Glorian is a cursed city. When a magician competition was held there, Kallia, eager to leave Jack's club and prove that women should have a place in performance magic, joined it despite Jack's warning. Things went awry from there and no one knew why.

The plot was passable. I appreciate Kallia as a strong woman, but other that that, it was a frustrating reading experience. Though Glorian was this mystical city whose history no one could remember, it did not feel intriguing when the mysteriousness was artificial. Every character was keeping a lot of important information from each other as well as the reader, and that took a toll on the overall level of enjoyment when everything was unnecessarily confusing.

That being said, I would probably still read the sequel in hopes of clearing all confusions.

‘Thanks to Netgalley/Wednesday Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review’
W.O.W. *insert standing ovation*
Let me start off by saying that I loved every minute of this book. It paints a beautiful world of color even though it’s set in a bleak, backwards small town.
Things I loved: The plot, the suspense, the world-building, the dialogue, the characters (all of them, even the ones I hated), the descriptions, the romance (swoooooon). Everything was so well done that I’m still giving this book 5 stars because I was completely entranced the entire time. I never wanted to put it down and felt myself get frustrated when I had to. From the elaborate performances to walking down the staircase, I was enamored. Also, those twists at the beginning had me reeling.
Characters: Kallia is a force. I love her character because she commands every damn place she enters and she’s not only fighting for her place in the world, but other female magicians. Demarco is the perfect book boyfriend, but my heart is also set on Aaros. Jack is also questionable, like… do I like him because he is mysterious and possibly lethal, but also sweet and cares deep down under all of the layers of bad boy drama or do I have Stockholm Syndrome? It’s a tossup. The other side characters were also very enjoyable for loving and hating, keeping the energy/suspense flowing.
One thing I was confused by (maybe a spoiler): What was actually the hidden force that was causing such a fuss? I don’t know how to say this without spoiling, so if you have read this and understood it better than me, please message me and explain. I get there are 4 families (I think I should revisit the explanation of their magic), but where did Kallia come from… I got the sublet hints to certain things about her, but like what was the mirrors and what does it have to do with her? And what about Eva? (All this punctuation is how my thoughts are going because I just finished it and needed to vent).
ALSO, THE ENDING HAS ME SCREAMING. I need the next book now, I’m sure it’s going to dive deeper into the thing I’m confused about… but it doesn’t even come out until 2021 because this book hasn’t even been released yet. The curse of reviewing good books. I will definitely reread this in August when it is released, maybe I’ll connect more dots the second time around.
Definitely worth reading!

I liked this book A lot. Especially because I've always loved magic, and this book has plenty of magicians. It follows a Special FEMALE magician, Kallia, who is extremely talented. I don't want to give too much away so no spoilers, but Kailua has magical gifts, especially with fire, trained in a bar of sorts, surrounded by woods, that you can go crazy and lose your mind if you enter. Plus, Jack, her teacher, lover?, master, has always warned her not to roam past the bar, where she performs.

Kallia finds a flyer of a magician competition,which she enters, and blows all these men away with her talents, even young judge and magician Daron, who may be interested in more than her magical traits.

It is a great book, especially since its not my usual genre. I give it 4 magical stars!

Special thanks to St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for my ARC of this book!

I was lucky enough to snag an early review copy of Where Dreams Descend from the publisher. I will say right off the bat this means the copy I received was an unedited one, and thus some of the things I had issues with may have been fixed by the time the official edition is released.

I was extremely excited about this one the minute I saw it pitched as a Moulin Rouge x Phantom of the Opera crossover event, as Moulin Rouge is one of my favourite films of all time. So impactful was this pitch, when I went looking for it later, having completely forgotten the title, I found it within seconds of googling the original comp titles. This is why the comp title system works! It goes without saying that this was therefore one of my most anticipated new releases of 2020, so it had a lot to live up to.

This book started strong. It totes itself as a Moulin Rouge retelling, in a Victorian setting, featuring an all-female circus, which is immediate catnip for me. It’s got an antagonist reminiscent of Erik in Phantom of the Opera, with plenty original things going for him that sets him apart in an intriguing way. Phantom is such a hard story to adapt and adapt well, and I think this is the first time I’ve seen it done recently with an interesting twist. Our protagonist, Kallia serves as our Satine equivalent, if instead of dying of consumption, she finally chased her dreams of becoming a star and joined the circus. She’s ambitious and self-confident to a fault, which sets her apart from a lot of female YA protagonists out there. There’s something refreshing about how unapologetic she is about her talents, and knowing she’s better than everyone else.

