This book is if the hunger games and hidalgo had a baby with magic powers and I enjoyed it so much! I haven’t read a book with golem lore in so long I loved this rendition.

Mikira had me laughing out loud and wanting to strangle her in equal measure.

Ari I absolutely adored. Her battle with fear, guilt and darkness was so deeply entrancing.

Having two narrators was a great touch as both of their voices perfectly fit each girl and her personality. They both really added to the experience.

I 100% will be continuing with this series!

This was so good! I was worried about the YA target audience … but This Dark Descent was fun and engaging. An unlikely group of four comes together in an attempt to win a magical horse race. Drama and twists with just a sprinkle of romance.

Excellent narration!

Its been 24 hours since I finished this book and I cant stop thinking about it! Amazing. But please write the next one fast, I need to know what happens!

This character-driven fantasy novel was suspenseful, smart, and richly complex in its world-building. Even the horses had such distinct personalities that I anxiously followed their character arcs! I definitely see the comparison to Six of Crows, & I believe fans of the ragtag heist crew hijinks of Kaz, Inej et al will not be disappointed when they meet Mikira, Arielle & co.

I can’t wait for the second installment in this series! Brb, gotta go read this author’s entire back catalog.

Thank you so much to the publisher & to Netgalley for the ARC of this audiobook, which I tore through in a few days. I loved it!

‘This Dark Descent’ by Kalyn Josephson was a breathtaking, original, suspenseful, richly written story full of adventure, unique magic, rich Jewish folklore, great LGBTQIA+ rep, light romance, multifaceted, super clever characters making chess-level strategic moves left and right, and high stakes that had me stressed and on the edge of my seat the whole time. I had so much fun.

There was a teeny bit of telling and not showing when it came to character and romance development, but I still really enjoyed this. I adored Mikira, Arielle, Reid, and Damien.

The multi-casted audiobook (I LOVE multi-cast audiobooks with my whole heart) featured a stunning performance by narrators Laurel Lefkow and Rebecca Norfolk, bringing FMC’s Mikira and Arielle to stunning life. It was amazing.

100% recommend!

𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘶𝘥𝘪𝘰𝘈𝘙𝘊 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘰𝘰𝘬 𝘣𝘺 𝘕𝘦𝘵𝘨𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘶𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘳 (𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬-𝘺𝘰𝘶!). 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘺 𝘰𝘸𝘯.

3.5 Stars
This book started slow for me but picked up fairly quickly. I enjoyed the dual POVs, though I would've loved more on how the magic Ari uses works. I'm very interested to see where the next book takes us because I wanted more from that ending for sure. I also wanted so much more of Reid and Mikira. This was a fun and interesting story, though I found it a bit lacking, but I'll still read the next book to find out what happens next lol. I did like the audiobook version enough to pre-order the physical book though!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ARC!

This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson
5/5 Stars
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

•••Spoiler free review below•••

This Dark Descent is a fantasy story of magical horse racing and one girl's dream to save her family's ranch with mobster like characters and secrets at every turn. We follow Mikira, blackmailed into racing by a wealthy heir and forcibly teamed up with an illegal enchanter, who is determined to do whatever it takes to win. All of our characters have something to prove and their own motivations for every choice they make. This story is fast paced, exciting, and will leave you on the edge of your seat until the very last race. I highly recommend adding this one to your fall tbr.

Read this book if you like:
- magical enchantments
- high stakes adventure
- Jewish folklore
- animal companions
- morally grey mobsters

This Dark Descent will be released September 26th and if it's not already on your tbr, it should be!
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Special thanks to Macmillan Audio for sharing a free copy with me in exchange for my honest opinions.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillian Audio for sending me an early copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

My main issue with this book is that it didn't hold my attention or capture my intrigue enough to get very into the story. I found myself zoning out a lot and unable to keep up with all the things going on. But I was so interested in the world that had been created and the way it was all so unique. The idea of the race and having such high stakes for everything was so interesting.

I liked the way that the action was written, and that tended to be what pulled me in. But I didn't connect with any of the characters enough to actually really get into the in-between things and to get into the heart of the story. I really wish it had peaked my interest more and that I had been able to get into it.

I did love the talk of religion and oppression and the way that was woven into the overall arc of the story. It was refreshing to see it done outside of the real world and to be able to relate to such different characters in that way.

If you are a fantasy lover, thought, you might want to check this out!

