Overall: 3.75⭐️/5; Spice 2🌶️/5

I had to sit with this book for a few days before writing this review. It is a dark urban fantasy, but I would hesitate to label it as a romance (even though there are multiple love interests, and the spicy scenes start in chapter one). The writing style is excellent, and the way that the author writes her action scenes creates a vivid, gruesome mental landscape for the reader. It is so well done, that I genuinely had a hard time deciding if I liked the *actual story* or just the writing style…

Merrick, the FMC, is a hybrid - half vampire, half witch, and prophesied to bring about the end of the current age of civilization, and harken in a new one (apparently there have been 5 previous hybrids that all lead to similar cataclysms in their world). The burden of this, of feeling rejected by her mother’s Covenant, and hiding her witch nature from the Vampire nest she spends the rest of her time with, has left Merrick in a very dark place mentally and emotionally. She is NOT a healthy character. And as the conflict of the story begins - with the backlash of the humans learning about the existence of non-human species - the subsequent fear and violence only leads Merrick down an even darker path.

She is probably one of the most depressing characters I have ever read - and the universe is CONSTANTLY hitting her with punches below the belt. Her love interests are all terrible - one of them going insane (there is an attempted SA), one of them dies a traumatic death, and the third is a stalker with unclear motives (and seriously, he just kind of pops up from time to time with NO context). The romance aspects of the book are really just devices with which to torture Merrick mentally and emotionally - I honestly could have done without them, and I think the book would have been better for it.

I did feel like while the world building was really interesting - the way the supernatural beings had been hiding among the humans, the culture and traditions of the different supe groups, the class distinctions between those born or made… and the way that Merrick herself was basically a vessel to hold the magic of her people to carry into the next age. It was a different take on the chosen one trope that I found intriguing and original. That said, it does make Merrick seem overpowered at times, with very little training in how to wield the powers she absorbs. She has one too many scenes of draining herself of power only to get a boost out of nowhere and be able to blast everything in her way again.

I think I will read the next book in the series, as I am curious to see where the author is going with the story, and again, it was so well written that I thoroughly enjoyed the process of reading it, even if I didn’t necessarily fall in love with the characters.

Special thanks to Netgalley, the author, and Victoria Editing for an advanced reader copy of this book to review!

Was a little put off but how quickly we got into the no-con smut first and the action came later. This made me skim the book rather for good parts rather than fully reading it. Good vampire lore though.
Couldn't connect to the characters, but this made me glad some died.

I think this book had so much more to give that it actually give but in general I did liked the story but I also wish it had more because the idea was there... It was a tough book which means that the story is raw and not for everyone..

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read an ARC of Gilded Descent. However, I struggled with this one to be honest. It didn’t have a very good flow, and I often found myself wondering how or why we got to a certain situation. It starts off quite dark and gave off Sin City vibes, but this didn’t last. The FMC has two main ‘love interests’ in this book, but I’m using the term quite loosely as I didn’t feel a connection with either of them and it was more about lust than love - which did add some spice but didn’t give the story enough of the deep feels. The only true connection the FMC seems to have is with her mother.
I also found the different powers and creatures in the book fairly confusing, as there was no real explanation and you were left to work it out for yourself. The FMCs power was mainly referred to has her ‘dark entity’ up to the point that it got a bit annoying. There was quite a few repeats in general, like ‘a sob caught in her throat’ or ‘a sob escaped her throat’, or the amount of times she ‘dug her nails into her palm’ or ‘emptied the contents of her stomach’. I also noted some bad grammar, like ‘there’s’ instead of ‘theirs’ and ‘hadn’t of’ instead of ‘hadn’t have’.
The ending was pretty anticlimactic: It’s supposed to keep you suspended for the next part, but I personally am not planning to continue the series. (I think it’s fair that I will not leave a copy of my review on any 3rd party platforms.)

I will not be publishing this review; however, I did want to provide feedback in hopes that the issues listed below can be addressed and the book can undergo some revisions.

I really wanted to like this book, but sadly I just couldn't get into it.

The book is riddled with shifting tenses that make the paragraphs confusing. Every character has "small smiles". The word "whispered" is used far too much.

Merrick's emotions are too erratic and very hard to follow. She's angry, then she's turned on, then she's timid, then angry again.

There needs to be more clarity when describing her dark power. I really wanted to understand her power, but at the halfway point in the book, all I knew about her power was that it was a dark mist that seeps from her pores, but also appears as claws and sometimes seems able to inflict actual damage.