While this sets her apart from a lot of tropey YA protagonists, the narrative itself doesn’t quite do the work to push her to the top. She’s the best performer in the magic competition she’s been thrown into simply because Angeles doesn’t ever flesh out any of her other competitors, only telling us that they’re complacent and unwilling to innovate their acts. This is the biggest flaw in the narrative, as it gives Kallia a free pass; the reader automatically expects her to succeed because no one else seems to pose a threat. With her cockiness, there’s got to be a downfall for her somewhere, and Angeles is smart to deliver on that level through the depiction of a patriarchal town that looks down upon female magicians. More than that though, she’s afraid of the dark forces coming for her, and she’s learning throughout her arc how to overcome her fear, and not to struggle through them alone.

This novel definitely suffers from some pacing issues, ones I hope get flattened out in the final edit. There is a mystery afoot in the centre of this plot, and yet none of the characters seem at all interested in unravelling it until a scrappy reporter breezes into town to stir up trouble 3/4ths of the way through. This is an odd trend I’ve been seeing in YA as of late, where a murder mystery is introduced at least halfway through after a ton of seemingly unnecessary exposition. The tension behind the mystery could have been further developed had all the disappearances, injuries, and murders had happened on stage rather than off the page completely. The reader is given no sense of how many competitors there are, or who are the frontrunners, because Angeles never gives a face to the names.

On a whole, I wanted to love it, but there was just some clunkiness in the writing that just didn’t work for me. I do encourage people to pick this book up though, especially because I feel like a fully edited copy might be a lot tighter written.

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.

This is a story that is set in a magical world that strongly reminds me of Moulin Rouge which just so happens to be a favorite of mine. It is a story that follows a magical competition that has more going on behind the curtains than on the stage. There is mystery, intrigue, romance, and strong female characters. All of which I love in a book! It is also told in 4 acts with no intermissions (my attempt of a clever way to say it is paced fairly well). I will warn you that it does leave you on a cliffhanger, and I absolutely can't wait to read the next one!

As a librarian, I would highly recommend this for Junior High and High School libraries as well as anyone who loves magic and the lure of the circus with a touch of romance. It was an enjoyable read that I am sure many will love as much as I did!

*Huge thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy for review!*

Perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas or Victoria Aveyard.

This book is a ton of fun. I'd seen a lot of comparisons to a lot of works, from Phantom of the Opera and Moulin Rouge to The Prestige and The Night Circus, and I can definitely see why those comparisons are made. But, as someone who loves those, this worked like a charm!

A magical competition, a snarky leading lady, and a forbidden city are all excellent pieces to hold my interest, and this book had it all. The pacing didn't always work perfectly for me -- I felt a bit of a lull in the middle -- but the magic and the mystery of Glorian buoyed these scenes enough that it wasn't a major problem. I did, however, feel as though the timeline of the story failed to hold together. The space between the tasks didn't feel at all even, to the point where large projects are begun and completed in the interim between tasks 2 and 3. This wouldn't have been an issue if it were laid out clearly, but we have no idea how long such things are meant to take, and none of the characters comment on this. It was bizarre. The narration would comment on it being "days later" and how the task loomed, but then it would continue to focus on other things, only to do the same in the next chapter. Repeat for about 20% of the book at least.

The magic system was interesting. I love the distinction of those born with magic vs those who acquired it, though I wish this was explored more. The rules to magic aren't very clearly defined, just enough that the story works and you don't feel left in the dark when Kallia pulls off a trick.

Aaros should have more time to shine in the next installment! One thing I felt was lacking was more time with all of the side characters. While we see them throughout, we don't get a significant look into them. While this makes sense -- Kallia is keeping everyone at arm's length due to her past -- it did leave me wanting more. Her best friends, and some of the characters she has the most fun interactions with early on in the book, get sidelined when the romance kicks in. It's clear that they are open with her, while she never reciprocates or truly evaluates that she should beyond initial thoughts about why she won't when she meets them. I hope this gets unpacked more in the next book.

Overall, an exciting book full of magic, adventure, and mystery. I'm not even annoyed at the (lack of) resolution, because the book was such a fun ride. It lived up to the comparisons I'd been expecting, while also carving out a niche of its own.

