Thank you NetGalley for providing an egalley for an honest review. I was intrigued when I read the premise of Where Dreams Descend, but unfortunately, that fascination was short-lived. It took me longer than normal to complete this book and I am hopeful that deft editing can restore this story to its promised glory. In its current state, however, it is agonizingly meandering, overly murky, and at times, comically melodramatic. There are several issues with the novel: overly bloated prose, clunky metaphors, but the greatest blight is the main character, Kallia. I did not like her for a significant portion of the novel. Although Janella Angeles tried to justify Kallia’s insufferable behavior as a form of armor and an appropriate reaction to the misogyny she continually endured, I abhor the practice of equating female empowerment with the diminishment of others. Kallia is impetuous, capricious, brusque, and ego-centric and all of these character sins are supposed to be blithely embraced because they are weapons to combat her perceived gender-based inferiority. Her lack of likability made reading an arduous task through the first half of the novel, but she finally became sympathetic when her vulnerability shone through.

Another issue is the unfolding of the narrative. It is simply too slow, mired in the superficial and devoid of plot evolution. The descriptions are staggeringly lengthy at times and ultimately there is not enough action. One would think with the sheer volume of description that everything is perfectly clear, but this story is firmly ensconced in shadows. Little insight is provided into the characters’ motivations and little depth is achieved. The denouement is rushed, and the cliffhanger is deeply unsatisfying. Ultimately, Where Dreams Descend is a book characterized by breadth instead of depth. Mysterious backstories and tragedies remain hidden, awaiting illumination in subsequent offerings, I suppose. I am not sure if I am invested enough in this story to await the answers to the myriad lingering questions.

I cannot recommend this book enough. I was excited to read something different and this book did not disappoint me.

Can we first discuss this cover?! I absolutely do not judge a book by its cover, but I am guilty of being drawn to this one in particular.

There is nothing better then anticipating a novel, reading an intriguing excerpt, and then it doesn't disappoint. There are so many adjectives I could use to describe this fantastic GEM but nothing seems quite appropriate. I am in love with the strong female characters, and Kaillia is so easy to understand. Shes my new favorite character in a YA series. She is exactly who I would want my little girl to look up too. Strong, and independent and glowing with confidence that doesn't bow to anyone that doesn't respect her equal existence. The other characters are wonderful as well, brilliant character building. I can't place where exactly we are going with them, however, i'm sure in book two we will discover his feelings. Can we chat about Jack and Aaros?? AGH!!! I can't WAIT for book two. Can you tell?!

I will say, don't DNF too soon. The beginning is rather slow, but when it gets going in moves quickly. I'm still not sure who the Antagonist is? They all do their own things that make you question their motivations then BOOM you love them again.

Ms. Angelas, I don't know if i can wait "Patiently" enough for number two. I might just need to hide in the bathroom and hunker down writing my own ending just to get some personal completion.

The Con? Being left with an ambiguous ending, and having to wait for the next one to come out.

Can you tell I loved this one? Don't pass it up. Not if you need an amazing story, with much more too come.



*My greatest appreciation to St. Martins Press and NetGalley for providing me with this free advanced copy, in exchange for an honest review.

Huge thanks to Netgalley and Macmillan for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This story is a fantasy romance following Kallia, an ex-showgirl, as she breaks away from her master and strikes out to become a magician. This story was pitched as a Caraval and Phantom of the Opera type story. I agree with Phantom of the Opera but not with Caraval. The only Caraval comparison could be the contest that takes place. But in my opinion, the contest was vastly different from the "game" in Caraval.

Overall, the story was fine. I think the author did a great job with the angsty romance of the story. Most the time, I like romance as a sub-plot but the author made it work so well in the forefront that I didn't mind it. The magic system was simply put and did not blow me away. I did feel the plot of the story could have been cut down. Nothing happened in the first 60% of the book. Yes, there was contest. Yes, there were murders but they did nothing to move the plot. Not until the last 25% did something FINALLY happen that moved the plot forward. This left me frustrated and bored for the majority of the book. I didn't connect with the characters. I felt they were flat and did not change much from the beginning of the book to the end. I also had a hard time figuring out the relationship between Kallia and Jack.

