I have been a fan of Jazza’s youtube channel for many years. So when he announced he was writing a book, I was thrilled! Well, okay—admittedly, I was a little hesitant at first, as Jazza had stated in one of his videos that writing was a rather new craft to him. And I’m not generally a huge sci-fi reader. So I had my reservations about this book. But I was also curious. I wanted to know more about the story he talked about in his videos…and I wanted to see how he fared at writing.

If there’s one thing I know from watching Jazza on youtube, it’s that when he does something, he never does it halfway. He dives deep and puts so much passion into every single project he works on—and this book was no exception.

I don’t even know where to begin with this review. This book is unbelievably strong. The worldbuilding is captivating. The characters are all so interesting and unique. This book sucked me in from the very beginning. I loved Sam, I loved Aiden and Stannis and Kaida—and I think in an odd sense, I loved Trevor, not because he was a particularly likeable character at the beginning, but because I knew he would be the one to experience the most development. And it was SO satisfying to see him grow into a better person at the end. All of these characters felt so human, and their reactions to the traumas they faced felt so real.

Jazza Brooks does a phenomenal job of setting expectations and following through on the subtle promises he made throughout this novel. His writing style is engaging and kept me turning the page, both in story and in prose. This book made me feel every emotion that bled out of the pages. The fear. The sadness. The rage. The relief. All of it. I cried, I laughed at funny lines.

The Ascendants was one of those books that was so good I found myself staring blankly at the ceiling afterwards, because “what do you mean, I have to go back to my regular life now? After finishing this book that was this much of an emotional roller coaster??”

I can’t wait for the rest of this series. I would give this book ten stars if I could. There are very few books I feel compelled to reread, but this is one of them. I might even give the audiobook a listen!