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Ascension
Something lives in a rotting house in the town of Santa Clara.
Emilia has not thought of this house for years, until a chance meeting with Alma, an old friend from her hometown.
When Alma suddenly dies, Emilia finds her way back to Santa Clara, to her circle of friends who rekindle memories of a bizarre ritual left unfinished.
Of a dark visitor who sits by their bed at night, of a being who won’t let them sleep.
Must they once again awaken whoever dwells in that lonely house?
Emilia has not thought of this house for years, until a chance meeting with Alma, an old friend from her hometown.
When Alma suddenly dies, Emilia finds her way back to Santa Clara, to her circle of friends who rekindle memories of a bizarre ritual left unfinished.
Of a dark visitor who sits by their bed at night, of a being who won’t let them sleep.
Must they once again awaken whoever dwells in that lonely house?
228 pages, Paperback
Published July 30, 2024
3 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Eliza Victoria
40 books340 followersEliza Victoria is the author of several books including the Philippine National Book Award-winning Dwellers, the novel Wounded Little Gods, the graphic novel After Lambana (a collaboration with Mervin Malonzo), and the science fiction novel-in-stories, Nightfall. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in several publications, most recently in LONTAR: The Journal of Southeast Asian Speculative Fiction, The Best Asian Speculative Fiction, The Dark Magazine, The Apex Book of World SF Volume 5, Fireside Fiction, and Future SF. She has won prizes in the Philippines’ top literary awards, including the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. Her one-act plays (written in Filipino) have been staged at the Virgin LabFest at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
October 30, 2024
Easily one of the most atmospheric horror novels I've ever read. Eliza Victoria really has a talent for making your skin crawl, and I mean that as a compliment! This is Filipino gothic folk horror at its finest, with flowing prose that emphasizes the themes of isolation and helplessness in a tiny, far-flung provincial town. Truly the perfect read for Undas / spooky season!
November 6, 2024
I love Eliza's books. She has a way to catch and keep your attention at the very first page. I love how vivid the story was written, and it brought me back to my own childhood visiting cousins and relatives in the province.
What decked out 1 star in this review was the ending. I felt like I was ghosted (sorry for the pun) after a great reading experience. This feeling felt jarring after that edge-of-your seat events prior to the ending. I had to check if I missed any pages. Sobrang bitin.
There were also moments in the story where I was thinking....do people talk like that? It seemed like I was reading an academic paper and it took me out ofthe fantasy.
This is still a great read. I rarely get spooked, but this was creepy and scary good.
What decked out 1 star in this review was the ending. I felt like I was ghosted (sorry for the pun) after a great reading experience. This feeling felt jarring after that edge-of-your seat events prior to the ending. I had to check if I missed any pages. Sobrang bitin.
There were also moments in the story where I was thinking....do people talk like that? It seemed like I was reading an academic paper and it took me out ofthe fantasy.
This is still a great read. I rarely get spooked, but this was creepy and scary good.
March 1, 2025
This marks the 2nd read from my Filipino-TBR and this book is *masterfully* written:
“All over the town of Santa Clara were fields where nature was allowed to go wild. In one of those fields was a house, choked by thorny vines and surrounded by trees so old that they were starting to rot even with their roots buried deep in the earth. The smell of rot was pleasant, even sweet, on the days when the rain fell, the pungent smell of bark mixing with trampled undergrowth. But on bright, humid days, the odour became unbearably sharp, the trees’ rotten trunks loooking sinister, dangerous. Before they woke up whatever it was that dwelled alone in that lonely house, before they all got pulled into its orbit, Emilia had asked Pauline who would choose to live there.”
“I dreamt that something visited me last night (..) and told me a story”
———————————————————
The story:
Santa Clara is a town that has its own share of secrets: Including someone (something) residing in a derelict and secluded house, a dead teacher & a father whose eyes were maimed by an unknown assailant.
Bad things happened to Emilia and her friends 12 years ago and she’s been trying her damnest to stay away from the place ever since. That is, until her friend Alma passes away and she goes to the wake. As it turns out, it’s far easier traveling to Santa Clara than leaving and it soon becomes apparent that although she wants to put her past behind her, it’s not done with her; not even close.
