Taking Flight: Tomes of Ascension

by A.G. Charlton

After curiousity leads Syline to the dark heart of her city, the young noblewoman is hunted across the tundra for what she knows. Now, she must rely on her wits, limited magical talents, and new allies in order to survive.

Far from home, she faces a world much crueler than those of the stories of adventure she so loved.

Will she rise as the hero she aspires to be — or even survive at all?

Join Syline on her adventure across the tundra in this, the first entry in the Tomes of Ascension series, and experience a fantasy story like no other.

Genres: Fantasy

282 pages, Paperback

Published July 25, 2024

Reviews

[Elicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun story and great characters with a complete story arc, setting up for more books to come. Fast paced with a fair few battles, character growth as we go, with multiple points of view, though sometimes it was a rather quick and distracting change.

I did like the book, however it could have done with a thorough edit, things like saying “he” instead of “she”, using a pen when they are still using horse and cart, some odd phrasing and repetition. Nothing major, just a little jarring. I also had no idea how to pronounce her name, which just makes it a little harder to really sink in to the story.

I will likely read the next book once it comes out, I am very grateful for no cliffhanger!

[Arvid Svanberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall an excellent book that I can certainly recommend for those interested in the kind of story on offer, which is, in short:

Fantasy story with a coming of age adventure premise. Engaging and varied characters, with fingerprints of a TTRPG fantasy adventure, both to the characters and story. Well written fight scenes.

Throughout the book, hints are shown towards greater depth of the world and characters with clear set-up for a sequel, though the internal story of the book itself is complete.

Worth noting that there is an updated edition not shown here on goodreads.

[D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me a while to read, likely due more to my being out of practice reading rather than listening to books. I enjoyed the story and characters and while there were a couple spots where things dragged for me the climax pulled me in and I am curious about any sequel.

[G. B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A solid, thrilling read from beginning to end, that captures the classic era of fantasy coming-of-age stories. Taking Flight keeps a swift pace from beginning to end, and in particular, any fans of well thought-out combat scenes will not come out disappointed. No space goes unwasted in regards to them, and it avoids the common pitfall of a fight being there for a fight's sake.

There is plenty of excitement that goes alongside the character development, and it only amps up come the third act. A hallmark of a good final act, in my opinion, is one that makes sure you can't put the book down until it is complete, and that passes this (admittedly arbitrary) test with flying colors.

[Linden Jackson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic start to a fantasy series-

Brilliant action choreography, engaging world-building, charming characters and a unique perspective. This is the start of something special, and I highly recommend it.

Read this book especially if choreography in fantasy fight scenes is something you value- in my opinion, this is among the best I've read, and in general I find that's an element of lit usually not taken seriously enough in fiction that's theoretically revolving around conflict.

My only complaint is the storytelling is a bit brisk for my liking, but that qualm is more than made up for by the quality.

[Samantha Elley · Rating 5 out of 5]

In all honesty I am not a fantasy reader, but Taking Flight had such an engaging story it was hard not to keep following. The characters are well-rounded and easy to invest in. They have depth and are not leaning towards stereotypical actions or behaviours. There are some great backstories.

The adventure sequences had me holding my breath at times and while there was a conclusion to the story in this narrative, it is obvious there is a sequel.

[C . R · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taking Flight is a fantastic start to a new series and a new fantasy world. A classic coming of age story of a young girl forced to flee her home combined with swords, sorcery, romance and a hostile land rife with threats from bandits, blizzards and beyond will leave unable to put this book down until the final pages.

[Alex McKell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book for people hoping to get into fantasy stories. Syline is a strong protagonist and feels like an active character in a rich world. The fights are wonderfully kinetic and a complete joy to read.

Makes me want to play D&D just by reading it, definitely recommend.

5 stars!

[Candi · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book had: language, gay content, a TON of gore, and sexual content. All in 7 chapters.
Very disappointing. DNF at chapter 7.
1/5 stars.