An enjoyable read! The best parts were definitely the racing portions though I think there weren't quite enough of them for me. While the race was a huge factor, when it is advertised as the main point in the book I think it should have a little more actual time on the page? The found family aspect was cute but also seemed a bit too forced, they all trusted each other so fast. Overall a fun book for people that like something similar to SOC or these violent delights.

I couldn’t get into the story and characters were underdeveloped. The author’s writing style is beautiful but I was not invested in the story of magical horse racing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Roaring Brook Press for the ARC.

Author describes it as "jewish mobster mariokart" and says "Think PEAKY BLINDERS x SCORPIO RACES with:
- angry girls taking back power
- an aroace MC
- jewish mythology
- sciencey magic
- friends to enemies to lovers"

SIGN ME UP

Now that I've read it, and realized it's a duology, not all of those promises have held true yet. The description of jewish mobster mariokart definitely holds true though and it's glorious. I also thoroughly enjoyed reading a book that featured horses somewhat centrally, though, as always, I would have liked even more of them, with more equestian details. But alas, I also understand that such things wouldn't appeal to the masses, and might end up quite dry in a book like this.

I liked the two main characters, Ari and Mikira, as well as the two main side characters, Damien and Reid. That said, I struggled with identifying Reid's place in the story.
It's definitely not a standalone, as it ends on a quite mysterious note, even as it closes the arc about the horse races. Hopefully the horses will remain pivotal in book 2, or I'll definitely be disappointed.

great book and loved the mystery through out the book. I loved the characters and how they grew through all of their adventures. I enjoyed this book and this author and will check them out again add them to my reading pile.

Firstly, thank you to Netgalley and Roaring Brook Press for allowing us to read this for an honest review.

At first I assumed this book was going to be something like the film hidalgo but add magic to it. But I was pleasantly surprised with this gritty and dark book. We have cinnamon roll characters, morally grey characters that you hate but love, and a twist that you won’t see coming.

I can’t say enough about how much I adore this book and how much I love Reid. I cannot wait to read the second book from Kalyn Josephson.

If you want to know more of my review of this book, check out my podcast Just One More Page. Where my cohost and I break down and discuss this book!

Thanks so much to @ColoredPagesBT for including me on the tour and thanks to @FierceReads for sending me a finished copy!

I’ve loved Kalyn’s writing since being swept away with The Storm Crow and it’s sequel. That duology was absolutely incredible and cemented Josephson on my must read list. When I heard about This Dark Descent and that it had aroace (demiromantic and demisexual specifically) rep, I was sold. If you loved The Scorpio Races, you will love this one!!

We follow Mikira and Arielle who have gotten tangled up with a mysterious lord who might just be able to solve their problems if they all work together. Mikira must participate in the Illinir and win to save her father among other things. But she can’t use an obviously enchanted horse for this unhinged death race or her bargain is null. Luckily Arielle has a specific kind of magic that can help her.

This book was so good and I’ll definitely be rereading it. I loved both of these girls and especially Arielle as she explores her power and darkness 😌. I loved how tense and action packed this story was. It had me hooked and the ending was something else 👀.

This Dark Descent captured my attention when I read the synopsis and it was filled with horse races, Jewish mythology, and what I felt would be a strong found family plot line. I wasn't disappointed with the majority of my expectations.

Within the synopsis, the Illinir is described as "... a treacherous horserace whose riders either finish maimed or murdered. Yet each year, competitors return, tempted by its alluring prize money and unparalleled prestige." Due to this description, I thought it would be more center stage than it was. This is difficult for me to describe because the Illinir was very much a focal point of the story, but each of the races only lasted about a chapter. To some, this would be a good thing, but to me it didn't give the races the rich descriptions they deserved. I wanted them to stretch longer so that, as a reader, I would be more invested and worried about Mikira's fate during them. Yes, they were challenging, but then they were over. I only had one other main critique- while I understood the development of a romantic relationship between two of the characters, the other relationship felt a tad forced. It definitely could have grown into something, but not at the moment one of the characters noted it, in my opinion.

Critiques aside, the last 30% of this book was WILD. I didn't know which way was up or which way was down. I didn't know who to trust, who I liked, or what was going to happen to my beloved characters at the end. Which is to say- Josephson did a wonderful job creating these characters. So much so, I was SO WORRIED about them toward the end. I felt like I was in this world, piecing together all the background information that I'd had all along but didn't link. It was genius. I absolutely recommend this book. It's exciting, dark, treacherous, romantic-- it has so many elements I adore.

