First of all thanks you to the author and publisher for the ARC I appreciate the chance to check out a new series.

Unfortunately, I don't have anything positive to say. I tried like hell to fall into the love story of Cordelia (the girl having nightmares about how her past-lives ended) and Indigo (the boy with seemingly everything but full of pain and struggling against abilities few understand). Star crossed lovers across lifetimes? Oh yes.

But no, a tragic start to a 4 book saga. Every conversation between characters comes off like a self-help book in disguise, no one has any personality aside from depression or #enlightenment and don't even get me started on the stereotypes present throughout. (Seriously? The Asian guy that does martial arts? Has a Buddhist monk dad? Talks about rice and ramen?)

Just because a book is set in the 90s doesn't mean it has to be written like it's still stuck thinking like the 90s.

There's little to no actual plot til the last 100 pages but by then I still have no stakes in anyone because they just keep piling on characters and abilities like a marvel crossover film, without any of the charm. You want powers? We got telekinesis, aura manipulation, astral projection, telepathy, healing energy, yoga, chakras, vegan food and even shadow clones! Don't forget the ghosts and shit either. Ugh.

Also, for it promising romance the chemistry between Cordelia and Indigo is such a dud, I mean when they actually see each other which is like 15% of the book anyway. It's so much of just telling me how they suddenly feel but not showing. I don't buy it for a second. Does it make sense for two people in their situation to fall in love? Maybe, but when these two are barely people I just can't bring myself to care. they're their most tragic traits and not much else.

Others have said they're unsure what genre this wanted to be and I agree in that sentiment. It's halfhearted romance and bloated supernatural abilities with a sprinkle of fantasy just didn't hook me like I wanted. I guess I can say I'm glad I didn't have to spend money?

I really thought I was going to love this one, the premise sounded amazing but sadly it missed the mark. Perhaps it needs more editing but nothing seemed to flow as there is a lot going on all at once especially with the worldbuilding, I think everything needed to slow down a bit. However I know there are a lot of five star reviews and a lot of people have enjoyed this so this might just be me.

Trigger Warnings: mention of domestic abuse, addiction, alcoholism, suicide

“Hurt people hurt other people.”

Okay, I am not sure how to go about this review, primarily because I am still trying to piece everything together. Thankfully, I have managed to come up with a few things: "descended" comes off as if you are watching a movie without sound, so the only way to understand what`s being said, is to read the subtitles and pay attention to what happens on screen. (This being the metaphor for reading the book from start to finish). That said, this is one of the books that pay a buttload of attention to details and how characters are fleshed and - because of that - you need to absorb a lot of stuff. This is of course not a bad thing, and I admire Ingrid J. Adams for her writing and effort to take the reader into how she sees the world she writes about.

Our story follows Indigo Wolfe, the guy everyone wants to be or be with. He has secrets he doesn't want to share, that is until he meets Cordelia Carlisle. From there the book takes a big turn on readers having hope for our characters and their secrets.

This reviewer isn't the most interested or entertained by romance and certain YA tropes. However, she puts it aside, to be honest about this piece: it`s not bad. This does not come off as a bad book nor as an inherent money-grab, but It does give a sense of resemblance to other YA books I have read, with a seemingly similar-like plotline, which bothers me a little bit. This does not mean that I do not recommend it to anyone: I do. I genuinely feel this book has potential in the market, and despite me not liking it too much - with the plot, romance and some characters I came across - I am sure other people will treasure this. So I urge you to not take my star rating as a bad thing, but rather as solely a different opinion. If you agree with me after having read this, that`s wonderful, but I would urge you to give the book a try, before giving any of my words in this review, or the rating, a piece of your mind.

I want everyone who reads this to be aware of situations happening in the book (the trigger warnings) and hope you enjoy this book from beginning to end!

I did enjoy both of the main characters, but overall I thought the story could have done more. I felt like I was wanting more from the plot, character development, etc.

I grabbed a copy of this on NetGalley (thank you to the publisher!). The book had an interesting premise and I can see it really developing as the series continues (4 books total, I believe) but I just had a bit of a hard time really getting into it. I think there was a bit too much world-building via dialogue. While I won’t be reading anymore in this series, I do think some readers will LOVE this book, and have seen that evidenced by the number of 5 star reviews so far on GoodReads.

