. Although I'm not 100% keen on the idea of a hot warrior who is your fated mate smelling like fennel/licorice (Marcus, a secondary character smells like licorice to Havily), at least it's kind of unique.
What could have been better
*Honestly, I think that this could have stood a very liberal edit, at least 50 pages. I felt as though there were excessive pages and words used than were needed to tell this story. This was quite striking considering that I had a question mark in my mind over the whole concept until about 300 pages had gone by. A surgical use of words could have conveyed more of what the author intended in a more concise fashion, and made for a shorter, easier read. Admittedly, I'm a reader who prefers more short and snappy writing. I can get past that with a really compelling read. However, in the case of this story, it just felt apparent to me that not all the words she used were needed.
*I felt that most of the warrior brethren are still somewhat sketchy as far as characters. I can name them and give brief traits about them, but for all the length of the story, I would have liked a better integration of them in the narrative than I saw. This made the book have a samey feel in comparison to other popular paranormal series out there, when there is more than enough to distinguish this book from others in the genre.
*The villain was a bit sketchy too. I couldn't feel his motivations. I was told rather than shown these, and it didn't quite ring through to me. I hope that he is better developed in the subsequent books.
Final Verdict:
After a rather slow, frustrating read, with some moments of brilliance that spurred me on to keep reading, I can say I liked this book, but I did not love it. I like the ideas, and I really want to fall in love with this book. I hope that I will feel more drawn in with the subsequent books since I have gotten a introductory feel to this world. For a first book in a high concept series, Ascension isn't bad. It is just one of those books that it takes patience and determination to get through.
Overall rating: 3.5/5.0 stars .
January 27, 2018
Ok first off I think the story was very long winded and that pages could have been edited out and it would have made the story flow better. There where part I didn't understand. The main story has a good base to it where she could build a nice series but I didn't really care for Alison.. She was a flippin crybaby My God she was crying every 5 seconds and she cried every time they had sex or talked or the wind blew.......
Kerrick I liked I love that he is a sweet man and I enjoyed his caveman moments lol I like the others brothers too. His brothers n law was a jerk but I can understand he is hurting too. overall not too bad.
https://jessicasoverthetopbookobsessi...
Kerrick I liked I love that he is a sweet man and I enjoyed his caveman moments lol I like the others brothers too. His brothers n law was a jerk but I can understand he is hurting too. overall not too bad.
https://jessicasoverthetopbookobsessi...
May 24, 2011
Caris Roane has an awesome start for a hot paranormal romance series in The Guardian of Ascension Series. I found Ascension very compelling and thrilling to read. I have seen some compare this to other major paranormal romance authors, I didn’t see this one bit in fact, I like the way Caris stuck more to the romance in her story then other authors and with the touch of Sci-Fi world build with the characters traveling between different dimensions, oh yeah, defiantly very different from the rest and explained easy.
In this book you get one hot vampire warrior and one sexy very dangerous heroine. I like that the author wasn’t afraid about creating a very strong heroine, so much so, her power can kill people and it does (you'll have to read and find out who). Alison is no ordinarily human. You’ll just have to read to find out what all this extraordinary this woman can do. I wouldn’t say the hero Kerrick is tortured, but he has some issues that take a bit to overcome, but he is always proud of Alison no matter what she throws at him. I loved how the author bought these two together and build their romance. The sexual tension is smoking all the way through the book, the sex is very steamy, but there’s not a lot of it and it takes a long while to get to it. Yeah, I know I don’t have to have it that much, but crap the tension was so hot it was killing me LOL.
The other warriors in very present in the story and the author also gave a peek to who may be the next mate for a couple of them. It just makes reading a series so much exciting because you cant wait for the next book to see what’s going to happen.
Now, I want to say, the author has a very deep storyline with a lot going on, plus quite a few different characters, so be preprepared for going back in fourth between characters. It can be confusing at first until you get to know them, so just take your time. The cussing can be a bit much, so if your one who doesn’t like it be prepared.
I recommend this to any paranormal romance lover. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in trying this series, especially if you love romance with some dangerous action.
In this book you get one hot vampire warrior and one sexy very dangerous heroine. I like that the author wasn’t afraid about creating a very strong heroine, so much so, her power can kill people and it does (you'll have to read and find out who). Alison is no ordinarily human. You’ll just have to read to find out what all this extraordinary this woman can do. I wouldn’t say the hero Kerrick is tortured, but he has some issues that take a bit to overcome, but he is always proud of Alison no matter what she throws at him. I loved how the author bought these two together and build their romance. The sexual tension is smoking all the way through the book, the sex is very steamy, but there’s not a lot of it and it takes a long while to get to it. Yeah, I know I don’t have to have it that much, but crap the tension was so hot it was killing me LOL.
The other warriors in very present in the story and the author also gave a peek to who may be the next mate for a couple of them. It just makes reading a series so much exciting because you cant wait for the next book to see what’s going to happen.
Now, I want to say, the author has a very deep storyline with a lot going on, plus quite a few different characters, so be preprepared for going back in fourth between characters. It can be confusing at first until you get to know them, so just take your time. The cussing can be a bit much, so if your one who doesn’t like it be prepared.
I recommend this to any paranormal romance lover. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed in trying this series, especially if you love romance with some dangerous action.
February 20, 2015
From the title of this promising paranormal romance series starters I was expecting angels, and while the winged warriors are very much like angels and while humans with special powers `ascend' to join their world, author Roane adds a thin vampire veneer and fangs, so the `ascended' become vampires instead of angels. The good guys of this world protect the Earth from other vampires who have succumbed to the addiction of drinking dead blood and who have become killers seducing their prey with an unearthly beauty.
I thought that the vampire angle was a bit odd but I am a sucker for a guy with wings, so this one worked for me. There's also some interesting dynamics/conflicts being laid out for the overworked hard-drinking warrior band - one of whom lives on earth so he won't kill the brother warrior he can't forgive, one who has turned traitor to fight for the enemy, another who will not use his wings, and the leader who keeps a woman hidden - and there are other issues which also mean that these guys will have to work to win their potential mates even though there is a mate bonding urge to give the pairs a little kick start.
I did like Ascension, yes there are pieces of this series which feel very familiar to someone who has read a great deal of paranormal romance, and personally, I'd have liked just a bit more male bonding moments, so really my only nit is that the author tends to overuse some her descriptions. But the potential's there and the series' version of mate bonding is steamy and cool - the pair seal the deal by being joined body, blood and mind - and that scene was really hot.
As I've already mentioned, Roane has already positioned some of the other warriors for stories and the next installments are coming not too far in the future with Burning Skies (Marcus and Havily) being released in May and Wings of Firein September.
I thought that the vampire angle was a bit odd but I am a sucker for a guy with wings, so this one worked for me. There's also some interesting dynamics/conflicts being laid out for the overworked hard-drinking warrior band - one of whom lives on earth so he won't kill the brother warrior he can't forgive, one who has turned traitor to fight for the enemy, another who will not use his wings, and the leader who keeps a woman hidden - and there are other issues which also mean that these guys will have to work to win their potential mates even though there is a mate bonding urge to give the pairs a little kick start.
I did like Ascension, yes there are pieces of this series which feel very familiar to someone who has read a great deal of paranormal romance, and personally, I'd have liked just a bit more male bonding moments, so really my only nit is that the author tends to overuse some her descriptions. But the potential's there and the series' version of mate bonding is steamy and cool - the pair seal the deal by being joined body, blood and mind - and that scene was really hot.
