The story of Cinderella has been told time and time again, but in Dhonielle Clayton’s Shattered Midnight, the second in a series of four interconnected novels in the Mirror series, the classic tale is given a heartbreaking twist.

Following a tragedy back home in New York, Zora Broussard is sent to New Orleans to live with her aunt and cousins. It’s not just a fresh start in a new city that her parents wish for her, but a chance to start a fresh life as a normal young woman. Because like her mother and grandmother before her, Zora can do magic.

While the powers of the other women in her family manifest differently, Zora’s manifests through song. She lives and breathes music, meaning New Orleans at the height of the Jazz Age is exactly the place to be. Maintaining the facade of quiet young woman at home, she sneaks out at night to play the clubs, and it is there one night that she meets Philip Devereaux, a young man with a secret of his own.

In Shattered Midnight, Clayton infuses the magic and more fairy tale side of the story with the realities of what it means for Zora as a young, Black girl in 1920’s New Orleans. Unlike Disney’s The Princess and the Frog, which was set in the same time and place and had a Black protagonist, they do not talk around the issue of race. Indeed, it fuels much of the conflict that surrounds Zora. Because who needs a fictional, supernatural villain when the real world does it so much better (or worse, I suppose).

Though this is part of a series, Clayton’s work stands wholly on its own, telling a very vivid tale of embracing every part of yourself and your desires unapologetically, even when the world around you tries to suggest otherwise. Even though it can be heavy in places, Shattered Midnight balances in the magic and romance so well that it is nearly impossible to envision one aspect without the other.

It is worth noting, as I fell into this trap with the first book, Julie C. Dao’s Broken Wish, that the four novels in this series are telling one, large story alongside the smaller plots confined to each book. As a result, I initially found the ending of Broken Wish to be unsatisfying, and generally callous for what was supposed to be a fairy tale. However, with Shattered Midnight it has become clear that if the happy ever after is coming at all, it will be at the very end of the series. I encourage readers to keep that in mind, and not let it deter them from losing themselves in so enchanting a story.

Shattered Midnight is available January 18, 2022. Special thanks to Disney Books and Hyperion for an advance copy for review purposes.

Did I love this book. The answer is yes very much so. I devoured this book as fast as I possibly could. Amazing writing, characters, and plot. One of the best part is while this book is part of a series you really don't have to read the first book to be able to enjoy this one. While there are references to the first book they are explained well enough that you wouldn't even know that this is a second book in a series if you were just to pick it up and start reading it. I do like how the theme of broken promises carries over through the two books however. I also loved how Zora's story showed a perspective of living before the civil rights movement. Her fear and experiences are valid, vivid, and heart breaking yet so important for people to read and understand. The pain that she feels when she discovers what her power in context with her appearance can do towards the end of the book is just so heart breaking, yet so true for that time period. No one should have to feel that type of discomfort in their own skin. Overall such a beautiful heart breaking but lovely story, one that is going to resonate with teens.

Thank you so much Disney and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

Shattered Midnight is the sequel to Broken Wish by Julie C. Dao, so if you haven't read book 1, you do need to do that before picking up book 2. This book follows a new generation of characters related to the two families you meet in book 1. It takes place in 1928 New Orleans and tells the story of Zora and Phillip, a Black* woman and a white man, who meet and start to fall in love through their passion for music while learning their families are connected through strange magic. I enjoyed this next installment in The Mirror series. The first book starts in Germany, and I feel that both books capture the essence of a classic German fairy tale, where everything isn't perfect and won't necessarily lead to a happily ever after, while also giving the stories a modern perspective. I'm interested to see where book 3 takes us! The one thing that really confused me was that I'm pretty sure they changed Zora's name between putting the family tree in the back of book 1 and writing book 2. Zora isn't the girl's real name, as she's in hiding after a terrible incident, but you do learn her real name over the course of the story, and it doesn't match the name teased in book 1.

*To my best understanding, Zora has mixed heritage, with one of her grandparents being white and from Germany and the other being Black and from America. The story doesn't go into specific detail on this, and the author uses historically accurate language such as "colored" to denote the differences between her experiences and Phillip's in the story. I've used modern language in my review to try to capture their differences here. I hope I've described Zora as she would like to be identified.

