I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

It's always interesting to get rejected to read the first book in a series, but then get accepted to not only read but be able to listen to the sequel. So, yes, I was surprised to see my acceptance for both the ebook and audiobook of Shattered Midnight.

First, we were in Germany. Now we are in New Orleans. Luckily, we are still visiting the same world but with different characters. Just like the first book, I definitely fell in love with everything. Whether it was the world building, the characters, or just overall book - it was so easy to follow and picture it at the same time. Even though we don't get as much betrayal like we did in the first book, we still got plenty of it. As well as the drama. Oh man, so much drama.

Then there's the romance. I honestly love forbidden ones and it was definitely interesting to see how things played out here. Zora and Phillip had obvious chemistry, but things weren't exactly easy for them. Especially when it comes to the color of their skin. Luckily for them, love doesn't see color and I was all for their romance. Even if the time they were living in wasn't.

In the end, I was not prepared for how this was going to end. I went through so many emotions throughout this book and I'm still in recovery. I'm definitely excited for the third book to come out because I just need more from this series.

Shattered Midnight, the second book in the four-book Mirror fairytale series, (Book 1: Broken Wish by Julie C. Dao) introduces Zora Broussard, a young Black teen who flees to New Orleans from New York during the 1920s, after her magic causes a deadly accident. Living with her Aunt Celine, a high society maven, Zora is expected to become a debutante; however, she sneaks out at night to sing in jazz clubs as "Sweet Willow." Fearing she will cause more harm, she bargains with a local conjure woman to take away her magic. However, in return she must give up her music, which is her connection to Phillip, a White pianist with whom she has fallen in love. Phillip is determined to be with her despite the racial segregation of the era. Zora must decided how love, magic and music figure into her future happiness. What to keep and what to give up.

I did not like this entry of the series as much as the others. I love the setting and the characters, but the plot was slow and unexciting. The use of magic was not enough to my liking and often traveled into the cliche of interracial couples.

Compared to the first entry in the series, it's a disappointment. But as its own story, there are a few strong points but very ordinary.

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.

I really enjoyed the first book in this series, but I think I like this one even more! It was interesting to see from the perspective of Zora, the Black protagonist who is living in New Orleans during segregation of the 1920s. I really enjoyed her character, as well as the other characters in the story. They all were well developed and multi-faceted, especially for the genre. I love how the series is multigenerational and it was fun to figure out exactly how the main characters fit into the timeline from the previous book. This is the first book I have read by Dhonielle and I really enjoyed her writing! I'm excited to see what the next book brings, as this one definitely left off on a cliffhanger!

Shattered midnight is the second installment in the mirrors series with the first book being broken wish by Julie c dao! This series has 4 different authors which I find really unique compare to other book series.
So in this second installment we follow different characters but set in the same world but this time we r new oreleans! The writing in this book was beautiful! I was able to picture everything Clayton was talking about even though I haven’t been to New Orleans! There was a twist in the middle of the book that I didn’t see coming so that is a good sign and this cliffhanger! I need book 3 asap! Overall rating 4/5 stars! If u liked the diviners series I think u will like this series but especially shattered midnight because it’s set in 1920’s! Thank u to Disney books and Jamie for sending me a finished copy but all thoughts r my own! #shatteredmidnight #dhoneilleclayton #disneybooks #letstalkya #rockstarbooktour #yalit #themirrorseries #fairytale #diversereads #historicalfiction #bookworm #bookish #bookreview #igreads

i think my biggest issue and the things that confused me the most was the magic system. like, i feel like they kind of thrown you into this series/book, and that they never really explained it to well, and it literally didn't make sense. like, i feel like this book felt like a really bad hulk fanfiction, since i think her magic was like she got mad and blew things up, which was just stupid, but i don't even know if that is right since they didn't really explain it.

with that, i know that this book is part of a series, and i have read the first book, so i kind of expected it do be kind of the same vibe. but, i feel like they didn't do that? like i know that this was a generation story, like each of the book has the same family but in different generations, which i think is cool. but, i feel like the magic system was not explained and that they needed to have it been better and not have it been so confusing, since i guarantee you with the story and the magic would change with all these years between the two books.

