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.

The Descent of the Drowned by Ana Lal Din, a YA Indo-Persian Fantasy, is the best way to accustom one's self to a foreign culture, while enjoying a great story!

In this debut novel, we follow Roma, a temple dancer bound to serve the higher zaat's and the King for eternity. With her auction looming close, she discovers the lies the temple has been hiding from her and the outcome she is sure to meet eventually. Then, we follow Leviathan, the bastard son of the King and one of the deadliest soldiers in the country. Having been forced to kill in his tyrannical father's name, lines blur and Leviathan estranges himself from reality and what he is meant to believe in. Together, the two rise amongst the rebellion, hoping one day to avenge both Leviathan's mother and Roma's brother.

I was pleasantly surprised to see the grand amount the Persian language and terms included within this story. for someone of Middle Eastern descent, I was able to catch on to a few of the foreign words. Yet, for someone completely estranged to such, they'll find great use of the glossary at the back.

One thing I wish could have been done differently is the introduction the characters received to each other. While I loved the moment they met, I feel as though a few scenes dragged slightly and their meeting could have been placed earlier without these moments.

Yet, overall, I absolutely loved this book and, due to the cliffhanger, can't wait for the upcoming sequel! Please, please can there be more scenes between Junho and Zufar?? I need more of their dynamic!

I wanted to like this book but it ended up being disappointing for me. I think the plot and the world building could use more work as they seemed to be all over the place. I don't think I'll be reading the next book in the series either.

The story has such an interesting premise, it’s a unique plot that hasn’t really been touched on very often. The world building at the beginning is strong, but also very heavy. It was slightly hard to get through the beginning but the characters and the plot made it completely worth it. Would definitely recommend it!

**Book Review**
This ARC was provided to me via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Set in an Indo-Persian world,Roma is a Dēvadasi: a slave of god in Lamiapur, a temple of religious prostitutes. She is a a sacred slave of a goddess in the lower caste system. Bound to serve, but soon finds that she has a greater destiny.
Leviathan, the Firawn’s son, is not content with the oppression that his father has forced on the country. But Roma and Leviathan’s destinies are entwined, for the good of the people.
I loved this book. The beginning of The Descent of The Drowned is fairly jarring due to the terminology and world-building. However, the influence of pre-Islamic Arabian mythology drew me in. Roma is a resilient and strong female lead that I absolutely loved. Leviathan is a dark and mysterious son of a widely feared leader who finds himself wrapped up in Roma’s destiny.
.
.
4⭐️ read for me!

A solid plot. Relatable characters. Stakes. The characterizations were well thought out. I was able to read the story without any problems. While my attention was held, there were a few parts that I wanted to skip, but these parts didn't ruin the book for me. I would still recommend this one.

Three and a half
A fantasy that tries to make sense of the atrocities that humans are capable of. These words don't really do justice to this authors work but it's kind of true. A story based on what I perceive as middle east based and covering a plethora of ideas, events and sadly brutal history. I write from my comfortable western perspective and yet I do see that some injustices whilst past can also be present.
The story is based heavily around Roma and her position as an offering to the Gods. She's one of many living within the temple who can be purchased and yes I do find that distasteful. Roma is wily, smart and full of life. She doesn't believe the lies or hypocrisy and dreams of freedom.
Leviathan is the son of the most powerful man in their kingdom, a despot who uses magic to survive and cares little for the lives of others. Leviathan is drawn to Roma but his need to right the wrongs of his father see him taking chances that skirt the boundaries of a rebellion.
There's a lot here about what it's like to live within the confines of the temple and its clear that the lies just perpetuate the myths that keep the people downtrodden. The class system rules and it leaves a bad taste in this readers mouth as those who cannot fit because of birth or clan are frequently abused heinously.
Essentially most of this book is a journey for the two main protagonists. Roma is treated appallingly although the author does paint a picture without pushing details down the readers throat. There's almost what felt like a reprieve as Leviathan becomes entangled with rebels which ironically is when we get lighter moments with humour and genuine affection but pretty soon the author throws us back into more harrowing events to follow.
Ok I'm going to address the biggest problem and that's magic or lack of it. From the very beginning there's something that happens involving something ahem not human that is just ignored. Then it's obvious Leviathans father uses magic but honestly it's hardly touched on so left me somewhat frustrated. The end comes full circle back to the ahem not human angle. Plus the terms used to describe everyone means you really do need the glossary that's included. This is a very interesting book and I'm very glad I have read it but perhaps a different beta reader would have encouraged the author to explain the magic more ?
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

