Descent: Non-Binary Fiction

by J.D. Evans

"What an amazing read! Powerful, Gritty and Real. I adored the inclusion of Sign Language and the slow deduction of the story unfolding. I look forward to reading your future works after a strong debut!" - Eric Porter

"This book had me hooked and I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy." - Taz Burgos

"Worldbuilding was great and I thought the magic system was original and interesting, I especially loved the world’s Māori elements. Can’t wait for the next one!" - Elsa

Tragedy has befallen the best and brightest at the Callan Imperial College of Striking. A young mage, a prodigy who once had a bright future ahead of them, flees terrified into the night. In an unyielding, foreign world, they are tested and tried time and time again as they battle with heartache and the loss of innocence, making new friends and new enemies on their steady descent into the shadows.

Descent is a non-binary fantasy novel written entirely without the use of gendered pronouns, set in a magical world of towering mountains, frigid forests and shadowy chasms.

346 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 19, 2022

Reviews

[Jade · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is great. First novel from this author as far as I can tell and it holds up well. Absolutely love the lack of gender, who needs it anyway? Really cared about the characters, even the ones I didn't like, which surprised me.

I do wish there was more world building, the stuff that is there is good, just feels a bit thin. Hopefully more to come in the sequels.

[elsa ౨ৎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i got to have a chat with the author and picked up a signed copy of this at armageddon expo this year! finally got around to reading and i loved it!
worldbuilding was great and i thought the magic system was original and interesting, i especially loved the world’s māori elements.
can’t wait for the next one!

[Bekksplore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this! I would give it 4.5 as I think the writer has room to grow but I will definitely be picking up the next in the series. It reminds me a little of Jim Butcher and Codex Alera, so if that's your style I'd give it a try! Although note, there is some gory moments.

Spoiler comments: I really liked The Seam, the visuals I got from it was great and fascinating.
I did get attached to the characters, but Evans world is brutal so without saying too much.. guard your heart!
The way Evans has developed means of moving forward with the story is great, having the character give brief reflective recollection of a series of moments from an otherwise perhaps uninteresting travel segment.
There was some spelling mistakes and interesting formatting in the second half of the book, nothing outrageous but notable.
I am curious if we will get other character perspectives in the next book. Sticking with Vale the whole time wasn't bad and did allow the reader to unravel the world building alongside them, as they had lived so sheltered and cult like. But I'd love to get into the nitty gritty side of Mabbal and learn more about it somehow.

Anyway, great work! In comparison to the Lauren Roberts read recently, this author actually had a world they are building and I'm in to it!

[Eric Porter · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing read!
Powerful, Gritty and Real.
I adored the inclusion of Sign Language and the slow deduction of the story unfolding.
I look forward to reading your future works after a strong debut!

[Leah Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting venture into using nonbinary pronouns for all characters. I don't think my feeble mind ever truly broke free of constantly attempting to define the gender of the protagonist... which was distracting at first, but the story is solid and I can't wait for next installment. Definitely a style and story worth discussion.

[Taz Burgos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me hooked and I can't wait to read the rest of the trilogy

[Rosie Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book. I completely fell into the world of Vale. This book has tragedy and pain but also power and triumph, all of which, I felt every moment of. Looking forward to the next instalment in this trilogy and other works from this author. I found the writing style to be entrancing and I wasn’t able to put it down!

[Kendall · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only finished this because I bought a signed copy. This book made me mad and not in a good way. There were many plot holes and the main character was frustrating, often helpless and always saved by others who paid the price.
I enjoyed that there was no genders, but otherwise it was a no from me.

[Larrykins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is good. I just couldn't get into it.