This was 2.5 stars for me. I didn't enjoy the story and I wouldn't recommend it to other people.

When I first read the description of this book, I was completely enthralled! I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it, and delve into the pages. Unfortunately I hyped it up a little more than it could deliver, though it wasn’t all lost despite its faults. There was definitely a solid plot in place, that was not my arguments against it. But rather my protests were pointed at the execution, and the characters, particularly the main one. At times I found certain parts mundane and dragging, especially the tiresome and repeated dramatics from the characters, and found that it could’ve stood another round of editing. However, if I were to focus solely on it as just a story, as just a tale being told, I would not say it was completely lacking.

I had to stew over this review for a few days because there was a lot to like about this book, but the lack of characterization of the other magicians and the abundance of unanswered questions about the plot left me feeling apathetic about much of the story. I liked the spunk of the main character, but it was hard to feel fully invested in her successes when I really had no idea of what she was up against. Challenges were implied but could have been fleshed out better. Overall, I LIKED this book, but I did not LOVE it.

*Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with an early copy in exchange for an honest review.*

DNF @ 21%

Things this book has that I hate:

A protagonist who, for no good reason, thinks she’s incredibly capable and can face any new hardship
A place being described as scary and then being passed through with no consequence
A child thinking himself equal in skill to adults
That child taking offense at being called a “boy” when that’s exactly what he is
People who can’t accept their role in life

Someone who:
would rather be “a fool than nothing”
is overpowered and "special"
hasn’t experienced the fundamental emotion of grief and still thinks they’re ready for the world
can’t admit they’re in over their head
only wants fame and power
thinks being thought of as a slut is good publicity
also dresses as a slut

Feminists
And I’m pretty sure this misused the word “prodigal”

This book is for teenagers and sets the worst example. It needs intense rewriting.

This book has a lush atmosphere. It is magical, beautiful, and captivating. The story is well written as well as the characters. Readers will be entranced and engaged in the story. It has romance in it as well so if you love your fantasy books to have romance, pre-order it now! A great read overall.

This was one of my most anticipated releases of the year and I really wanted to love this book. There were great aspects - I loved Khalia's character  and the world building. The magic system was interesting and easy to pick up on, though I do wish there had been more rules that were explained for it. I think the biggest flaw with this book is its length and pacing. I felt like the middle of the book really dragged on and I found a hard time pushing myself through it; alternatively, the last 20-30 pages had so much happening and I wish more time had been spent delving into it. I also really didn't care for the insta-lovey romance in this story and never really felt any sort of connection for Khalia and Demarco personally.

[Reviewing an ARC granted by Netgalley & publishers!]

I am.. utterly conflicted, here. I gave this four stars, though it might be more like 3.5 if I was being entirely fair. Overall, I enjoyed this book. There are several little darlings in my classes that I know will enjoy it, too, and I can't wait to get it into their hands to read. I *would* recommend this book, but I would do it with some caution.

The good stuff:
* Kallia is a gem. I was living for her snark and her 'giving zero' about the attitudes of the men she was surrounded with. And she was *surrounded.* I felt her fire and thoroughly enjoyed reading a book where the heroine wasn't just a damsel in distress being rescued by the brooding male in her life.

* The brooding male; Demarco was entertaining, even if he was a bit of a lump for a while: tragedy will do that to you, I suppose. I felt like he was raw, real and believable, and frankly it was just lovely to see a man get flustered by a woman on the page and have to walk away from her...because he didn't know what to do! He didn't have to fluff his feathers and strut; he let her have those moments. The slow burn between them is entertaining, and neither is throwing themselves at the other...which is so typical of YA.