Buy, Borrow, or Bypass: At this time, I'm not planning to purchase a copy for my personal collection. If I hadn't received a review copy, I would have borrowed this from the library. This series has suffered from a mid-series cover change, with the hardcover of Broken Wish being a completely different style from its paperback and from the cover of Shattered Midnight. I'm always less inclined to buy finished copies for myself when this happens, because my ideal option is to have matching hardcovers. If I read books 3 and 4 when they come out and like the series enough to own it, I would probably choose to have matching paperbacks. I do highly suggest you read this series, though, because it's very well written and I've enjoyed the characters' adventures so far, so go check it out from your local library! :)

I received this book for free from Disney NetGalley and Rockstar Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

I am a sucker for any movie or book set in New Orleans. The city is just meant for storytelling. So when I saw this book on NetGalley I jumped at the opportunity to review it. Plus it was written by Ms. Dhonielle Clayton and I have been wanting to read one of her books for some time. I thought I would start with The Belles, but this is a nice jumping in point.

This book could and should be a movie. The descriptions of Zora’s magical Jazz notes and stormy rage fits will capture your imagination. I was hooked from beginning to the end. If I was a nail biter my hands would look a wreck.

Magic, Joy And Anger
Zora’s magic manifests with both joy and pain. I just felt that Zora was the epitome of what many Black women carry around with them every day. There is utter joy in what we love and when we are able to express ourselves. There is also bitter rage held sometimes deep within, sometimes lurking just beneath the surface when are are oppressed and abused.

Finding Your Own Power
Oh boy, I thought I was going to get a second rendition of “Poor Unfortunate Souls” from Madame Ursula for a second in one scene. Zora loves her power and is afraid of it at the same time. She suffers from a lack of magical control because her mother shut down her learning about magic out of grief. But Zora has her fingers on the pulse of both light- through her music – and darkness — through her anger and spontaneous storms.

Forbidden Romance
So when you pick up on the fact that something ain’t gonna end right from the title and then you watch the main character get swept into a romantic relationship that isn’t considered legal at that time in history, you already know there is going to be drama. I mean the boy is cute…but still drama.

Series Stress And Fun
I messed around and read Shattered Midnight not realizing that it’s part of a connected series. Now, I may change my stance later, but for now, I’m going to say you don’t have to have read book one before reading Ms. Clayton’s book. Based on the family tree that is at the front of the book, you can tell that there are probably some crossover characters from book one mentioned. So for now, I am in the unique position of being excited to read book one, Broken Wish, (which I just checked out from the library) knowing that I will immediately want to re-read Shattered Midnight again to both make new connections and to tide me over until the third book, Fractured Path, by J.C. Cervantes comes out this summer. I will update my thoughts here.

Spoiler Hint
For anyone who like Lovecraft Country… there are some vibes you might catch onto with Zora. IYKYK. (I’m resisting posting a gif so bad right now. )

Check out my full review on my blog, www.cocoawithbooks.com .

I went out and purchased Broken Wish, because I definitely overlooked this as a series when I first chose to read it. First off, I'm glad I read Broken Wish first -- it isn't totally required, but it does help with the underlying storyline if you choose to continue reading the other books. Shattered Midnight, and even Broken Wish, were quick reads. They were well-paced, easy to read, and while predictable as retellings often are, I never felt as if the story suffered for that predictability.
Shattered Midnight was definitely my favorite of the two. There was so much richness to this novel; I felt like I was smack-dab in the middle of New Orleans. Where Broken Wish felt more whimsy and light, this felt heavy and dangerous. The descriptions were vivid and the story line had me hooked from the first few pages.
This retelling felt very Cinderella to me; Zora is sent to live with her aunt and two cousins after her magic causes deadly destruction at home in New York. Under the guise of a stage name, Zora performs at a Jazz club late at night, sneaking away from her aunt to touch the music she has been banned from accessing: her music is connected to her magic.
This Grimm Fairytale style-retelling wasn't just a simple retelling though. Instead, this novel centered around culture and social norms of New Orleans in the 20s. Zora is colored and dangerous falls in love with a rich white boy. This struggle between not only class, but race, has readers on the edges of their seats from the first few chapters until the last.

