Where Dreams Descend (Kingdom of Cards#1) By Janella Angeles [Review]

RELEASE DATE: August 25th 2020
AUTHOR:  Janella Angeles
GENRE: Young-Adult, Fantasy, Magic.
PUBLISHER: Wednesday Books
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

 

Where Dreams Descends is the first book in the Kingdom of Cards series. When I first read the synopsis of this book, I actually thought that I would love it, but sadly it ended up as a three star read for me. The concept was pretty good but the plot failed to keep my interest.

Kallia is the performer in the Hellfire Of The House which is owned by the enigmatic master Jack. She’s fed up with her daily routine playing as a show girl and wants to explore the world. When she hears about the magic competition at the nearby city of Glorian, she wants to participate. When Jack denies her request, she escapes her safe haven by passing through the cursed woods and finally manages to the city. She enters into the competition. At the first day, she impresses everyone with her magic especially the broody young judge Demarco, who’s enchanted with her magic. Soon the show takes a dangerous turn when magicians starts missing and they don’t know who’s responsible. They couldn’t abandon the show because cancelling it might lead to serious consequences.

The main protagonist was interesting, but at the same time she was annoying. When it comes to her magic, she’s pretty over confident. I don’t think many readers will love her character. The author didn’t focus much on the other competitors in the show. The spotlight was always on Kallia. Jack was mysterious and intriguing. I honestly found his character more interesting than Demarco. Demarco is a broody guy with a dark past. His past is a mystery. He’s been searching for his sister and when his paths collide with Kallia, he couldn’t get her out of his mind. I liked the slow building romance between Kallia and Demarco but the triangle was so cliched. From the secondary characters, I liked Kallia’s assistant Aros. He’s definitely my favorite character in the book. I also liked the entertainer named Canary, and Mistress Ira.

The story began with a great start, but soon things started to take a downhill for me when nothing major seems to happen except for the missing magicians. The competition became boring because there’s no one powerful enough to challenge Kallia. It’s more of a one man show. Despite all of that, I still continued because I really wanted to know what’s Jack’s hidden agenda, and Demarco’s real motive for arriving to the city. Things take an interesting turn at the end and to be honest, it’s the only saving grace for this book. The writing was pretty good though. I’m still confused about this world and the magic but I hope we get more info in the next book.

Overall, It was an okay-ish read for me! The book ends with a surprising twist, and I might read the next book just to know what happens next.

Recommend it?
YES

Even though it didn’t work out for me, I would still recommend it to you guys because who knows it might work out for you but keep your expectations low before jumping into it.

MY RATING:

[3/5 Stars]

So, What do you think of this book? Have you read it yet? Do you Plan to read it?
Please feel free to comment below!

See You In The Next Post and Have a Great Day! 🙂