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worldsunlikeourown's review
3.0
Find this review and more on my blog at Worlds Unlike Our Own.
Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
With the chaotic conclusion of the Spectaculore, Daron Demarco’s secret has been revealed and is headline news. But he is more focused on finding Kallia, who fell through a mirror during her final performance and is now trapped in another world with Jack, whose motives are still suspect. This mirror world is a dazzling place, but it also has its dangerous side, ruled by a powerful magician known as the Dealer who has sinister plans. With her magic depleted, Kallia must survive in this new world as Daron sets out on a deadly journey to reach her. But time is running out quickly and Kallia has to figure out a way to escape.
This is definitely a long overdue review as I’ve been trying to piece it together for ages. It was a hard one to write, because while there was a lot I liked about this book and series and the concept had so much potential, the execution was lacking and it made for a very frustrating read. It has been a very long time since I’ve struggled this much with a book. However, I loved the world building in this sequel, and I must admit, it’s the first time I’ve seen a sequel build a second world from scratch. The author has done a fantastic job of it, creating a parallel mirror world to the real Glorian outside and the descriptions are rich in detail, really bringing to life the illusions, duels and more.
Kallia’s arc was definitely the more interesting one and I honestly didn’t care about what Daron was doing until over half the book was done. In Glorian, Kallia was the star of the show, so it was interesting to watch her find her footing in the mirror world where she is just one among many. The connection between Kallia and Daron that was such a great part of the first book was almost entirely missing this time as they are separated until well past the 70% mark. Jack’s story was finally revealed too – and it was quite unexpected, nothing even close to what I’d predicted after book one – along with more details about Kallia’s origins and the truth behind Daron’s powers, or lack thereof.
Now for what didn’t work for me. For starters, this book was entirely too long and between the painfully slow pace and a lot of what felt like filler content, I was thoroughly bored for a significant chunk of this and it frankly ruined the reading experience. With a new world also came a whole new cast of characters, very ambitious for the finale, and while they were intriguing characters, there simply wasn’t enough time to fully understand and appreciate them. I’m hoping much of this is because I read an ARC, but this one fell pretty flat for me.
The ending was pretty exciting and I liked how things were wrapped up, it’s just a pity it took so long to get there, and there wasn’t much left by that point either. Overall, while the plot behind this book was a good one, it didn’t live up to expectations and it just did not work for me. Nonetheless, this series was an interesting read, and if you’re a fan of Caraval, I would recommend checking it out!
Thank you to the publisher, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
With the chaotic conclusion of the Spectaculore, Daron Demarco’s secret has been revealed and is headline news. But he is more focused on finding Kallia, who fell through a mirror during her final performance and is now trapped in another world with Jack, whose motives are still suspect. This mirror world is a dazzling place, but it also has its dangerous side, ruled by a powerful magician known as the Dealer who has sinister plans. With her magic depleted, Kallia must survive in this new world as Daron sets out on a deadly journey to reach her. But time is running out quickly and Kallia has to figure out a way to escape.
This is definitely a long overdue review as I’ve been trying to piece it together for ages. It was a hard one to write, because while there was a lot I liked about this book and series and the concept had so much potential, the execution was lacking and it made for a very frustrating read. It has been a very long time since I’ve struggled this much with a book. However, I loved the world building in this sequel, and I must admit, it’s the first time I’ve seen a sequel build a second world from scratch. The author has done a fantastic job of it, creating a parallel mirror world to the real Glorian outside and the descriptions are rich in detail, really bringing to life the illusions, duels and more.
Kallia’s arc was definitely the more interesting one and I honestly didn’t care about what Daron was doing until over half the book was done. In Glorian, Kallia was the star of the show, so it was interesting to watch her find her footing in the mirror world where she is just one among many. The connection between Kallia and Daron that was such a great part of the first book was almost entirely missing this time as they are separated until well past the 70% mark. Jack’s story was finally revealed too – and it was quite unexpected, nothing even close to what I’d predicted after book one – along with more details about Kallia’s origins and the truth behind Daron’s powers, or lack thereof.
Now for what didn’t work for me. For starters, this book was entirely too long and between the painfully slow pace and a lot of what felt like filler content, I was thoroughly bored for a significant chunk of this and it frankly ruined the reading experience. With a new world also came a whole new cast of characters, very ambitious for the finale, and while they were intriguing characters, there simply wasn’t enough time to fully understand and appreciate them. I’m hoping much of this is because I read an ARC, but this one fell pretty flat for me.
The ending was pretty exciting and I liked how things were wrapped up, it’s just a pity it took so long to get there, and there wasn’t much left by that point either. Overall, while the plot behind this book was a good one, it didn’t live up to expectations and it just did not work for me. Nonetheless, this series was an interesting read, and if you’re a fan of Caraval, I would recommend checking it out!
she_who_reads_ya_books's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm going to be 100% honest and say at the start of the book, I thought I wouldn't like it. I thought that nothing could compare to the first book, mostly because I didn't think the POVs would be as good.
