1.5 stars.

I was very excited that this book had Indo-Persian culture and Pre-Islamic Arabian mythology which I never read about (and so was very looking forward to).
Being an Indian, some insight into the Indo-Persian culture referenced throughout the book (like lehengas and cholis- I own these and I wear them!) etc., from my side: I always knew that these were introduced by Mughal conquests like Delhi sultanate, Nizams etc., I guess they were mixed into India after Mughal empire got them from their being largely Persian culture (though Turkish in origin), and then when they invaded India. That’s actually so cool how the culture carried over. Purely Indian things like dhotis, maangtikkas etc are also mentioned.

But I kinda liked the representation of sacred prostitution and caste system.

But that mythology part was misleading. On some digging around the web (mostly Wikipedia and YouTube), I found out that Pre-Islamic Arabian religions were indigenous Arabian polytheism, ancient Semitic religions, Christianity, Judaism and Iranian religions. In this case, I think the mythology was supposed to refer to the indigenous Arabian polytheism which is entirely different with none of the same gods and customs mentioned in the book. It’s all just a fantasy mythology with no connection whatsoever to the indigenous Arabian mythology. I felt betrayed.


Writing:
The writing felt so stilted and didn’t rope me in from the beginning. It always made me break my focus on the story. Reading felt like a chore as there was no clear development of plot in sight. The focus on trauma was too much imo.

A quote from the book- “Kinfolk related by their internal and external scars, as if they could look at each other and read every personal tale from how deep a cut went, or how hollow someone’s eyes were. It seemed to be their identity now, an identity whose weight they had paid in blood, or with their very souls.”

The writing was somewhat weird at times. Like- “When Amma unsealed the door..”, really? Unsealed?

I did find some unintentional pov shifts during narration.


Glossary:
The glossary is lacking many non-English words like shirina (there was no meaning anywhere in the book for this). Some were explained in the text but were not mentioned in the glossary. I think they should’ve been in the glossary too, as I forgot the meanings of the words soon after reading them (there was quite a heavy info dump which had me referring the glossary many times tbh).

Some words like Ghameq and Ghaib were not even precisely explained (they’re not human and made of energy but they’re also a tribe?)



World building:
The world in the book was so confusing. I honestly didn’t get where all the places were and after a point I gave up imagining them and focused on the story. A map would’ve been great.

Also, the descriptions of the cities(?) were just an info dump with not much importance to the plot. You could just remove them from the book with little to no damage to the non-existent plot.


Plot:
As I mentioned, there’s not much plot tbh. And too many loose ends. All the events were scattered and don’t always contribute to a solid plot line. This made continuing the book very difficult considering the stilted style of writing and a very slow pace. Too many tragedies give us a perspective on the society (though much less would’ve been sufficient) but it would’ve better to do this along with a plot that leads us on.

All the terrible tragedies, one after the other kinda desensitised me. The Chirag’s tragedy was too far man.

We get the first of the only two interactions with the main antagonist, the Firawn at about 50%. Until then, I was making sense of the world, googling shit and trying to feel bad for the protagonists but couldn’t.

The magic system was not explained at all. At the end, we don’t even get a good idea on the ‘ancient treasure’, the Firawn’s hunting (and don’t forget the child trafficking thing as everyone in the book seems to have left it alone for now).


Characters:
The side character dump was too much and had me checking all the relations between the lamiadasis many times later in the book.

I absolutely hated the dynamic between Levi and Junho. Junho just shouts at everyone and Levi just inclines his head or glances at him or slices his eyes at him and Junho just shuts up. smh.

I loved the name Leviathan for a character. But the character didn’t live up to it’s name. Levi was so annoying. I know what his dad did to him was sad but I hated him when he made the decisions for Roma by himself. The lack of communication between Levi and Roma annoyed me (leading to all the unnecessary drama).

I found this so funny- Levi’s pov and thoughts while seeing Roma for the third time- at about 19% (Until now- no talking, no interaction, just a glance for a couple of times.)-
“His gaze skimmed down to her squared shoulders, the straight spine. He recognised unbreakable strength when he saw it. That brazen stare of hers never wavered. She watched the world with cynicism. There was heat in her. There was power. He doubted she had any clue about it, or she wouldn’t have settled for the herd. She’d have led armies and burned down cities.
If he wanted to test his theory for a second, it was because seeing such potential pulled at him like a battlefield before the bloody call of war, the empty stretch that’d soon sing with the sound of steel against steel.”

