I really wanted to like this book, horses and folklore and magic seem a perfect combination. First the positives - I really enjoyed the sections of the novel that actually featured the races and the lore around the horses. I wish these had been longer as the pace and action was really upped and it's during these races that I felt most invested in all the characters. However - on to the negatives - the bits in between.... The background story and world building just felt over complicated and rushed, there was too much trying to be crammed in. I also felt the relationships were hard to feel invested in, the characters seemed very surface level in their emotions. I really wish the weighting has been changed to include more of the races as they felt fairly minor, despite being the bulk of the blurb, and they were pacey and well written. I felt a real investment in the participants (and the horses), these sections also moved the plot along well. All in all not bad but I felt like it could've been so much better by just tweaking the focus.

Thank you for my audio arc of this book. Unfortunately the audio file expired before I was able to listen so I’ll read and review the ebook!

As a fan of Josephson's first series, I was ready to be obsessed with this book, and it almost had me! It ticked a lot of the trope boxes that I love- a dangerous competition, morally ambiguous characters, found family, and girls refusing to take what little men give them.

Somehow the audio of this was archived before I could download it… but I have the book on my shelf and will come back and write a review once I finish reading it.

Incredible idea, dull execution.

Characters are poorly fleshed-out and their motivations even less so. Paired with choppy pacing and only a few memorable action scenes, This Dark Descent relies too heavily on it's beautiful Jewish and queer rep to carry the book. In the end, it's not nearly enough.

This book was really good, enjoyable and easy to listen to with a nice narrator. I like Sci fi and those didn't disappoint had an interesting premise. I found myself connecting with MCs somewhat.

Thank you to NetGalley for this audio ARC.I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I was intrigued with the idea of this book and really enjoyed it for the most part. I liked the uniqueness of the world and the idea of the race itself. I enjoyed how high the stakes were for the characters. The way the action was written was the thing that drew me in, I just found it a bit difficult to connect with the characters at times. I did also found that the story didn't always keep my attention, I found myself getting distracted at times.

I really enjoyed how religion and oppression was weaved throughout the story. It was nice to see these themes within a Fantasy setting instead of a book set in the real world and I really liked how I was able to relate to characters that are very different from each other in this way.

I've never thought that I'd enjoy audiobooks but This Dark Descent had me changing my stance. The narrators were engaging, thereby easily keeping my attention and allowing me to read while I drove to and from work.

This Dark Descent is a high stakes game consisting of challenges fraught with peril but the prize at the end of the game can change a participant's life. There are two POV's - 1 from Mikira, the daughter of a horse-breeder who fell out of favour in the kingdom and Arielle, a foreigner who was forced to flee her country and has to practise her magic in secret to avoid being executed.

The romance angles are interesting particularly the chemistry between Arielle and Damian, who belongs to a lower noble house. The magic system is easy to understand and the flow of the story is clear and well developed. The story twists and there are moments of heartbreak that have you tearing.

This is a well-paced novel with fleshed out characters, each with their own nuance. and that ending has me eagerly awaiting the sequel.

Pick this up if you want to try audiobooks and if you enjoy high stakes competition

After Mikira Rusel’s father is caught and thrown in jail for the illegal use of magic, she is challenged to win The Illinir - a deadly enchanted-horse race to free her father and clear their debt, by Lord Rosek Kelborough. If Mikira fails they lose everything; There is one key prerequisite, she must win with a non-enchanted horse.

Tasked with this challenge Mikira eventually finds a sponsor in Damien Adere and horse trainer Reid, both of whom she is loathed to team up with. Damien has taken on an enchantress; Arielle to aid them in winning the title.

Excellent world building and well rounded characters really make for an exciting fantasy-adventure. Filled with magic, adventure, twists and duplicity this really is an enthralling listen. My only gripe is there is a lot of information in the first chapter, making it hard to keep track. This section could have been a little slower paced to take in the characters. Below is a list of notes I found useful as I re-listened to parts of it a few times. Overall this is a very good opening for a fantasy series and I will definitely be keeping my eye out for any following books.

The narrators are both great and really bring the book to life.

