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chloejaynne's review against another edition
4.0
i was really surprised about how good this book was. i found that i couldnt put it down. great read if you like vampres
booktimedragon24_'s review against another edition
4.0
I can honestly say that I have never read a vampire book like this before I find it to be better than twilight it has nor mystery and better characters
mingrid's review against another edition
4.0
so it´s actually more like a 3.5 or something but I rated matched a 3 and I definitely liked this more.
Okay so it wasn´t too full of love drama and more about April soing random shit. I seriously liked that. Some thing could have been shorter like the guide through the cemetery but it´s okay once in a while. A book isn´t all about interesting parts I think.
What i really liked about this book were the well developed characters. I loved the short-tempered April, who wasn´t perfect at all. Even though the "special" part about her could have been left out. I dislike all that " the main character is sooooooooooooooooooo special" stuff. I mean come on. Normal Kids can be good too. Or am i all that boring? ;D
What wasn´t all too well was the love. I mean yeah it´s fine it isn´t all that romantic like I mentioned earlier. What botheres me is "WHY?" Why does she love gabriel. Okay so he´s good-looking and is really nice and does cute things like a date out at midnight. But...thats´s it, isn´t it. Don´t get me wrong, i´d like that too. But to call it LOVE, when all they did in the end was argue? Hmm. But Since I guess there´ll be a sequel I hope for more of them.
And just one more thing I LOVED. Aprils reactions. It wasn´t like. "You´re a vampire? NO WAY. i got to tweet this to all my friends. I knew it! " It was more like.? WHAT? Don´t get near me freaking monster.
Now thats a reaction i think is good after discovering the truth. Stab him, yeah go girl! I loved how she run way from him and it was hilarious how she yelled he was a thief. Oh come on you know you like that too ;D
It wasn´t like
"oh-hes-good-looking-but-i-think-he´s-a-murderer! Anyway-lets-kiss-because-i´m-magicaly-drawn-to-hiM"
BULLSHIT. I waited for a heroine to react like that. go april, I like you so much ;D Because your the most human, unhuman character I had to pleasure to accompane!
and last but not least.
HER NAME
Because have you noticed that in the recent Ya-novels all the heroines seem to be named with C=
Cassy, Clary and whatnot. WHY? ;D
Okay so it wasn´t too full of love drama and more about April soing random shit. I seriously liked that. Some thing could have been shorter like the guide through the cemetery but it´s okay once in a while. A book isn´t all about interesting parts I think.
What i really liked about this book were the well developed characters. I loved the short-tempered April, who wasn´t perfect at all. Even though the "special" part about her could have been left out. I dislike all that " the main character is sooooooooooooooooooo special" stuff. I mean come on. Normal Kids can be good too. Or am i all that boring? ;D
What wasn´t all too well was the love. I mean yeah it´s fine it isn´t all that romantic like I mentioned earlier. What botheres me is "WHY?" Why does she love gabriel. Okay so he´s good-looking and is really nice and does cute things like a date out at midnight. But...thats´s it, isn´t it. Don´t get me wrong, i´d like that too. But to call it LOVE, when all they did in the end was argue? Hmm. But Since I guess there´ll be a sequel I hope for more of them.
And just one more thing I LOVED. Aprils reactions. It wasn´t like. "You´re a vampire? NO WAY. i got to tweet this to all my friends. I knew it! " It was more like.? WHAT? Don´t get near me freaking monster.
Now thats a reaction i think is good after discovering the truth. Stab him, yeah go girl! I loved how she run way from him and it was hilarious how she yelled he was a thief. Oh come on you know you like that too ;D
It wasn´t like
"oh-hes-good-looking-but-i-think-he´s-a-murderer! Anyway-lets-kiss-because-i´m-magicaly-drawn-to-hiM"
BULLSHIT. I waited for a heroine to react like that. go april, I like you so much ;D Because your the most human, unhuman character I had to pleasure to accompane!
and last but not least.
