Thank you to NetGalley and White Tigress Press for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Hooo boy, where do I even start? First of all, I absolutely LOVED this book! It's incredibly raw, brutal, yet honest in the way it looks at people's will to survive and the lengths they'll go to to either protect or hide their humanity (and their reasons for either as well). The imagery from the very first page is stunning, pulling from South Asian and Middle Eastern cultures to paint a vivid landscape that masks horror with its beauty. Although I'm not South Asian myself, I was able to catch certain words and gestures that I've seen in Bollywood movies that if I'd not watched so many of them I would have missed (ex. pinching one's throat to swear an oath or convey honesty). I loved catching those little touches that made the story that much more real (at least for me). On top of that, the last few chapters that really started to tap into the mythological aspects of the overall story were just *chef's kiss*.

As much as I greatly enjoyed the story and the characters (I want to wrap Roma in the fuzziest blanket possible and protect her), it's very much not an easy read for sensitive readers. There is quite a lot of mental, emotional, and physical abuse, mentions of rape and sexual abuse (especially of children), self-hatred, unhealthy coping mechanisms, PTSD, trauma, human trafficking, genocide, mentions of self-mutilation, genital mutilation, drug abuse, murder, animal death, suicidal ideation, etc. Sensitive readers should definitely heed the content warnings.

I know this isn't officially out until March, but omg I can't wait until the next book is released, too! I'm so looking forward to seeing how far Roma (and Leviathan, but mostly Roma) goes to be free.

Ahh. I loved the title, i loved the cover and the synopsis interested me. However the first few chapters was such an information dump mixed with pretty writing that i couldn't take anything in and by the end of the second chapter id forgotten everything from the first chapter along with the meanings of the words and the gods i'd just been told about. I just couldnt make end or tail of it. So to save myself some frustration and forced reading under confusion i gave up.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this arc

The Descent of the Drowned is an odd name for this, and it started pretty difficult to follow. I was stumbling over words and descriptions within the world building that left blanks which then left blanks within the world.

Aside from that, the world building was well done. It's not too heavy where you need constant refreshers, but you know where you are.

The two MC's storylines burned a little too slow for me in terms of their crossing, but as the story developed it was understandable.

The only main issue I had - and to note this isn't an actually issue - was the character names and titles are simply hard for me to pronounce which pulls me out of the story. Again, this is no fault of the story or writer, but simply my own capabilities as a reader, as I felt I needed to do a lot of research to understand *what* I was reading.

With that being said, I felt there were a few plot holes that could have been filled earlier to make the entrance of the world and story a little smoother, but overall I was intrigued and would love to see where this world and story take us.

I’ve had my eye on this book for months, ever since I found the author’s character art on Instagram. I KNEW I needed to read it when it was available. So I want to thank NetGalley and the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

WOW!

This book completely and utterly blew my mind. I fell in love with Roma and Levi right off the bat. Without a doubt, they will be the slow burn of the century and I’m totally 100% here for the angst and (hopefully) healing that’s to come in future books in this series.

Now for the story. The first several chapters were a struggle for me as I had a hard time keeping character names and nicknames straight. But that grew easier along the way as I got a better understanding of the characters and the world that the author has weaved for us here. There are some very heavy topics covered in this book: rape being the one worth mentioning in case anyone is triggered by it. It is also worth noting depictions of human trafficking, prostitution, drug use, and graphic depictions of violence.

This book took me by surprise in every way. There are revelations that’ll blow your mind and an ending that’ll leave you crawling and begging for more. I absolutely loved this story and I can’t wait for book 2!

The Descent of the Drowned was one of my most anticipated books of 2021. I was lucky enough to get an ARC from NetGalley, and this book did not disappoint! I absolutely loved it.

First of all, this book deals with a lot of heavy topics, and there is a trigger warning at the beginning of the book. (a thing every book should have) The trigger warning is for physical and emotional abuse, mention of rape and sodomization, sexual assault, suicide, bigotry, drug abuse, and human trafficking. None of it is really graphic, and, in my opinion, these topics are dealt with very well, but it can still be triggering and hard to read.

The Descent of the Drowned is set in a colonized Indo-Persian world, and it is inspired by Pre-Islamic Arabian mythology. It follows the two main characters, Roma and Leviathan. Roma and Leviathan are very different people, but both of their stories are about power, self-discovery, freedom, and redemption.
"They were both survivors. They never quit. No matter how badly they were beaten, or how much they bled."


