I wanted to enjoy this book and the premise was interesting enough. However, the pacing was quite slow and the characters just ended up lacking for me. I found myself putting it down often and having trouble picking it back up.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an e-arc of the book.

I really wanted to like this book but I ended up DNFing it, The starting of the book was sucked me in and was really intriguing, However, the plot became extremely slow after a few chapters and was really hard to get through. I really tried to push myself to keep reading but I just couldn't.

Absolutely Stunning! Any Caraval lovers will adore this book without question.
The world building and magical system were constructed wonderfully
You can just feel how much this author loves her book through the way her character grows and develops and how the plot unravels

I went into this with such high hopes but walked away disappointed. The pacing was painfully show, the characters were not likable, and the storyline was dull. I found myself quickly not caring what was happening in this and chose to sat the book down without finishing.

I found this book really hard to read. The chapters were either overly long or too short. I found the world building to be either nonexistent or too dense to really understand. The concept was amazing but the plot took too long to work itself out and set up. I found it hard to really understand or care about the characters. This may be an editing issue but I found this book very easy to put down. I really wanted to like it but sadly it just did not work for me.

I really wanted to LOVE this book - but I've been stuck about halfway through it for weeks now. I guess it's time to give up and admit defeat. The characters were confusing, the storyline a bit flat. I kept waiting for something SPECTACULAR to happen, but it never did. Maybe I didn't give it enough time, but halfway through - something should have happened by now.

anella Angeles admires sensational and theatrical storytelling, so it’s no wonder that her debut novel “Where Dreams Descend” (out Aug. 25) draws inspiration from the films “The Phantom of the Opera” and “Moulin Rouge!” as well as Erin Morgenstern’s fantasy novel “The Night Circus.” These tragic yet beautiful love stories told through vibrant visual lenses left big impressions on a young Angeles, a developing storyteller herself. The soundtracks that often played throughout her childhood home wove their way into her craft in more ways than one. Bold, daring and heartfelt are just some of the words to describe Angeles’ novel about a showgirl-turned-magician in an enchanted world determined to see her fail.

The first kernel of this story came to Angeles when she wondered, “What if Christine [from ‘Phantom of the Opera’] — a beautiful, talented ingénue who is timid and afraid — instead owned her talent and owned the stage?” The confident Kallia burst from Angeles’ desire to see a more active heroine come to terms with her dark past. “In a world where men rule the stage of magic, it’s been a public secret that any woman who dares rarely makes it into the spotlight,” Angeles writes in the prologue. Kallia enters the “Spectaculore” magic competition with public opinion already stacked against her, but as the contest proceeds to further rounds and her fellow contestants begin mysteriously vanishing, the townspeople are eager to make her a scapegoat.

The deliciously dark and fantastical atmosphere of “Where Dreams Descend” is reminiscent of that in “The Night Circus,” another novel that hinges on a life-altering magic competition. But another source of inspiration for the Spectaculore was the reality TV show “Wizard Wars,” where expert magicians use random props to create original routines. While watching it, Angeles didn’t consciously notice that most of the contestants were men until the first woman magician took the stage, and in a mind-blowing realization, she thought, “Where have you been?”

When most people think of magicians, they think of Harry Houdini, David Copperfield or the duo Penn & Teller. According to The Takeaway, which reported on the lack of female magicians in February 2020, there are very few female magicians. Only 7.5% of the members of the Society of American Magicians, the world’s oldest magic organization, are women. There are so few that female performers are often mistaken for assistants. Angeles decided to carry over that climate in her novel. She posits that the more visible you are, the more you have power and credibility. Kallia uses sensational magic tricks and bright outfits to emphasize the power she wields as a magician so she can’t possibly be ignored.

The way magic operates in “Where Dreams Descend” is a reflection of the creative process. In the novel, there is a divide between people who are born with their talent and people who can train to siphon magic from the air. This magic system mirrors Angeles’ fascination with how some artists are naturally gifted, and others have to go to school to painstakingly study their craft. “It’s an interesting concept to translate into magic,” Angeles says. “A lot of characters still have misconceptions. Kallia has innate ability but it’s still hard work, and it takes a toll on her even though she loves to do it.”

“Where Dreams Descend” was actually Angeles’ “rebound” novel after her first novel on submission failed to gain any traction with editors. The Boston-based author had signed with her literary agent in 2016 with a young adult pirate fantasy. Although that manuscript taught her the importance of revision, critique and building a community of writer friends, that story was sadly not her ticket to becoming a published author. But within a few months, she posted a #NovelAesthetic mood board to Twitter with red and black photos of theater stages, cards and mirrors — the motifs from the “Twisted tale of [her] heart ft daring showgirls & dueling magicians.” That tweet piqued the interest of many, including Angeles’ now-editor.