I had a good time reading this one. The characters were complex and easy to root for, the magic system was well-developed, and the stakes were high enough that it keeps you hooked until the end.

Our two leads, Mikira and Arielle, are hard-headed women (in a good way) determined to make a better life for them and their respective families. Out of the two, Mikira was my favourite. She was fiery and short-tempered (a hint as to how fiery, she was told "Punching the prince in the face is treason." 😏), sassy and intelligent, yet very much likeable. Arielle was more a subdued, quieter power. They quickly develop a strong and believable friendship.

The plot quickly became evident (a big relief as many of the books I've read lately are essentially plot-less for 25-50% of the book) and it doesn't take long until we are thrust into the Illinir, a dangerous horserace where maiming and murdering is legal if not encouraged. The race sequences are well written and interesting, though the time between each race seem to be mostly filler. It was at these times that I felt myself becoming slightly bored with the story.

The magic system is interesting and well-developed. I look forward to seeing where it goes in the second installment. Unfortunately, other world-building is sorely lacking. We know that there are at least two countries and that they are at war (a war similar to the one described in Divine Rivals, but not as well developed), the citizens from the losing side having their culture and identity essentially banned. We understand that each country has a distinct magic system. Other than those things, we don't know how this world really functions.

Though I'm neither Christian nor Jewish, I could tell that there was a poignant conversation going on about these real world religions in the background. I wouldn't say that Christianity was being criticized, rather a critical view was taken in relation to cultural appropriation and oppression of other religions/cultures perpetuated by Christians. If you are unable to tolerate this and find such discussions offensive, do yourself (and everyone else) a favour and skip this book.

Finally, we get some LGBTQIA+ rep. Mikira is bisexual and Arielle is demisexual (there is a fade to black sex scene). Additionally, the LGBTQIA+ community is accepted in this world so no fighting for one's right to love who you love.

I'm looking forward to the second installment!

This Dark Descent is a dual-POV fantasy novel that centers on the Illinir, a cutthroat series of four cross-country horse races over enchanted terrain that occurs every ten years.

Mikira comes from a long line of renowned enchanted horse breeders. However, her family has racked up a considerable amount of debt to a noble house. To save her family's ranch and keep her father from forced servitude, Mikira makes a deal with the lord of that house. If she can win the Illinir without using an enchanted horse, she'll save her family.

Despite Mikira's experience in underground horse racing, the task is daunting. The Illinir is violent and only riders with enchanted horses can win. Without a sponsor, it's impossible. As Mikira searches for a sponsor, she's blocked at every turn because the lord she made a deal with has forbidden people from sponsoring her. With no one else to turn to, Mikira teams up with Damien Adair, a mysterious young lord from a rival noble house. Damien is rumored to be treacherous, but he's also determined to sponsor a rider to win the Illinir. He's in a succession battle, and if his rider wins, he'll be named head of his house. Damien also knows how they can win without an enchanted horse.

Enter Arielle, an unlicensed enchanter. Ari's magic is different from other enchanters. She's a Kinnish refugee who uses old, outlawed Kinnish magic that's undetectable. As an unlicensed enchanter, Ari is often screwed out of her profits and is desperate for an enchanter's license. If she agrees to help, Damien can provide her with a way to become a legitimate enchanter. The three join together along with Damien's right-hand man, Reid.

I wasn't sure how much I'd enjoy the horse racing aspect of this book because that's not something I'm interested in, but I was so engrossed by this book that as soon as I finished it, I started it again. The characters are all so complex and interesting, each with their own motives. Both girls are so different, and I really appreciated how the novel didn't make one type out to be better than the other. I adored the Kinnish aspects of the story, too. I fully intend on reading the next book in this series. Also, the audiobook is narrated by Laurel Lefkow and Rebecca Norfolk, who both did a wonderful job.

This Dark Descent is perfect for readers who like high-stakes fantasy, Jewish folklore, a band of misfits coming together, slow-burn romance, and political intrigue. It has good LGBTQ rep - Mikira is bi and Ari is demisexual/demiromantic - and there's no homophobia in the world. Damien also reminds me of Kaz Brekker for any Six of Crows fans.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for giving me an early copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the opportunity to listen to an advanced audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest unbiased review. I was looking forward to this release and was excited to get approved for it. The narration was great and audiobook version is wonderful.

