This Dark Descent

This is a magical ride of a fantasy audio book. Suitable for older children and up. An enjoyable listen to a wonderfully developed story, the first in a series (could be read alone, but leaves the reader questions to be answered). The main characters all have secrets and much to lose if a bet to win the Illinir horse race is lost. But trust is hard to give and accept, and many really want them to fail. Let the race and battles commence. Thank you to Macmillan UK Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC. The views expressed are all mine, freely given.

I’ve been struggling to find time and space to physically read recently, so I’ve been exploring audio books more and This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson was a wonderful YA fantasy discovery.

Having previously loved The Storm Crow duology my expectations were high and for the most part Josephson delivered. The world building alone in this story is multi-layered and totally intriguing. A kingdom at war over magic and power, forced subscription into the army, a distinctly tiered and controlled hierarchy of power ruled by a king, whose ascension to the throne was dubious at best. I can honestly say that I truly want to get to know this world better.

The book has been described as having elements of The Scorpio Races, Peaky Blinders and Six of Crows, alongside Jewish based folklore and magic - I can’t argue with this at all! These elements were seamlessly woven in throughout the story to deliver rich facets of human nature - the good, the bad and the truly ugly.

The characters are really interesting and diverse, LBGTQ+ diversity, including an Aroa e character and they were definitely the full spectrum of shades of grey.

The tale is told from 2 POVs, who are portrayed wonderfully by Lauren Lefkow and Rebecca Nortolk - providing 2 distinct voices and characterisation that truly brought the book to life.

Back to our 2 foremost characters and POVs, we have Mikira, daughter of an enchanted horse breeder - with the power to breed and raise enchanted horses, a concept that totally raises the stakes for the plot line. Her father has been reduced to a slave after having been cheated by the eldest son of one of the 4 highest noble houses, all of whom are almost untouchable and totally corrupt. Ari is forced into a deal to save her father and her family home - all she has to do us win a dangerous magical race on an unenchanted horse! Mikira comes across as a strong, determined, moral, and forceful character but, her arc definitely takes a twist in this story, which didn’t quite sit right, even if it did serve the plot well.

Ari, a refugee of war, is such a wonderfully complex, self-aware, protective, and truly beautiful character. Her arc was a real sight to behold as it progressed and I can’t wait to hear more about what happens to her, particularly after that ending.

Supporting characters in the story were definitely all shades of grey and Damien in particular gave me a sense of Kaz Brekker, his whole demeanour, body language and planning were brilliant. And Reid his best friend was truly the perfect partner for Damien. Totally tea obsessed with distinct control and order needs, he was also a wonderful foil for Mikira.

And finally, the magic system - with foundations in magic, Jewish folklore, plant life, and geology, the magic system is so interesting and well explained. Of course there is some mystery about it, including lost/stolen knowledge but, that just makes it all the intriguing and truly adds to one of the key plot lines in the book.

I had an absolute blast with this audiobook and it definitely made my commute and work day far more interesting and exciting. I totally recommend racing to pick up the book or audiobook and escaping to a whole new world of races, deception, plots and machinations.

Thank you Macmillan UK Audio and Netgalley for the opportunity to review This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

for once, I very much agree with the comps for the book: it is, in fact, giving The Scorpio Races with Six of Crows/Peaky Blinders setting.

We have two queer POVs: queer Mikira, our local horse girl, who is willing to do everything to save her father and their ranch, and demiromantic Arielle, who is Kinnish and hiding her enchanter powers. [Mikira is also the aroacespec character that was advertised in early promotion - but keep in mind she does not end up identifying as aroace by the end of this book.] The story is rounded out by Damien and Reid, who all come together to win the Illinir - but not all for the same reasons.
With a fast pace and intriguing Jewish-inspired magic, the story quickly warms you up to both of our leading characters who are both backed into a wall and need to start making some hard choices. While Mikira's under constant threat to lose her ranch and at times even her life, there's a voice haunting Ari and luring her to dive deeper into her powers. Alongside the exciting trials of the Illinir race, there are two romance subplots slowly unfolding as well without overtaking the focus of the story.

It's not a pretty world and Josephsen does a great job at balancing different and even opposing viewpoints and its exploring the grey morality of the cast and its antagonists. The end itself was maybe a little frustrating, it felt a little rushed to give it a cliffhanger and the playing parties could have been established better earlier on to build up the intricate net of foes, allies and not-yet-determined characters more, yet it delivers an entertaining ride.

I was also having a blast with the audiobook which has dual narrators, Laurel Lefkow and Rebecca Norfolk, who bring the story to life and created a lovely atmosphere for this start of a darker YA series.

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!

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.