As I've already mentioned, Roane has already positioned some of the other warriors for stories and the next installments are coming not too far in the future with Burning Skies (Marcus and Havily) being released in May and Wings of Firein September.
August 22, 2011
I really hate to do this because I know how much work goes into writing and having a book published. But...this book was almost a "did not finish" for me. It had all the elements: attractive men, paranormal romance theme, vampires; all of the things that keep me turning pages but it fell short. Now, I am a JR Ward BDB, KMM Fever series, Larissa Ione Demonica, Chloe Neill Chicagoland Vampire, Jeaniene Frost Cat and Bones, fan. I can't put this book anywhere near those. And for those of you who have read my reviews on KMM's series, this was a "I don't think I can continue past mile 1 on the elliptical" for me. The characters were outrageous and totally unbelievable, their profanity and love scenes were gratuitious. It reminded me of eating sushi from a supermarket chain. The intent is there but it lacks substance and falls far short of what it was supposed to represent.
December 27, 2011
The best way that I can explain Ascension by Caris Roane is this: Imagine that J.R. Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood books and Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter books had a baby, and that baby grew up into a troubled teenager. That's this book. But troubled teens aren't irredeemable, right? Sure, it's going to take some discipline on the part of the editor and a lot of patience on the part of the reader, but it could still turn out alright. At least, that's what I told myself as I powered through the first two thirds of this book. In the end though, it's just a bad seed, and not really one I cared to stick with.
Here is my list of issues with this book:
1. This is a fated mates book. Hero and heroine are destined to be together because the author says so. Their sexual chemistry is instantaneous and irrationally overblown. The initial stages of getting to know one another involve smelling each other, gazing longingly into each others eyes, and dreaming of each other. I'm not against fated mates as a rule, but there is a right and a wrong way to do it. The wrong way is taking away all of your character's choices and forcing them on one another, and using the mate bond as a stand in (or even total replacement) for growing affection. For the most part this book does it the wrong way.
2. The groups of hulk-like warrior men battling evil? It's been done before. Many times. And done better than this. This book is just generally unoriginal, kind of like fan fiction where all the names have been changed.
3. Roane's writing style is horrible. Typos, awkward wording, abrupt and frequent shifts in POV, one and two word sentences, needless repetition. The dialogue is the worst, with lots of phony sounding tough talk. One glaring example was when in detailing a character's thoughts Roane used "helluvan" instead of "hell of an". Now, I was willing to chalk up a lot of these issues to Roane being a new author, but upon flipping to her bio I saw that she has published many books under the name Valerie King. I couldn't believe that an experienced author would write like this.
4. Silly half baked world building. For one thing, the heroine is given an incomprehensible number of super powers. And the hero and his band of brothers are vampires...with wings. I started calling them wampires. There are good wampires and bad wampires, and the bad ones are blue for some reason. There are multiple dimensions including Mortal Earth and Earth Two. So there are all kinds of rules about where the wampires can fight and how they can fight. And there's vocabulary to learn as well. My favorite was the power of making objects disappear and appear, which is called "folding". Whenever it set "folding his sword into his hand" I could not stop picturing him folding a sword in half. Bottom line, all of the concepts are B-movie quality at best.
5. And finally, the sequel baiting. You want to buy the next book, right? That's going to be Marcus' story. He sounds cool right? Buy his book. Buy it! Ugh. I just want to enjoy the novel I'm reading and get a complete story without having to spend another $8 to complete the tale.
What can I say that's positive? When the heroine, Alison, is first introduced I thought she might be interesting. She has a lot of emotional issues and identity issues that I wanted to see her work through. But when it became clear that her powers and her relationship with Kerrick were going to be her new identity I lost interest in her. Kerrick bored me with his angst, self pity, and stubbornness. He did sound physically attractive though. Many of the secondary characters, like Endelle the military leader, were intriguing. This was ruined the second they spoke a word of dialogue.
So if you really like fated mates, haven't had your fill of vampire gang wars, and don't mind sloppy writing, go ahead and try this book. 1 star.
Here is my list of issues with this book:
1. This is a fated mates book. Hero and heroine are destined to be together because the author says so. Their sexual chemistry is instantaneous and irrationally overblown. The initial stages of getting to know one another involve smelling each other, gazing longingly into each others eyes, and dreaming of each other. I'm not against fated mates as a rule, but there is a right and a wrong way to do it. The wrong way is taking away all of your character's choices and forcing them on one another, and using the mate bond as a stand in (or even total replacement) for growing affection. For the most part this book does it the wrong way.
2. The groups of hulk-like warrior men battling evil? It's been done before. Many times. And done better than this. This book is just generally unoriginal, kind of like fan fiction where all the names have been changed.
3. Roane's writing style is horrible. Typos, awkward wording, abrupt and frequent shifts in POV, one and two word sentences, needless repetition. The dialogue is the worst, with lots of phony sounding tough talk. One glaring example was when in detailing a character's thoughts Roane used "helluvan" instead of "hell of an". Now, I was willing to chalk up a lot of these issues to Roane being a new author, but upon flipping to her bio I saw that she has published many books under the name Valerie King. I couldn't believe that an experienced author would write like this.
4. Silly half baked world building. For one thing, the heroine is given an incomprehensible number of super powers. And the hero and his band of brothers are vampires...with wings. I started calling them wampires. There are good wampires and bad wampires, and the bad ones are blue for some reason. There are multiple dimensions including Mortal Earth and Earth Two. So there are all kinds of rules about where the wampires can fight and how they can fight. And there's vocabulary to learn as well. My favorite was the power of making objects disappear and appear, which is called "folding". Whenever it set "folding his sword into his hand" I could not stop picturing him folding a sword in half. Bottom line, all of the concepts are B-movie quality at best.
5. And finally, the sequel baiting. You want to buy the next book, right? That's going to be Marcus' story. He sounds cool right? Buy his book. Buy it! Ugh. I just want to enjoy the novel I'm reading and get a complete story without having to spend another $8 to complete the tale.
What can I say that's positive? When the heroine, Alison, is first introduced I thought she might be interesting. She has a lot of emotional issues and identity issues that I wanted to see her work through. But when it became clear that her powers and her relationship with Kerrick were going to be her new identity I lost interest in her. Kerrick bored me with his angst, self pity, and stubbornness. He did sound physically attractive though. Many of the secondary characters, like Endelle the military leader, were intriguing. This was ruined the second they spoke a word of dialogue.
So if you really like fated mates, haven't had your fill of vampire gang wars, and don't mind sloppy writing, go ahead and try this book. 1 star.
May 19, 2011
4.5 stars. I really liked this book. It captured my interest, imagination, and emotions and kept me reading from the very start.
I really am sucked in and have been fighting sleep at night to read it. I think the series has a lot of potential. In some ways it's very original and in others it is similar to other brotherhood warrior books. But it's definitely holding my attention, which doesn't happen often. :) I love the characters and the world she's created is really interesting.
It has a lot of cool action scenes, it's intense, a little dark, and the romance is sweet, steamy, and intense. So far BDB and the Sentinels are the only warrior brotherhood books I've read completely. It's not at that level yet, but it has the potential to be, I think, for me.
The only thing that I'm not liking is her focus on a particular character (bad guy) but not on the pivotal one. But I think it's intentional foundation laying for the series.
I really am sucked in and have been fighting sleep at night to read it. I think the series has a lot of potential. In some ways it's very original and in others it is similar to other brotherhood warrior books. But it's definitely holding my attention, which doesn't happen often. :) I love the characters and the world she's created is really interesting.
