Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles

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Kallia has never left Hellfire House. The place that kept her prisoner for so long made her feel trapped. When she escapes, she finds out about a competition to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus. When she enters alongside her assistant, Aaros, they find sinister things lurk in the shadows. Magicians start disappearing, the walls of the city of Glorian keep them trapped, and tricks start going wrong. Even stranger, someone seems to be sabotaging her.

I liked Where Dreams Descend a lot! But, it's really no surprise that I liked the book so much though. Like seriously, you can't tell me this book is a "combination of Moulin Rouge and Phantom of the Opera" and expect me not to love it. 

For the most part, the story kept moving at a steady pace and it wasn't slow at all! Janella Angeles made magic literally come to life with this novel. I felt like I could see each of Kallia's performances as they were happening.

I loved Kallia. She was such a great female lead. She was head-strong and fierce. I loved how confident she was. I definitely couldn't get enough of her!

I wish I had gotten to see more of Aaros and Canary. Aaros was so witty and sassy. I loved him! Canary was great too! Though they are only side characters, I wanted so much more of them!

Daron Demarco on the other hand was a character I didn't love. Though he was a well-written character with many secrets and a good backstory, I couldn't care less for him. I found him boring and unentertaining. There were even some moments where I found his brooding and self-pity a little annoying.

Needless to say, this didn't make me a big fan of his romance with Kallia. There didn't seem to be any chemistry or romantic tension between the two. Their paring even felt a little force or one-sided at times.

And it wasn't that Janella Angeles can't write a romantic scene. Jack and Kallia were great together. I could feel something between them. I just don't think Daron and Kallia were a good match.

I love the cover of this book. It was so fitting to the theme of the book and just as magical too. I can't wait for the sequel to come out in August. When Night Breaks looks like it's going to be just as good as Where Dreams Descend- maybe even better!

Page count: 464 pages

Published: August 25, 2020

Genre: fantasy

Series: Kingdom of Cards book 1

My rating: 4 stars

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