In "The Mongol Ascension," Andrew Varga manages to narrate a simple and enjoyable teen fantasy based on time travel, set in Mongolia during the times of Genghis Khan. There are some 'glitches' in its narration, and it tends to oversimplify its themes, but an interesting protagonist and the entertaining and informative historical elements save the day.

Dan Renfrew is a teenage time jumper. It’s a secret. He is a member of a clandestine cadre tasked with journeying to the past to repair glitches in history that imperil subsequent events. This responsibility alone is daunting, but it’s even more crucial now. A band of rogue time jumpers is bent on taking over the world. Dan can’t find any allies to join him in the fight to stop them. Dan and Sam head for a millennium ago, back in the land of small hairy horses, recurve bows, leather armour, fermented milk drinks and sweat. He lands on the vast steppes of Mongolia in the year 1179. Dan’s task is to fix glitches in the fabric of history. that is at risk. He doesn’t know the first thing about it or how to save the present day. Luckily, he has a teammate, Samantha, or Sam, who is good at survival; they are aged seventeen years old. Dan and Sam have a time travel instrument which not only translates spoken words, and controls jumps, it tells them where the glitch will occur. Right now, it’s pointing to an injured teen Mongol called Temujin. The duo promptly helps him, and he invites them to join his army. They don’t have much choice, as the glitch is still glitching. Temujin is looking for his stolen bride Borte. He’s willing to go through an opposing army of the Merkits to rescue her. Dan was homeschooled until his father died a year ago. Dan leads a normal high school life full of all the usual challenges: homework, bullies, and dating. Will Dan find the murderer?

The author writes using historical detail that impressed me. He includes a herding family besides the warriors in Mongolia. The other part I liked that the author has bullying in the current occurring. The author shows how bullying is wrong.

The Mongol Ascension, the third book in Andrew Varga's A Jump in Time series, follows Dan Renfrew, a teenager who’s thrust into the dangerous mission of repairing time glitches to save the future.

This time, the adventure takes Dan, Sam, and the readers to 12th-century Mongolia, where they must fix a critical glitch involving a Mongol teen. Sam, the only woman among 20,000 Mongol soldiers, faces unique challenges, and Dan is confronted with danger at every turn. Their mission isn’t just about survival - it’s about saving history itself.

Rich with historical details and infused with teenage drama, The Mongol Ascension is a genre-blending novel that will appeal to fans of mystery, time travel, and science fiction. This young adult adventure is perfect for readers who enjoy exploring history’s twists and turns through the eyes of a teenage hero tasked with repairing time’s fabric.

The narrative flows smoothly, with well-developed characters and a tightly woven plot. Varga’s skillful storytelling captivates from the first page to the last, making it hard to put down once you start.

This work is the third installment in a YA time travel series and this Mongol historical adventure does not disappoint. I suggest reading the series in order for the best reading experience (plus, the entire series is great). The flow of the writing improves with each subsequent book and the historical research and information the author incorporates into each story is nothing short of incredible. The worldbuilding is extensive and so expressive that the reader is fully embraced and enveloped by the Mongol timeline. It's fast-paced and action-packed (very detailed battle scenes without being cumbersome). I enjoyed the scenery change from the British Isles to Asia in this one as well. Some of the best historical accuracy and authenticity I've read in a YA novel. I love this series, keep up the good work!

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Once again Andrew Varga takes us in to the past with the third book of the Jump in Time series. This time we go back to twelfth century Mongolia and meet who else but Ghengis Khan. Dan and his friend Sam unwittingly aid the young Khan which starts them off on a high adventure. Full of the insecurities of a 17 year old boy, Dan sometimes stumbles through life but always comes through in the end. A fantastic adventure read which also teaches a bit of history as you go. Very enjoyable. I highly recommend for young teens through adults.
Thanks to #NetGalley#TheMongolAscension#ImbrifexBooks for the EARC.