It has a lot of cool action scenes, it's intense, a little dark, and the romance is sweet, steamy, and intense. So far BDB and the Sentinels are the only warrior brotherhood books I've read completely. It's not at that level yet, but it has the potential to be, I think, for me.
The only thing that I'm not liking is her focus on a particular character (bad guy) but not on the pivotal one. But I think it's intentional foundation laying for the series.
June 10, 2014
Living a life and having to hold back the person you truly are is not an uncommon feeling for Alison Wells, whose special abilities have put others at risk. Alison is plagued with dreams that promise a future she knows she will never obtain but give her glimpses of hope, even if it is only in her dreams. Alison's dreams are about to become a reality when a warrior saves her life Kerrick is a vampire warrior forced to protect Alison while she prepares for her Ascension.
Over the centuries Kerrick has refused guardian details on all females, but his leader is forcing the union and Kerrick is finding it hard to resist as a rare bond becomes apparent between Alison and Kerrick. Incredibly creative, Ascension takes readers to another level as you learn about two earths,
Full review on Single Titles
http://singletitles.com/?p=5607
Over the centuries Kerrick has refused guardian details on all females, but his leader is forcing the union and Kerrick is finding it hard to resist as a rare bond becomes apparent between Alison and Kerrick. Incredibly creative, Ascension takes readers to another level as you learn about two earths,
Full review on Single Titles
http://singletitles.com/?p=5607
June 27, 2011
This book did not work for me. I didn't like the world at all and I didn't like the writing style. I didn't mind the main characters but I wasn't impressed with the romance. The world wasn't explained enough, the "rules" didn't make sense. There was so much discussion of committees and laws instead of just having action. The law part made no sense, who was in charge? Why would a bad guy listen to rules? How freaking boring. The author also did a very pale imitation of Ward's BDB, it did not come off well.
So I guess in short - I didn't like it and forced myself to finish.
So I guess in short - I didn't like it and forced myself to finish.
August 9, 2011
"Discover A Secret, Sensual Worl Of Winged Vampire Warriors And The Women They Crave, In An Epic Battle Between Unearthly Longing And Immortal Love."
Well if you enjoy paranormal romance wrapped with a remarkable science fiction quality to it that greedily devours you into a world of Powerful, Possessively Protective, Honorable Winged Warrior Vampires and their powerful and devoted female mates then look no further! Roane has surpassed my imaginations as well as my expectations with Ascension and when I finished it left me wanting more.
This magnificent and beautifully articulate world created by Caris Roane of immortal Winged Warrior Vampires who take their job as protector seriously. The war ragged on these gorgeous winged protectors are being carried out by Death Vampires also known as pretty boys. These pretty boys that gain their superior strength and beauty from drinking a mortal to death, are easily spotted due to their pale skin, good looks and black wings. Whereas the Vampire Warriors known as Warriors Of The Blood protect mortals, humanity, and are as easily recognizable with their muscled ferociously sexy bodies, lust worthy leather kilts and long seductive hair.
Meet Kerrick he's a Warrior Of The Blood and he's one of my new fictional BF's ;) He has a past that left him with heartache that he blames himself daily for failing to protect his wife and children from these morally corrupt Death Vamps. He becomes assigned as protector of Allison Wells soon to be Ascending to vampire herself. She has lived a life longing for male companionship, only to deny herself as her supernatural powers accidentally cause injury in past relationships. Instantly they both reluctantly feel a supernatural force urging them together and him to complete a rare mating ritual called breh-hedden. From the instant they meet everything they previously
knew about their own life melts and it's as if they never lived prior to each other. Within a short matter of time
Kerrick becomes her trainer, guardian, lover, while she becomes his achilles heel.
"You're blood Kerrick, like an exotic wine."
I Loved this book!!!!!
The Warriors of The Blood carry such a heavy passion for their duty of guardianship.
Meet "Thorne, their leader, with Medichi and his love of wine, with Jean-Pierre and his love of women, Santiago and his ability with weapons, Zacharius and his vanity, Luken and his gentle soul" and Marcus a grieving brother. These men are ruled by Endelle and she's a force to be reckoned with.
"Back off, Fido," Endelle said to Kerrick. "So she was in his head. Big-fucking-deal. It's not like she had her legs wrapped around his waist." She shifted her attention back to Alison. "I just want to know what the hell you talked about. The fact that you set up a shield even I couldn't penetrate tells me you weren't discussing the weather."
I'm excited to read the next book Burning Skies because it's already been hinted during my read of this book that it will be about Warrior Marcus and the Lovely green eyed Havily.
LOVE Caris Roane's Guardians of Ascension.
He muzzled her neck. He stroked her arms gently. "You're mine Alison" he whispered softly through the euphoric pathways of her brain. "I'll fight with everything I've got to stay alive and keep you safe. You know that, right?"....."With all my heart."
I was delighted when I won this book as a GR first reads contest and I was grateful that Caris Roane so graciously wrote a message in the book adressed to me personally. ;)
Like what you see here, check out more of my reviews at http://missvainsparanormalfantasy.com/
January 16, 2015
Ascension is the first book in Caris Roane's Guardians of Ascension series and it introduces readers to a world of winged vampire warriors who protect the human dimension from evil vampires who have become addicted to draining their victims to death. The world building is actually really interesting, I enjoyed the author's unusual take on vampires and I liked the idea of multiple dimensions which humans can ascend to if they have certain abilities or powers. I also enjoyed the camaraderie between the warriors of the blood, I'm a sucker for that kind of set up so it's no surprise I was excited to read this story.
Alison is a human with extraordinary abilities that have meant she never quite fitted in, she has had to keep at a distance from others so that they don't get hurt accidentally and although she has a sister she is very close with she feels isolated and alone. All she ever wanted was a family but she's never been able to risk a long term relationship since her attempts at sex always end in a trip to the hospital for her partner. Kerrick is the warrior who has been assigned to protect Alison throughout her ascension into the next dimension, it is a dangerous time and more than one side of the war are interested in Alison because of her incredible powers. Kerrick has sworn off love because he has lost too many people who are close to him but he immediately recognises Alison as his breh-hedden (fated mate) and finds her very hard to resist.
For the most part I liked Alison, I was interested by her abilities and I do love the fact that the women in this series seem to be just as strong as, if not stronger than, the men. It makes a change to have the girls kicking ass as much as the guys even if I thought the way Alison learned to fight was a bit on the ridiculous side. One thing I didn't like was how much she cries though, she seems to weep at the slightest provocation and I found it irritating to read about. Kerrick is easy to like but he's fairly standard for a paranormal romance romantic lead, there isn't anything about him that particularly stands out so I think he'll be fairly easy to forget about now I've finished reading the book. I would like to see something a bit more from the other warriors so that they stand out against the other PNR series that I read.
Although there were a lot of things to like about the story it does suffer a bit from first book syndrome, there are a lot of new terms to get to grips with (there is a handy glossary at the back of the book though) and there were times when I struggled to keep track of who the characters were and what was going on. In my opinion the story is just too long, there is a lot of repetition and I found parts of the story quite dry and boring. I got sick of reading about the way Alison & Kerrick smell (they recognise each other as their fated mates because of the scent they give off but it's mentioned CONSTANTLY) and I was also ready to scream at the number of times Alison said the words "Warrior Kerrick", yes we know he's a warrior but his name is Kerrick, you don't have to use his job title every single time you think of him! The word warrior was just overused throughout the whole story if I'm honest and I'm really hoping that is something that is toned down in the rest of the series.
The second half of the book has much better pacing though and that's where the story got its hooks into me. So much so that I've gone ahead and ordered the next book in the series so I can see what happens next. I have a feeling that this is one of those series that will just get better with each new book so I have high hopes for Burning Skies.