HER NAME
Because have you noticed that in the recent Ya-novels all the heroines seem to be named with C=
Cassy, Clary and whatnot. WHY? ;D
serendipity_viv's review against another edition
4.0
As soon as I discovered that this book was set in Highgate Cemetery I had to read it. Highgate Cemetery is just one of those places that is a character in itself and one I am desperate to visit. This book did not disappoint in giving it its own omnipresent character status, looming supernaturally over the whole story, shrouding it within darkness and weaving ghostly threads throughout the whole book.
This book has the creep factor, leaving you shivering at the thought of it. I loved the fact that it was a vampire book set in the UK for a change and I am really pleased to see that it can be pulled off and feels authentic. Mia James has managed to give this book a Gothic Victorian atmosphere in modern day London.
Mia is a bit like Buffy but with a twist. This book is definitely more Buffy than Twilight. She begins the book as a typical teenager with all the anger against her parents for spoiling her social life. Yet as the book progresses, Mia has to do a lot of growing up very quickly, as events take a serious and sinister turn.
Ravenwood has just as much presence as Highgate Cemetery and probably wouldn't be my first choice of school for my kids. Eeep!
The tension within the story builds with each following chapters and you begin to feel a little fearful for Mia's safety. However Gabriel is on hand to sweep her off to safety and actually gives 'love conquers all' a whole new meaning. Definitely one to make your heart leap. Although I did struggle a bit with the instant love between them.
This book has some surprising twists and turns throughout the book and as I neared the end, I began to panic as I could not see how it would end happily. So much seemed left unsaid and then...... Bam! The true identity of the murderer is revealed. Safe at last.
I did enjoy reading this book and feel quite at home in its dark and stifling atmosphere. I am really looking forward to the second book in the series 'Darkness Falls' which comes out very soon.
This book has the creep factor, leaving you shivering at the thought of it. I loved the fact that it was a vampire book set in the UK for a change and I am really pleased to see that it can be pulled off and feels authentic. Mia James has managed to give this book a Gothic Victorian atmosphere in modern day London.
Mia is a bit like Buffy but with a twist. This book is definitely more Buffy than Twilight. She begins the book as a typical teenager with all the anger against her parents for spoiling her social life. Yet as the book progresses, Mia has to do a lot of growing up very quickly, as events take a serious and sinister turn.
Ravenwood has just as much presence as Highgate Cemetery and probably wouldn't be my first choice of school for my kids. Eeep!
The tension within the story builds with each following chapters and you begin to feel a little fearful for Mia's safety. However Gabriel is on hand to sweep her off to safety and actually gives 'love conquers all' a whole new meaning. Definitely one to make your heart leap. Although I did struggle a bit with the instant love between them.
This book has some surprising twists and turns throughout the book and as I neared the end, I began to panic as I could not see how it would end happily. So much seemed left unsaid and then...... Bam! The true identity of the murderer is revealed. Safe at last.
I did enjoy reading this book and feel quite at home in its dark and stifling atmosphere. I am really looking forward to the second book in the series 'Darkness Falls' which comes out very soon.
shubba_the_emoreader's review against another edition
4.0
I bought this book for two reasons. Firstly, I was drawn to this book because of the cover (I know I shouldnt but I tend to always go for the cover first) It really stands out and captures the darkness in the story. Secondly, it is set in England, I found this a great change from most YA books in this genre being set in America.
By Midnight its a very good read and really keeps you interested from start to finish. By Midnight takes you on an emotional rollercoaster that I found myself crying on a few occasions.
The Characters are a bunch of very interesting people good and bad. My favourite are April, Gabriel and Caro. April is very sweet and normal girl, who is dealing with all the normal teenage stuff as well and finding out some OMG stuff about herself. Gabriel, well what can I say about Gabriel is very mysterious and always seem to pop up in unexpected places. April and Gabriels relationship is a great read because it is all about romance, (actually there isnt alot of romance in the story) its more about the mystery behind the story that keeps the relationship between very intriging. Caro is probably my fave character. She doesn't fit in amoung the "Faces" at Ravenwood. She is funny, a little sarcastic and she believes in conspiracies.
