Review of Descending by Holly Kelly
Wow, where to begin. Long before I became friends with the extremely talented and ultra-brilliant Holly Kelly, I was interested in the premise of her debut novel, Rising – a tightly written thriller-romance about a noble Dagonian (a tough, more masculine version of the traditional merpeople) on a quest to eliminate a group of humans responsible for the deaths of thousands of their kind via a toxic waste dump into the ocean. He ventures ashore to make peace with the humans before an all-out assault takes place between the species. So, basically, he’s trying to save the world. The problem? While on land, he comes across a beautiful young human who is bound to a wheelchair. Spoiler Alert! They fall for one another, and he (Xanthus) is unable to kill the woman (Sara) whom is revealed to be a daughter of the sea god, Triton.
Fast forward to book 2, Descending. This take is toll from the very opinionated perspective of Sara’s best friend, Gretchen, and of Xanthus’ bestie, Kyros. They start out as enemies, their pasts leaving them room to become little else. But as an ancient and mysterious force seeks to destroy humanity in search of Gretchen, Kyros steps up and in doing so realizes that despite their differences, he is falling in love with Gretchen, and hard. Their love proves the catalyst of all that goes wrong in their world. Will Gretchen and Kyros’ newfound love prove strong enough to save not only one another, but the very whole of humanity?
While I found Descending thoroughly engrossing, there was something more dynamic about Xanthus and Sara’s relationship that I found more engaging. Kyros comes off as a bit two-dimensional at times, and Gretchen is often overly stubborn – often to the point of ridiculousness. Their devotion to one another once uncovered, is admirable, if a little difficult to comprehend in its velocity. However, the scenes beneath the waves are my favorites. When we catch glimpses of these marine hominids partaking in their habits and cultures, it overcomes any shortcomings or mysterious in the romance department. Scenes of politics and great battles bring life to this love story, a love story rich in gore and scare in eroticism, due to the customs of the moral Dagonians, who are thoroughly old fashioned when it comes to their females – a theme that is visited often in Descending.
My favorite scenes and the ones I feel are especially well crafted, are the mysterious cliffhangers. Those, and the tantalizing Dagonians, will keep me reading until Kelly releases the final book in the series.
The Interview
Q: First things first, who’s your favorite character in the series so far?
A: Choosing a favorite character is difficult. It’s like choosing which of your children your favorite is, but if I had to choose only one, I’d choose Xanthus. I admire his strength, his honor, and he’s just a really amazing character. I guess that’s why he keeps popping up and taking up bigger roles in subsequent books than I ever planned for him. And then Sara is a close second, I think mostly because her personality seems similar to my own. I can totally relate to her.
Q: Of the three couples in the trilogy, which would you say is the most definitive to the trilogy?
A: I’d say Triton and Nicole—in the third book. The second book kind of sets the stage for the overall series story arc, but the third book hits you with greater detail and lets you in on a secret that rocks the entire mythological world of the gods. And just so you know, this is not a trilogy. There will be at least five books in the series, but probably more—we’ll see. As long as cool and interesting characters keep popping up in the books, I’ll keep writing.
Q: You’ve said that the world of Rising and its following installations all began with a picture. As an author myself, I can see where you’re coming from. Art is extremely stimulating. But I can imagine that for some of the readers, they might have a more difficult time understanding how this massive world is produced by a single imagine. So I’m going to ask the question on all of our minds – do you have this image, can we see it, or if not, can you describe it and your thoughts once you saw it?
A: I do have the image. I wish I knew who the artist was. But this picture was what inspired it all. I took a look at it and thought, what if a mermaid were born on land, but she didn’t know she was a mermaid? She simply thought she was horribly deformed. I started writing that day, and a year and a half later, Rising was published.
Q: There are underlying themes that are very real issues in the world today. Ocean pollution, poaching, and domestic violence to name just a few you broach in your novels. What caused you to decide to incorporate these potentially controversial topics into a fantasy-romance angled tale?