I read everything by Dhonielle Clayton. Her ability to create messy human protagonists, ones with flaws as big as their hearts, and build magic/world systems is some of the best in fiction right now (especially in the YA space). Shattered Midnight is a great example of these things. Zora is a fantastic character. She's lively and spirited but also haunted and fearful. I connected with her instantly and with the love story she fell into with Phillip (swooooon). Zora's magic too was interesting. It evolved throughout the story, growing in complexity as new elements were discovered.

One thing that I really found beautiful was how New Orleans itself was a sort of character in the story. Clayton's use of place was so evocative, you felt steeped in it as the reader without the overwhelm of too much description that many authors can fall into. It never slowed down the steady pace of the story. You didn't just read about New Orleans, you breathed and lived it. I loved that.

To be honest, I probably wouldn't have taken an interest in the Mirror series without Clayton's addition to it. The only thing I wish for is that there was *more* of Shattered Midnight, more about Zora and Phillip and what came next. But that's what a good story does, doesn't it? The reader being hungry for more? So I don't consider it a criticism, more a sign that I really did enjoy this book. I'd absolutely recommend it to any reader but those with interests in New Orleans, magic based in our world, and race in the 1920s will find even extra to enjoy.

Note: I received a free electronic edition of this book via NetGalley in exchange for the honest review above. I would like to thank them, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to do so.

Great story! Fun 1920s setting and I loved the fairytale aspects of the story
Can’t wait for the third book!

This series is really cool, as it spans over generations of a family through 4 books written by different authors. This is the second installment and takes place in 1920's New Orleans. It gave me a little bit of The Diviners vibes taking place in the same time frame which was fun. We don't immediately know how these characters connect to the ones in the previous book and they actually connected in a way I wasn't expecting.
The characters were well done. We have the main character Zora who has been forced to hide out with her aunt and cousins in New Orleans because of something horrible she had done with her magic (we learn what this is later on in the book). She is trying to navigate being a young black women in a time where it was hard to be a young black woman. Her only friend is Jo, who sings with her at the nightclub she sneaks out to. I thought they had a wonderful friendship and it was a joy to read about. Zora meets Phillip at the nightclub and even though he is white and they are not legally allowed to be together, they form a relationship that is absolutely sweet.
While I was able to fly though this book, it wasn't super exciting. The writing style was wonderful though, and I could picture New Orleans and the clubs and parades perfectly. I did really enjoy the bittersweet ending and so many things happened that I didn't see coming. I had it all planned out in my head how I wanted it to go but I knew something bad was going to happen.
I'm actually really interested to see where the next book takes us in this family's story!

This book was another unputdownable addition to this incredible series! I will be recommending this to all my fairy tale and fantasy readers!

Book 2 of The Mirror series did not disappoint! Picking up with the descendants of characters from Broken Wish by Julie C. Dao, we travel from Germany to New Orleans as the families of the magic mirror and enchanted red shoes continue to intertwine. Zora is an amazing character, from dealing with the secret she's running from, trying to respect her family that doesn't treat her the best, to deciding whether love and magic are worth the risks she's taking. I loved the ambience of 1920 New Orleans and the jazz scene, manifestation of Zora's magic through music and the forbidden love Zora and Phillip.
Thanks NetGaley and Disney Publishing!

A stellar sequel for one of my favorite new series. The Mirror spans centuries and yet even in a completely new atmosphere kept me intrigued and I know a lot of teens who will love this novel as well. Now for the long wait until we get the concluding volume!

This was an amazing fantasy YA novel! It really blew me away and I would most definitely recommend this novel for anyone who is looking to read a novel similar to the diviners, the raven cycle, or all for the game. I think that a wide variety of readers would enjoy this, and the world-building was super easy to get into and wasn't too complicated. Urban fantasy is great for that reason, and I think that this would be a great book for someone who is looking to get more into reading fantasy but doesn't quite know where to start.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow!! From the first page to the last left me spell bound!! I loved it!! The power of magic thru music is so fascinating! Loved the characters the rich descriptions left me feeling like I visited New Orleans in the 1920s. The last page made me want more!!!!!

I can't wait for the ending

I tried multiple times to read this and just couldn't get into it. I'm sure other people would like it, it just didn't appeal to me. Sorry, but I did try!

