This book was delightful, and it was so much darker than I expected -which is always a win in my books-. Our MC Zora was quite easy to connect with, for me it might have been the musical connection but I think it was more than that, Clayton gave us a very sympathetic character. She’s detailed, flawed, and living in a world that already judges her based on the color of her skin; now she’s fallen for a man she legally can’t be with and a power that would make the world fear her. Zora is on the run after a disastrous accident involving her magic, fleeing New York to hide in New Orleans but magic brings out her power, it is her power and she’s now surrounded by it. Her Aunt is harsh but it’s obvious she cares in the only way she knows how but I enjoyed the dynamic between them when there was a lull or a moment of sincerity; the same went for Zora’s cousins. Or at least one of her cousins.

I think it would have been great to delve into Zora’s family more, especially her mother and her magic. Book one though gives us more answers as far as Zora’s grandmother goes.

The romance between Zora and Phillip have a sweet chemistry and I wish that I would have had more of their development but I would say the purpose is to tell Zora’s story and more so her powers and her family’s legacy more than the love story. Don’t get me wrong, Phillip is important and prominent in the story, I just think that I would have loved to see more of their feelings growing.

The end of this was NOT AT ALL what I expected and I do think I’ll probably be haunted thinking about this book for the next few weeks.

Doing a clean-up of NetGalley and any long-lingering non-feedback titles! Apologies for never getting to read this; don't even think I downloaded it in time. I appreciate being approved, and do apologise again.

I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me a free advanced copy of this book to read and review.

Dhonielle Clayton is such a remarkable writer, able to capture the reader's attention quickly and sustain it throughout the book. This was a great read and I will recommend it to my readers who prefer magic/fantasy books.

One scene moves quickly to the next without losing the reader. I was entertained the whole time and I just had to see who Zora is going to end up with and how her story ends!

Shattered Midnight is the second book in the innovative four-book fantasy series The Mirror. The story takes place long after the events of the first book (Broken Wish by Julie Dao) and places readers right in the middle of the roarin’ 1920s in New Orleans. Intrigue and dangerous gangsters energize this heartfelt tale of love, lessons, and the unprecedented places that magic can take you…

There is a lot to love about New Orleans but author Dhonielle Clayton takes it to a whole new level in this story. Beautifully written with engrossing characters, Clayton transports readers to another time and place. Yet, despite some differences between 1920s Nawlins and the present, many of the same lessons and challenges remain. Readers learn a lot from Zora about sacrifice, the pursuit of purpose, embracing one’s talents, confronting terrors of the past and the importance of pursuing a path forward, despite how tumultuous and controversial one’s choices may seem at the time.

Zora has no interest in preparing for the upcoming debutante season, much to the chagrin of her insistent Aunt Celine. At night she secretly performs under the stage name “Sweet Willow.”. For Zora, music is a calling, a passion, a talent… and also a conduit for magic. (Her grandmother, Mathilda, who fans of the series have already been introduced to in book one, Broken Wish, is responsible for passing this powerful magic down to Zora.) Zora is intent on banishing her magic to protect those around her.

These and many other examples throughout illustrate the conflict – both internal and external – that Zora faces and the difficult choices she must make. Prejudice, promises, secrets and strength are key ingredients to the tale and are consistently executed in an engaging, original and significant way. Readers will be inspired to challenge themselves and hopefully to learn from the trials and tribulations encountered in this enchanting book.

*Will be published August 24th

After reading The Broken Wish, I was excited to continue this series and see how the curse played out. Although I think there's a special magic to the first book, I still enjoyed this one and found myself eager to continue.

Shattered Midnight is set in New Orleans during the segregation era. Enter Zora, a young Black woman who is eager to get a new start after a disastrous magically accident back home. Now living with her bossy aunt and nosey cousins, Zora tries to find her place in a world concerned with appearances. While finding refuge in her music, she meets a young man that changes everything.

As I mentioned, this book didn't have quite the same feeling as the first. The Broken Wish came off as more of a fairytale, but Shattered Midnight doesn't feel that way. It's a little bit of a disappointment but the story was still good. There are still some similarities. Just as Mathilda and Elva had to worry about prejudice against magic in Hanu, Zora has to deal with racism and sexism in her time. Both books have their protagonists struggling with fitting into society's standards. I thought the author did an excellent job of setting the scene and capturing the attitudes and challenges of that time.