I received an ARC of this from netgalley and I'm glad I didn't pay for this (did I get a very rough draft of this book? I must have gotten a different copy of this story because everyone else seems to have loved this)
This book had an interesting premise that was terribly executed. The writing and story telling were not good and the pacing was so off. I found myself skimming through a decent part of the book because it could not keep my attention.

The book is slightly confusing, yet the story addresses real-life issues for young adults, such as abandonment, and suicide, and mental health issues. It starts with realistic fiction and then moves into fantasy, making it difficult to follow the plotline.

Set in the early 90s, this book took me by surprise and completely swept me away. As a product of the 90s myself this felt like floating back in time and I found myself blasting those favourite 90s rock anthems, so that alone warrants all the stars from me.

Nostalgia aside this book felt like breath of fresh air, in a captivating and emotionally impactful way. It navigates heavy themes of abuse, depression, suicide, and substance abuse. Spanning over 5 years, the character development felt on point and accurate to each age and stage of life. I thought the pacing was perfect, as I never wanted to put it down. A well written and thought provoking coming of age story, weaving together fantasy elements with the very real realities of suicide, and depression.

The idea of a love that can traverse time is always going to be yes for me, I'm a endless romantic.

The ending didn't surprise, I did see it coming but not in a disappointing way. I think it was perfect set up for the next book and I can't wait to see where this story goes!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Shawline Publishing for sending me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really intrigued by the premise of the book but it honestly fell flat for me. I definitely feel like the NA/YA label is very much 5% NA and 95% YA, where the majority of the book the characters are all under 20 years old, and even when they were older they still very much had the same thought processes as when they were portrayed as younger teens.
I got lost in the plot relatively a lot, it seemed like the book was trying to be multiple genres at once but instead of melding them together there were just spans of one genre and then flipping to another and this cycle continued throughout. There were little snippets of fantasy elements throughout and then all of a sudden at the end it seemed like we were thrust into a completely established fantasy element with witches and warlocks and kind-of-vampires, it was honestly just a lot to try and comprehend at the end when the majority of the book was more about Indigo's mental health.
That being said, I really loved the emphasis on mental health and how we saw Indigo fight through his downward spiral. I think this part of the story was portrayed and described excellently.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from descended. Even once I started the book, I became confused about what I was reading and looked back to be sure I was reading the same book. The author takes a good deal of time to establish a solid landscape but it's well worth it. You have solid characters who you, as a reader, are emotionally invested in and a world that is familiar yet touched with some fantastical mysticism. These are all good ingredients for a solid story. This was a fun and engrossing fantasy novel and I ate it up.

There is a great deal of emotion built into this storyline. You have the gradual development of relationships - - familial, romantic, friendships and so on. In addition to real life issues and storylines, there is also the fantasy based plot of magic and sorcery blended into it as well. It was intriguing and kept my attention. I definitely was pleasantly surprised by this book and look forward to the next one in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Thank you so much to Ingrid J. Adams and Shawline Publishing Group for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Right off the bat, the blurb for Descended had me in its grasp - a mystical love story that takes place in the 90s? Sign me up! It did not disappoint, either.

Descended is a rollercoaster ride of a book from its constant switching of genres, to the up-and-down relationship between Indigo and nearly everyone he meets in his life, and the themes of mental health and darkness within that the story encompasses. It's the first page-turner I've read in a really long time (I think I ended up devouring it in about 2 sessions total) and the first 50% of the novel had me completely hypnotized and engrossed. I'm not much of a crier when it comes to books, so when I tell you Descended had me tearing up not once, not twice, but THREE times in its first half... Oh, boy.

The second half of the novel slows down a little bit as we get more involved with Indigo's overall growth and acceptance of himself - not to mention his powers (yes, his POWERS). I felt like the introduction of Raf and the others was a little rushed, which made it difficult for me to really connect with them. Don't get me wrong, I liked all the characters on paper, but I hadn't spent nearly as much time with them as Indigo, Cordelia, or even Harper and they were sort of just thrown at me really quickly. Part of the reason I picked up this novel was because it was less than 400 pages and I was looking for a quick read, but I think Descended could have benefitted from another 100-150 pages.

