This Dark Descent by Kalyn Josephson follows the hardships of two girls, Mikira Rusel and Arielle Kadar, in a world boiling with rebellion, power, and magic. Mikira is a strong headed girl who hails from a prestigious family of enchanted horse breeders, but that’s all over now as their debts rise and their father is forcibly taken to work as an enchanter for the Kelbra House. Arielle, or Ari, is a skillful but unlicensed enchanter who’s talents lie in the creation of golems instead of enchanted animals. Along with the young handsome lord, Damien Adair, and his mysterious yet cheeky friend, Reid, together they must all help Mikira as she races in the deadly cross-country horse race—the Illinir. 

This story wastes absolutely no time getting into the thick of it. It throws you right into Mikira’s troubles and conflicts, and at first, I thought the pacing was moving extremely fast, but eventually I got used to the rhythm of its storytelling and enjoyed every minute of it. The best way I can describe it is shounen anime horse racing, with magic and political intrigue. It kept me on my toes and I was entranced from start to finish. 

The Illinir itself made me on edge, as I felt like I could predict what the outcome was, but then the story shifted just a little bit to the left to leave me surprised in the best way possible. I wanted to know how Mikira and her racing horse, Atara, would get out of their deathly situations. I wanted to know how Arielle will handle her ever increasing powers. I wanted Rezek Kelbra to eat horse dung. 

The fantasy aspect intrigued me, especially Arielle’s talent in golem building. The noble houses, the war going on in the background, the inevitable coup d'etat building up among the rebels against the royal family—all of it gave just enough information to interest me but not lose focus on the main plot at hand, which was Mikira and Arielle’s struggles involving the race, their families, and their livelihoods. 

Though I rate this 5 stars, the only thing I wasn’t convinced of was the romance. I felt like there could have been more scenes building up to it instead of it bubbling along in the background off-screen. Though, I am here for the bisexual love triangle. Will always enjoy those no matter what.