Taliesin Ascendant by Megan Peterson

Reading Level: Ages 12 and up
Paperback: 370 Pages
Release Date: July 27, 2013
Publisher: Self-Published
Narration: Third Person: Ashe, Harris, Cole
Genre: Paranormal/Wizards
Challenge: Paranormal
Source: Author

The Children and the Blood Series:
Book One: The Children and the Blood
Book Two: Taliesin Ascendant
Book Three: Unknown

Order On Amazon: Paperback
                              Kindle
Order On Barnes and Noble:
Paperback and Nook

Author's
Goodreads  Website  Twitter  Facebook

Goodreads Synopsis:

The war isn't over.

And new enemies await. 

Life on the run hasn't been easy, but so far, Ashe has survived. But now Carter has ordered her to leave the Hunters and find her family's people – an order she can't refuse, no matter how much she wants to stay. 

Following his command will bring her into an unknown world, however – a world filled with new enemies and old prejudices that will demand more of her than she can imagine, at a cost higher than she'll ever be willing to pay.

My Review:  

Unfortunately, I haven't listened to my own advice of writing a review as soon as I finished reading a novel. Pro procrastinator, for the win. BUT! But! It's not entirely my fault, because I've been busy busy busy with the new school year and all, trying not to fall behind on my ever-growing pile of schoolwork. However, I can't blame my laziness completely on my homework, because a major portion of it is just my inability to think up a good review. For the most part, I just stare blankly at my screen, wondering what the hell I'm going to write next. To all my fellow book bloggers out there, have you ever experienced a similar problem?

Anyways, now that I've spent a whole paragraph rambling as I always do, let's get onto the story, shall we? Prior to reading the sequel, I enjoyed, but admittedly did not fall in love with, The Children and the Blood. Magic has always intrigued me endlessly, which is one of the main reasons why I agreed to review these novels and what originally dragged me into the storyline to begin with. After all the books I've feverishly read, which is quite a bit, I still have never encountered a story focused specifically on Merlin mythology, until now. Of course, you have your traditional wizard and witch novels where the protagonist is distantly related to the Merlin bloodline in some fashion, but those novels never go in depth into the actual tales and myths. They toss out the name as a passing comment and never develop it any farther then that. That's one of the aspects that stood out to me so much in Megan's works. And if you were still disappointed by the lack of history and world-building in The Children and The Blood, then you will definitely enjoy Taliesin Ascendant a whole lot more.

This story was still told in multiple POVs, but Ashe's voice quickly became the most prominent. It's become abundantly clear, that although this story has it's important supporting roles, it is still very much focused on her and her struggle to discover who she really is. Ashe both inexplicably annoyed me, yet earned my respect. I'm really having some mixed feelings about her. At times, I wondered how she could be so selfish and inconsiderate, yet at others, I could see the potential and markings of a truly extraordinary leader. There's a bit more character growth, but she still has a looong way to go before she comes anywhere near the exceptional queen she's meant to be. Countless moments, I wanted to tell her to build up a better argument in convincing the counsel that the Blood exist, other then saying, "I know what I saw," repetitively. You already know the counsel is horrifically prejudice and have a outdated method of thinking, so please use your common sense and find a better way of showing them. However, out of all the feelings I felt for her, pity would probably be the most frequent one. It seems like every time something starts to go her way, something horrible happens just to spite her. Luck, is definitely not on her side.

The officer, Harris. Gah. I got so angry with him every time the POV was switched to him, because of the huge web of lies he's tangled up in. And every stinking day, it just keeps on getting worse! Obviously, it's not his fault for unknowingly running in the wrong circles, but it still infuriates me every time he badmouthes Ashe in some way. I have literally lost count of all the times I had to set down the book, bury my head in my pillow, and yell "NOOOOOOOO! DON'T BELIEVE THEM, I BEG OF YOU." Of course, since he is a fictional character, he didn't have the ability to hear my desperate, fervent pleas. 

*SPOILER ALERT* When Ash had captured him, I really really really wished that she cleared the air between them. (Wanted it so badly that I had to use not one, but three reallys to express my point.) In fact, I was 100% sure that it was going to happen and that everything would be rainbows and unicorns, but IT DIDN'T! I was pretty much set on giving up on life right then and there. The agony. *SPOILER END*

The writing style was wonderful, and if I daresay, improved. The passages flowed imperceptibly smoother, and I never had to pause awkwardly at the end of a sentence. Fluid, continuous sentences are something I very much admire about this author in particular, because it's so rare to find that trait in a writer, even less in a self-published one. However, I was disappointed that she still resorted to using the same phrases over and over again. By the time I finished this book, I had the suspicion that there was something very wrong with the eyebrows of every character in this book. Because literally, every page, at least someone "furrowed their eyebrows in confusion." I have no problem with an author peppering a similar phrase throughout the novel, but when it's used too often, it gets really aggravating.

The action was pretty well done, and I found myself pacing back and forth from excitement more than once. The fighting scenes were engaging, and I could actually picture everything that was enfolding within my own mind. Some plot twists were seen a mile away, while others....took me completely by surprise.

Overall, this wasn't a bad read. I enjoyed it quite thoroughly and loved learning more about the interesting world these wizards reside in. Although I probably won't be rereading this novel in the nearby future, I will most certainly pick up a copy of the last installment in this series!

*Huge thank you to the author for sending me a copy in exchange for a honest and thoughtful review.*

Cover- 2.5/5
The fire is relevant to the story, but it's a bit bland.
Heroine - 3.5/5
Has a lot of potential
but still needs work.
Romance- None
Surprisingly no romance, but it isn't needed. This story is great on its own.
Action- 4/5
Writing- 4/5
Smooth, Fluid.
Overall- 3.5/5