Scan barcode
sunshine169's review against another edition
2.0
I finished it and don't remember much about the plot so there is that...
amym84's review against another edition
4.0
Kallia has only ever known the gilded cage of the Hellfire House performing as a showgirl in the main attraction. Learning her magic from The Master, Jack, Kallia knows that there are secrets he doesn’t dare reveal. When word of Spectaculore—a magic contest taking place in the mysterious city of Glorian—reaches Hellfire House, Kallia is ready to seize her opportunity, and when she runs away ready to embrace her talents, Jack knows Kallia is not yet ready to face what’s waiting in the cold and shadows of a forgotten city.
A couple years ago The Daring Demarco was a rising star in the magical world, but a show gone wrong forced him to give up his magic and retreat into anonymity. Now, he’s found himself in Glorian as a judge for Spectaculore. His reasons for being in the city are his own, but there’s no escaping what’s lurking within.
Where Dreams Descend is one of those debuts that just sparkles. The tantalizing magic and the world it inhabits draws you right into the story. Kallia’s determination to break free of her gilded cage and seeing her embrace her talents on her own merit will keep readers glued to the page. The magic, as it’s presented, is dazzling and I always love when writers put some kind of competition in place in a story because I think it’s a great opportunity to highlight the magic of a world.
To me, the whole story is caught up in the idea of illusion. It’s completely true that things are not entirely as they seem. I liked the idea of the city of Glorian having a mysterious past, that no one talks about, that no one remembers, and I wanted to dig right in and get to the heart of it. This works as far as the times when Kallia is our narrator because there is so much of the outside world that she doesn’t know herself that readers get to learn it with her.
The book switches to Demarco’s point of view at times as well, and in contrast to Kallia’s, he’s someone who has grown up with magic, its laws and rules. It was both interesting to see Kallia through someone else’s eyes—seeing her confidence—and to get a kind of authoritative side to the magical world—which pretty much forbids women from performative magic.
Where things falter, however, is the way the story dances around actually giving out any concrete information. There’s a vagueness about everything. Likened to smoke and mirrors if we’re keeping up the magical analogy. It’s difficult to know where you’re supposed to look if even Kallia—with whom the whole story revolves around—is kept in the dark about what’s really going on. There were some secondary characters and ideas that didn’t feel fully realized in a satisfying way. Especially the friendship Kallia forms with her assistant Aaros,
With that being said, I think this first book acts as a really good introduction and set up for what’s to come next. The strength of the ending makes me willing to put up with some unanswered questions, and withhold some judgements, because I’m really excited to see how things continue in part two of this duology.
A couple years ago The Daring Demarco was a rising star in the magical world, but a show gone wrong forced him to give up his magic and retreat into anonymity. Now, he’s found himself in Glorian as a judge for Spectaculore. His reasons for being in the city are his own, but there’s no escaping what’s lurking within.
Where Dreams Descend is one of those debuts that just sparkles. The tantalizing magic and the world it inhabits draws you right into the story. Kallia’s determination to break free of her gilded cage and seeing her embrace her talents on her own merit will keep readers glued to the page. The magic, as it’s presented, is dazzling and I always love when writers put some kind of competition in place in a story because I think it’s a great opportunity to highlight the magic of a world.
To me, the whole story is caught up in the idea of illusion. It’s completely true that things are not entirely as they seem. I liked the idea of the city of Glorian having a mysterious past, that no one talks about, that no one remembers, and I wanted to dig right in and get to the heart of it. This works as far as the times when Kallia is our narrator because there is so much of the outside world that she doesn’t know herself that readers get to learn it with her.
The book switches to Demarco’s point of view at times as well, and in contrast to Kallia’s, he’s someone who has grown up with magic, its laws and rules. It was both interesting to see Kallia through someone else’s eyes—seeing her confidence—and to get a kind of authoritative side to the magical world—which pretty much forbids women from performative magic.
Where things falter, however, is the way the story dances around actually giving out any concrete information. There’s a vagueness about everything. Likened to smoke and mirrors if we’re keeping up the magical analogy. It’s difficult to know where you’re supposed to look if even Kallia—with whom the whole story revolves around—is kept in the dark about what’s really going on. There were some secondary characters and ideas that didn’t feel fully realized in a satisfying way. Especially the friendship Kallia forms with her assistant Aaros,
With that being said, I think this first book acts as a really good introduction and set up for what’s to come next. The strength of the ending makes me willing to put up with some unanswered questions, and withhold some judgements, because I’m really excited to see how things continue in part two of this duology.