Characters:
"She wouldn’t sob. She wouldn’t shatter. Never again."
Roma… Roma is everything to me. She is so strong, and she has been through so much throughout her whole life. Her relationship with Chirag is probably my favorite relationship in this book. He is Roma’s brother, but she raised him as her own son, and their relationship is such a big part of her character. She has been taught to be silent and to serve men, and I just loved seeing her find her voice. Roma also broke me. Like, she absolutely broke me. Her story is so heart wrenching and she made me cry multiple times. She just has my heart, and she’s definitely one of my new favorite characters of all time.

"He felt it now. The self-disgust. Things were easier for him when he didn’t have to control his demons, so he let them run savage, and as a consequence people around him got hurt."
Normally when I read about anti-heroes it’s a good person with a bad side, but Leviathan is kind of the opposite. He has done a lot of bad things, and his morals are pretty messed up after all of the things he has been through and all of the things people have made him do. He still does a lot of terrible things, but I still love him. He’s so well written, and his story breaks my heart. In this book, he struggles a lot with redemption because he doesn’t think that he deserves it after everything he has done.

Also – the side characters. The side characters are amazing. I loved so many of them. I love Chirag, Junho, Kanoni, Malev… There were so many good characters.

The story is kind of slow-paced, which I’m usually not the biggest fan of in fantasy books, but I really loved it in this book. I think it was mostly because I got so invested in Roma and Leviathan so early on. In my opinion, the slow pacing makes this book better. It really gives you time to get to know the characters, and it’s just so amazingly written. I do really love the plot and how different parts of it really challenged the main characters and forced them to make quick decisions.
For me, it was a page-turner from the beginning, but it wasn’t because a lot was happening with the plot, it was just because I was so invested in the characters that I needed to know what was happening to them. The second half of the book really picked up on the plot, though, and there were so many reveals that I hadn’t seen coming.

This book really put me through it. I got so invested in the characters so fast, and the more I learned about them, the more I loved them. They also made me cry. Multiple times.

The only complaint I can think about right now is that it took a little too long for the magic system to really be explained, and I’m still not sure if I completely understand it, but it’s definitely interesting and really intriguing. I would also have loved to see a bit more backstory from side characters like Yoshi and Malev. There were hints to their stories, but I would love to see more of them.

The ending?? The ending!! It destroyed me. I need more.

In conclusion, this book is both heartbreaking and beautiful, and I am in love with it. If it sounds interesting to you, I will definitely recommend it, but remember to check the trigger warnings first! There are a lot, and even though it’s not graphic or in deep detail, it’s still present throughout most of the book because some of the topics are a big part of the main characters’ stories.

I want to start with that this book does cover some heavy topics, not out right in deep detail its mostly just mentioned but just a slight warning for anyone who would love to read this book, that being said the book itself is completely amazing and the way it handles such topics is just heart wrenchingly beautiful.

The world Ana Lal Din has created is beautiful as it is devastating, the characters really try to overcome the circumstances they are given, its all just so beautifully written. The reveals in this book were amazing, I am completely obsessed with it and cannot wait to see where the story takes me next.

Roma is such a strong MC despite everything she has been through and is put through, she somehow manages to get above it. My heart breaks for her, she is brought up into this world of lives and even when she pushes for rightness and answers people still turn their back on her but she doesnt let that stop her. She is such a well written character and i love her to pieces, i cant wait to see where her character goes from here. and that reveal at the end?!?!?! OMG my girl is gonna push and survive I know it.

Levi (Leviathon) he is just so amazing, his story is well established and very driven. His story starts with him losing his mother and just wanting answers just wanting to protect and have justice for his people, he really doesnt take anything from nobody and his character is one of my favorites i have come across in a long while. The way he can tell Roma has been through everything and just respects her space and really just wants to earn her trust and hopefully and HEA is in their future because boy do they deserve it.

in conclusion,
I absolutely am amazed by this book and once I saw it I knew I wanted to read and I'm so lucky I received this ARC because I am completely in love with it and cant wait to see where they go from where they are. the ending really left me hanging and i need answers , I just need more. This book was written so beautifully and magically. This author deserves all the hype in the world.

*ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I dived into this book ecstatically because it sounded so good and intriguing and honestly I thought that I would love this book after reading it. well, the book was indeed good but I have to admit that I didn't love it. I wanted to love the book but I couldn't.
The writing style in this book was pretty and the plot of the book was slow-paced but it did not drag on or boring. I think this is the kind of slow pacing that does not make you feel bored because in that moment you also get to know the characters and all the things that happen are also interesting to know.
In conclusion, I found this book to be alright but still a bit dull. Don't let my review put you off because I know that lots of other people loved it.

I loved the characters. I loved the dialogue and descriptions. I ?I've the events and pacing. Great read . Quick