This was an interesting read! Two female POVs is not usually what I read, but I really liked the storytelling & writing in this one. Some character choices frustrated me at times, but would definitely still recommend.

This Dark Descent, written by Kalyn Josephson, is an exceptionally captivating fantasy novel that delves into thought-provoking themes such as the true value of goodness, the consequences of wielding magic, and the profound complexities of human nature.

I have loved this authors writing since The Storm Crow and man am still a fan!! This one was a fabulous story that I couldn't put down. I loved the feel of the tale and the setting. The characters were all there with all the feels and man I need the next one now!! I really hope that Josephson sometime in the future does some kind of New Adult Fantasy because man this couldn't have been any better other than with a hint of spice.

This book had me from the very first line: “Horses will speak to you, if only you listen.” As a life-long horse girlie, I knew I was going to fall in love with this part of the story being so prominent. I somehow completely forgot that this book had to do with horses by the time I started reading it and I was so freaking excited once I realized it.

This story has everything you could want and all the points are so well-developed. It is a lot to take in in the first few chapters, but once you start to immerse yourself into the world it is truly captivating. This has the depth of an adult fantasy that many readers want.

The lore and worldbuilding are so rich and intriguing. All the different kinds of magic and ways that it is used throughout the book was so fascinating. There’s political intrigue and power dynamics and issues of class and race. The story world really comes to life and is so engaging. The action-packed plot was perfectly paced.

I absolutely love our two main characters Mikira and Arielle, which we get dual POV. They are both fiercely independent and the feisty heroine type that is so endearing to me. Even the side characters are fun and exciting. I fell in love with the boys as soon as they graced the page. All the characters are complex and nuanced.

As an avid young adult fantasy reader, I’m always a little skeptical going into a new book in the hopes that it is not just another formulaic feeling story. And wow this did not feel like that at all. I highly recommend this book to all fantasy readers. I can easily see it becoming the next phenomenon in this genre and I can’t wait to continue the series.

And, y’all, this cover is freaking stunning! I will definitely be getting a physical copy of this book when it comes out!

Description
The Shadows Between Us meets Six of Crows in this spellbinding new fantasy full of intrigue, romance, and pulse-pounding action, where the eldest daughter of a renowned family on the verge of ruin joins forces with a mysterious, rogue enchanter and a handsome, ambitious heir to win a deadly race.

Mikira Rusel’s family has long been famous for breeding enchanted horses, but their prestige is no match for their rising debts. To save her ranch, Mikira has only one option: she must win the Illinir, a treacherous horserace whose riders either finish maimed or murdered. Yet each year, competitors return, tempted by its alluring prize money and unparalleled prestige.

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…

Steeped in Jewish folklore, This Dark Descent is a pulse-pounding new fantasy full of forbidden magic, sizzling romance, and epic stakes. In a world as dangerous as this, will the need for vengeance butcher Mikira’s chances of winning the Illinir … or will another rider’s dagger?

Josephson's return to YA is a lyrical adventure about people searching for the dark parts of themselves to survive. Showing continued strength since her debut, this start of a new duology holds strong promise for fans of current fantasy trends with morally gray characters, clever world-building, and impossible risks.

Mikira wants glory, Arielle wants safety, and Damien knows to set the pieces in play. Drawn into more danger, the three must unite in a cross-country race with enchanted horses. But they're not the only players. Dark, incredible magic is sparking to life, something powerful enough to bring down entire noble houses.

THIS DARK DESCENT is perfect for readers of Leigh Bardugo, Margaret Owen, Allison Saft, and Aden Polydoros.

NetGalley provided a copy. All opinions are my own.

(Further disclosure, I am a St. Martin's Publishing Group employee. A copy was given to me pre-employment.)

Horse racing meets hunger games in this YA fantasy novel, This Dark Descent. Not to mention a corrupt political system founded on a feud between rival lords. Despite the initial allure, I found connecting with any of the main characters hard. The women in the story are depicted as brave, independent, and resilient, yet they BOTH fall for men that manipulate them the entire story. The magic system and world-building needed more depth and felt incomplete in some areas. For these reasons, the book wasn't my cup of tea, but I am glad to have read this author's work and would give more of her books a go!

Thank you, Kalyn Josephson and Macmillan publishing house, for sending me this ARC in return for an honest review.

