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amaranth8's review against another edition
3.0
I liked this book, but for some reason it took me forever to get into and get on with reading. I can't pinpoint anything that made it difficult to get absorbed by, but it was.
whitllo's review
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.0
I liked the blending of history/fantasy and enjoyed the characters but the plot was kind of meh.
chrstianlpcrs's review
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
i've never read a fantasy novel that was well-researched and had a solid historical foundation, so this book was a breath of fresh air bc these days istg these authors sprinkle illogical horseshit like salt to fancy their story, and then people find it fascinating?! [*coughs* the atlas six *coughs*].
and also, vidar supremacy, umm i mean is he/they... u know??
and also, vidar supremacy, umm i mean is he/they... u know??
nextboldmove's review against another edition
3.0
I read this on the plane home for Christmas, and I found it completely engrossing despite a packed airplane and an uncomfortable seat.
The history is a little glossed, as other reviewers have alluded to, but had she offered the details of the lives discussed in the book, she could have easily doubled her number of pages. It reads as a fun supplement to the life of Queen Elizabeth I, but no one should expect that this novel will get you the full workings of Gloriana's court. Dissertations have been written about less. I suggest Alison Weir's excellent biography, if you want to know more.
This book is an excellent merging of the history with the fae, and the author's initial inspiration was the World of Darkness's Changeling role playing book. It was a fascinating example of a great story idea working in two venues (the game and the novel), and for fans of both story-telling vehicles, this is an interesting read.
The history is a little glossed, as other reviewers have alluded to, but had she offered the details of the lives discussed in the book, she could have easily doubled her number of pages. It reads as a fun supplement to the life of Queen Elizabeth I, but no one should expect that this novel will get you the full workings of Gloriana's court. Dissertations have been written about less. I suggest Alison Weir's excellent biography, if you want to know more.
This book is an excellent merging of the history with the fae, and the author's initial inspiration was the World of Darkness's Changeling role playing book. It was a fascinating example of a great story idea working in two venues (the game and the novel), and for fans of both story-telling vehicles, this is an interesting read.
stellarya's review against another edition
3.0
I enjoyed the historical detail and the lore of the fairy court. The first third of the book almost lost me. I was pretty disinterested in what the two protagonists were doing - they seemed to be motivated purely by ambition, and didn't have much personality beyond that. I'm glad that I stuck with it because although the end of the book rushed into a confusing conclusion, it was definitely entertaining.
nancyotoole's review against another edition
3.0
In 16th century England, Elizabeth has been sitting on her throne for thirty years. Beneath the streets of London there is another monarch, Invidiana, the heartless queen of the faeries. Above ground, the young Michael Devin has just gained Elizabeth’s favor by becoming one of the elite Gentlemen Pensioners. Below, the fae Lune has fallen out of favor with the court, and begins to fear for her life. When she sees an opportunity to get back in her queen’s good graces, she takes it. This mission will bring her above ground to the world of mortals, where she and Michael Devin will come face to face, and learn about a pact between two queens that has shaped both Englands for decades.
Midnight Never Come is a well researched work of historical fiction that does a great job of fully immersing the reader into the time period. Having a basic knowledge of the “real life” key players will help the reader enjoy the story, but I don’t believe that it’s necessary. One thing I liked was the parallel between the two queens, the bright and the dark, and the two courts. I also liked how the author gave supernatural reasons between real life situations (for example, Elizabeth’s “celibacy” is seen as being Invidiana’s cruel work). The book is not perfect. It does start off a little slow, but when things start to pick up (during act two) it really becomes interesting. The last eighty or so pages is near impossible to put down, so I suggest setting aside plenty of time to read them so you can finish the book without interruptions.
The author has quite a nice writing style that at times can be truly lovely. Unfortunately, I feel as if it also distances the reader from the characters, at least initially. Once the reader gets future into the book, they characters, such as the heroes, Lune and Michael, prove to be complex and likeable. Many of the side characters, such as the two Queens and the kind Goodmeeds, are just as interesting.
I’m really glad that Midnight Never Come was recommended to me. Apparently a sequel, In Ashes Lie, came out roughly a month ago. I look forward to picking it up once I get the chance.
Midnight Never Come is a well researched work of historical fiction that does a great job of fully immersing the reader into the time period. Having a basic knowledge of the “real life” key players will help the reader enjoy the story, but I don’t believe that it’s necessary. One thing I liked was the parallel between the two queens, the bright and the dark, and the two courts. I also liked how the author gave supernatural reasons between real life situations (for example, Elizabeth’s “celibacy” is seen as being Invidiana’s cruel work). The book is not perfect. It does start off a little slow, but when things start to pick up (during act two) it really becomes interesting. The last eighty or so pages is near impossible to put down, so I suggest setting aside plenty of time to read them so you can finish the book without interruptions.