I really enjoyed this book, and it was a really refreshing change to other YA Fantasy stories. I loved the Indo-Persian setting and I felt her world-building was really well done. I enjoyed most of the characters, but some of Leviathan’s boys blurred together a bit for me. Overall the book wasn’t predictable, but I did feel that some parts were rushed or jumped too quickly from one to another. Not that I was expecting chapters of Lord Of The Rings style travelling, but it felt like they occasionally teleported from one spot to another with no time passing. I’m still really looking forward to her next book and finding out what happens next.

When a sacred slave and a trained assassin meet, they discover their world is dependent on their choices. Roma was dedicated to a goddess as a baby and has grown up in a world where women are holy vessels, yet do not have a voice of their own. Leviathan is the illegitimate son of the cold and calculating Firawn. With their destinies intertwined, Roma and Leviathan must look into the darkest parts of themselves and conquer their own demons to survive.

I so, so wanted to like this novel. With such a rich setting, I had expected to be utterly enchanted. Unfortunately I feel like this book fell into several debut novel pitfalls, and I found myself just wanting to get this book over and done with.

As I mentioned before, there is a lot of possibility in this book. Inspired by pre-Islamic Indo-Persian mythology, it is a new world for me as a reader. At the same time, it's a very difficult world in some aspects. It felt like there was a lot of info-dumping throughout the novel. Expansive world-building is only helpful as long as the information is needed, and I finished this book feeling more overwhelmed than immersed.

I realized early on that this was not a book for me. I didn't click with the writing (too flowery for my tastes) and failed to connect with the characters. With the exception of Junho, Leviathan's friend who is the embodiment of chaotic energy, I couldn't shake the feeling that the characters were a little on the flat side. It felt like Roma and Leviathan weren't people with trauma, but rather shells built around trauma.

For me, this felt like the precursor to the actual story. I didn't really feel truly invested in the plot until I was close to the end. And while a small part of me wants to know what happens next, I unfortunately don't think I'll be reading the sequel.

Lastly, this is a heavy book. There is quite a lot of scenarios that would be disturbing to the young reader, and for that reason I consider this more new adult/adult than young adult. TW: sexual assault in various forms, self-mutilation, suicide, gore

** Thank you to NetGalley for sending me and ARC in exchange for an honest review **
I gotta say, the plot and the extract showed an incredibly interesting story. More so after being told it was inspired by indo-persian mythology which I had nothing but curiosity over and holding great expectations.
Sadly, I felt like all those great images of what that story would be did nothing but hinder the actual story. I was quite excited for the fact it was an own-voices book that would shed light on practices that were nothing short but cruel on people and that still go on to this day, to read about a culture and a new system of belief I had no idea about and tie it to a girl forced into a life of servitude. I was so, so excited. But this was ultimately not it.
I'd say the first 20% if not the whole half of the book is simple name-dropping. I felt like there was not any sort of world building but instead a world where the reader was smacked in and told 'good luck'. I was lost during this whole reading, not knowing what these words meant, the expressions, the terms for brother or other people in authority, I still have no idea what a zaat really is nor do I find any good thing about the belief system they have going on. So really, this was a headache to even pick up, much more to keep reading.
To add to that, the characters all fell flat and very 2D images of a bulletpoint list specifying their trauma. I've never had problems reading about sensitive topics, if anything, they help me understand such acts better and humanize the pain people have gone through. But this? It felt more like a sketched out idea that was never developed into the characters and simply written to gain any sort of effect.
Because of this, the plot felt dull and at the same time too confusing to understand, I felt sympathy for no character whatsoever and could barely remember who was who. But, I do agree that the idea going behind this book is somewhat original and that there was a true effort made. Seeing as so many people loved it I only hope that this was simply a bad experience for me and that Lal Din grows in their writing even more than before. That is all.

I think I have found my new favorite genre in Arabic mythology.

You can tell that Ana Lal Din put a ton of research and love into this gloriously delicious story. It was dark, different, beautiful, and all sorts of twisty. The way the author writes is almost like poetry. Its so descriptive and you are literally immersed in the world from the first sentence.

Roma is one of my all time favorite protagonists, and I think I am in a book hangover because of her sheer epicness.

