WHERE DREAMS DESCEND by JANELLA ANGELES
Series: Kingdom of Cards #1
Publication date: August 25, 2020
Published by: Wednesday Books
Genre: YA fantasy
SYNOPSIS
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
Purchase your copy now!
"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
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. She is represented by Thao Le of the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency. WHERE DREAMS DESCEND, Book 1 in her debut fantasy Kingdom of Cards duology, will be out June 2, 2020 from Wednesday Books.
Follow her:
Where Dreams Descend by Janella AngelesMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
Where Dreams Descend is the first in a duology and a first from new author Janella Angeles as well. When I read the synopsis, it was giving me Caraval vibes so I jumped to give it a go. The Caraval series by Stephanie Garber is one of my favorite YA fantasy series because of how unpredictable and magical it is. I was hoping for some of that same dazzle in this duo.
This is a hard one to rate; in fact I've been debating myself over it and can't seem to come up with a fair answer. Here's my big issue: it took me a long time to get through the book. A really long time. Yes, the book is over 450 pages, but I've read long books that I fly through in 24 hours without breaking a sweat because the story has me so hooked. This one didn't feel that way, I felt as if I was dragging my feet through quicksand and inching forward as I tried to save myself from sinking. To be fair, it's entirely possible that it was just my mood preventing me from getting invested completely. But I do think that the scenes dragged out with too little action to push things forward as they should have. There wasn't a wordbuilding info dump which is more common with a first book, and yet I still struggled to become fully engrossed for at least the first half.
Kallia is a showgirl at the House. She descends from a glittering chandelier, and puts on a magic show the likes of which no one in the audience has ever experienced before. She uses her raw, natural magic to create awe inspiring illusions for the "master" of the house, Jack. He inherited the mysterious place beyond the cursed woods and taught Kallia everything she knows about manipulating magic. He can steal memories and manipulate your perception of reality. He seems to have a soft spot for her, but you know right away he is much more than what he appears. Far from a simple mentor or guardian, he has an agenda that remains unclear. Kallia has come to realize that she's a bit like a bird trapped in a golden cage. Never allowed to leave the property or have news from the outside world filter in. While she's been well cared for, she isn't content to be confined. She wants to spread her wings and show the world what she has to offer.
Her presence there is yet to be explained. We don't know how she go there, or why she is deceived in the fashion that she was. I'm really curious about who her parents were, and why she was taken there. I would also really like to know WHY Jack is called master and his father was called sire. We are given some idea as to what they are, but nothing concrete. And all along, I was questioning whether he was a true villain or if he fell somewhere in a grey area. I even wondered at points if this would be a love triangle situation developing, but I think it's pretty clear which side of the fence Kallia stands on. I'll just leave it at that.
Our heroine Kallia is a girl who grasps life in an iron grip with both hands. She doesn't sit idly by and let others rule her fortune, she pursues the future that she dreams of achieving. Her dreams have always centered around stardom. The spotlight, the fame, and the fortune, all of which she is capable of reaching if only women were given equal opportunity. In her world, women are barred from being the star of magic shows, relegated to the background. She's determined to make it happen anyway, and her plan is to force her way through the barred door by winning the Conquering Circus' magic competition in Glorian.
This is another mysterious place that is filled with secrets, lies, and malice. It keeps you questioning who or what is insidiously watching from the darkness. Waiting to strike and pick people off one by one. Kallia's competitors start disappearing, causing the judges to place blame on her simply because they want her to fail. She's met with scorn and unfair treatment since day one, but that only spurs her to work harder. That's one thing you have to love about this character, she knows her worth and fights for her place in the world. She's also a very lonely and distrustful person who doesn't allow anyone to truly know her. Even her new friend and assistant Aaros struggles to gain her trust during the escalating danger. She's been forced to fend for herself for so long that she doesn't really know how to share her burdens with others. For me, there was a hardness to her and prickliness that took a little while to warm up to but I did understand it.
Demarco is one of the judges at the competition and he's one of the few males in the story who isn't misogynistic. He defends Kallia's right to compete, and treats her fairly every step of the way. He has secrets of his own-from the judges, his family, and the heroine. He purposely insinuated himself into Glorian and the judges' table in order to solve a tragic personal mystery that he can't let go. Once a magic performer himself, he gave up the stage after the horrible night that changed his life forever. He's haunted by things he can never take back, and determined to find the missing answers he seeks. Though Kallia is a distraction that he can't afford, from day one he fights his fascination with her. She captivates him against his will, only no matter how hard he struggles against the pull, he's only drawn in closer. She gives him absolutely no encouragement, in fact, she rebuffs him at every turn. He sees right through her sharpness to the vulnerable girl underneath and eventually she believes he is someone she can put her fragile faith in.
For so long she’d envisioned only herself on the stage,an image that always kept her going:basking in the spotlight,hearing her name and cheers over everything else.Strange how applause was just noise,when you were all alone.
FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON:
0 komentarze:
Post a Comment