Okay, I didn’t get what potential he meant by the second paragraph but I just can’t with the first one. Did I miss something between them or what? Pfft- On exactly what basis did he assume all that? Squared shoulders and straight spine? Lmao. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a strong female lead more than anything but this description, in this point of the book, with no interaction, was just ridiculous.


Ending:
A broad enough cliffhanger with many loose ends for thorough pick up in the sequel.

Summary:
A very slow paced book, too dark for YA genre, with confusing world building and under developed plot with too many tragedies.

Thoughts:
I liked the representation of sacred prostitution, caste system and Hijras. It’s not a society I would ever wanna live in.


Trigger warnings:
Violence, panic attacks, murder, slavery, kidnapping, sexual abuse, drug abuse, domestic abuse, rape, suicide, mutilation, genital mutilation, femicides, torture, transphobia, abortion, self-harm, prostitution, trafficking.

Total time spent: 11h 50min.
Oof. This took forever to finish.

~ ARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley for an honest review.

Going into this read I was really unsure of what to expect outside of the trigger warnings. I wish I could give this more stars as I’m aware this is an #ownvoices novel and it's the intention of Ana Lal Din to bring attention to these practices, but I had a very hard time with the will to finish and still and it took almost a month to finish. It ended on a cliffhanger so I may or may not decide to continue with the series if and when they’re released. The author’s writing style was great, I would read something else by them in another genre or perhaps a bit lighter.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This just wasn’t for me. I think it has to do more with genre than the novel itself. I will definitely let my friends who prefer this genre to keep n eye out for it.

This book was brilliantly written, with characters that leapt off the page and worldbuilding that was exquisitely drawn out. It dealt with heavy, complex topics, yet the plot still carried out, and I’m excited to see if there’s more

A wonderful book from start to finish. Lal Din does a fantastic job weaving south Asian narratives into the Western world, and I can't wait to hear more from her.

It certainly won't be for everyone, but it's an ambitious work of fantasy with an intriguing background and interesting characters (eye-catching cover image too). I'll be looking out for the sequel.

dnf @ 20%

i hate to do this because i’ve heard such good things about the descent of the drowned—every review i’ve read has been positive—but i’m just not the right reader for this book. the writing style didn’t work for me and the world-building was a little convoluted, but i struggled most with how dark and brutal this is thematically. it was more graphic than i was expecting from a ya novel and i’m just not in the right place mentally to read it right now.

i really want to emphasize that this is a personal issue for me and not a reflection of the quality of this book. i may even give it another try in the future.

First, this book has a lot of heavy content including sexual assault, rape, child and human trafficking, suicide, and drug addiction. Because of this, I would not classify this as a typical YA book or recommend it for younger readers.

I found the circumstances that Roma and Levi faced truly devastating and difficult to read at times. The depth of their characters was the most compelling part of the story. This is in large part due to the time and care the author gave to developing the characters and world at the beginning. While the plot didn’t pick up until the halfway point, the start of the book was important.

I enjoyed the writing style. It conveyed the horrors of the world and the pain of the characters very effectively. Overall, I truly care about these characters and appreciate the author’s purpose. I do not think I will continue on with the sequels, but I’m sure many other readers out there will.

When I saw that cover I knew that I had to read this book, to be the author's debut I found it very interesting, I mean it’s about an Indo-Persian colonized world and inspired by pre-Islamic-Arabian mythology, which I must say I’m not familiar with so I felt like I learned a lot from this book and I look forward to reading more books on this mythology.

Main characters

Roma, our protagonist is a young woman who grew up in slavery as one of those chosen by the gods known as lamiadasi, who although they are considered sacred they really are not and suffer too much throughout the book. Roma has suffered too much and her emotional and physical scars showed it, I really liked her character and how strong she is, as well as the message she conveys. Throughout the book you can see how she’s forming her ideas and what she wants in life, that is, to be free.

Instead, Leviathan, the bastard son of the Firawan or the tyrant ruler of this world, is hated and feared by all. His character is very complicated, just like Roma he has been through a lot and all he wants is to seek justice for his mother. I also really liked his character but there were several moments where I felt conflicted with him and didn’t understand his motives.

I clarify that there is no romance between them so far, I don’t know if it will develop in the next book. However, their moments were interesting as they are both from different castes, Levi protected Roma in several instances, but still hated Levi at one point because I still don't understand why he doesn't explain his plan to her. The lack of communication between them created unnecessary drama and the story was confusing.

