Where Dreams Descend: A Novel
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- Create Date：2021-06-16 07:51:55
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Janella Angeles
- ISBN：1250204372
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Summary
"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
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。
"[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
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。
"[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
Reviews
Damien
，
As stated in my book club， I started off the book confused with what’s going on。 I don’t blame the author。 I wasn’t in the right headspace and I was not understanding what was going on。 I did move past this and by ace 2， I was hooked。 I do like the characters， although Jack is very abusive and controlling。 That was pretty upsetting to me， but I do like how Kallia was able to set boundaries。
Elise Rose
，
Review to commmmme
Alex
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I’m extremely conflicted about this book。 The performances were so good， and I loved the romance， but this book DRAGGED。 Big time。 I really struggled to get through the middle chunk of this book， because after the first performance， literally nothing happened。 For a long time。 When I started this book， I felt like I was just coming out of a reading slump， but this book kind of halted that progress until the end， where I was hooked again。 My biggest problem with this novel is that it felt so disj I’m extremely conflicted about this book。 The performances were so good， and I loved the romance， but this book DRAGGED。 Big time。 I really struggled to get through the middle chunk of this book， because after the first performance， literally nothing happened。 For a long time。 When I started this book， I felt like I was just coming out of a reading slump， but this book kind of halted that progress until the end， where I was hooked again。 My biggest problem with this novel is that it felt so disjointed。 And I’m thinking that it’s my own fault I felt that way， because I would go several days without reading it。 But， this caused me to not really connect with the characters or the plot。 But， overall I did mostly enjoy this book。 Just be warned that it is not a fast paced novel。 。。。more
Kait
，
This book has a very whimsical and magical writing style， so I would preface with saying that before recommending to just anyone。 This story is not writing in the same style as most YA。 However， is is beautifully crafted and had an oh so good slow burn romance。 This book also had actual high stakes that made you feel on the edge of your seat because anything could happen to anybody。 My only complaint with the book was that it dragged in the middle and overall gave too much mystery without giving This book has a very whimsical and magical writing style， so I would preface with saying that before recommending to just anyone。 This story is not writing in the same style as most YA。 However， is is beautifully crafted and had an oh so good slow burn romance。 This book also had actual high stakes that made you feel on the edge of your seat because anything could happen to anybody。 My only complaint with the book was that it dragged in the middle and overall gave too much mystery without giving the reader any clues or hints into the mystery so I was confused （am still confused tbh） about half the world and system。 I’m sure more will be answered in the second book （which I’ve already preordered） but I wished this one gave the readers a little more insight into the mystery so it’s not as confusing。 Overall， a WONDERFUL and EXCITING read！！ It also features a strong-willed and ambitious MC who does not back down。 I loved it！！ 。。。more
Phoenix （Books with Wings）
，
I was very excited for this book。In fact， when I was new to the book community and didn't realize that， you know， books are put on goodreads before they come out， I tried to request it from the library because I thought it was already published。 I am now very disappointed。I read this book a month ago and I don't exactly remember some things， but I do remember feeling extremely bored while reading it， reading it only because I didn't have any other books on my kindle to read， and also being rathe I was very excited for this book。In fact， when I was new to the book community and didn't realize that， you know， books are put on goodreads before they come out， I tried to request it from the library because I thought it was already published。 I am now very disappointed。I read this book a month ago and I don't exactly remember some things， but I do remember feeling extremely bored while reading it， reading it only because I didn't have any other books on my kindle to read， and also being rather confused for most of the book。I believe before reading this book， I read 2 books in 3-4 days， and after reading this book I read 2 books in 2 days。It took me a week to read this book， though。I realize I have not actually talked about the plot or characters or anything but that's because I just don't remember。 My memory is terrible。 I apologize。 。。。more
Danielle Schwertner
，
It took me a while to really get into this book （about 80 pages give or take）， but once I did， I was 100% dedicated。 There’s so much more I want/need to know about the world and about other characters （particularly Jack）， but I’m hoping this will be covered in the next book。 Overall， a really good debut and I can’t wait for what comes next！