Do yourself a favor and pre-order this, now!!!!!

*Thank you to Ana Lal Din, NetGalley, and White Tigress Press for a free eARC in exchange for an honest review.*

I absolutely loved reading this book and the cover is stunning! It was amazing how the author intertwines Roma's story with Leviathan's to create a tale that forces the two enemies to work together. The way Roma's past continued to affect her even after many years shows how difficult it is to overcome her scars and move on from assault. The Indo-Persian setting was a fresh change from books I normally read, and although some terms were confusing at first, it was easy to follow along throughout the story.

This book does introduce sensitive topics such as abuse, human trafficking, and drug abuse in the story that can be triggering for some people. However, I think that it is difficult to portray the struggles that many people face after experiencing such traumatizing things, and the author does a wonderful job showing how easily people's minds can be controlled out of fear and the power of religion.

Overall, this was a wonderful book! I didn't see the ending coming and I was utterly speechless! I'm so excited for book 2!

The Descent of the Drowned is a powerful novel dealing with social injustice, abuse, trauma, and manipulation, but most importantly it focuses on the fight against the horrors while also fighting to maintain the self.

The novel has a strong opening, providing necessary world-building and introducing the main cast of characters (Roma and Leviathan primarily) through events and dialogue, not simply exposition. The immediate immersion into the injustices of the world draws you in and creates a deep sense of empathy. The two main characters’ basic motivations become clear within the set-up portion of the novel.

The pace does slow until about three-quarters into the book, focusing on character development and the day-to-day life Roma experiences. While the suddenly slower pace pulls you out of the story a bit, the focus on her daily life gives a much deeper picture of her personal experiences with the injustices and abuse that are discussed throughout.

Note: while the vivid descriptions add greatly to the world-building, the often detailed descriptions of abuse and trauma could be triggering for some.

Unfortunately, the focus on social issues and trauma overshadows the plot somewhat.

"But in the struggle to protect the people they love and rebuild their identities, Roma's and Leviathan's destinies interlock as the tyrant hunts an ancient treasure that will doom humankind should it come into his possession—a living treasure to which Roma and Leviathan are the ultimate key."

Although there are some small hints as to what this treasure might be, the description suggests it as a more significant plot point than how it appears in the story. It isn’t until the climax itself that the hunt for the treasure is really brought in, making the ending feel quite rushed, especially when compared to the slower, more character-focused first half of the book. I would have liked to see more indication of the hunt itself and the lengths people were willing to go over it rather than simply have it suddenly appear as the motivation for a character we know little about.

While a little rough around the edges, The Descent of the Drowned carries a great deal of potential for a powerful series, and I look forward to reading more from Ana Lal Din.

Never thought I'd be gutted by a YA novel, need more raw emotions in your life?
The Descent of the Drowned by Ana Lal Dina is a hard hitting fantasy novel set in a violent ancient-arabic-persian-indian inspired world. Its genre branded as YA hadn’t prepared me for the violence found in those pages which was more akin to Game of Thrones than any YA book I ever read. Do not glance over the trigger warning with a shrug, this is not a book to put in every hands and it will hollow a chunk out of you as you survive with Roma the horrors of her word.
The world building is this book is impressive, the culture, nature, beliefs everything is vibrantly leaping out of the page and locking you into its vicious world. You suffer in those pages, you need a breather when you flick them, you drown with Roma… but her strength keeps you rooted.
This reads like the prequel to a big epic, the birth of the legend, and I must say I want to know how it will spread. But the punitive nature of the read holds me back. You have to be in a good place to read this, confident… because this will hurt. I can’t believe some of the practices in there are taken from documented past practices. It is appalling to remember how vulnerable women have been through time and in so many civilisations and in so many places even now…

DNF at 20%

I really tried to like this book. I devoted myself to getting through it. But, every time I picked this up, I felt a reading slump coming on. It became a waste of time to continue, because I knew I wouldn't enjoy this.

To me, this book felt like it had no idea what it wanted to be. The first 20% is just constant name dropping, it was unbearable. I'm all for exploring new cultures, I love it, but this book explained nothing. I was thrown into a world full of gods, characters, and customs I knew nothing about, and I spent hours confused. At the end of it all, I can't justify continuing something that I won't enjoy, so this is getting out down

Thanks to Netgalley and Ana Lal Din for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

Where do I begin?

What a fantastic debut novel!