Mia James (wife and husband writing team, Tasmina Perry an John Perry) has manage to creature a story with mystery, romance, anger and fear with twists and turns I truely didn't see coming
However, By Midnight loses half a star because because there is one bit (I wont say what) that it taken straight from Twilight nearly word for word.
Overall though, a fantastic read that I recommend to anyone to loves a good paranormal mystery. And I am really looking forward for the next installement of The Ravenwood Mysteries.
(Not suitable for younger readers due to some of the language)
By Midnight its a very good read and really keeps you interested from start to finish. By Midnight takes you on an emotional rollercoaster that I found myself crying on a few occasions.
The Characters are a bunch of very interesting people good and bad. My favourite are April, Gabriel and Caro. April is very sweet and normal girl, who is dealing with all the normal teenage stuff as well and finding out some OMG stuff about herself. Gabriel, well what can I say about Gabriel is very mysterious and always seem to pop up in unexpected places. April and Gabriels relationship is a great read because it is all about romance, (actually there isnt alot of romance in the story) its more about the mystery behind the story that keeps the relationship between very intriging. Caro is probably my fave character. She doesn't fit in amoung the "Faces" at Ravenwood. She is funny, a little sarcastic and she believes in conspiracies.
Mia James (wife and husband writing team, Tasmina Perry an John Perry) has manage to creature a story with mystery, romance, anger and fear with twists and turns I truely didn't see coming
However, By Midnight loses half a star because because there is one bit (I wont say what) that it taken straight from Twilight nearly word for word.
Overall though, a fantastic read that I recommend to anyone to loves a good paranormal mystery. And I am really looking forward for the next installement of The Ravenwood Mysteries.
(Not suitable for younger readers due to some of the language)
cuppacora's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
sophie_ginny's review against another edition
1.0
I picked this book up because my local library is closing for building work and I sort of panicked and took out about 12 books that I'm hoping will last me the next month.
I'm not going to sit here and say that everything about this book was a disappointment, I mean I'll be honest, my first feelings were pretty positive. I liked the way that there was a lot about historical London, Jack the Ripper in particular. And story idea was interesting for the most part, however I will admit that there are a LOT more negative things than positive things that I can say about this book...
First off, I didn't like April, the heroine. This was probably the main reason why I had such a negative view of the book. In my opinion, she was far too moody, I mean, I get it, being a teenager myself I understand that things annoy you sometimes and you do snap. And I don't know, maybe April had some anger problem that the author failed to mention, but it was like every single time her friend or her mum or her dad said something that she didn't like, she'd get angry and take it the wrong way. She was basically like one of those annoying friends who never stop complaining about things. Also, I don't know what was wrong with her but I sort of saw her as pretty dim and naive. This was the thing that annoyed me the most. At one point, she almost gets raped in the bathroom by the psychotic Marcus. She leaves the bathroom and the next thing she does is start complaining that Gabriel hasn't called... I mean what the hell! I'm no genius but I'm thinking that if you'd basically just been sexually assaulted in the bathroom, you'd be at least a LITTLE shaken!
There was another time when she was running away from Gabriel in London and she bumps into some guys who hold her hands behind her back and say something like "She's with us now, we'll take good care of her, won't we boys?". Gabriel beats them up but later and says "they had bad things in mind, believe me." April goes "How do you know that? Can you read minds?" ... I'm sorry sweetie, but you don't need to read minds to be able to know when you're facing a creepy rapist. She didn't even thank Gabriel.
Speaking of which, I thought it was ridiculous how fast she was to accuse him of killing her dad, I mean, it wasn't even like she was accusing him of something like steeling her phone or lying about something, she was accusing him of actually MURDERING her dad... Personally I think that's a little rash.
I honestly could sit here for ages finding fault, like how she reacted when Gabriel told her about the vampires and the disgusting recruiting system they have going on. It was like she didn't even care.
