Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Where Dreams Descend

Author: Janella Angeles

Book Series: Kingdom of Cards Book 1

Rating: 1/5

Diversity: POC characters (Kallia specifically is described as having brown skin)

Recommended For...: ya fantasy, magic, kinda like The Night Circus.

Publication Date: August 25, 2020

Genre: YA Fantasy

Recommended Age: can’t recommend, DNF-ed

Publisher: Wednesday Books

Pages: 464

Synopsis: 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

Review: Unfortunately I had to DNF this book at 43%. I think the book has a lot of promise and I’m really intrigued by the story, but it needs more editing. The book is very confusing. The formatting is horrible and the POV switches are so confusing. The book kind of jumps into the story and it was pretty far into the book before I figured out who Kallia really was personality wise. The plot is intriguing in the synopsis but at 43% it still wasn't the focal point of the book. Character development is all over the place and the mind games hurt my brain. The world building is the best part but it doesn't help save this plot. It's also very long winded and overtly talkative in a lot of spots. I did have an arc so I'm hoping the final version was cleaned up but it's definitely not for me I don't think.

Verdict: It’s promising, but not for me at the moment.