Easy is the Descent

by Emily Heng

Kie is no stranger to magic—not since her mother signed her life away to the world of witches and the supernatural, that is. With a contract in place binding her to their world, Kie must now escort the newly deceased souls from earth to the hereafter all while attempting to maintain some sort of normalcy in her own life.

And just when she's beginning to get the hang of things, the first body shows up.

Witches around the city are turning up dead, and Kie is caught right in the middle of it; causing rising tensions between the two factions of witches—those born with their abilities, and those who have learned to harness them through other means—and unless Kie can prove her innocence, it can only lead to one thing: war.

337 pages, Paperback

Published January 5, 2017

About the author

Emily Heng stands at 5'2, but contains several lofty aspirations that she believes she would be able to achieve if she stood at the height of 6'1. Writing a novel is thankfully, not one of them. 

Reviews

[Cait · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I know Emily from fanfiction stuff, and I'm super glad I bought this book - I really loved the story and the writing style really translated to a longer piece of work.

[Addy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog, Books Forget Me Knot.

I was instantly hooked by the beautiful cover and intriguing summary, only to be disappointed and unimpressed.

Let me begin by addressing the elements I really enjoyed in this novel like the diverse cast. Our protagonist, Kie is Korean (I believe) while the male protagonist, Grey, describes himself as "Euroasian." The descriptions aren't too clear, which I would have loved because I'm always so fascinated with the vast cultures of our world. I also enjoyed the magic system and the difference in old vs. new magic. Old magic comes from the earth, it is something that a person is born to while new magic is made when a deal is struck with another magical being. There are tensions between these two different kinds of magic and the tension rises when witches are being murdered.

This brings me to my third point: this is a crime mystery novel enriched with the element of magic! Kie and Grey are on a mission to solve the murder by attaining information illegally...I liked this so much because Grey proves to be resourceful! By working together, Kie and Grey form an unlikely bond of friendship, trust, and an inkling of romance. I liked this budding romance because they did not get on well at their first meeting.

The story was fast paced, while the chapters were too long. I think the chapters could have easily been split, especially when there are like 3-4 breaks within a chapter. That's just a personally preference, though.

One of the MAJOR things that I disliked about this novel was the writing, more specifically the grammar. There were an abundance of grammatical mistakes that irked me. Simple mistakes, too. For example:

"Shut up." She said, automatic, rolling her eyes skyward.

"Hey, I resent that accusation." He said, mild.

From the glimpses she caught, nothing seemed to be amiss, but.

Her doubts from the night before still niggled at her in the cold light of day, weighed heavily at her thoughts.

As an English major, and more importantly as a writer myself, these kinds of mistakes are unacceptable. It's easily fixable, but these were made more than once throughout the novel and it is why I knocked it down a star. I am kind of upset that I paid $3 for this when it wasn't thoroughly edited.

The other reason for a star loss was the fact that I just wanted MORE. I wanted more magic, I wanted more relationship bonds. A possible romance was denied to me! By expanding on Kie's magical world, this book could have been so amazing! Like I wanted to know more of the support group and each individual's magical abilities - or maybe just more description on the magic of those she's closest to like Petra's and Taissa's.

Easy is the Descent was good, but it could have been so much better if it was thoroughly edited and if there was more added magic.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to love this from the fantastic summary, but I couldn't get engaged. Putting it down for a while.

[Mikayla Crawford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on the synopsis alone, it sounds like a stellar novel! Can't wait to get my hands on this one :)

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a breath of fresh air for me and was really different as compared to the other YA books I have read. The characters were refreshing - it included people of different cultural backgrounds, hints of LGBTQ relationships and even difficulties in establishing friendships.

The plot centred around old magic and new magic and was only thickened with the mystery of a murder. Friendships were one of the main themes in the book and we could see the development of camaraderie between Kie, Grey, Taissa and Petra as they worked to solve the murder.

I may have a bias but it's so difficult to find books whose main characters are from East Asia. Although Kie came off as bold and intimidating, I really liked how the author showed that there was more beneath that hardy exterior where we could see that she was as fragile and sensitive like any of us. Her relationship with Taissa allowed us a glimpse of herself which she so carefully concealed because Taissa's reluctance to accept Kie for who she was, despite being friends for so long showed that like any of us we need a friend to keep us grounded and that was definitely a big blow to Kie when Taissa did that.

Also, how could I possibly choose my favourite character in the book between Kie, Grey, Taissa and Petra? I won't say more but the banter between them is amazing. It was great to see that it wasn't like the typical stories where the main heterosexual couple are literally all up in each other's faces by the end of the first book. Although I do hope that Kie and Grey get together as do Taissa and Petra, the slow burn induced is so so painful.

Easy is the descent draws you into the modern world with elements of magic and with it's intriguing plot accompanied by a diverse cast and their personalities, it simply has been one of the best reads I have picked up!

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a delightful read from start to finish. I enjoyed the characters and their dynamics immensely, along with the plot development.