Notes (No spoilers just basic info)

The Illinir - a festival celebrating the day the Goddess Sendia sent 4 Harbingers to give magical gifts to humanity. Included in the revelry is a high-stakes enchanted horse-race, including weapons and culminating in the winner receiving a huge sum of money. 


The Harbingers


Rark - The Armoured Bull - Physical Enchantment - Strength and speed
Skyless - The Burning Light (red bird) - Behaviour Enchantment - Fury or docility
Viseran - The Great Serpent - Energy enchantments - Light and heat
Aslir - The Bright Star - Ethereal Enchantments - To Guide Humanity

Characters



Mikira Rusel - protagonist and partaker in underground illegal horse races
Kirian Rusel - Mikiras father and renowned enchanted horse breeder

Aileen Rusel - Mikira’s sister 13
Nelda Rusel - Mikira’s youngest sister
Arielle - Kinish Enchantress
Lord Rosek Kelborough - Powerful aristocrat and heir to house Kellborough
Damien Adere - Heir to a wealthy family.
Reid - Horse Trainer and close confidante of Adere

Described as The Shadows Between Us meets Six of Crows, I was very excited about this book. I'd also heard great reviews from some friends.

Mikira enters a high stakes horse race in an attempt to free her father who has been imprisoned, and to help her have the best chance of winning the illustrious competition she needs to work with Ari an enchanter and Damien a horse trainer, as there have been rules set around the horse she can use to enter which makes winning even more difficult for Mikira. Each of the group has their own skills and motivations so working together may prove challenging as loyalties are tested.

I listened on audio and the narrators were great and the story was good but I'm not sure why, but something missed me with this one.

I felt a bit unconnected to the story and the high stakes that I should have been invested in.

Not a bad book generally but as I say, something just didn't click for me

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillian audio for the chance to read and review this one

I enjoyed this, had the usual female fantasy book ideas with a main female character trying to overcome her current problems. I liked the different types of backgrounds and the prejudice people had.

I am so excited for more people to read this book!
If you’d said to me a few weeks ago that I would be fully invested in a Peaky Blinders esque story with horse racing as a central theme I would have told you something rude! And yet here I am 100% in love with this book and cannot wait for book 2!
This is a fast paced YA fantasy with feuding families, morally grey characters and brutal horse races where anything goes 🐎
For me I thought there was a found family dynamic and whether purposeful or not the having four main characters really increased the pace of the book and kept me utterly hooked! The development of the characters and changing dynamics was done so well however by the end I am 100% a Reid stan and they must be protected at all costs!
I loved the inclusion of Jewish Folklore and thought that a part of the magic system being based on Golem’s was absolutely wonderful.
The audio narration was fantastic- I listen at 2-2.5x speed and it lost no quality and thought the narrator was fantastic.
I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait for book two because my brain 🧠 needs answers
I gave this book 4.5 stars so have rounded up :)

I’m quite unconvinced with this one tbh. On one hand, the world building was great, I loved the Jewish folklore elements included, the war background, so many things were reminiscing of real life events and history. The horse race was an interesting concept and same for Arielle’s magic. Now, my biggest issues were the characters. I didn’t care for any of them, nor for their romance, and honestly I wished Arielle and Mikira had ended up together rather than the alternative. Don’t ask me what happened in this book, I both know and have zero clue lmao. Maybe it just wasn’t it for me and I’d like to pick up another story including Jewish folklore and maybe with a more fairytale-esque vibe. Still good but not to my taste, 3 stars.

This Dark Descent is a dramatic fantasy full of magic, power and treachery. There is a lot going on in this story. The basic premise follows our two POV protagonists; Mikira and Arielle. Mikira needs to win a life-threatening, magical horserace with huge stakes, riding a golem horse that illicit enchanter Arielle has created. There is danger, betrayal and peril at every turn, with lots of powerful people working against them.

This is a fast-paced, exciting plot in its own right. But there are also many other subplots introduced throughout. Political and royal intrigue, family tension, magical possession, religious prejudice, romance, rebellion and so much more. I found a lot of this really interesting; I only wish there had been slightly less going on so some of these subplots could be more developed. By the end of the story, the main plot of the race had wrapped up, but it felt almost trivial compared to everything else going on. It did set things up very nicely for a sequel, and I am definitely intrigued enough to read one.

Recommended for fans of YA fantasy.

