Arc Review: When Night Breaks (Kingdom of Cards #2) by Janella Angeles

Title: When Night Breaks (Kingdom of Cards #2)
Author: Janella Angeles
Genre: YA Fantasy
Publication Date: October 5th, 2021
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an earc to review. All opinions are my own.

“The competition has come to a disastrous end, and Daron Demarco’s fall from grace is now front page news. But little matters to him beyond Kallia, the contestant he fell for who is now lost to this world and in the hands of a dangerous magician. Daron is willing to do whatever it takes to find her. Even if it means embarking on a dark and treacherous journey, risking more than just his life, with no promise of return.

After awaking in darkness, Kallia has never felt more lost. Especially with Jack by her side, the magician with who has the answers but cannot be trusted. Together, they must navigate a dazzling world where mirrors show memories and illusions shadow every corner, one ruled by a powerful game master who could all too easily destroy the world she left behind — and the boy she can’t seem to forget. With time running out, Kallia must embrace her role in a darker destiny, or lose everyone she loves, forever.” (Goodreads)

I’ve been curious about this sequel ever since the first book ended. Although the first book wasn’t a favorite, I was still interested in the characters and the journey they would be taking. I did like some aspects of this book and thought it somewhat wrapped up but I still feel like I have a lot of questions about what I read. I’m going to keep this review short and sweet so here we go!

The book is told from multiple point-of-views. This was a good thing to have since Kallia is somewhere else that Daron isn’t. It helped to bridge the gaps and try to make sense of what was happening and how things would be fixed for them to be reunited once again.

When it came to the characters, I personally liked Kallia more in book one. The characters fell a bit flat and I really wish there would have been more from Jack. I’m disappointed that he basically got shafted. I still don’t really believe the romance between Kallia and Daron. I don’t think there was enough development.

One thing I am curious about is the added language. I don’t remember there being any swear words used in book one and so they caught me off guard in this book. Maybe that’s just a me thing?

This book was utterly too long! Some of the things could have been left out while other things needed to be expanded on more. I had a hard time with the setting for this one.

Overall, it was good book in ways and it wasn’t all bad. I feel like it’s hard to truly pinpoint the big problem but I did manage to list some smaller ones. I do think that readers who enjoyed the first book more than me may find this one more fascinating as well. I still love the covers for this duology though!

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