Please Note:  I received an advance copy of this novel from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  This did not influence the opinions in my review in any way.

Synopsis (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

Review:

I really like books about competitions, such as the wonderful Caraval, by Stephanie Garber.  Where Dreams Descend, by Janella Angeles, has a similar world of magic and danger, but with more female empowerment.  This was a book filled with wonderful world-building, characters, and an exciting story.  I loved it.

What I Liked:

World-Building: 

I loved the magical, kind of Victorian, feel to this world.  Some people are magicians.  But men are allowed to become stage magicians (and become rich and famous), while women can only use magic for practical purposes such as helping in factories and other laborious tasks.  Women who perform magic are considered wanton, and indecent.  

Kallia is able to be a performing magician in a nightclub.  But she must wear a mask, and she is never known as herself.  She longs for recognition, and a career on stage as a headliner.

There are also cursed, mysterious cities, haunted woods, magical satchels, and a circus of female performers.  This creates a mood of decadence, contrasting with prim manners and rigid rules.

Characters:

I loved Kallia.  She is fierce and determined, and (mostly) doesn't care what people think of her.  She is a provocateur.  But I mostly loved that she really just wanted to have the ability to make her own choices.

Jack is The Master.  He is the owner of the club who tightly controls Kallia's life.  While he, at times, seems to care for Kallia, his mind games are a kind of domestic abuse.  Kallia is both afraid of Jack, and drawn to him.

DeMarco is the magician she meets during the magical competition.  He is hiding a secret, so even though he is wildly attracted to Kallia, he doesn't want to get too close to her.  He can't risk her uncovering his skeletons.  I loved how jaded he was about fame, and how one could tell he ached for Kallia.

Side Characters:

I also really liked the many supporting characters, especially Aaros (Kallia's assistant) and Canary (the unofficial leader of the Circus).  Both of these characters are underappreciated by most.  Aaros, the handsome thief, is also fiercely loyal to Kallia. Without asking, he is not only her assistant, but also her bodyguard, and confidant.  Canary is a natural-born leader and instantly sees in Kallia that she is a fellow performer.  Once Kallia has earned Canary's respect, you can tell they will form a life-long friendship.

Story:

This is a story about magic, performers, and the limits we put on ourselves (or others).  Kallia has had so many limits on her freedoms that she can hardly know if she can trust her own judgement.  While not explicitly saying so, her relationship with Jack is abusive.  She has to learn that her ambitions and instincts are legitimate.   For DeMarco, he needs to end the overwhelming guilt he feels about the possible demise of his assistant, and also learn to trust himself and his judgement.

This is also a story about a magical competition, and who doesn't like that!  The players, aside from Kallia, are all men.  They feel threatened by Kallia and do their upmost to push her out of the competition.  It is so satisfying to read how Kallia puts them in their places.

What I Was Mixed About:

Ending:

While I understood that a cliff-hanger was inevitable, I didn't feel that there was enough resolution with this ending.  Many questions that I thought would be answered were not.  Was Jack the bad guy, or not?  If not, who was the real puppet-master?  What was Demarco's actual role?  Several questions were asked right at the end, but (frustratingly) there were zero answers.  I wish at least a few plot points would have been resolved.

Rating: 

Release Date:  August 25th, 2020

Author:  Janelle Angeles

Publisher:  Wednesday Books

Genre:  Fantasy

Page Length:  464 Pages

Source:  NetGalley

Format:  E-Book

Recommendation:  With fantastic world-building, this was a fun first book in this series.