I almost made it to the end, it was becoming painful to read but I thought, "can't stop now"... However when I reached chapter thirty-two, page 356 I had to stop, I mean I seriously couldn't go on reading anymore. "You're a Fury. You're the last of the Furies"... I was like, you are actually having a laugh.
I don't think I will be putting myself through the next book, or any others in the series, and I don't recommend it either.
I'm not going to sit here and say that everything about this book was a disappointment, I mean I'll be honest, my first feelings were pretty positive. I liked the way that there was a lot about historical London, Jack the Ripper in particular. And story idea was interesting for the most part, however I will admit that there are a LOT more negative things than positive things that I can say about this book...
First off, I didn't like April, the heroine. This was probably the main reason why I had such a negative view of the book. In my opinion, she was far too moody, I mean, I get it, being a teenager myself I understand that things annoy you sometimes and you do snap. And I don't know, maybe April had some anger problem that the author failed to mention, but it was like every single time her friend or her mum or her dad said something that she didn't like, she'd get angry and take it the wrong way. She was basically like one of those annoying friends who never stop complaining about things. Also, I don't know what was wrong with her but I sort of saw her as pretty dim and naive. This was the thing that annoyed me the most. At one point, she almost gets raped in the bathroom by the psychotic Marcus. She leaves the bathroom and the next thing she does is start complaining that Gabriel hasn't called... I mean what the hell! I'm no genius but I'm thinking that if you'd basically just been sexually assaulted in the bathroom, you'd be at least a LITTLE shaken!
There was another time when she was running away from Gabriel in London and she bumps into some guys who hold her hands behind her back and say something like "She's with us now, we'll take good care of her, won't we boys?". Gabriel beats them up but later and says "they had bad things in mind, believe me." April goes "How do you know that? Can you read minds?" ... I'm sorry sweetie, but you don't need to read minds to be able to know when you're facing a creepy rapist. She didn't even thank Gabriel.
Speaking of which, I thought it was ridiculous how fast she was to accuse him of killing her dad, I mean, it wasn't even like she was accusing him of something like steeling her phone or lying about something, she was accusing him of actually MURDERING her dad... Personally I think that's a little rash.
I honestly could sit here for ages finding fault, like how she reacted when Gabriel told her about the vampires and the disgusting recruiting system they have going on. It was like she didn't even care.
I almost made it to the end, it was becoming painful to read but I thought, "can't stop now"... However when I reached chapter thirty-two, page 356 I had to stop, I mean I seriously couldn't go on reading anymore. "You're a Fury. You're the last of the Furies"... I was like, you are actually having a laugh.
I don't think I will be putting myself through the next book, or any others in the series, and I don't recommend it either.
thebookaddictedgirl's review
5.0
4½ Out of 5
April Dunne has been dragged from her home in Edinburgh and her friends. Unsurprisingly, she isn't happy. The fact that she's been enrolled in Ravenwood School, or academy for the wealthy and brainy, just makes everything worse. And then... Pupils start turning up dead, murdered, and her father has some weird conspiracy theory. It involves murders past and the paranormal. Something is going on. Something iffy. And with a beautiful, mysterious boy constantly telling her to "get out" and get new best friend thinking the school is controlled by supernatural nasties, April doesn't think that school could get any weirder. Only... it turns dangerous instead...
I love paranormal books. I love murder mystery books. Ergo, I loved By Midnight. It had all the awesome paranormal stuff a girl could want, with the most amazing conspiracy theory-slash-mystery on top of that. It was literally awesome with extra awesomesauce. It was so brilliantly gothic and addictive and twisty. The moment I finished By Midnight, I instantly needed the next in the series. I needed to know what would happen next. It was just so much fun – and so brilliantly original! I loved it!