but, at the same time, i feel like they did try to make the plot and the magic to be this main plot in the book. like, i feel like they spent so much time, yet not enough time on this same plot and that this book had like nothing happening. like, i feel that they spent so much time, and yet nothing made sense or like happened. like, i feel like they would literally talk in circles in this book, and that instead of talking about the music system in a new way, or like add new ideas, but instead they just talk about the same things again and again.

personally, i feel like that this book had zero development for the characters. like, this story was so romance and magic heavy, that i feel like they didn't develop the characters and this relationships. personally, to me this felt like this book was just this romance book and this fantasy book, with some random characters that nobody really cares about being the 'face' of this book.

with the development, i feel like the only 'development' of this book was that zora learned to love her magic, and that now she likes it, or at least a little bit, and that she knows how to control everything about it. which, i honestly didn't hate, since her going on and on about how much she hated her magic got to be annoying. and the only other thing was that could be considered 'development' was that they had this whole love cured racism, which literally annoyed me so much since they thought getting married would solve literally everything, which was annoying.

then with the romance, i feel like my biggest issue with romance that takes place in a book that only happens in a matter of days/weeks, is that they have zero chemistry. like, i feel that they barely knew each other, and that the only reason phillip was drawn to zora was that she wasn't this rich white girl and played some sort of instrument/sang very well, and that zora really just liked him cause he was nice to her, which got so annoying and i just hated. like, they could barely talk about each other and what their likes and dislikes were, it was just kind of basic crap that got to be on my nerves. and like i feel like the romance was just so half ass and so much of them was just them horny and just that each other was attractive.

with the characters, i feel like zora was decent. but, i feel like she was just kind of basic, like i really did like her passion for her music and how much she loved it, which i honestly loved so much. and i think that her love for her family, mainly her mother and grandmother, which was another cool thing about her. but, other than that, i feel like she was just so bland and boring, and that all she did in here was bitch and moan about how she hates her life in this new city and how she wants to be famous, kind of this massive cycle, that got to be so annoying.

but, then with phillip, who is arguable the second biggest character in this book, we knew nothing about him. like literally nothing. i don't remember if they talked about what he looked like, which i don't even think they did. but, even besides that, all that we knew about him was that he's white, his family is rich, and he has a red car. like, that was it. literally. like this man was supposed to be this guy we like and can see the romance take off with, but we didn't even know his eye color.

This is the second installment in the Mirror series. Each book has ties to magic and a mysterious mirror and each installment is written by a different author which I think is a super awesome way to do a series. The books move forward in time and have different characters but each has the magic/mirror link. The first book-Broken Wish by Julie C. Dao followed Elva in 1860's Hanau, Germany. Shattered Midnight introduces us to Zora Broussard in 1920's New Orleans. Zora is a talented singer who was sent to live with relatives in New Orleans after a tragic accident in New York. Her Aunt wants Zora to be a proper lady and settle down but Zora is drawn to her love of music and the jazz clubs of New Orleans that make her feel truly alive. It is at one of these clubs that she meets Philip-a white pianist-and they are connected more than they know. Zora must navigate the segregated south while trying to keep a lid on her magic and getting caught up on her forbidden romance with Philip. I loved the first book in this series and I really liked this one too! Love that each is in a different time period with different characters sharing a common thread. Unique and great for YA fantasy lovers!

I really enjoyed this book and I really want to read more books from this author in the future. I really loved the book cover as well.

i know the book is out already but i needed a moment to process it before i gave a review. thank you so much Disney-Hyperion and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

now, to be honest, i don't even know where to begin with this book. i was immediately hooked with the setting being in new orleans and when it was pitched as having elements from the princess and the frog, i knew that it needed to be read, and of course, it didn't disappoint. Zora, the main character--has a magical gift for music, plays the trumpet like a pro, and was sent to live with her aunt and cousins because of a terrible accident.

all for her to make a decision whether or not she will keep her power. now, i won't say the result, because no one likes a spoiled book, but i will say that Dhonielle Clayton never disappoints with her writing and this story had me reading it into the wee hours.

Shattered Midnight is the second book in The Mirror series by Dhonielle Clayton. A young adult fantasy that is sure to take readers on a roller coaster of emotions in this fast-paced, romantic thrill ride. I can't wait to read more from the author.