A note- the first 70% of this book was very enjoyable as well. We get to see these seemingly unrelated characters come together and build friendships, a mismatched family. There was a good balance of bad people doing bad things, good people doing bad things, bad people doing good things, and good people doing good things. It made the world and characters feel that much more real. Josephson's magic system was perfect. The character development, especially Ari's, was top tier.

The ending ripped my heart out and I can't wait to read the next book!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

"Monsters rarely look like monsters."

This  was a fun action packed read. It fits more along the upper YA lines and definitely made me reminisce about Scorpio Races.

▫️Multiple POVs
▫️Golems
▫️Possession
▫️Bi and demisexial rep
▫️High stakes horse racing
▫️Jewish lore

The strength in this novel for me was in the way the author wraps the beauty of Jewish culture and folklore and feeds it into the narrative. This novel is briming with politics, golmes and darker magic. The characters are a mix of morally grey and unlikable. I even liked how the title of the novel fit each character differently even if Ari was my favorite. Outside of Ari, I didn't connect with many of the others and felt some backstory and buildup was missing in the beginning. The romance felt minimal and when it was present, low on chemistry in most scenes. Can't deny I liked the character traits of Damien and Reid though.

The world building was simplistic leaving room for the narrative, lore and action to grow. There are some convenient plot changes that I've come to expect from the genre but I really enjoyed that this is a bit on the darker side of human nature. I don't know if this was on purpose but I felt like this book was for Mikira's story. With the cliffhanger ending I have my bets on where the focus will be in book two and I'm totally looking forward to that.

I have high hopes for the next book in this series and cannot wait to see what the author does. Special thank you to Fierce Reads for the stunning copy! True rating 3.5/5.

Quotables:

“I will never tell you not to be angry. When the world has taken so much from you, sometimes anger is all you have left. But if you do nothing with it, it will consume you..... So be angry, my lion, and let the world tremble in your wake."

3.75 stars

I adore books with competitions and the horse races in this were so much fun. My only complaint about them was that they didn't take up more page time.

This was a fun story and the LGBTQ+ rep and Jewish folklore were great. I appreciated the dual points of view and the bits of romance we saw develop. There are a couple turns this takes and the ending left me wanting more.

I thought a couple places got a little bogged down or slow, but overall enjoyed reading this and will be on the look out for the sequel.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Roaring Book Press and NetGalley for the copy.

Mikira Rusel and her family have been known for their enchanted horse breeding, but soon find themselves in debt. With her father taken and their debts still needing to be paid, Mikira does the unthinkable. She joins in the Illinir with the help of Damian Adair, a young royal bent on taking back the house and winning his blood feud. Mikira must train and face off against others in this treacherous race, where both riders and their horses can be maimed or even worse...murdered. If she's ever going to pay back her debts and save her family, she has no other option than to win, by whatever means necessary.

I really enjoyed this forbidden magic fantasy novel! I wasn't totally sure what to expect especially because this book focuses on enchanted horses and I'm definitely not a horse girly haha. If you are or were a horse girl, read this one, I think you'll love it!

This Dark Descent was my dark horse of 2023 reads. I went in for sapphic romance, heard some spoilers from the folks on Goodreads about said romance/lack of, and then put off reading my ARC for an interminable amount of time...but I regret waiting, because this book was incredible.

Pitched as The Scorpio Races meet Six of Crows, This Dark Descent follows the dual POVs of underground horse racer Mikira and spellcaster Arielle as they work to win the deadliest race in the kingdom, or else fall to the scheming of some seriously power hungry lords.

But it's so much more than the description, and it honestly doesn't do this book justice. First off, the magic system is INCREDIBLE. I'd describe it as Jewish folklore meets alchemy, and I loved getting to discover more of this forbidden magic alongside Ari. Her chapters were utterly captivating, as was the prose, and the feminine rage!! Her twist at the end felt so well done and natural.

But Mikira, even though I was more hesitant on her in the beginning, is also interesting in her own way. I loved the bisexual representation (I think we all know which LI I was rooting for), but also how her love interests don't consume her storyline. However, I'm knocking a star off because the politics of the story, which took up a lot of Kira's chapters, were kind of confusing. I'm not sure if the published, paper copy has this, but I would have appreciated a Dramatis Personae like other large-cast fantasy novels I've read, and maybe some kind of hierarchy to keep all the lords and minor lords and all that straight. I spent way too much time trying to figure this out, and less actually concentrating on how Kira's life is affected by all the moving pieces.