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After their last jump in time, Dan and Sam need answers. They believe the past may contain information that will help them figure out Victor’s plans. This time around they journey to twelfth century Mongolia, where a young man named Temujin dreams of uniting the Mongol tribes and will go to great lengths to get his wife back from their enemy. Unlike their previous jumps, the mission is not readily clear. As they struggle to find the glitch in time, understand Victor’s plans, and figure out their relationship, Dan and Sam experience the loyalty, wisdom, and gratitude of one of the greatest leaders known to history.

It is fair to say that Andrew Varga is one of my favorite authors. Once again, he has delivered a fun adventure backed by strong historical research. He does not romanticize the past but makes the reader curious and interested. The plot is engaging, the pace is agile, and the characters are well rounded, logical, and relatable. Dan faces the challenges of a normal teen compounded by his extraordinary circumstances, but his inclination to act on impulse and his lack of patience tend to work against him. Forced to reflect on his actions, he shows growth. Sam, my favorite character, is intelligent, strong, and cautious, and we get a sense that there is much more to her than what has been revealed.

This is the third book in this fantastic series, but it can be read as a standalone. The series gets better with every new book, and I cannot wait to follow Dan’s journey as the bigger plot develops.

If you love time travel themes, history, action, and adventure, this book is for you.

Favorite quote:
“To succeed at anything, you must wake each day and greet the sun with a purpose ready in your mind and an iron will in your heart. You must possess both to succeed. Purpose without will leads to failed ambitions. And will without purpose is simply wasted energy.”

Thanks to NetGalley and Imbrifex Books for providing me with a free digital copy to review this book prior to its release.

#TheMongolAscension#NetGalley#bookstagram#booktrovert#booklover#netgalleyreviewer#bookstagrammer#bookreviews#goodreads#netgalleyreviews#bookshelf#booknerd

Dan's hunt for truth continues, both in his own time and in the past. He feels thwarted at every turn and uncertain of what to do next. But when his next time jump holds a few unexpected surprises, Dan decides to take matters into his own hands.

As with all the novels in this series to date, I love the detail of the historical period. In this book, we spend a lot more time in the present and I thoroughly enjoyed the dive into Dan's 'normal' life.

I have to say up front that although this is book three of a series, I have had no exposure to the first two books. I was drawn by the fascinating plot that sends Dan Renfrew, a high school student, back in the history of Mongolia hoping to save the world from a glitch in time. The problem is that Dan and his female companion, Sam, have no idea when or what the glitch might be. They just know that it is coming up in the next few months.

The two are immediately met with a Mongol warrior running toward them and away from a group of enemy soldiers. On impulse, Dan and Sam save the Mongol man and learn that his name is Timujin, the 17 year old leader of a rising clan of people who are at war with the neighboring clan, the Merkits. Timujin’s immediate goal is to free his wife from Merkit captivity. What they do not know is that once Timujin frees his wife, he will become known as Genghis Khan.

Behind the scenes of this story—and all of the series—is the battle Dan and Sam have with the leaders of the time jumpers, Victor. It is not until the very end of the book that the reader learns the background of Victor and the plans behind his crew of time jumpers.

Though I did not read books one and two of the series, I had no trouble being brought up to speed in this novel and found it quite engrossing. It is technically a young adult novel, but I see no reason to limit the audience to the young. It is a well written novel and a great adventure and I am grateful to NetGalley for the opportunity to read it.

The Mongol Ascension was part of the three. Although the novel contains many characters, which I usually like. Unfortunately, I had a problem. However ,making the story was difficult to follow.
I
Liked the novel, but I did not love it. One thing that made me happy was historical fiction. The StoriesThat,I Perform read careful Historical ‘Great War’ I’ve read ‘Mad Honey, loved every word
,
Goliath “slain by David (...) slain by Eliahan
Thank you Medici Heist, Cailin Scnnerhan, Fiwel and Friends, and NetGalley an honest.review

Bisclavret is loyal to the king. “And tells the story of the werewolf”
The Play focused on Melina Emilina Bassano.
I loved every word, I needed to put the book aside, I had tasks to do
“Wake me in 2040”.