Plot

My biggest problem with the book is that it had no plot, it seemed like there was a bit of that on Levi's story but really everything was very scattered. Let me explain, the world and the book felt messy, it didn't have a specific goal, and it was difficult at first to continue reading.

There were also many terrible events happening at all times that I honestly feel don’t contribute anything to the story, I think that with one it would be more than enough to understand the social and cultural context in which the book takes place, but no, it was tragedy after tragedy, and there were too many unnecessary descriptions.

Around 50-60% of the book is when we can have a specific plot but it still felt underdeveloped, in turn, the book has magic themes but they were not explained and not much use was made of that. I would like to emphasize that there are many words that are not in English obviously and, although there is a glossary at the end, it would have been very helpful if it said what it meant in parentheses because it was somewhat confusing to follow the story on some occasions.

Secondary characters

I had a big problem with the other lamiadasi, because they just follow what they were taught but I couldn't get to love them because of how they treated Roma and that they didn't really feel any kind of empathy. Definitely of all Yoshi is my favorite although I didn’t like her last actions I understand them, and I like how honest she was, Roma may not like her but she was the only one who understood her.

Now Levi's friends, I loved them, Malev is a great friend who cares about him and I think he was my favorite, also how respectful he is was incredible. Junho is the most impulsive who could be said to idolize Levi although I think he really respects him, I can't say that we know his character very well but I liked him.

Now the "mother" of Roma or Amma, I just hate her, that is, I don't understand her actions and the way she made Roma suffer so much without caring and not only her, but her son Chirag as well. I was hoping it would change but it only got worse, it was terrible.

Now, Chirag is a very interesting and tragic character, he is what is considered a hijra, that is, they were not born male or female, and it can be seen throughout the book how he is ridiculed and mistreated in different ways for wanting to be a little more feminine, his story is so tragic and he deserved much more, I was angered by what he suffered.

Rawiya Mai was a character that did not appear much but that I loved, I think my favorite phrases in the book come from her. Ghanima Mai was another character that I love, her relationship with Levi was so cute, she is so kind and doesn’t judge people, of my favorite characters.

To finish, it’s a very good debut and a strong one I must say, the book is not for everyone, it’s very heavy. I liked the note at the end of the author that definitely made me like the book more, where she explains that she wanted to give more light on sacred prostitution, the abuse of transgender people and women in South Asia, and to quote her; I hope that it depicts the fall of humanity, the absence of it in our world, and raises important questions about morality, identity, and the power of choice. She certainly did it and I can't wait to read more of her.

Is this book for you?

Perfect for: Lovers of mythology and tragic stories.
Do I recommend it? Yes.


TW: violence, panic attacks, murder, slavery, kidnapping, sexual abuse, drug abuse, domestic abuse, rape, suicide, mutilation, genital mutilation, femicides, torture, transphobia, abortion, self-harm, prostitution, trafficking.
Heroine: 7/10
Hero: 6/10
Violence/dark scenes: 8/10
Plot: 6/10
POV: dual
Type: Series
Cover: 8/10

My thanks to the author Ana Lal Din, White Tigress Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to get this ARC for an unbiased review.

First up, I have to mention how unique this book is. I’ve never come across another book that takes its inspiration from pre-Islamic mythology and Indo-Persian culture. It was one of the things that drew me to the book in the first place and the author really delivers. However, it is very important for me to note that I am not familiar with either mythology and I am now an own voices reviewer. I cannot speak to the accuracy of the mythology portrayed.

I can say that I enjoyed it. It engulfed me and I wanted more. I had a bit of a hard time with all of the unfamiliar names and words, but there is a really great glossary in the back of the book that I wish I had discovered earlier. From what I have read in other reviews, the author also does a really good job with the Arabic words, and they’re using them in a way that I wasn’t too confused.

I’m quite impressed that this is a debut novel. True, it has some pacing issues and takes a little too long getting into the plot, but in my opinion the author uses that time well to establish the world and the views of the many different groups and characters.

I will include a trigger warning for this book, it is not a light read. TW includes but not limited to rape (off-page), forced drug use, suicide (off-page), self-harm (before the book starts), human trafficking, prostitution, and more. What I will say about these heavy topics is that the author writes about them because it is important. These horrific events are also a part of the history the writer is inspired by.