* Aaros. Just. Aaros. Read it. You'll understand.

* The book definitely gave us the full scope of glitz, glam, magic and fantasy; I did find myself enjoying the magic shows despite only having Kallia's perspective of them - and only seeing HER acts. The magic felt believable - down to the users' need to rest, sometimes, if it was over-used. Nobody felt invincible.

* There were nods to Phantom and Moulin Rouge, but nothing was a blatant rip-off; I struggle when books are pitched this way because too often the tropes are taken and it just feels like rinse and repeat. This was not the case. Kallia was a lovely blend of Christine (the not-so-annoying parts, frankly) and Satine.


The not-so-good:
* The constantly switching view-points without any warning made me want to scream. I don't know if it's just a formatting issue, or editing in the pre-released version, but it was a struggle. I don't want to have to stop and go back to figure out what I'm reading, and who's talking.

* Several of the plot points are a touch convoluted; Jack's magic, for example, and his 'illusions' from the very beginning took me a hot minute to figure out. Jack, in general, is an enigma: he got a lot of play at the start to just sort of be... a 'thing' throughout. Was I supposed to be worried about him? Was he supposed to feel like a REAL threat to Kallia? I'm still wondering that.

* There were SO many characters and SO little development to the rest of them. I understand Kallia, Demarco, and Aaros best... but there were many others I would've loved to learn about and they were just abandoned for the sake of having bodies to fill space, or to be convenient to solve a problem.

* The plot dragged in the middle. I was hooked at the start, and then bored - and then hooked in the bitter end.

*
Knowing this is a duology, I'm hoping a lot of what I struggled to figure out is solved in the next book - which, despite my issues, I will ABSOLUTELY read. And, honestly, as a debut? This is an awesome start.

I can’t decide how I feel about this book; the world building is beautiful, but also, the heroine is super annoying and the heroes are either dumb or too closed off. Such a hard time getting though this book, but also such a need to keep learning more about this world!

Where Dreams Descend is a magical tail that leads the reader on an exciting adventure, much like Caraval and The Night Circus. A magical competition pulls together magicians and a mystical city where no one talks about the past in an intriguing tale. Kallia has set out and left her confined life with her mentor Jack to forge her path in a world that looks down on female magicians and is wary of magic. Demarco is a magician that no longer performs after an accident in his last show with his assistant. He has been drawn into this competition as a judge in search of answers about himself and the past. The end of this book caught me, and now I need to know what happens next and how this story will play out. It didn’t grab hold of me the way that other magical stories like this have before, but there is still that need to know how it ends.

Kallia is such a strong main character, one that I have wanted to see in so many books! She is a girl who knows what she wants, and once she sets her eyes on it, nothing can stop her. This girl puts her mind on what he wants and goes for it full force. She can hang with the many plot-turns that the story tosses at her.

Once I figured him out more, and he wasn’t just a big mope, Demarco grew on me and formed into a pretty good character who I wanted to cheer for and see him succeed. He and Kallia play off one another well, and I enjoyed their banter throughout the story. I overall enjoyed him and his perspectives when they popped up, and we got to go inside his head.

This story has so much world-building and characters that jump out and have so much possibility. This world is pretty darn cool but hard to understand at some points. At some point, we switch to multiple perspectives, which I liked when I figured out that there was a switch, and I unconfused myself. Actually, I’m still confused about some things, and that is the only downside to this book. This book had such a story to tell, and there was so much to build. I feel like it could have been broken down into a trilogy and not the planned duology with plots stretched out to give more detail. There was so much explained that I either missed it or it was jumped over. At times I was confused and had to reread or slow down. I wish there had been a little more clarity.



Obligatory disclosure: I received a free copy of this on Netgalley to read and review. That doesn’t impact my review in any way, shape or form.

Ooh, there were so many things to love about this original fantasy. The writing was gorgeous, as was the construction of the story into acts as well as chapters. All of the main characters were dynamic and mysterious. The main plot structure was solid, although it prevented me from giving a full 5 stars. The ENDING...can’t wait for book 2!

