Where Dreams Descend Blog Tour: Review

 

 

Where Dreams Descend (Kingdom of Cards #1)

Author: Janella Angeles

Genre: YA Fantasy

Release Date: August 25, 2020

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Description:

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.

Early Praise:
"Janella Angeles steals the 2020 show with her fiercely imagined debut starring larger than life characters, a dangerous world alive with magic, and a dizzying dose of grab-a-fainting-couch-and-swoon-away romance!" - Roshani Chokshi, New York Times bestselling author of The Gilded Wolves

"Where Dreams Descend is a glamorous dark gem of a tale, sparkling with romance, magic, and intrigue. Readers will be captivated by prima donna Kallia as the mystery is slowly unmasked. Bravissima!" - Julie C. Dao, author of Forest of a Thousand Lanterns

“Lavish and opulent in a way that feels warmly familiar yet demands your attention. There are secrets upon secrets, a girl who’s boldly ambitious, and truly riveting stage magic. I didn’t want the show to stop.” - Emily A. Duncan, New York Times bestselling author of Wicked Saints

"Vibrant imagery, jaw-dropping set pieces, sizzling romantic tension, and unstoppable heroine Kallia bring this ambitious debut novel to spectacular life. Fans of Caraval and The Night Circus will be delighted!" - Claire Legrand, New York Times bestselling author of Furyborn  

"[A] spellbinding melody of a book, and the true magic is how Angeles puts all the best parts of an enrapturing theatrical performance onto paper and ink. From the gripping twists in the first pages all the way to the final, heartbreaking crescendo, Where Dreams Descend will surge you to your feet in a standing ovation.” – Sara Raasch, New York Times bestselling author of the Snow Like Ashes trilogy

Where Dreams Descend is the beautiful and mysterious first book in a debut YA fantasy duology that will leave readers begging for more. I know that it's been compared to The Night Circus - and I normally hate when books get compared to other titles and/or authors - but I have to admit that this definitely felt like The Night Circus to me in more than one way. I absolutely loved that novel so when I started reading this one and found so many similarities, I found myself falling in love all over again. Another confession: I've been in a serious reading rut for the past few months. I haven't even opened a book or tried to start reading anything. Nothing sounded interesting enough for me to try. I had signed up for this book tour quite some time ago and had a review scheduled, so I was going to have to at least try to get through it - that was my mindset going into it. But once I started reading, I felt the world around me melt away and I was at the Hellfire Club with Kallia and Jack with their magic and mystery. I fell in love with this book almost immediately and ended up reading it in one sitting.

I don't want to fangirl or ramble a lot about how much I adored this book, so I'll attempt to write a coherent review. As I said, I loved every single thing about this novel. From the various settings to the complex characters and fantastic story line. The author uses amazingly vivid imagery and detailed descriptions to bring every little thing to life that I found myself fully immersed in this world she had created within a page or two of starting. I adored the characters and getting to know each of them throughout the book. I also really enjoyed watching their relationships with one another and how they bent and changed. The magic was beautifully described and I felt like I could simply close my eyes and be right in the center of the scene with the other characters. I know I keep repeating it, but the author truly brought this world and the characters to life to the point where I didn't want the book to end. I wanted to stay hidden inside their world to experience it on every level. The plot wasn't wholly unique, but nothing really is anymore in my opinion. I felt the author put her own spin on the story line and added in the magic that made the book come alive. And this was her debut?! I never would have guessed it in a million years. It takes raw talent and amazing storytelling abilities to write something like this, and for it to be an author's first book is ridiculously mind blowing.

One last thing that I always talk about in my reviews is point of view. It's very important to me personally as a reader and can literally make or break a book in my opinion. I almost always prefer the first person POV because I feel it lets the reader connect with the narrator on a much more personal level than any other writing style. The author did not write this book in the first person, which bummed me out at the very beginning. It turns out that this is one of those very few novels where the third person POV didn't bother me like it normally does. Don't get me wrong - I still think I would've loved it even more if it had been done in the first person - and it would have surely blown my mind into a complete mess. It would've been insane; I just know it. But surprisingly, the writing style didn't hinder my reading experience and only a handful of books are on that list. The only downside is now I have to wait what feels like forever for the next book to be released. I'll definitely be re-reading this several times while I wait for the next installment to finish our characters' stories. I very highly recommend this book to fans of YA fantasy, mystery, romance and readers who love stories about magic and circuses - and yes - The Night Circus.

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.

Social Links: Twitter: @Janella_Angeles // Instagram: @Janella_Angeles

Buy Link: https://read.macmillan.com/lp/where-dreams-descend/