This book was right up my alley, Urban Fantasy with the MC coming into her power, interesting friendships and tension filled romantic interests. The plot is fantastic, with just the right amount of suspense and world building.

Now for my critiques. The writing did not feel polished. I love books where I can forget that I’m reading and just get lost in the story. This one wasn’t quite there. I was able to keep going because the plot was engaging and kept moving along, but I hope the author is able to learn and grow as a writer so subsequent books are closer to the five stars I know they can be!

My final critique needs to be wrapped in spoiler tags.

Spoiler
It was obvious to me from the start that Sebastian is endgame. This made Amaya’s relationship with Rien less exciting. As a big fan of ACOTAR, I’ve noticed this trend of pushing one guy to the front only to increase the tension with the actual “one” (looking at you, Fourth Wing), and I think the problem is authors are trying to make it all happen in the first book and they don’t sideline the real guy enough that it’s a shock when they get together. While Sebastian and Amaya don’t get together in Ascend from the Shadows, everyone knows it’s coming, and that takes away from the excitement of it for me.

Ascend From The Shadows (Dark Perceptions Book 1) a new adult, sci-fi - fantasy romance.

Amaya an anxious young lady arrives in Pointedelle The Capital City from her small hometown to get her economics and government certificate. On her first night there she is attacked by a draxis which appeared from the cold dark mist filled street, she was saved by a high priestess (Fae Lineage) who then realises there is more to Amaya than shes aware.
Arriving at the Hastings Building the next day she is partnered with Rein the son of the mayor of Pointedelle there her project begins .....

I loved this book so much I flew through the pages I was very disappointed when it ended on a cliff hanger I want to know what happens next lol ....

This book has;

fae/human power
enemies to lovers
love triangle
fated mates
steamy scenes

I have nothing else to say but #Sebastian #teamsebastian #ascendfromtheshadows

Thank you to the author Alexandra Larson and Netgalley for the ARC in return for my honest review.

What a book! I loved it!
I cannot wait for book 2. I was rooting for Sebastian throughout. I loved Amayas growth and found family. I've already signed up for the newsletter and started following Alexandra on Instagram.
I have added a review on good reads but unsure how I share the review. I will copy and paste below;

5 Stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Firstly, thank you, netgalley, for giving me this opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely devoured this book. It flows extremely well, leaving little crumbs of intruige and mystery from the first chapter, keeping you on your toes to find out what is going on. I constantly had theories, and while some of them came to light, some have yet to appear, and I am very much looking forward to the rest of the series.

A unique modern take on the fae which I adored. The story is told in 1st person POV. Amaya is a 25 year old female who is anxiously trying to repair her professional past by proving her worth.
Amayas character growth in just one book is just chefs kiss you really start rooting for her.
I absolutely loved the found family feel in this book.

"Amongst the booming bass and the singing girls and smell of alcohol, my heart felt full, like I'd found my place."

Spice 🌶🌶 2.5 Chilli's


Tropes, and things to note
•Found family.
•Secret powers.
•Fae.
•Interesting magical system.
•Political intruige.
•Shadow daddy 👀
•Angst.
•Great anxiety rep.
•Betrayal.
•Vulnerable but strong FMC.

"I am the only one who decides my worth. I am the only one who decides if I've done a good job. I am the only fucking one who can decide if I'm good enough".

I enjoyed this book so much. It does move a little slow in the beginning but once things start to happen it pulls you right in, This a great enemies to lovers, opposites attract story with the right balance of story and spice. It has interesting characters and a very interesting society that they live in. I cannot wait for the next book to come out. That cliffhanger had me wanting more.

This was a decent read. I think though that some of the world building was missing. I think if there had been more, it would have contributed more to the story. I was caught between is this futuristic dystopian type of world or a current world as we know it but with magic/fae.
The tension between Amaya and Bash, especially with the cliffhanger was fun and enjoyable to read. Rien was also an interesting character and their relationship was full of hidden truths and some miscommunication, but enjoyable.
As far as the plot, the pacing was good, almost a slow/medium, while the romance was more slow burn. With the jump in the timeframe, it did feel a bit choppy and we lost some good potential storytelling; one chapter is the present and then the next is the end of summer, it just seemed a bit too jumpy.
Overall the book was enjoyable and I will likely lookout for the sequel.

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion. Ok, so here it is. This book was awesome!! I need the second book, like immediately. It had everything I love about Fae/Fantasy books:

*Interesting characters
*Fae/human power struggles within the governing bodies
*Steamy scenes
*Hidden/discovered heritage
*Fae/human love triangle

When this book becomes available, run, don't walk to get a copy for yourself.

