I entered this book knowing how much I’d enjoyed this author’s other series (The Storm Crow and The Crow Rider), and honestly, I didn’t need to know much else to be interested. And while This Dark Descent showed some similarities early on, especially due to the focus on being a rider (just of a different animal), it’s a completely unique story from what I remember of The Storm Crow. I overall really ended up enjoying this read, and I loved seeing what the author could do with such a different setting and with such different characters.

One thing that ended up sticking out to me was the two narrators of our story, and how despite them both being women stuck in difficult positions and forced to work together towards the same goals, they were still such unique and distinct people. It was clear was narrator we were currently with, something that some authors struggle with when the two narrators are so close and spend so much of the book together. Their motivations and struggles were both equally compelling, and it was interesting to see how they each thought of the remaining people in their group differently, and how the corresponding romances seemed to bias their perception of certain events.

I also really enjoyed the world and setting of this book, even if this aspect of the story felt a bit more similar to other books I’ve read before. There is oppression, with the people in power being generally horrible and just always trying to find new ways to profit. There’s also a war with a neighboring land, largely perpetuated for the resources it keeps bringing in despite the lives that it costs. However, what elevated this setting for me was how the mythology and magic became interwoven with this setting beyond just a surface-level connection. It’s something I’m excited to explore more in the next book!

Overall, I ended up really enjoying this one, and can’t wait to read the next installment!