I want to say thank you Netgalley and the author for providing an ARC for an honest review.

This book was so amazing! It took me a little longer as it covers some heavy topics such as human trafficking, prostitution, drug use, slavery and graphic depictions of violence but these topics were written in a such a way that was respectful and mindful of the topics.

The world building was phenomenal and though it was a slower paced book it felt necessary to get immersed in the world. The writing was lovely and it made me want to keep reading. It took awhile for my head to get around the names and characters but I felt that it added to the world.

I appreciated seeing the point of view of both Roma and Levithian, which made me enjoy the story. I viscerally felt the constant heartbreak that Roma went through and felt the struggle Levi went through with how he was brought up and deciding on what he does and what he feels he should do. The character development was

I look forward to delving more into the world and seeing more of Ana Lal Din's writing.

Of course, is this only my personal opinion on the book and just because I give this rating to the book doesn’t mean, that everyone will have that opinion.

TW for the book that are not mentioned in the synopsis: Child abuse, Miscarriage, Transphobia, animal harm, self-harm, explicit violence, child and human sex trafficking, and prostitution.

The book is a lot! Please read the trigger warning in the book first before you start it. The author intended to spread awareness and I will quote a passage from the acknowledgements here:

“What I wanted was to spread awareness about the sacred prostitution, caste system, and half-creature perception and abuse of transgenders in South Asia; the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya People; the exploitation of once-resourceful places like the Middle East and Afghanistan; the occupation of and war crimes against Palestine; and the human trafficking of adults and children across the globe.”

But now to me review:
First of all, I like the cover art for this book because I am a sucker for snakes on the front. I think it fits the story really good and it is definitely an eye-catcher.

Personally, I had a hard time getting into the book and the writing style. I often had to look at the glossary to understand certain words and that often took my reading flow. I like Arabian mythology but I am not familiar with it so the world-building was a little bit of a rough start for me. A side note from me: this is not a fluffy read for in between. This book is a lot and if you are a person that skims a lot of passages: be prepared for the fact, that you will soon or later not understand a thing

I liked the plot idea and had high hopes but in my opinion, the plot point that was promised in the synopsis surfaced after almost 65% of the book. I know it is the first book in a book series with rich worldbuilding but I was a little bit let down by this fact. The plot point I am talking about needs a lot of other things to happen first but I was waiting for it. The pace of the plot gets faster towards the end so that I was surprised and thought I missed some pages because it did not quite fit the pace before.

I really liked both of the main characters. They had their flaws and strengths and I adored that they were not perfect but I could not form a deep connection towards these two and I can’t really say why because honestly I don’t know.

I think that this book was just not right for me. I liked it but I was just not my cup of tea.

Conclusion
Not a fluffy romantasy! Its a heavy fantasy book with detailed world building and great reprensation. This is not something for in between. Please read the TW before you start it.

I give 3 from 5 Stars

3.5 stars

Trigger warnings: Abuse, rape, self-harm, physical violence, suicide, human trafficking, prostitution, drug abuse, sodomisation

I’m surprised I finished this book. This is not an easy book to read. Honestly not sure if I would have read it at all if I had seen the warning before requesting this book. (I hope when this book is published the warning will be on its own page at the beginning.) This is a story not for the faint-hearted. The characters’ lives only get worse and worse in this harsh and brutal world. There is anger, pain, humiliation, death, violence in every form. I’m not quite sure if I was in the best mental state when reading this. I was starting to feel sad, heartbroken and felt like everything was hopeless. So for those that are reading this, please think about if this is something that will or may affect your mental or emotional health before reading.

Roma is such a strong character. She is fighting and rebels against this world where she doesn’t have any power. Levi is struggling and fighting his own demons. They do what they must to survive and protect those they care about. There is no romance in this book. I’m happy there wasn’t any because it would take away from the story.

The pace is a little weird for me. This is a very character driven book and not much plot. The details about the world was dumped at the beginning. Characters as well. It was hard to keep up sometimes. There is a glossary in the back for cultural words/phrases.

This is a story that needs to be told about the harsh realities of some people’s lives. I just wished there was something, some kind of hope to hold onto but I guess if this is related to real life experiences, there isn’t always hope or a light at the end of the tunnel. Even though by the end I liked this book, I’m still not sure if it was for me.

