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folkofthebook's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.75
i generally enjoyed this. the jewish mythology inspiration and horse races definitely appealed to me, and i liked both FMCs. there is a good start to that found family trope, but i wish there could've been more development between the group outside of the races. it was cool to see an aroace MC as well and bi rep.
i'm interested in seeing where the author will take book 2.
i'm interested in seeing where the author will take book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Murder, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death
Minor: Alcohol, Antisemitism, War, and Death of parent
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Violence, Animal death, and Murder
rachelkreadsbookz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: War, Violence, and Torture
Moderate: Gore, Animal cruelty, and Animal death
Minor: Xenophobia and Death of parent
viking_flower_girl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was a dark and wild ride (literally). I love a good story with nods to ancient folklore and myths and with morally grey characters that you can’t help but feel and root for. The villains were also so hateable.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Animal death, Torture, and Murder
Minor: War
beautifulpaxielreads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Firstly, what a story! I have to give props to Kalyn Josephson for the plot and pacing because it was really well done. It certainly kept me turning the pages!
The world-building was very good too, although it could be confusing at times. I loved the intertwining of religious belief, magic, lore, and politics (particularly with Kinnism/Judaism), it all came together pretty seamlessly, although, again, it could be confusing occasionally.
The maps and family trees (created by Virginia Allyn) were useful in giving a sense of location and social hierarchies of the world.
The main problems I experienced had to do with character development and writing style, each of which I'll address separately.
I'll start with character development. Although I could see that Josephson did her best, there was a remoteness in the writing that stopped me from fully empathising and caring about the characters - particularly the POV characters of Mikira and Arielle, although I found qualities to admire in both of them. I also couldn't particularly vibe with either of theromantic developments, I just couldn't fully grasp what the love interests saw in each other, particularly with Damien and Arielle. I also couldn't buy into Damien's ruthlessness and tactics of manipulation, even though he was ultimately doing it to create a less corrupt and more equal society. I think there also may have been too many minor characters who only popped up now and again and made the story feel somewhat cluttered.
The writing style was also quite strange, although it did propel the plot forward But some of the phrasing was quite odd, leading me to be unsure as to who or what the text was referring to, and distinguishing between each individual character from scene to scene. There were also a number of spelling, phrasing, and grammatical errors which really should have been picked up by an editor because they were very distracting.
I probably will read the next book in the series because a number of plot elements intrigued me, but on the whole I didn't enjoy this as much as I wanted to.
The world-building was very good too, although it could be confusing at times. I loved the intertwining of religious belief, magic, lore, and politics (particularly with Kinnism/Judaism), it all came together pretty seamlessly, although, again, it could be confusing occasionally.
The maps and family trees (created by Virginia Allyn) were useful in giving a sense of location and social hierarchies of the world.
The main problems I experienced had to do with character development and writing style, each of which I'll address separately.
I'll start with character development. Although I could see that Josephson did her best, there was a remoteness in the writing that stopped me from fully empathising and caring about the characters - particularly the POV characters of Mikira and Arielle, although I found qualities to admire in both of them. I also couldn't particularly vibe with either of the
The writing style was also quite strange, although it did propel the plot forward But some of the phrasing was quite odd, leading me to be unsure as to who or what the text was referring to, and distinguishing between each individual character from scene to scene. There were also a number of spelling, phrasing, and grammatical errors which really should have been picked up by an editor because they were very distracting.
