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A review by incrediblemelk
By Midnight by Mia James
2.0
I just noticed this book on a pile of books I was hoping to sell secondhand. I remember enjoying it even though it's quite clumsily written (though, as I've observed before, that seems to be par for the course in supernatural YA romance) and owes an obvious debt to Twilight, especially the idea that the vampire hero is attracted to our heroine not because of her intelligence or personality or even really her looks, but some gross, objectifying quality like her scent or her blood or her latent powwuhs.
This is a fantasy for teenage girls who yearn to be special, and to be recognised for that specialness despite being quite ordinary. So how better than to claim their specialness operates in a supernatural register that's only recognisable by other supernatural beings? But at the same time it's the reason why I could never get into the Twilight books: this completely passive, gormless protagonist who's acted upon rather than an actor.
By far the best aspect of the book was its setting in and around Highgate Cemetery in London. I'd read about this cemetery before in [b:Falling Angels|2872|Falling Angels|Tracy Chevalier|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327995250s/2872.jpg|2220311], and about its historical context in [b:Necropolis: London and Its Dead|930118|Necropolis London and Its Dead|Catharine Arnold|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328766754s/930118.jpg|915111]. I enjoyed the way James presents the cemetery as a teenager's playground: a place that has new scariness and romance for young people today rather than being a space for contemplation of past eras.
I only just looked the book up now on Goodreads to see if James has written any sequels, because by the time I reached the end of this one it ended on a total cliffhanger that suggested it was only really the pilot episode, if you will, for a long-running series. Also, I have a weakness for 'school stories' and I was looking forward to reading more about Ravenwood Academy. God help me. God help us all.
This is a fantasy for teenage girls who yearn to be special, and to be recognised for that specialness despite being quite ordinary. So how better than to claim their specialness operates in a supernatural register that's only recognisable by other supernatural beings? But at the same time it's the reason why I could never get into the Twilight books: this completely passive, gormless protagonist who's acted upon rather than an actor.
By far the best aspect of the book was its setting in and around Highgate Cemetery in London. I'd read about this cemetery before in [b:Falling Angels|2872|Falling Angels|Tracy Chevalier|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327995250s/2872.jpg|2220311], and about its historical context in [b:Necropolis: London and Its Dead|930118|Necropolis London and Its Dead|Catharine Arnold|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1328766754s/930118.jpg|915111]. I enjoyed the way James presents the cemetery as a teenager's playground: a place that has new scariness and romance for young people today rather than being a space for contemplation of past eras.
I only just looked the book up now on Goodreads to see if James has written any sequels, because by the time I reached the end of this one it ended on a total cliffhanger that suggested it was only really the pilot episode, if you will, for a long-running series. Also, I have a weakness for 'school stories' and I was looking forward to reading more about Ravenwood Academy. God help me. God help us all.