*Received via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review*

So rich and lovely. The Descent of the Drowned is set in a colonized Indo-Persian world and inspired by pre-Islamic Arabian mythology, It's a story about power, identity, and redemption. There are trigger warnings like physical and emotional abuse, mention of rape and sodomisation, sexual assault, suicide, bigotry, drug abuse, and human trafficking.

The writing itself is beautiful and distinct. It's easy to pull a reader into its setting. The mythology was lovely to read about.

The book focuses on the devastation and injustices within the caste systems in this society. Roma struggles and questions her life. The characters are vivid and strong-willed which is enjoyable to read.

I'm looking forward to future titles from Ana Lal Din.

**The Descent of the Drowned by Ana Lal Din**
I received this ARC via NetGalley, thank you so much for allowing me to read it!

The Descent of the Drowned is a story about a enthralling story about Roma, who is bound to serve for the rest of her life. Since she is ‘promised’ to a goddess, she must do as she is told for the ‘good’ of her people. Begrudgingly, she puts up with that- until her brother now has to share her fate. Now, she must decide if she will continue being silent, or if she will break the cycle and rebel.
Through her journey she connects with Leviathan, a boy who is bound to kill for his father. As they both begin to forge their own path, their lives slowly start to twine together- shocking them both with the secrets that they unfold.

There are quiet a few trigger warnings in this book, so please keep that in mind before beginning it. Some triggers include; mentions of sh, suicide, violence, r*pe, human trafficking, and addiction.

For me, it took me a bit to truly appreciate the writing style of the author. The first few chapters seemed to drag on, and then suddenly I found myself unable to put the book down! So if you find yourself debating whether or not to stop reading because you find it slow- DON’T STOP!

The characters are both the strong-willed-never-backing-down type, and you can’t help but cheer at their sheet brazenness. These characters are LEGIT people, with real emotions and a darkness in them that doesn’t always remain hidden. When the world does whatever it can to push you down- it can show in who you are in a person, and our main characters don’t always shy away from those feelings.

The plot is intense to say the least. If somehow managed to be slow paced, but has enough going on that you keep turning each page in anticipation. You never quiet know what to expect and the different mindsets of the characters always keep you guessing about what is going to happen next.

In conclusion, I would definitely say this was an amazing book. Though, a bit confusing with all of the magical terms and different languages (though the author has graciously included a glossary in the back) you get sucked into the magical world and it consumes you. If you’re a fan of the morally grey, low romance, and wicked smiles- then I highly recommend you check out this book!

i want to start by saying that i don't think this book should be considered as YA. the story is very dark and heavy, one of the main themes being child prostitution, this is not an easy read.

« the scars on her face resembled the scars on his mind. he wanted to ask her about them. »
i loved the two main characters, especially roma. she has suffered so much and yet she still finds the strength to fight for the people she loves. her relationship with chirag was beautifully written and made me so sad.
« his emotions always came in extremes. fear, anger, love- he’d feel too much, too deeply. »
leviathan is the son of the firawn and he tries very hard not to be like his father.
both characters are morally ambiguous but it is their flaws that make them human.
there’s no romance in this first book, i believe they need to heal and face their trauma first but i hope there will be some in the next book.

« men didn’t purchase women unless they wanted to use them. »
the beginning of the book was slow but i liked it this way because it allowed me to fully understand the world-building and how the dēvadasi and caste system worked. i loved how this novel was written, everything seemed so realistic, almost like a historical story. the author really did a great job of raising awareness on real life issues. i also liked the fact that the author included foreign words throughout the novels, which made me more immersed in the book. (you can find the translation of these words at the end of the book by the way).

« she raised the conch to her lips. “i wont forgive, i wont forget.” »
the ending omg, the ending was so good. i really cannot wait for the second book (i hope and think it will be a 5 stars for me). lastly i want to thank the author for writing this book, the topic they covered is so important and everyone should learn about it.

thanks to netgalley for providing me with an e-arc to review!

the descent of the drowned is one of the best fantasy novels i’ve read and the only one i’ve read that is set in pre-islamic arabian society. it is beautifully written with exceptional characters, mesmerizing world-building, and very satisfying and interesting explorations of religion, caste systems and more.

