When Night Breaks is the second book in the Kingdom of Cards series by Janella Angeles. A young adult fantasy that is full of mystery and intrigue with a hint of magic. This is a captivating duology, and I cannot wait to see what Janella Angeles does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
When Night Breaks picks up immediately following the end of book 1, Where Dreams Descend. I gave book 1 solid 3 stars when reading, enjoying the main female character and the phantom of the opera meets the Night Circus vibe. After getting into book 2, I found I enjoyed the sequel more! It has a very "Through the Looking Glass" vibe with the concept of a mirror world that the characters are trying to navigate and survive. Having a plot that was very different than book 1 really gave this book a boost because I worried the concept of magicians performing would become repetitive. However, the back-and-forth POV chapters of Kallia and Daron help show the differences between the two worlds and it added to the Alice in Wonderland vibe that someone can get swept up in the whimsical. What I loved most about this book was Jack!! We got so much more on his character and I loved the morally grey -- almost Luc from Addie Larue -- vibe that we received fom him. I'm glad we got to see more of a development with his relationship with Kallia and where he's come from.
Overall, it was a well-paced, immersive world in this story and I give it a solid 3.5 stars that's definitely worthy of a read!

You know how sometimes you read a book that’s just so incredibly amazing and then you kind of don’t know what to do with yourself afterwards? I felt that way when I read Where Dreams Descend last year and it happened again when I finished When Night Breaks. Thank you so much to Wednesday books and Netgalley for letting me read an eARC of this book! Make sure y’all go out and grab this one tomorrow (and if you haven’t read Where Dreams Descend yet, make sure you grab that one first since it’s the first book in the duology and you’ll 100% be lost without it).

When Night Breaks 5/5 Stars

Summary from Goodreads:

The competition has come to a disastrous end, and Daron Demarco’s fall from grace is now front page news. But little matters to him beyond Kallia, the contestant he fell for who is now lost to this world and in the hands of a dangerous magician. Daron is willing to do whatever it takes to find her. Even if it means embarking on a dark and treacherous journey, risking more than just his life, with no promise of return.

After awaking in darkness, Kallia has never felt more lost. Especially with Jack by her side, the magician with who has the answers but cannot be trusted. Together, they must navigate a dazzling world where mirrors show memories and illusions shadow every corner, one ruled by a powerful game master who could all too easily destroy the world she left behind — and the boy she can’t seem to forget. With time running out, Kallia must embrace her role in a darker destiny, or lose everyone she loves, forever.

Janella Angeles is such a masterful writer. I love her writing style and how I always seem to get sucked into her stories right from the beginning. This book starts out being told from alternating points of with, with Kallia in the world where she’s been taken to through the mirror from book one and Daron in the normal world doing everything he can to find her. I love how we got to see so many of our favorites from book one and got to meet even more favorites in this book (your girl is a big fan of the Diamond Rings). There was even a great redemption arc for a character we all love to hate (I’m looking at you Jack). Plot wise, there was all the action we could have asked for- Daron’s chapters seemed a little less action filled, but we did get to see a lot more of the inner workings of the Patrons and understand more about Glorian, so that was nice. Kallia’s chapters had all the magical action and her trying to get her magic back while also trying to seem as ruthless as possible and take down the big, bad, evil guy- all the things you want from your heroine! I honestly loved everything about this book and can see it (and Where Dreams Descend) becoming part of my books to reread every few years self! Also, before I forget, Wednesday Books completely outdid themselves with this cover. It’s so incredibly gorgeous and I can’t wait to see it sitting on my shelf!

I had enjoyed the first book in the duology, so when this became available I was very excited to read this. The story was well done and had what I enjoyed from the first book. The characters were well done and I enjoyed reading this one.

perfect conclusion to this series!! it was fast paced, highly enjoyable and i loved the setting and the magical aspect of it. the romance was also amazing i loved it

The first book was 5 star amazing. Shades of Phantom of the Opera. This one is a little different. It still has a love triangle even if it is only in my mind. The new realm is confusing. Nice twist part way thru. The author has said 2020 was a challenging year and this was hard to write. I wanted to love it, but sadly no. It ends satisfyingly but I missed the magic of the first book.

