I really wanted to like this book and it started off well being thrown into a race from the get-go but then it kind of went downhill.

The characters didn't really make me love them (or hate them), the relationships just seemed lack-lustre and not really sure of itself.

I liked the race itself but it seemed to be over in a flash.

Magical horse racing, meets Jewish folklore, in this amazing YA book. Strong Ocean 11 vibes (though mixed sex) for the heist / scam of the century.

A fantastic read, with a great cast of really well-drawn characters. Interesting magical theory. A decent amount of peril. Loved the plot, the competition, and the world.

A huge hit with my book club as well. Can’t wait for the next one. A delicious - read in one gulp story.

A really unfortunate DNF at 25%. Kalyn Josephson’s previous YA series, The Storm Crow, is one of my all time favourites so I was super excited to read This Dark Descent. However, I started this months ago and generally don’t feel any desire to pick it up. I’ve enjoyed the book when I have read it, but I have to force myself to actually get through a chapter or 2. Maybe I’ll come back to this one day, finish it and really love it but for the time being it’s a DNF.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Macmillan for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

Although this started strongly, I found it difficult to engage with and the characters weren’t developed enough for me to continue reading. I did enjoy the fact that the world was so diverse and well written but it didn’t keep my attention.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

I loved this intense political fantasy. The magic system and religion used in tandem created such an interesting world. I loved the use of golems and Jewish inspired magical elements were amazing.

Arielle and Damien are by far the most well developed characters as individuals and their relationship was built perfectly in the setting. I throughly enjoyed their character arcs and Reid as well. Mikira annoyed me, with how she doesn't feel remorse for betraying Damien and I hope the narrative addresses her guilt which she should feel. This made her unlikeable to me, betraying someone who helped you despite being a noble is really stupid. Her own self righteous behaviour is laughable, judging Damien when she's a murderer herself. Arielle was right that she could never understand her darkness. Moving onto Arielle, I loved her struggle with the darkness inside herself and trying to navigate her religious beliefs along with using her power to feel strong. Can't wait to see where the cliffhanger with Rezek takes us. Is he going to control her power now?

Loved Reid and hope get to explore more of him too.

Overall, an enjoyable high stakes political fantasy with great characters and dynamics.

THIS DARK DESCENT is a dark fantasy about a magical horse race with many bets and lives riding on it.

This is a book I would actually class as a dark fantasy and not simply one with a dark fantasy aesthetic (it doesn't even have that "grim witch-core aesthetic" that so often characterises "dark" fantasies). This is a book where many of the characters, including Arielle and Damien are so morally grey, but on the darker end of the spectrum - and ultimately unapologetic about it.

It was really fun to read about characters like that because you don't know what their ultimate line is - and if they even have one. It really helps up the stakes and tension because you don't know where they'll stop to get what they want, and how much damage they're willing to cause to those they like.

The story is infused with Jewish mythology. It's most obvious with the golems, as that's one of the more well-known parts of the mythology, but it could be felt throughout, including in terms used.

The book really reminded me of THE SCORPIO RACES, but with more magic and leaning into dark more than ethereal/windswept. THIS DARK DESCENT is not trying to be THE SCORPIO RACES so isn't reminding me of it in a derivative way, but instead in a "the enjoyment overlap of these books is very strong" way.

The race ends in this book, which means the primary arc of the story feels nicely contained. However, the fallout of the race, and how the secrets accumulated during it can not be addressed, sets up some promising conflict for the next one.

THIS BOOOOKKKKK!

as soon I've read the plot I knew i had to have an arc and omg i loved it and i loved so much to be doing a red along for this.

for the entire book you don't know what side the characters are on, you don't know which one you ship.
i loved the animal aspect in the book a lot, and the way the horses are such huge characters in the book.

those 4 main characters are so different, but still they work so well together.
i will def be reading book 2 cause after that ending i don't kno even know what to say.

Headlines:
Four MCs to puzzle over
Mobster family feels
Power stuggles
Magical discoveries

This Dark Descent was a fast-paced fantasy world with a strong story and world building revealed at a manageable pace. This book served up four MCs in Mikira, Arielle, Reid and Damien and I can honestly say that four was not too much; it felt totally right because the author balanced their characters so well.

