Magic-laced and action packed
This Dark Descent
This Dark Descent Duology
Teen, Young Adult, Epic Fantasy, Fantasy Romance
Square Fish
September 24, 2023
Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback, Audiobook
432
Every ten years, the citizens of Veradell gather for the Illinir, a treacherous horse race famous for its alluring prize money and high body count. Mikira Rusel’s family has long been famous for breeding enchanted horses, but their prestige is no match for their rising debts. Tough-as-nails Mikira, the last in a line of renowned horse breeders, is desperate to win this year's race at any cost. 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… But to make it to the track, she'll need to gather new friends and escape the crosshairs of old foes . . .
A beautiful rogue enchanter with a hidden past just beginning to come into her true power.
A dashing and ambitious young lord in the midst of a fierce succession battle.
A brilliant, prickly loner loyal only to his friends, and his lovable but mysterious pet cat.
A ruthless aristocrat determined to protect his family's prestige -- and unrivaled power.
Each one has their own vengeful secrets to protect and reasons to help -- or hinder -- Mikira's odds of winning the Illinir. And in a world as dangerous as this, who among them will be left standing at the finish line?
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?
“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.
Tanya’s love for books has been a lifelong passion that she likes sharing with others. Reading is also the thing that relaxes her after a day of juggling the many responsibilities that come with being being wife to an amazing man, mother to four great kids spread around the world, business manager, and farm hand on their place in southwest Missouri; home to Akaushi cattle and a menagerie of pygmy goats, horses, chickens, dogs and cats.