I absolutely loved all the characters – especially April: she was just someone I instantly liked. She was funny, in a kinda wry, snarky way, but she was also stubborn and practical: she was always rationalizing and weighing everything. I found her hilarious, with loads of personality and strength. Plus, I love that she’s the “unofficial Nancy Drew of the underworld” and found her reaction to the whole supernatural news utterly believable and wonderfully refreshing. I also loved her new friend Caro – she’s sweet, snarky and a total conspiracy theory addict, as well as being completely bonkers and so wonderfully crazy. I loved how she got completely outraged at being considered “fairy harmless” and just found Caro overall hilarious – she was so brilliantly wacky! Gabriel was one of those “unattainable” types and for ages my question was: “Who is he?!” Well, he was cute and rather romantic and sweet and brave and perfect... I may have liked him. Just a little… And his relationship with April… oh, I loved it. It felt really real and I can’t wait to see where it all goes next…
There were loads of other minor characters that really stood out. I found April’s family intriguing and especially loved her relationship with her father. Her strong friendship with her Scotland-based best friend Fiona was also really sweet. The Faces were all evil, two faced witches (Caro talkin’, honest) and I found their interactions with everyone intriguing, even though I hated them. I loved Caro’s best friend Simon, who was a bit of a diva and a total evil genius. Yeah, they were all just amazingly created – all really alive and jump-off-the-page.
I adored the writing: it was third person, concentrating of April, and was fast paced, full of mysteries and was just really beautifully written. It was simply, effective, powerful, and oh-so addictive. And the plot – ohmigod! It was amazing! I loved the conspiracy theory, mystery and cold case angle: that, tied up with the paranormal aspect, made for a killer book. No pun intended. And it was just so amazingly twisty – I was never bored: never! It had more twists than… Um, a really twisty thing. Plus, that prologue: God! Talk about hooking!
And the supernatural, myth aspect was awesome! Like, so totally epic and unlike anything I’ve read before ever. I just loved it all so much! And I loved all the twists the myths had – I never knew what was going to be revealed next! It was so cool!
Ok, so there were some parallels to two big cult-classics – one book, one show (those who have read this might know what I’m talking about), but By Midnight was just so different it was untrue. It was new. It was fresh. It was exciting. It is one of my new obsessions. I can’t wait for the second in the series! I mean, paranormal with a mystery and murder thrown in. Does it get any better? No. It doesn’t. Ever.
Because By Midnight? It had secrets, murders and vampires – oh my!
Sorry. Couldn’t resist it. You should all really read this book though. It is literally the coolest, bestest conspiracy book EVER!
April Dunne has been dragged from her home in Edinburgh and her friends. Unsurprisingly, she isn't happy. The fact that she's been enrolled in Ravenwood School, or academy for the wealthy and brainy, just makes everything worse. And then... Pupils start turning up dead, murdered, and her father has some weird conspiracy theory. It involves murders past and the paranormal. Something is going on. Something iffy. And with a beautiful, mysterious boy constantly telling her to "get out" and get new best friend thinking the school is controlled by supernatural nasties, April doesn't think that school could get any weirder. Only... it turns dangerous instead...
I love paranormal books. I love murder mystery books. Ergo, I loved By Midnight. It had all the awesome paranormal stuff a girl could want, with the most amazing conspiracy theory-slash-mystery on top of that. It was literally awesome with extra awesomesauce. It was so brilliantly gothic and addictive and twisty. The moment I finished By Midnight, I instantly needed the next in the series. I needed to know what would happen next. It was just so much fun – and so brilliantly original! I loved it!