The story brings a competition of high stakes, with families and power at stake in the form of a magical-esque horse race. If you're not horsey, do not fear, I'm not and enjoyed that aspect. I had a real soft spot both for Iri and Atara by the end. The powerful families in this story had a feel of mobster families, with little scruples and hard fists. It made Damien rather hard to trust and I'm still rather unsure about final allegiances.

(Mi)Kira was the accomplished horse racer and Ari was a magician with special powers that I encourage you to find out more about. I was fascinated by Ari and her magic, the Jewish folklore connections to this were new to me and very intriguing. There were some gentle romances, a bunch of chemistry with different characters and LGBTQ+ characteristics.

"Where Ari was long, graceful lines, Mikira was coiled fists and scraped knuckles. She was a mouthful of glass, not a whispered sign between soft lips."

On finishing, I have totally bought into this world. That said, I am left in a difficult and needy spot. Next book, please!

Thank you to Macmillan Kids for the review copy and readalong fun.

Really enjoyed this book. The whole story had me on the edge of my seat the whole time right until the end!

BOOM REVIEW: This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson

2.5 Stars

I was so excited for this book because I loved Kalyn's first duology The Storm Crow. Unfortunately This Dark Descent didn't live up to my expectations.

This book is based around an enchanted horse racing competition where the winning sponsor of the rider wins a boon from the King and monetary winnings. Our first lead female Mikira has had her Father taken away by a Lord of a ruling house. He offers Mikira a challenge, if she wins the horse racing competition on an unenchanted horse then she will get her Father back, if she loses then she loses her family's ranch. The story continues with Mikira teaming up with another House called Adair and a found family vibe is created.
The other side of the story is Arielle, an unlicensed enchanter of illegal magic who is hired by House Adair to create an enchanted horse that cannot be detected. The story involves a lot of politics, violence and magic. It is told in the points of view of Mikira and Arielle.

The first half I found a little dull but the second half picked up and there were plenty of twists and turns. Unfortunately I just didn't feel invested in the story or characters. I also think there were too many things going on in the story and that it needed to be edited to make it more cohesive.
The characters were okay, I liked Arielle, loving her magic and personality. But I didn't like the way her story went. Mikira was a brave young woman and I liked her but just didn't feel connected to her.

The world building was okay but a lot was missing. The magic was my favourite part, especially the unique magic Arielle uses. However I felt even the magic didn't have enough detail behind it and I wanted more!

Overall, this was a bit of a let down despite it having lots of potential. Sadly I won't be continuing this series.

Please note that I was gifted this ebook in exchange for an honest review.

I can’t say it’s been a favourite of mine but it was a story that I felt just needed a little more. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book.

<I> The past had teeth and claws, and it would tear her apart if she let it.</i>

I’m a bit conflicted with this one! We had wonderful world building, lush religions and mythologies, plots and politics, brilliant morally grey characters and a dash of romance. Despite all this I found myself… bored.
I was really, really bored and had to push myself through it. I did enjoy the ‘Scorpio races’ vibes with the contest, but I never really felt Makira was at risk (even when she very much was) and I felt her character did a u-turn when it was necessary for the plot.
I genuinely adored Ari and Damien- I thought both their histories, characters and personalities had great depth and they were both well fleshed out morally grey characters!
Maybe trying to follow both the girls just bogged down the story a bit? I think I would have been more interested in Reid’s POV 🙈😂

***thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for an honest review***

So I saw this book described as "Mariokart with Jewish Mobsters", and I thought it sounded ridiculous. But having now read the book, I cannot explain how perfect that description is. 😅

Mikira and Ari are two victims of circumstances living in fear of the day where their luck runs out and the nobles of the world come for them. Both FMCs exude an inner strength that is inspiring and yet fragile, as they fight against the doubts planted by their families, friends and society as a whole about who and what they can be.

Damien Adair is a complex, brooding and dark MMC with a tumultuous backstory and we never really get to know whether he's a good guy or a bad guy. It really gives off "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" vibes, but once the common enemy is defeated, where does that leave them.

I liked the romance elements, but I do feel like they weren't needed. *spoiler alert*
It gave a bit of Stockholm vibes with Ari and Damien - did she love him or did she just like being safe for the first time? I think maybe I would've preferred her to have come to the realisation that she was enough alone rather than it feeling like she needed to lean on him. Having said that it was a sweet romance and I see the appeal of having their darkness mirror eachother.

