This was a difficult review to write, and I've been holding onto it for a while. I finished reading the book before the publication date, but I had so many mixed feelings about When Night Breaks (WNB). When I finished the first book, I was so excited about WNB because Where Dreams Descend (WDD) ended on a cliffhanger. It felt as though a silent promise was made. WNB would up the ante; WDD was just a sparkler compared to WNB's fireworks. With regard to world-building, WNB fulfills its promise. The world was superb. Angeles's vivid descriptions painted a place I imagined to be similar to Las Vegas with its bright lights and people who never sleep. This world was even more dangerous than it was in Glorian, and a whole lot creepier.

As much as I love the world Angeles created, characters play a significant role. Kallia and Jack have always been the most interesting characters. The trials Kallia goes through in the first book are nothing compared to what she has to overcome in WNB. She's smart. She's stubborn. She's strong. She's a survivor. And also increasingly frustrating. I can't fault her for remaining true to her character in WDD, but I couldn't help feeling like I wanted to conk her over the head.

Jack is a morally grey character. I know I shouldn't have, but I loved him. Angeles wrote him so well that I couldn't help it. I wanted more Jack, and I got more background on Jack, but he was hardly present. Kallia and Jack did not interact as much as I hoped they would, considering their current predicament. It was their relationship I was hoping would be fleshed out, but I was disappointed when it wasn't explored as much as it could have been.

Overall, my expectations were only partially met. The story was also less engaging and became repetitive at times. I love the unique world Angeles created, and I loved Jack even more. We get Jack and some of his story, but his relationship with Kallia doesn't get the resolution I crossed my fingers for. Even when it wasn't the resolution I hoped for, I still wanted some sort of finality and closure, but it doesn't happen. Ultimately, I have a love-hate relationship with the duology. I may reread WDD in whole again but might not be able to do the same for WNB.

I loved this book just as much as I loved the first! Perfect conclusion to one of my new favorite duologies!

This eARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher ,

Disclaimer: This is the sequel to Where Dreams Descend. I didn’t enjoy reading the first book but I found the subject to be interesting. I wanted to give the series a second chance. I thought that it would be a good continuation from the first book. Well, the story dragged for the first 60-70% and the action didn’t happen until then. I will say that I definitely enjoyed the magic and competition. I am still not a fan of the MC and her entitlement.

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE this series!! One of my most highly anticipated reads of 2021. The magic and romance in the book *chefs kiss*

The first book left me wanting to discover every secret but time made my interest dwindle. I couldn't remember why I cared for any of these characters and the initial emotions that the story garnered were lost. It's not a horrible book, I enjoyed the magical writing the author has but it wasn't amazing.

I'm still looking forward to reading more from her.

First thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

When Night breaks is the sequel of When dream descend from Janella Angeles.

The competion have come to a disastrous end and Demarco is now a disgraced magician and in front of page news. Kallia, have for herself, have found herself in the hands of very dangerous peoples and Daron is willing to do everything to find her, more than even risking his life.

As I have loved When dream descend, I have really loved this book. This duology is really good. Really recommend it. Can't wait to read more from this author.

This was a great sequel to Where Dreams Descend. I really want to see more of these characters in the future but that probably won't happen.

"Misinformation grows faster than knowledge, and people will take to it first."

I really enjoyed Where Dreams Descend and was so excited to read the finale of the duology and get answers. What is Glorian? Why can't people remember things? Why is Jack a butt? I love how everything came together, characters dealt with the consequences of their actions, the beautiful writing, and revelations were made, but I did find myself a little confused and frustrated by all the lying and gatekeeping of information.

"Everyone lies. Sometimes they have to, sometimes they want to. But good or bad, we all lie --especially when it comes to power."

The duology is plotted well and I love that all the mystery of Glorian laid out at the end of Where Dreams Descend take center stage in this book. The worldbuilding is vast and expands our understanding of the world Angeles created but I struggled with keeping everything together. There's this moment in the book where Kallia asks "What the f*** is going on?" and that's basically how I felt most of this book.

Revelation after revelation, at times it felt like the plot was a giant WTF wrapped up in a character who doesn't tell the truth to conveniently make all of this confusion possible. I am not a fan of the miscommunication trope where everything would basically be fine if someone would have spent 5 minutes at the start. While the allure and mystery of Jack in the first book kept my annoyance at bay, for some reason it bothered me more in WNB. I never really got a valid sense of why; rather, I found a very good reason for him to be honest with her if he really wanted to ~protect her~. Then again, characters -- just like people -- don't make sense sometimes!

"Even in a world of illusions, the truth will come out."