The downsides? The other competitors were not fleshed out at all, there wasn’t enough time spent with Jack at the club in the beginning, and the mystery plot line was underdeveloped. I still highly recommend it!

Although I didn't enjoy this book as much as I would have liked, I am a little impressed that it's a debut. Some of the passages and chapters were incredible. Others...not so much. But I think there is talent there. I loved the world and the ideas behind this story, although I'm not sure they were conveyed as clearly as they could have been. To be honest, a lot of elements of the plot just don't make a lot of sense. Not sure if that will be handled in the sequel? But this book was long enough to straighten some of it out ta least.

I loved Kallia...until she got involved in the magic competition. For some reason that whole middle section slowed way down and I started to lose interest. I wasn't a huge fan of Kallia's behavior during that part of the book although I had really enjoyed her to begin with. Daron was just boring. Nothing about him interested me and I didn't think they had any chemistry together. All I wanted was more Jack and his club and his creepy house where he changes everyone's memories. I wanted to know more about Kallia's history at the house and why Jack was manipulating her. I even wanted to know more about the creepy woods. But instead half the book was centered on a magic contest and Kallia trying to prove "girls can do magic too", and it ended up not even mattering that much overall. That was frustrating. There were a lot of loose ends. I loved the Conquering Circus girls, but I also don't understand what purpose they really served, which can be said for many plot elements and characters. I am not sure if I'll pick up the second book or not. It seems like it may have more of what I'm looking for, so we'll see.

I saw great things for Where Dreams Descend but perhaps the higher the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
Jack and Kallia’s world rotated around Hellfire House, a venue where the magic is elaborate, the card games go long into the night, and memories are commodities to be smoked or gambler away. Unsatisfied with her bubble, Kallia runs away to Glorian, eager to become the showiest and most impressive show magician of all. Of course, murder and mayhem follow, as Glorian isn’t the idyllic city Kallia wants it to be, and there are more powerful schemes at work under the guise of a magic competition.

The beginning was admittedly compelling - Hellfire House drew in my attention immediately, as did Jack’s mysterious persona, Kallia’s powers, and the magic that swept throughout the house. That said, it veered south as soon as Kallia landed in Glorian. Vague world building, confusing syntax, and sadly, one dimensional characters. Kallia never was anything more than arrogant or ambitious, Jack’s mystery turned annoyingly vague, Demarco was the expected love interest and a bit of a snooze, and the ending - meh.

I saw the heavy influence of Phantom of the Opera, The Night Circus, and even Caraval, and since it didn’t elevate the inspirations, all Where Dreams Descends did was make itself feel like a lesser copycat. However, the story overall is compelling enough to see if the sequel acknowledges these weaknesses and improves upon the story.

The description of this book seemed right up my ally, but the more I read the less it kept me interested. I loved the idea and the premise of this book. Throughout the book the characters were lacking and the story really seemed to drag. The ending was some better than the rest of the book, but by that time I was just ready for the book to be over. I wish I felt drawn in and wanted to be invested in the characters, yet they didn't grow throughout the book and it was just slow paced. Overall, it was just an ok read, wouldn't highly recommend, but a decent read.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

I really love this book so much more than I thought I would. The world building is done very well and the way the magic is described memorizing.

I liked something about each character. I love how fierce Kallia is, and her drive to find her own place in male dominated world. And Aaros! He was a show stealer, and I wish we was more involved with the book.

The love interests are both amazing in their own way. Both surrounded my mystery and intrigue. I felt Jack's story was a bit vague and it never really told you what relationship with Kallia was.

Overall I found this to be a very enjoyable book!

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Spoilers for the book below!

