This Dark Descent is an incredible fantasy novel that surrounds a violent and magical horse race – the Illinir – that has the ability to change lives with its astonishing prize money. Desperate to save her family’s ranch, one of our protagonists, Mikira Rusel, must enter this deadly race and surround herself with some even deadlier people. Our other protagonist, Arielle, is an unregistered enchanter, who has been enlisted to help Mikira win the Illinir, in the hopes she can finally obtain an enchanter licence.
Alongside the high stakes cross-country horse race, Josephson has also managed to seamlessly weave in a beautiful friends-to-enemies-to-lovers romance worth swooning over. This novel truly has everything you could want in a good fantasy. Josephson includes queer representation and refugee representation in an intricate world that is steeped in Jewish folklore. A world where danger lies around every corner, and there’s no telling what may happen next.
Josephson leaves us with a rather mysterious ending, which I have no doubt will have readers desperate for book two! This Dark Descent is the perfect book to be reading right now, one worthy of a cosy evening by the fire.
Nik Scully
This Dark Descent
Kalyn Josephson
Macmillan Children’s Books, 2023
Paperback, £8.99
ISBN 9781035027910