Personally I think I would have more easily been able to follow the story and characters (there are a lot) had I read the physical book, but that is just me personally. I struggled to keep track of who was who throughout the book and had a hard time connecting with them as well.

The story and concept is interesting and full of political intrigue. I enjoyed that Judaism and golems are incorporated in as well as representations of all types of sexuality (LGBQP). The story sets up for a sequel so it will be interesting to see what the plot is for the second novel. Overall I did enjoy the book and would recommend it for those who like fantasy - this included political intrigue, horse racing, family feuding.

DNF at 25%

While I did very much appreciate the world building and setting that was Jewish-inspired, the portion that I read felt very much closer to a Historical novel with a heavy hand on equestrianism. And as a personal preference, I tend to stray away from Historical and novels that have a regency feel because they don't peak my interest.

Objectively, for the first 25% that I read, I feel like the exposition into who these characters were before diving in to scenes that started moving the plot were lacking. I didn't get to feel invested into the main character's story and the reasons for why she acted the way she did.

With the magic, I wished for more to reel me in but I didnt get much more than a general feeling that magic existed in this world and that was it.

So, unfortunately it was for me but it might be for others. I might try to read this book in the future but for the moment, it just didn't work for me.

In order to save her father, Mikira must win a horse race, which should be no sweat since her family has been breeding enchanted horses. Only there's one problem. She's not allowed to use her own horse. All this business puts her in league with Arielle, an enchanter and Damian Adair, a young lord.

I wanted to like this book really, and I feel like I'm in the minority when I say this was a struggle for me. I felt a distance from the characters, like I was just passing by there story and not in the midst of it. I wanted to DNF this but I plowed through hoping it would win me over in the end. Unfortunately it did not, and I can say that this was not for me. Who is it for then? I guess someone who loves horses, maybe.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Laurel Lefkow and Rebecca Norfolk were fine narrators. Neither loved nor hated them.

A high stakes political fantasy and romance with Lords competing for family status, dangerous horse races, Jewish folklore, and mobsters. If you liked Six of Crows or Peaky Blinders, or maybe you're a fantasy loving horse girl, or better yet maybe you like unique world building. This is all of those things!

I found this to be an entirely unique and interestingly woven story, and kept wanting to see what was going to happen next. I'm looking forward to what plays out next in the continuation!

I received complimentary advanced digital and audio copies of this book from the publisher. All the opinions in this review are my own.

The idea for this story was really interesting to me, it had so many ideas that I thought were really different and original, like the Jewish mythology. Also, the magic was really interesting, especially the unique magic Arielle uses. I just wish it was explained more, they talk a little bit about her family and their history with the magic, but it doesn’t seem to be explored enough.

My biggest issue was the first half of the story was a little dull and boring. I was about ¼ of the way through, wondering when it was going to start picking up. Dual POV stories are hit or miss for me, and this one just didn’t do it for me. Sometimes when the perspective changes back and forth neither side is told well enough and it feels like something is missing, and I think this story suffers from that a little bit. More ideas needed to be explored in more detail.

This book overall just comes off as so-so for me. That’s not to say people out there won’t love this book, I’m sure that this is a perfect story for some. I think what troubled me is the comparison to the Six of Crows duology. I think that book series is so iconic and you’ve set the bar really high using it as a comparison, and this book doesn’t hit anywhere close to that for me. The political intrigue and romance left much to be desired and the things the book did well need more development.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #macmillanaudio for a e-copy of #ThisDarkDescent by Kalyn Josephson and narrated by Laurel Lefkow & Rebecca Norfolk to listen to and review.

What happens when you get tired of turning the other cheek?

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the audioARC in exchange for an honest review:

This Dark Descent was so close to being everything I wanted it to be. It truly is a dark, villain origin story. A stunning concept filled with political intrigue, high stakes competition, enchantments and golems.

The concept is compelling and I would pick up book 2 but I’m still not sure if this story is plot driven or character driven. While I understand the comparison to Six of Crows it was missing once key ingredient that SoC delivered in spades. Connection to the characters.

Unfortunately, for me, I did not connect with the cast of characters like I wanted to. Between Ari’s self-loathing and flagellation and Mikira’s combinations of guilt and self-righteousness while make questionable choices, I found them a little exhausting. While I know their backgrounds, I don’t think they were explored in a way that allowed me to become attached.

I also don’t care about Damien or Reid at all. Both are key characters but even Damien who is at the centre of this story feels like a prop, a foil to Ari & Mikira.