Kallia is the rising star of my 2021 ✨

Because I had such a huge reading slump from February to June, I didn’t get the chance to discover more debuts that I originally intended. But I am so glad that I have finally recovered from that long slump and I’ve been reading amazing books since. One of the books that really helped push me out of the blackhole is Where Dreams Descend by Janella Angeles. I’m still absolutely smitten by this book, the characters, writing, story, just everything about it!

And so, receiving an e-arc of the sequel, When Night Breaks had convinced me to drop my TBR and read the sequel. And let me tell you, this duology, I want to visit it, live in it, and experience it! Janella Angeles is an amazing storyteller that I felt transported to Glorian and getting to see the spectacle and magical performances. Reading When Night Breaks solidified how much I love this duology with the fantastic plot, character development, and how the story progressed and climaxed.

I love seeing Kallia from when she just left Hellfire House to who she became at the end of it all. And also seeing how Demarco’s character developed to be this reliable gentleman who cared about the people in his life. And even how Jack’s character evolved was such a pleasant surprise, I think that’s one of my favorite moments that kept me guessing until the end.

If you’ve read Where Dreams Descend and was craving more magic and mystery, When Night Breaks doesn’t fail to deliver. We find out more about why Glorian is the city that it is, and all the sinister things that is happening to it. We get thrown into this parallel world where darkness festers. If you felt the dark vibes of Glorian from the first book, then Angeles cranks up the volume in the second installment of this duology.

Huge thanks to Wednesday Books for sending me a finished copy of Where Dreams Descend and an e-arc of When Night Breaks.

Kalia, Daron, and Jack have a unique casting of characters. The ending of book one separates two of these and brings two back together, involving a mirror? Mirrors play a huge role in this two-book series that encapsulates two worlds, but which is the true one? From the fantastic competition in book one to the stakes of saving the world in book two, I was on the edge of my seat at the turn of each page. Book one magic is centered around performance magic, whereas in book two, we see magic in combat and duels. Also, the aspect that those who live in Glorian remember nothing about the time before they came to be there and masks it very easy for a puppet master or (dealer) to pull strings and have everything seem perfect on the surface. The author shares her talent of descriptions of extraordinary magical feats, flashy fashion as we travel this mirror world that Kalia and Jack fell into at the end of book one. This one doesn't disappoint, and I highly recommend it.

What a sequel. I read this in basically one day, and I couldn't seem to put it down. Much like the first book, Where Dreams Descend, this book's biggest asset is the writing, specifically when describing the world and the general aesthetic of the book. One can't help but dive deep into Soltair and Glorian and insert themselves into the jewel-incrusted, sparkling world. On every page is a shimmering description that casts a spell on the reader, allowing them to fully immerse into the story. It helps, of course, that I couldn't tear myself away, turning each page with anticipation in what would come next.

I was worried going in that it would take me awhile to latch back onto the story. When Night Breaks picks up almost immediately after the previous book ends, which helped immensely. Even though it has been over a year since I visited this world last, I was able to follow along and continue the story, which may seem like a normal thing for most readers but was a huge bonus for me. As for the characters, it was once again a joy to spend time in their heads and following their perspectives - even Jack. In fact, Kallia this time around was not nearly as intriguing for me as Daron and Jack were, It was really interesting having a perspective on both sides and in both versions of Glorian. In WDD, I couldn't decide if Jack was going to be redeemed or not - were we as readers supposed to see through his actions and end up liking him? Even now, I'm not 100% sure how I ultimately feel about him, which probably means he's a pretty good morally grey character. If I ever end up re-reading this, I look forward to seeing how my perspective changes.

One of the other strong things about this book - or a weakness, depending on your perspective and preference - is that while I found the story easy to fall back into, I also kept myself wondering until the very end. One of the key things that is ingrained into the mind of the reader from the very beginning is that anything can be an illusion - anything can be not real. It meant that I questioned everything that happened, unsure if I should take it as truth or weary that it make come back around again later. While this was really interesting and fun most of the time, it doesn't stop me wondering, even until the last page, if things were real or not. Despite this, I do like the way this story ended and wrapped up in a way that suggests that while this particular chapter has ended, the story does continue. Those are my absolute favourite type of books - those that you know continue long after you've read the last page.

