Publishers Weekly
07/24/2023
Seventeen-year-old Mikira is a talented horse jockey and scion of a renowned family of enchanted equine breeders whose fortunes have declined since attracting the ire of cruel Lord Rezek Kelbra. When Rezek discovers that Mikira’s father is an unlicensed enchanter, the lord sets an ultimatum: win the Illinir, a series of deadly races, on an unenchanted horse, or forfeit her father and the family business. Meanwhile, 18-year-old Arielle, also an unlicensed enchanter, hides a secret—she can create golems, powerful creatures from a forbidden magical tradition whose enchantments can go undetected. The girls’ paths collide when Lord Damien Adair, the youngest son of an upstart noble house, approaches them with a plan to win the Illinir, taking his own revenge on house Kelbra in the process. Josephson (The Crow Rider) merges grounded magical lore with electromechanical technology to develop a grim and corruptly governed city populated by morally ambiguous characters. Via Mikira and Arielle’s witty alternating perspectives, Josephson presents them as ever-evolving figures with interestingly complementary approaches to the world and the circumstances they find themselves in. Jewish folklore involving golems and dybbuks is woven throughout, and Jewish history strongly informs the backstory of this fantasy world’s people. Ages 14–up. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Praise for This Dark Descent
★ "An uncommonly arresting fantasy that questions the price of goodness, the cost of magic, and the depths of humanity." —Booklist, starred review
"This Dark Descent runs a breathless and delightfully twisting course full of danger and heartbreak, machinations and magic. I loved it and I can’t wait for more!” —Melissa Caruso, author of the Swords and Fire series
"A riveting, clever Jewish fantasy that had me racing through the pages. With dangerous magic, high-stakes political intrigue, and a stunning cast of characters (and animal companions!), This Dark Descent is sure to leave readers begging for the sequel." —Allison Saft, New York Times bestselling author of A Far Wilder Magic
"Kalyn Josephson has crafted a rich world and a tightly-plotted story that kept me reading well into the night. Anchored by the emotional nuance of the two leads, this tale of horse-racing, magic, and power is not to be missed." —Emily Lloyd-Jones, international bestselling author of The Drowned Woods
"Brimming with action, political intrigue, and a touch of romance, This Dark Descent is a fierce and darkly magical thrill ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat." —Ava Reid, award-winning author of Juniper & Thorn
"A deliciously dark and fast-paced novel that I could not put down from the minute I picked it up! Full of twists and turns you won't know who to trust. Josephson is a master at crafting gripping and intense scenes that make you feel as though you are in the middle of the action yourself. Truly an incredible story that you don't want to miss!" —Joss Diaz, Kepler's Books
"A breathless exploration of the differences - and lack thereof - between monsters and men, with a glimmering romantic thread woven through secrets, lies, and hidden plots. I read it all in one sitting!" —Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling author of Give the Dark My Love and Night of the Witch
"Josephson weaves an enchanting fantasy with lore steeped in Jewish culture, a cast of whip smart characters, and more perilous twists and turns than any race track. Hang on to your hats - This Dark Descent is a truly thrilling ride!" —Rosiee Thor, author of Fire Becomes Her
"This Dark Descent transports readers into an epic world of scheming lords and those desperate enough to step into their crosshairs for a chance at survival . . . I loved it so much, I read it twice!" —Shannon Price, author of The Endless Skies and A Thousand Fires
"This Dark Descent explodes out the gate like an enchanted horse in a death-defying race. A skillfully layered world, high stakes action, and dynamic character relationships rife with complex motivations and compelling backstories unite for a gripping read that kept me utterly absorbed from the first page to the last." —Nicki Pau Preto, author of the Crown of Feathers trilogy and the House of the Dead duology
"Josephson presents... ever-evolving figures with interestingly complementary approaches to the world and the circumstances they find themselves in. Jewish history strongly informs the backstory of this fantasy world’s people." —Publishers Weekly
"Original and engaging." —Kirkus Reviews
"Absorbing . . . A final twist brings together threads . . . setting up a second volume to eagerly await." —BCCB
"This adventure is for...collections wishing to diversify their fantasy shelves." —School Library Journal
Booklist Editors' Choice
A Paste Magazine's Best Book of the Year
A YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults
School Library Journal
02/23/2024
Gr 9 Up—Game of Thrones meets The Hunger Games—with horses—in a dark fantasy that is in turns gripping and maddening. Mikira is a jockey in illegal horse races who survives in a repressive surveillance society, in the capital city of Enderlain. After entering into an unwise bargain with an evil young lord, Rezek, Mikira enters into a counter-alliance with Lord Damian Adair, who hires an unlicensed Kinnish enchanter, Arielle, to build a golem-horse to help Mikira win a high-stakes steeplechase famous for on-course assassinations. This book is at its best when it grapples seriously with what it means to be Jewish in the fantasy genre. Josephson portrays the entwined history, theology, and magical systems of Kinnism and Sendism (the Jewish and Christian stand-ins). Arielle and Damian both grapple with their own fraught connection to their culture as well as to a hostile majority. This brings positive associations with Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver. The class and political dynamics of Enderlain are on shakier ground. Most prominently, Damian is repeatedly disparaged for being a spoiled nobleman, the scion of a diseased aristocracy. But his family's ennoblement has happened within his lifetime and his parents were first-generation immigrants, suggesting fluid class dynamics. Moreover, the rival reformer tempting Mikira's sympathies from Damian is a princess? That doesn't sound like it will end with systematic change! Alongside exciting racing scenes, there is also plot silliness, such as strategist Damian leaving a signet ring he needs in the hands of a man he has killed—in order to get that ring. VERDICT Alternately engrossing and messy, this adventure is for large collections wishing to diversify their fantasy shelves.—Katherine Magyarody
Kirkus Reviews
2023-07-26
In the complicated political fantasy landscape of Enderlain, Mikira Rusel and Arielle Kadar are strong young women forced into dire circumstances.
Ari uses banned Kinnish magic, based on the Jewish myth of the golem, to feed herself. Mikira is from a family who breeds magical horses. Early in the story, Ari is assaulted and robbed, while Mikira’s father, who is deeply in debt and using illegal enchantment to enhance his horses, is arrested. Using the girls’ desperation to their own advantage, Damien Adair and Rezek Kelbra, the sons of two warring noble houses, each devise plots to gain power to control the city. Damien enlists Ari and Mikira in a devious plan to win the Illinir, a series of dangerous horse races held once every decade: Mikira will be the jockey, and Ari will create a golem disguised as a horse. While this dual narrative told in the girls’ alternating points of view is original and engaging, the multiple storylines and numerous characters lead to plot holes that may confuse readers. The languid pace of most of the story leads up to an ending that comes too quickly and leaves many open storylines and unanswered questions. While it’s obvious that a sequel is in the works, the perplexing nature of this book might leave some readers feeling unfulfilled. The main characters have olive or light skin.
An elaborate yet convoluted high fantasy that references Jewish folklore. (map, family trees) (Fantasy. 14-18)
