The Laughing Listener
August 2020
Format: Ebook ARC

Story Rating: 4 Stars

This book was first described to me as Moulin Rouge meets [b:The Phantom of the Opera|480204|The Phantom of the Opera|Gaston Leroux|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1327867727l/480204._SY75_.jpg|2259720] and [b:The Night Circus|9361589|The Night Circus|Erin Morgenstern|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1387124618l/9361589._SY75_.jpg|14245059] and I literally needed nothing else. Ummm, yes please. Sign me the heck up. And I’m so happy to report that the rumors are TRUE, this really is an amazing combination of those three while still being in a category all it’s own. I had so much fun reading this!



Have you ever had a moment reading or watching a movie where you realize you can’t trust anything or anyone? Because that’s exactly what happened to me a few chapters into this novel and it BLEW MY FRIGGIN’ MIND. It was like watching Inception when you can’t figure out what’s reality and what’s a dream. Personally I love that kind of stuff and I was LIVING for it in Where Dreams Descend. I loved the mystery of it all and trying to piece everything together.



The world building and writing is spectacular too. The more I learned, the more I loved it and wanted to keep reading. It gave me some major [b:Caraval|27883214|Caraval (Caraval, #1)|Stephanie Garber|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1465563623l/27883214._SY75_.jpg|45697227] vibes for some reason?? That’s probably just my weird brain because the two books aren’t really that similar. But something about the combination of mystery and magic gave me some serious Legend flashbacks and I mean that as a compliment.

Also, Kallia is the best and I love her?? She was so spunky and confident, which was amazing to see in a female protagonist. Her determination to shatter through the patriarchy and forge her own path was inspiring. I really enjoyed the feminist themes of this book and can’t wait to read more in book two.

Also, THAT CLIFFY AT THE END???? UGGGGGH.

FINAL WORD

This book was so much fun, I loved the mystery and beautiful magic. Two thumbs way up!

** I was graciously given a free copy of this in exchange for an honest review **