Reviews with content warning for Misogyny - Where Dreams Descend

Reviews tagging 'Misogyny'

Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles

15 reviews

natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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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kassidyreads's review

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mysterious slow-paced

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

2.0

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escapismforlife's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

3.75

This is me being generous.

Here's the thing the whole story is really about Kallia and then Demarco. It was fine love a good fantasy romance. But after a while it got old. When Jack started disturbing that relationship I was over it. Enter the triangle I didn't care for one bit. Everything else was pushed aside to focus on it.

The whole point was Kallia to prove something in closed off Glorian's magical competition. Instead she just proved how flashy and undisturbed she is by the other characters. Which is also another thing that was missed out on.

The plot is lacking when her competitors and a friend from the Conquers Circus start being impacted by a mysterious force. That's also trapped all of them in the town. One that is never really given any answer to. I think it believe it has something to do with Glorians forgotten past. But I'm hoping When Night Breaks better has clear answers.

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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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elderflower's review

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I was very highly anticipating this duology, but I could not get into it at all. I don’t want to end up in a reading slump because of a book I don’t even like so I’m dnfing.

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thenovelmaura's review

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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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