While I did realize that this book was the second in the series when I requested it, I did not realize that it could not be read like a standalone story. I'm so lost and confused that I have to put this book down, track down a copy of the first book in this series, start that, and then read this one. Hopefully, it will make more sense after that because I do not want to DNF this book. 3 stars for now because I have hope but my final rating may change upon re-read.

Thank you to Disney Publishing for sending me a digital ARC copy on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know what it was, but I couldn't get into the mood of this book. Maybe it's because I loved her other series and they had such rich description and engaging characters--but this one just didn't draw me in.

I enjoyed reading it, largely because the idea of the story being told across four different authors and four different generations of the characters is so intriguing.

I really enjoyed Dhonielle Clayton's The Belle's books — including both on my holiday 2018 and 2019 gift guides — and was hoping for a similar reading experience with The Mirror Shattered Midnight.

I started reading The Mirror Shattered Midnight last year ahead of its original release date. I was about 2/3 through when the date changed. Because I didn't particularly feel a connection with the book, I decided to move on to something else and come back with fresh eyes closer to its new date.

I tried. I really tried to make it through, but I found myself not caring about the characters. I was never sure of the plot, and the pacing felt slow. I think what bothered me the most, though, was how unrelated it felt to Julie C. Dao’s The Mirror: Broken Wish. This disconnect really threw me off.

Sometimes you just don't click with a book. That's the case here. I did not finish.

Shattered Midnight is the sequel to Broken Wish. Zora is living with her mean aunt and spoiled cousins in New Orleans. She sneaks out of the house to sing at jazz clubs. She falls in love with a new piano player named Phillip, but they cannot be together because they are of two different races. Could the two be together when society tries to pull them apart?

Zora is a very likable character. She had magic running through her veins. However, she doesn’t know how to control it. Because her magic was a mystery, she is afraid of it and wants to get rid of it. Throughout the novel, she struggles to accept who she is and comes to embrace her gift. I also find Zora to be a strong-willed character. She was always fighting for her love and happiness. I find the relationship between Zora and Phillip to be the most interesting. It is forbidden in the 1920s to have an interracial romance. They know the consequences of what would happen if they were caught. Yet, they are determined to fight society to be together. I could not help but wish for a happy ending for them!

Overall, this novel is about segregation, interracial romance and jazz music! The only things I did not like about this novel was that aside from Zora, the rest of the characters were not developed. Also, I would like more details about Zora’s magic! Still, this was a magical love story! The best part of the novel was the author’s lush descriptions of 1920s New Orleans. The setting quickly lulled me into the enchanting story! Shattered Midnight stayed with me long after I finished the last page! I can’t wait to read the sequel, which seems a long way from now! I recommend Shattered Midnight for fans of Evangeline of the Bayou, Labyrinth Lost, and These Violent Delights!

This second installment of “The Mirror” sees us move forward in time to the descendants of characters from the first book. They are still reaping the consequences of the bad decisions made in the first book, even though much of that history has been lost to them. Important relics—Mathilda’s mirrors—remain.

Because the characters don’t know the full history, they are doomed to make similar mistakes. Zora breaks a promise, and, once again, the outcome is not good.

Dhonielle Clayton also brings in important social issues of race. This book is set in Prohibition-era New Orleans, and the racial issues of the time and place are an important part of what drives the action.

As with the first book, things are not tidy. Once again, the heroine is betrayed by a man she trusted.

The ending to this book is a happier one than the first, but it is definitely far from a happy ending.

This book is the second in a planned four-book series, each from a different author. There has been some foreshadowing of what’s to come. I can’t wait to see where it goes next.

Possible Objectionable Material:
Magic. Drinking. Sneaking around. One character works with the Mob. Prejudice. If you don’t want to think about racial prejudice of the past, you might be made uncomfortable.

Who Might Like This Book:
This one has less of a fairytale feel, but magic is still an important factor. Those who like stories that span generations.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book also reviewed at https://biblioquacious.blogspot.com/2022/01/for-fans-of-less-than-happy-endings.html

In this entry of a series from Disney, we go back in time to the late 1920s and encounter Zora (an alias), a young Black woman who escapes New York following a magical accident that leaves her pursued by police, taking up residence with her aunt and cousins in New Orleans. Her aunt is strict and traditional, but Zora does manage to escape some of the restrictions placed on her by sneaking out of the house and singing in nightclubs, buoyed by her musical magic. When she encounters a young white man, her plans for flying under the radar in New Orleans take an unexpected turn.