——————————
I kept putting the book down through my read simply because I didn’t really want this to end and wanted the story to last me longer.
On face value it reads like a really creepy tale of a haunting but it also merges some hefty concepts like profane/sacred time, learned helplessness, shared delusional disorder & moral luck into a deeply moreish read. Furthermore it can also easily be read in the direction of a cosmic haunting & coming-of-age tale.
It encapsulates far more than it’s ~200 pages would lead you to believe and is ripe for discussion and interpretations if any of you are looking for a book to read with friends/book club. Those simply looking for a phenomenally well written spooky story and those craving a more cerebral horror story will both be able to find what the seek in this. Where it really shines for me is in its handling of the (tense) interpersonal relationships between the characters and its depiction of life and social issues in the Philippines. I found that it brought back memories of my visits to my family I thought I’d long forgotten and I’m so glad this book crossed my path. An obvious 5-star read for me. I should probably also add that this was enough for me to add 3 more of this author’s books to my TBR. Phenomenal stuff.
“All over the town of Santa Clara were fields where nature was allowed to go wild. In one of those fields was a house, choked by thorny vines and surrounded by trees so old that they were starting to rot even with their roots buried deep in the earth. The smell of rot was pleasant, even sweet, on the days when the rain fell, the pungent smell of bark mixing with trampled undergrowth. But on bright, humid days, the odour became unbearably sharp, the trees’ rotten trunks loooking sinister, dangerous. Before they woke up whatever it was that dwelled alone in that lonely house, before they all got pulled into its orbit, Emilia had asked Pauline who would choose to live there.”
“I dreamt that something visited me last night (..) and told me a story”
———————————————————
The story:
Santa Clara is a town that has its own share of secrets: Including someone (something) residing in a derelict and secluded house, a dead teacher & a father whose eyes were maimed by an unknown assailant.
Bad things happened to Emilia and her friends 12 years ago and she’s been trying her damnest to stay away from the place ever since. That is, until her friend Alma passes away and she goes to the wake. As it turns out, it’s far easier traveling to Santa Clara than leaving and it soon becomes apparent that although she wants to put her past behind her, it’s not done with her; not even close.
——————————
I kept putting the book down through my read simply because I didn’t really want this to end and wanted the story to last me longer.
On face value it reads like a really creepy tale of a haunting but it also merges some hefty concepts like profane/sacred time, learned helplessness, shared delusional disorder & moral luck into a deeply moreish read. Furthermore it can also easily be read in the direction of a cosmic haunting & coming-of-age tale.
It encapsulates far more than it’s ~200 pages would lead you to believe and is ripe for discussion and interpretations if any of you are looking for a book to read with friends/book club. Those simply looking for a phenomenally well written spooky story and those craving a more cerebral horror story will both be able to find what the seek in this. Where it really shines for me is in its handling of the (tense) interpersonal relationships between the characters and its depiction of life and social issues in the Philippines. I found that it brought back memories of my visits to my family I thought I’d long forgotten and I’m so glad this book crossed my path. An obvious 5-star read for me. I should probably also add that this was enough for me to add 3 more of this author’s books to my TBR. Phenomenal stuff.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 21, 2024
PLEASE adapt this into a shake rattle & roll episode!!! the entire story had this vague, detached feel to it, which meant the characters were a bit under-developed and under-utilised, but this DEFINITELY benefitted in creating and sustaining a creepy atmosphere - which, at the end of the day, I came for. long live filipino horror in all its forms
July 1, 2025
It is absolutely criminal that this has so few ratings.
I can't tell you a thing about this book but man... it's so good
I can't tell you a thing about this book but man... it's so good
September 15, 2024
I seldom read horror. Probably, once a year (or not at all) if a horror book interests me. Or a favorite author writes one. In this case, the latter. So, I read Ascension. And, surprisingly, I like it.
To be honest, I haven't gotten scared while reading the book. I just don't feel the horror vibes or the atmosphere. But, it made a deep impact to me! Because there are several times (when I'm not reading the book) that I thought about the inexplicable evil in this book, scaring myself in the process. Delay lang pala ang pananakot. Hayop na yan! Bigla na lang papasok sa isip ko at maiimagine ko na nasa tabi ko lang ang kung anuman ang nasa nabubulok na bahay sa Santa Clara.