A solid 3 stars for a compelling concept and interesting execution of Jewish folklore, but I needed more from this story.

It's dystopia, horse-racing, powerful women, romance, magic, and morally gray . . . everything.

How much more could we want? The writing is engaging and well-paced. The characters are interesting and imperfect. This Dark Descent was a heck of a read and I am looking forward to the sequel.

Mario Kart, the Scorpio Races, and Six of Crows have a one night stand which results in a baby. This is that baby.

Wowowow, I had such a fun time with this one! While I want to make sure I touch on my issues with the a-spec representation, I think I’ll clinch this review with that. In the meantime, let’s get to the good stuff, shall we?


<b>STRENGTHS: PLOT AND WORLD</b>

Mikira makes a bet with a powerful man to save her father—she will compete in the Illinir, a dangerous horse-racing competition that takes place once every ten years, and she will win it without the aid of an enchanted horse.

From the moment of this catalyst and onward, I was hooked. While I struggled to make sense of why Mikira would make such an impossible bet and think that scene should’ve been edited to make the logic stronger, everything that happened afterward with the plot was incredible.

This story follows two POV characters, Mikira the jockey, and Arielle, the black-market enchantress who can create magical creatures that do not bear marks of their enchantment. Above them is the puppeteer of the plot, Damien, who is essentially a mobster in a seat of power, contriving to bring these two women together and set the plot’s proverbial ball rolling.

The death-defying, magical horse race that is the Illinir was captivating to read. Mikira’s training leading up to the Illinir and participation in it gave major Hunger Games vibes.

Arielle’s plot line, slowly but assuredly coming into her power as she crafts the perfect golem horse, an enchanted beast that doesn’t have the telltale signs of a creature that’s been magicked, was also just as ensnaring. As she concentrates on fueling her well of power in order to craft a golem that has a shot at winning the Illinir, she slowly loses herself, bit by bit, to the magic. This interplay between practicing the magic that seductively calls to her like a siren’s song, all the while knowing that it’s chipping away at her humanity and slowly possessing her, was delicious and distressing to read all at once.

As for the magic system itself, Arielle’s power creating these golems is extremely illicit and could mean “the difference between steady work and a funeral pyre.” It involves shaping an animal out of clay and literally breathing life into it with her Kinnish magic, a highly persecuted form of magic from her conquered homeland, as ordinary enchanters from the conquering country simply charm existing objects and living beings. This magic system was incredibly unique and interesting to me, as Josephson interwove Jewish mythology into it and further enriched the world by grounding it in the mythology that is so specific and personal to her.

The power structure in the world was also something I loved. There is a royal family within this world, and underneath the royals are the different noble houses. These houses serve almost as their own warring mafias within the world at large. It is often said that they can get away with anything, and the next head of house among a brood of siblings is determined by something called the Ascension. The two Ascensions we hear of in this novel dictate that whichever child deals the largest blow to another house will be the next head of the house. The way they go about this oftentimes results in murder, theft, or other crimes. It really helped to orient the world into a darker one, cloaked in an atmosphere of moral grayness and bordering on absolute chaos.

Between the plot, the magic system, and some elements of the world building, I was thoroughly captivated. However, there are a number of things that chafed while I read as well.



<b>CHARACTERIZATION</b>

Because so much time is devoted to the world, the dual-POV, fast-paced plot of enchanted horse races and magical possession, and the magic system itself, there was left very little time to spend on other elements of the story. The first major issue was the characterization.

Mikira spends the majority of the novel as a hot-headed girl who acts first, speaks her mind, and thinks about it afterward. There is no real point in the novel that truly feels transformative toward her nature; by all intents and purposes, she starts the book and ends the book in the same form. There is a moment near the end, where she suddenly finds the self control to speak like a politician in front of an assembly of royalty, noble houses, and others, but because it is ignited by a single conversation and then occurs in the very next scene, which is her last in the novel, it feels unearned and potentially transient.

As for Arielle, she begins the novel as a hungry, poor, and unlicensed enchantress who practices the illicit Kinnish magic—that could get her put to death—just to make enough money to survive. She is meeker in nature and, due to the persecution of her people by the conquering country and its inhabitants, she often is forced to let slide injustice after injustice just to keep the peace and stay alive. This is until Damien crosses her path and brings her into his web of power and deception. He encourages her self assurance, her strength, and her power. As she feeds the never-sated beast within her that pleads for more illicit magic, he is there encouraging her as she grows stronger and stronger. This is until her magic finally consumes her.