Alison is a human with extraordinary abilities that have meant she never quite fitted in, she has had to keep at a distance from others so that they don't get hurt accidentally and although she has a sister she is very close with she feels isolated and alone. All she ever wanted was a family but she's never been able to risk a long term relationship since her attempts at sex always end in a trip to the hospital for her partner. Kerrick is the warrior who has been assigned to protect Alison throughout her ascension into the next dimension, it is a dangerous time and more than one side of the war are interested in Alison because of her incredible powers. Kerrick has sworn off love because he has lost too many people who are close to him but he immediately recognises Alison as his breh-hedden (fated mate) and finds her very hard to resist.
For the most part I liked Alison, I was interested by her abilities and I do love the fact that the women in this series seem to be just as strong as, if not stronger than, the men. It makes a change to have the girls kicking ass as much as the guys even if I thought the way Alison learned to fight was a bit on the ridiculous side. One thing I didn't like was how much she cries though, she seems to weep at the slightest provocation and I found it irritating to read about. Kerrick is easy to like but he's fairly standard for a paranormal romance romantic lead, there isn't anything about him that particularly stands out so I think he'll be fairly easy to forget about now I've finished reading the book. I would like to see something a bit more from the other warriors so that they stand out against the other PNR series that I read.
Although there were a lot of things to like about the story it does suffer a bit from first book syndrome, there are a lot of new terms to get to grips with (there is a handy glossary at the back of the book though) and there were times when I struggled to keep track of who the characters were and what was going on. In my opinion the story is just too long, there is a lot of repetition and I found parts of the story quite dry and boring. I got sick of reading about the way Alison & Kerrick smell (they recognise each other as their fated mates because of the scent they give off but it's mentioned CONSTANTLY) and I was also ready to scream at the number of times Alison said the words "Warrior Kerrick", yes we know he's a warrior but his name is Kerrick, you don't have to use his job title every single time you think of him! The word warrior was just overused throughout the whole story if I'm honest and I'm really hoping that is something that is toned down in the rest of the series.
The second half of the book has much better pacing though and that's where the story got its hooks into me. So much so that I've gone ahead and ordered the next book in the series so I can see what happens next. I have a feeling that this is one of those series that will just get better with each new book so I have high hopes for Burning Skies.
December 27, 2023
Oh my. This was a bad, BAD book. Just AWFUL. Ugh. I can honestly say that I've read many a book that was not good, yet this was easily one of the worst I've ever read. How do things like this get published?
Things began badly when the lovely man mentioned in the summary of the novel was actually an evil vampire come to kill the heroine who was killed a few paragraphs after uttering the noteworthy sentence, "Your blood belongs to me". This admittedly may not have been the author's fault as said summary was probably created by the publisher. It did however provide a handy warning with regards to this train wreck of a novel, which I should have heeded but didn't.
The quality of the writing itself was truly awful: the grammar was atrocious and the sentence structure utterly terrible. Here is a sample of what I mean:
"Still, what he needed wasn't here, wasn't the f**k anywhere. He'd awakened a few hours ago with a hum in his chest that wouldn't go away, a need unfulfilled and now screaming. It wasn't just sex but sex was what called to him as an opener, a place to begin. He hunted with his groin but couldn't find *her*. Not here. He wasn't even looking. He couldn't look. He'd taken vows, godammit."
Um. Yes. Alllll righty then...
Most of the novel was taken up by the two main characters' musings on how much they wanted to shag each other. Stick their tongues down each other's throats. Stick... Er, I'll spare you the rest, but I think you get my drift. As an afterthought, the author would feebly attempt to liken this to love: after all, neither of them had ever been this attracted to anyone else before! Not very romantic, IMHO.
What plot there was was pure deus ex machina combined with a Mary Sue. I didn't know it was possible to combine these two cliches so completely, but this author managed to surprise me. And not in a good way: most of the plot was taken up by the main female character's wonderful powers coming out of nowhere, powers which no one else possessed. The rest of the story consisted of the evil mastermind trying to kill or subvert her and of one of one of his minions' uninspiring and uninteresting musings. The world building is also mostly ridiculous: I truly don't know why these characters needed to be vampires, for one. And why vampires with wings? And a world where wing size often substitutes for penis size (as in mine is bigger than yours contests)? Oh my lord.
And the final irritating element: I truly have had enough of manipulative attempts by publishing companies (along with several authors) to keep me (as a reader) reading by intentionally leaving various plot elements 'hanging' until book seven of fifteen of a series. This manipulative aspect manages to be particularly irritating in this book, as one or two aspects which could have been interesting to me (i.e. the nature of the higher dimensions and the long-term plan of the beings there) were left hanging and 'to be continued'. So essentially, nothing much happens in this book. Here is a quick summary of this work of art, so as to attempt to cure you of any wish to spend your hard-earned money on this drivel:
The evil lord tried to kill the main character a few times, while she and her 'fated' mate resisted getting it on for truly idiotic and unconvincing reasons. The end.
When I got to the end, I felt like cheering. Not because I liked the book, but because I had been determined to finish the thing so as to write an honest review. I was truly proud of my fortitude. Huzzah!
Things began badly when the lovely man mentioned in the summary of the novel was actually an evil vampire come to kill the heroine who was killed a few paragraphs after uttering the noteworthy sentence, "Your blood belongs to me". This admittedly may not have been the author's fault as said summary was probably created by the publisher. It did however provide a handy warning with regards to this train wreck of a novel, which I should have heeded but didn't.
The quality of the writing itself was truly awful: the grammar was atrocious and the sentence structure utterly terrible. Here is a sample of what I mean:
"Still, what he needed wasn't here, wasn't the f**k anywhere. He'd awakened a few hours ago with a hum in his chest that wouldn't go away, a need unfulfilled and now screaming. It wasn't just sex but sex was what called to him as an opener, a place to begin. He hunted with his groin but couldn't find *her*. Not here. He wasn't even looking. He couldn't look. He'd taken vows, godammit."
Um. Yes. Alllll righty then...
Most of the novel was taken up by the two main characters' musings on how much they wanted to shag each other. Stick their tongues down each other's throats. Stick... Er, I'll spare you the rest, but I think you get my drift. As an afterthought, the author would feebly attempt to liken this to love: after all, neither of them had ever been this attracted to anyone else before! Not very romantic, IMHO.
What plot there was was pure deus ex machina combined with a Mary Sue. I didn't know it was possible to combine these two cliches so completely, but this author managed to surprise me. And not in a good way: most of the plot was taken up by the main female character's wonderful powers coming out of nowhere, powers which no one else possessed. The rest of the story consisted of the evil mastermind trying to kill or subvert her and of one of one of his minions' uninspiring and uninteresting musings. The world building is also mostly ridiculous: I truly don't know why these characters needed to be vampires, for one. And why vampires with wings? And a world where wing size often substitutes for penis size (as in mine is bigger than yours contests)? Oh my lord.
And the final irritating element: I truly have had enough of manipulative attempts by publishing companies (along with several authors) to keep me (as a reader) reading by intentionally leaving various plot elements 'hanging' until book seven of fifteen of a series. This manipulative aspect manages to be particularly irritating in this book, as one or two aspects which could have been interesting to me (i.e. the nature of the higher dimensions and the long-term plan of the beings there) were left hanging and 'to be continued'. So essentially, nothing much happens in this book. Here is a quick summary of this work of art, so as to attempt to cure you of any wish to spend your hard-earned money on this drivel:
The evil lord tried to kill the main character a few times, while she and her 'fated' mate resisted getting it on for truly idiotic and unconvincing reasons. The end.