I do rather wish this could have been a trilogy, but only due to my own selfishness that I could spend more time in this world. It works well as a duology, regardless. And I haven't even mentioned the plot twist! I have thoroughly enjoyed reading Janella Angeles Kingdom of Cards series and I can't wait to see what else she writes next. From now on, I'm going to have to request that everything I ever read has Moulin Rouge vibes - it only seems fair after this gem of a novel.

I wasn't crazy about this book overall. I feel like it could have been an email. It was lacking all the chemistry and competition that I thoroughly enjoyed in the first book. It almost didn't even feel like a sequel. Wasn't my favorite.

The publisher provided me with the opportunity to read this in exchange for providing feedback. (via NetGalley)

Once again, I was pretty excited to get approved for an advanced copy of the second book in this series. Overall, I enjoyed this and it moved at a pretty fast pace. Tbh I wish she ended up with a different person :P but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I'm sad the series is over!

While well written with interesting ideas, ultimately this book and duology as a whole fell rather flat for me. Maybe it’s because I love The Night Circus and Caraval so much but ultimately I just couldn’t get into this series.

I’m going to do my best to separate the second book from the first because I do think there is an improvement. Part of my dissatisfaction with the first in this series was that none of the relationships felt earned and I wasn’t invested in any of them which wasn’t as big of a problem in the second book because I sort of just took for granted the relationships because they had been there in the first book.

The world-building overall was just very confusing. I’ve now read over 800 books in this universe and still have no idea how the magic system works or how big the world is, where we even are in this world or honestly if any of it is even real and what is an illusion. That wouldn’t be a huge problem if I cared about the characters and with the exception of Jack, unfortunately, I never really got there.

That’s not to say there weren’t some good moments and I never did want to stop and not find out what happens. But ultimately it was pretty repetitive (magic battle with nebulous powers and then some catastrophe?). I’m not sure what Kallia wanted. Power? Spotlight? I wasn’t sure why she made any of the decisions she made and again all the relationships felt rushed.

The most interesting part of the duology is Jack and I really wish there had been more there. I felt a little teased by him being in the story at all and I felt like he was wasted as a character that was the most compelling part of it.

I think Angeles has a lot of potential as a writer and lots of great ideas and I will definitely be interested in reading what she writes next. I wish this duology had worked better for me. I love the moulin rouge meets the phantom of the opera angle and while the ideas were there the execution was just a bit flat for me personally.

Thank you so much to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

When Night Breaks concludes the Kingdom of Cards duology. It picks up right where the first one left off with its cliffhanger ending, and while my memory was a bit rusty, I quickly was able to get back into the rhythm of things. It builds on the promise of the first book, developing the world and the stakes, expanding on existing characters, and fleshing out current ones.

I felt more invested in the relationship between Kallia and Demarco this time around, as this book involves them being separated, and the question of whether they’ll find each other again. While physical proximity would have been more ideal, I appreciated how their relationship was conveyed with the distance. Given the toxicity with Jack’s arc in the first book, I wasn’t sure how to feel about him at first, but ultimately, he grew on me as more of his vulnerabilities came to light. I appreciated that this wasn’t the typical love triangle, and ultimately, both love interests were both fleshed out and felt like believable options.

This was an enjoyable duology, and I’m excited for what Janella Angeles writes next. If you enjoyed the first one, you won’t want to miss this one!

This is a stunning conclusion to this duology. If you liked the first book, you will enjoy following the rest of Kallia’s journey. The first book was charming, but this one did fall flat for me in some aspects. Overall, a good conclusion to the series.

I loved the first book in this series, so I was super excited when I saw that this sequel would be releasing in 2021. Having followed the author on Twitter I know that she struggled writing this sequel through the pandemic but I'm so glad she persevered and brought us more of these characters. I loved getting to see the relationships between Kallia, Demarco and Jack play out along with meeting some new characters. Fans of the first book will enjoy getting to see the conclusion of Kallia's story and learn more about her world. While the first book is still my favourite this was a fun read and I'm excited to see what the author comes out with next.

I’d like to start off with saying that I loved book 1 of this Duology. Sadly, this 2nd installment was a bit of a let down. While it had some cool elements, it did not have the charm and fun of the 1st book.