Disney Hyperion is putting our a great series with this one. I was fortunate to get to read the first book early, and now again with this second one in the "mirror" series. I loved it!!
The historical aspects of new Orleans and jazz music, magic & mayhem, love and family. Can't wait for the next one.
Thanks to Disney Hyperion and Netgalley for allowing me this early copy to read for my thoughts on it!

I love Dhonielle Clayton's work, and this book was no exception! The setting is absolutely lush with details, and I really enjoyed the magical elements as well. I'm so intrigued by the idea of a generational series, and I think Clayton did a fabulous job tying her novel to the first one by Julie C. Dao. I'm so looking forward to the next two books, and I can't wait to see where the story goes from here!

(Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change upon final publication.)

This novel, along with the first book, have always awakened a sense of nostalgia in me. I don't know what it is, but the stories, and this one in particular, are full of equal measure fantastical elements and pertinent social commentary. In this story we follow a bi-racial girl, Zora, and her time in New Orleans as a singer at a speakeasy. Her magic comes from her music, and she is described as a "song bird" throughout the story. In walks the male lead, a white man, and their romance is fast and hot and controversial for the time.

I LOVED the atmosphere of the book and how it connects to the first book. The concept of a generational series still amazes me. I loved how characters and magical objects were intertwined from both novels and I can't wait to see how they do it in the next book because THAT ENDING was not okay....the cliffhanger almost killed me.

Actual Rating: 4.5 stars

If you like Dhonielle Clayton's brand of lushly descriptive writing and messy characters, you're going to love Shattered Midnight. Set in 1920's New Orleans, it follows Zora, a Black girl sent to live with her aunt after a disaster with her magic. She's supposed to become a debutante and make a good marriage, but Zora sneaks out at night to perform at Jazz clubs and finds dangerous love with a sweet white boy who plays piano.

The writing is so evocative of the food and music of New Orleans, it will make you want gumbo and beignets. And Clayton doesn't shy away from the harsh realities of what an interracial relationship during this time period would mean. The 1920's was heavily segregated and that relationship is truly dangerous. Zora is a confident, determined character who goes after what she wants and I loved her. Her aunt is kind of awful, but this does a good job of walking that line where the reader can understand that she wants what she thinks is best for Zora and has good intentions, even if her actions are pretty messed up. The pacing is fast and it keeps you turning the pages, so much so that I finished it in one day! I really liked this installment in the series and liked how it tied into book 1 by Julie C. Dao. Looking forward to seeing what we get in the next two books! I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Thank you so much @NetGalley and @disney_hyperion for gifting me a copy of Shattered Midnight in exchange for an honest review.

🪞Mini Review 👠
Where do I even start??? So when I first requested Shattered Midnight from NetGalley I had no idea it was the second book in a four-book fairy tale series. I only requested it because I am a huge fan of @brownbookworm. When I realized it was a series, I was intrigued. I listened to the first book in the series, Broken Wish by Julie C. Dao, and fell in love with it. I couldn’t wait to start Shattered Midnight.

I don’t want to give too much away. Especially if you haven’t read the first one. The Mirror series spans four books and follows one family over several generations.

Zora's sent to live with her Aunt and 2 cousins in New Orleans after a tragic accident was caused by her magic. Her family decided that her going away would be the safest choice for her. Zora didn’t bring much with her, just a bag of her clothes and her enchanted red shoes. Zora has a beautiful voice, and everyone that has heard it agrees. It is also her only way of escaping the life she lives with her aunt and the magic she is running from. To make matters worse, Zora meets a white pianist who carries a strange mirror around with him and feels certain that she is in danger when he isn’t around. As feelings start to grow and her aunt pushes her to marry another boy, Zora has to figure out what is most important to her and how she can live her life without fear.

I wasn’t sure if it was possible, but it totally was. I loved this book as much as the first. I loved Zora and her magic and her music. I loved the setting that the book took place in and the different characters. I also loved all the ways this book was tied to the first. I couldn’t get enough of it.

If you love fairytales and forbidden magic, this book is for you. I gave it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️If you read the first book, then you have to read this one! I am so excited to see what happens in the next book!!

I was disappointed in this book, especially because I have loved the author's previous Belles books. The main problem is that I didn't particularly like either of the main characters and so was not invested in the plot, which hinged around their forbidden romance. Everything felt very rushed and not thought through.