When I got to the end, I felt like cheering. Not because I liked the book, but because I had been determined to finish the thing so as to write an honest review. I was truly proud of my fortitude. Huzzah!
November 27, 2012
Oh. My. Gosh! This book rocked my freaking world!!
Seriously, this book is amazing! Its Book 1 of the World of Ascension series. I haven't heard of this author or series before but I can tell you that I'll be keeping my eyes out for more from her!!! Now, there wasn't an overwhelming amount of Sexy Time in this book but what there was...? Whoa!! It was so hot that my face almost melted off!!! LOL!
We meet Kerrick. He's a vampire, he's a warrior and he's also a freakin angel! Oh yeah! And he's not just a warrior, he's like a super warrior. He has super speed and super strength and he's part of this group of men just like him. They are Guardians of Ascension and they are also Warriors of the Blood. Kerrick is occasionally assigned to guard people who are ascending. Ascending is when you transform from a human into something....else. Not really an angel but kind of sort of. Anyways, Kerrick is assigned to guard a powerful ascendiate whose name is Alison Wells.
Alison IS a powerful ascendiate. But she's also a therapist (a good one) and she's had a tough go of it. She's been different ever since she can remember: telekinesis, mind reading, some seeing the future, the list goes on. She's never been able to have a normal relationship with a man due to her abilities and how volatile they can be. She's deeply envious of her sister, who she loves dearly. But her sister has a wonderful husband and a child and another baby on the way. As much as Alison loves her sister, she also sees that her sister has things that she (Alison) will never have. Just when Alison thinks things can't get worse.... well, they don't but they DO get weirder.
Alison meets Kerrick, finds out that one of her patients is an other-worldly being who is bent on killing her, and finds out what she's about to become. All in all, not such a frickin hot day. But Alison will not allow herself to get pulled down into despair. She's a handsome and amazing man next to her who seems like he could be interested and she thinks that maybe, possibly there could be a future between them. But all of that will have to wait because the crap is about to hit the fan!
The war between the good vampires and the bad vampires (lead by her former patient) is heating up and everyone is going to be pulled in, including Alison.
This book was so great! It has all of the not-so-great stuff that weighs down all books that kick off a series. But I didn't notice all of the world building as much as I have in other series. There is a LOT of action in this one and a lot of sexual tension!! Kerrick and Alison are hot! It helps that they have this thing between them - kind of like they're fated to be together. But neither of them really wants to deal with it so they fight it which creates all of that delicious sexual tension!! Kerrick is such a great hero and Alison is a kick-ass heroine! I dare you to read this and NOT love it!!
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal romance that leans more towards vampires and angels and is less about demons and werewolves. I would for sure read this again!
Seriously, this book is amazing! Its Book 1 of the World of Ascension series. I haven't heard of this author or series before but I can tell you that I'll be keeping my eyes out for more from her!!! Now, there wasn't an overwhelming amount of Sexy Time in this book but what there was...? Whoa!! It was so hot that my face almost melted off!!! LOL!
We meet Kerrick. He's a vampire, he's a warrior and he's also a freakin angel! Oh yeah! And he's not just a warrior, he's like a super warrior. He has super speed and super strength and he's part of this group of men just like him. They are Guardians of Ascension and they are also Warriors of the Blood. Kerrick is occasionally assigned to guard people who are ascending. Ascending is when you transform from a human into something....else. Not really an angel but kind of sort of. Anyways, Kerrick is assigned to guard a powerful ascendiate whose name is Alison Wells.
Alison IS a powerful ascendiate. But she's also a therapist (a good one) and she's had a tough go of it. She's been different ever since she can remember: telekinesis, mind reading, some seeing the future, the list goes on. She's never been able to have a normal relationship with a man due to her abilities and how volatile they can be. She's deeply envious of her sister, who she loves dearly. But her sister has a wonderful husband and a child and another baby on the way. As much as Alison loves her sister, she also sees that her sister has things that she (Alison) will never have. Just when Alison thinks things can't get worse.... well, they don't but they DO get weirder.
Alison meets Kerrick, finds out that one of her patients is an other-worldly being who is bent on killing her, and finds out what she's about to become. All in all, not such a frickin hot day. But Alison will not allow herself to get pulled down into despair. She's a handsome and amazing man next to her who seems like he could be interested and she thinks that maybe, possibly there could be a future between them. But all of that will have to wait because the crap is about to hit the fan!
The war between the good vampires and the bad vampires (lead by her former patient) is heating up and everyone is going to be pulled in, including Alison.
This book was so great! It has all of the not-so-great stuff that weighs down all books that kick off a series. But I didn't notice all of the world building as much as I have in other series. There is a LOT of action in this one and a lot of sexual tension!! Kerrick and Alison are hot! It helps that they have this thing between them - kind of like they're fated to be together. But neither of them really wants to deal with it so they fight it which creates all of that delicious sexual tension!! Kerrick is such a great hero and Alison is a kick-ass heroine! I dare you to read this and NOT love it!!
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes paranormal romance that leans more towards vampires and angels and is less about demons and werewolves. I would for sure read this again!
September 12, 2013
Ascension by Caris Roane is the first book in her Guardians of Ascension paranormal romance series.
Therapist Alison Wells has always had special powers that make it difficult for her to get close to people without hurting them, especially men. What Allison doesn’t realize is that she’s really an ascender, or someone who’s destined to move from this world to Second Earth (a higher/different dimension) and become a winged vampire. But an evil general who’s trying to take over Second Earth has his sights set on Alison and her growing powers, so a winged vampire named Kerrick is assigned to protect Alison during her transformation or rite of ascension. Kerrick soon realizes that Alison is his destined mate, but after losing everyone he’s ever cared about, Kerrick is determined not to get too close to Alison …
This book is a sort of hybrid in that it’s a mix of fantasy and science fiction. There are vampires, but they use a fair amount of technology in the book, and the descriptions seemed much more techno than fantasy to me. Now, I generally don’t like science fiction very much, but I did find some of Roane’s world building interesting, especially the idea that people can ascend to higher and higher dimensions/worlds. I also liked the quotes that she used at the beginning of each chapter — I’ll admit that I’m always a sucker for that sort of thing.
In a lot of ways, this book reminded me of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, since it has many of the same elements — warrior vampires who drink more than they should, a couple fighting against a soul mate bond, evil vampires who kill humans. But the characters didn’t quite gel for me. Alison and Kerrick are likable enough, but I found some of the secondary characters much more interesting. I did enjoy the villain, and the evil general really steals the book out from under Alison and Kerrick.
Overall, this one was a little too sci-fi for me, but if you like vampires and more sci-fi world building, you might enjoy this book.
Therapist Alison Wells has always had special powers that make it difficult for her to get close to people without hurting them, especially men. What Allison doesn’t realize is that she’s really an ascender, or someone who’s destined to move from this world to Second Earth (a higher/different dimension) and become a winged vampire. But an evil general who’s trying to take over Second Earth has his sights set on Alison and her growing powers, so a winged vampire named Kerrick is assigned to protect Alison during her transformation or rite of ascension. Kerrick soon realizes that Alison is his destined mate, but after losing everyone he’s ever cared about, Kerrick is determined not to get too close to Alison …
This book is a sort of hybrid in that it’s a mix of fantasy and science fiction. There are vampires, but they use a fair amount of technology in the book, and the descriptions seemed much more techno than fantasy to me. Now, I generally don’t like science fiction very much, but I did find some of Roane’s world building interesting, especially the idea that people can ascend to higher and higher dimensions/worlds. I also liked the quotes that she used at the beginning of each chapter — I’ll admit that I’m always a sucker for that sort of thing.
