A review by gigireadswithkiki
The Ascent to Godhood by Neon Yang

adventurous emotional tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Oh there is absolutely nothing I love more than a petty revenge story, and to make it sapphic on top of that? *chefs kiss*

A resounding finish to the Tensorate series, "The Ascent to Godhood" takes a cyclical glance back to the beginning, to the mother of Alekha & Mokoya and her sordid beginnings. I loved the first person narrative told with Lady Han's voice, a voice which also allowed a deeper and less monarchal/aristocratic view into the world that Neon Yang has built, while also allowing readers to experience Hekate from a perspective that is not her own.

 It was fascinating to see how truly cyclical the storylines in this installment mirror its predecessors, especially with how rampant the inter-sibling backstabbing was. And at the heart of it all, a strong & power-hungry female ruler with something to prove and vengeance to exact, ruthless in her ambitions to achieve her goals. 

Truly a fantastic end to this series, I am definitely saddened to depart from the world of the Tensorates, but I'll always hold a small figment of hope that Yang returns to this world at some point in their writing career.