This book fell a little flat for me. I really wanted to connect more with the characters than I did, and I feel like the story overall was lacking something. With that being said, I’m definitely eager to read the sequel and am hopeful it gets better as it goes!

What initially drew me to this book was it being described at Moulin Rouge meets Phantom of the Opera and boy oh boy was I excited. Like two of my favorite broadway shows but in one package! Sign me up!

I really enjoyed the characters and how well rounded all of them were. They all had very personable qualities that made me enjoy then all the more. I also really admired the friendships that were built and carried on throughout the book. I am not the most into romance but this novel really sold the romance to me and made me root for them to stay together, which when it comes down to it, is probably the best you can ask for.

The magic of the world kind of got me. I was a little confused at times when magic was being used; about where it comes from and how it is controlled by the magic users.

Overall, I would recommend this book! It was quite good with world/society building and I really loved all of the characters and didn't intensely crave any of their deaths other than one but it's the given one of the story so. When August comes around, I definitely would suggest putting it on your to read list.

Where Dreams Descend is the story of an orphaned Showgirl, Kallia, who escapes the club where she performs in search of the enigmatic city of Glorian. The story explores her participation in a magicians contest - Spectaculore - in which she is the only female magician. This book has been described as a Phantom of the Opera/Moulin Rouge mash up (which I cannot comment on because I have not seen either!) as well as being compared to Caraval, and I can say that the vibe of this novel is definitely in the same vein as that game-orientated, magical story.

Kallia is the main protagonist, but two of the other prime characters are Jack, the mysterious, compelling master of the club where Kallia was raised, and Demarco, a retired magician drawn to Kallia throughout Spectaculore. It is clear that Jack is unwilling to let Kallia go, and that Demarco has secrets in his past that will be revealed. Of the two supporting characters, I was more drawn to Jack than Demarco, but both were strong components of the story. At times the motivations of the protagonists (and therefore the novel) were unclear, but this became clearer in the last few chapters of the book, which gave the duology more direction. One thing I will say I LOVED was the strong feminist plotline throughout Kallia's role in the competition, where she was the only woman in the line up of competitors.

What most intrigued me (and what will have me anticipating the next instalment) was the mystery surrounding the city of Glorian, and why its inhabitants know nothing of its past. I hope the city's secrets - and the reason why the magicians cannot leave the city - will be explored more in the second part of this duology. This element of the book was what most reminded me of Caraval; a mysterious city with intricate worldbuilding.

All in all, this is a captivating first instalment with a good set of core characters (I was less drawn to some of the side characters).. The world is inviting, the secrets have started to unravel , and I'm looking forward to seeing where Kallia ends up next. Thank you to Wednesday Books for this ARC!

DNF @ 30%

I DNF'd because I wasn't having enough fun to justify reading this over my other library books with time limits.

I do not by any means think it is a bad book. I will say, the first 40 ish pages are pretty confusing, and the change in scenery was also a little hard to follow. The author's style is clear and direct enough to follow, but also has a tendency to jump POV, scenery, or in and out of what can be described as "illusions" with very little warning. I found the book confusing and a little hard to follow in that sense.

The story focuses on Kallia, a magician looking to become a star despite being scrutinized by society for being a woman. Her keeper/boss/whatever else you want to call it, Jack. strongly urges against her ambition, but she soon finds herself competing against other magicians.

The tone of the story is pretty consistently set with a lonely and isolating feeling, focusing mostly on Kallia emotionally, though sometimes pivoting to other characters, including the ever mysterious and brooding Demarco, an ex magician with an eye for skill. Kallia is a wonderful main character who really stood out in that she's genuinely ambitious and fairly shrewd and cutthroat. She's not a bad person by any means, but she doesn't fit the YA protagonist mold in a traditional sense.

For people who love Moulin Rouge or The Night Circus, this could be an awesome series. I don't think its necessarily for me, but It wasn't bad by any means.

3.5/5 stars.

A mysterious forest, a forgotten city, a traveling circus, and a contest to find the newest and brightest magician. Kallia, a showgirl in a club outside of this city, can not resist the call of the contest in nearby Glorian. She sets her mind to becoming the first female magician on the stage. While most magicians have been trained at prestigious schools and have gone on to be magic laborers, Kallia's past is quite different. As she arrives in Glorian and is chosen to become a part of the contest, her past and the mystery of the town of Glorian reeks havoc on the contestants.