Another difference in this book was the romance. In The Broken Wish, the romance was secondary to the friendship between Elva and Mathilda. This time, the romance is more central to the story. It was a little more insta-love than I would have liked, but it was still well done.

Something I really enjoyed in this book was all the references to the previous book. The passing mentions of characters or events from the past book made me excited. I liked catching onto the references and seeing the way Zora and Phillip connected back to the original story.

The ending had some great twists that had me racing to the end of the book. I honestly had a lot of fun even if things didn't end on the best note for everyone. It made me even more excited to check out the rest of the series when it comes out. This was a solid sequel and I'm glad to have continued the series. I would definitely recommend continuing it if you were on the fence!

OH MY GOODNESS!! This is such a great fantasy read! I cannot begin to express how much I loved this read and how magical it was. The prefect fantasy read for YA and even NA readers

1928: Zora Broussard has moved to New Orleans to live with her aunt and cousins after causing a tragic accident with her magic in New York. She brought her grandmother’s red slippers to protect her. Her only escape from her family is when she sneaks out to a club to sing, but she has to be careful to follow the rules imposed on her as a Black woman in the South. Zora’s magic comes out through her music, so she has to work to not lose control. She meets Phillip, a white pianist, at the club and everything changes. Phillip has a magic mirror that was passed down through his family, which shows him the future, including a woman lying in a coffin with Zora’s red slippers. Zora is scared of causing another accident with her magic so she makes a deal to get rid of her magic. She must find a bigger solution to her forbidden romance with Phillip so they can be together.

This is the second book in The Mirror series. This series tells the story of a family through generations. The first one was about Zora’s grandparents, who were mentioned many times in this book. I love how it shows how stories and mementos are passed down through a family, with some magic added in too.

There seemed to be a lot of important plot points introduced and continued in this story. The mirror was continued from the first story, but there were some new things that Zora had to deal with in this story. There was a mysterious crow and snake symbol that appeared too. I’m really curious to see where this story goes with the next generation.

Shattered Mirror is a great fairy-tale style story!

Thank you Disney for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Quick paced and easy to read about Zora and her magic escaping her past. She tries to let go of her magic but realizes it’s so much more. I thought it was a great paced book until the end, where it ended abruptly! I’m hoping her story line is continued in the next book in the series, as I want to find out what happens next to Zora (aka Sadie). Dhonielle Clayton is a wonderful writer and this one is no exception. I read this along with listening to the audiobook and the narrator definitely helped keep my interest.

Shattered Midnight is a story about generational curses, accepting yourself, and making your own choices.

This is the second book in The Mirror series. I love that this series has a different author for each book. I’ve never read a book by Clayton before, but I’ve heard good things. I was little worried that I wouldn’t enjoy this one as much as I did the first. However, I didn’t have anything to worry about. While the story does have a little less of the fairytale quality I enjoyed in the first book, its still really good. It’s well paced, and Clayton added her own touches to the story that made it unique and different while including characters and elements from the first book.

Zora is a great character. She knows what she is passionate about and follows her own path even when the choices she is making are not the “safe” choices. She is passionate about music and falls for a boy who is also passionate about music. The problem is that he is white and she is black in 1920’s New Orleans. A future together seems impossible. Throw in family curses, volatile magic, and magical objects that dangerous people will do anything to acquire, and you know this can’t possibly end well.

If you enjoy fairytales, YA fantasy, and unique storytelling, this is a fun and easy read. I do recommend beginning with book 1 though. You could read this story on its own, but there are characters and parts of the story that are better understood if you have read the first book.

Can’t wait to read the next book! Thank-you Dhonielle Clayton, Disney-Hyperion, and Netgalley for allowing me to access this free arc in exchange for an honest review!

Shattered Midnight picks up after the events in Broken Wish, the first book in The Mirror series. It was neat to follow Zora and Phillip, who were the descendants of Mathilda and Agnes from the first book, and see how the magic of their families has impacted their lives. This book can be read as a standalone, but it definitely gives more context to the magic and universe if you've read Broken Wish first.

