Book Review
Title: This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson (This Dark Descent Book 1)
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy
Rating: 4 Stars
Having read Josephson’s middle grade book Ravenfall and hoping to read the Storm Crow duology soon, I was excited to get into This Dark Descent. We are introduced to our protagonist, Mikira, who is racing in underground races to earn money for her family who breed enchanted horses. In this world, we learn that humans were given magic by the Four Harbringers, and each has a specific category their magic relates to ranging from physical enchants for speed and strength to ethereal ones for protection and guidence. Lord Kelbra has been after the family ranch for years and after learning that Mikira’s father is an unlicenced enchanter, he gives the man the choice between death or becoming a servant for him. Mikira’s father takes the servitude option but Mikira steps in making a bargain of her own.
Kelbra wants Mikira to race in the Illinir on an unenchanted horse, if she wins her father gets his freedom and he will forgive the family’s debt but if she loses Kelbra will take everything from her and Mikira agrees even though she is almost guaranteed to lose without a lot of help and a little cheating. Mikira tries to get a sponsor for the race by attending an event designed for that but she is refused entry until Damain Adair steps in. Things don’t seem to be going well since everyone thinks Mikira is beneath them and she can’t hold her temper in check. In the end, Damain offers to sponsor her even with the conditions given to her by Kelbra because he has his own issues with the man and wants her to win.
Mikira takes the offer but soon realises that Damian might be just as bad as Kelbra. We are also introduced to Arielle, a kinnish enchanter who creates golems and brings them to life for clients, even though she is risking her life by doing so. She ends up being attacked by thieves and saved by Damian. Damian offers her the chance to learn more about her magic if she creates a golem for him. Since golems can’t be detected as enchanted, he wants to use the golem as Mikira’s horse for the Illinir. Along with Reid, the foursome begin planning for the race with Mikira training on the tracks of Adair manor since she isn’t used to running these kinds of races. Mikira also has to attend to her own estate and take care of her two younger sisters drawing her in two directions but ultimately gives in to the lure of the track spending most of her time there.
Mikira is kept in the dark about the golem, but Ari is given all the materials she needs. There is also growing unrest in the country as the Eternal War is taking its toll, taking people from their families and forcing them to fight, along with the rising cost of grain meaning working class people are going hungry while the rich get richer. As the first race approaches, we can see the struggles each character is going through from Reid’s encounter with the older Adair brother, Loic, who seems to be responsible for torturing Reid giving him his tattoos, to Damian torn between his family, his heritage and his pride. Mikira is desperate to save her father and restore her family name while Ari wants to be able to use her magic without the constant threat of death looming over her. All the characters have things in their pasts which haunt them, but they manage to forge some genuine connections, and we even learn that some are queer as Mikira is bisexual and Ari is demisexual given some nice representation in the book alongside the use of Jewish folklore.
By the time the Illinir begins everything begins to spiral out of control with the stakes getting higher and the risks to all their safety becoming more apparent. Overall, I really enjoyed This Dark Descent because at its core it is about a deadly competition but also the fight against class inequality, religious discrimination and the horrors of war. This is a fun and compelling novel which moves at an incredible pace meaning it never gets boring, but it isn’t afraid to slow the pace down at the emotional moments allowing them to have the proper impact on the reader which I greatly appreciated as a reader. The ending had me on the edge of my seat and I CANNOT WAIT to read the sequel. I need more from this world, more from these characters, and I’m convinced many of you will feel the same. Highly recommended.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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