I absolutely loved all the characters – especially April: she was just someone I instantly liked. She was funny, in a kinda wry, snarky way, but she was also stubborn and practical: she was always rationalizing and weighing everything. I found her hilarious, with loads of personality and strength. Plus, I love that she’s the “unofficial Nancy Drew of the underworld” and found her reaction to the whole supernatural news utterly believable and wonderfully refreshing. I also loved her new friend Caro – she’s sweet, snarky and a total conspiracy theory addict, as well as being completely bonkers and so wonderfully crazy. I loved how she got completely outraged at being considered “fairy harmless” and just found Caro overall hilarious – she was so brilliantly wacky! Gabriel was one of those “unattainable” types and for ages my question was: “Who is he?!” Well, he was cute and rather romantic and sweet and brave and perfect... I may have liked him. Just a little… And his relationship with April… oh, I loved it. It felt really real and I can’t wait to see where it all goes next…
There were loads of other minor characters that really stood out. I found April’s family intriguing and especially loved her relationship with her father. Her strong friendship with her Scotland-based best friend Fiona was also really sweet. The Faces were all evil, two faced witches (Caro talkin’, honest) and I found their interactions with everyone intriguing, even though I hated them. I loved Caro’s best friend Simon, who was a bit of a diva and a total evil genius. Yeah, they were all just amazingly created – all really alive and jump-off-the-page.
I adored the writing: it was third person, concentrating of April, and was fast paced, full of mysteries and was just really beautifully written. It was simply, effective, powerful, and oh-so addictive. And the plot – ohmigod! It was amazing! I loved the conspiracy theory, mystery and cold case angle: that, tied up with the paranormal aspect, made for a killer book. No pun intended. And it was just so amazingly twisty – I was never bored: never! It had more twists than… Um, a really twisty thing. Plus, that prologue: God! Talk about hooking!
And the supernatural, myth aspect was awesome! Like, so totally epic and unlike anything I’ve read before ever. I just loved it all so much! And I loved all the twists the myths had – I never knew what was going to be revealed next! It was so cool!
Ok, so there were some parallels to two big cult-classics – one book, one show (those who have read this might know what I’m talking about), but By Midnight was just so different it was untrue. It was new. It was fresh. It was exciting. It is one of my new obsessions. I can’t wait for the second in the series! I mean, paranormal with a mystery and murder thrown in. Does it get any better? No. It doesn’t. Ever.
Because By Midnight? It had secrets, murders and vampires – oh my!
Sorry. Couldn’t resist it. You should all really read this book though. It is literally the coolest, bestest conspiracy book EVER!
naruleth's review
3.0
Although I generally liked this book I did find it a little predictable. Beautifully written though and very haunting. It was worth buying.
caroni's review
3.0
It is quite hard to talk about By Midnight without giving away major spoilers, so I will keep the review quite general and short to try to tell you why I liked this book and how I found it changed from other books in the same genre.
The story revolves around April Dunne, who moves from Edinburgh to London. She moves in the specific area of Highgate which is most famous for its cemetery. Many many books, songs and films were inspired by the cemetery itself and especially by what - supposedly - happened in there *wiggling eyebrows*.
A lot of the story also revolves around April's parents, so you do get a glimpse of her life in her family and how it works (or more accurately doesn't).
The general atmosphere of the book screams Gothic and it is just so fascinating to read. The action is set in one of the spookiest (historically speaking) places of London and the reader can really feel a chill at some moments! The setting is important in the book and it is so amazing to be able to go in the places April has been in (if you live in London that is) and learn what happened in the past.
What differentiates By Midnight from other urban fantasy books is the level of research put into the vampire folklore and the history of London. Not only does the book embraces it, but it also gives an original spin to it. You learn a lot reading this book, and I would definitely suggest it to vampire fans. I love how vampirism is explained in there, and I obviously won't spoil it for you but it is an interesting way of seeing things.
The characters are interesting and I feel that we will be able to fully appreciate them in the sequel. There are various personalities, April is a great character and I just LOVE how she reacts when someone breaks the "I'm a vampire" news, because that's definitely a rational reaction! She is not a strong character per se being no body builder herself, but she has a strong personality and doesn't turn her back to fights. There are some truly "bound-to-be-classic" moments where you can only stand awestruck by the sheer awesomeness of it all.
The teenagers look like real teenagers and I am convinced that a teenage girl with a crush is lethal (don't say I didn't warn you). The character of Caro is, with such a name, obviously wonderful *beams*. She is a conspiracy theory junkie and she has fantastic ideas. The "faces" aka the cheerleaders+jocks though no one has pompoms or American football practice, make me laugh so bad. You will definitely have some laugh out loud moments reading this book. The book being in a special school with highly intelligent and highly rich kids, the classes are a bit different as well as the teachers.