The novel is like my favorite Professor and my favorite lecture
I had an issue with the discussion, and it interupid the flow the daluge
I do not generally like the when paragraphs that swap back and forth; however. This novel is well done
So …what is it it about ‘By any other name that excites that excites you’
The novel was long, which. 500 pages, I found I it difficult to follow the story


Mongol Ascension, part of the Jump in the Series. The story is an exciting novel. Although this is a considid an YA book, I would recommend the novel to any age reader.
Dan, not Renfrew, remembered James and the professor wore the same tattoo.
Who was the aggressive man that carried a handgun, which was terrifying to Dan?

Thank you Medici Heist, Cailin Scnnerhan, Fiwel and Friends, and NetGalley an honest.review


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I am not the target audience for this book, so I'll say that up front. In general I don't read YA, but I appreciate what the author is trying to do with this series and therefore believe it should be recommended to young readers who want to broaden their horizon and learn about historical events and figures in an exciting and fast paced way. I can't say I enjoyed it, but I must stress, this book wasn't written for me. I can think of worse ways for kids spending their time. When I was a kid similar shows or cartoons got me interested in things revolving around history or significant figures.

I read reviews saying the dialogue of the teenage characters felt off. Perhaps, but have you heard any teenage in real life from any time period speak? Have they ever sounded enlightened or articulate?

Two young time jumpers travel back to 13th century Mongolia and experience the rise of one of history's greatest conquerors and most fearsome characters.
I absolutely love the idea of this book and the series as a whole. Teenagers travelling to key moments in time and having to make sure history follows its course just works as an idea. We get action, we get adventure, and we expose a younger audience to moments in history in a way that feels more tangible than a school textbook.
Great stuff.
But....but.
Two things made me uneasy with reading this book - the main character is a bit of an ass, and the teenagers talk in a way which seems off?

Re the protagonist being an ass, it mainly comes out in the way he talks and reacts to everyone he meets in the past - "smelly Mongols", "filthy food", "rotten milk", and other not-charming descriptions of the Mongols litter the dialogue and inner thoughts, and I just found it really off-putting. Especially as someone who lives in a country with a similar cultural heritage to Mongolia, and who recognises a lot of the things described.
To be fair, there are a few moments where the main character is more approving, but it still left me feeling uncomfortable.

As to the dialogue, I get that writing dialogue for teenage characters is rough. But it just felt too "Hello, fellow youngsters" to me, and didn't flow well.

TLDR: always supportive of this kind of premise, not a fan of the character work.

I love this series. As a huge history nerd I love reading about different eras especially ones that I know little about.
I knew very little about Genghis Khan before reading this book and I have since read a few articles about this mighty conqueror.
The book is well researched and the author brings alive the time period, not just with facts and figures but with the everyday life these Mongols would have lived, from what they would have worn and eaten, even some of there customs.
I also loved that we got to learn a little bit more about Victor and what his overall plan is for the world.
I cannot wait for book 4 in this series.

The Mongol Ascension
By Andrew Varga

This is the third in a series that the author has subtitled “Jump In Time” novels. The first and second are set in England and are the skillful and clever stories of a young man and woman who have inherited “time-jumping” technology from their fathers. This story flows from the first two, but you don’t need have read those to enjoy The Mongol Ascension.

The hero throughout these books is Dan Renfrew. The villain is a congress member who wants to take over the world. The other jumper, Sam (for Samantha) has saved Dan’s skin more than once. But just to complicate things, she’s beautiful and clever enough that Dan can’t help seeing her as more than a comrade in arms.

