The Ascended (Aesymarean Duet #1)
Bree Grenwich, Parker Lennox
Rated: 4.79 of 5 stars
4.79
· Steam/Spice level: 4 of 5
Explicit open door [?]
· 21 ratings · 754 pages · Published: 07 Oct 2025
Revenge demands the ultimate sacrifice. When twins Thais and Thatcher are thrust into the deadly Trials of Ascension, they'll navigate brutal competitions and forbidden desires, discovering some secrets are worth dying for—and others are worth killing for.
In a world where divine power bleeds into the mortal realm, Thais Morvaren has mastered the art of deception. To her seaside village, she's just a fisherman's daughter, serving oysters to summer tourists. In secret, she hides her ability to forge starlight—a power that would force her into the deadly Trials of Ascension.
But when a priest's ritual exposes her powers, Thais is seized and conscripted into the trials against her will. Now trapped in a competition she never wanted to enter, she transforms her fear into purpose: to kill the King of the Gods.
To take down one of the Aesymar, she must become one, even if it costs her everything.
What she doesn't expect is her twin brother's powers suddenly manifesting, forcing him into the trials alongside her—leaving Thais to protect more than just herself.
Worse still, the selection ceremony binds her to a mentor: Xül. A necromancer prince with blood-soaked hands, a sharp tongue, and dark secrets of his own. From the moment they meet, sparks fly. He's insufferably arrogant, she's stubborn to the bone, and neither has any intention of yielding to the other... or to the heat between them.
Each trial survived brings her closer to godhood, but beneath the spectacle of competition, something ancient and malevolent stalks the shadows of the divine realm—a darkness that threatens to unravel the heavens themselves.
The cost of godhood is rising.
Because some stars aren't meant to be weapons.
Some stars are meant to fall.
Tagged as:
- fantasy 4
- magic 3
- new adult 2
- m-f romance 2
- enemies to lovers 2
- bondage 2
- praise kink 2
- survival 2
- take-charge heroine 2
- possessive hero 2
- grumpy/cold hero 2
- paranormal 1
- dark romance 1
- angst 1
- spanking 1
- forbidden love 1
- vengeance 1
- Add topics
- content warnings
- death / grief 2
romance tags
The 'Aesymarean Duet' series
4.79 · 21 ratings
cold hero · length-epic · angst · fantasy · from hate to love · forbidden love · vengeance · praise-kink · spanking · new adult · possessive hero · m-f · bondage · death · magic · survival · dark · paranormal · explicit-open-door · strong heroine
Aesymarean Duet reading order and complete book list ❯
Report duplicate books, missing or wrong information
Check out thebooknaut.com for more fantasy books and comics that might match your interests or browse new fantasy releases
- Follow badass main characters, anti-heroes, loners & outcasts and scoundrels and rogues on their epic adventures