As a huge young adult fantasy fan, this was a nice switch from typical "magic" books. In this book, some magicians are forms of entertainment while others are simply laborers. I chose to give it a lower rating simply because it was, a times, quite long winded. The mystery of the book was super slow to be exposed, the main character gained friends almost instantly, and the romantic interest had little build up. Despite theses few flaws, the book was still an enjoyable read.

FIRST OFF. This review would have been MUCH higher if not for two things. 1) Half of the book is filler. I am not joking. Half of it is filler. There was so many unnecessary scenes that just slowed down the flow of the book it was driving me mad. I stayed at 30% because the second the "plot" started and the main character arrived in town, it felt like LITERALLY NOTHING HAPPENED FOR 100 PAGES.

2) THIS BOOK IS SO CONFUSING. I don't mean, oh wow, this is really complex and might be hard to grasp. No, I mean like it was not explained well and the twists and turns don't make sense at all and you're just sitting there going "huh"??? Now, maybe I'm dumb. But after talking to my friend who also finished the book and they don't know what happened either, I'm gonna go with bad writing on this one.

Was the plot super cool and interesting? Hell yeah! Were the characters complex and engaging? Absolutely! Did that cover up the bad writing? No. And it's unfortunate because the writing itself is beautiful. She went for a mystical, mysterious feel and she succeeded, but her ability to explain concepts and plot points clearly was lacking. And for that, I had to knock it down to 2 stars.

Now, granted, I read the ARC, so the finished copy may have fixed a lot of these issues and might be clearer. And you should definitely give this book a try! I loved the concept, just not the execution.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review

My Rating 4.5 Stars

Wow. I honestly can't remember the last time a YA book had me feeling so completely transported to a magical world. Let me tell you, when a book is marketed as a blend of Phantom of the Opera and Moulin Rouge, the expectations are high right off the bat. Fortunately, this gorgeous book was lush with magic, romance, and high-tension, dark intrigue. While there were no major plot twists that had me gasping in surprise, I found myself metaphorically on the edge of my seat (come on, we are in quarantine so you all know I read this one in bed). Not even Henry Cavill could have torn my eyes from my kindle once I delved into this story. 

Kallia is such a wonderfully unique YA female lead, in my opinion. She is fierce, competitive and confident without coming off braggadocios or obnoxious. Despite the fact that there are little to no female performance magicians in her world, she holds her head high while men constantly comment on her appearance, attitude and talent. 

The romance was a slow burn that I enjoyed, even though it went in a direction that I didn't expect from the start. While there is a hint of a love triangle, I believe that it is clear who Kallia will end up with, and I wholeheartedly approve. Normally, my disdain for love triangles is clear (except in TID), but this one was slight and added to the plot. There was no Bella/Jacob/Edward longing tension, thank goodness. 

Where Dreams Descend absolutely ended on a cliffhanger, so prepare yourself for that. Even though I am already itching to get my hands on the sequel, I'm so glad that I had a chance to read this early and absolutely recommend it for fans of Caraval by Stephanie Garber. My small half-point deduction in rating was only due to the fact that the author dumped me as a reader into the novel at the very beginning with little to no explanation, leading to a confusing start.

What a thrilling ride this has been! I originally grabbed this book since it has theatrical elements to it. And I loved that it was told in three acts, much like a play. But the intrigue that went along with this novel was spectacular!

There are essentially two plots going on at all times throughout this novel First and foremost: Kallia trying to rise to the top of the magician's ladder and step out from the cage she was in. Then, the underlying plot: what has been causing the mysterious disappearances and brutal torment of magicians?

This story was woven so well that you were never quite sure what was going to happen. Never sure who to root for or to hate. Each chapter giving just enough of a taste to keep going.

Each act upped the stakes and the ending was worth a standing ovation. The intrigue, the heartbreak, the mystery! I need the next book now!

A delightful and decadent read!

I was really unsure of this one going into it. I loved Caraval and was hoping this wouldn't just be a knock off version, Where Dreams Descend stands on its own!

With a lush and dark atmosphere you are swept up in the world that Janella has built. With gorgeous prose and descriptive passages this book reads so quickly!

My only critique is I wish the characters were a bit more fleshed out. I loved them but wanted to connect with them a bit more!

Overall a great read!!