alrightieaphroditie's review against another edition
4.0
”she thrived under the attention, like a wildflower under the sun. a star finding the night.” ♡₊˚
i am loving being in my rereading era, ngl. it’s so fun revisiting stories i’ve loved and seeing what i remembered! i have a shit memory too so most of the time it’s like reading the book for the first time all over again! when i first read this, i rated it 5 stars and adored it. after this reread, i still really enjoyed it, but i wouldn’t consider this a 5 star read for me now. the concept is so interesting, but the writing sometimes takes away from the plot, if that makes sense? it was almost too flowery to the point of confusion at some instances. but other than that, i still really enjoyed this reread! i forgot it ended on a cliffhanger so i’m really excited to finally finish this series and find out what happened!! <3
(original review) five stars ∗ oh this was everything i had hoped for and much, much more
i am loving being in my rereading era, ngl. it’s so fun revisiting stories i’ve loved and seeing what i remembered! i have a shit memory too so most of the time it’s like reading the book for the first time all over again! when i first read this, i rated it 5 stars and adored it. after this reread, i still really enjoyed it, but i wouldn’t consider this a 5 star read for me now. the concept is so interesting, but the writing sometimes takes away from the plot, if that makes sense? it was almost too flowery to the point of confusion at some instances. but other than that, i still really enjoyed this reread! i forgot it ended on a cliffhanger so i’m really excited to finally finish this series and find out what happened!! <3
(original review) five stars ∗ oh this was everything i had hoped for and much, much more
ameserole's review against another edition
4.0
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Holy cannoli guys! Where Dreams Descend was so freaking good. It was weird for me not wanting to dive into it yesterday but I totally get why - it started off slow. Yes, I had endless questions being formed because of what was happening.. but I was still bored. It was painstakingly slow but it magically got a lot better.
Ha, get it - magically.
Now I'm not a big fan of any kind of love-shape relationship in books.. unless it's a harem. Yet, this sort of love triangle thing worked for me. Yes, I shipped them all during different moments throughout the book because they were just that good. It isn't my fault that they all had great chemistry during this twisty af mystery. I ate it all up and I demand more.
Ugh, cliffhangers guys. I have so many questions after that freaking ending. The things with the mirrors, the notes, and the endless list of missing people. I also really want to know more about Demarco and his sister Eva. I'm suspicious that his sister is the one with true magic.. and he just kind of took it from her? In a way? I don't know... I'm not making sense after that epilogue.
I just have questions and I really want answers in the next book!
Holy cannoli guys! Where Dreams Descend was so freaking good. It was weird for me not wanting to dive into it yesterday but I totally get why - it started off slow. Yes, I had endless questions being formed because of what was happening.. but I was still bored. It was painstakingly slow but it magically got a lot better.
Ha, get it - magically.
Now I'm not a big fan of any kind of love-shape relationship in books.. unless it's a harem. Yet, this sort of love triangle thing worked for me. Yes, I shipped them all during different moments throughout the book because they were just that good. It isn't my fault that they all had great chemistry during this twisty af mystery. I ate it all up and I demand more.
Ugh, cliffhangers guys. I have so many questions after that freaking ending. The things with the mirrors, the notes, and the endless list of missing people. I also really want to know more about Demarco and his sister Eva. I'm suspicious that his sister is the one with true magic.. and he just kind of took it from her? In a way? I don't know... I'm not making sense after that epilogue.
I just have questions and I really want answers in the next book!
linde99's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. This was definitely a fun time, but I'm a bit confused as to the ending.
Books I’ve read during Orilium
1. A Wolf Called Wander - class: shapeshifting, calling: faewild cartographer
2. The Night Before Christmas - quest
3. Where Dreams Descend - class: inscription, calling: faewild cartographer
Books I’ve read during Orilium
1. A Wolf Called Wander - class: shapeshifting, calling: faewild cartographer
2. The Night Before Christmas - quest
3. Where Dreams Descend - class: inscription, calling: faewild cartographer
ephermeyal's review against another edition
it just didn't grip me as much, which sucks because I love carnival-themed settings
booksnbeanies's review against another edition
4.0
Kallia has been a showgirl at the Hellfire House for a long time. She also has lessons with the houses master Jack who teaches her new tricks with her magic. Kallia is ready for something new and when she goes to find it she also discovers some unsettling things.
I absolutely loved Kallia's character. She was headstrong and didn't care what others thought about her. There's a huge misogynistic vibe going on from a few of the older main characters that every time Kallia proved them wrong I was beaming. 
I can't really tell at this point whether Jack is really trying to protect Kallia or if he's just super possessive, so I'm not entirely sure how I feel about him yet.
There were a few things I didn't like about this book, but I really enjoyed reading it. I wish the writing had been more separated when switching between characters because sometimes it took me a minute to realize who I was reading about. Other than that, this story was different and I would love to read the next book when it comes out.
Thank you, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
I absolutely loved Kallia's character. She was headstrong and didn't care what others thought about her. There's a huge misogynistic vibe going on from a few of the older main characters that every time Kallia proved them wrong I was beaming. 
I can't really tell at this point whether Jack is really trying to protect Kallia or if he's just super possessive, so I'm not entirely sure how I feel about him yet.
There were a few things I didn't like about this book, but I really enjoyed reading it. I wish the writing had been more separated when switching between characters because sometimes it took me a minute to realize who I was reading about. Other than that, this story was different and I would love to read the next book when it comes out.
Thank you, Wednesday Books and NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.
laniesmith's review against another edition
4.0
A very good fantasy book with a great romance and even better writing. The characters were phenomenal and I loved the concept of the magicians.