There is some kissing and flirting in there as well for the romantic part in you who has been craving to swoon as well as a hot brooding male character and his equally hot friend/nemesis (or so I read).
I had a few issues with the rhythm and structure of the book, the action seems to take a while to start and some key moments or descriptions are only present at the end or on a couple of pages only, but the book is so well researched and the characters and plot so interesting that you stay hooked to the story anyway and truly enjoy the read.
The writing itself is pure pleasure, you oscillate between spooky episodes with a scary atmosphere, to the futility of an afternoon between girls (oh dear) and to some truly romantic scene. It feels so real in the sense that you can have in the same day those three types of emotions but at the same time it is very entertaining to read.
I can't really say more without spoiling other than it was a highly enjoyable book and that I will definitely read the sequel! Fans of Urban Fantasy and vampires in particular will definitely fall for it. The characters and the vampire history and mythology present in the book create a very spooky and irresistibly fascinating story.
The story revolves around April Dunne, who moves from Edinburgh to London. She moves in the specific area of Highgate which is most famous for its cemetery. Many many books, songs and films were inspired by the cemetery itself and especially by what - supposedly - happened in there *wiggling eyebrows*.
A lot of the story also revolves around April's parents, so you do get a glimpse of her life in her family and how it works (or more accurately doesn't).
The general atmosphere of the book screams Gothic and it is just so fascinating to read. The action is set in one of the spookiest (historically speaking) places of London and the reader can really feel a chill at some moments! The setting is important in the book and it is so amazing to be able to go in the places April has been in (if you live in London that is) and learn what happened in the past.
What differentiates By Midnight from other urban fantasy books is the level of research put into the vampire folklore and the history of London. Not only does the book embraces it, but it also gives an original spin to it. You learn a lot reading this book, and I would definitely suggest it to vampire fans. I love how vampirism is explained in there, and I obviously won't spoil it for you but it is an interesting way of seeing things.
The characters are interesting and I feel that we will be able to fully appreciate them in the sequel. There are various personalities, April is a great character and I just LOVE how she reacts when someone breaks the "I'm a vampire" news, because that's definitely a rational reaction! She is not a strong character per se being no body builder herself, but she has a strong personality and doesn't turn her back to fights. There are some truly "bound-to-be-classic" moments where you can only stand awestruck by the sheer awesomeness of it all.
The teenagers look like real teenagers and I am convinced that a teenage girl with a crush is lethal (don't say I didn't warn you). The character of Caro is, with such a name, obviously wonderful *beams*. She is a conspiracy theory junkie and she has fantastic ideas. The "faces" aka the cheerleaders+jocks though no one has pompoms or American football practice, make me laugh so bad. You will definitely have some laugh out loud moments reading this book. The book being in a special school with highly intelligent and highly rich kids, the classes are a bit different as well as the teachers.
There is some kissing and flirting in there as well for the romantic part in you who has been craving to swoon as well as a hot brooding male character and his equally hot friend/nemesis (or so I read).
I had a few issues with the rhythm and structure of the book, the action seems to take a while to start and some key moments or descriptions are only present at the end or on a couple of pages only, but the book is so well researched and the characters and plot so interesting that you stay hooked to the story anyway and truly enjoy the read.
The writing itself is pure pleasure, you oscillate between spooky episodes with a scary atmosphere, to the futility of an afternoon between girls (oh dear) and to some truly romantic scene. It feels so real in the sense that you can have in the same day those three types of emotions but at the same time it is very entertaining to read.
I can't really say more without spoiling other than it was a highly enjoyable book and that I will definitely read the sequel! Fans of Urban Fantasy and vampires in particular will definitely fall for it. The characters and the vampire history and mythology present in the book create a very spooky and irresistibly fascinating story.