Whoaaaaaa that was a ride!! This book reminded me why I love fantasy. It was like a fever dream, so intense and fast paced and gripping. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time.

I REALLY wanted to love this one but it really fell flat for me. This truly could have been a me problem since I am kind of slumping but I didn’t find myself caring at all about what was happening. So much so, that I was completely spacing out while reading and then was completely confused with how we got to certain points.

The idea of magical horse races really sold me. I’m a sucker for the competition trope but I just feel like there wasn’t enough of it for being what the book is mostly about?

Also the first half of the book had me a bit more. I was interested and excited but then at some point it started to lose me. There wasn’t enough action and things happening to keep my interest for the entire book i guess.

I might give this one a second change in the future because I honestly didn’t hate it. Just wasn’t connecting the way I wanted to!

“Everything was coming crashing down around her, but the world didn’t slow. It broke and broke and broke, but it never stopped to witness its destruction.”


This Dark Descent by Kaly Josephson is a dual POV story from two markedly different heroines whose destinies cross as they both try to overcome the hand they were given and take a measure of control over their own lives. Based on Jewish Folklore this story weaves corruption, action, magic and budding romance into a story of self-sacrifice and trials to overcome great odds. Mikira Rusel and Arielle Kadar are thrust together into a world of political intrigue and family/politial schemes and must count on each other while not being given the time to build a foundation of trust in either the other or themselves. But, as they each face their own forms of adversity their confidence in each other and their own abilities grows.


“Her jaw set. How could she explain when she barely understood it herself? She both loved her magic and feared it. Felt enthralled by it and furious at it. It made her strong even as it unraveled her. She might not know what was happening to her, but she knew it had to do wih that book. It felt like it was taking control of her. ‘I was angry,’ she said softly. It felt like a lie. It felt like the truth. It encompassed none of what she felt and all of it at once, and it had taken her so very, very long to understand. She was angry.”
This Dark Descent is a high-tension, action-packed story with a number of plot lines and story arcs. While this complexity made for a rich tale it also contributed to a number of ideas, relationships, and characters seeming underdeveloped. I never felt like I got much past my initial understanding of the major players, except for Arielle, whose heritage as a Kinnish woman and her untapped well of great power, which she knows very little about, propels her introspection and development. Her illicit gifts of magic allow her to create the enchanted gollums which becomes the key to Mikira’s ability to survive the Illinir. This nugget was fascinating but other concepts and a numbers of relationships were not as full as I would have liked them to be. However, what I did learn was intriguing and I’m hoping that book 2 will flesh out these things a lot more.


The main take away from the experience of reading This Dark Descent, between the fast paced action of enchanted horse races and political scheming where information is currency and power is wielded through fear and intimidation, is lots of high tension and unexpected plot twists and turns. Teens and young adults will surely enjoy this first installment of Kalyn Josephson’s This Dark Descent Duology and will look forward to reading the concluding book Our Deadly Designs scheduled to release November 12, 2024.

So good! I read it too quickly and forgot to provide a review. Still, this is one I think about and have read several times.

I am always looking for LGBTQIA+ fantasy, it’s super popular with my readers. I will be buying this for my library system.

This Dark Descent was a high-stakes novel that moved quick and kept me engaged throughout the whole story, a page-turner that will keep you hooked from start to finish.

i really liked some aspects of this book like the jewish mythology and the queer rep! but overall this book wasn’t for me and i felt it was too YA

While I did not personally enjoy the book, I have been recommending it to my fantasy customers. I have handsold it to at least fifteen customers who said they loved it

Book Name: This dark descent
Author: Kalyn Josephson

ARC

Thank you to **Macmillan Children's Publishing Group | Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley** for an ARC.

Stars: 3

- Thoughts.
- underwhelming
- deadly competition
- class inequalities
- religious discrimination
- unlikely friendships
- Strongly YA
- Jewish Folklore elements (Golems)
- [Author describes it as](https://twitter.com/KalynJosephson/status/1318669513664032770) "Jewish mobster mariokart"
- Horse Races
- an aroace MC
- Angry FMC
- Friends to Enemies to …

Tale of horse-racing, magic, and power!

17yo Mikira secretly races her horse to earn money for her father and sisters and to save their business of raising strong racing horses. Rezek makes a bargain with her; if she wins the dangerous race coming up, he will leave her family in peace. 20yo Damien sponsors Mikira because he hates Rezek and will do almost anything to spite him. Damien hires 18yo Ari to create a racing horse golem that has speed, endurance, protective instincts and strength. It’s against the rules of the race to use an enchanted horse so they must keep the fact that the horse, Atara, is a magical golem a secret. The race is dangerous and everything is on the line for Mikira, Ari, and Damien.

Likes/dislikes: Jewish mythology adds an interesting factor to the story. I like that Damien wants to help others even though he could use his money and power for anything he wants. Reid is unusual and I want to learn more about his background.
Language: PG-13 for 25 swears, no f-words.
Mature Content: PG-13 for implied sex, off page.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: a variety including dark, alabaster, olive, light brown, tawny, pale, brown, fair, deep bronze, and golden-skinned people.