I finished reading this book an hour or so ago, and I'm still undecided on how I feel about it and what this review should say. On one hand, this book definitely hits all the Phantom of the Opera tropes (as well as some from Moulin Rouge) and is clearly a re-imagining of those beloved books/musicals. On the other hand, it never quite delivers on the sparkle it should have. At times, there were moments in the book when I knew I should be immersed in all the glitz and glamour, but instead, I felt like I was looking at a wall that was shoddily plastered and then haphazardly painted.

The characters do shine in the book; it's sad that there's not much to support them. Kallis is our Christine, and she's a likable protagonist that you find yourself rooting for (especially in the male dominated society she lives in). My personal favorite quickly became Aaros, who simply wasn't in the book enough. He was fantastic as a Kallis' new bff and bless the fact that he is turned into an overprotective big brother figure and not a love interest. Demarco and Jack, Kallis' actual love interests and Mysterious Dark Figures of the book were interesting, even if nothing really stood out about them.

I think my biggest issue with this book is that the characters don't talk to each other. There are a lot of issues and secrets and most of the problems in the book could have been solved had the characters simply talked to one another. The plot of the book, which may be the weakest part of my entire reading journey, could have been strengthened and made so much more interesting if the characters had had the needed conversations and then focused on solving the actual problems.

The setting is bland and boring, which I think was mostly intentional on the author's part to try and make the magic sparkle more. It... mostly works? I'm still not 100% sure of what was going on with the different suits of cards thing and other parts of the settings, but that may be more of a me issue than a book issue. Then again, if the author had probably described the setting, then I wouldn't be having this confusion.

Honestly, while it was a good read, it wasn't memorable or anything. As this is a duology, the author clearly was trying to leave some things unexplained so that they could be explained and expanded upon in the sequel. However, for me, too much was left unexplained in this book. I honestly was never hooked into this book. If you think this one you want to read, maybe try the library instead of buying it.

I was so excited for this one. The cover and synopsis gave me some Caraval vibes and I have been wanting another book that will give me all the feelings like that one had. Overall, I had a good experience with this book. I did like a lot of it but I did have some issues.

We are first introduced to Jack and my oh my! Clearly I have a thing for guys like him (Jacks, Prince of Heart anyone? 😍). The above quote is how he sauntered into my life. I questioned a lot of his motives and what his true intentions were. I'm honestly still confused and have a lot of unanswered questions about him. It didn't stop me from being overly infatuated though. I got giddy every time he graced the pages.

Kallia is a very strong female character. She is out to take her life back and become who she wants to be despite her past and societies standards. I did like her character but a lot of the time she felt overly powerful. A lot of the other magicians had more training than her and here she is showing them up. I'm just not a fan of characters like this. I could at least look past it and enjoy the rest of her.

Kallia meets a guy on the streets named Aaros and he so lovable! I love his character and how much he respects her and how she respects him. They are an unlikely pair but I love their friendship.

The last character that is around for a lot of the book is Demarco. He doesn't have much going for him besides being a judge for the competition. We don't learn a whole lot about him but he does have an eye for Kallia. I think he is a decent character but I'm going to be #TeamJack all the way through.

There is a slow burning relationship and I guess a love triangle? Honestly, I'm not really sure what type of relationship Jack and Kallia had. Nothing was ever specified. Again, lot of questions but no answers. 🤷‍♀️

The plot is interesting but at times it did feel to drag on. I found myself becoming uninterested here and there. It's easy to spot some of the plot twists but it didn't bother me too much. I feel like the twists in the sequel will be even bigger *fingers crossed*. The world building was a bit meh. I needed more from the setting and the only magic we really see is not from the contestants, besides Kallie.  I did enjoy what magic we did read about because it was fantastic to read about. I am always in awe with magic and the scenes didn't disappoint. Some of the characters had no real depth and were just there to keep the plot rolling.

Even with my issues I still think it is a book worth reading. I am hoping that the sequel will be even better. Plus, I need to know what happens after that cliffhanger!

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.”
YES, GIRL, YES!!

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.