Writing “Harry Potter” fan fiction was some of Angeles’ first attempts at writing in earnest. She credits it as “the best writing teacher,” because she learned how to find her voice, establish discipline with her writing process and navigate internet trolls. “There’s something very addictive about this type of storytelling,” Angeles says. “When you read it, you can feel the joy of the writer. They love these characters and this world so much and they put their spin on it.” Fanfiction, retellings and re-imaginings also allow readers to acknowledge the original work’s shortcomings (or even overt problems), and explore how a different author might have approached those issues differently.

When Angeles thinks of “Phantom,” she first remembers her love of the music and the story, and it’s easy to forget the controlling nature of the Phantom’s relationship with Christine. “You’re so overcome from the passion of the cast singing, people put blinders on,” she says. “I wanted to explore a Phantom that gets called out. Does he even feel bad about the things he has done emotionally? Is there regret on the Phantom’s part?” In Angeles’ own novel, Kallia has complicated feelings about her former instructor, Jack. When she discovers a dark secret he kept hidden from her, she has trouble reconciling Jack’s past actions with the person who helped her hone her magic skills over the years.

Angeles feels that Raoul never earned his spot as Christine’s default love interest in “Phantom,” so when she wanted to create romantic tension for Kallia with the adversarial Spectaculore judge Daron, Angeles looked elsewhere for inspiration. Kallia’s show-stopping stardom is a natural parallel to Satine’s in “Moulin Rouge!”, but unlike Satine’s love interest Christian – Daron has to earn Kallia’s trust after they get off on the wrong foot. At times, Kallia’s connection with Daron also echoes the star-crossed love between Celia and Marco in “The Night Circus.”

“I always loved romance novels, where the narrative structures explore the love interest’s voice," Angeles says. "You can see how they react to the other person walking in the room and what secrets they hold.” So in “Where Dreams Descend,” readers also get glimpses into Jack’s and Daron’s own conflicting feelings about this talented ingénue.

After pouring so much of herself and her grief into the pirate fantasy novel that didn’t get picked up by a publisher, Angeles lost the joy of writing and almost thought she didn’t have any other stories left in her. Eventually, she knew the only way she could get out of the cycle of self-doubt was to write herself out of that darkness. By writing Kallia, a character who persistently chases her dreams even though the path is rocky and unknown, Angeles found she was empowered to handle her own obstacles to achieving her dreams of becoming a published author. “Being able to channel her in my writing was so healing,” she says. “Now, I’m glad this story is my debut. It feels like it was meant to be.”

After reading Caraval a couple years ago, I am a bit wary of magician type books because I didn't like Caraval as much as everyone else seems to. Luckily, Where Dreams Descend surprised me and I really enjoyed it. From the beginning, my intrigue about the characters (Kallia, Jack, Demarco) and where the plot was going made me sit up in my chair and listen with anticipation. I finished it in only a few days because I just had to keep listening to hear what would happen next. The way it ended too, wow, I have to know what will happen in the next book. The audiobook is really well done with narrators I've heard and enjoyed before (Imani Jade Powers & Steve West) and the beautiful descriptions and character moments will keep you turning the pages or keeping you listening and finding things to do all-around your house so you can listen longer and be absorbed in the magical world.

I really enjoyed this book! I got some Phantom of the Opera vibes and it was so hard to put down. I loved Caraval when I read it, so if you also liked that series I think you will enjoy this book as well. Where Dreams Descend was so dark, fun, and an overall great read.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me. While I appreciated the plot I found the writing to be very slow and couldn’t find myself getting into the plot or investing in the characters.

I loved this so much! The book was so well written from the plot to the characters to the setting. I loved this magic system as well. I fell like I’ve never read anything quite like it.

I wanted to love this, it sounded so fun. Unfortunately, I found the writing so overdramatic that I couldn't look past it. The characters also didn't appeal to me. I finally decided this book wasn't for me. I won't be posting any negative reviews since I couldn't bring myself to finish it. I really hope this book finds its intended readers who love it.

Unfortunately this was a DNF for me - while I thought the concept was fresh and unique, I just couldn't get into the story. I didn't enjoy the world building and I found that most of the characters (especially the side characters) lacked depth. The whole book was a little too vague for my tastes.

In the end, this just didn't work for me. I've seen how others loved this story, but I was bored and unable to relate to any of the characters in a meaningful way. The magical elements were interesting, but that was the only bit I ended up fully enjoying.