Ascension revolves around this rotting house, who or what's inside that house, and these six childhood friends. I like how these characters has been characterized (characterized?) by the author. Each of them are distinct and flawed. You will learn their emotional baggages, anxieties, dilemma, hopelessness, and intention leading to the climax of this book. You will probably empathize or be angry with them with their decisions and actions. I mean that's what I have experienced. These characters are the core of this book! And I like how they affect me in one way or another. I have learned a thing or two rin on this book especially on psychology so it's a plus.
To end, it may not be my favorite from Eliza Victoria but I can say na this book still haunts me until this day.
To be honest, I haven't gotten scared while reading the book. I just don't feel the horror vibes or the atmosphere. But, it made a deep impact to me! Because there are several times (when I'm not reading the book) that I thought about the inexplicable evil in this book, scaring myself in the process. Delay lang pala ang pananakot. Hayop na yan! Bigla na lang papasok sa isip ko at maiimagine ko na nasa tabi ko lang ang kung anuman ang nasa nabubulok na bahay sa Santa Clara.
Ascension revolves around this rotting house, who or what's inside that house, and these six childhood friends. I like how these characters has been characterized (characterized?) by the author. Each of them are distinct and flawed. You will learn their emotional baggages, anxieties, dilemma, hopelessness, and intention leading to the climax of this book. You will probably empathize or be angry with them with their decisions and actions. I mean that's what I have experienced. These characters are the core of this book! And I like how they affect me in one way or another. I have learned a thing or two rin on this book especially on psychology so it's a plus.
To end, it may not be my favorite from Eliza Victoria but I can say na this book still haunts me until this day.
March 29, 2025
This book is divided into three parts and has a dual timeline going on and they are well separated for you to understand.
The first part can be a bit confusing and slow in the as the buildup is just happening but once you are 20% through the book, you'll find yourself flying through the pages! It's like every page you are questioning something or the other and the answers are peeled off one by one sooner or later, all the whys, what's and whos.
The second part gives you insight on all the happenings of the last, horrifying incidents that took place 12 years ago. I breezed through the second part, making my skin crawl in a terrifying and gross way!
Then comes the third part or the final part. This is actually where things get repeated from 10 or 12 years back, lots of insights on the past happenings and questioning life choices takes place. With like 20 pages remaining, starts the most gut wrenching part and it took me more time that I thought to read those 20 pages, since I had to take breaks and stop as I didn't want it to end like how it was going to, I tried to refrain from going where the book was taking me to!
You will think that you are guessing things right, but it'll prove you wrong most of the times. Every line I read of the last 20 pages, sometimes I had to re-read a few lines as after the first time I was like "Okay, what did just happen!?" or "No, this can't be happening!" and by the time I read the last line, I kept staring at it and re-read it a multiple times questioning "Why did it have to end like this?". It's a book that'll wrench your guts and make your skin crawl in the most creepy way possible. Even after the book ended, it has left me with so many things that I still want to know about the high-school friends than the author has let us know.
It was definitely a five star read, but I so want to deck off one star for the ending, with how incomplete and ghosted it made me feel.
The first part can be a bit confusing and slow in the as the buildup is just happening but once you are 20% through the book, you'll find yourself flying through the pages! It's like every page you are questioning something or the other and the answers are peeled off one by one sooner or later, all the whys, what's and whos.
The second part gives you insight on all the happenings of the last, horrifying incidents that took place 12 years ago. I breezed through the second part, making my skin crawl in a terrifying and gross way!
Then comes the third part or the final part. This is actually where things get repeated from 10 or 12 years back, lots of insights on the past happenings and questioning life choices takes place. With like 20 pages remaining, starts the most gut wrenching part and it took me more time that I thought to read those 20 pages, since I had to take breaks and stop as I didn't want it to end like how it was going to, I tried to refrain from going where the book was taking me to!
