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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.
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.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking and Confinement
Moderate: Misogyny, Grief, and Sexism
sunlit_music's review
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!
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!
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexism, Stalking, Fire/Fire injury, and Toxic relationship
jeanniea's review
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.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Sexism, and Stalking
Minor: Confinement
elthechameleon's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Panic attacks/disorders, and Stalking
nastashastarr3's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
offictionandfantasy's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Bullying, and Stalking
Moderate: Toxic relationship and Confinement
Minor: Gore, Grief, and Violence
madamepincers's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying, Confinement, Sexism, Stalking, and Toxic relationship
caidyn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
I received an ARC through Edelweiss and a physical ARC directly from the publisher in exchange for an honest review!
CW: deception, pin-up magic shows, sexism, and stalking
3.5/5
Apparently this is the year of retellings! Unique retellings, too. Ever since I was a kid, I loved The Phantom of the Opera (musical, not the book). It captivated little Caidyn and still does, honestly. It's a very good story.
And I enjoyed this one, how it took that and did its own thing with it. Like, I could see the roots of both musicals, but this took those elements and made it into its own thing rather than directly copy both. That's something I appreciate. As much as I love retellings, I don't like it when I can see where it's going completely.
The world that this is in is very interesting, although it didn't pull me in as deeply as I wanted. My interest felt very surface, if that makes sense. I was interested and when I picked it up, I always read more than I intended to. But, I still didn't sink into the world as much as I know I could have. I did like the characters and appreciated the multiple perspectives. Honestly, I found Jack's the most interesting, which should surprise no one at all!
I found the writing poetic, but a bit wordy at times. Like, it was trying to be flowery and fancy, but it just came across as verbose. Not necessarily a bad thing, but at times I was pulled out of reading because of it. Where three words would have done to describe something, there's six or more used in a sentence. Basically, it could have been a bit more concise.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read and I definitely plan on picking up the rest of the books in this series!
CW: deception, pin-up magic shows, sexism, and stalking
3.5/5
Apparently this is the year of retellings! Unique retellings, too. Ever since I was a kid, I loved The Phantom of the Opera (musical, not the book). It captivated little Caidyn and still does, honestly. It's a very good story.
And I enjoyed this one, how it took that and did its own thing with it. Like, I could see the roots of both musicals, but this took those elements and made it into its own thing rather than directly copy both. That's something I appreciate. As much as I love retellings, I don't like it when I can see where it's going completely.
The world that this is in is very interesting, although it didn't pull me in as deeply as I wanted. My interest felt very surface, if that makes sense. I was interested and when I picked it up, I always read more than I intended to. But, I still didn't sink into the world as much as I know I could have. I did like the characters and appreciated the multiple perspectives. Honestly, I found Jack's the most interesting, which should surprise no one at all!
I found the writing poetic, but a bit wordy at times. Like, it was trying to be flowery and fancy, but it just came across as verbose. Not necessarily a bad thing, but at times I was pulled out of reading because of it. Where three words would have done to describe something, there's six or more used in a sentence. Basically, it could have been a bit more concise.
Overall, I really enjoyed this read and I definitely plan on picking up the rest of the books in this series!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Stalking, and Classism
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