first off, i have to highlight the writing. ana lal din has a gorgeous way with words. it is beautiful without bursting at the seams with purple prose, and simple without being bland. in short, i am in love with the author’s writing style and will be reading everything they put out!

there’s not any point in this story that i felt bored. the pacing was pretty okay to me. granted the first 40% of the book can be seen as slow, but i actually appreciated the time we took to soak in the world, set the basis of the story and slowly get to know the characters and get in their head. and so once the story picked up and everything started moving quicker, i was so connected to the characters and felt their pain through it all.

speaking of characters, i was enamored by almost all of them from the very start. our main characters, roma and leviathan, grew on me very quickly—as well as chirag, junho, malev and more. their arcs are really interesting and each character has gone through their fair share of absolute pain; mostly stemming from the cruel and unfair caste system that existed in this world.

i really appreciated how the author handled all the politics and the society in this world. i’m aware the base of it all is not fiction and it’s another major reason why this story means so much to me: the realness of it all. the representation present here is so precious and important, i am always thrilled to see more novels exploring fantasy settings outside the traditional european plane. i loved seeing more culture, the mythology, the pre-islamic arabian society and its customs, the socio-economic and political themes, and everything else.

though i have to admit that it took its time, the world-building in this book is exceptional. this world felt very much real to its core. the author did a fantastic job weaving the fantasy elements into the story, in my opinion, all in good time. not giving too much at once definitely kept the mystery alive. i was always interested and felt like i needed to know more. and when it gave me more, it left me something else to want more of.

now to one of the most important aspect of this book and story to me (and the author): women. this story explored the perception of women in this world and their oppression throughout. the dēvadasi system was the perfect setting for this story—roma’s story—to take place. ana lal din delicately explored these themes of traumatic repercussions that women had to face in their lives. it was very interesting (and painful) reading about all of it.

finally, i have to say that this book—this story—is one of a kind. a fascinating character-driven story with themes that include redemption, identity, humanity and more, following characters with emotional and psychological complexity, including representation of social justice issues and marginalized voices... and so. much. more.

an absolute favorite!!!

highly recommend you read it if you can.

tw: self-harm (mentioned), death, parent death, sickness (mentioned), violence, guns, sexual assault, sodomization, grief, addiction, drug abuse, suicide (mentioned), castration (mentioned), transphobia, bigotry, human trafficking.

I was very, very excited to see this book being offered as a 'to-read now' on NetGalley. I was looking for something similar to Empire of Sand or City of Brass. Both of these were A+ with their story-telling for being debut novels at the time.

Unfortunately, what I got from this book was interesting characters. That was it.

The world building, the plot, the magic. What the story relied on to make it work and to make me invested? It was messy. The book started picking up in the last couple chapters but still, the ending confused me.

Also, for a book that featured a lot of abuse to women - rape, torture - you would hope that the writing would support and or make sense of it all. But with poor plot and world building, it just comes across as lot of women being abused.

Finding the last chapter how the author wrote this as a way of bringing to light the issues currently in society made me sad that the story came out the way it did. :/

Thank you to Netgalley and Books Forward for a review copy of this book!

The premise of this book isn't one uncommon for high fantasy, but it is a unique one for its setting. Based in a Indo-Persian world (the author is Pakistani), the story follows a girl named Roma who is, with her sisters, sold into prostitution in the name of the Goddess Lamia. After suffering abuse from her first patron and engaging in self-harm, she has made herself an official Problem for the men of the higher castes,
especially when she catches the eye of the Firawn's bastard son. But, more than a romance, this tale is refreshing in its lack of it in exchange for the journey of two flawed people finding their power.

Formatting is excellent. The digital edition reads beautifully on my Kindle Oasis, with no strange spacing, line breaks, and a visually pleasant, readable font with no need for adjustment.
Chapter lengths are also very nice for either a quick break or a long read; were I commuting at the moment I am sure I would have appreciated it.
There are foreign words in the text, but they are used in a way that I feel words like this should be--naturally throughout the text, without translation but also with no need for it. The context provided is more than enough to pick up the words, should you choose to (but there's also a glossary in the back if that's how you get on). Especially
when so many novels set in the Middle East and Asia feel the need to translate or explain Every Little Thing immediately, it was a noticeable and refreshing change.

The bulk of the action takes place in the last third of the book, but it doesn't feel slow; though there are times where it finally feels like it's getting its footing just to leave it. That said, if there's a sequel on the way I will certainly read it!