In a lot of ways, this book reminded me of J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger Brotherhood series, since it has many of the same elements — warrior vampires who drink more than they should, a couple fighting against a soul mate bond, evil vampires who kill humans. But the characters didn’t quite gel for me. Alison and Kerrick are likable enough, but I found some of the secondary characters much more interesting. I did enjoy the villain, and the evil general really steals the book out from under Alison and Kerrick.
Overall, this one was a little too sci-fi for me, but if you like vampires and more sci-fi world building, you might enjoy this book.
August 19, 2011
Rating: 3.5 stars
Review: It took me almost a week to get through this book. I simply couldn't get into the story. I tried, I really did, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't seriously consider dropping this book several times.
Alison seemed extremely needy to me, and it's understandable given the life she's led, but when it comes to her relationship with Kerrick, I really didn't see anything on her part but a simple need to belong to someone, anyone. I felt it had less to do with Kerrick and more to do with how lonely she is.
The writing style, while not as dreadful as Ward's, still managed to sound horribly choppy at times. The overused mention of scents, and the word "fucking" between every other phrase, totally got to me as well. I dare anyone to count the amount of times the word "lavender" and "cardamom" came up in this book.
The last 100 pages make up for the first half of the book, though. I started genuinely liking Alison and Kerrick and the rest of the Warriors. I'm not sure who my favorite is just yet, but I really like Santiago and Jean-Pierre. I even laughed a few times at the jibes between the Warriors.
All those negative things make it sound like I hated the book, but it's not all that bad. There's a lot of positive things about the book as well, and I like the story well enough to continue with the series. I like Havily a lot more than Alison, so hopefully, I'll enjoy Burning Skies more than I enjoyed Ascension.
Review: It took me almost a week to get through this book. I simply couldn't get into the story. I tried, I really did, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't seriously consider dropping this book several times.
Alison seemed extremely needy to me, and it's understandable given the life she's led, but when it comes to her relationship with Kerrick, I really didn't see anything on her part but a simple need to belong to someone, anyone. I felt it had less to do with Kerrick and more to do with how lonely she is.
The writing style, while not as dreadful as Ward's, still managed to sound horribly choppy at times. The overused mention of scents, and the word "fucking" between every other phrase, totally got to me as well. I dare anyone to count the amount of times the word "lavender" and "cardamom" came up in this book.
The last 100 pages make up for the first half of the book, though. I started genuinely liking Alison and Kerrick and the rest of the Warriors. I'm not sure who my favorite is just yet, but I really like Santiago and Jean-Pierre. I even laughed a few times at the jibes between the Warriors.
All those negative things make it sound like I hated the book, but it's not all that bad. There's a lot of positive things about the book as well, and I like the story well enough to continue with the series. I like Havily a lot more than Alison, so hopefully, I'll enjoy Burning Skies more than I enjoyed Ascension.
May 26, 2011
This was a pretty good start to a series. The concept and the characters are rather interesting and Caris Roane did an excellent job with the world building. I like Caris' multidimensal earth and vampires ascending from mortal earth to second earth. I can't wait to find out what goes on third and fourth earth.
So why the 3 stars? In my opinion, it needed a serious editing job. It dragged on, often repeating information over and over again, just from another characters point of view. I'm not a huge fan of internal dialogue and there was just too much in this book. When the conversations and the actions did occur, I loved the book- there are some great battle scenes in here, too bad they are mixed in with a lot of "I love her/him. Should I risk my love's life by staying? yada, yada, yada..." Another huge annoyance was the over use of the phrase "whatever." I dare you to count how many times a character responded to a person by simply stating "whatever."
With that said, I'm still continuing on with this series because it has an interesting vampire world and characters.
So why the 3 stars? In my opinion, it needed a serious editing job. It dragged on, often repeating information over and over again, just from another characters point of view. I'm not a huge fan of internal dialogue and there was just too much in this book. When the conversations and the actions did occur, I loved the book- there are some great battle scenes in here, too bad they are mixed in with a lot of "I love her/him. Should I risk my love's life by staying? yada, yada, yada..." Another huge annoyance was the over use of the phrase "whatever." I dare you to count how many times a character responded to a person by simply stating "whatever."
With that said, I'm still continuing on with this series because it has an interesting vampire world and characters.
March 14, 2011
I picked this up because the cover intrigued me, Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is her first book. If so then I believe she is going to be an amazing author.
This is about the Warriors of the Blood. They are Vampire Warriors fighting against the bad vampires that kill just for the joy of it, and naturally the blood.
Kerrick is also a Guardian of Ascension. He and his brothers have to help others coming over to their world. Kerrick is assigned to be guardian for Alison Wells. most of her life she's known she's been different and has had to hide her abilities.
I'm not going any further than this. The book has a Black Dagger Brotherhood-ish feel about it. It is different and I really enjoy the way she writes..no that's wrong..the way she paints the story. The world she has created is amazing. She has the ability to draw you in. And F.Y.I. It's pretty steamy too. *grins*
Do yourself a favor and pick this up. You won't regret it.
This is about the Warriors of the Blood. They are Vampire Warriors fighting against the bad vampires that kill just for the joy of it, and naturally the blood.
Kerrick is also a Guardian of Ascension. He and his brothers have to help others coming over to their world. Kerrick is assigned to be guardian for Alison Wells. most of her life she's known she's been different and has had to hide her abilities.
I'm not going any further than this. The book has a Black Dagger Brotherhood-ish feel about it. It is different and I really enjoy the way she writes..no that's wrong..the way she paints the story. The world she has created is amazing. She has the ability to draw you in. And F.Y.I. It's pretty steamy too. *grins*
Do yourself a favor and pick this up. You won't regret it.
June 16, 2011
This book had great potential, but the writing needed just a wee bit more polish. The one thing uppermost in my mind when I read this was "I wish the editor had taken a hacksaw to the author's excessive use of 'cried' as a dialogue tag" I was thinking that every page. Funny enough, the first thing I did when I finished was read a few reviews and every single one of them mentioned that. And apparently it doesn't change in book 2. Boo.
The other thing I wish is that the men didn't go between sounding like tough gangsters in their narrative and dialogue, to emotional women (or a woman writing a man),
I think the author's worldbuilding has tremendous potential, but I'd love to see her really strengthen her craft, to go along with the worldbuilding.
Fans of JR Ward will either love this or hate this, depending on whether they're looking for another series with a group of male characters, strong warriors, who are each obvious sequel bait.
The other thing I wish is that the men didn't go between sounding like tough gangsters in their narrative and dialogue, to emotional women (or a woman writing a man),
I think the author's worldbuilding has tremendous potential, but I'd love to see her really strengthen her craft, to go along with the worldbuilding.
Fans of JR Ward will either love this or hate this, depending on whether they're looking for another series with a group of male characters, strong warriors, who are each obvious sequel bait.
March 6, 2012
I am giving it 4* 'cuz I am feeling generous after I slept(uni is killing me, literally) my afternoon sleep.
