“Vibrant imagery, jaw-dropping set pieces, sizzling romantic tension, and unstoppable heroine Kallia bring this ambitious debut novel to spectacular life. Fans of Caraval and The Night Circus will be delighted!” – Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn In a city covered in ice and ruin, a group of magicians face off in a daring game of magical feats to find the next … game of magical feats to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, only to find themselves under the threat of an unseen danger striking behind the scenes.
As each act becomes more and more risky and the number of missing magicians piles up, three are forced to reckon with their secrets before the darkness comes for them next.
The Star: Kallia, a powerful showgirl out to prove she’s the best no matter the cost
The Master: Jack, the enigmatic keeper of the club, and more than one lie told
The Magician: Demarco, the brooding judge with a dark past he can no longer hide
Where Dreams Descend is the startling and romantic first book in Janella Angeles’ debut Kingdom of Cards fantasy duology where magic is both celebrated and feared, and no heart is left unscathed.
“[A] spellbinding melody of a book, and the true magic is how Angeles puts all the best parts of an enrapturing theatrical performance onto paper and ink. From the gripping twists in the first pages all the way to the final, heartbreaking crescendo, Where Dreams Descend will surge you to your feet in a standing ovation.” – Sara Raasch, New York Times bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes trilogy
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I received an ARC of Where Dreams Descend in a Goodreads giveaway. What follows is my fair and honest review.
Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles is the first YA fantasy novel I’ve really loved in a long time. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed most of my recent reads, but this is a story I really wanted to get lost in. I loved the world-building in this novel, but there are definitely a lot of unanswered questions on that point. I think it heightens some of the tension and mystery of book one, and definitely leaves you ready for a sequel. I’m also a sucker for circus/carnival themed stories, and Where Dreams Descend definitely has elements of that as well. I also really enjoyed Kallie’s characterization. She’s driven and super-ambitious, but I also understand her character flaws, like not wanting to let people in. Where Dreams Descend does lay the groundwork for a love triangle, which I don’t normally like, but I love the other elements of the story enough to be totally onboard to read book two.
I highly recommend for fans of Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus, Stephanie Garber’s Caraval series, or Amanda Foody’s Ace of Shades.
A thrilling, entertaining ride that is charged with magic and a hauntingly intriguing backstory that grips you to the very end. It’s an amazingly complex story with various other plots going on below the main storyline. I kept having this little itch that there was more to this story, more to Kallia and Jake than what was given. Like a flower that is so often when about in the story, I believe the plot will unfurl as this and subsequent books follow.
This book can be a little confusing with the shifting of POVs between characters, but I felt that it only strengthen the story to be able to ‘see’ the thoughts of sooner of the characters. It allowed the book to move fluidly. Having the POV shift between various characters perspectives can be tricky but the author managers it well. I only wish that she would state it somewhere. I times I would have to glean it from context to know it was a character change as there was even a page break or chapter change. Even a space and then saying “Jake. ” would work. Other than that I really can’t wait for the next book
** I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review. **
I have really love the world the author of Where Dreams descend built. Really love the magical competion. A dangerous competion and a lot of the magicians gone missing. Who’s gonna be next for darkness to come and get them.
Its the first book in a duology. Can’t wait to read it. I have received an arc of this book from Netgalley and the publisher.
THE MOST ANTICIPATED READ OF 2020 DOES NOT DISAPPOINT!!
~~~
Picture this:
It’s a Sunday morning; there’s no rain in Northern Ireland (which is a first), and it’s Iona’s first day off in weeks. She has a pile of dirty laundry that could overtake any man, her fridge is bone bare, and the universe has blessed her with a rainless day so that she may leave the house and get all of these necessary chores done.
She decides to do a light reading with her morning coffee before going about her day. And then–BOOM. Like the bell clock tower ringing for the first time in decades in the ghost-town Glorian, she is shook to the floor as she opens this book.
BOOM
Five hours later, she has accomplished absolutely nothing. But she has finished one of the best books she has read in years. Tears are stinging her eyes, she stares off out the window in her kitchen, where her coffee lay cold in front her (much like Dermaco’s many cups of cold coffee), and wonders how she will put herself back together after such a read.
~~~
Not to be dramatic, but I would DIE for Kallia.
Janella Angeles, I don’t know how you did it, I don’t know how you’ve written such a perfect novel. You’ve earned yourself a life-long fan of your work. After months of reading bleak books, or almost-hit-the-mark books; reading Where Dreams Descend did not just hit the mark, it blew up the whole damn target.
Every. Single. Character. In. This. Novel. Was. Fantastic.
It’s a rare jewel to see an author create a firework of a main character, and still manage to juggle the secondary characters so that the spotlight rains on them equally.
Kallia is gritty, stubborn, and fiery. She is unlike any character I have ever read, striking a perfect balance of flaws and perfection, of fear and courage, of fire and grit, of love and hate. At the beginning of the novel, her brashness and refusal to listen to others might put you off a bit, but the more you read the novel and dissect her personality, the more her charm hits you like a candelabra over the head.
”Giving up would be an insult to everything I know I’m capable of.”
Even the romance embodied everything that I want romances to be. There is no other way to describe Daron & Kallia than to say they were fire and damp wood. They were a slow building fire that you can’t help to root for the more and more they argued. They weren’t perfect or lovey-dovey songbirds (*puke*), they were heat and determination and chemistry. They weren’t insta-love, they were thorns that gripped onto each other and would not let go. I have not rooted for a couple so much in years. As a book-lover, you tend to think you’ve seen it all when it comes to romance; but their love was twisty, and dark, and turny, and you never felt like you knew what the next step was going to be.
But don’t be impressed just yet, because characters aren’t the only that Angeles nailed. Listen, I don’t know how she did this, I don’t know if she is come kind of writing-witch, or what magic she used to tell this story the way she did, but I truly feel in the hands of any other author, Where Dreams Descend would never have been what it is. This author leaves you on the edge of your seat the entire damn way. From start to finish, even the simplest scenes or interactions, she laces tension and suspense expertly.
Scenes that would otherwise be boring, some things as simple as a card game with no stakes, I read every sentence tooth and nail. The simplest gestures, an eyebrow raised or a chandelier descending, Angeles makes your heart beat fast.
There is no description of it, really. I can’t explain to you how she did what she did. But I could not tear my eyes away, not even to sip my coffee. I needed to know what was happening in Glorian, the mysterious walled city. I needed to know how the show was going to end, who was going to win.
“Four of Flesh.
Three of Mind.
Two of Sight.
One of Soul.”
Shivers. Shivers from start to finish.
This book is your admission ticket. All I can say is: prepare yourself for a damn good show.