(Posted on Goodreads 2/10/2021.)

To start off with The Descent of the Drowned has many trigger warnings as it deals with events surrounding: physical and emotional abuse, mention of rape and sodomisation, sexual assault, bigotry, drug abuse, human trafficking, suicide, and more.

To begin with I found the world to be quite hard to get into. There was a lot of new information and characters in the world building to understand, although as I kept going things became clearer as I learnt how it all inter-winded (especially after I discovered that there was a glossary at the back, which made the new phrases easier to learn).
I love the two main characters Roma and Levi and it becomes very interesting to see how their characters develop with all the things going on around them. The world has a caste (class) system and seeing what these to do, to go against what they and others around them were born into.
The magic system played a back role to the plot and characters which I found different from the usual fantasy books you get where magic is front and centre.

I'm eager to see where this story goes, but not for the heartbreak that the characters are surely bound to go through in the next one.
Thank you to NetGalley and White Tiger Press for the ARC.

"They’ll tell a woman she’s less, so they can believe they’re more.”

This is a very strange book - and I mean that in both good and not so good ways. It's deeply unpredictable, tricky and twisting as a snake, the plot moves smoothly from moment to moment and yet at no point could I see where it was going. I went into it expecting a relatively standard YA read and I walk out shooketh and convinced that I probably need to reread it just to really get to grips with what, exactly, I just read.
All of which is to say that Ana Lal Din is a fantastically talented writer and worldbuilder. But she is also merciless, and although there are moments of clumsy explanation, for the most part it is understand-or-die. I think with a physical copy and the ability to flip back and forth to the glossary, it would be easier, but the plot and the characters also sometimes fail to explain their actions which means that at moments I had to reread several pages just to figure out what had gone on and why.
It's well worth a read, and Ana Lal Din might just be one of the more exciting emerging fantasy writers. Its not perfect, but there's so much promise that I really can't wait to see what she'll do next.

I had such an hard time connecting with this book, I really tried to but couldn´t. I didn´t understand what was going on and had a hard time understanding some of the words due to their being no translation.

Wow. What a journey this book was. I’d like to straight up say that this is in my top 10 fantasy books of all time. The book focusses a lot on the injustices within the caste systems in this society, the misogyny, how society is twisted to sculpt the world in a man’s eye, sacred prostitution, tyrannical occupation, human trafficking, etc... We see Roma struggle and question her life, how her people are treated, while she among many others, are being violated in the name of sacred prostitution and society glorifies it. We find Leviathon find his way through being the son and heir of the tyrant Firawn, how violence changes him and question his own morality with how vile things actually are.

And all of this is written so so beautifully. Its lyrical without being purple prose, its expressive without being info dumpy, its so so atmospheric without having to bring up metaphors i wouldn’t know anything about. Its to the point and specific. The descriptions are so visual, the entire book painted a picture in my mind and THE WRITING STYLE FITs the voices of the characters so so much and each of them are so distinct and unique, i just got lost in the story. Apart from the main characters, something phenomenal that this book did was bring a LOT of side characters to life with limited content and that again goes back to how beautiful and specific the writing style is. Each of the personalities were so fleshed out just through the notions, way of speech, and characterization instead of lengthy backstories and that is something very few authors are able to do.

As for the world building, it was phenomenal, i could visualize the different geographical locations we visited, the culture was SO SO fleshed out, the history was brought so beautifully and in a way that was so realistic. In one instance here was a historical story within this book being told, but at almost the climax the mc runs out and we don’t get that other half of the story there and then. This brings a realism for the readers because it shows that this story isn’t happening to the readers, its happening to the characters and i have to praise the author because there are so much more small details like these, i could see that every single information is put very carefully at the right place without giving away too much, and that kept a hold on me as reader, I couldn’t put this down!


The story is very much a character driven story but at the same time its pace is not slow so naturally each of the character arcs were so alluring, and some aspects so relatable that it had me tearing up throughout. Im in love with both of the main characters AND ASHAR!!!!