I only just found out now that there is going to be a sequel next year and I am excited to read it. This author has a lot of potential and I am excited to see where she goes next. And this books ends on such a note that I am very curious to know what happens.

I tried really hard to read this book and enjoy it but unfortunately I had to DNF it. It wasn't capturing my attention and it felt like nothing was happening and the characters were just stuck at the same place. I felt w=very disconnected from the story and it was very slow paced and I just didn't want to carry on reading. I got around 45% through but nothing really interesting had happened by that point. I really wanted to love this book as it sounded like books I like but that was not the case.

I’m probably going to update this review and ensure that I do this book justice later. I think the first thing I really liked about the book is the fact that the trigger warnings were all states beforehand. Although this book is mainly being marketed as YA, in my personal opinion it is much darker and should probably be marketed as new adult simply because of the trigger warnings and how much detail is provided for them.

I adored all of the characters in this book, specifically Roma. I related to her and for that reason my experience while reading this book was amazing.

The plot took some time to actually speed up, it happened at around 45% of the book. As someone who enjoys a lot of action, this meant that I got bored at some points during the beginning of the book however when it picked up, it really picked up.

The world building was set up beautifully and I’m hoping that this one issue that I had with this book won’t be repeated because that part is already done.

The writing style was beautiful and the book was filled with quotes that I’m definitely going to be saving.

Wow.

This book is the first in a series set in a Indo-Persian inspired world, post-colonization. The world-building is immense, and complex, but fascinating. I appreciated the glossary included at the end as well.

Roma is a "temple-dancer," belonging to a group of women dedicated to a goddess but who are forced to serve and please men. Levi is the son of the immortal (or near-immortal) tyrant who rules over their society, while forced to act as his father's "blade." I enjoyed the development of these characters over the course of the book. By the end, both felt so changed and I am excited to see where the story goes.

This is a very dark book, I won't lie. But it is reminiscent of The Poppy War series in its darkness, and I loved that series because despite the darkness it felt like a vital story being told and it was so well-written. Fans of that series should definitely pick up this book.

Trigger warnings for this book: sexual assault/rape, slavery, suicidal thoughts, gore/violence, animal death, drug use (and probably more that I am missing).

Link to my review on goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3541442552?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

I greatly enjoyed this high fantasy YA book. I think the world building was very good and there is great potential for a wonderful series. I am looking forward to future books in this series.

TW for suicide, rape, child rape, sexual assault trauma, violence, self-harm

Just a warning this book is dark. But even though it is dark, it really sheds light on the problematic devadasi culture and how it has evolved into a form of prostitution. Ana Lal Din includes a blurb in her acknowledgements about the issues she wanted to spread awareness about in this book. Some of the issues include the caste system, abuse of transgenders in South Asia, exploitation of resources from places like the Middle East and Afghanistan, and human trafficking. It was really hard to read about some of these issues, but I believe she portrayed everything very well and did not shy away from sharing the cold, hard truth. This is supposed to make people feel uncomfortable when they read it. The characters were also really well-written and going through their own internal struggles. I really liked reading Roma's chapters and I liked how despite all the trauma she suffers she still has empathy for others struggling such as Chirag. I really didn't like Levi's character though and I think what he did to Roma was completely unforgivable. I hope he turns out better in the next book and redeems himself. I get that he has a ton of trauma of his own but I just found him to be so unlikeable. Overall I think the story was really engaging and there's a lot going on especially near the end. The ending was a great cliffhanger though so I'm excited to read the next book.

I truly enjoyed this read! Although some parts did lack with the pacing and some characters did not really connect with me, I do believe this author as a ton of potential and I am looking forward to more from her! I did love the topics represented within this story by the main character as I too can relate to some of the things the main character goes through!

I wil begin by thanking NetGalley and White Tigress Press for the opportunity to read "The Descent of the Drowned".

In this book we follow the story of Roma- a lamiadasi(a sacred slave of the Gods)- who serves patrons in order to preserve the balance between men and Gods, and Leviathan Silvius Blackburn-the son of the Firawn(ruler of the lands), who's existance is hated and feared in equal measure. These two have to navigate the obstacles their position in society offers them, the so-called fate dictated to them by others and inevitable path to sorrow, in order to obtain freedom and control of their own being.

Trigger warnings: violence, suicide, mutilation and torture, physical and mental abuse.