Like I don’t think I have enough positive words to describe this book. The immersive and rich world building immediately drew me in. The storytelling was captivating and I was in love with the plot. The dark themes were raw and unrestrained and the characters were beautifully developed. I also enjoyed reading the dual POV in third person as I felt like the Ghaib - just watching everything unfold for Roma and Leviathan at such a close distance. Such a unique way to write!

Although marketed as a young adult book (I assume due to Roma and Leviathan - 18ish and 21ish respectively - are of that age bracket...but then again they are adults I guess), I think there needs to be a separate genre for books similar to this due to the dark themes that were explored. Trigger warnings are given on the Amazon website and I assume for other book purchasing stores but I wouldn’t recommend this to someone that is under the age of 18 anyway so I would be more inclined to label it as an adult fantasy fiction novel.

I am an absolute fan of Ana Lal Din’s work and I’m so upset that I have to wait for the following books until next year or so! I need to get myself a hardback physical copy of this book because the cover is so stunning. I’m glad it’s a trilogy though because I am nowhere near ready to leave this beautiful world.

This story follows the lives of Roma and Levi. Roma is a slave of a goddess and Levi is the bastard son of the immortal tyrant. His mother hails from a persecuted clans rendering him casteless. He is built into a weapon who follows his father's order. He believes that his soul cannot be saved but as we read on we realise that there is still hope for him to get out of his father's clutches.

As the story proceeds we see Levi's story and Roma's story getting intertwined.

Ana Lal Din's writing is absolutely phenomenal that kept me going. The story gets quite dark and i would not classify this as YA. Some of the themes of this story are not meant to be read by children who make a large part of YA readers.
This book is meant to be read slowly and its the best if you go back to the scenes and refresh your memory.

Even though the themes of the book were quite dark i foumd myself laughing with chirag, junho, malev and the rest of the characters. The relationship and the bond as well as the loyalty amongst the character is something i hold very close to my heart. I love the fact that they would die for each other and it was very refreshing.

i can keep going about this book and I can't wait to read more from the author!

A powerful, searing fantasy debut!!

The world of Khansadun is a world of wealth, power, magic, gods, castes, clans, poverty and desperation. The land was once fertile, rich and full of magic. Now there is drought, the magic is limited, hard to find and available to only the higher castes. Roma is a devadasi, a sacred slave of god, specifically of Lamia, residing with her fellow sister slaves, waiting to be auctioned to patrons who pay for the privilege of lying with a goddess. Her prior experience with a patron has left scars, both physical and psychological on Roma. As the son of the ruling Firawn, Leviathan is both feared and despised, as his mother was of the casteless clans and died giving birth to him. He was sent away to a military academy where he was indoctrinated and forged into a brutal soldier, leader and his father's weapon. Both Roma and Levi have secrets buried not only in their pasts, but within themselves, with abilities that set them apart and which connect them in ways they cannot understand.

I was immediately hooked by this story, the world feels so fully realized with vivid descriptions of the the cities, rituals and landscapes. The cast of characters around Roma and Levi are rich and varied, I especially liked Malev and Almaguir. Roma and Levi each struggle in their own way for an identity that is their own and not one that was forced upon them by others. The depths of the pain and anguish that both Roma and Levi live with ground the story with incredible realism. Choosing survival and the freedom that picking a path of their own, no matter how difficult, makes this story a remarkable one of redemption. This was a totally gripping story right through to the "oh, now I really need the next book right now" ending and I was thoroughly immersed in this amazing world and by these outstanding characters. This truly is a wonderful debut and I so look forward to what comes next.

It makes me sad to only give this book 2 stars because I love that it's an "own voices" book and I know the author is trying to bring awareness to actual horrible practices. But, almost the whole time I was reading, I was not enjoying it. It was very sad. I had to take breaks from reading and I wasn't excited to turn the page or see what would happen next. The main reason I finished it instead of DNFing it is because some buddies I was reading it with said that it would get better, which it did. But, it got better very close to the end. I would have liked more moments of hope or action against the opposing regime sprinkled throughout the sadness so it wasn't so weighed down. It is fiction and fantasy after all so while the real-world instances of these horrible practices might be hopeless, a fantasy and fiction version can have more hope and more rebellion. I think I will continue the series because it ended on a cliffhanger and the last act was good and very intriguing. But, if the next one has the same hopelessness and complete sadness, I will probably DNF.