Madelyn Suen
，
Okay。 I genuinely like the concept of the book， but my main issue with it is the plot。 Firstly， the beginning of the book。 Now I love a good fast-paced book， but I feel like we didn’t get enough time to understand the characters and their relationships， their motivations， etc。 We didn’t get a solid enough foundation， and so it felt a bit all over the place， and left too many questions unanswered， which is kind of the theme of this book。 Throughout the entirety of the book， they allude to a l Okay。 I genuinely like the concept of the book， but my main issue with it is the plot。 Firstly， the beginning of the book。 Now I love a good fast-paced book， but I feel like we didn’t get enough time to understand the characters and their relationships， their motivations， etc。 We didn’t get a solid enough foundation， and so it felt a bit all over the place， and left too many questions unanswered， which is kind of the theme of this book。 Throughout the entirety of the book， they allude to a lot of different things， but nothing is ever made clear--even at the end。 I still don’t know what half of the things that are going on， are。 Seriously， don't even know who or what the antagonist is。 （view spoiler）[ For example， who was the master talking to in the mirror？ Exactly how did/when did Jack replace Demarco during their last performance？ And just what。 The。 fuck。 Were they talking about half the time？ Mostly at the end， where Kallia was like “your magic， my magic…”？ Where does Demarco’s bursts of magic come from？ What was Jack planning on doing after he abandoned the club？ Who tf even is he？ （hide spoiler）] Also， what happened with the Patrons？ They’re painted to be this big issue， mostly with Demarco's storyline， when they never really make an appearance。 There are a lot of plot holes here， and too many questions unanswered。 With that all said， I really do enjoy the concept of the book。 I *was* confused throughout the entire thing， and the characters are。。。 just average， but somehow I'm still a bit dazzled by the magic and whatnot。 Not that the magic itself was cool or anything， since we don't know where it came from， etc。 etc。， but it gave the glitzy glamour feel of what I imagine The Seven Husbands of Emily Hugo would give。 。。。more
Katelyn Beane
，
Atmospheric and enchanting， I found myself drawn into this world。 I do feel like there was a lot of stuff that was still unknown during the first book。 I am looking forward to getting some answers in the upcoming sequel。
Ariana
，
Loved this book so much。 The main character is amazing and all of the banter she has with other characters in the is so funny
Grace
，
Magicians young and old gather in the odd city of Glorian to compete for the top spot in the Conquering Circus。 Kallia has long dreamed of running away and rising to the top in the world。 Although she has the talent， there are many things standing in her way; judges set on not excepting her， a new world to explore and most then anything， Jack， her mentor who has kept her trapped from the world。 As the stakes grow higher and relationships blossom， Kallia has to learn who she can trust， who she ca Magicians young and old gather in the odd city of Glorian to compete for the top spot in the Conquering Circus。 Kallia has long dreamed of running away and rising to the top in the world。 Although she has the talent， there are many things standing in her way; judges set on not excepting her， a new world to explore and most then anything， Jack， her mentor who has kept her trapped from the world。 As the stakes grow higher and relationships blossom， Kallia has to learn who she can trust， who she can’t and to never trust what she sees in the mirror。 Dark， romantic， and set on the stage， Where Dreams Descend is one of my favorite reads of this year。 The cast isn’t large and focuses only on the characters that are important， to the point that the main characters note that they don’t remember names of other characters。 The romance is over dramatic， all based on miscommunication， which makes since to their personalities and the plot， but felt a little lazy to keep them apart。 There is a lot left hanging and unexplained that will hopefully be explained in the second part。 But over all I’m dying for When Nights Breaks and can’t wait for it to come out。 。。。more
LiteraryHoe
，
For a debut novel， this was so fucking good-- it's not great but this book really tugged at my heart strings and made me feel things I haven't had in a LONG time。I only have a few things to say:-The worldbuilding could've been better。 It was hard to imagine the city when there were almost no descriptions of what it looked like so I had to pull this imaginary land out of my ass and hoped it worked。-Put some more。。。character（？？？） to Demarco。 IMO， he's an alright protagonist and love interest but I For a debut novel， this was so fucking good-- it's not great but this book really tugged at my heart strings and made me feel things I haven't had in a LONG time。I only have a few things to say:-The worldbuilding could've been better。 It was hard to imagine the city when there were almost no descriptions of what it looked like so I had to pull this imaginary land out of my ass and hoped it worked。-Put some more。。。character（？？？） to Demarco。 IMO， he's an alright protagonist and love interest but I wish the author gave him a little bit more charisma to him， ya know？ But I guess that's not the point of his character。-I wish that the magic also had little bit more depth to it and had a history， but maybe that would be revealed in the second book。-MORE SCREEN TIME FOR THE CONQUERORS。 Honestly， I'd die for all of them。-I wish Aaros also had more screentime。 He was there during the first half but then completely forgotten about in the middle， only to suddenly reappear AGAIN at the end lmao。 I also really like his friendship with Kallia but I felt like it was a bit rushed （and slightly unbelievable at how close they'd already gotten especially since。。。SPOILER ALERT。。。he tried to pickpocket her。）-Jack was。。。 I don't know what to think of him honestly。 He's intriguing but at the same time， so boring。 。。。more
