Blog Tour: Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles (ARC Review)

I’ve got a really exciting blog tour post for you today. Janella Angeles’s Where Dreams Descend is one of the most mesmerizing debuts I’ve read this year. If you are a fan of Phantom of the Opera, this is a must read and anyone who loves dark fantasies, you’re going to love this one too. Thank you to Wednesday Books for inviting me to this tour. Where Dreams Descend is out August 25th!

Title: Where Dreams Descend
Author: Janella Angeles
Series: Kingdom of Cards, #1
Pages: 464
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: August 25th 2020
**Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher, which does not influence my review**

      “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.”

Janella Angeles enchants with her Phantom of the Opera-inspired fantasy debut Where Dreams Descend. Hellfire House is known for two things, it’s enigmatic master, Jack, and it’s beguiling showgirl, Kallia, who casts a spell nightly on her audience. But despite Kallia’s stardom, she feels stifled at Hellfire House. She wants more than applause, she wants esteem and freedom. When Kallia discover Jack has been keeping secrets from her, she runs away to the mysterious town of Glorian, where a competition for magicians is being held. Kallia knows that women are discouraged from pursuing the spotlight, but she is determined to prove that she has no equal when it comes to magic. Kallia immediately butts head with Demarco, the youngest judge who has his own reasons for coming to Glorian. When competitors begin vanishing, it becomes clear that there is a dark force in this town determined to upend the competition and no one knows who will be left standing in the end.

Kallia was born with magical abilities, has spent her life at Hellfire House under the patronage of Jack’s father before his death, then taken under Jack’s wing. Though she has spent years mastering magic, she has always felt caged. Jack’s enigmatic warnings of the outside world have discouraged her from striking out on her own. Glorian is not prepared for a magician like Kallia. She is unapologetically ambitious, not just scoffing at the rules that would prevent a woman from competing, but actively stomping on tradition at every turn. There is no challenge she is not up for, not person she is too afraid to stand up to, but this often results in a recklessness that she has not yet learned to tame. Vulnerablity does not come easy to her and neither does trust. In the course of the novel, Kallia slowly learns that forming connections is not just a liability, but that making a name for herself means little when she has no one to share it with.

Kallia relationship with Jack has always been fraught with tension. He has been the only one who has been able to challenge her magically, but so much of who he is is hidden away. There is an undeniable pull between them, but as Kallia learns, she doesn’t know if she could ever trust him. I really enjoyed Kallia’s relationship with Demarco. They both get under each other’s skin from the very beginning of their acquaintance. Demarco was once a renown magician but left the stage after a personal tragedy he likes to keep tight-lipped about. I loved the chapters from his POV and feel like we learned far more about him and his motivations compared to Jack. Like Kallia, he does not easily trust, but he can’t deny that there is something about Kallia’s unshakable confidence that draws him to her. Slowly Kallia and Demarco grow closer, but both have pasts that ultimately threaten to tear them apart.

There are so many colors and sights in Where Dreams Descend. Angeles transports readers to various settings which really capture the dark and enchanting elements of the novel. Hellfire House is mysterious and shadowy. A place of intrigue but also confining. The Conquering Circus has made its way to Glorian with its lively performers and often dangerous acts. Glorian itself feels like a shadow of what it once was. Its historical houses speak of a glorious past, perhaps waiting for someone to reclaim it. Fans of Phantom of the Opera will appreciate the various references from the chandelier and mirror imagery to the namesakes and lines from the musical.

Where Dreams Descend excels at creating an intriguing world with seductive characters and an ending that will leave readers demanding its sequel.

★ ★ ★ ★

(4/5)

What People Are Saying:

“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

About the Author:

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.

Follow Janella: Twitter – @Janella_Angeles; Instagram – @Janella_Angeles

Click here to preorder Where Dreams Descend now!