Book Title: Where Dreams Descend (Kingdom of Cards #1)
Author: Janella Angeles 
Purchase: Amazon
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Description from Goodreads:

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.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars 

I LOVE this book—it sucked me right in from the very first page and didn’t let me go until I finished. I actually consciously started reading slower or stopping after a few chapters just to make it last longer. A magic competition! Costumes and balls and excitement and circuses with lions and fire-eaters—what more could I want?!

The world Angeles creates is unique and gripping, with a tangible atmosphere of mystique and danger. Angeles’s writing style is perfect—she drops so many little clues about what’s to come, building suspense and mystery with every chapter, and yet still the plot is completely unpredictable.

The chapters alternate between three points of view: mostly Kallia’s, some of Demarco’s, and a little of Jack’s. Make no mistake though, this story revolves around Kallia, one of my favorite protagonists ever. She’s a confident, self-assured fire-cracker, which is what makes her such a stellar performer. As she designs and performs her routines, she showcases her creativity and charisma, and we also see how kind and passionate she is as she befriends people from all walks of life. Plus, she’s described as brown-skinned and we’re always on board for more POC rep.

I really appreciate and enjoy the focus on female friendships between Kallia and the circus performers. It’s so satisfying and fun to see so many women support each other instead of compete against one another. And I also love Kallia’s platonic friendship with her male assistant, Aaros. Basically, Kallia is everyone’s best friend and I’m here for it.

Equally engaging is the ongoing mystery of Jack and his magic. This mystery is teased but doesn’t take center-stage, so Jack isn’t shoved down our throats—which just inspires more questions about him. He seems to be positioned as a gray character and I can’t wait to learn more about him. I’m all about the gray so I look forward to hearing his side of the story.

In general, the magic is really well-done, the way top performers are invited to this competition to use real magic for beautiful entertainment, with the underlying threat of danger as performers are hurt or go missing. Magic isn’t a weapon in this book, it’s an art form, a means of creative expression. Add in the slow-burn romance and this book has everything I could ever ask for, including an absolutely beautiful cover design that perfectly captures the atmosphere of the story.

I honestly can’t think of a single thing I dislike about this book. I can’t wait to read the sequel and look forward to rereading the series in the future. I would recommend Where Dreams Descend for fans of Amanda Foody’s The Shadow Game series and J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series.