Kaitlyn Caughfield
，
While some of the character development needs work， this is still a fun read。
Lauren Mendez
，
This work held many promising aspects involving magic， romance， and deception。 I found the concepts engaging and there were several moments that I found fascinating and compelling within this work， however overall I found myself left with more questions than answers。 I also found the lack of communication between characters frustrating。
Tamar
，
OH God！ I forget how infuriating this book is！ I still don't get what's going on and it's killing me that any of my thoughts or theories had been proven correct or wrong。Beyond that the story is wonderful。 Beautifully written， you can sense the spotlight and the performance occurring and the charade sneaking on to you。 OH God！ I forget how infuriating this book is！ I still don't get what's going on and it's killing me that any of my thoughts or theories had been proven correct or wrong。Beyond that the story is wonderful。 Beautifully written， you can sense the spotlight and the performance occurring and the charade sneaking on to you。 。。。more
Jenn Hill
，
What an interesting mystery and unique story。 It involves magic， mystery， and showbiz。 Looking forward to the second one！ I hope they reveal more about Kallia's and Jack's past。 What an interesting mystery and unique story。 It involves magic， mystery， and showbiz。 Looking forward to the second one！ I hope they reveal more about Kallia's and Jack's past。 。。。more
Stephanie Jade
，
（4。5） “That’s because they’re scared。 If you can’t stay small in the box they’ve built around you， they will make you feel small until you fit right back in it。” This book started a bit slow for me but once we got going， I fell in love。 I love the main characters， the side characters， and the world building。 Picture the backdrop of the novel as Moulin Rouge meets the Phantom of the Opera meets the Greatest Showman。 There were times where the mystery of the book had me confused but the ending per （4。5） “That’s because they’re scared。 If you can’t stay small in the box they’ve built around you， they will make you feel small until you fit right back in it。” This book started a bit slow for me but once we got going， I fell in love。 I love the main characters， the side characters， and the world building。 Picture the backdrop of the novel as Moulin Rouge meets the Phantom of the Opera meets the Greatest Showman。 There were times where the mystery of the book had me confused but the ending perfectly sets up the next novel。 I’m excited to see where the next book takes the characters and how their journeys will wrap up。 But， there’s a lot that has yet to be explored so I can’t wait to see where the author takes us。 I’m someone that enjoys listening to playlists that set the mood to books while I read and for some reason I had Bang by AJR！ and Seven Devils by Florence + The Machine on repeat。 。。。more
Emma
，
DNF at 19%。 Honestly this book is just so boring。 It has literal magic and circuses and mystery and it’s so boring。 I’m almost 100 pages in and I can’t bring myself to care about any of it。 There’s no life to these characters， and honestly each character is just so confusing and no one has an explained backstory that I just。 Can’t。 I must allow myself to stop because this is just tiring。
Christine
，
This book had a strong start but when it turned into a competition with messy muddled “performances” I quickly lost interest。 The love interest was plain and the ending was a “cliffhanger” with no further explanations on the world。 Blegh the writing was good but storyline no bueno
Mr。 Pirkl
，
The purpose of the whole book seems to be to set up the sequel （which I won't be reading）。 All build up and a very unsatisfying ending。 The purpose of the whole book seems to be to set up the sequel （which I won't be reading）。 All build up and a very unsatisfying ending。 。。。more
Nina
，
I give this a 3 mostly because it left me with more questions than answers。 And I have only a slight idea what all just happened。
Caelan
，
This book certainly made me feel far too many things。 I cried， and smiled， and laughed， and had to put down the book so many times。 Currently it is living RENT FREE in my head。What first pulled me into this book was definitely the synopsis。 It seemed unique enough， and I can never go wrong with a bit of magic。 （deffo gave me a bit of Caraval vibes， and I really enjoyed that book） and from the FIRST sentence， I knew I was going to love it。 This book has some of the most beautiful writing I've eve This book certainly made me feel far too many things。 I cried， and smiled， and laughed， and had to put down the book so many times。 Currently it is living RENT FREE in my head。What first pulled me into this book was definitely the synopsis。 It seemed unique enough， and I can never go wrong with a bit of magic。 （deffo gave me a bit of Caraval vibes， and I really enjoyed that book） and from the FIRST sentence， I knew I was going to love it。 