Blog Tour Review: Where Dreams Descend by Janelle Angeles

Hey all, Dani here.

Hello and Happy Tuesday! Otherwise known as new book day. Okay, fine, so I’m not talking about a newly released book, but I am talking about a book that will be out in the world in just one more week. I mean, unless you were an OwlCrate subscriber in June, because they got special permission to release their alternate cover of this book as originally scheduled.

I am an OwlCrate subscriber, so I do already have a finished copy of this book, but since I signed up for the blog tour, I also received a digital copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. So thank you to OwlCrate, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for letting me read this book early. As always, getting an early copy of this book did not influence my rating; my opinions are still fully my own.

Okay, well, that’s all for the intro portion of this post, so let’s go ahead and jump into the review.

Book Details

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 464

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Publication Date: August 25, 2020

ISBN: 1250204356 (ISBN13: 9781250204356)

Summary

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, 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.

My Thoughts

Rating: 4 stars

So for a lot of the comps for this book I saw mention of “Moulin Rouge,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” and for fans of The Night Circus. Okay, I don’t really remember the first, and I can definitely see the influence of the second, but as a huge fan of Erin Morgenstern’s books, this particular book falls short on that comparison, in my opinion anyway. There was a certain level of magical ethereal beauty and whimsy, and lyrical writing for The Night Circus, but this one didn’t rise to the occasion.

But, I will say that this was an impressive book, and I did overall enjoy my reading experience. Also, it didn’t take me all that long to read this book, which is also good.

I wanted more of the magical competition in this story, but most of it seemed to take place in between the performance days, which was a little disappointing. I also felt like certain secrets from the characters were kept secret in a prolonged manner just to try and heighten the tension and drama, so it just felt a bit forced after a bit.

I think I enjoyed Kallia’s time with the Conqueror’s Circus more than I did the Spectaculore competition. The Circus did make me think a tiny bit about The Night Circus, but not a whole lot.

There was some intriguing romance, though again the secrecy of Demarco just made his relationship with Kallia feel a bit too forced for me. I actually liked Kallia’s assistant Aaros more, and I definitely find the mystery of Jack more intriguing as well. Then again, if we are making a Phantom reference, I also am more intrigued by the Phantom than I am of Raoul, so there’s that.

The ending of this book was filled with action and revelations, and makes me pretty excited for the sequel/conclusion of this duology. Overall, this was a good debut, and I look forward to seeing how Janelle Angeles wraps things up on this story.

Where to Get a Copy

You can pre-order your own copy of this book from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-million, Book Depository, or from your local indie bookstore through IndieBound. Where Dreams Descend will be released on August 25, 2020.