You will think that you are guessing things right, but it'll prove you wrong most of the times. Every line I read of the last 20 pages, sometimes I had to re-read a few lines as after the first time I was like "Okay, what did just happen!?" or "No, this can't be happening!" and by the time I read the last line, I kept staring at it and re-read it a multiple times questioning "Why did it have to end like this?". It's a book that'll wrench your guts and make your skin crawl in the most creepy way possible. Even after the book ended, it has left me with so many things that I still want to know about the high-school friends than the author has let us know.
It was definitely a five star read, but I so want to deck off one star for the ending, with how incomplete and ghosted it made me feel.
December 13, 2024
I guess I hyped this way too much in my mind that it kind of fallen outside my expectations (ha! I can’t even say ‘below’, because saying so is a betrayal to my long-held belief that Eliza Victoria will never fail me). Let’s just say this isn’t what I would recommend as a first venture into this genre and into Eliza Victoria.
It’s just that I can’t get on-boarded with high school friends never leaving town and deciding to take care of another friend who’s a little not well in the brain. I also don’t get what happened to the goat? Why it wasn’t enough but it went missing? I need those explained to me. Also, after all this time were Lucas and Joaquin waiting for Emilia all along? How were they able to come up immediately of such a plan? Like okay, let’s wait for her and do this if she comes back… even if it takes 15 years or more!
There are just too many loose ends than I can tolerate. I wish some of the narratives were expounded. Maybe I’m just a little overstimulated these days hence I missed the points being made? Not sure.
I know the book isn’t to be judged by its cover but I just have to get this out as it’s getting me riled up: I don’t like the title’s font style in it. I’m judging the literal book cover here. Why is this giving werewolf/aswang vibes when there weren’t any in the story? (I don’t think this is a spoiler but oh well)
It’s just that I can’t get on-boarded with high school friends never leaving town and deciding to take care of another friend who’s a little not well in the brain. I also don’t get what happened to the goat? Why it wasn’t enough but it went missing? I need those explained to me. Also, after all this time were Lucas and Joaquin waiting for Emilia all along? How were they able to come up immediately of such a plan? Like okay, let’s wait for her and do this if she comes back… even if it takes 15 years or more!
There are just too many loose ends than I can tolerate. I wish some of the narratives were expounded. Maybe I’m just a little overstimulated these days hence I missed the points being made? Not sure.
I know the book isn’t to be judged by its cover but I just have to get this out as it’s getting me riled up: I don’t like the title’s font style in it. I’m judging the literal book cover here. Why is this giving werewolf/aswang vibes when there weren’t any in the story? (I don’t think this is a spoiler but oh well)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 3, 2025
I definitely enjoyed reading this, and it was done in one sitting while I was recovering from an unknown ailment. It kept my interest high throughout, which has to be complimented.
An eerie premise, if not wholly original, there are some well described and chilling scenes, but I felt like there was a lack of atmosphere, no encroaching dread, just a scene that was spooky or a glimpse of something caught.
There could have been a lot more in this book, and instead we look into the lives of all the characters and explore their various struggles. Fine, I guess, it works for Stephen King in IT, it can work again.
The main issue was that the creepy stuff, the randomly appearing house/tool shed and veiled figure are never adequately given time to shine. They are treated as props rather than the powerful forces that they are. Why are sacrifices needed? Why a shelter and a door? Why are the friends the chosen ones and not a whole host of others who have also seen this figure and this shed?
With some more attention lavished onto the horror elements we could have been looking at a really cool idea here: I love the house appearing as if from nowhere, and this figure just waiting and appearing in dreams. There is so much potential here, and considering how short the book is, Victoria could have spent several extra pages on setting up the atmosphere and drawing you in.
An eerie premise, if not wholly original, there are some well described and chilling scenes, but I felt like there was a lack of atmosphere, no encroaching dread, just a scene that was spooky or a glimpse of something caught.
There could have been a lot more in this book, and instead we look into the lives of all the characters and explore their various struggles. Fine, I guess, it works for Stephen King in IT, it can work again.
The main issue was that the creepy stuff, the randomly appearing house/tool shed and veiled figure are never adequately given time to shine. They are treated as props rather than the powerful forces that they are. Why are sacrifices needed? Why a shelter and a door? Why are the friends the chosen ones and not a whole host of others who have also seen this figure and this shed?