The only nitpick would be with the magic system, its a very unique magic system and it is not the forefront of the story and it was very well done, but i’m a reader who enjoys knowing exactly how the magic works which we didn’t get (yet?) so thats the only nitpick but thats just my preference, because i really can’t find any other criticisms. The major themes were handled so realistically and it was so so well done. And im so so happy that there FINALLY is an author who’s trying to tackle issues that western media just blatantly ignore. The issues written here need to be discussed, need be made more aware and im beyond grateful for the author to have put this story out. Truly an amazing and beautiful tale. I CANT WAIT for the sequel and i’ll be reading anything the author puts out in the future.

Note: i received an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Trigger + content warnings: self harm (mentioned), death, parent death, sickness (mentioned), violence, guns, sexual assault, sodomization, grief, addiction, drug abuse, suicide (mentioned), castration (mentioned), transphobia, bigotry, human trafficking.
The book does come with trigger warnings at the beginning which is great but I definitely think it could be a bit more extensive considering how heavy the themes of this book are.

I cannot begin to describe how much I loved this book. A dual-perspective, fast-paced book that deals with human morality is all I want and need and oh how The Descent of the Drowned delivered. Roma is a sacred slave, sold to men who want the honour of sleeping with a goddess. While she has faced many abuses and violations, I loved Roma because she is a fighter, and her heart remains so big despite all that she has experienced. Her story is heartbreaking but she isn't defined by the horrors committed against her, her story is about freedom, power and self-discovery.

Roma's story entwines with that of the bastard son of the immortal tyrant. While honed to be his father's weapon, Leviathan's mother was from one of the persecuted clans, leaving him a ghost to both, being too much of the other to fit in. While he has done terrible things in his father's name, Levi has come to realise that he is also in a position to bring change and that he doesn't have to contribute to the system of power and inequality, that helping even a single person is worth it.

The side characters were also phenomenal, including Chirag, Junho, Malev, and all the others, who felt very fleshed out and just as important as Levi and Roma despite not being the focus.

While dark, I appreciate that Ana Lal Din held a mirror to our world and showed us the long-standing problems that have been allowed to flourish at the expense of the less fortunate. She mentions herself in her acknowledgements all the sources in our world that the aspects of the story come from, and nothing is adding just for the dark aesthetic or for shock value. "What is humankind in a world without humanity?" is definitely a question we should be asking ourselves in our world that still has so far to go, but Ana Lal Din has done such a good job of encapsulating the power of choice.

I’m glad I gave this one a chance because it definitely filled my need for a good fantasy!

I am going to change up my review a bit and talk about the plot/setting before I talk about the characters as this book does deal with important topics but they can also be triggering for some.

From the blurb, I didn’t think this book would be as dark as it was. It does mention slavery but what isn’t said is that it has to do with prostitution and being sold into this by your own family or those looking to make a quick coin to feed their own children. This is just surface level as well. There is also talk of organ harvesting, how little women and girls mean to this society, and a plethora of other things that the author added into her notes. I will say that there isn’t anything graphic besides mentioning blood when it comes to the aftermath of certain brutalities (there is one scene of brutality though), and killing of some. I do think that the author did a great job with all of the topics included and it did make me uncomfortable but in a good way as it makes me think.

The book has two point-of-views: Leviathan and Roma. I did like each of these as both come from different backgrounds and are of course, a different gender. I do wish that at the beginning of each chapter they would say who’s point-of-view it was because sometime it wouldn’t be until the next paragraph that I would understand who it was.

Roma is a sacred prostitute for the church. It may seem great to feel sacred but it is anything but that. Roma understands the atrocities of those under the church but many of the girls she calls sisters don’t understand what is really happening behind the scene. Many of her chapters are very hard to read because she deals with a lot. Even though that is the case, she still tries to be loyal to a certain extent but is strong and capable when the time comes.

Leviathan is a man of privilege as he was born to the Firawn, who is the ruler. He doesn’t understand many of the struggles because of that privilege and also because of his gender. At times he can be morally grey as some of his actions are definitely not the best but he does have good intentions even if he goes about it the wrong way. He is definitely a complicated character.

Both of these characters don’t have many moments together and when they do, they are not romantic. I actually didn’t mind not having a romantic plot as there was more time to develop both characters and all of the plot details. The ending did have a rather large cliffhanger involving Roma and I am really curious to see where her development goes in the next book. Hopefully both remain okay!

