As I Descended

As I Descended follows Maria Lyon and Lily Boiten, two students at Acheron Academy who aim to secure the coveted Kingsley Prize scholarship. Their competition is Delilah Dufrey, the school's golden girl who seems destined to win. Maria and Lily turn to dangerous spiritual practices in their quest to take Delilah down, awakening forces within their boarding school's haunted grounds. What begins as academic rivalry transforms into a series of events that spiral beyond their control. The novel reimagines Shakespeare's Macbeth in a contemporary setting, featuring a predominantly LGBTQ+ cast and incorporating elements of horror and the supernatural. The story unfolds at a prestigious Virginia boarding school where centuries of dark history lurk beneath the surface. This retelling explores themes of ambition, power, and the price of ruthless determination. The narrative examines how fear and desire can corrupt, while questioning whether the ends ever justify the means.

Readers describe this Macbeth-inspired ghost story as an atmospheric LGBTQ+ horror novel that builds tension effectively. The boarding school setting and diversity of the main characters received positive mentions in reviews. Readers appreciated: - The queer representation and relationship dynamics - Creative adaptation of Shakespeare's themes - Strong sense of dread and supernatural elements - Complex character motivations Common criticisms: - Pacing issues in the middle section - Some found the ending rushed - Character decisions that felt unrealistic - Too much focus on relationship drama vs horror Ratings: Goodreads: 3.5/5 (4,800+ ratings) Amazon: 3.9/5 (80+ ratings) "The atmosphere and ghostly elements were pitch perfect," noted one Goodreads reviewer, while another said "the character development felt sacrificed for plot twists." Several readers mentioned struggling with the protagonists becoming less sympathetic as the story progressed.

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📚 Author Robin Talley based the story on Shakespeare's Macbeth, reimagining it as a modern Southern Gothic tale at a boarding school 🏳️‍🌈 The novel features LGBTQ+ main characters, with the Macbeth-Lady Macbeth relationship reimagined as two teenage girls, Maria and Lily 👻 The book incorporates elements of Mexican folklore, particularly La Llorona (The Weeping Woman), as part of its supernatural horror elements 🎭 Like its source material Macbeth, the story explores themes of ambition, guilt, and madness, but adds modern elements like academic pressure and social media 📖 Talley wrote the first draft of the novel during National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), completing the initial manuscript in just 30 days