The flow of this book is disjointed in places. In one chapter, her mother goes from talking about bad dreams to some celebration of their heritage to Merrick being frisked by Trackers and Griffin being endangered. The whole chapter seems like a forced info dump and needs to be reworked.

Whenever she got injured previously, she was able to heal herself. Why can't she heal her injuries from the motorcycle accident? Why did she send a psychic call to her mom here, but not when she was fighting at the market when Griffin got killed. If it's a matter of the call being restricted by distance, then she could have at least called once she was near her home before. Why is it that the first time we learn she has the ability to make a psychic call is after the motorcycle accident?

This plot line about the faerie prince is interesting. I wish it was more fully developed. I already felt like it was introduced very abruptly instead of deftly being woven into the story as a whole.

Unfortunately, the book was a very hard read to follow. I read a little last the halfway point, but I couldn't finish it.

Firstly, thank you for providing the ARC. I was genuinely excited about this book, as the premise seemed both broad and intriguing, offering a rich supernatural world. While I appreciated the unique concept and some of the action scenes, I struggled to connect with the story as much as I hoped. I found it challenging to connect with the characters and I didn’t see much development in their attitudes throughout the book. Although the darker tone didn’t bother me, I didn’t feel the emotional impact I usually look for in such stories. I believe there are some great ideas here, and with a bit of refinement, this could become a really compelling read.

⭐ - 2/5
⚠️ - Death, grief, attempted SA by MMC, self harm, etc etc etc
🌶️ - 2/5
💕 - 1/5
👥 - 2.5/5
🌎 - 2/5
🗡️ - 4/5
💀 - 5/5

First off, thank you #netgalley and #victoryediting for the ARC!

Where to begin...

Honestly, this book is rough and brutal. There are a lot of tropes that I hate but there are also some moments that I truly loved. It's not an easy read, and to be honest I had a hard time getting through it all. It started with a bang, but fell flat.

𝙾𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠:
Merrick is a half witch, half vampire who has been pushed away by both species. She feels alone and rejected. She is extremely powerful but hides her power. When the world erupts into chaos, and the supernatural are the target of elimination by the humans, she must do everything she can to figure out where she belongs before time runs out.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐈 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞𝐝:
● The action was intense and very brutal. Definitely won't be for everyone, but I love those scenes.
● There were definitely some moments that tugged at my heart. The pain the MFC feels is written very well.

𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰 𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆𝒅:
● The first thing that comes to mind is the attempted SA of the MFC by one of her love interests. Immediately gave me the 'Ick'.
● The whole love triangle (and kind of quadrangle) thing made me roll my eyes more times than I can count
● The plot was too much. I had a hard time focusing on what to care about. Especially when it came to people and creatures.
● There were a lot of things brushed to the side. I know there's going to be a second book, but I'm guessing a lot of smaller plot holes won't be answered. So that's pretty frustrating.
● Merrick's 'woe is me' got old real fast. At some point, I figured something would happen to make her outlook change, but this poor girl was in the dumps for most of the book. Literally nothing good happened to her.

Unfortunately I could go on and on about what I didn't like about the book, but I don't want to feel like a total a$$hole.

Overall, this book is not my cup of tea. I had such high hopes too, and honestly, it had SO much potential, but it failed miserably.

I received an advanced reader's copy of Gilded Descent by Blake Ironmore from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m always excited to read a new-to-me author and Blake Ironmore did not disappoint. Overall, I quite enjoyed the book and it made the morning fly by while I read. There was action, adventure, intrigue, and scheming. The characters were fairly well-crafted, the pace of the novel was mostly steady, and the world building was engrossing (if a little slow). Definitely worth reading.

The Gilded Descent is an absolutely captivating read that left me spellbound from beginning to end. The author masterfully creates a rich, immersive world where magic and adventure leap off the page, and the depth of detail in the world-building is truly remarkable.

The protagonist, is a beautifully complex character whose journey of self-discovery and courage resonates deeply. Her growth throughout the story is both believable and inspiring, making her a heroine you can’t help but root for. The supporting characters are just as well-crafted, each bringing their own unique charm and depth to the narrative.

The plot is filled with twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat. Just when I thought I had figured out what would happen next, the author skillfully surprised me. The themes of friendship, sacrifice, and the fight between good and evil are woven seamlessly into the narrative, adding layers of meaning that will leave readers pondering long after they turn the last page.

Overall, is a must-read for fantasy lovers. I can’t wait for the next installment!