I love that this book was set in the jazz age, and that Zora's powers involved singing and music. The story being set in New Orleans of course made me think of Tiana, especially because these books have bits of fairy tales woven in throughout. It was also interesting to see how race was addressed in the book, especially with the relationship between Zora and Phillip. I think the author handled this well and didn't shy away from how dangerous interracial relationships were back in the early 20th century.

For the most part, I enjoyed Shattered Midnight. I think the best bits were the little Easter eggs of fairy tales that are sprinkled throughout the book. There's a part where Zora contemplates giving up her magic, including her singing, in order to keep herself safe. That definitley felt inspired by The Little Mermaid. Also, Zora lived with her aunt and cousins, which often gave some Cinderella vibes.

I do wish this book had a bit more magic though, and that Zora could have actually used her powers without literally demolishing a space with her telekinetic power. I know she was forbidden from using magic by her mother, but her grandmother did still train her and her own mother had magical abilities. It seems like she was more dangerous because she was untrained, which seems like a weird way to be raised when your whole family is full of witches.

I will likely continue on in the series because so far these books have ended without a happy ending, and I'm determined to see these families finally have some peace.

I absolutely loved this book! I originally selected the book based on the author and cover alone. When the story started and I found it was a period piece in New Orleans, I was intrigued. This is actually book two in the series, I did not read book one, and still found the storyline engaging.

The main character is a young lady with a big gift and seemingly emotionally unstable. She is running from a life changing event that could cost her her life. She runs right into another spider's web, if you will. She arrives in New Orleans to hide at a relative's house. The persona that is the aunt she stayed with, screams of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat. There was a huge segment of the plot dedicated to the formal introduction of ladies into society, courting, and the problem with pride. Not to mention a true forbidden romance.

I am very excited to share this book with students and fellow readers. I can't wait to get my hands on book three.

I liked both installments of the Mirror series, but I actually preferred this one a bit more. Although they both have an eerie fairytale vibe, this one’s forbidden romance had a bit more emotional punch most likely due to the time period and New Orleans setting. I didn’t always understand or agree with the protagonist’s motives or actions, but I also have empathy for her since I cannot even conceptualize her predicament. “Shattered Midnight”is my Dhonielle Clayton book and I’m eager for more.

Thank you Disney Publishing Worldwide and NetGalley for this eARC!

4.5/5 stars!

This installment of The Mirror saga confirmed my love for the series, although I did love the first book more. This was a fresh take on a background/area that isn't widely used in the genre (but the location/time period made this feel reminiscent of The Princess & the Frog, one of my favorites!). The writing was beautiful as always, and Dhonielle made it extremely easy to picture each scene vividly and follow the plot quite easily. There was so much drama! I loved that the romance was the big focus in this book, although with the time period Zora and Phillip experienced one of the most painful aspects of a biracial couple at that time. But the romance being forbidden made each moment that much sweeter! I truly love how each author is bringing something unique to this sprawling story, all the while still feeling very cohesive! Can't wait for book 3!

This was the second in the Mirror series. I didn't like the second book as much as the first. It felt really short and I didn't get a really good grasp on who Zora really was.

I'm not too surprised that I really enjoyed reading Shattered Midnight, first because I love fairy tales and loved the first book in this series, and also because I'm a huge fan of Dhonielle Clayton. This story takes place a few decades after the first book and is set in a completely different setting, but the stories are still very much connected through looking at the curse that following the same family. One of the things I love about this book is that the story definitely feels connected to the one before it, but it's also a really strong story on it's own.

I love a fairy tale retelling and I love Dhonielle Clayton so I knew this book couldn’t go wrong! I was worried that not having read the first in the series would be a problem but it was so easy to fall into Zora’s character and story and now I desperately want to go to New Orleans! As always the authors gorgeous language and descriptions transports you to 1920’s New Orleans where an interracial relationship was downright dangerous. The evil stepmother walks a line of being hated and seeming over protective with “decent” motives which makes the reader question everything they knew about the original tale. Another great book by Dhonielle Clayton.

I love Dhonielle’s writing. I loved Broken Wish and loved Shattered Mirror. Each author is bringing this unique cultural feel to some much needed updated fairytales. This books was a fresh take on a untapped backdrop for a fairytale. This was unique and had that southern draw and history woven throughout. I would definitely recommend this story. I am giving this novel 4 out of 5 stars.