Reviews with content warning for Sexism - Where Dreams Descend

Reviews tagging 'Sexism'

Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles

15 reviews

natashaleighton_'s review

adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

This is very Phantom of The Opera meets Moulin Rouge if Christine was a Magician who runs away from the phantom to compete in a mysterious magic competition. I really enjoyed this one though the pacing wasn’t as fast as I had anticipated—the magical theatre performances and chemistry between protagonist Kallia and competition Judge, Demarco was deliciously intense.

I did read this alongside the audiobook which was rather good though a few of the female narrator’s accents did sort of merge together at one point and if I hadn’t had the physical book, I would’ve got really confused. Other than that it a solid and I really enjoyable read.

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sunlit_music's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

Where Dreams Descend is a whirlwind of magic, illusions, mystery and suspense - a book that grabs you and won't let you put it down until you've finished it.

Plot - Kallia is a young woman magician who escapes from the club Hellfire House to make her own way as a magician. But sexism is rife in the world of magic, and she's going to have to persevere against sexist and contemptuous male magicians who would love nothing better than for her to fail.

She's not alone though. Along the way, she makes friends with outspoken and fiery Canary (a young woman who is a skillec circus performer), Aaros (thief and charming magician's assistant), and falls in love with quiet, kind magician judge, Daron Demarco.

Will she be able to evade her former mentor Jack before it's too late?

Characters - oh my gosh. I *loved* Kallia. Loved her determination, her grit, her confidence, her bravery, her willingness to give Aaros a second chance without letting him take advantage of her kindness. I know she's arrogant, but in her case, it's kind of warranted? She's so brilliant at magic, and she works hard at it! I like how she likes gardening and making musical instruments play songs too, it's just so lovely and wholesome.

Aaros is pure delight - cheeky, charming, fun, playful and wily. He is so underrated! I would read a whole book about him, even if the book had no plot and was just about his day to day life. He's a loyal friend to Kallia, and makes this book extra special.

Canary - I'm so surprised more people don't mention her, they just talk about the love interests. Canary is so spunky, honest and forthright. What's not to like about her? She has great rapport with Kallia, and it's nice to see women friendships that are friendly without being toxic.

Daron Demarco is a really sweet love interest. It's so refreshing to see outgoing Kallia pursuing quiet, reserved Demarco. He's always looking out for Kallia, and does his best to protect her and give her good advice. He's just so adorable and steadfast, I love him so much.

Jack - OH MY GOD. He is literally one of the most frightening and well written antagonists ever. I understand him, feel sorry for him, admire his skill in magic, but I also hate the entitled way he treats Kallia.

Ira - Ira has my heart, you know that. An older woman who reads cards and sews like a dream, and doesn't take nonsense from Aaros? Instant favourite.

Ending - the ending is a cliffhanger. But it's not a cliffhanger that devastates you or doesn't make any sense. It makes perfect sense, and left me even more excited for the next book.

In short: read this book if you love suspense, romance or fantasy. You won't regret it!

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jeanniea's review against another edition

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mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

A slow read. Ending was disappointment. Too much of a cliffhanger.

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brookey8888's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

I am so sad that I didn’t love this. This has everything that I love but for some reason I just didn’t really connect with the story and it was very hard to get into. I did pick up towards the end and it got more interesting. I really only liked one character and he was hardly in it, assistant he needed more page time. The romance was boring they have literally no chemistry before. Like she has more chemistry with the “bad” person. I don’t know I might read the sequel just to see what happens but I was just bored a lot of the time and it was hard to like get into. That being said I do think you should pick it up if it does sound interesting to you. I also really appreciate the diversity.

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library_of_alexandra_'s review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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thenovelmaura's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

This book was our May pick for the Violent Queens Book Club, because we wanted to read a book by an AAPI author. I've been wanting to read this one for a while now and I'm glad we only have to wait until October for the sequel. Like many first books in a duology, you're left with more questions than answers and I need to know what happens next! I wrote my own description for this one because I wasn't loving the official version, so here it goes:

Raised in a secluded club called Hellfire House, Kallia is a powerful magician who wants to make her mark on the world. While plenty of men make their living as successful stage magicians, female performers tend to disappear or fade into obscurity. So when Kallia hears about a competition to find the next headliner of the Conquering Circus, she sets out for the mysterious city of Glorian, determined to put on a show-stopping performance. Little does she know that she'll have to contend with sexist judges, her controlling ex-mentor, and a cursed city that seems to be causing the accidents and disappearances that are befalling her competitors.

I'll start by saying that I love an arrogant main character as long as they have the skill to back up the attitude. And Kallia earned every haughty sneer and challenge she threw out! She was almost always the most powerful person in the room and she knew it, so it was frustrating to see how the odds were stacked against her. Her assistant was another standout character and I had to smile every time Aaros graced us with his presence.

The world-building was solid; this book takes place in a very isolated setting so I'd like to see more of Soltair in the sequel. I got a good sense of a few key locations, but the rest of the land isn't discussed in detail. I also took issue with the pacing at the end of the book and thought the last hundred pages could have been condensed down to keep things as action-packed as the first few Acts. But again, the grande finale was suitably dramatic and I'm on the edge of my seat waiting for the sequel! Don't miss this one if you're looking for magic, a foreboding atmosphere, and a slow-burn romance.

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