A fast-paced, thrilling ride!

The book is dual POV, so we’re guided through the story by the horse racer Mikira and the enchanter Arielle, who are hired by a mysterious young lord, Damian, to team up and win a high-stakes enchanted horse race. I was especially drawn to Ari’s chapters—her internal conflict over losing herself to the darkness was beautifully and hauntingly represented. I also loved that the side characters had a large presence and distinct personalities; I particularly loved the grumpy Reid.

THIS DARK DESCENT draws from Jewish folklore in a unique and novel way, and it also offers some really great queer rep (aroace and bi). I would definitely recommend this book for anyone looking for Peaky Blinders-esque horse racing in a fast-paced magical world!

Solid love triangle fantasy plotted YA involving a horse race and Jewish lore. Interesting twist at the end, but again, not long I'm probably going to remember that much of long term.

What is your favorite thing to see on a book cover?

I adore the cover of This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson, with its elegant statue imagery on a copper-colored background! I think it managed to be both simplistic and ornate simultaneously, which is not an easy feat!

Today is my stop on Colored Pages Book Tours’ (@coloredpagesbt) release celebration tour for This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson (@kalynmjosephson)! I will be sharing my review here on Instagram and some of my favorite quotes from the book over on my blog as part of the tour! Be sure to check out the full tour schedule (link in bio) for content from all the other wonderful hosts!

This Dark Descent had a lot of incredible elements I look for in a good young adult fantasy novel! Hands down the best part of this book for me was the complex and unique characters, especially Arielle and Mikira! They had excellent interwoven perspectives and narratives, which motivated them to take action throughout the story that drove the plot forward. My other favorite thing about This Dark Descent was the worldbuilding, which stems from Jewish folklore. While I am not very familiar with the source folklore, this book made me want to do more research into Jewish folklore, and other fantasy books inspired by it!

My Recommendation:
If you have been feeling a years-long void since reading The Scorpio Races, I strongly recommend you grab a copy of This Dark Descent. While the two books are quite different, this book brought me back to the heart-pounding high-stakes horse racing that made me love The Scorpio Races all those years ago.

Thank you to @fiercereads for sharing a copy of This Dark Descent with me!

This book starts off like a lot of YA fantasy these days, inundating the reader with and encyclopedia’s worth of names, politics and history before they have had a chance to care about the characters or feel invested. I just can’t do these anymore :(

DNF ~ 6%

Thank you Fierce Reads for the e-arc but not for me.

2.5 stars, rounded down for GoodReads

I'm forever complaining that fantasy novels often drag out the plot into more books than are really needed. So imagine my surprise when I discovered that this book had the opposite problem. There was entirely too much happening here. I think it would have been a more enjoyable read if some of that real estate had been spent on character development instead. We had a lot of plot and very flat characters, which made it difficult to care much about what was happening to the characters during all those plot points. The world-building was nebulous: non-existent in places, left to the reader to fill in with guesses other times, and overall hard to follow. The ending is clearly a cliffhanger setup for the next book, but I'm not invested enough to finish this series.

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

I’ve been a fan of Josephson since her Storm Crow series, and I’ve been looking forward to this new fantasy series for awhile. And it did not disappoint. I got Peaky Blinders x Hidalgo vibes from it, and I loved that the story revolved around horses (a personal favorite of mine). It was action packed and fun, and while there were two horse deaths that I really struggled with (animal death/cruelty is my only trigger), I understood why they needed to happen.

There was just way too much happening here. I can't keep track of two viewpoint characters AND three book' worth of plot.

I jumped on this train when that it had vibes similar to The Scorpio Races. Forbidden magic and Jewish mythology and it also had interesting twists! After 2023, I just am in love with horses in general so I definitely read this at the perfect time. Cant wait for the next book!

This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson offers a wild ride in the heart of Veradell, where the Illinir horse race is no joke - it's got high stakes and a body count to match. Meet Mikira Rusel, a tough horse breeder dead set on winning, even if it means making some shady alliances.

The characters are a mixed bag, from a rogue enchanter with a mysterious past to an ambitious lord knee-deep in a succession brawl. Josephson keeps the pace pedal to the metal, throwing in twists and turns that'll keep you on the edge.

The world-building is spot-on, blending magic seamlessly into the danger-soaked landscapes of Veradell. While the plot occasionally leans on familiar fantasy tropes, the character development shines. Mikira's determination is a force to be reckoned with, and the supporting cast adds layers of drama, friendship, and betrayal.

Sure, the story might follow a predictable rhythm at times, and a few characters could use more depth. But, overall, "This Dark Descent" is a darkly magical joyride. If you're into fantasy with a side of danger and a cast of characters you won't forget, dive in. It's a wicked adventure that'll leave you craving more.