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A review by asofie
The Descent of the Drowned by Ana Lal Din
5.0
I have never really written reviews before and this was written at 4-5am, and I'm still going through it after that ending, so if this sucks, I'm sorry.
The Descent of the Drowned is 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.
Roma – 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.
Leviathan – Normally when I read about anti-heroes it’s a good person with a bad side, but Leviathan is kind of the opposite. I don't know if I would really call him a bad person, but right now, there definitely seems to be more bad than good, and that's something he's really struggling with. 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 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 understand how he could deserve redemption 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. In my opinion, the slow pacing makes this book better. It really gives you time to get to know the characters. 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 already that I needed to know what was going to happen to them. The second half of the book really picked up on the plot, though, but I can't really say anything without spoiling.
My favorite part about the book is the way it deals with a lot of different topics like assault, shame, doubt, and guilt. Seeing Roma and Leviathan dealing with the things they have done and the things that has happened to them is painful, but it's something that makes them seem real, and that's something Ana Lal Din has done so well in this book – making the characters seem real. Both the main characters and the side characters.
I feel like it took a little too long for the magic system to really be explained and explored, and I’m still not sure if I actually 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.
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. And 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.
The Descent of the Drowned is 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.
Roma – 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.
She wouldn’t sob. She wouldn’t shatter. Never again.
Leviathan – Normally when I read about anti-heroes it’s a good person with a bad side, but Leviathan is kind of the opposite. I don't know if I would really call him a bad person, but right now, there definitely seems to be more bad than good, and that's something he's really struggling with. 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 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 understand how he could deserve redemption after everything he has done.
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.
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. In my opinion, the slow pacing makes this book better. It really gives you time to get to know the characters. 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 already that I needed to know what was going to happen to them. The second half of the book really picked up on the plot, though, but I can't really say anything without spoiling.
My favorite part about the book is the way it deals with a lot of different topics like assault, shame, doubt, and guilt. Seeing Roma and Leviathan dealing with the things they have done and the things that has happened to them is painful, but it's something that makes them seem real, and that's something Ana Lal Din has done so well in this book – making the characters seem real. Both the main characters and the side characters.
I feel like it took a little too long for the magic system to really be explained and explored, and I’m still not sure if I actually 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.
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. And 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.