This Dark Descent
A high-stakes, swoonworthy YA fantasy steeped in Jewish folklore
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- 4,99 €
Publisher Description
Enter the corrupt world of Veradell, where warring monarchs vie for a kingdom full of forbidden magic, illicit romance and cut-throat horse racing. Steeped in Jewish folklore, This Dark Descent is an explosive YA fantasy by Kalyn Josephson, perfect for fans of Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows.
Mikira Rusel is out of options. With her father imprisoned and facing rising debts, there’s only one way to save her family from ruin: enter the Illinir, a high-stakes, cross-country horse race known for its high death toll as much as its flashy prize money.
To have any chance of success she’ll have to recruit Ari, an unlicensed enchanter, Damien, a lord in the midst of a succession battle, and Reid; the brooding horse trainer who will be the key to Mikira’s survival.
All her accomplices have reasons of their own to help Mikira - and their own blood feuds to avenge. And as alliances deepen and romances form, Mikira will have to discover where everyone’s true loyalties lie.
In a world as dangerous as this, remember to keep your enemies close and your friends closer . . .
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
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.
