Where Dreams Descend Book Review

A girl chasing her dreams no matter what faces obstacles of all shapes and sizes. Some of them in the form of misogynist judges. Others in the form of being paired with an ex-magician. And the biggest obstacle of all is accidents galore . . . on-stage and behind the scenes. Enter the world of magic, competition, and intrigue in the city of Glorian. Janella Angeles crafts an exquisite novel full of mystery, romance, and ambition, surrounding one girl who is taking her powers back. This magical, attention-pulling, lush debut demands your attention just as much as the lead does, and you will close the novel demanding more. 

Janella Angeles is a Filipino-American author who got her start in writing through consuming glorious amounts of fanfiction at a young age, which eventually led to penning a few of her own and, later on, creating original stories from her imagination. A lifelong lover of books, she's lucky enough to be working in the business of publishing them on top of writing them. She currently resides in Massachusetts, where she's most likely to be found listening to musicals on repeat and daydreaming too much for her own good. Where Dreams Descend is her first book. You can find find her at her website, janellaangeles.com or on Instagram @janella_angeles. 

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 headliner of the Conquering Circus. Fame and glory await the winner, but no contestant is safe when an unseen danger begins striking behind the scenes. Accidents, injuries, missing magicians. Though each act grows riskier, the show must go on--and the three entangled within the dark heart of it will do whatever it takes to keep their secrets from rising to the surface. 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 haunted by a past he can no longer hide. Little do they know, on a stage where love, lies, and illusion collide, nothing ever escapes the spotlight. Especially in a game with no way out. Where Dreams Descend is the startling and romantic first book in Janella Angeles's debut Kingdom of Cards fantasy duology, where magic is both celebrated and feared, and no heart is left unscathed. 

Kallia is a wonderful lead. She's everything that women in this world are: ambitious, bold, smart, scared, confident, and so much more. She's such a powerful lead, and I enjoyed her character so much. She was inspiring: even when all of the odds were against her, she never gave up. Even when all the men kept accusing her, kept discriminating against her, she kept going. Even though her past bled into her present and affected her every day, she kept pushing forward. I love how this book reflected all the misogyny and discrimination that we see in the present world, and how Kallia directly combated it. Never effortlessly (everything takes effort and restraint), but effectively and powerfully. Kallia is a character I can't wait to see again. Angeles truly took the time to flesh out her character, and it shows. 

The mystery at the heart of this book compelled me from the very first page to the last word. I was dying to uncover what had happened to Demarco, to see what would happen to Kallia, and to see what exactly Jack was planning. Magicians use misdirection to trick their audiences; Angeles cleverly twisted and turned this story, making the mystery next to impossible to guessing until we started to uncover secrets. It made for an incredibly rewarding read, one that practically begs a reread. The plot was stunning, and dark. The book itself reads slowly: you have to uncover the magic patiently, and I really enjoyed that. Oftentimes, the plot can reveal itself too quickly, and I speed through books. With this one, I was forced to sit with it a while longer, and I think that lended to overall enjoying the book more. 

Part of that, of course, had to do with the writing itself, more than the plot. The writing was dark and lush, attention-pulling in the best way possible. It can be difficult to read a book that demands 100% of your attention, but this book was so easy to fall into. I wasn't expecting the dense read, so I think I missed some important details at the beginning (like, what exactly did Jack do to Kallia) that I didn't fully understand until midway through the novel. I think if you want to read this book, then you need to know that you will have to actually take the time and read it. It is definitely time well spent! I can't wait to see how the rest of the story unfolds in the sequel! Leaving off on that type of cliff-hanger is almost cruel!

The world of this book was also so compelling. Not only was there the mystery of the characters' past to uncover, but the mystery of the world itself. What is Glorian? Why does Jack despise it? Why does Kallia dream of it? Why is it so separated from the rest of the world? At times while I was reading, I wondered why a lot of time wasn't spent in developing the world outside of Glorian, but I think that ended up working well in the story's favor. After all, if the story takes place in this isolated island with characters running away from their past, it doesn't make much sense to spend time fleshing out those pasts and other places for the readers if there isn't any relevance. I have a feeling, though, that we might expand to the broader world outside of Glorian in the next novel, if only for a small portion. The characters need answers, and Glorian isn't always forthcoming on that front. I also love how magic is so embedded into the world. I didn't need complicated descriptions of the magic system, I just enjoyed that magic was so present, and that it came to life with Angeles' words!

If you, like me, can hardly wait for the sequel When Night Breaks, then preorder it or mark your calendars for Summer 2021! And don't forget to find updates from Janella at her website janellaangeles.com or on Instagram @janella_angeles. 

*This review can also be found on my Goodreads page*