The setting reminded me of other books such as Rebel of the Sands or An Ember in the Ashes. There wasn’t too much world-building but because the plot is intriguing I don’t feel like I missed out on anything. The author also has a glossary in the back to explain the language/terms used and that was really appreciated!

Overall, I enjoyed this one even though it dealt with harder topics. I am looking forward to the next book and would definitely recommend it.

TW: sexual assault, transphobia, abuse, violence

I really enjoyed this. It was such an interesting read and take on South Asian culture — the author attests to the horrific events taking place/that have taken place in South Asia. The way she spun her own commentary through her main characters and the plot was so well-done, I also loved the world and the vernacular used, it was so brutal and horrible at times—but it made me relate to so many issues within India/South Asia in general with the genocide of the Rohingya people, the treatment of transgender & intersex people, the effects of colonization and gentrification, colorism, rape culture. This is one of the few fantasy I’ve truly enjoyed in its desire to speak on cultural and social issues without losing its grip on the characters and plot, and vice versa. One of the major anchors of the novel was the group the main protagonist, Roma, belongs to: the Lamiadasis. And the way they’re sold to the highest bidder in the name of divinity, and this arc in the story goes on to show women are treated in South Asia and their value in society which was so well-done in my opinion. I’m just in awe of this book and can’t wait for the sequel. The only reason I’m knocking down a star is because I felt the book got a little convoluted a times with the terms and people, but other than that, it was such a solid read.

I really liked this book and I think it's very interesting the characters were so original and the attention grabbed my attention from the start

Before I get into the actual review I want to list a few TW first. I'm not sure if this book is ya or adult fiction but it deals with a few very heavy topics and themes that could definitely be triggering for some people.

Trigger Warnings
•violence
•(forced) prostitution
•self harm
•rape
•public humiliation
•human trafficking
•drug addiction
•mutilation

I hope that's all of them, if I forgot some do let me know so I can add them to the list.


Ok, let's get to the actual review. It might have minor spoilers, but nothing about the plot itself.

Reading arcs of authors whose works I've never read before is always a bit of a surprise because you're never quite sure how it's gonna be, especially so with debut novels, like in this case.
The plot sounded really intriguing even if the overall premise has been used before. What also caught my eye was the fact that it is set in a colonised Indo-Persian world and inspired by pre-Islamic Arabian mythology, which is something I haven't really read about a lot. So I was curios.

I'm not gonna go too much into the single (main) characters, other that I enjoyed both of them and they both had great examples of character growth. They both started out as people burdened with unresolved trauma, that made them feel isolated in a way but Lal Din showed that both of them were more than that and that they could grow and learn and I really liked that. I also liked that there wasn't any forced romance in the book. There was a certain chemistry at times but forcing a romance into their lives would have felt wrong so I'm glad Lal Din didn't go down that route.

I mentioned the TW earlier and like I said the book deals with some serious topics, quite explicitly at times. Personally, I've never really been triggered by anything but I think it's important to know the TW before you actually pick this book up. The book didn't shy away from some unpleasant but sadly realistic moments, even if they're hard to watch and at times I almost felt a little anxious for the characters, especially Roma. But I don't think that's a bad thing. I actually liked that. It is proof to me, that I'm immersed in the story and care about the characters.

One downside to the book was the huge infodump in the beginning. The first 30% or so are a little hard to follow, because we get introduced to a lot of different characters, names, places, social hierarchies and such. It was just a little too much for me to memorize. There were a lot of foreign (at least to me) terms and words that I didn't know that confused me a little and made it hard to follow. Although, I have to give Lal Din credit for including a glossary. I just wish it would have been at the beginning of the book, so I would have seen it sooner. Could we please stop putting glossaries at the end of books? Please?

But boy, did the last 50% or so pick up in speed. I actually had to stop myself from reading at 6am and put down my kindle (despite being at 70% or so). What the first third lacked in speed the two last thirds certainly made up for. It was faced paced and constantly had my attention.

I'm certainly gonna read the next book in the series because I really want to know what happens next. Can't wait.

An overall really great and captivating read.

When I first read the premise of The Descent of the Drowned, I was immediately intrigued. A book set in a colonized Indo-Persian world and inspired by pre-Islamic Arabian mythology? Please give it to me now. It is not every day that I come across a book inspired by a mix of different Asian cultures.