Things I liked and didn't like about the book:
+1,5* for the idea, the concept, of the book, very Fringe-like with the parallel dimensions and all
+1* for the bond between warriors
+1* the secondary characters, fascinating
-0.5* for the over-use of the word "WARRIOR", I think if I count it it's used more then 150 times, it drove me bat-shit crazy
-0.5* for the hysteric attacks of the heroine, all that tears at inappropriate times was embarrassing
+0.5* for the cover
+0.75* for the courage of the hero to make himself vulnerable again to loosing someone
-0.25* for the cuss words
TOTAL: 3.5*(and here comes my earned-while-sleeping generosity of seeing the potential in the book, because if I rated it and wrote this after I came from uni it would have been... a disaster :D)
Things I liked and didn't like about the book:
+1,5* for the idea, the concept, of the book, very Fringe-like with the parallel dimensions and all
+1* for the bond between warriors
+1* the secondary characters, fascinating
-0.5* for the over-use of the word "WARRIOR", I think if I count it it's used more then 150 times, it drove me bat-shit crazy
-0.5* for the hysteric attacks of the heroine, all that tears at inappropriate times was embarrassing
+0.5* for the cover
+0.75* for the courage of the hero to make himself vulnerable again to loosing someone
-0.25* for the cuss words
TOTAL: 3.5*(and here comes my earned-while-sleeping generosity of seeing the potential in the book, because if I rated it and wrote this after I came from uni it would have been... a disaster :D)
November 3, 2013
Wow. That was so much better than I thought it'd be!!! I kept putting off reading it and right now I have to admit that I was completely wrong.
Kerrick and Alison were an almost perfect couple. They were strong spirited, determined, physically and metaphysically powerful. Just how I like my heroes. Alison had the compassion and love to complete Kerrick's honour and honesty.
The plot of the book was predictable on most part but it had enough originality so as not to become boring or overused. And ok, let's face it the whole warrior group full of testosterone-ridden-male-perfection will never get old. The fact that Endelle (the leader) was such a major bitch, in the best way, wasn't bad either. I look forward to her story!!
I know I will love Marcus next but for now I have to put it off because Archangel's Legion is out and no one outranks Raphael!!
Kerrick and Alison were an almost perfect couple. They were strong spirited, determined, physically and metaphysically powerful. Just how I like my heroes. Alison had the compassion and love to complete Kerrick's honour and honesty.
The plot of the book was predictable on most part but it had enough originality so as not to become boring or overused. And ok, let's face it the whole warrior group full of testosterone-ridden-male-perfection will never get old. The fact that Endelle (the leader) was such a major bitch, in the best way, wasn't bad either. I look forward to her story!!
I know I will love Marcus next but for now I have to put it off because Archangel's Legion is out and no one outranks Raphael!!
March 30, 2011
Ascension suffers a common first book in a series problem - too much backstory dragging down the story. There was also way too many POVs for my comfort - the hero, the heroine, and the villain I expect but we also had the hero's boss, the boss's boss, the villain's henchman. Each one had to go further into depth about their feelings, desires, disapointments etc. There were several times I was thinking - I don't care! Get back to the story!
That doesn't mean that Ascension was a bad book just a badly focused one. When Ms. Roane focused on Kerrick and Alison it was wonderful! There is snappy dialogue between them which often had me LOLing. I found the new vampire mythos she'd created interesting and the wings were an original touch.
That doesn't mean that Ascension was a bad book just a badly focused one. When Ms. Roane focused on Kerrick and Alison it was wonderful! There is snappy dialogue between them which often had me LOLing. I found the new vampire mythos she'd created interesting and the wings were an original touch.
September 14, 2011
I really, really enjoyed Ascension!! Much more than I ever thought I would, actually. Caris Roane is building a very interesting world with this series. While it may bear some similarities to other PNR series, I do think quite a bit of it is very original. Kerrick and Alison are a great couple, and I enjoyed following their relationship over the course of this story. I especially love that, when it ends, you feel like there is a good chance you'll be visiting with these characters again!
Vampires, and winged creatures, and leather kilts....Oh, my! If you enjoy any or all of the above, I recommend Ascension by Caris Roane. 4 stars!
Vampires, and winged creatures, and leather kilts....Oh, my! If you enjoy any or all of the above, I recommend Ascension by Caris Roane. 4 stars!
Read
June 14, 2012I'm DNFing this one half way through. Although I like the world building and thr characters seem likable, this book suffers from first book-itis. This book reminds me a little bit of both of JR Ward's Black Dagger Brotherhood and Fallen Anfels series, but is creative enough to not be a carbon copy and definitely has merit to stand alone. However, my main complaint with this book was thr really slow and tedious pace. I am giving up and just don't feel the need to continue on and find out what happens next.
December 5, 2017
Rated 4.3 Stars
Read
July 30, 2017I made what frankly feels like a bear heroic effort to finish this book, struggling all day to slog through hoping it could move past being a promising book to actually being a good book. I made it close to 300 pages in before finally admitting defeat. I spent this entire book so confused that I checked multiple times to be sure I hadn't missed something and that this really was the first book in the series. a first book in a pnr is supposed to set the world up, explain it, and make you want to learn more. I have an actual headache from trying to figure this world out. it's over 150 pages in before any explanation takes place and even then we're only told there's an explanation we're not actually privy to the conversation. It would be one thing if the author just bit off more than she could chew for a completely novel world in her debut book, but I got the distinct feeling that this was done on purpose so that by not explaining things too much she could add magical powers whenever she wanted without needing an explanation. There was a sort of world dictionary in the back of the book, which would-'ve been nice to know about before hand but it wasn't terribly helpful either. It was just overall shoddy world building and I was so confused. as if that weren't bad enough the romance aspect of it made me miserable too. kerrick has got to be one of the whiniest heroes I've ever read. It's definitely super sad that he lost two wives and kids but Jesus Christ it was time to move on. all this moaning and groaning about his fucking vow was getting on my nerves and what finally made me give up. The heroine could clearly protect herself so it's not like the vow even made sense in this situation and denying his feelings in favor of the vow was endangering more than if he'd just gone ahead and poked her.
bottom line: this is a pnr where the paranormal world, which doesn't conform to any pnr standards, is dropped like a ton of bricks on an unsuspecting reader and the romance portion fails (imo) due to his royal whiny pants. when you have a pnr that fails in both paranormal and romance what's left? this was a dnf and a no recommendation book for me
bottom line: this is a pnr where the paranormal world, which doesn't conform to any pnr standards, is dropped like a ton of bricks on an unsuspecting reader and the romance portion fails (imo) due to his royal whiny pants. when you have a pnr that fails in both paranormal and romance what's left? this was a dnf and a no recommendation book for me
June 20, 2011
3.5 stars: I was pleasantly surprised by this book from a new PNR author. I understand from her bio she wrote books under another name in a different genre. I haven't read anything else by her, but you can tell she's an experienced writer when reading her plot. She did a good job with the world building, letting the world build through actions and character discussions (rather than explaining every little thing and dragging the book down.) I liked the characters and overall storyline. I also liked the concept of the breh-hedden (ie, mate bond) as well as the scenting, mind merge and blood sharing aspects. The book was very simliar in style to Midnight Breeds and BDB. Good mix of action, suspense, drama and romance. I also liked the length of the book 461 pages. I'm a fast reader, so appreciate longer books!
One nit for me is that I had a hard time buying vampires with wings. I've read A LOT of vampire books, and wings just do not fit the established vampire mythos. (As a side note, sparkly vampires without fangs also bug me. LOL) I'm also not a fan of long hair and the gladiator-style costumes with kilts and sandals. I imagine winged warriors fighting in the air with kilts on, and people below them looking up their skirts!!! LOL Considering many of the death vampires are carrying guns, wouldn't some sort of armor and protective pants/boots make more sense? Granted, it'd have to be designed around the wings. And the heroine cried too much. But those are minor things really. What bugged me more were some big questions left unaddressed that I hope the author more clearly explains in the next book, for example:
1. I found it unrealistic that the Warriors of the Blood would be able to successfully continue their war with only seven brothers considering the size of the army they are facing. I realize they are supplemented by the Militia Warriors, but with 4 MW warriors needed PER dark vampire those are not good odds. Why aren't there more Warriors of the Blood? Where do they come from? I got the impression they are different somehow than the ascendants they guard. I even read the Ascension Terminology at the back of the book, and it also wasn't clearly explained there.
