lizzieslittlelibrary 's review for:

The Midnight Shift by Seon-Ran Cheon

3.75

---

🌑🩸The Midnight Shift by Seon-Ran Cheon, translated by Gene Png🩸🌑

If you’re in the mood for a murder mystery that is equal parts eerie, heartbreaking, and quietly political, this one is for you. 

The Midnight Shift blends a classic murder mystery framework with the gothic unease of vampire lore, all while sinking its teeth into the very human ache of loneliness. Through the eyes of Suyeon, a determined but isolated police detective, we are drawn into a string of strange elderly deaths, each a jump from a sixth-floor hospital window. Her colleagues dismiss them as suicides, but Suyeon’s personal connection to one of the residents fuels her refusal to accept that answer. 

Beneath the supernatural mystery, the novel’s most haunting aspect is its exploration of aging, queerness, and the way society allows certain people to become invisible. This isn’t a jump-scare horror, it is a slow burn with emotional fangs. 

Seon-Ran Cheon manages to weave themes of queer love, grief, and the supernatural into something that feels both intimate and chilling. It is a sharp, atmospheric read for those who like their horror to echo after the last page. This book left me unsettled in the best way, half in the real world, half in a dream where vampires might be real…

Thank you so much to @bloomsburypublishing for gifting me a copy to review 🙏🏻 

#themidnightshift #seonrancheon #genepng #womenintranslation #bloomsburypublishing #bookreview #aussiebookstagrammer #books #fiction #bookstagram #newreleasebook