I adored this book! Josephson creates an electrically vivid world of high stakes, magic, and horse racing with a side of romance, sisterhood, and the mafia. This book has it all!

The relationship between the two main characters is wonderfully surprising after so many oddly standoffish female main characters, and really rounded out the book. The foundation of Jewish mythology in the worldbuilding is absolutely wonderful, and was so interesting to read! I'm so glad we're seeing more of it in fantasy at the moment.

And the cliffhanger!! I desperately need book 2 right now.

The narrators are easy to distinguish and very listentable! I do wish they had collaborated more on how each individual character's voice sounds, but recognise that this is fairly rare in a multi-narrator audiobook and is mostly a pet peeve of mine.

I loved this intense political fantasy. The magic system and religion used in tandem created such an interesting world. I loved the use of golems and Jewish inspired magical elements were amazing.

Arielle and Damien are by far the most well developed characters as individuals and their relationship was built perfectly in the setting. I throughly enjoyed their character arcs and Reid as well. Mikira annoyed me, with how she doesn't feel remorse for betraying Damien and I hope the narrative addresses her guilt which she should feel. This made her unlikeable to me, betraying someone who helped you despite being a noble is really stupid. Her own self righteous behaviour is laughable, judging Damien when she's a murderer herself. Arielle was right that she could never understand her darkness.

Moving onto Arielle, I loved her struggle with the darkness inside herself and trying to navigate her religious beliefs along with using her power to feel strong. Can't wait to see where the cliffhanger with Rezek takes us. Is he going to control her power somehow?

Loved Reid and hope get to explore more of him too.

Overall, an enjoyable high stakes political fantasy with great characters and dynamics.

I have to admit I'm not a horse person, and also not a horse race person. But I love a good competition in a good fantasy book, and this is what we find here. A dangerous world with many intrigue and a horse breeder's daughter who has to ride for her life. With the help of some very interesting people, which we can or can't trust....who knows.
The setting is great and the stakes are high. I'm a lover of dual POV and both characters there are equally interesting. Eventually though the story didn't fully reel me in.
The audiobook is great with two narrators for the different POVs. I had to listen carefully because the voices are a bit similar, but all in all it's narrated very entertaining.
3,5/5 stars
Thank you @netgalley and @macmillan.audio for the ALC!
#ThisDarkDescent #Netgalley

Thank you so much for letting listen to this audiobook. This Story just manifested Kalyn Josephson as one of my favorite author. I loved the characters, yes even the bad ones.

<I> The past had teeth and claws, and it would tear her apart if she let it.</i>

I’m a bit conflicted with this one! We had wonderful world building, lush religions and mythologies, plots and politics, brilliant morally grey characters and a dash of romance. Despite all this I found myself… bored.
I was really, really bored and had to push myself through it. I did enjoy the ‘Scorpio races’ vibes with the contest, but I never really felt Makira was at risk (even when she very much was) and I felt her character did a u-turn when it was necessary for the plot.
I genuinely adored Ari and Damien- I thought both their histories, characters and personalities had great depth and they were both well fleshed out morally grey characters!
Maybe trying to follow both the girls just bogged down the story a bit? I think I would have been more interested in Reid’s POV 🙈😂

I also found it difficult to differentiate between which characters were speaking. Although Makira and Ari’s POV’s were different, when the character were actually speaking, thinking or just the general narration was really difficult to tell the difference. This made the story a bit harder to digest in audio form as you were never sure if Damien, Reid, Ari etc etc we’re talking, or if things were said out load or not 🙈

***thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this audio in exchange for an honest review***

This was a fab, dark, gritty read!

Mikira, Reid, Damian and Ari find themselves thrown together with a magical bargain, a magical horse race with high stakes!

But who to trust?

This story had a bit of all of it!

~ Animal companions,
~ A lot of torture,
~ A magical race that must be won,
~ A fab, powerful magic system,
~ Golems: they aren't used enough!
~ Deceit and friendships,
~ Villains you will actually hate!

I must say all the characters were all morally grey and all likeable and unlikeable in their own way but Reid was my utter fave!

My one bug bear was I would've loved if the romances were more fleshed out, although I enjoyed them, I didn't really believe them.

Now the wait for book 2!