DNF at 50% - I was pretty excited for this one, because one of the main character's grandmas was a Jewish horse breeder and you know what? SAME. I just couldn't get into it, though. It wasn't bad, it just didn't grab me (despite an obvious connection to the story). I was really not loving the burgeoning romance(s) and I wanted more horse racing. Like I said, I didn't actively dislike it, but I put it down and was like, maybe I'll come back to it. That was months ago so I'm calling it. I'll still recommend it to teens who can't get enough fantasy, though. 2 stars.

Thanks to Roaring Book Press and Netgalley for the eARC which I received in exchange for an unbiased review.

Hmmm… Lots of feels with this book! It is rich and sumptuously written. It has layers and layers yet to be explored, and it has contradictions - both complimentary and challenging.

The story is told from two female characters POV. Mikira, the daughter of a horse-breader who can imbue enchantments into the horses he raises. The kingdom they live in, however, is under the thumb of five very powerful and corrupt noble houses. When the noble house that controls Mikira’s family decide they want her family business and take her father as an indentured servant (slave) which leaves the rest of the family with nothing, Mikira makes a deal to free him - she must race in a brutal, nation-wide horse race that the nobles hold every 10 years. BUT, she must do so on a horse void of any enchantments (all the other horses have them). It’s basically a death sentence for her but it is also the only hope she has of freeing her father and saving her family.

The second POV is from a young foreigner named Arielle, whose homeland has been destroyed and who is hiding from a past too horrible to acknowledge. Arielle also holds a highly forbidden form of magic that will assuredly get her killed if the powerful houses discover.

Enter the third main character, Damien. A lord of one of the lesser, but still powerful houses, who is in a very vengeful rivalry with another, more powerful noble house. Damien finds Mikira and Arielle and offers them both a deal they can’t refuse. He will sponsor Mikira in the race and give both young women the thing they most want, IF they help him in his quest to accomplish his goals.

Thus begins an absolutely riveting tale with all the things that make an action-packed story unforgettable! There is loyalty, deceit, love, betrayal and a host of other twists and turns that wrench the heart in innumerable ways.

In fact, this book is an HUGE five star read, IF one isn’t bothered by the weird and infuriating switch in Mikira’s character near the end (obviously, I’m one that it REALLY bothered!) The author has created her character to be honest, loyal and frank. She has a bit of a temper and when there is a problem she addresses it head-on. We see that - and admire it throughout the first 2/3 of the book. Then, suddenly, her character flips a complete 180 and does exactly the opposite! Not only does she not confront the person in question (Damien) but she holds suspicious evidence for absolutely no apparent reason that I could fathom. This, of course, creates the setting for the big final twist, but it goes so far against her character that I was extremely disappointed. It just didn’t make logical sense for the character the author created in the first place.

Still, I would highly recommend giving this story a try! It is such a richly penned and intricately developed story that the experience itself is well worth the read!

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Absolutely loved the representation in this book! It made the book even better for me. Can't wait to recommend to others!

I think this is a perfect read for young adults who are looking for stories based on Jewish traditions and beliefs. It's a fun and action-packed tale. I feel it wasn't for me, as some of the exposition and pacing in the beginning felt a little awkward and clunky to me, so I struggled to get/stay immersed. I ended up deciding not to finish, but I do encourage other readers to give it a try and decide for themselves.

Thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for the ARC!

This Dark Descent is a fantasy that follows a young girl name Mikira who needs to save her family's ranch by entering a challenging horse race. The story is full of enchanting magic and adventure.

This book, unfortunately,  was not for me. Although the writing was good, I didn't enjoy the dialogue. I felt like it pulled me out of the story multiple times. It couldve been because I didnt like the characters as much, so it was hard to like the dialogue.

The story had everything I look for in a fantasy like adventure,  magic, and  betrayal but it didn't stick for me. Another issue I had was with the magic system, it needed more clarity.

Unfortunately this book was not for me.

Give me anything Jewish fantasy/lore (in this case, everything Kinnish) and I will gobble it right up. Really enjoyed this one!

I LOVED Josephson’s first duology, The Storm Crow, so so much! It’s definitely an underrated fantasy I try to recommend as often as I can! So I was excited for this one, even though the Scorpio Races x Peaky Blinders wasn’t a comparison I was especially intrigued by.