Before I start my review, I want to mention that this book contains many events that might upset certain readers. Trigger warnings (including but not limited to): rape (not explicit), self-harm (in the past), suicide, death of a parent, explicit violence, gore, drugs addiction (forced in a way), (child) sex and human trafficking, transphobia, and prostitution is one of the main plotlines.

The Descent of the Drowned tells the story of Roma who was dedicated to goddess Lamia since childhood and raised in the temple. In a world divided to zaat or castes, when the time comes, she’ll be auctioned to a patron – of the high zaat- to service him. But Roma always has hated how women had no voice, especially the sacred slaves of the goddess. Deserters are hunt down and killed. But she isn’t so ready to accept this fate.

On the other hand, we have Leviathan, the bastard son of the Firawn. Trained since childhood, he becomes one of the deadliest soldiers under the Firawn’s command -who by the way, is obsessed with harvesting magic.
Roma and Levi’s fate will interwind and shatter everything they know and change they know about themselves and their world.

Before I talk about the book, I want to express my love for Ana Lal Din’s intentions behind this book

“What I wanted was to spread awareness about the sacred prostitution, caste system, and half-creature perception and abuse of transgenders in South Asia; the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya People; the exploitation of once-resourceful places like the Middle East and Afghanistan; the occupation of and war crimes against Palestine; and the human trafficking of adults and children across the globe.”


These are all important problems that I believe authors should use to raise awareness of them in their novels. I wish to see more books based on these issues because they deserve more attention. And honestly, it’s what I loved the most about this book. And the fact it’s written by a Muslim woman who wears hijab.


The plot:
I usually discuss the characters before moving to the plot but I believe this is important to put first. I honestly struggled with the first half. A lot. There was lots of unnecessary information and in my opinion, info dump, and the author was basically setting up the world to get the story moving at a later point. My other critic is that the blurb mentions an event that won’t happen until around 65% of the book. I kept waiting “okay now it’ll happen, maybe now, okay… Uhm how did someone include an event that won’t happen until much later?!”. And the thing is, this event set things into motion and the story improves considerably after it. I didn’t know how to describe the plot without mentioning any spoilers because anything that happened after the 10/20% mark is a spoiler and here nothing worthy happens in these pages… just a description of the world, culture, and clothes.

But worry not. The wait was worth it. Because when the pace picked up, it didn’t stop and I couldn’t put my kindle down. The revelations and plot twists were interesting and unexpected. The ending was great! Not exactly a cliffhanger but enough to leave you wanting more. When I was reading this arc, I skimmed over the history because I was getting tired of the pace, so a piece of advice, pay attention to it. I still understood what happened later but I’m also familiar with the history it’s inspired from.


The characters:
The characters were interesting to read about. Roma was strong-willed and rebellious. Always looking for a different life but they always use their beloved ones to punish any slave who misbehaves. And she won't let anything happen to her brother. But as Roma uncovers more about her reality, she fought back.

As for Levi, he was always struggling to be who his mother’s clan remember and not the cold-blooded killer his father wanted him to be. But after the massacres he committed, is it possible?

Both of our main characters suffer from trauma but I felt there was too much focus on it at times instead of trying to develop the story. I just didn’t feel it.
The secondary characters were many and I had a difficult time keeping up with them, even though I am familiar with several names. I had to visit earlier chapters because once I completely confused two characters (thinking they are the same person) because they have the same title (which I assumed was their name).

It is worth mentioning that this book is romance free, which I didn’t mind personally. There’s no romance between the main characters, only sparking chemistry, so I believe there will be in the future. I honestly don’t mind at all the slow burn.


The writing:
The Descent of the Drowned is not a light book. Don’t expect a fluffy read but a novel that deals with human cruelty, trafficking, and other heavy topics. Lal Din is without a talented writer. She did a good job reflecting human nature. How it's difficult to change what we believe in only because it's safer. But the writing honestly sometimes got too descriptive especially when it came to clothing items. And she used lots of foreign names (you can find most of their translation at the end of the book) and while it’s nice in theory, in reality, it bored me. A lot. I’m not particularly interested in this and the descriptions of other things were too detailed too sometimes that I kept losing interest and took more time to finish this book. Since the book is told from double perspectives and third person, it served into making this book more “serious”.