The main plot was strong and it was something different to the usual fantasy plot that is out there and I really enjoyed that. The magic element was subtle but well fleshed out, it did feel at times like Ari/Atara was just unnecessarily OP and a bit unbelievable that nobody thought anything was up with this supposedly non enchanted horse running rings around the enchanted ones. But overall it was something I could overlook and just enjoy it for the fun, unique story that it was.

This was a thrilling and fast paced read with grandiose descriptions and a brilliant world. The characters leapt off the page and the plot was engaging.

My feelings are a bit mixed about this book.

Mikira is in a very sticky situation. Her family are enchanted horse breeders and they have run afoul of one of the noble houses, which is preventing trade. Her father, an enchanted, is taken by a noble lord who issues Mikira a challenge - if she wins the kingdoms annual horse race on a non-enchanted horse, she can get her father back. If she loses, she loses their ranch. Mikira has to throw in her lot with house Adair to gain sponsorship to enter the race, but they have an agenda of their own…

Then we have Arielle, an unlicensed enchanter working with forbidden magic who is forced to ally with house Adair and assist them in return for the promise of being licensed. But she is hiding a horrible secret…

There are parts I really loved in this book - I admittedly know very little about Jewish mythology so some of the magic system felt very fresh and new, I liked the golems and as a character I really warmed to her, I’m a big fan of morally grey characters that you can actually root for and she fit the bill, I also appreciated a character that felt more feminine and was less ‘not like the other girls’. To be fair Mikira was also a good character as well, in that she felt real and not a chosen one or just an archetype. I also love a good competition element in fantasy novels, given that I was a Hunger Games girly in the past.

However, the stakes never felt massively high, you always got the impression Mikayla was going to make it through and that the races were just a plot point to further the political machinations and back stabbing. The characterisation of the two girls were strong but the two male main characters were not fleshed out enough for me to care and Reznek, the antagonist was not a very nice character, but honestly he didn’t jump out of the page enough for me. I did almost DNF this book halfway through and I’m glad I didn’t because it got a lot better, but I didn’t care enough for some of the characters to care about the big reveals. Overall, I might pick up the second book when it comes out, but I’m not sure how much of a grip the story has on me.

A low 3 stars

This was a brilliant and engaging read, perfectly paced with well-drawn characters. Loved the ending!!

This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson definitely delivered what was promised in the description - and then some. Being a big fan of The Storm Crow, I already knew that the writing and world building would be excellent, so that wasn’t a surprise at all. I normally prefer to read first person over third person, but I enjoyed the third person narrative, especially with the story being told in the dual POV of both Mikira and Arielle.

I liked both Kira and Ari and I loved their friendship and how it developed naturally throughout the course of the novel. If I’m being honest, I think their friendship was my favourite relationship in the book. I had heard before picking up this book that one of the main characters was on the ace spectrum and I was so excited! I am on the ace spectrum myself, and when I was reading the scene when Ari essentially told Kira that she is demi-sexual, I felt very seen and very happy to see a character on the ace spectrum represented in a YA fantasy :)

I really loved the magic system in the book, it was unique and interesting and very detailed which I love. I admittedly don’t know as much as I wish I did about Jewish folklore and mythology, but after reading this book I have definitely been inspired to do some research and further my knowledge. I loved the golems and I’m honestly desperate for Ari to be my best friend. Anyone who can create magical enchanted pets for my animal obsessed self is an instant keeper! Plus I loved Arielle’s personality too. We’d definitely be besties (even if I do question a few of the decisions she makes towards the end of the book). Mikira took me a little bit longer to warm up to, and there were honestly several moments where I wasn’t sure that I really liked her, but regardless, I was always always invested in her story and wanting to know what happens next.

Kalyn Josephson has created an intricate, dazzling and deliciously dangerous world filled intriguing characters and -perhaps even more intriguing-enchanted animals. I’m very much looking forward to seeing how their stories continue.

Thank you very much to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review.

4.5/5 ⭐️ (rounded up)

Pub date: 28 Sep 2023

This should have been such a brilliant fantasy, with an amazing magic system. However something just didn't resonate with me, and I didn't connect with the characters at all. A real shame though, and I'm sure plenty of people will love it!

I received a copy from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

I didnt love this book as much as I wanted to love it. I found it very hard going and I really tried to like this book. The book isn't have it is described so I did end up DNF the book.