I just couldn’t fall in love with the characters in this one. The book started slow for me and the romances weren’t what I was expecting. I will say that I read this in the midst of a big fantasy book slump, so maybe it was just the wrong time to read it. Perhaps I’ll try it again when the sequel releases!

I was initially intrigued by the premise of a Jewish mythology-inspired narrative in "This Dark Descent," but my interest quickly waned as I delved into the first two chapters. The writing style left much to be desired, and the direction the story was taking did not sit well with me.

The first glaring issue I encountered was the writing itself. The opening chapters attempted to strike a balance between providing a wealth of information and driving the plot forward, but it fell flat on both counts. The extensive information dump about the magic system, the social structure, and Mikira's family history, felt shallow and lacked depth. The world-building seemed forced and unclear, leaving me struggling to connect with the fictional universe. The lords were interchangeable.

Simultaneously, the pacing of these initial chapters left me bewildered. While a significant amount of events supposedly occurred – from the underground racing to Mikira's father's abrupt arrest, culminating in the prompt for the narrative as a whole (the bargain for her to enter the Illnir) – the execution felt clumsy and rushed.

Adding to the frustration was the blatant inconsistency in the story's details. Confusion arose when trying to determine the frequency of the competition. At one point, the narrative stated that the competition was hosted once every ten years ("hosted once every ten years"), only to later contradict itself by claiming that it occurred annually ("every year, one hundred racers entered the Illinir"). Such careless errors not only pulled me out of the story but also raised questions about the overall attention to detail in the writing. In the second chapter, Mikira does not want to be a pawn between feuding lords, but soon after chooses just that.

It felt very underdeveloped. I am wholeheartedly thankful to the publisher for approving me on this title, but I couldn't muster the patience to read beyond the lackluster beginning it presented.

A fresh, competitive dark fantasy that will be sure to delight any YA fantasy reader. With complex characters, an imaginative world, female friendship, dual POV, and Jewish representation, there is a lot to love in This Dark Descent. This was my first from Kalyn Josephson, and she is truly a gifted writer! I'll definitely be checking out her backlist and counting down the days for TDD2. Full review will be posted closer to release date.

First of all, I’m incredibly thankful that I got a chance to read This Dark Descent as an eARC before its release! I enjoyed this immensely and my 10-year-old horse-girl self was overjoyed to follow this story. I loved to see the different characters as well as their development and couldn’t get enough of both the magic system and the horses. (Yes, the horse-girl is speaking here.) Even though I will have to wait for the official release before all else, I cannot wait for book two and see, if one of my assumptions might come true! Until then I will suffer in silence for the one thing I won’t forgive Kalyn about. But that’s a spoiler, hence the 'silent' part.

The comps sold me. I mean come on The Scorpio Races meets Peaky Blinders? Need I say more?

I enjoyed this a lot, the world was so fun. But I feel a bit confused about some of the magic system and found Mikira to be way too hotheaded overall to be relatable. I found myself getting really frustrated during her povs and waiting for them to be over. I am curious though to see where everything goes.

One of my favorite magical realism finds was Maggie Steifvater's Scorpio Races.

And all of the things I loved about that book are here.

Heartpounding action.
Raw energy and fear.
The thrill of the race.
Proving you deserve to be who you are.
Bildungsroman coming of age.
Saving your family - and yourself.

But comparing this book to another isn't exactly fair. This book deserves to stand on its own!

Mikira is an amazing character, right from the outset. Her love of horses will resonate with this generation of readers like Black Beauty and Flicka did for past generations of horse girls like me.

"Enchanted for speed, the desire to run was as much a part of the stallion as bone or blood, just as it was a part of Mikira."

Even better, the author pulls from Jewish folklore of golems to craft a truly unique and powerful story. The heart-racing action of the races will have your heart in your throat, and the characters will leave your heart broken - and

"The last thing she wanted was to be a plaything in some tug-of-war between two feuding lords."

I think my favorite character might be Arielle, however. Smart, funny, brave, and a born enchanter, she's definitely the heroine that makes this book move! And her use of power crackles through this book's pages as much as the theo-political undertones.

"Monsters rarely look like monsters. At least, that was what Arielle's grandfather used to tell her. She never imagined that one day she would be creating them."

An amazing story. 10/10