This book has some of the most beautiful writing I've ever read， and it really set the tone for the book。 It was absolutely spellbinding and magnificent and if I could I'd put every single word that means "fantastic" in this review， but I think you can get the message that this book was phenomenal。 The best part about this book， in my opinion were the characters。 This might be one of the only 'Character driven' books that I completley and utterly adored， and I was in love and intrigued with all of them。Kallia - By far my favourite， I think she was one of the reasons I cried about this book。 I related to her so so so so much， and she has a special place on my list of favourite characters。 She was a total badass magician trying to find her place in a world so heavily dominated by men， and she really did SHINE on her stage， as well as in my heart <3"The smirk on his lips mirrored the girl's as she arched her back to the raw stretch of the melody。 She thrived under the attention， like a wildflower under the sun。 A star finding the night。"Demarco - MMMM， amazing， superb， charming， and developed SO SO SO well。 He was such an interesting character to read about， and I felt SO much for him。 I was so eager to get to his chapters and read more about him and get a clearer window into his soul as the book developed。“A good trick amazes， leaves everyone breathless in the moment。 But a great trick truly deceives， keeps the audience wondering what happened， long after the performance。”Aaros - I LOVED HIM。 Although he didn't have as much development as the other characters， HE WAS SO FUNNY AND SWEET。 and his friendship with Kallia made my heart MELT。 He was dramatic， and fun and so entertaining to see even if he was just a side character。 He definitely shared the spotlight with Kallia in my mind。 “He didn't have to know to be her friend。 He was just there to be there， and for that he'd become her truest friend。”Jack - OKAY I KNOW HE'S LIKE BAD， BUT I LOVED HIM。 HE WAS SO INTERESTING AND COMPLEX。 I loved the small little chapters we got that opened up a doorway to who he was， and what was happening in his mind。 I feel like there's something so special and unique about him， whether that be from something in his past， but I loved him。 "Only his face remained the same， half-masked and haunting。 Like a prince who relished the bloody crown on his head， and the ghosts that came with it。" All the other side characters too were so so so loveable and enjoyable and complex and interesting。 I loved them sm。The relationships all the characters had with each other were also developed so well。 Kallia and Aaros' friendship was so warm and sweet and beautiful and I REALLY felt for them both。 Kallia needed a friend so badly and Aaros was everything someone could ask for。 I could quite honestly read a book JUST about them。 With Kallia's dramatics， and Aaros' flare， yes pls <3。 Also the enemies to lovers in this？ YES pls。 I really adored it so much， and It was done so extremely well I was on the edge of my seat the entire book。 "It was what she was used to。 Recovering alone， processing alone。 Taking on everything alone， because she'd rather do that than l et anyone see what a mess everything was。 Especially when nobody could help her。"I think this book really did a number on my heart。 I want a hug from Aaros， and I want to dance on stage with Kallia， and I want to be promised the world from Demarco。 I'm about to cry writing this review HAHA， I just loved it so much。 “For the dreamers who rarely saw themselves in stories and on stages。 You belong in the spotlight。 Never let anyone tell you otherwise。” 。。。more
Knightshereads
，
I knew this was gonna have a cliffhanger yet still I had hope it didn't 😂This book was so twisty and angsty cuz Kallia is such an hard headed and angsty girl and I ADORE her。Some other aspects that kept my interest were the mystery surrounding Glorian （I always love the trope of a dangerous and looming forest surrounding a town/city） and the magical competition aspects actually delivered some excellent scenes that I really enjoyed reading。I also actually liked the underlying romance and I would I knew this was gonna have a cliffhanger yet still I had hope it didn't 😂This book was so twisty and angsty cuz Kallia is such an hard headed and angsty girl and I ADORE her。Some other aspects that kept my interest were the mystery surrounding Glorian （I always love the trope of a dangerous and looming forest surrounding a town/city） and the magical competition aspects actually delivered some excellent scenes that I really enjoyed reading。I also actually liked the underlying romance and I would also say， love triangle， between the two other main characters。 Kallia has this great aura that literally made chemistry blaze with almost everyone around her 😂It was a bit slow and sorta repetitive in the middle but the last 100+ pages were so unexpected and had me on the edge！ 。。。more
Electra Nanou
，
A cutthroat competition in a world of mages！ This was a delight to read， merging magic with social issues to produce a dazzling result。 I do look forward to seeing where the second part of the series takes us。
Grace Wilde
，