All in all, a wonderful book that feels a little disjointed at times but, somehow, that disjointedness fits its overall vibe really, really well. It's deep, dark, filled with so much heart, and has a twist at the end that did not disappoint. Admittedly, I guessed the twist near the middle of the book, but that somehow didn't take away from its reveal nor did it prevent my jaw from dropping still.

I need the next book. Like, right now.

I will be honest, when I read the prologue I almost put the book down and wasn’t going to finish. I didn’t think the 1990’s timeline and high schooler setting was going to keep my attention. But I promised myself two more chapters to really make a decision and I am 𝘀𝗼 glad I did.

I can’t believe this is considered a YA book because the themes of love and suicide are so heavy and mature. This was beautifully written and for my first fantasy type novel I was completely hooked. The chapters were a bit long but the relationship between Indigo and the Carlisle family kept me pushing through. Then once Indigo was sent to NY and ended up in Sedona, I was so invested in his growth. As the action finally unfolded upon his return to Australia, I was 100% hooked and cannot wait for next three books in this series!

Ingrid J. Adams does a great job in creating a unique world going on. I enjoyed getting to know Indigo as a main character and the rest of the cast worked well overall. The story was enjoyable to read and it left me wanting for more in this universe.

"Right now, there was only one thing he wanted to be able to gauge in her and that was how she felt about him. But his talents had never extended to that. He’d never been able to feel what someone else felt for him. He knew how they felt in his presence and could presume from there, but right now, with Harper, he didn’t want to make the wrong assumption."

Descended By Ingrid J. Adams
Descended will make you question your beliefs as you are drawn into a fantasy world so close to your own.
Written by the talented Ingrid J. Adams, Descended is the first book in a four-book series. Aimed toward upper YA and NA readers the novel portrays an original and thought-provoking magic system, focusing on the passage and importance of a soul.
The book is written from multiple POVs, with Indigo Wolfe and Cordelia Carlisle staring as the two main characters. The book is set in Australia and based in the early 90s, following Indigo as his popular persona crumbles away revealing a boy who is barely holding on, as he is consumed by pain, constant emotions, and the overwhelming voice that just won’t leave him alone. The Carlisles however, are a unique family that accepts him into their lives with their presence alone, Cordelia’s especially, waking a sense of recognition within him that seems to traverse lifetimes. This story is dark but light, demonstrating the true value of other within our lives and making you question every belief you have. Ingrid’s written world collides with ours so well it will make you question whether it's fantasy or real life.
Although I loved this book and the story it told, I must admit that as a reader the pacing felt off to me at times, which lead to my confusion on multiple occasions. The story itself progressed wonderfully; however, some scenes seemed overstretched while others felt rushed. One reason for this is how the story sets up a whole new world and a cast of characters in under 400 pages, to the point where I was having to flip back to find out who each character was. Although it felt rushed, I have to say that the book did properly introduce a lot of the semi-main or background characters, which I appreciated I just wish it was better spaced and we were given more time as a reader to process each introduction. One other thing within this novel that made it slightly confusing to me as a reader was the time skips, I have no big issue with them, however, due to the frequency I would have preferred to be told the time difference instead of just given a date.
Overall, the world constructed within this novel was enticing and unique, while the main characters are well-built and relatable. I recommend it to YA and NA readers, who enjoy elements of mystery and love, along with thought-provoking concepts weaved into their fantasy novels. My rating would have to be 3.5 stars or 7 out of 10, as although I enjoyed it there were some minor issues with the story's pace.

As much as I wanted to love this book, I just couldn’t. The book definitely felt like I was slipping between different genres every chapter and half the time felt like I was reading different books. It felt like this book should have either been all fantasy or all YA romance. The twist at the end was decent. It felt like all the fantasy world building was just vomited out all at once and most of the stuff in the beginning seemed insignificant. I did love the messages about mental health and suicide and I think that Indigos downward spiral was well portrayed.

This was a wonderfully nostalgic trip back in time and I hungrily devoured every word.
The characters, plot, & writing was just so fun and touching. Absolutely cannot wait for book two!

If you're looking for a bingable book with the 'hit you in the feels' vibes of reading Stephanie Meyer for the first time, this is it!

TYSM for letting me be an ARC reader for this one.

(I will definitely be including this in one of my weekly tiktok giveaways. @hauntedhousebooks)