I really enjoyed the writing style of the book and the imagery and magic of it all was very fun to read and really put me into the story. It was a very visual experience and I loved that! While I am not really familiar with the aspects of the story that were inspired by Moulin Rouge or Phantom of the Opera, it was still a really fun and magical story!

I loved the wit and banter and relationships that Kallia had with Aaros especially. I love to see great friendships! I also loved the slow burn kind of forbidden aspect of Demarco and Kallia's romance! There were some beautiful lines that had me swooning!

I couldn't stop reading near the last thirty percent because I was so stressed for the characters! The only thing that really took me out of the story was the magic system was just a little difficult for me to understand. near the end I just felt a little confused by what was happening amidst all the chaos and why it was happening. Otherwise, I loved the mystery and magic of it all and am definitely excited to read the sequel!

Rich in world-building, Where Dreams Descend makes for a captivating start to what I hope will be a dazzling duology. I really loved Jack and really hope we get to see more of him in the second one. There was a lot put into play in this book that I'm hoping to see explained or expanded upon in the next installment! Very anxious to see what has become of Kalia and how we can come back from that cliffhanger! Loved this book!

I am a huge fan of magical/supernatural type books, so this one sounded right up my alley.

Kallia is a born magician who hasn’t ever gotten to experience life outside of Jack’s show house. Tired of being a nameless performer, so sneaks away to become the only female magician in the Spectaculore, a competition among magicians. She picks up an assistant and starts putting on one hell of a show. As the story progresses, she gets more involved with Demarco, judge and retired magician, and lives in fear of Jack coming back for her.

This book was just okay for me. Nothing great and special, nothing that kept me intrigued. It was long with details that felt tedious to me. I wanted more and I just didn’t have that loving desire to keep reading like I wanted. I don’t expect that I will read the next in the series.

This book was so intriguing! I loved the writing and the whimsical atmosphere surrounding this magical competition. As a big fan of all the things this book was compared to (Phantom of the Opera, Moulin Rouge, The Night Circus), I was interested by the first chapter and invested once I got to know our dynamic main character, Kallia!

My only critique would be that I think it dragged at times but overall was a very enjoyable read and I can’t wait for the sequel 😍

This book was a huge disappointment for me. Almost nothing about it worked. That may be because it was being compared to some of my favorite movies (Moulin Rouge and Phantom of the Opera) or because I’d heard mostly good things about it before I actually sat down to browse through the reviews on Goodreads. Either way, I did not have a great time and I would have DNF’ed this if I hadn’t been provided an ARC by the publisher. A huge thank you to the publisher though for providing me with this early copy and my apologies for reading it so late.

I’m going to start with the world building, or lack thereof. We’re stuck in this one city throughout the entirety of this novel for the most part, with a few glimpses of the nearby woods and the manor that resides within. We’re also told of a few different places throughout this world though only briefly in passing. Either way, I could never get a good mental image of what this place looked like. It felt completely bland and I never felt immersed into the story because of it. I just wish within this 460 page book, the author had taken more time to develop the setting because I know it would have made everything happening within the story feel ten times more creepy. I don’t usually need tons of world building but for a book that relies so heavily on the character’s whereabouts, it should have been a larger focus.

I also didn’t like our characters. I appreciated how strong-minded Kallia was. I always appreciate a stubborn, dedicated, goal driven female character. However, that really seemed to be all she was. We got a few softer moments but not many. I didn’t mind her all that much though so if her and Aros were the only two characters within the story, I wouldn’t have as large of an issue. However, Demarco had the personality of a cardboard box. I also felt absolutely zero chemistry between him and Kallia. That whole romance felt like it came out of left field and left me rolling my eyes during their interactions later on in the novel. The other side characters, other than Aros, also felt under developed. I would have loved to see more of the magicians competing against Kallia. The competition had such low stakes because we knew nothing about them and we’re told constantly how much better Kallia is. I think this book could have been improved if the stakes were higher within the competition from the beginning.

I also didn’t entirely jive with the writing style but that’s obviously relative and results may vary from reader to reader. Overall, this book just didn’t work with me at all and I felt like it went on for much too long. For the 460 pages we received, it felt like very little actually happened. I definitely won’t be continuing on with this series which is a huge bummer because this was one of my most anticipated 2020 releases.

DNF

I have tried to read this book twice now, and begin to space and drift before I even hit 10%. I just don't care. I don't like the characters or really anything but the writing style. Maybe magical books aren't for me anymore? I've loved several in the past, but there's been a huge shift in my reading preferences and I've still not figured it out. It sounded great and like something I would love. The cover is pretty and the writing style is very nice. I just don't care about the story itself, and that's so sad to me!