This book is set in a colonised Indo-Persian world and is inspired by Pre-Islamic Arabian mythology.
As per the author note at the end of the novel, the following themes and important subjects are discussed en-large in the pages we read : awareness about sacred prostitution, caste system, and half-creature perception and abuse of transgenders in South Asia; ethnic cleansing; the occupation of, and war crimes against other nations,as well as the exploitation of those people; human trafficking of adults and children.

I found this story to be extremely compelling, VERY WELL WRITTEN, and complex. The author didn't hold her punches when it came to the plot, character development and consequences. Both Roma and Levi (especially Roma), feel the repercussions of their actions and/or innactions deeply and rightfully so.
Roma is a victim in every sense of the word and the fact she is fighting on a human level with her status in society, her fears and her desires to escape a nightmarish way of living is truly moving. Her attachment to those around her is often times an impediment in achieving freedom and is very well balanced with the image of any other woman in this world. As I said, her fight is human, and thus, limiting in actions and acomplishments. We see her down, beaten and humiliated. We see a girl that is never rescued...fact I truly appreciated due to the fact that in real life, no-one cares enough to do it. It filled me with anger and sadness to make this correlation.
While Roma's circumstances create a defensive mechanism ruled by fear, Levi is subjected to a trauma that gives life to a system based on hate and hunger to desecrate. He is very much caught between guilt and numbness, anger and indifference. His legacy is what separates him from the others, and his guilt in regards to his mother separates him from what he could be.
With this said, these two are very well developed. They DO NOT form a couple as many would be inclined to believe when reading the synopsis, they don't even find trust in each other. Their relationship...or better said their interactions are realistic based on who they are and how life and experiences shaped them!
I also enjoyed other characters besides the protagonists: Ghanima Mai- a wise and very patient soul who fights to keep her tribe alive,Kanoni- she is angry and hurt, Malev- a true brother and friend who's silent support is more than a pillar for sanity, little Chirag - who left me feeling sad and in need of justice, and the White Wolves for their brotherhood. Other characters that I found well written, but left me disliking them are Jainaba Begum (also known as Amma for the girls), Junho (needs to stay in a cage...way to much impulsiveness) and the Firawn (although I admit I am fascinated with him).

Another strong point: the rich culture of the tribes, lamiadasis, lower and higher zaat when it comes to markings, superstitions, beliefs, history and myths. These people felt real. Along side the vivid imagery of the village(especially the White Wolves's!), temples, and sorrounding landscape, we have an impressive background for the story.

Only complaint I have: sometimes I had trouble deciding if, for example, Ghada is a city or a neighborhood , or how far are some places in regards to others. Maybe the physical format of the story has a map, and my problem is easily solved. Regardless, I don't think this is enough to have an impact on my rating.

Plot: the protagonists have almost separate storylines losely tied by the magic of the world or sparse interactions. There is a domino effect when it comes to the development of the plot due to the well implemented concept of action-reaction. the soft magic system is mostly in the background, and I believe it will play a bigger role in the second book. It's more like magic of the land and inhuman creatures than your typical fantasy, and the unique inspiration for it gives the book a mystical aura.

Overall, I have high expectations for the sequel and I'm sure I won't be dissapointed! ^^
I will recommend this book to everyone looking for a plot-driven unique fantasy in regards to inspiration for magic and setting, where social issues are the focus, and the characters really work and develop to earn the title of favorites! ^_^

Enjoy!

P.S.: The curse Roma bestowed on the villagers at the end.....EPIC!!!

this is the first book i read that i preordered. i loved every minute of it. roma is one of my favourite protagonists and now i urge everyone to read this gem.

The cover dragged me into this one, and the synopsis definitely kept me intrigued - something I was very excited for - and it did NOT disappoint. I have not read anything like this book before (and if I have I've forgotten). The Descent of the Drowned follows the POV's of two main characters - Roma, lower caste that serves patrons, and Leviathan, the Firawn's son with a lot of power and definitely a lot of emotional damage.

When these polar opposites cross paths it creates an interesting combination and relationship - I need to know how this develops moving forward. I really loved the characters and the plot as well. A fast-paced and intense read that I really enjoyed.

I can't wait to read the next book and see what's to come in the future.

This book was written in incredibly unique ways. The plot, the characters, and the places inside were just remarkable. I love how Ana Lal Din made this book rich with culture, although I got a little confused with its world-building at first. This book was a page-turner. It made me want to know what will happen after I finished a sentence. And lastly, the ending was well-written and unexpected. I'm looking forward to read Roma's next stories! ^^