The author has quite a nice writing style that at times can be truly lovely. Unfortunately, I feel as if it also distances the reader from the characters, at least initially. Once the reader gets future into the book, they characters, such as the heroes, Lune and Michael, prove to be complex and likeable. Many of the side characters, such as the two Queens and the kind Goodmeeds, are just as interesting.
I’m really glad that Midnight Never Come was recommended to me. Apparently a sequel, In Ashes Lie, came out roughly a month ago. I look forward to picking it up once I get the chance.
princess_starr's review against another edition
5.0
A dark and intriguing read, Midnight Never Come takes some of the traditional fey and moves them to the Elizabethan court. I found this originally at work and fell in love with the book. I love how Brennan brings Elizabethan England to life, from the court life to the outskirts of London at the Angel Inn. While some of the plot elements and revelations seemed a little off for me (particularly the details surrounding Individiana’s backstory), the plot was deftly woven and I did not want to put it down.
greenfallleaves's review against another edition
3.0
Ich hatte meine Probleme damit in das Buch reinzukommen, obwohl ich die Idee an sich gut fand. Das mag wohl daran liegen, dass mir der Schreibstil zunächst nicht wirklich zugesagt hat und wahrscheinlich auch die Übersetzung nicht die beste zu sein scheint. Zu oft wurden ausführliche Gedankengänge in zu verworrenen und kompliziert konstruierten Sätzen ausgedrückt, was den Lesefluss gestört hat.
Mit der Geschichte an sich bin ich auch erst ab ca. der Hälfte richtig warm geworden und hatte wirklich Lust weiterzulesen.
Mit der Geschichte an sich bin ich auch erst ab ca. der Hälfte richtig warm geworden und hatte wirklich Lust weiterzulesen.
cgirl98's review against another edition
3.0
Historical Fiction and Fantasy combined It was not only my blahness that made it a bit difficult to get into this at the beginning. It was also due to the fact that the first 60 pages or so of the book was really just building up to the action and providing exposition on fae. The author obviously did lot of researching into fae legends and myths because it seems to threw everything she knew into the first act of the book. The book is split into six acts, the first two being the shortest, but they also contained the most of the knowledge dumb and the build up. So it was a bit slow to start with all the time is spent giving some back story and detailing the various fae creatures that were in the Onyx court and all that. But there was enough to keep me going with the book. The main mystery of the book is introduced from the start and is built throughout the first two acts. And the combination of Elizabethan historical novel with a fantasy twist involving fae...was enough to draw me in.But midway through act two things start to fall into place and it is good, action packed reading from them on. The book begins with Queen Elizabeth in the Tower of London awaiting what she believes is her death by her sister Queen Mary. While there, she is visited by a creature of the fae Invidiania, who promises to help her not only live...but take the throne and rule in her own right. All in exchange for providing some help to get a throne of her own, of course. Years later Elizabeth is on the throne of England, and below London lays another court, the fae court of Invidiana ruler of all of the Faerie. The book goes back and forth between the two courts following the two main characters Lune of the Fae and Devan a mortal of Elizabeth's court as they try to use their skill to gain favor and advancement with their sovereign. At least that is how they start...but they soon find themselves in the middle of more than they bargained for when they cross paths and discover that there was more to the pact between the two Queens...and it was detrimental to both worlds. Invidiana is a cruel tyrant who find pleasure in tormenting her subjects ad well and manipulating the mortal Queen to do her bidding. Lune and Devan soon find out that her manipulations go far beyond court games and politics. They set up to find out who Invidiana is, what deals she made with who, and more importantly how to break it and free not only the mortal Queen, but both their worlds from Invidiana reign.I liked how pieces from the main mystery of the book kept falling into place, and seeing how those clues where in the book from the start and were just laying there for use to discover. It showed that this story was well thought out and planned. The mystery, suspense and danger kept building and building right up until the end. And when it did when it was very satisfying, but left enough untold to leave more story to tell. I also enjoyed the romantic aspects to the story, it was not overpowering to the rest of the tale and it ended up playing a part in the final solution.
behindmybookcase's review against another edition
3.0
As a Renaissance literature scholar, I really appreciated the research that went into this book. So often with historical fiction, it can just miss the mark, which completely throws me off. Brennan did an absolutely wonderful job of transporting me to Elizabethan London, and making me feel like I was in on the early modern joke. However, I feel like if I was not such a fan of the Renaissance, I would have rated this book lower. While the language is absolutely beautiful, I found it hard to really connect to the characters. At times, I didn't particularly care about them specifically, but cared more so about the world in which it was situated. If you are a fan of the Elizabethan period I 100% recommend giving this a read, but it not, it is a 2.5 star book.