There are some undoubtably beautiful, lush descriptions in here, but I feel like too much time was spent on these and not enough spent explaining some features integral to the plot. I kept going back and re-reading thinking I must have missed something, but I hadn’t. I was confused as to what the heck was going on and by the end I felt absolutely lost.

Jack and Kallia’s arc was what I was most looking forward to, but I was left wanting to so more than what we were given. The characters, even Kallia, had a hard time coming off the page. Even the “villain” was just flat.

Although this book didn’t do it for me, I’d be excited to see what the author comes out with next based on how much I loved the 1st book.

Thank you to the publisher, Netgalley, and the author for the chance to read an early copy in exchange for an honest review

I enjoyed this sequel/conclusion, you get the same atmospheric vibes as the first book and get to see so much more from these characters.

Overall, 4 out of 5 stars

When Night Breaks is the sequel in the Kingdom of Cards duology. After the events in the competition at the end of What Dreams Descend, the three main characters, Kallia, Jack, and Daron are now dealing with the aftermath. Kallia and Jack are trapped on the other side created by magic when the Zarose gate was closed. On the other side, is Daron who is desperate to rescue Kallia. The story alternates perspectives between Jack, Daron and Kallia, so the reader follows the characters as they try to find their way back to each other and figure out the mysteries of the magic.

While Jack is familiar with this new world on the other side of the mirror in a false Glorian, Kallia has difficulty believing anything that he says after everything they have been through together. She sets out to locate The Dealer, which leads to new revelations and secrets for her to deal with on top of new plots. In this new world, the mythology and magic is further explored with some expansion from the previous novel and some new information. This style may not be for every reader as it does slow down the story a little as the information is introduced. The pacing in this story is a little slower in the beginning as there is a new world introduced and a build-up that is needed for the characters in this new situation. Once everything starts to pick up, the novel is very exciting all of the way to the end.

In this story, Jack is further explored and I loved getting to know his character. He was fairly mysterious throughout so it was nice to learn some of his secrets and how his role fits into the story. While I enjoyed Kallia and Daron, Jack is the character that stole the show for me as I became invested in his character. His character is one that you do not always know how to feel about, as he can be both likable and unlikable. I liked that he was written this way where I, as a reader, learn about his backstory, but there are still some mysteries that surround him. While this may not have aligned with my style in other novels, the way he was written worked very well in this novel.

Overall, the Kingdom of Cards duology was an interesting ride with a lot of twists and turns to entertain the reader. Both novels in the series offer something a little different, so some may love the first more and some may love the second. For me, I enjoyed the first novel, but I preferred the second as it captivated my interest a little earlier in the writing. The love triangle aspect of the novel is further explored and ends in a satisfying way that fits the story. While I was not Kallia’s biggest fan in the first novel, I greatly enjoyed her journey in this story. This duology was enjoyable and I look forward to reading more from the author in the future!

**I give a special thank you to Netgalley and the publisher, Wednesday Books, for the opportunity to read this entertaining sequel. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.**

Quote: "The Conquering Circus had brought life to the streets she’d known— but what took over these streets now felt far beyond life. It was utter pandemonium."

Pros: The novel is well written, vastly entertaining, and a perfect ending to the first book, "Where Dreams Descend." The main cast if characters are loveable, and the villains of the story are the ones you live to hate. This novel will definitely put you on a roller coaster of emotions (in the best way possible) and keep you on your toes as you enter the world of mirrors, where everything and everyone are not as they seem.

Cons: Kallia didn't end up with the person I was rooting for, so I'm a little bit salty about that.

Content Warnings: Nothing that I can think of.

Overall Rating: 5 stars

P.S. I received an arc copy to read and review before the official publishing of ths book. That being said this is an honest review with honest opinions.

What a fabulous conclusion to this duology. Where Dreams Descend left us with many unanswered questions that When Night Breaks answers in its own time. We get to see so much more of this mysterious world, the magic system and how it works, as well as the past and backstory of both characters and Glorian. The whole concept of this book is completely different than the first book, but it was still just as mesmerising.

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I first started this book. I don't think I even read the blurb because I had liked the first book so much. I found myself immersed into a completely new world that was still sort of the same. We get to meet new characters, some who we love immediately and others who we distrust. We also get to fall in love with some of the old characters even more than in the first book.

Overall, I really enjoyed this duology and definitely see myself re-reading it multiple times.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.