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fallingwings's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 Stars
Listen, I see a book that promises bird people or winged creatures, I will drop anything and everything I'm doing to make sure I read it as soon as I can.
Cons:
× Why is it whenever something traumatic happens to someone in a story, authors feel the need to make their characters lustful in order to temporarily "forget" about said traumatic event? I understand we all process and handle trauma differently, but I'm going to be judging you so hard if one of the first things you want after said traumatic event is sex with someone you barely know.
× While I don't think this book has insta love, I will admit relationships move way too fast. How do you go from being enemies, to having to trust them to ensure your survival, to being comrades, to romance, all in a week or so? The only relationship that felt realistic was the one between Dorian and Ivy (and surprise, they're not romantically involved with one another).
× Okay. So while this book doesn't have body swapping (thank god), another person is basically sharing mind with her. And because of this, I have a hard time with believing the romance between her and is genuine. It gets even more wierd when he learns that his former lover is more or less sharing a body with her and while I appreciate not being entirely comfortable with it, it still makes me baffled why she allows things to continue with him afterwards (like touching and kissing) regardless of her feelings. I don't know if I can get behind a romantic relationship between them in the next installments if this is how it's going to be.
Pros:
× I saw many people saying this book has insta love and honestly? I don't see it, neither with Caius or Rowan. Insta attraction (when it comes to Caius), sure. And Rowan is a guy Echo's known since they were children. While I'm not a fan of two characters already in a relationship when the story starts, I can't claim their romance is insta love when they've know each other and have been friends for years before the story began. So no insta love for the win here.
× I really enjoyed the author's writing style. It's not overly flowery, but the details are vibrant enough to get a scene playing out in your head.
× Bird people with feathers. Enough said.
× Echo's name is a legit pun for her role in the story and I love it.
× I love the way the relationship between Ivy and Dorian progressed throughout the book. Again, it's the only one to me that feels genuine and properly fleshed out.
× I loved how the Phoenix's flames were colored.
× You-know-who stabbing herself in hopes to end things and save her friends. My respect for her character skyrocketed in that scene.
× I really like Ivy. She's not a fighter like Echo or the others, but she's not pushover either. If anything, she's very admirable.
× THAT COVER IS BEAUTIFUL AND HAS MY FAVORITE COLORS. I got the hardback version of this book solely for that cover.
Listen, I see a book that promises bird people or winged creatures, I will drop anything and everything I'm doing to make sure I read it as soon as I can.
Cons:
× Why is it whenever something traumatic happens to someone in a story, authors feel the need to make their characters lustful in order to temporarily "forget" about said traumatic event? I understand we all process and handle trauma differently, but I'm going to be judging you so hard if one of the first things you want after said traumatic event is sex with someone you barely know.
× While I don't think this book has insta love, I will admit relationships move way too fast. How do you go from being enemies, to having to trust them to ensure your survival, to being comrades, to romance, all in a week or so? The only relationship that felt realistic was the one between Dorian and Ivy (and surprise, they're not romantically involved with one another).
× Okay. So while this book doesn't have body swapping (thank god), another person is basically sharing
Spoiler
Echo'sSpoiler
CaiusSpoiler
EchoPros:
× I saw many people saying this book has insta love and honestly? I don't see it, neither with Caius or Rowan. Insta attraction (when it comes to Caius), sure. And Rowan is a guy Echo's known since they were children. While I'm not a fan of two characters already in a relationship when the story starts, I can't claim their romance is insta love when they've know each other and have been friends for years before the story began. So no insta love for the win here.
× I really enjoyed the author's writing style. It's not overly flowery, but the details are vibrant enough to get a scene playing out in your head.
× Bird people with feathers. Enough said.
× Echo's name is a legit pun for her role in the story and I love it.
× I love the way the relationship between Ivy and Dorian progressed throughout the book. Again, it's the only one to me that feels genuine and properly fleshed out.
× I loved how the Phoenix's flames were colored
Spoiler
black and white× You-know-who stabbing herself in hopes to end things and save her friends. My respect for her character skyrocketed in that scene.
× I really like Ivy. She's not a fighter like Echo or the others, but she's not pushover either. If anything, she's very admirable.
× THAT COVER IS BEAUTIFUL AND HAS MY FAVORITE COLORS. I got the hardback version of this book solely for that cover.
ingo_lembcke's review against another edition
5.0
(Review to follow soon, or be fleshed out)
Short version:
Love triangle, but not too disturbing, romance.
More like 4.5 stars, too straightforward, the reveal at 90% I saw coming since the beginning even down to what was behind the door.
Still nicely done.
Short version:
Love triangle, but not too disturbing, romance.
More like 4.5 stars, too straightforward, the reveal at 90% I saw coming since the beginning even down to what was behind the door.