Dan and Sam have made a jump into “they know not where” in this new novel, but of course they figure out quickly that they’re in Mongolia when they encounter the leader of a band of Mongolian warriors. Could it be that the seventeen year old Mongol “prince” they encounter is the future Genghis Kahn? Well, the rest of the story is how they cope and how they prevail, helping Temujin (the 17 year old) recover his wife Borte and accrue the victory that sets him on his historic journey as world conquered.

Vargas’ intended audience is likely to be young men 13-23. But as I said in reviewing an earlier book in the series, this 75 year old woman is quite enjoying them!

Thank you Netgalley for providing me an E-ARC in exchange for honest opinion

I liked the book 3 the most, I would say that we can see better writing and also better character description and actions of the main character.
As it is book 3 I don´t want to give any spoilers, so I will be brief the Mongols are awesome, really liked that we have got something other than West Europe historical events or figures. Also Dan starts to "think" more and doesn´t act so reckless.
What I did not like, in my opinion, it has dragged a little towards the end, I liked the twist and the little light of hope at the end, but the historical parts were far more interesting to me.
Looks like we will get another book, so I am quite curious what history event we will be reading about.
Overall solid 4 stars, definitely recommending to read.

Another good entry in the series! I appreciate the departure from the European history that was central to the first two books in the series—it’s always fun to read about cultures that you aren’t wholly familiar with. This entry builds well on the greater conflict of the first two and I appreciated that we got to learn more about the greater conflict in this one. This is definitely the book and series to give to a kid who loves history; I know I would have loved to read this when I was younger (but it’s still enjoyable as an adult!!). Overall, a solid entry to the series, and I can’t wait to see what comes next for Dan and Sam.

I received an ARC through NetGalley from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

The Mongol Ascension, third book in the A Jamp In Time series, is full of action, adventure, and a teen who desperatly tries to save the World.

Dan most of the time is clueless as what to do, both as a regular teen and as a time jumper. I have to concede him that he is getting better at looking for leads to expose the villain's plan, but he is still too impulsive and hasty.

Andrew Varga has the ability to make you curious and passionate about every historical time he writes. Before opening this book I've never heard about the Mongol history, other than the name of its most famous conqueror Gengis Khan, but now I crave to learn more.

I enjoyed this story, I recommend it. You won't want to put it down once you pick it up.

This was an entertaining continuation of the Jump in Time series. I enjoyed watching the progression of Dan and Sam's relationship, learning more about Victor's schemes, meeting other time jumpers, and, of course, accompanying Dan and Sam on their historical adventure. Some aspects of Dan and Sam's behavior seemed overly immature, and I began to be tired of Dan's consistent underestimation of Sam and assumption that he can always fix anything. I liked the addition of the characters encountered in modern times and think that this book was a good set-up for future books and clearly indicates the direction of the series. These books are always light, fast, fun reads that bring the question of what it would be like to interact with major historical players to life.

Another amazing installment in this series! I continue to love being swept away into lesser known (at least to me) eras of history as well as enjoy the realistic awkwardness of Dan just being a 17 year old boy. I was excited to get more of a peek into the trajectory for the modern day plot line and can't wait to see how it plays out. There could be dozens of books in this series and I can't imagine getting tired of reading them. I said it with book one and I will keep saying it - these are the grown up Magic Tree House books I always wanted. As much as I want a conclusion to the Victor saga, if it means the series has to end, I don't know if I'm ready.

This is an easy ya read…..
The premise of the story is that teenage schoolboy Dan is a time jumper and has to fix time glitches so that history isn’t changed for the worse. Dan and his friend Sam were great, and I liked them and wanted them to succeed in their quest to save the world from Victor who was determined to take over. The two teenagers jump to Mongolia in the 1600’s, and straight away are thrown into a battle. It then seems to drag in the middle and the last part picks up again.
I had mixed feelings about this book. The beginning started off well but as I read, I really struggled to stay engaged with the story. Such a shame.
Many thanks to Imbrifex books for giving me the opportunity to read this arc copy from Netgalley. My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley, #ImbrofexBooks, #AndrewVargaAuthor.