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jdalton's review
5.0
Thank you Netgalley and Disney publishing for a review copy of this book.
I was really excited for this book since I loved the first mirror novel. This one was so different but in a good way. I loved the setting of prohibition era New Orleans and the inclusion of social justice issues (and not making light of it either).
This book is a great continuation but also a good standalone too. I was worried about having a different author but the transition was seamless and good for the new characters introduced.
I was really excited for this book since I loved the first mirror novel. This one was so different but in a good way. I loved the setting of prohibition era New Orleans and the inclusion of social justice issues (and not making light of it either).
This book is a great continuation but also a good standalone too. I was worried about having a different author but the transition was seamless and good for the new characters introduced.
maria_elisabeth's review
4.0
4⭐ - I liked it a lot!
I liked book 1 more, but I'm happy to say, I really liked this too! Liked the 20s vibes, and the connections between the books and the magic
I liked book 1 more, but I'm happy to say, I really liked this too! Liked the 20s vibes, and the connections between the books and the magic
enchanted_reads26's review
3.0
Such a captivating story pulled me right in immediately once I started reading this. I immediately got drawn in to the life of Zora’s and her misfortunes of being away from her doting mother and now thrust into the daunting southern culture with a rude aunt and cousins. The way the author has the ability to make you feel like you’re actually in New Orleans is amazing. Dhonielles writing is immersive to the point of beauty. I haven’t read anything like this in a very long time. I loved the culture and everything put into the story. It makes you feel like you are actually there experiencing all our main character has.
literaryluxe's review
4.0
This is a fast-paced, YA romance book that centers on a young woman named Zora. First let me say that I'd encourage anyone to read Julie C. Dao's Broken Wish before you read Shattered Midnight because it seemed really obvious that this book centered on things that were set up in book 1. It won't completetly ruin the story for you but still. Shattered Midnight deals with segratation that was rampant in American in the 1920s and onward; Zora is a Black heroine whose a descendant from one of the characters in book 1. Zora is sent to New Orleans after something bad happens and then the story goes from there. I will say that I was alittle dissapointed by the ending, but since it would seem the books build on each other, I will definetly be reading book 3 to see if that is resolved. Overall I'd give it 4 stars and would definetly recommend it to folks like for a different take on a Cinderella retelling.
resslesa's review
Reminds me of The Diviners by Libby Bray. Some interesting magic elements & much shorter than Diviners. Kids will like it if they like love stories and magic and Romeo & Juliet situations. First in a series.
sunflowerscottie's review
Zora Broussard is on the run from her past. Sent from New York to New Orleans after an incident involving her magic, Zora is living a new life with a new name in the care of her Aunt Celine and her two cousins Ana and Evelyn. New Orleans is unfamiliar and filled with a different kind of magic than New York. Zora finds her place secretly singing in a club under the name Sweet Willow with her friend Jo. When one night their piano player falls ill, another man offers to play for them. A white man. It's the end of the 1920s though, and two Black women shouldn't be seen fraternizing with white men. And a Black woman certainly shouldn't fall in love with one.
Marriage between a Black woman and a white man isn't even legal, but Phillip and Zora do fall in love. Now, Zora not only has to contend with her out-of-control magic, but with her aunt, who is determined that she should become engaged to Christophe Bechet Jr, the son of one of the wealthiest Black families in the city. Events begin to spiral out of control as Zora and Phillip struggle to remain together in a society that desperately wants to keep them apart. Meanwhile, a fortune and a vision in a mirror predict doom for Zora.
Although it isn't immediately apparent that this is the second installment in a collection, it would benefit the reader to start at the actual beginning. I didn't read the first book, and I felt that it prevented my complete understanding of the narrative.
That being said!
I had some trouble picturing Zora's magic. The way it's described came across more cartoonish than I'd assume the author intended. I love the concept! I just think there was probably a way it could have been executed better in the writing. As far as music-based magic goes, the visual aspect didn't make a lot of sense for me. It also made it difficult for me to take those scenes seriously.
The love story and all of the troubles that they faced because of their feelings felt believable and true. I liked that the racism they faced wasn't used for shock factor, but that it was frank and honest. It didn't feel sugar-coated. Of course, I hated that they had to face racism, but it also wouldn't have been believable for them not to face it in the 1920s.
Zora's magic and her struggle with it was definitely a secondary aspect to the love story and Zora's more real-world problems. That part of the novel actually didn't feel wrapped up at all. An attempt was made, but it felt rushed and unsatisfactory for me. Maybe it will be better addressed in the next book, but from what I understand, the novels are all loosely connected and written by different authors, so I'm assuming not.
Overall, the novel was alright, but the ending wasn't satisfactory. In all honesty, I'm not sure I'd recommend it, and I didn't get invested enough to go back and read the first one.
