Second books in a series/trilogy/duology usually fall in one of two categories: exceeding the magic captured in the first book or falling short of expectations, leaving readers unsatisfied. Unfortunately, When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles lands in the latter category. Look, my friends, I adored Where Dreams Descend, but I can’t say the same about When Night Breaks. The final book in the Kingdom of Cards duology disappointed me. So now I’m left asking:
Table of Contents
Where did it all go wrong?
Title: When Night Breaks
Author: Janella Angeles
Publisher: Wednesday Books
Publication Date: October 5th, 2021
TW/CW: sexism, sexual content (b/t consenting adults), sexual harassment
Synopsis: 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.
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I looked forward to reading When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles as it was one of my most anticipated reads of 2021. Aside from the fact that I adored Where Dreams Descend and the universe Janella created, I couldn’t help but be intrigued by the idea that Hadestown will be incorporated. Having seen the musical the year it opened on Broadway and loving it, how could I resist?
Phantom of the Opera x Moulin Rouge x Hadestown seemed like the perfect combination. However, the final product turned out to be – well?
A flop.
It pains me to call this book a flop. But unfortunately, When Night Breaks is a hot mess. There are certainly flaws in Where Dreams Descend, but here with When Night Breaks? They’re harder to ignore. In fact? They’re front and center. Janella bit off more than she could chew. She took on far too many ideas and did not cohesively execute them.
Too much worldbuilding.
Worldbuilding should never come before the plot in the last book of a series. If something needed to be introduced or hinted at, then it should have been introduced in the previous title(s). While Janella hinted at larger forces threatening these characters, when these threats finally showed their face? Janella almost minimized their threat levels in favor of explaining how this world beyond the mirror works.
Rather than branch off what she built in the previous books, Janella added extra parts that were neither well thought out nor executed well. At times, it felt like she was forcing When Night Breaks to fit the Phantom of the Opera x Moulin Rouge x Hadestown pitch.
I’m sorry, but if this had been the second book in a trilogy, she could have afforded to take the time to explain those new ideas and concepts. She could have fleshed them out and explored them more. But When Night Breaks is the last book in a duology. Janella should have spent more time wrapping up story beats and plot lines.
Instead?
Plot = Disorganized.
Janella insists on introducing these new ideas in the last book of the duology. Unfortunately, this insistence causes When Night Breaks’ plot to become less cohesive. Quite frankly? It often felt like nothing was happening. Sure, there are new characters and a new world to explore, but worldbuilding doesn’t push the story forward.
When I pick up the last book in a series, I expect things to move. I expect the plot to roll on forward, characters to develop even further, and story beats to wrap up satisfyingly. Action needed to happen.
But where are the stakes? Janella can end chapters with fatalistic cliffhangers all she wants, but the stakes and action to further the plot in this book are nonexistent. So what was the conflict that would keep the story going?
And unfortunately? There was no movement.
When Night Breaks became stagnant.
The villains? Boring.
They neither compelled me nor terrified me. It certainly didn’t help that the characters didn’t seem terrified of them, either. Janella never showed us proof of why we should be terrified of these villains and what they can do to everyone.
Know why a character like Darth Vader is a good villain? Or Darth Sidious? Sauron? Sephiroth? We have a compelling reason to fear these villains. First of all, their creators show their depravity on screen. Furthermore, these villains put fear into our characters. Thus even if we don’t necessarily fear these villains, the most important thing is that the characters are afraid.
But what can I expect from characters like the ones here in When Night Breaks?
Characters were flat and one-dimensional.
God, I can’t believe how bored I became of Kallia. I don’t feel as though she grew or developed. But then again? It’s not as though she was allowed to grow. With a plot so stagnant as the one here in When Night Breaks, it’s no wonder why Kallia couldn’t shine.
You could be a great actress, but even a great actress can’t rescue a flop.
Perhaps the only character that I could say had some development was Jack. Although, even then, that’s not exactly great.
There’s also the fact we have new characters playing important roles. Aside from Kallia, Demarco, and Jack? None of the other characters I cared about showed up in When Night Breaks. Why should new characters like Harold and Vain take center stage over Aaros and Canary? I would have been ok with this if the characters were interesting and fleshed out. But sadly, they’re as dry as sandpaper.
Final Word
While I wish I could give this book a higher grade, When Night Breaks by Janella Angeles gets 2.0 stars with a D+. Try as I may to enjoy this book and blame stress from work impacting my reading experience? I could not enjoy it at all. When Night Breaks is a flop. While Janella’s descriptions shine, they can’t hide the fact that plot and characterization got left behind in favor of worldbuilding that should have been done in the first book.
I can’t recommend this book.
As much as I enjoyed the first book of this duology? When Night Breaks disappoints. With no character growth or a sensical plot, it’s probably better to leave Kallia in the world beyond the mirrors.
As always, thank you for putting my thoughts into words and remaining my favorite book blogger when it comes to reviews that cut the bullshit. I had the same thoughts throughout this book and I’m sad for the both of us because it was so disappointing. I hope that the next opportunity Janella Angeles gets to write a series, the key components (world-building, plot, character development, etc.) are better structured and timed throughout the series. As for this duology… woof!