Ari’s journey throughout this book certainly has all the hallmarks of true transformation, however, it is complicated by the fact that a man brings it out of her. It’s his power that keeps her safe in a world that would otherwise persecute her if she raised her chin to their injustices. It’s his encouragement that lights her up and keeps her pursuit of magic going. And ultimately, it’s his manipulation that leads her down into the descent. Not a whole lot of this takes place because Ari wants it for herself or could do it on her own, except maybe that last bit. It’s Damien’s facilitations that make it happen. This chafes a bit, since this book seems to have at the heart of it a feminist message.



<b>ROMANCE AND A-SPEC REPRESENTATION</b>

This leads me straight into my next complaint: the romance. Damien and Ari’s romance is the focal point in this novel, although we get hints of the goings-on between Reid and Mikira.

Let’s start this section out by stating that Arielle is demisexual. As an a-spec person myself who teeters on labeling herself similarly, I want to comment on the plausibility of the romance between Ari and Damien.

The first we hear of Ari’s sexuality is in a conversation between her and Mikira.

<blockquote><i>”I find him…interesting,” she mumbled, uncertain about the blossoming warmth in her chest.

It was a foreign feeling, although not an altogether unwelcome one, and it had been growing. Over the last few weeks, she’d learned more about Damien than she felt she had any right to. She knew he was a scholar, a man of numbers and figures. She knew how rarely he shared his smile and how often he sought a stiff drink. She knew that, as serious as he could be, he was full of passion. He cared for Reid and his house, and he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.
</i></blockquote>

The issue with this section is that it is all telling and no showing. We see none of this blooming connection between Ari and Damien; most of the golem creation scenes where they are together are summarized and montaged away. They have maybe a handful of actual conversations on the page together, and then bam. Out of nowhere, this scene takes place.

Because of the revelation later in this scene which you will see below, this usage of montages and summary to skip past the formation of the romance doesn’t work with the context of a demisexual FMC. I can’t sit here as someone who identifies similarly and say I felt this was a credible representation when no time at all was devoted to actually showing any of this taking place.

Instead, the author skips straight past the alienation and uncertainty that actually resonates with the more frustrating but authentic sides of the demisexual experience, and she tells us about it in a single paragraph. What’s worse—that’s the last we hear of it. It left the representation feeling tacked-on. While, in the moment, I was excited seeing it laid out in plain English on the page, in retrospect, the representation just didn’t work for me. There was an effort there by the author, but ultimately it wasn’t a successful one.

Additionally, I had trouble buying that a demisexual individual who has made it this far in life—probably making friends and acquaintances of all genders—and never having formed an attraction with a single one, would fall for a person in such a short time, with little reason to trust him, and fall for him so thoroughly that he is the first and only person she’s ever been sexually or romantically attracted to. Maybe if Ari were a recluse in her early life, I could believe it, but not much is told to us about her life before she settled far from her family, so context was needed to dispel this inconsistency. Otherwise, this is yet another reason why this representation fell apart upon further inspection.

This conversation about sexuality continues between the two girls, with explicit in-the-text descriptions of sexuality, and a hint at Mikira potentially being aro/ace, although I’ll get to that in a second.

<blockquote><i>
“It’s a new feeling for me,” she continued, not sure what she intended to say. She’d never described this out loud before. “At first, I just thought relationships just weren’t for me, as I’d never felt attracted to anyone before. I’m starting to realize that I just need to get to know them first.”

Mikira tilted her head. “You need an emotional connection to have a physical one, you mean.”

“Yes, exactly.”

“I get that.” Mikira replied, thoughtfully. “I just want someone to sit on the porch and watch the horses with.”
</i></blockquote>

The way this conversation plays out feels very unnatural and overly textbook. It also oversimplifies demisexuality to its barest bones without giving us an individualized experience of it on the page. Truly, anything of substance that indicates demisexuality in Ari is laid out in this single scene, and then everything else proceeds in accordance with the status quo of relationship progression—kissing, sex, and confessions of love.

These confessions of love don’t end up resonating, however, due to the lack of relationship development up until this point. So in essence, the entire romance suffers because of the way the author skips over important foundational scenes for their relationship. We are told, rather than shown, how they feel for one another, and it all ends up feeling very hollow to read.

