REVIEW: Dark Ascension by M L Brennan

Dark Ascension by M L Brennan
Publishing information: Paperback ARC; 320pgs
Publisher: Roc; 4 Aug 2015
ISBN: 978-0451474124
Series: Generation V Book 4
Copy: Provided by Publisher
Reviewer: Tyson

Amazon

Synopsis: "After a lifetime of avoiding his family, Fort has discovered that working for them isn’t half bad—even if his mother, Madeline, is a terrifying, murderous vampire. His newfound career has given him a purpose and a paycheck and has even helped him get his partner, foxy kitsune Suzume, to agree to be his girlfriend. All in all, things are looking up.

Only, just as Fort is getting comfortable managing a supernatural empire that stretches from New Jersey to Ontario, Madeline’s health starts failing, throwing Fort into the middle of an uncomfortable and dangerous battle for succession. His older sister, Prudence, is determined to take over the territory. But Fort isn’t the only one wary of her sociopathic tendencies, and allies, old and new, are turning to him to keep Prudence from gaining power.

Now, as Fort fights against his impending transition into vampire adulthood, he must also battle to keep Prudence from destroying their mother’s kingdom—before she takes him down with it...."

There are very few urban fantasy series that I enjoy, especially when the main character is a vampire. However, I make the exception for Generation V, Brennan has a great way of keeping the series fresh. It has been a long wait to finally see Fort completely turn into an adult vampire and it is about time. Fort is now working for the family and doing some of the more menial tasks but that doesn't mean that he hasn't found a situation or two that he can't stick his neck out and do what he feels is right. He is definitely not your average vampire and now that he is fully turned I look forward to seeing what Brennan has in store for him next.

Suzume is still my favorite character and in Dark Ascension she isn't alone. Her sisters are now starting to get in on the act and creating havoc in Fort's life. While Fort and Suzume are tighter than ever, I can't help wonder how things will work out in the future now that Fort is full-on Vamp.

The plot is probably the weakest of all the books in the series but I think it is due to the fact that a major story arc is finally coming to a close. With that said the book appears to be the calm before the storm as there are little hints here and there of things to come that could put the Scott's in a little bit of peril. With Madeline's health on the decline many of the creatures for the night have turned to Fort to help air their concerns about the succession, and for some see if they can improve their previous agreement with the Scotts. While I don't want to ruin how Madeline handles the succession, I will say it was unanticipated and it goes to show just how outside the box Brennan is willing to go to show her readers to expect the unexpected.

Dark Ascension takes a few large steps towards Fort's personal development but the world in which Fort lives seems to have taken a step back and I look forward to seeing how Brennan paints herself out of the corner she appears to have painted herself into. Dark Ascension continues the tradition of excellent storytelling and I look forward to the next installment in the series.

Overall 7/10