Marriage between a Black woman and a white man isn't even legal, but Phillip and Zora do fall in love. Now, Zora not only has to contend with her out-of-control magic, but with her aunt, who is determined that she should become engaged to Christophe Bechet Jr, the son of one of the wealthiest Black families in the city. Events begin to spiral out of control as Zora and Phillip struggle to remain together in a society that desperately wants to keep them apart. Meanwhile, a fortune and a vision in a mirror predict doom for Zora.
Although it isn't immediately apparent that this is the second installment in a collection, it would benefit the reader to start at the actual beginning. I didn't read the first book, and I felt that it prevented my complete understanding of the narrative.
That being said!
I had some trouble picturing Zora's magic. The way it's described came across more cartoonish than I'd assume the author intended. I love the concept! I just think there was probably a way it could have been executed better in the writing. As far as music-based magic goes, the visual aspect didn't make a lot of sense for me. It also made it difficult for me to take those scenes seriously.
The love story and all of the troubles that they faced because of their feelings felt believable and true. I liked that the racism they faced wasn't used for shock factor, but that it was frank and honest. It didn't feel sugar-coated. Of course, I hated that they had to face racism, but it also wouldn't have been believable for them not to face it in the 1920s.
Zora's magic and her struggle with it was definitely a secondary aspect to the love story and Zora's more real-world problems. That part of the novel actually didn't feel wrapped up at all. An attempt was made, but it felt rushed and unsatisfactory for me. Maybe it will be better addressed in the next book, but from what I understand, the novels are all loosely connected and written by different authors, so I'm assuming not.
Overall, the novel was alright, but the ending wasn't satisfactory. In all honesty, I'm not sure I'd recommend it, and I didn't get invested enough to go back and read the first one.
josephine_jellybean's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
sapphic_swiftie's review
4.0
having read the first book in this series, [b:broken wish|52000222|Broken Wish (The Mirror, #1)|Julie C. Dao|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1586811509l/52000222._SY75_.jpg|76683194], about a year ago, i decided to pick this one up. although, both both were good, i think i liked this one just a bit better than the first one and rated it a half a star higher. i really liked the mix of magic and historical fiction in both of them and it is definitely something that makes this series so enjoyable and memorable to me. i also really liked the connections to [b:broken wish|52000222|Broken Wish (The Mirror, #1)|Julie C. Dao|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1586811509l/52000222._SY75_.jpg|76683194] and how it was mainly about zora but still talked about elva and mathlida.
one thing that kinda annoying me was that the romance kicked off a bit too soon. i would have liked to see a bit more banter and build up instead of just insta-love. however, the romance was very cute and i was rooting for zora and phillip the whole time. romance does play a major role in this book which i didn't really expect but didn't mind either. zora was just okay and kinda annoyed me at times but phillip was sweet. the author could have definitely explored his "i dont see color" and that entire conversation though.
also, i would have loved the book to bit a bit longer so we could see the story end when i did really like the setting and time period though and the struggles that the book covered though.
overall, this was a beautiful and enjoyable book! bonus points for the dedication at the beginning!! i'll be continuing the series when [b:fractured path|59568495|Fractured Path|J.C. Cervantes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637603729l/59568495._SY75_.jpg|79186120] comes out in july!
one thing that kinda annoying me was that the romance kicked off a bit too soon. i would have liked to see a bit more banter and build up instead of just insta-love. however, the romance was very cute and i was rooting for zora and phillip the whole time. romance does play a major role in this book which i didn't really expect but didn't mind either. zora was just okay and kinda annoyed me at times but phillip was sweet. the author could have definitely explored his "i dont see color" and that entire conversation though.
also, i would have loved the book to bit a bit longer so we could see the story end when
Spoiler
phillip was released from jail and the two of them were settled down in san francisco and raising their children.overall, this was a beautiful and enjoyable book! bonus points for the dedication at the beginning!! i'll be continuing the series when [b:fractured path|59568495|Fractured Path|J.C. Cervantes|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1637603729l/59568495._SY75_.jpg|79186120] comes out in july!
theflowerwitch's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lazygal's review
3.0
Apparently this is the second book in a series, but it's not clear that readers starting here will have missed anything. It's not so much a fractured fairytale as a mashup of many parts from tales like Cinderella, Rapunzel and Frog Prince, all blended into a Jambalaya and shot through with references to the highly stratified colored community in New Orleans. For me, including likeable characters would have helped: Zora is so miserable and then determined to stand on her own, refusing help, while her cousins are not-quite-ugly stepsisters but definitely accepting of society at that time. Zora's magic is also an issue, and frankly, I just didn't care.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.
eARC provided by publisher via Edelweiss.