The Descent of the Drowned (Ana Lal Din) - ★★★★★

The Descent of the Drowned by Ana Lal Din book review by Soph the Oaf on the blog Glitter Never Gold
This was... intense. Like Six of Crows meets The Poppy War intense. I rarely rate books five stars, but this one is now a forever favorite.

I loved how this book was about choosing to be a survivor instead of a victim, about conquering your demons and rising above them. This beautifully crafted fantasy world, with so much mythology and depth, served as a metaphor for the real world and dealt with real-world problems like violence and rape culture. It explored the darkest parts of human nature without sacrificing truth for a popular audience.

And the characters. They had incredible depth, and sometimes I just wanted to hug them and tell them that they're not alone. Roma was shattered, again and again, in so many horrible ways, but she always got back up again. She wore her scars, both inside and outside, like they were her crown. And Leviathan. He endured fifteen years of being broken and molded by his father into a killer. But even though it would've been so easy for him to let go of the last shreds of good inside him, to give in to the darkness, he didn't. And he survived.

This book doesn't gloss over the brutal, horrific details. It has accurate depictions of violence and rape. If you don't want to read that, this book isn't for you. This book is listed as YA, but I wouldn't recommend it for most teenagers.

Lastly, I hope there will be a sequel. The ending was shocking, especially the epilogue, but it was unresolved. I would love to read more of Roma and Leviathan.

Trigger Warnings: graphic violence (murder, torture), rape, self-harm.

Swearing (I don't have a problem with this, but since it's marketed as YA): ass, shit, damn, fuck, you get the idea.


Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC.
Location: Sunnyvale, CA, USA

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