Also, I liked understanding words that were like “names” but actually mean something.
For example, Al-Mawt assassins means assassins of death, “Iblis” means satan, Nar is Fire which is like fires of hell (but not hell exactly here), and Al-Ghayb “the Unseen” which made sense. The author didn’t mess up the usage of the Arabic language. Thankfully.

But I have one tiny thing to mention.. so we have “Wallahi” used which is I swear to God like the translation points but it is God with capital G and not any “god” so I’m not sure how correct its usage here… there was one god for the clans but God is not in fantasy so…


The world-building:
The world was rich with culture and history. Lal Din painted a world where women were treated like second-class citizens, which is the reality in most societies today. But they are also fierce and hardened because of what they went through. The clans are not exactly part of the kingdom but they barely get by. Their children are dying from starvation and they do not have medicine and not even clean water to drink. And where do they live? In tents. As someone who has worked with refugees, it is all too obvious to me how their living circumstances would’ve been if NGOs and the governments didn’t provide any help (and even now they barely get by). Very similar to the clans you might say, especially if they didn’t have any human rights.

Another way Lal Din reflects reality is when the plot moves to the orphans disappearing from the streets. She made it one of the centers of her story. Children kidnapped and then brought and sold for their organs and for sex.

Levi’s mom was from the clans and hence he’s hated by the higher castes from being born from of “them” and many of his mother’s clans don’t consider him one of them because he is the blade of the Ferawn.

It honestly took me a longer time than usual to wrap my mind around all the gods, zaats, cultures, and religions. I think that’s because I was more like forcing myself to read in the first half where all these things were explained rather than eager to learn all about the world.

Sidenote: I also discovered something pretty called the Banyan tree. I’m no plants expert so I don’t know much, to begin with. One can even accommodate about 1000 people in its shade. Wow.

The magic system was vague and not very clear. I hope we'll get more explanation in the next book.


In sum, this was a heavy YA. This is not a fast read. I admire Ana Lal Din's goal to raise awareness on the issues mentioned above. Her writing skills are solid but I struggled with the pacing. The characters were interesting and flawed. The plot got considerably more interesting in part two. I’m looking forward to seeing what people think once this book comes out. I’ll also most likely read the sequel since this book felt more like a set up for the real deal.

Ana Lal Din writes a dark and compelling story set in a Indo-Persian world that raises awareness of issues that still have footholds in society today. This book has some MAJOR triggers in it, including rape (involving young kids and teens), self-harm, torture, human trafficking, murder, physical abuse, and religious punishment, so readers be warned. This book is currently categorized in the Young Adult section. But this is definitely a New Adult book, if not higher. It is not meant for YOUNG readers. It is definitely meant to be read by an older, more mature audience.

This book has a lot of themes and topics in it. Both dark and light. The story is well researched and developed. The traumatic events depicted in the novel elicit compassion for the characters, provide insight into the characters' world and show how these events are part of everyday life. But there is also themes of hope, faith, family, and love intertwined.

Roma, my heart aches for her. She is a lamiadasis and is a slave to Mother Lamia, the Goddess-Wife of Lord Biran. Roma serves male patrons, akin to being a sacred prostitute. She is assaulted by her first patron and chooses to fight her fate. She is very cynical, strong-willed, and resilient. She hopes for a future where she would be free of slavery. She makes irreversible choices as Leviathon's and her fates become intertwined. Levi, the bastard son of the tyrant, returns from a punishment rom said father He is tall, dark and morally grey. He struggles with finding who his is. Half of him embraces his "dirty" clan heritage of his mother; the other half is beaten and bloodied by the influence of being raised solely by his ruthless father.

The pace is slow until about 75% into the book, focusing on character development and the day-to-day life Roma experiences. While the slower pace pulls you out of the story, the focus on her daily life gives a much deeper picture of her personal experiences. Unfortunately, the focus on social issues and trauma overshadows the plot in some places. The plot does not reveal itself fully until the second half of the book. I feel like this is definitely a set-up novel for the series. One thing that bothers me a little is that the magic-system is not clear. In fact, magic barely plays a part in this novel until the end. It's clear the Firawn uses magic and the upper zaat's as well, but how the magic works and who actually holds the magic is not well explained.

Overall, this is a heartbreaking story, but beautifully written and well developed. I would definitely recommend it, but only if you are aware of the triggers.