A review by gigireadswithkiki
The Descent of Monsters by Neon Yang

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

I'll always give props for when authors decide to branch out and try something new; so while this installment of the Tensorate series isn't my favorite, the switch-up was creative and interesting, opening up of the world through Rider's backstory and the ransacked Tensorate research facility. Though I feel like the "research facility doing shady business gets attacked from the inside out" trope is a bit overdone, "The Descent of Monsters" had a creepy "Jurassic Park" feel at times that lent itself to an eerie aura that was utterly compelling. 

However!!! It felt a little bit lazy to have built up the detective character plagued by mysterious dreams, investigating the deaths of the facility,

all to die at the end, to poison no less.

At the end of the day, I felt that Rider's perspective and narrative were sorely missing from their own story, which is disappointing considering how much their character was hinted at in "The Red Threads of Fortune".