While this is a book in a series, my understanding is that they are interconnected but not necessarily a continuation of each other, so I did not read the first in the series, which was actually fine. I have loved Dhonielle Clayton's work in the past, but this one just fell completely flat for me. I liked the New Orleans atmosphere and I think the representation and confrontation of big topics was incredibly poignant. Zora/Sadie is multiracial, and has a white grandmother, but in the 1920s, interracial relationships were still illegal so her budding romance with a young white man allows us a glimpse into the history of how fraught that situation was. I appreciated the look at family legacy and generational memory, which is a particular favourite of mine to read in books. I loved the adoration and exaltation of music, especially as a celebration of Black culture.

But overall, the characters really took a back seat to the plot here. The lead characters Zora and Philip felt barely developed, and the side characters were entirely one dimensional to me. Especially thinking about someone like the character Jo, presumably a friend to Zora, who has no personality or existence other than to serve as a sidekick to Zora, and ultimately killed as a result. I did not feel a sense of attachment to any of them because they didn't feel real, which was definitely not the case for me with Clayton's other work I've read. I'm not disappointed I read it, but I will not be reading the other books in the series, as I think there's likely an overarching plotline that is the target, and for me, all other elements of craft seem to be falling to accomplish that.

This book was gorgeously written and so atmospheric. I really adored the setting of 1920's New Orleans, as well as the amazing main character Zora and her story. This is my first book from Dhonielle Clayton and I literally felt transported into the world like I was there with Zora. Can't wait to continue this series with the next installment.

It was really hard to connect to the characters in this book. The story felt disjointed and the characters were an after thought to the main plot point of the curse. There aren't a lot of answers to the curse and it ends on a cliff hanger. But being in NOLA was good, it captured the essence of the city and was set during segregation. This also leads to a main plot point that I need to know the end of.

Thank you Disney Publishing Worldwide for sending me an eARC courtesy of Netgalley for reviewing and sharing. This by no means has affected this review; all thoughts and opinions are my own.

*4.5 stars*

CW:
- Fade to black romance scene
- Deadly fire
- Death

"'My papa thinks God gave colored people jazz and the blues to deal with all the mess in this world. Gave them something to ease the pain. That it was our divine melody buried deep in our marrow.'"

Shattered Midnight by Dhonielle Clayton was SO much better than its predecessor The Broken Wish. It read more easily, kept my attention, and was well-written. First, Clayton did an excellent job of mixing in the backstory so that it smoothed with Zora's (the MC) narrative and the worldbuilding. While I thought The Broken Wish read more like middle-grade, this was most definitely YA (young adult).

I believe this was supposed to be a Cinderella retelling, but in the 1920s South (which was not a friendly place at the times for African Americans). The historical aspect was entirely correct, which I'm glad Clayton held nothing back. It added to the story of how wrong the way African-Americans were treated pre-1950. The fact that Zora was in love with a white man named Phillip (which was illegal at the time) brought through a little bit of the Cinderella retelling since he brought her up the noble scale (in a way). The rest of the Cinderella retelling was brought through the magic shoes that allowed Zora to do her thing - escape her aunt's home on quiet feet so she could sing as Sweet Willow.

There were two things I disliked - the side characters and the tie-in of Phillip's family/Zora's reaction. First, the side characters. We saw them often, but I didn't really connect to them, not even the love interests (which there IS a mini-love triangle). They just seemed so flat, and I know they don't NEED to be dynamic to be good characters. I just wish they had more personality. Then the tie-in of Phillip's family . . . somewhere along the line, he is related to the main character from The Broken Wish and his family is from Germany. They are plagued by the same curse her family was - one out of every three good things turns into a bad thing. When Phillip told Zora of his family's magic mirror, I don't know why she didn't inquire what the curse meant or where their magic came from. Zora was observant and smart, so it seems strange to me that she didn't ask him further about his heritage.

The ending was SO cruel, just like the first one was. I won't say anything so I don't spoil anything, but how DARE they betray her. And noooooooooooooooooo *insert crying emoji* By the end of this series, all of these heartbreaking endings BETTER be fixed. I'd recommend this book for anyone who loves fairytales, 1920s jazz, defying the odds, New Orleans/Louisiana, history, and magic.