With some more attention lavished onto the horror elements we could have been looking at a really cool idea here: I love the house appearing as if from nowhere, and this figure just waiting and appearing in dreams. There is so much potential here, and considering how short the book is, Victoria could have spent several extra pages on setting up the atmosphere and drawing you in.
January 4, 2025
Read 👏🏼 this 👏🏼 book 👏🏼
I admit I am not the best judge of horror stories because I try to steer clear of them. But as far as scary stories go, at least the stories written by the talented writer Eliza Victoria, Ascension reigns at the top.
Ascension is frightening because it is real enough.
Much of the story is rooted in reality, in the everyday horrors that make monsters out of people.
This is not to say that there was no terrifying being in the story. The object of horror lies in a strange entity: incomprehensible but believable. It is not so hard to see it as real, through the lens of our culture, especially if you grew up hearing stories about children who were taken by "the others" or "dili ingon nato."
Who is to say, with utmost certainty, that these
"things" do not exist, the primordial beings hiding behind the veil that separates the real and unknown, who have dwelled in our islands long before we have come to know the name, Santo Niño? Who is to say the blood we spill so often, under the guise of crime, is not a blind sacrifice to those who came before us?
As tar as I believe, there are forces in this plane that we have forgotten and cannot see. But they are here. They are real.
I admit I am not the best judge of horror stories because I try to steer clear of them. But as far as scary stories go, at least the stories written by the talented writer Eliza Victoria, Ascension reigns at the top.
Ascension is frightening because it is real enough.
Much of the story is rooted in reality, in the everyday horrors that make monsters out of people.
This is not to say that there was no terrifying being in the story. The object of horror lies in a strange entity: incomprehensible but believable. It is not so hard to see it as real, through the lens of our culture, especially if you grew up hearing stories about children who were taken by "the others" or "dili ingon nato."
Who is to say, with utmost certainty, that these
"things" do not exist, the primordial beings hiding behind the veil that separates the real and unknown, who have dwelled in our islands long before we have come to know the name, Santo Niño? Who is to say the blood we spill so often, under the guise of crime, is not a blind sacrifice to those who came before us?
As tar as I believe, there are forces in this plane that we have forgotten and cannot see. But they are here. They are real.
January 11, 2025
4.75
i rarely read horror books as a duwag, but the writing got me so hooked that i just had to power through!! the flow and format worked for me and i enjoyed going back to certain passages to understand them differently after more and more would get revealed. great descriptions as well — effective in setting the eerie and tense vibes necessary for particular scenes. i also really liked the character dialogues, the arguments therewith that had me questioning myself and my morals just as the characters did, and seeing how they interacted with one another. sa sobrang interesado ko, i wouldn't have minded reading more about them and their dynamics outside of the main plot, but i do understand that what's existing in the book makes sense naman na for the book's purpose.
i might have to be brave more often and pick up more books by eliza because i've been missing out pala!! (thanks, danica, for gifting this to me <3)
i rarely read horror books as a duwag, but the writing got me so hooked that i just had to power through!! the flow and format worked for me and i enjoyed going back to certain passages to understand them differently after more and more would get revealed. great descriptions as well — effective in setting the eerie and tense vibes necessary for particular scenes. i also really liked the character dialogues, the arguments therewith that had me questioning myself and my morals just as the characters did, and seeing how they interacted with one another. sa sobrang interesado ko, i wouldn't have minded reading more about them and their dynamics outside of the main plot, but i do understand that what's existing in the book makes sense naman na for the book's purpose.
i might have to be brave more often and pick up more books by eliza because i've been missing out pala!! (thanks, danica, for gifting this to me <3)
December 28, 2024
Another brilliant, haunting story from Eliza Victoria.
The switching timelines at the start, though dragging at first, perfectly sets up the meat of the story. The group of friends felt very familiar, and you can feel how intertwined their lives are. Lia, Lucas, Sophie, and Joaquin specifically. I could perfectly imagine all the scenes when the entity appears, as if in a movie, and it's amazing to see how it was written on the page (if that makes sense, working backwards that is).
So happy to have found this before the end of the year.