I probably will read the next book in the series because a number of plot elements intrigued me, but on the whole I didn't enjoy this as much as I wanted to.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Alcohol, Animal death, Bullying, Death, Medical content, Grief, Violence, Animal cruelty, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Emotional abuse, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Death of parent, Gore, Gun violence, Torture, Antisemitism, Drug use, and Xenophobia
Minor: Genocide and Sexual violence
One of the main plot points is a deadly and dangerous horseracing tournament, and horses are injured and/or killed.firefly99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A dangerous horse race that must be won to save the family’s ranch - every horse girl’s dream plot. :) Add in magic, tragic backstories, and an unexpected discussion of the Jewish experience (implied based on description of the religion and history), and tyranny, and the question of means justifying ends.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death
Moderate: Violence, War, Antisemitism, Racism, and Torture
Minor: Sexual assault
metaphorsandmisc's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Antisemitism, Injury/Injury detail, Bullying, Grief, and Death
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Violence, War, and Torture
Minor: Sexual harassment
caseythereader's review
adventurous
dark
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Thanks to Fierce Reads for the free copy of this book.
- THIS DARK DESCENT is quite a - pun intended - ride. Magic based on Jewish folklore, enchanted horse races, backstabbing elites, murder and romance.
- The race scenes had me on the edge of my seat. It took me a little flipping pages back and forth to follow the machinations of the lords, but once I figured it out I was all in.
- I haven't seen much talk about the queerness of this book, but it is! The characters describe their feelings rather than label them, given the sort of ancient fantasy setting of the world. But Mikira reads as bisexual and Arielle as somewhere on the demi-aroace spectrum.
- THIS DARK DESCENT is quite a - pun intended - ride. Magic based on Jewish folklore, enchanted horse races, backstabbing elites, murder and romance.
- The race scenes had me on the edge of my seat. It took me a little flipping pages back and forth to follow the machinations of the lords, but once I figured it out I was all in.
- I haven't seen much talk about the queerness of this book, but it is! The characters describe their feelings rather than label them, given the sort of ancient fantasy setting of the world. But Mikira reads as bisexual and Arielle as somewhere on the demi-aroace spectrum.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death, Grief, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Murder, Animal death, Classism, Torture, and Death of parent
obscurepages's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
THIS WAS ABSOLUTELY BRILLIANT WTF WTF 😭😂
I've only read middle grade from Kalyn Josephson, so while I was expecting something good, I also didn't know much yet about their writing style in YA. But wow wow wow wow.
<b>The world-building was complex and enchanting, the characters were all compelling, the political intrigue was just suspenseful, the plot was carefully woven and definitely stress-inducing </b> 😭😂 I was actually a little afraid I wouldn't really connect to this book because it's about horse-racing. But damn, how wrong was I. Because this was more than just horse-racing. It was about the bad and ugly sides of humanity, the immense power that the elites hold, about our own desires, and coming to terms with our own power and growing in confidence. <b> This was just brilliant, riveting, and breathtaking. </b>
(I also just loved seeing aroace/demi rep, as well as bi rep from the two main characters 🥹)
This took me in a rollercoaster ride I never really expected, and for that, this book is one of my favorites this year 😭
Full review in my blog soon!
(Received an e-arc from the author in exchange for an honest review.)
I've only read middle grade from Kalyn Josephson, so while I was expecting something good, I also didn't know much yet about their writing style in YA. But wow wow wow wow.
<b>The world-building was complex and enchanting, the characters were all compelling, the political intrigue was just suspenseful, the plot was carefully woven and definitely stress-inducing </b> 😭😂 I was actually a little afraid I wouldn't really connect to this book because it's about horse-racing. But damn, how wrong was I. Because this was more than just horse-racing. It was about the bad and ugly sides of humanity, the immense power that the elites hold, about our own desires, and coming to terms with our own power and growing in confidence. <b> This was just brilliant, riveting, and breathtaking. </b>
(I also just loved seeing aroace/demi rep, as well as bi rep from the two main characters 🥹)
This took me in a rollercoaster ride I never really expected, and for that, this book is one of my favorites this year 😭
Full review in my blog soon!
(Received an e-arc from the author in exchange for an honest review.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Violence, War, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Death of parent, Antisemitism, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Torture
Moderate: Sexual content, Bullying, and Grief
btwnprintedpgs's review
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Violence, Torture, and Gore
Minor: Animal death