One fix I would have suggested if there had been time to edit this prior to release is that the romance should burn more slowly and be spread out across several books before reaching this point. I realize that the genre of this novel is not romance, and therefore the actual romance in it is only a subplot. In my mind, that’s all the more reason not to rush things by expediting the relationship in a single novel. I wish Josephson had taken her time and let it unfold across multiple books before reaching the depths that we are told about by the end.

On the note of the aro/ace protagonist that Josephson <a href=“https://twitter.com/kalynjosephson/status/1318669513664032770?s=46&t=XGpviVWSnK10fMoORlE8iw”>teased about on Twitter,</a> I’m curious to whom she is referring. It’s not Ari or Damien, since they have both a sexual and a romantic attraction toward each other. Reid wouldn’t be considered an MC, nor would Damien. So that leaves Mikira. And I’ll be honest, her comment about just wanting someone to sit on the porch with to watch the horses gave me strong aro/ace vibes.

However, there are multiple scenes in this book where she appears to be at least romantically attracted to a female side character and Reid. Specifically, there is a line where she thinks about a freckle above the female character’s lip and then course corrects herself so she focuses on other things. This does not spell aromantic to me. Even that description of Mikira fixating on her lips feels like a physical attraction is there—or at least the beginnings of one—which indicates that she may not even be asexual. So that begs the question: Why is Josephson marketing this as a book with an aro/ace MC? And why are other reviewers parroting this? There is just no strong evidence in the text to back up this claim, and if it’s supposed to be there, then I’m going to need a heck of a lot stronger research into aro/ace identities and experiences from Josephson before she pens the sequel.

With all that being said, I don’t know how the author identifies. If she is not in the a-spec community, or at least not specifically demisexual like Ari, I’m glad she gave us representation, even if it ultimately didn’t work. I want to see more of this. If it veers too close to oversimplification or textbook, so be it, as long as more books are out there shining light on a-spec identities. I will be the first to say I’m glad to see it, but I can also point out where I find it lacking in order to hopefully encourage more credible representations in the future.


<b>FINAL THOUGHTS</b>

Overall, this was a enjoyable ride! I had fun, despite the flaws with the characterization and the romance, and am so excited to see where Josephson takes this series going forward.


<b>AUDIOBOOK REVIEW</b>

Laurel Lefkow and Rebecca Norfolk’s performances were fantastic. I loved their accents and the attitudes their voices brought to the characters.


<b>Overall Rating:</b> 3.5 stars (rounded up)

<i>A big thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Macmillan Audio, for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review!</i>

This Dark Descent follow Mikira, a girl trying to save her family and their horse ranch from a greedy and antagonistic noble and Arielle, an enchanter unregistered with the crown and forbidden, powerful magic. The girls are brought together by a young man, Damien, who makes a deal with both that will give them all something they desperately want.

Arielle and Mikira were both great characters and I'm torn on which one was my favorite. I loved Ari for her connection (and disconnection) to the Jewish religion of this book. I loved Mikira for the love of her horses and her sisters and her desire to protect her family.

There was also a lot of casual queerness (and no homophobia) amongst the background characters and the implication of demisexuality and bisexuality/pansexuality with Ari and Mikira.

The thing I found most interesting about this book was its approach to Judaism. There are so many books that take Christianity and create a fantasy religion based on it, but I've never seen that done with Judaism. And even though this was fantasy Judaism, it was still implicitly Jewish, the way Ari and Damien talked about the foundations of it in their world and the different traditions, was so Jewish. The way golems were used was my favorite. I feel like often in media, golems are used to be scary, but golems are meant to protect and that's a big part of the golems that Ari makes.

Thank you to NetGalley for making this available in exchange for an honest review!

Just finished this audiobook and it was FANTASTIC!!! First off, the audio is great! I especially loved one of the narrators which happened to also be one of my fav character storylines! But I absolutely loved the magical horse racing, found family, Six of Crows/The Gilded Wolves/ Peaky Blinder vibes!! It had me on the edge of my seat or should I say "saddle". The race scenes were some of my favs!

It has some really great characters! My only wish is that my fav character needs more "screen time". I LOVED him and just wanted to see more of him. Plus I'm shipping a certain possible romance so hard and hope it happens. But there is another romance that's super cute! This was just so wonderful and definitely recommend adding it to your list! It's out 9/26!