*Light spoilers*I can't explain how much I loved this book。 I found it very easy to disappear into the fascinating world Angeles created。 The setting for this story feels alive and inviting， and the characters were multi-dimensional and entertaining。 The main character is well written， Kallia was firey and bold， but she also had her moments of weakness and uncertainty。 And as far as antagonists go I absolutely adored Jack。 Like any good bad guy， he had intriguing motivations， and of course a cha *Light spoilers*I can't explain how much I loved this book。 I found it very easy to disappear into the fascinating world Angeles created。 The setting for this story feels alive and inviting， and the characters were multi-dimensional and entertaining。 The main character is well written， Kallia was firey and bold， but she also had her moments of weakness and uncertainty。 And as far as antagonists go I absolutely adored Jack。 Like any good bad guy， he had intriguing motivations， and of course a charismatic smile。 And Aaros。 He was by far my favorite character， I loved how sweet he was and how much he understood Kallia， even when she was being distant and guarded。 And that cliffhanger！！！ I don't think I can wait until October for the next book to come out。 The only thing that I wasn't quite sold on was the world building， while the background of the story was fabulous， I felt a little lost when it came to the politics and history of Glorian。 Other than that I loved everything and I'm so excited to read the second book！ 。。。more
Monique
，
I really enjoyed this book。 If I stop and analyze， there were definitely some pieces that could have brought the story down， but I didn't mind them in this case。 I found this book to be engaging， exciting， and unique。There are some areas that I wish were a bit better。 I think the development of the characters， for example， could have been a lot deeper。 They were all a bit surface level。 That said - I loved them。 Kallia's character could have easily been obnoxious， but Angeles did a great job mak I really enjoyed this book。 If I stop and analyze， there were definitely some pieces that could have brought the story down， but I didn't mind them in this case。 I found this book to be engaging， exciting， and unique。There are some areas that I wish were a bit better。 I think the development of the characters， for example， could have been a lot deeper。 They were all a bit surface level。 That said - I loved them。 Kallia's character could have easily been obnoxious， but Angeles did a great job making her tough but real。 Strong but with flaws。 Aaros was hilarious and amazing， Juno and Canary are mysterious and fun， and I just love Demarco so much！ And Jack。。。 Yeah， I kind of love him， too。 But， with the book being as long as it was， I think we could have gotten to know our cast a little better。*minor spoilers*I think the competition aspect fell a little flat for me， in terms of the performances。 There was so much build up and excitement， a lot of intense magic in other areas， but Kallia's performances were a bit boring。 Her audition seemed exciting but then she has a girl stand in front of a mirror and makes a knife look like a rose。 What。。。 ？ Even her final performance was a blindfolded dance around fire。 I'm sure it would be amazing to see in real life， but it didn't translate on the pages。 The performances just fell flat compared to the grandeur of pretty much every other aspect of the story。I think the relationships really drove this book forward。 I was always excited when people would interact， knowing there would be sparring， jabs， jokes， tension， romance。 Looking back now， I almost didn't care about the plot at all and only wanted to learn more if someone was delivering the information - like Jack slowly， very slowly， revealing bits of Glorian or himself。 I am very excited for the next book and I hope it is full of answers to really bring the story together。 I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes unique stories with a dark， but lovable cast of characters。 。。。more
Kelli
，
#asianreadathon 7
Katelynn
，
Inspired by both The Night Circus and The Phantom of the Opera， this book is stunning in its own right。 The main character is FAR from a defenseless damsel in distress and I absolutely adore that about her。 The story follows her radical change of pace in order to prove to herself the extend of her abilities。 If you enjoyed the above mentioned books， give this a go for sure。
Noor AL-Huda
，
Where Dreams Descend was such a pleasant surprise！ I started it with low expectations and I ended up loving it！ The setting and worldbuilding were really interesting， along with the magic system。 I also loved the writing style and characters， especially Kallia （who was such a strong， determined woman） and Daron （a fallen magician who will steal your heart）。 Their romance was well developed and I shipped them from their first meeting。 Last but not least， I was intrigued by the mystery surrounding Where Dreams Descend was such a pleasant surprise！ I started it with low expectations and I ended up loving it！ The setting and worldbuilding were really interesting， along with the magic system。 I also loved the writing style and characters， especially Kallia （who was such a strong， determined woman） and Daron （a fallen magician who will steal your heart）。 Their romance was well developed and I shipped them from their first meeting。 Last but not least， I was intrigued by the mystery surrounding the competition and the city。 There were lots of unanswered questions and after THAT ending I wish I had already the sequel in my hands！ I need answers。 I'm very pumped for the final book！ 。。。more
Gina
，
THIS ENDING HAS ME SCREAMING！ AND IDK IF I’M JUST DUMB BUT THE EPILOGUE LEFT ME WITH QUESTIONS！！ I need the rest NOW！！！！
Shawna Delellis
，