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for my eARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Where Dreams Descend follows Kallia, a young magician who lives in the cursed woods outside of a city called Glorian. Kallia is the star of Hellfire house, a place run by a mysterious figure named Jack who has made it his personal mission to teach Kallia all about magic and how to wield it. But when a competition for magicians comes to Glorian Kallia can't resist it's call. Nothing can stand in her way but the judges, including an illusive Daron Demarco, but her power is impossible to ignore. What dangers await Kallia and the town of Glorian when this competition ensues?

I give this story an enthusiastic 4 stars and would recommend it to anyone who enjoyed Caraval and stories like it. The heroine is a delight to follow, which is so rare in young adult. She doesn't fall in line, even with her love interests and always demands the spotlight. She knows what she wants and doesn't waver from it, another refreshing prose for a young adult heroine. The gentlemen in her company are their own characters, not just there for a romantic plot. They have so many secrets and mysteries to uncover while we get to know them. The only thing I wish there was more of was Jack. He was such an interesting character who woo'd me in the beginning and had me glued to the book, but he was underutilized after the first quarter of the book.

Overall this was a great read, and I know I will be looking forward to the sequel. Four glowing stars for Kallia and her band of magical friends!

Ok, I really want to be nice, but to be honest I’m not sure how this thing is even being published at its current state.

It is being marked as a sort of Phantom of the Opera meets Moulin Rouge. I was genuinely excited to get an ARC of this book because I thought from the summary that it had such potential to be a great read!

The first problem with this fantasy novel is that it lacks world building. For a book that is nearly 500 pages, you’d expect the author to go into the “whys” and “how’s” of the world, but there is literally none of it. The story suffers from so much “show, don’t tell” syndrome. There is so much as the reader you have to accept to not have answers too, which is especially frustrating when you want the world your exploring to make sense.

Like:

Why is there a random speakeasy type house in the woods? Why is there a random city broken into four segments? Why should we care about a random magic competition when it isn’t clear what winning the competition gets you. Why do people want to be magicians? Why should I care?


The plot is underdeveloped, the characters are underdeveloped, the action is lackluster, and the pacing of the book leaves a lot to be desired.

**I received an advance reader copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review**

Kallia is a showgirl/magician performing nightly but she dreams of more. To command her own stage and be the star. But how can you do that in a world where female magicians are laughed at and not taken seriously at all. Enter Spectaculore, a magic competition where Kallie fights for her to win. Where she fights to be seen.

Where Dreams Descend was a magical fantasy tale full of darkness and tension that kept me on wanting more with a slowly revealing mystery. I'll admit I was full of questions when I started and full of even more when I finished but I ended it dying for the next one!

I thought the plot was great. A girl on the run, a magic competition, a CIRCUS!! An angsty tension filled romance! The multiple points of view were a nice touch. They really allowed you to get inside the mind of each of the three main characters and see all of their shades of grey. It also featured a side character that left me smiling every scene he was in. The world needs more characters like Aaros.

I would like to see a little more robust world building in the next installment. I feel like it could have been fleshed out a little more. For purely selfish reasons, I would like to see more magic, more whimsy, a little more romance and definitely more Aaros!

Overall I really enjoyed the book and I can't wait to carry on with the series! 4/5

The Quick Cut: A group of magicians compete for a spot as the next headliner when unexpected danger comes.

A Real Review:
Thank you to St. Martin's Press for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you've ever been interested in magic, you know how enticing the presentation can be. The feats magicians pull off feel surreal, almost impossible. Well, what if you had a chance of a lifetime through a magical competition? This is the case for Kallia, Jack, and Demarco.

In a city covered in ice, three magicians take the opportunity to compete for the headliner spot in the Conquering Circus. Unfortunately, all goes haywire when unknown terror comes. Will they make it through or will their lives come at risk instead?

Can I just say how gorgeous that cover is?!?! The red and black is a wonderful combination, especially for highlighting the dark mystery surrounding this title. The environment is enrapturing and the world building is the best part of the novel. It is powerful and highly detailed.

That being said, the characters leave something to be desired. The story has an underlying feminism tone that although I understand it's presence, comes off as aggressive. A significant portion of this comes through the character Kallia, a powerful female magician. She is so overpowered that it takes a lot of the fun out of the writing and even worse, her behavior makes her a witch. It's a character I believe you're meant to like, but I ended up hating.

The other characters in this book failed to leave a lasting impression on me (and I really wanted them to). I wanted to connect to the story, but without characters to bond to... uphill battle. If the same attention was paid to character development as world building, this would be a different story.

A heavy paged story that delivers a strong world with vacant characters.

My rating: 3 out of 5