Review – Where Dreams Descend (Kingdom of Cards, Book 1) by Janella Angeles (4/5 stars)
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Fantasy
Length: 464 pages
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Release Date: August 25, 2020
ISBN-13: 978-1250204356
Stand Alone or Series: 1st Books in the Kingdom of Cards duology.
Source: Owlcrate
Rating: 4/5 stars
“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”
Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Kingdom of Cards duology. I got a copy of this book in my Owlcrate subscription box.
Story (4/5): Kallia is a powerful magician that has been raised in seclusion by Jack. Kallia desperately wants to participate in a contest in Glorian but Jack forbids it. Kallia manages to escape Jack’s memory altering magic and joins the contest on her own. However, the magicians here in Glorian don’t like female magicians and aren’t prepared for Kallia’s amazing displays. When magicians start disappearing though, Kallia begins to wonder if Jack was right and something dark has been awoken in Glorian. It was a well done story that was unique and engaging.
Characters (4/5): For the most part I loved the characters. Kallia is fiery and daring, Jack is mysterious and complex, Demarco is earnest and secretive. However, at times the characters also came across as really selfish and immature.
Setting (5/5): I love the setting of Glorian, it is dark and amazingly mysterious. The description here is amazing and the setting really comes alive for the reader. It was creative and wonderfully done.
Writing Style (4/5): There are a lot of really beautiful descriptions in here. The whole story is glittering and sparkly but has a bit of a dark, tarnished feel to it as well. Some parts are a bit slow and I was kind of upset that it ended on a complete cliffhanger. I also felt that it lacked depth at points, however, I did still enjoy the dark circus-like feel to the story and am curious to see what happens in the second book.
My Summary (4/5): Overall this was magical and well-written, the description in here is beautiful. I loved the dark and magical circus-like setting and loved the strong and mysterious characters. I do feel like the characters were very selfish and immature at times and also felt like the story lacked depth and was a bit slow at points. However, I plan on continuing the series because I was completely drawn in by the magic and mystery here. I would recommend it to those who like books about dark magic and enjoy a circus-like spectacle.
