When Night Breaks (Kingdom of Cards, #2)

by Janella Angeles

In Janella Angeles's When Night Breaks, the dramatic last act of the Kingdom of Cards duology, the stage is set, the spectacle awaits. and the show must finally come to an end.

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

After falling through the mirror, Kallia has never felt more lost, mourning everything she left behind and the boy she can't seem to forget. Only Jack, the magician who has all the answers but can't be trusted, remains at her side. Together, they must navigate a dazzling world where mirrors show memories and illusions shadow every corner, ruled by a powerful showman who's been waiting for Kallia to finally cross his stage. But beneath the glamour of dueling headliners and never-ending revelry, a sinister force falls like night over everyone, with the dark promise of more-more power beyond Kallia's wildest imagination, and at a devastating cost.

The truth will come out, a kingdom must fall, hearts will collide.

And the show must finally come to an end.

• ISBN10: 1250204321
• ISBN13: 9781250204325
• Publish Date: 5 October 2021
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Out of Print: 2 January 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: St Martin's Press
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 464
• Language: English

Reviews

I liked the previous book so much, but somehow, this one just felt purposeless. For me, it misses the charm of the first book and unfortunately, didn’t seem to connect the two stories enough. There is still no closure for Glorian, but I guess we as the reader just have to forget about that, because our main character is happy.

[Quirky Cat]

Yes! The sequel to Where Dreams Descend is finally here, and I am living for it! When Night Breaks is the second novel in Janella Angeles' Kingdom of Cards duology – and is arguably one of the most anticipated sequels of 2021. At least, for me.

Kallia is lost in the dark. Literally, at first. She's fallen into another world and once again has Jack walking at her side. That may or may not be a good thing, depending on his mood – and the secrets he keeps.

While Kallia is lost within the mirrors, Daron Demarco will stop at nothing to find his way to her. He's already lost one person to this world he cannot reach; he's not going to allow it to happen again. But how will he find his way there?

"Using magic is the pull, but forcing it on others is the push so push first. "

Before I fully dive into my review, can we just take a minute to appreciate the cover for When Night Breaks? It's stunning! (just like Where Dreams Descend). I honestly can't wait to see what the OwlCrate version looks like – I immediately ordered that copy, as I love what they did with the original.

After the cliffhanger that Where Dreams Descend left us in, you better believe that I read this book the first moment I was able to. I've been dying to see what happened to Kallia and Demarco, and I guess Jack as well.

So, it took me about a week to sit down and finally write a review for When Night Breaks. There's a lot to digest about what happened here – not to mention I had to wrap my head around saying goodbye to this world and series.

I don't know if it was just me, but it did take a little bit to really get invested in When Night Breaks. I think that's partially because, despite that cliffhanger ending, this book starts off kind of slow?

The reminder of what previously happened was refreshing, don't get me wrong. But Kallia's exploring of a new world (for lack of a better term) took a little while. We needed to understand the depth of the situation, I suppose.

Or maybe it's just all that hype and expectation I put on this book? Don't get me wrong – I still really enjoyed it. Just not as much as I had expected – or hoped. Remember, I absolutely adored Where Dreams Descend, so I was expecting the same thing to happen here.

Instead, I can only say that I enjoyed When Night Breaks. I didn't love it, but I certainly didn't hate it either. I guess what I'm trying to say is that it didn't blow me away. However, there were parts of the story that came very close.

Thanks to Wednesday Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks

[Witty and Sarcastic Bookclub]

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. When Night Breaks is available now.

When Night Breaks was not the exciting ending to the Kingdom of Cards duology that I was hoping for. It continues on right where book one leaves off, which should have made the story easy to fall into, but instead it felt a little lackluster. There was more magic, more twists, more glitter…but there didn’t seem to really be purpose or reason to it.

Kallia finds herself in a situation that is dangerous and darker than we see in book one, which should have led to some character development. I’ll be honest: I didn’t love her in Where Dreams Descend, but she was prickly in an interesting way. Unfortunately, she seemed to have lost her self-confidence, instead retreating into herself in a way that wasn’t just counter to who she was in the previous installment, but also a little boring. However, there was more of Jack who continued to be fascinating and dynamic. I’m a big fan of morally complex characters and he definitely fit the bill.

The other characters that I enjoyed in Where Dreams Descend didn’t really keep me enthralled this time around. It could be that they all worked better when they were able to interact with each other. Or maybe the situations they were in didn’t play to their flaws or strengths in a way that kept them interesting. I am not sure, but something just didn’t click for me.

The world was cool, and I enjoyed seeing more of its hazy debauchery. Everything was overtly glamorous, with a hint of something off underneath, which was fantastic. I loved the feelings and images that were brought out in the world descriptions. That was the strength of this book. Sometimes a book’s worldbuilding suffers in the second installment, but here it continued to grow and amaze. At the end of the day, though, When Night Breaks felt a little disorganized. The author is obviously talented, but this book just didn’t quite pan out for me.