A review by sapphic_swiftie
Shattered Midnight by Dhonielle Clayton
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!