The theme of memory and trust are again at the fore throughout as Kallia and the reader are never really sure what is true. Reality blurs and so much is unknown by our main characters, and the way worldbuilding is revealed is like standing on shifting sand… constantly leading you to readjust your footing.

Overall I enjoyed this debut fantasy duology and would recommend it to fans of magical fantasy stories where trust is precious and the book keeps you guessing.

eARC provided by the publisher Wednesday Books for my honest review. This has not impacted my reading opinions or the contents of my review. Quotations are from an unfinished proof and subject to change upon final publication.

Book 2 in the Kingdom of Cards series was a highly anticipated read after devouring and loving the first one. Unfortunately, When Night Breaks felt like it was written by a different person entirely. The conclusion was satisfying but the first 75% of the book felt like I was reading about entirely new characters than who they were in the first one. I will still pick up whatever else Janella Angeles sends out though because of just how much I did enjoy Where Dreams Descend.

*eARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I also purchased a copy from OwlCrate.*

I should not have read this book. To be completely honest, I didn't really like Where Dreams Descend, but I hoped that the sequel would be better. It was not. I won't say it was the worst book I read in 2021, but it was certainly in the top 5 worst.

The plot was all over the place, literally. One of my main problems in Where Dreams Descend was that the background magic info and hidden character identity wasn't explained well. I thought that certainly after WDD's ending, more information would be revealed in WNB, but not really. Instead, we are introduced to a strange city with strange people and nothing is ever explained.

There is simply so much I wanted to know. And I think the author felt like she explained things, but maybe just once I need things to be spelled out for me? There is one scene that I read over and over again trying to figure out the bad thing that happened, that I I honestly felt that I skipped a page because that character were responding to the story but I had no idea why they were responding that way.

I do like the new characters introduced in WNB, especially the Diamond Rings, but that isn't enough for me to like this book, especially when most of the old characters are swept to the side.

This book was the perfect sequel to Where Dreams Descend. It had me at the edge of my seat for hours just waiting to see what would happen next. This is one of those books that finishes you. I just wish I could wipe my memory and read it again for the first time.

I recommend this one. It's a good book and everyone should read. Of course I would love to have this book in my bookstore.

Rating: 2.5
I didn't like this as much as the first one. I was bored throughout most of it and I didn't care about the characters. Maybe if I reread the first one before reading this, I would have liked it more.

If there was ever a time I had to remember to breathe, it was while I was reading this incredible final act to the world of Glorian. Filled with magic and suspense, Janella Angeles once again dazzles audiences with the tantalising allure of illusions and mirror worlds that have deadly consequences. Much like its inspiration, the second act of this story feels like it’s filled with a little romantic tension, an increasing feeling of madness, and a thrilling amount of daring stunts.

Before we jump into this review, steer away now if you haven’t read Where Dreams Descend because there might be spoilers.

Now, if you HAVE read Where Dreams Descend, you know that the magical competition that Kallia entered has had DISASTROUS consequences. Daron Demarco has fallen from grace and become front page news, but all that matters to him is what happened to the young woman he fell for. He’s willing to do whatever it takes to get her back, even embarking on a journey that could end with his own life on the line. Kallia, on the other hand, has never been more lost. With an untrustworthy Jack by her side, she’s got to navigate a world that shows both illusions and memories, but distinguishing which is the truth is the real puzzle. She’ll have to go head to head with this world’s game master who has the power to destroy the world she left behind, and the boy her heart won’t let her forget.

Every aspect of this story is engaging and I cannot even begin to express how much I loved this story. It’s set up really well, and it genuinely feels like I’m sitting in the front row, and the curtain is rising on the intermission of a show. Tensions are already high and steadily climbing. Kallia is lost and stuck with the one person she can’t trust. She’s a young woman made of anger and rage, with a mulish desire to teach those who have wronged her a lesson. At the same time, she’s suffered a loss that she’s having to deal with at the same time. Jack, of course, continues to be a frustrating enigma…but now we get to see a slightly different and more desperate version of someone that wants to protect as well as keep secrets. Meanwhile, Daron is suffering from anxiety, but also fear. Each and every one of these characters seems to be ripped apart just enough to make them desperate. That bleeds into the reader.

Angeles seems to captivate not only the emotions of these characters, but the magic of this world into something that could be tangible if we closed our eyes long enough. I want to say that it’s fast paced, but I was honestly driven by my own desire to see what was going to happen next. Not only that, but there’s a very gorgeous romantic tension that I think readers will be writing fan-fiction about for years to come. I loved reading every minute of it. Every stare, kiss, and touch will send every fan of this story into a mess of delighted squeals.

