Review: The Midnight Hour

Discussion

Let’ Talk Characters:

I still don’t know how I feel about Emily. She is a passionate preteen, who has a self acclaimed snarky “gob” that gets her into continuous trouble with her equally passionate mother. While I feel the intention here was to harken an “Anne of Green Gables spirit” and tendency to get ones foot in ones mouth, there was no sensitivity or heart to balance her outspokenness. So she really just came across snarky, mean, and a little bratty.

Being that we are never informed why the mother and daughter fight so much here, it is left rather uncomfortable and unexplained.

Let’s Talk Exciting Events, Incomplete Storylines, and Uneven Storytelling:

While this tiny little novel is bursting with imaginative creativity, it is incredibly challenging to form much connection to the story itself, the characters or the world because, at least for the first half, we aren’t given any connecting material between exciting incidents. Rather, we just go from big scene to big scene without really any explanation … maybe it is told in this style so we feel as spun about as Emily herself, but for me I just felt dizzy and confused.

I wonder if this problem has more to do with the dual author aspect – it really felt like a game of hot potato in which the story line was just tossed between them with no one paying attention to the middle. Which was further exposed with incomplete, never fully realized storylines – what is with the hedgehog? Why do the mother and daughter fight so much? Why are the parents powerful? I guess I like a little more explanation rather than leaving it all up to imagination.

Let’s Talk the hard-to-find-early-chapter-books:

It is fun, it is enjoyable, it does a great job being spooky, not scary, and the writing itself flows freely and fast. I see no reason why a new chapter reader couldn’t handle this little novel and would definitely recommend it for that purpose. Novels like this can be a challenge to find and I really see this fast paced adventure fitting that bill for readers transitioning into chapter books.

Overall Thoughts: 

This was a fun, imaginative adventure into a spooky, but never scary, secret world. Emily is a mostly enjoyable young character but her snarky behaviour, while supposed to be independent and feisty, can come across mean and bratty. The first half of the book really struggles to find any connecting meat between exciting incidents, which unfortunately makes it difficult to form character connection or compassion. While fast, fun, and spirited, I found it held more promise than it delivered.

TBR Ranking: Middle-ish

For Fans Of:

The Train to Impossible Places

Written by P.G. Bell

Published by Square Fish

You can find it here: Bookshop.org