*Synopsis- Amaya is traveling to the city to join a certification program to attempt to undo things she feels are wrong in her past. Upon arriving, she meets Rien at the bar inside the train station, where immediate attraction between them occurs. When Amaya leaves to begin her walk to the hotel she will be at for the three month duration of her certification project, she is attacked in a dark alley. A mysterious stranger across the street and a new found friend come to her aide, only to discover there is more to Amaya than meets the eye. Later Amaya and Rien discover that they have been paired together for their certification simulation project for the city. They need to work together to find viable ways to help the community they reside in. Dirty government scandals arise, kidnappings of women occur, people's lives are thrown into turmoil, and all the while, the stranger from the alley seems to appear wherever Amaya is. Is he behind the disappearance of these women? Is he actually behind the attacks, like the one on Amaya in the alley? Or just maybe is he the one who will help Amaya put everything together, including herself.

I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion…

Ascend from the shadows is an exciting start to a series and I can’t wait to read the next book…if your looking for a fast paced book easy to read that still makes sense while having some spice then this book is for you..

Amaya is a well written character even with her anxiety putting her in crappy situations. I think it makes her more relatable although sometimes I found my self shaking my head like come on girl lol…I love a strong FMC who isn’t perfect

not big on love triangles but that’s only because I choose the guy I like and that’s it 🤷‍♀️ Definitely team Sebastian…

I would definitely recommend this book to a friend

First, I want to thank NetGalley for this advanced readers copy in exchange for my honest review.

I really enjoyed this read. Like, a lot. In Ascend from the Shadows we meet Amaya, a young woman who has traveled from her small suburb into the big bad city for her own personal redemption within the business world. But battling her anxiety and self doubt while earning her certificate won’t be the only thing she deals with as she meets High Priestesses (what those with Fae lineage are called in the city) who keep the city safe from dark forces, foreign political figures with things to hide, and hot men determined to be pig-headed assholes. When Amaya’s program project partners her with the awful Mayor’s sexy but prick of a son Rien to help the homeless of the city, they soon learn that there are darker plans at play as they work to solve the unjust crisis against those most vulnerable. Can Amaya learn to overcome her crippling sensitivity to rejection and accept herself as she is? Will she rise up to help the innocent who are under attack? Not sure because this story ends in a cliffhanger.

Im not going to lie, Ascend from the Shadows reads a lot like one of those free KindleUnlimited books. But in a good way. I wasn’t able to put it down and enjoyed my time immensely. It’s full of familiar and comforting tropes such as
-dislike to lovers
-opposites attract
-average girl gets unlimited powers
-love triangle
-Fated Mates
These tropes aren’t just thrown in but actually do help move the plot along and are fun to read and explore within the story. I would say that Ascend from the Shadows is a good read for anyone who has book hangover after reading anything from Sarah J. Maas, especially if they enjoyed the characters of ACOTAR but like the urban setting of her Crescent City novels.
There was also interesting mental health rep that I am still on the fence about. I didn’t mind it and felt that the anxiety attacks our main character experienced were very believable and described well, I have anxiety and have used some of the techniques suggested in the story. There was also talk about ‘highly sensitive people’ that I have my own opinions on and won’t go too far into detail except to say, I would have just rather it be called autism spectrum.

Now a few critiques. Parts of the story felt clunky, especially in the beginning. I would be starting to get into it and then the dialogue would just feel really forced or her reasoning for being angry was just weird. It didn’t feel very believable or relatable. For example, she has a great meet cute with a guy at a bar her first night in the city. Then finds out they will be partners on their certification project but he’s not happy with it and we don’t know why. Ok that’s good tension. But then she finds out he’s the Mayors son and suddenly because he’s rich and a known play boy he’s obviously awful and she hates him? Then he’s basically a celebrity and a ‘known playboy’ but also stays out of the media so there isn’t a lot to find out about him? It just didn’t feel fully fleshed out or believable. Is he a bad boy or not?
Then there’s the cliffhanger. I think this is probably the decision that makes it most feel like a free KU novel. Does it work? Yes. Am I happy about it? No. I will absolutely be begging to read Alexandra Larson’s second installment if it becomes available on NetGalley and will pick it up even if it doesn’t after the release but man, I wish this book was just longer and I could have kept reading the story right away.

In conclusion, fun and fast comfort read. Im fully invested in knowing what will happen next and will enjoy seeing the characters grow and the world building expand. I’ll suspend my disbelief for that hit of good old fashioned giddiness when reading a good romantasy.