Ascension (A Gryphon Series novel)

Celeste Garrett is back, along with all of her family, friends, and enemies in this fourth entry in the Gryphon series that follows a teenager who is magically bound to the mythical Gryphon.  Celeste just wants to experience being a normal teenager, but the Countess is intent on destroying the Gryphon, thus threatening Celeste as the Gryphon’s Conduit.  Celeste is forced to make alliances with some former enemies in order to give her friends and her town the best chance of surviving the impending war, and there’s a surprising reappearance of a character once-thought lost forever.  

Stacey Rourke has penned another great young adult adventure fantasy in which the pages seem to fly by!  Teens will easily relate to the heroine, who has to make some difficult decisions when no matter what she chooses, someone will be unhappy.  Readers are treated to some backstory in the life of the Countess, which provides motivation for the hatred and rage that fuels her vendetta against the Gryphon.  The only drawback is that one really needs to have read the previous books in the series to really embrace the characters and understand their emotions and connections with each other.  There is also no resolution to the love triangle involving Celeste and two of her former flames.  Other books in this series have received high praise from reviewers, and the surprising final chapter in this book sets up the next volume in this must-read series.

Leslie Stokes