Still nicely done.
laura_mayfair's review against another edition
4.0
11/17/17 - Updated to 4 stars. I really enjoyed this, even more on the re-read. "The Girl At Midnight" is an engaging paranormal / fantasy with a colorful cast of characters.
01/16/16 - A fun and quick read. This book reminds me of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. While DOSAB is a better book, IMO, Gray shows promise and I'd like to see what she comes up with next.
01/16/16 - A fun and quick read. This book reminds me of Daughter of Smoke and Bone. While DOSAB is a better book, IMO, Gray shows promise and I'd like to see what she comes up with next.
piikasmalls's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
harper11's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
It was a good read. A bit slow for my liking, and then it felt too fast all at once. The characters were well written, I did enjoy them. For me, there was just too much ‘descriptive fluff’ in there, I found myself skipping paragraphs at a time.
willrefuge's review against another edition
4.0
This is a bit of a jaunt from my usual tastes, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was grouped in several different genres but mainly Teen and Fantasy. And also Romance. I've read a few books classified as 'Romance' in the past and this was nothing like them. Where they were in-your-face all the time, Girl at Midnight was more subtle, and interwoven but entirely secondary to the plot.
I thoroughly enjoyed the lead character, Echo, who was equal parts snarky, stubborn and smart-ass. Her cast of supporting characters-at least, those who demanded their own POV-fit perfectly with her own personality during exchanges. Whether it be outwardly supportive and caring, quiet and thoughtful, or even sarcastic and judging, they all really felt like companions she would choose if it were real life.
The plot was equally enjoyable and without much disappointment as it toes its path. Though the romantic element to the plot is evident, as I mentioned before does not lead the it. And there is no love triangle. The Firebird, a mythical entity suggested to exist through the entire book, does not disappoint when the story comes to a head. I was thoroughly engrossed the entire time, minus a few details.
Near the beginning, the story suffers from a bit of inconsistency. Inconsistency in the nature of things, in Echo's beliefs. An example of this is given when Echo states that she cannot live among the Avicen (a race of feathered, bird-people) because they all look at her as if she doesn't belong, that her presence like it disrupts the natural order of things. She spends part the next few chapters (and one or two further on) noting exceptions to this.
Another issue is redundancy. Some things are repeated many, many times within the book, and some so much that they are entirely too painful. There is also an element of romance, that throughout is referred to by everyone as "interesting". This continues, beginning to end, and just ends up becoming wearisome.
These in no way detract from the story and in no way render the story unreadable. I waffled a bit at first between 3 and 4 stars but eventually settled on the high side.
Maybe 3.8-3.9 stars, with consideration for 4. And I will most likely read the next book.
Thank you Melissa Grey for the pleasant read. Keep writing!
I thoroughly enjoyed the lead character, Echo, who was equal parts snarky, stubborn and smart-ass. Her cast of supporting characters-at least, those who demanded their own POV-fit perfectly with her own personality during exchanges. Whether it be outwardly supportive and caring, quiet and thoughtful, or even sarcastic and judging, they all really felt like companions she would choose if it were real life.
The plot was equally enjoyable and without much disappointment as it toes its path. Though the romantic element to the plot is evident, as I mentioned before does not lead the it. And there is no love triangle. The Firebird, a mythical entity suggested to exist through the entire book, does not disappoint when the story comes to a head. I was thoroughly engrossed the entire time, minus a few details.
Near the beginning, the story suffers from a bit of inconsistency. Inconsistency in the nature of things, in Echo's beliefs. An example of this is given when Echo states that she cannot live among the Avicen (a race of feathered, bird-people) because they all look at her as if she doesn't belong, that her presence like it disrupts the natural order of things. She spends part the next few chapters (and one or two further on) noting exceptions to this.
Another issue is redundancy. Some things are repeated many, many times within the book, and some so much that they are entirely too painful. There is also an element of romance, that throughout is referred to by everyone as "interesting". This continues, beginning to end, and just ends up becoming wearisome.
These in no way detract from the story and in no way render the story unreadable. I waffled a bit at first between 3 and 4 stars but eventually settled on the high side.
Maybe 3.8-3.9 stars, with consideration for 4. And I will most likely read the next book.
Thank you Melissa Grey for the pleasant read. Keep writing!
starmaiden's review against another edition
1.5
Every single person quoted on the cover of this book hyping it up should be held responsible for the crime of lying. Maybe this was better in 2015 but somehow I doubt it.
rhrie38's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
1.0
So boring and annoying. I literally found picking at my nails more interesting than this book. The characters (especially the main character who steals without remorse and cheats on her bf) are all annoying and unlikeable. Jesus the romance was cringe. Made me want to pull my hair out every single line. Plus the dialog is super clicked. I just really disliked this book.
harleyrae's review against another edition
4.0
Despite taking a really long time to get through this, I really enjoyed the story overall. It was a quick and easy read. While it has some slow points, I liked how each chapter was a different POV. I'm excited about continuing on and seeing what the rest of the story holds.