Can I tell you how wrong I was?
One thing I must say is that if you are a world building type of person, THIS SERIES IS FOR YOU. She literally writes worlds like we live in them, and you feel like you are apart of them.
As for the characters, I don't feel like they went in depth as the previous book, and did feel the ending was rushed, but I adored the world building so so much.
I feel like this series would do really well with a spin off series. I think it's just so amazing that it needs more, and also I need my fav character to get his happy ending as well.
I would definitely check this series out! It's refreshing in the fantasy category. I do feel like this is more fantasy than book #1 for reference tho!
Signing off, your fav book reviewer Tatiana
Can I tell you how wrong I was?
One thing I must say is that if you are a world building type of person, THIS SERIES IS FOR YOU. She literally writes worlds like we live in them, and you feel like you are apart of them.
As for the characters, I don't feel like they went in depth as the previous book, and did feel the ending was rushed, but I adored the world building so so much.
I feel like this series would do really well with a spin off series. I think it's just so amazing that it needs more, and also I need my fav character to get his happy ending as well.
I would definitely check this series out! It's refreshing in the fantasy category. I do feel like this is more fantasy than book #1 for reference tho!
Signing off, your fav book reviewer Tatiana
ws_bookclub's review
2.0
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.
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.
repha's review against another edition
3.0
Am I the only one who didn’t understand that ending ??? I’m so confused.
bookishbasma's review against another edition
4.0
This was an excellent sequel and a stunning end to the duology!
After the first book ended on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger, I was super eager for this book and it truly knocked it out of the park. The fast-paced, on-the-edge-of-your-seat writing from the first book is maintained in this one, and the stakes have gotten even higher. There was a surprising amount of world building done for a second book but it fit right in, and the additions expanded the world well. If you're looking for a continuation of the magic, mystery and phenomenal characterization (because this is where Janella Angeles THRIVES in my opinion), this was a fantastic read!
I received an e-arc of this title from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
After the first book ended on a jaw-dropping cliffhanger, I was super eager for this book and it truly knocked it out of the park. The fast-paced, on-the-edge-of-your-seat writing from the first book is maintained in this one, and the stakes have gotten even higher. There was a surprising amount of world building done for a second book but it fit right in, and the additions expanded the world well. If you're looking for a continuation of the magic, mystery and phenomenal characterization (because this is where Janella Angeles THRIVES in my opinion), this was a fantastic read!
I received an e-arc of this title from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
callsignsongbird's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
magicallyshawna's review
4.0
“Take me home”
This review is a bit of a mess because I honestly don’t know how I feel about this book.
I have to say I feel this sequel was lacking a bit of magic and could have been trimmed down.
I felt like there were some plot points that did not get fully explained.. such as how Kallia defeated the devils and how the gate sent them both home.. unfortunately this story just fell short for me.
“Where dreams descend” has excitement and twists around every corner where as this book felt like we were set on cruise control the entire book.
Here are the points I enjoyed:
I Enjoyed the different POV’s
I’m glad we got to see characters we only previously heard about like the Patrons
I’m happy we found out where Kallia came from. I had a feeling she would be apart of one of the families of glorian but was a little disappointed she chose not to get her early memories back.
There were so many shocking truths revealed! Such as jack being an illusion/magician the whole time (his character growth was great) and finding out all the patrons did.. which was another plot point that never really got summed up.. who exposed the patrons??
I loved the diamond rings and their names. I had a feeling we were going to meet Eva on the other side and I was pretty surprised she was the ever cruel vain
“I don’t want to fight anymore”
I loved the scenes with demarco and Kallia. That was probably my favorite part of the book. I think maybe this is part of the reason i didn’t enjoy it as much, because their relationship was great and it was hardly existent in this sequel.
This review is a bit of a mess because I honestly don’t know how I feel about this book.
I have to say I feel this sequel was lacking a bit of magic and could have been trimmed down.
I felt like there were some plot points that did not get fully explained.. such as how Kallia defeated the devils and how the gate sent them both home.. unfortunately this story just fell short for me.
“Where dreams descend” has excitement and twists around every corner where as this book felt like we were set on cruise control the entire book.
Here are the points I enjoyed:
I Enjoyed the different POV’s
I’m glad we got to see characters we only previously heard about like the Patrons
I’m happy we found out where Kallia came from. I had a feeling she would be apart of one of the families of glorian but was a little disappointed she chose not to get her early memories back.
There were so many shocking truths revealed! Such as jack being an illusion/magician the whole time (his character growth was great) and finding out all the patrons did.. which was another plot point that never really got summed up.. who exposed the patrons??
I loved the diamond rings and their names. I had a feeling we were going to meet Eva on the other side and I was pretty surprised she was the ever cruel vain
“I don’t want to fight anymore”
I loved the scenes with demarco and Kallia. That was probably my favorite part of the book. I think maybe this is part of the reason i didn’t enjoy it as much, because their relationship was great and it was hardly existent in this sequel.