There are very few books that I’ve ever hesitated to finish because I didn’t want them to end. When Night Breaks was definitely one of them. Everything about this book called to me, and I genuinely cannot wait to see more come from Angeles. She writes very engaging characters that stick with you, with strong heroines that know what they want. What I love even more is that these characters are flawed, hurt, or growing in some positive way. It’s not about wallowing for an entire book, but about learning to manage and cope with hard emotions and situations and becoming someone even greater.

The characters are all well developed, and we get to explore the world beyond the mirror. So many questions that I had in the first book were answered, and the ending was both satisfying and like dark chocolate, a little bittersweet at the end. I think readers will enjoy it as much as I did. This is a duology that should be on everyone’s radar.

Thank you Netgalley and Publisher for this ARC

3.5 stars
I actually really enjoyed this sequel. I loved the mirror world of Glorian and the story behind it all. The only thing it was missing was more performances. The new characters in this book were fun to read and interact with and I liked Kallia's family background. The little bit about Jack was interesting too.

I think it ended nicely and the sequel tied everything up.

I really enjoyed this book. I was looking forward to the next book in this series. I found the story to be very interesting. I think this book is definitely worth looking into.

I was really excited to get approved for this but once I started reading it, it suddenly seemed much longer ago that I’d read the first one and I felt like I needed to go back and reread but I didn’t have time for that. There are a lot of sequels that give a lot of handholds in the beginning to sort of catch you back up and to remind you of the emotional states and relations and stakes. When you are binge-reading these kinds of handholds feel unnecessary but I kind of wish that When Night Breaks had more of them. I wanted a little more of catch-up and refresh about the last book because it feels like we were thrust right back into everything and the characters start discussing nuances and making big reveals based on subtle things that happened last book and I was left going “wait what, what does this mean? What’s wrong with his magic? Why is he beating himself up and blaming himself now?” So that was frustrating. I feel like that reveal probably would have worked better in the last book when that was still fresh and not a foggy memory and I’m left sifting through going, what’s wrong? What did he do? That could have been executed better. I will admit that some of my problem is that I don’t have the sharpest memory but it’s just frustrating when characters are going on about things you don’t remember from last book and saying that it’s this big bad thing now and it makes me feel dumb. There’s a chance I am dumb but it’s not nice to feel it reading a fictional book about magicians.
The combination of that and the fact that the book naturally picks up where things left off last time without any time in between or any real catch up despite all the time that had passed for me in the real world (and given that we’re living through a pandemic, that time felt 3 times longer) it made it a difficult read for me. I’m disappointed mostly in myself that I just kept getting bogged down and couldn’t enjoy this one like I did the first. I am hoping that, with time, I can perhaps listen to the audiobook for WDD and WNB in one fell swoop to eliminate my failure to launch problems and to help me re-immerse in this world properly again because I just didn’t feel like that spark this time.
I still enjoyed Kalia and Jack and DeMarco but I just didn’t enjoy this one like I wanted and it made it harder for me to write a clear review since I still feel muddled about it. It is my hope my experience was a singular one and others will fall right back into step in this dazzling world of magic and be swept right away. tHat just wasn’t my experience this time, unfortunately.

great sequel for where dreams descend. I loved this entire series and it is definitely one of my favourite reads of this year. 4.5/5

*I voluntarily read and reviewed and advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

4.5/5 Stars!

When Night Breaks is the epic and solid sequel to Where Dreams Descend!

When Night Breaks begins shortly after Where Dreams Descend ends.

The Characters:
I admire these characters so much! They are extremely well-written, and I love all of them!

The Plot:
There was a pretty solid plot, with plenty of action that wanted me to keep reading! There were many interesting and surprising plot twists, as well!

The Writing:
The writing is really well-done, I really liked how I got an idea of the setting! This book can get slow at times, but I was hooked until the very end!

Overall, When Night Breaks is an awesome sequel! I highly recommend this duology!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Night Breaks picks up immediately after Where Dreams Descend left off. Kallia in a whole new world where mirrors show memories and deceptions with Jack. Meanwhile Demarco attempts to find a way to Kallia in hopes of avoiding his past repeating. What dangers and delights await Kallia through the mirror? And will Demarco get to her in time, or will the show devour her?

What a beautiful conclusion to this duology. Kallia is back with her independence and sass, letting no one(especially no man) stand in her way. Demarco is his brooding self, but his story arc is woven into this new world in a way that makes you appreciate him. While the reveals are a bit cliche at times, there is nothing wrong with cliches as they were welcomed with open arms. Vain and Howard are two new characters who make this book work and earn it more stars than I would give this conclusion without them. The middle of the story seemed to drag a bit, but it set up for a powerful finale.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 from this reviewer. I recommend this series for anyone who likes competitions and stage magicians. Age range is 10+, while there is some romance there is nothing graphic.