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“Some mirrors are like windows designed to be more convincing than others. You should always approach them with care. Always think first before trusting your reflection.”

Release Date: August 25th, 2020

Genre(s): Young adult, Fantasy

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 464

Rating:⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

Synopsis

Where Dreams Descend is the first book in a duology. It follows a group of magicians facing off to determine who the next headliner of the Conquering Circus will be. Little do they know there is the threat of danger waiting for them. And with each act, this threat becomes more and more dangerous, only to be avoidable with the reckoning of their own secrets.

Review

This book was sold to me as one that’s incredibly atmospheric and featuring beautiful writing, which I can absolutely agree with. Where Dreams Descend has definitely fulfilled my need for a circus-themed story, which I sadly haven’t read since The Night Circus and Caraval a couple of years prior.

I really liked the MC, Kallia, and exploring her struggles throughout the entire book. She presents herself as strong and assertive in order to compete and vouch for herself, but you also see another side to her in which you experience her insecurities and the problems she faces while being the only woman in the spotlight. And while there are lots of YA books out there that feature strong female MC’s out there, Kallia has to be one of my favorites because of how we see her in different situations. I think Where Dreams Descend did a lot of exploration of the pressures of Kallia’s situation, which I think will be relatable to a lot of readers. And if not that, it still provides insights for what many groups of people might face if they’re not well-represented or accounted for in what they’re involved in.

I mentioned that Where Dreams Descend is a beautifully atmospheric novel. It’s been a while since I’ve read a novel with this level of imagery and detailed writing, which I was so happy to experience once again. However, the general storyline is not as strong and falls to a much slower pace. The beginning of this book starts with a bang, but you don’t find the same energy until much later in the book. So I do hesitate to recommend this book to those that much prefer fast plot-driven stories, but if you enjoy books at a slower pace (for the most part) and are primarily reading for the setting and the writing, I think you’ll enjoy Where Dreams Descend a lot more. I personally do like slower plotlines for genres like these, so it worked well for me. But I can absolutely see why this book wouldn’t work for others. In fact, I would say that when I wanted to pick up and continue reading this book that I did so because I wanted to return to the world more than anything, and less so for what was going to happen next.

But all in all, I still really enjoyed Where Dreams Descend. I especially loved the characters and setting of this book and am looking forward to reading the second book once it’s released. I’d recommend it to those who are looking more for a slower-paced, atmospheric read.