Overall, though: like the magical races This Dark Descent centers around, this was a dark, twisting, and utterly unforgettable ride, and I was so thrilled to see there's a sequel in the works! I love Mikira, but that Ari cliffhanger (minor spoiler?) leaves me begging for more.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillan Children's Publishing Group, and Kalyn Josephson for giving me this e-ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This Dark Descent is a fantasy novel which pulls from Jewish folklore. I found it very similar to Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo. Overall, I felt like this story just pulled a lot of different elements from other fantasy stories and put its own little twist on it. That being said it wasn’t bad, but a lot of the themes felt very familiar. I did like the characters in the story and found them to be well thought out and fun. The overarching theme in the story, however just seemed a little too dry and reminiscent of other stories. I’ve read that are similar.

Thank you, NetGalley and MacMillan Children's Publishing Group!
Fantasy, romance, action, and horses? Sign me up! This Dark Descent really delivered everything I was expecting and wanting for the story. I was excited by the horses going in, and I enjoyed delving deeper into the world. I ended up loving this story and how the author used folklore to really enhance the story. Personally, I thought the romance was a bit average, but I enjoyed the other elements so much. The premise was extremely unique, and I really enjoyed getting an opportunity to read this early.

Let's just start off by thanking Rosiee Thor for recommending This Dark Descent to me. With big The Scorpio Races vibes, I wasn't sure what to expect. One of my main complaints with that book was that there weren't enough horses? But This Dark Descent - in regards to the horses - is everything I thought I'd be getting. There is rich world building which weaves magic into the world, the horses, and the stakes. As a big world building nerd, I thought this was going to be my favorite element. But the truth is I just can't pick one.

I adored the way the Jewish folklore is woven into the story, into the magic and the exploration of our powers. There's secret magic, discoveries which quake our foundation, and plenty of intrigue. This Dark Descent is a story which had be entirely wrapped up in the next page, the next word.

this was soooo close to being a five star read for me. There’s one slightly mild torture scene that just made me uncomfortable. I can’t read those I have a severely weak stomach. Besides for that one page this book was incredible. I was so happy with all the Jewish folklore/mythology and something happens at the end that I was rooting for!! I can’t wait to see where it goes in the next book.

I've picked this one up and put it down a few times and I know that it's me and not necessarily the book because a magical series full of intrigue, romance, magic, horses, and action but it's the kind of book I need to listen to in an audiobook because it doesn't do it for me on paper.

I'll be honest, I requested This Dark Descent solely based off the cover (which is gorgeous), and went in completely blind to what the actual book was about. That's 100% on me lol but I ended up DNFing. It just wasn't for me.

While this one took me awhile to get through, it was relatively engaging from the start, with a bit of a slow back half. The overall plot is interesting and moves quickly, and the multiple POVs helped move it along as well. I enjoyed Ari and her storyline the most, as hers is more mysterious and seems to be filled with more of the complex secrets of this fantasy world. I found Mikira's story interesting, but repetitive of other female leads in that "hero" type role. I'll likely read book two as I think we'll get some answers about Ari and her magic. If you like some mild vibes of "Six of Crows" mixed with your typical competition fare, you'll enjoy this one!

- THIS DARK DESCENT is quite a - pun intended - ride. Magic based on Jewish folklore, enchanted horse races, backstabbing elites, murder and romance.
- The race scenes had me on the edge of my seat. It took me a little flipping pages back and forth to follow the machinations of the lords, but once I figured it out I was all in.
- I haven't seen much talk about the queerness of this book, but it is! The characters describe their feelings rather than label them, given the sort of ancient fantasy setting of the world. But Mikira reads as bisexual and Arielle as somewhere on the demi-aroace spectrum.

This Dark Descent” is a young adult fantasy novel by Kalyn Josephson, the author of “The Storm Crow” duology and “Ravenfall” series. The book is the first installment in the “This Dark Descent” series and follows Mikira Rusel, a young woman from a family famous for breeding enchanted horses. Mikira’s family is on the verge of ruin, and to save her ranch, she must win the Illinir, a treacherous horserace whose riders either finish maimed or murdered. Mikira’s mission soon unites her with Arielle Kadar, an impressive yet illicit enchanter just beginning to come into her true power, and Damien Adair, a dashing young lord in the midst of a fierce succession battle. Both have hidden reasons of their own to help Mikira – as well as their own blood feuds to avenge.