A: I didn’t write Rising to be a plug for preserving the environment. But, I studied marine biology in college in Hawaii, and was well aware of how polluted our oceans have become. While writing this story, I had to confront the realism of that situation, and I wondered what ocean creatures would think of us polluting and messing up ecosystems throughout the world. I had to admit, they’d probably be pretty angry. And then domestic abuse is one thing that I’ve had experience with on a personal level. Throughout my life, I’ve dealt with issues I couldn’t control by using my imagination. I was always thinking, if only…So for me to bring this situation into the story, was a natural reflection of my own experiences.
Q: In Rising and also Descending, you take care to keep all sensuality to a minimum – just enough to keep us all wanting more. There are also themes of abstinence until marriage. I’m sure there’s a reason for that, can you tell us a little more about that?
A: I was raised being taught abstinence and practiced it—waiting until marriage myself. I think so many people think it’s not realistic. Well I believe it is, and for those who desire to wait to have sex after they are married, it’s a worthwhile endeavor. But also, as you see in my books, there can be a definite attraction, and knock your socks off kissing. But having a make-out session does not rob a person of their ability to stop. It may be difficult—or more realistically, they may not want to stop, but they have complete control. They just have to make the decision before hand, and the strength to follow through on their commitment. I am speaking from experience. That being said, I do respect other author’s choice to write what they desire. Personally, this is what I’m comfortable with.
Q: Rising is told in a split narrative, almost equally between Xanthus and Sara. However, Descending seems to concentrate on Gretchen’s take on things. I would have loved to have heard more from Kyros, personally! What stories that Dagonian could tell!
I wish I could have delved into Kyros’s world more. But the story didn’t take me there. Book 3 has more underwater scenes, but alas, it too gets pulled up on land during most of the book. I would really like to write a book that takes place 100% below the surface. Perhaps I will.
Q: As an aspiring author, I’m always interested in the process of each. Do you have a certain formula, or ritual that you adhere to? Or do you just steal time whenever you can?
Do you have real muses for your characters? How much time do you spend researching the legends behind this tale? And do you do your own editing?
A: I don’t really have a process. I’m a pantser. That means I don’t use an outline, I just write off the cuff. I did try outlining book 3—thinking it would speed up the process—but it only slowed me down. I veered from the outline two chapters in and didn’t look back. The final book actually looks nothing like what I’d outlined. And I write mostly while my kids are in school. When I had young children, I would write between 3:00 and 6:00 in the morning. Rising was written almost completely in the early morning hours. It was the only time I could write uninterrupted.
As for a muse, I don’t know if I have one, but I swear sometimes I feel like I’m not the one writing my book. It seems to come from outside me and beyond my natural abilities.
And then when it comes to research, it do that as I go. I’ll write until I come to a point I need to check my facts. Then Google is my best friend. Anything you could ever want to know is found on the internet.
And no, I don’t do my own editing—nor would I suggest any author do their own. My publisher has an editor, and has more recently added a whole editing team—so my next book to come out will be edited better than my first. Yay!
Q: Final question! What’s next for Author Holly?
A: I’m excited to say, I’m taking a short break from the mythological world and am writing about the paranormal. I started a ghost story shortly after fining Rising. I was about 20,000 words into it when Rising got published and my publisher asked for a sequel. But now, I feel it’s time to go back and finish the spine tingling tale. This story is a paranormal romance in a classic haunting story with a twist. It’s inspired by my love of all things Halloween. You can expect bone chilling scenes, a villain who is of the worse sort of evil, a damsel who is not easily distressed, and a hero who thinks he’s the villain of the story-but we know better. Add all these together and you’ll find adventure in a world where reality may be in the eye of the beholder.
Check out Holly Kelly on Facebook and Goodreads, and find her on Amazon to catch the wave with the most eco-conscious, clean romance around!
© Holly Kelly – https://www.facebook.com/authorhollykelly & https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/21972431-descending?from_search=true &
© Megan M. Caldwell – https://www.facebook.com/MeganMCaldwellAuthor
Adventures in the Land of Words 