Where Dreams Descend is a spellbinding new fantasy novel that features a magician competition, a magical circus, and a mystery. Our main character Kallia is a born magician who has lived her entire life in an entertainment club hidden in the woods. The master of the house Jack taught her how to wield magic and turned her into a star performer at the club. But Kallia wants more. When rumors of a magician competition being held in a nearby city reach her, she resolves to run away and enter the competition.
This book has many elements that I like:
- an unequivocally strong female lead – I loved Kallia's confidence and the way she owned the stage and never cowered before men in power
- magicians competing for the right to be called the best and to launch their performing career
- a mystery and a lurking evil power that haunts the city and attacks performers
- a captivating love story
- a powerful anti-hero
All of these elements combined kept me enthralled with the story. Moreover, the story itself reads a lot like a thriller, you constantly wait for the other shoe to drop, which makes you keep turning the pages. The one thing I found a bit disappointing is that nothing is really explained in the end. We know that there is some ancient secret. There are also hints at non-humans, another world beyond the mirror, rumors of magicians disappearing, etc. But nothing is explicitly revealed.
I guess this makes a perfect set up for book 2, especially with that ending, but I did hope that we would get at least something explained. Who is Jack? What happened with the four founding families of the town? Where do magicians disappear? Who are the shadows in the mirror? Getting at least one question answered would be a bit more satisfying. I gave this novel 4 out of 5 stars docking a star for this absence of answers. I will definitely be reading book 2.
An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com
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