2. What makes a human a candidate for ascension? I know they start to have the dreams and also have special powers, but why? It wasn't explained how the human race relates to the vampire races. Did all of the vampires in the other dimensions originally come from mortal earth? I don't think so, but yet the relationships between the races were not well explained.
Overall this was a good first book in a new series and I look forward to reading the next books:
One nit for me is that I had a hard time buying vampires with wings. I've read A LOT of vampire books, and wings just do not fit the established vampire mythos. (As a side note, sparkly vampires without fangs also bug me. LOL) I'm also not a fan of long hair and the gladiator-style costumes with kilts and sandals. I imagine winged warriors fighting in the air with kilts on, and people below them looking up their skirts!!! LOL Considering many of the death vampires are carrying guns, wouldn't some sort of armor and protective pants/boots make more sense? Granted, it'd have to be designed around the wings. And the heroine cried too much. But those are minor things really. What bugged me more were some big questions left unaddressed that I hope the author more clearly explains in the next book, for example:
1. I found it unrealistic that the Warriors of the Blood would be able to successfully continue their war with only seven brothers considering the size of the army they are facing. I realize they are supplemented by the Militia Warriors, but with 4 MW warriors needed PER dark vampire those are not good odds. Why aren't there more Warriors of the Blood? Where do they come from? I got the impression they are different somehow than the ascendants they guard. I even read the Ascension Terminology at the back of the book, and it also wasn't clearly explained there.
2. What makes a human a candidate for ascension? I know they start to have the dreams and also have special powers, but why? It wasn't explained how the human race relates to the vampire races. Did all of the vampires in the other dimensions originally come from mortal earth? I don't think so, but yet the relationships between the races were not well explained.
Overall this was a good first book in a new series and I look forward to reading the next books:
January 3, 2012
Kerrick is a vampire Warrior of Blood and is assigned to protect a powerful mortal, Alison Wells, as she goes through the rite of ascension, or transformation into a vampire. She is one of the most powerful mortals to be encountered in centuries and an evil faction led by The Commander, Darian Greaves, is out to see she doesn’t complete her ascension. To complicate matters even more, Kerrick is fiercely attracted to her and she him because it turns out they are “breh hedden,” or destined to be mated. But, Kerrick vowed to never mate again after his wife and child were murdered.
I had some difficulty getting started and staying with this story, primarily because of the emphasis on the breh hedden. While I understood the theory behind the phenomena, it got tiresome after awhile when every other page seemed to focus on Kerrick and Alison resisting their attraction or being in constant heat. I like steamy but this couple went from zero to instant “gotta have you” from the onset.
About halfway through the book, it became pretty exciting because of the clashes between the Guardians and Darian’s villains. There is a scene referred to as the “spectacle” that I found extraordinary and shows promise of things to come further in the series. The created world still has some rough edges but was interesting and complicated. There are some continuing character issues, mainly with the leader of the Guardians of the region, Endell, who wouldn’t know a leadership quality if it bit her. She’s crass and not very inspiring. Also, there’s a governing committee to mediate between the two factions (COPASS) whose decisions defy believability.
I plan to continue the series and hope that some of these issues are resolved.
I had some difficulty getting started and staying with this story, primarily because of the emphasis on the breh hedden. While I understood the theory behind the phenomena, it got tiresome after awhile when every other page seemed to focus on Kerrick and Alison resisting their attraction or being in constant heat. I like steamy but this couple went from zero to instant “gotta have you” from the onset.
About halfway through the book, it became pretty exciting because of the clashes between the Guardians and Darian’s villains. There is a scene referred to as the “spectacle” that I found extraordinary and shows promise of things to come further in the series. The created world still has some rough edges but was interesting and complicated. There are some continuing character issues, mainly with the leader of the Guardians of the region, Endell, who wouldn’t know a leadership quality if it bit her. She’s crass and not very inspiring. Also, there’s a governing committee to mediate between the two factions (COPASS) whose decisions defy believability.
I plan to continue the series and hope that some of these issues are resolved.
May 6, 2011
Holy crap, what An amazing start to a series! It's been a while since I've found a new author to love, so I can't seem to stop smiling...
Over all the story is well written, fast paced, and pretty well developed. I only had 2 negatives: One is the lady in charge of the good guys is another abrasive femme fatale ..in other words a bitch...no, really, all the characters in the book call her a bitch.... She calls herself a bitch... And honestly? It's just really tiring...maybe if she'd had a smaller role I wouldn't have minded, but she's in a good chunk of the book....and her attitude just got on my nerves!
The second thing that bugged me was the amount of importance lent to the hero's now deceased second wife... I don't mind that she exists, just that so much of the relationship b/w the H and h seemed to revolve around her! And okay spoiler here
But the fact that the heroine wants to name their daughter after said wife? a little to sweet for me to stomach.
But the book is a good length, a ton of stuff happens,is is pretty hot though not too graphic, at least not IMO) so despite the two (overall, minor) annoyances this was a killer first book in the World of Ascension series! ( welcome to my auto buy list, Ms Roane!)
Over all the story is well written, fast paced, and pretty well developed. I only had 2 negatives: One is the lady in charge of the good guys is another abrasive femme fatale ..in other words a bitch...no, really, all the characters in the book call her a bitch.... She calls herself a bitch... And honestly? It's just really tiring...maybe if she'd had a smaller role I wouldn't have minded, but she's in a good chunk of the book....and her attitude just got on my nerves!
The second thing that bugged me was the amount of importance lent to the hero's now deceased second wife... I don't mind that she exists, just that so much of the relationship b/w the H and h seemed to revolve around her! And okay spoiler here
But the fact that the heroine wants to name their daughter after said wife? a little to sweet for me to stomach.
But the book is a good length, a ton of stuff happens,is is pretty hot though not too graphic, at least not IMO) so despite the two (overall, minor) annoyances this was a killer first book in the World of Ascension series! ( welcome to my auto buy list, Ms Roane!)
January 19, 2011
Be ready for a fun filled action packed read. This first book in the series has soooo much going on. Ms Roane has done an excellent job of creating this amazing world. I love the world building, the characters and the jist of the story line. I'm so glad I ran across this book and I can't wait for then next book in the series. According to her blog we get two more this year!!!
Back to my review...like I said I love the characters, they both know what they want and need but in the beginning fight their desire because they are afraid of loss and of hurting the other, but love prevails and they fight and find their way through all the chaos.
You'll need to be in the right mind set as there is so much being introduced that it could get confusing; your going to meet so many people, vamps with wings, the great guys and the evil guys, and women who will make you proud.
I seriously recommend this book to one and all. I think it's going to be a great success.
Back to my review...like I said I love the characters, they both know what they want and need but in the beginning fight their desire because they are afraid of loss and of hurting the other, but love prevails and they fight and find their way through all the chaos.
You'll need to be in the right mind set as there is so much being introduced that it could get confusing; your going to meet so many people, vamps with wings, the great guys and the evil guys, and women who will make you proud.
I seriously recommend this book to one and all. I think it's going to be a great success.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 386 reviews