The switching timelines at the start, though dragging at first, perfectly sets up the meat of the story. The group of friends felt very familiar, and you can feel how intertwined their lives are. Lia, Lucas, Sophie, and Joaquin specifically. I could perfectly imagine all the scenes when the entity appears, as if in a movie, and it's amazing to see how it was written on the page (if that makes sense, working backwards that is).
So happy to have found this before the end of the year.
September 19, 2024
another banger from miss eliza 🙂↔️ only she can make me read horror as a coward 🤣 i think it's because she blends the genre well with filipino folklore, good storytelling and character development. i was crying by the end of the book, kind of how i felt after watching Haunting of Hill House & Bly Manor—both scared the shit out of me but also made me cry out of heartbreak. so so good! this is now beside Wounded Little Gods at the top of my list of favorite books by Eliza Victoria 🫶🏻
October 2, 2024
“A god lives in this house.”
ASCENSION is a novel with such a strong sense of time, people, and place, it feels almost real. A word of caution: Drinking your pumpkin spice latte while reading Eliza Victoria’s latest novel might not be the best idea. You might end up spilling it out of sheer fright, as the author brings us to a very scary place that Filipino readers will recognize all too readily: the neighborhood haunted house...
Read the rest here: https://exlibrisphilippines.com/2024/...
ASCENSION is a novel with such a strong sense of time, people, and place, it feels almost real. A word of caution: Drinking your pumpkin spice latte while reading Eliza Victoria’s latest novel might not be the best idea. You might end up spilling it out of sheer fright, as the author brings us to a very scary place that Filipino readers will recognize all too readily: the neighborhood haunted house...
Read the rest here: https://exlibrisphilippines.com/2024/...
October 24, 2025
Eliza’s voice and storytelling is unique and remarkable! This story made me feel a lot of emotions at the same time. The Bleak and Dreary imagery made me feel sad, melancholic, angry, helpless as she describes themes of generational trauma, toxic masculinity, female rage, and the depth of the friendship of the characters. This creepy and atmospheric novel is comparable to the imagery of Seklusyon.
April 18, 2025
Now that I’ve finished this, I can say that it was satisfactory. The premise was scary- until now I think of that “god” in the house, what would I do if I come to face it. Would I act like Emilia or Pauline? I wish they focused more on that entity, like was it really evil? I think it’ll be scarier.
This is my fourth book from Eliza Victoria and I’ve greatly enjoyed all her books so far.
This is my fourth book from Eliza Victoria and I’ve greatly enjoyed all her books so far.
April 21, 2025
✅ creepy as fuck
✅ thought provoking, life and philosophical questions
✅ flashbacks are seamless, not confusing to readers (says a lot because i hate flashback formats)
✅ relatable and true to Filipino reality (family focused conflicts) giving it its more emotional slant
❌ pinoy horror template
❌ divided into three parts with no chapters
❌ ending (i just didn't vibe with it it's meh)
✅ thought provoking, life and philosophical questions
✅ flashbacks are seamless, not confusing to readers (says a lot because i hate flashback formats)
✅ relatable and true to Filipino reality (family focused conflicts) giving it its more emotional slant
❌ pinoy horror template
❌ divided into three parts with no chapters
❌ ending (i just didn't vibe with it it's meh)
September 22, 2024
I love horror and while this ticks that box it’s a very slow build up kind of spook. I wish it wasn’t so run on reading but I never felt lost when they were talking in the past vs present and the ending only felt fitting.
October 7, 2024
Actual Rating: 4.5 stars
November 12, 2024
super spooky!
February 4, 2025
This is absolutely good and enjoyable to read. There are times that you will be scared and you have to stop on a chapter before it gets dark.
May 8, 2025
uhm, that was traumatizing 😀.
December 21, 2025
I'll dream about this... as though they visit me too.
December 15, 2025
I come back to this book over and over again because I just could not get enough of it. Super atmospheric setting? Check. Intimate look into the characters' motivations? Check. Horror that seeps deep into your bones the way that visual horror can seldom do? Check. The book stays with me long after I've read it, and this happens every time. I can only wish there was more closure once all is said and done, but hey, that's what our precious imaginations are for. Always looking out for Ms. Victoria's works no matter how busy I get!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews