Short & Sweet Reviews: Ascension by Sable Grace

Title: Ascension

Author: Sable Grace

Genre: Paranormal Romance/Urban Fantasy

Series: Dark Breed #1

Mass Market Paperback, 374 pages

Published April 26, 2011 by Avon Books

Where did I get the book: Bought for pleasure reading

Summary (via Goodreads):

The gates of hell have opened, and one woman will stand in the crossfire as the Dark Breed—vampyre, demons, shape shifters—and mankind fight their last battle for survival. 

Kyana is half Vampyre, half Lychen . . . and the last of her kind. Determined, dangerous, and damned, she has no love for the mortals who have imprisoned and misused her. But when the Order of Ancients entrusts her with a mission—to find the key that will send the Dark Breed back into Hell for eternity—Kyana has no choice but to accept. 

She is furious to learn her assignment comes with an escort . . . Ryker, a demigod and fierce warrior who long ago found a way under her skin and stayed there. In a shaky alliance, they discover an ancient cult with dangerous motive and a god who seeks to destroy all others. And as Kyana begins to feel the heat that threatens to bind her to Ryker, she knows she has to resist. For it could only mean the undoing of them both

My Thoughts: Ascension is the first book in the Dark Breed series by debut author Sable Grace. Sable Grace is a team of 2 authors, Heather Waters and Laura Barone. The main heroine of the novel is a re-purified dark breed, Kyana is half Vampyre and half Lychen and the last of her kind. Kyana works for the Order of Ancients (Greek gods) as a tracker finding all of the chosen ones. The gods and goddesses are getting weaker and every one of them will need a chosen one (chosen one, a person who will be the god’s or goddess’s replacement). There are two main problems going on simultaneously. First, the gate of hell is open and the dark breeds are constantly flowing out and someone is targeting all the chosen ones. In the mist of all the chaos, Kyana learns of an ancient god, with his group of followers out to get back what once was his.  

 I didn’t know what to expect when I first picked up this book, it has Greek gods and goddesses, vampires, werewolves, witches, and warlocks types all rolled up into one. It is listed as a paranormal romance, but I think it has more of a urban fantasy aspect. Both readers of these genre will like this new debut. The story starts immediately within the first couple of pages, as we follow Kyana, her escort Ryker (demi-god, son of Ares), and her friend Haven (a witch) as they search for the key. I have never read a book where gods, vampires and werewolves were all incorporated into one, and to my surprise I really enjoyed it. It was different from all of the other urban fantasy I’ve been reading. Kyana was a kick-butt heroine, who never took cr*p from anyone. She is known for being ruthless, but underneath that hard exterior is a person who is protective of her friends/family. I look forward to the next dark breed novels. If you haven’t read 
 this book yet, I highly recommend it.