Scan barcode
A review by rmlknisely
Abarat: Absolute Midnight by Clive Barker
2.0
I have to admit that I came into this with extremely high expectations. Yes, the Abarat books are still some of my favorite YA fantasy novels, but I was seriously let down by Absolute Midnight.
I had several MAJOR problems with Book Three:
First and foremost, Princess Boa, whose soul was living inside Candy Quackenbush's head for 16 years, is suddenly evil incarnate. Where the fuck did that come from? Did I miss Abarat 2.5, wherein Clive Barker does most of the groundwork for Absolute Midnight? We've literally only heard how perfect and good and wonderful Boa was since Diamanda, Joephi, and Mespa first hint at what they've done to preserve Boa after her untimely death by dragon on her wedding day. After being released from Candy's body, Boa immediately goes on a would-be rampage, first trying to kill Candy, then the witch who helped them and then her two sons. Oh yeah, apparently Boa tricked Carrion into teaching her super powerful magic. After leaving Candy and the witch (whose name I cannot remember and cannot be bothered to look up), Boa heads to find Finnegan, the man she was going to marry. That's a story for a different review, I suppose.
Second, Candy and a character who we've barely met fall in instant, deep, soul-fulfilling love in the space of one page. Oh, and did I mention Gazza was trying to kill Candy and her friends (or at the very least, get their boat to come back to shore so that an angry mob can probably kill them). Here's my problem with this: I have been holding out for Candy and John Mischief to get together since the first time we meet Mischief by the Chickentown lighthouse. Admittedly, this relationship (were it ever to happen) has some strange implications being that Mischief and his brothers are so, ahem, close. Bottom line: I do not appreciate some new character coming in to take over Candy's heart when I've been shipping Candy and Mischief since Day One.
Third, although I was quite sad when Mater Motley killed Malingo without a second thought, I did not expect and did not want him to be alive anymore. That could have been used as a great moment to show off the horror of war etc, etc. but instead Malingo comes back as a "head with wing-ears." That's how Geshrats are born apparently, but still. I do not appreciate Clive Barker fucking with me like that.
Fourth, the Nephauree. Are they aliens? I am seriously in the dark on this one. Somebody help me out here. While we're on the subject of unexplained baddies, the hell was up with the Rojo Pixler/Requiax combo? Feel free to let me know if I'm wrong, but Requiax are supposed to be the enemies of love and light and rainbows and puppy dogs and basically every good thing in the world, right? So why did it somehow magically fuse itself onto Pixler (a man who in his own mind, I would say, embodies all of the above)? Why didn't it just kill Pixler while he was deep in the Sea of Izabella?
Fifth, apparently Geneva, Mischief, Jimothi and others Candy has met in her travels through the Abarat are part of a resistance group called the Kalifee. This group is both ineffectual (I doubt Mater Motley even knew of their existence... they certainly didn't do much to stop her take-over of the islands) and basically a bunch of bitches. When it is revealed that Candy and Boa can still communicate somhow, the Kalifee kick Candy out of their super secret meeting. Gazza, of course, comes to comfort Candy after her friends reject her and then the Stormwalker shows up and all hell (literally) breaks loose.
Okay. Despite all of the negatives, there were a few really positive things about Absolute Midnight.
I've always been fond of Christopher Carrion, so it was nice to see him redeem himself. FINALLY. I really liked seeing Carrion turn into an anti-hero from the villain of the first book and a half.
I liked the character of Zephario, Christopher Carrion's long lost father, former ruler of the island of Midnight. After being horribly disfigured in the fire that Mater Motley set to kill her entire family, Zephario, apparently, became a mad man and eventually settled down on the island of Idjit to read fortunes. Of course, he and Candy eventually meet and Candy promises him to get him a meeting with Carrion. Blah blah blah. Father/Son reunion. Blah blah blah.
To sum up: Book Three is not nearly as good as the first two Abarat books. Like others, I'm hoping that this book is just suffering from trying to set too much up for the final two books that'll be released god knows when. This series is still one of my favorites, mostly because of the promise of the first book. I'll read the next one when it comes out, but probably not the day it comes out.
I had several MAJOR problems with Book Three:
First and foremost, Princess Boa, whose soul was living inside Candy Quackenbush's head for 16 years, is suddenly evil incarnate. Where the fuck did that come from? Did I miss Abarat 2.5, wherein Clive Barker does most of the groundwork for Absolute Midnight? We've literally only heard how perfect and good and wonderful Boa was since Diamanda, Joephi, and Mespa first hint at what they've done to preserve Boa after her untimely death by dragon on her wedding day. After being released from Candy's body, Boa immediately goes on a would-be rampage, first trying to kill Candy, then the witch who helped them and then her two sons. Oh yeah, apparently Boa tricked Carrion into teaching her super powerful magic. After leaving Candy and the witch (whose name I cannot remember and cannot be bothered to look up), Boa heads to find Finnegan, the man she was going to marry. That's a story for a different review, I suppose.
Second, Candy and a character who we've barely met fall in instant, deep, soul-fulfilling love in the space of one page. Oh, and did I mention Gazza was trying to kill Candy and her friends (or at the very least, get their boat to come back to shore so that an angry mob can probably kill them). Here's my problem with this: I have been holding out for Candy and John Mischief to get together since the first time we meet Mischief by the Chickentown lighthouse. Admittedly, this relationship (were it ever to happen) has some strange implications being that Mischief and his brothers are so, ahem, close. Bottom line: I do not appreciate some new character coming in to take over Candy's heart when I've been shipping Candy and Mischief since Day One.
Third, although I was quite sad when Mater Motley killed Malingo without a second thought, I did not expect and did not want him to be alive anymore. That could have been used as a great moment to show off the horror of war etc, etc. but instead Malingo comes back as a "head with wing-ears." That's how Geshrats are born apparently, but still. I do not appreciate Clive Barker fucking with me like that.
Fourth, the Nephauree. Are they aliens? I am seriously in the dark on this one. Somebody help me out here. While we're on the subject of unexplained baddies, the hell was up with the Rojo Pixler/Requiax combo? Feel free to let me know if I'm wrong, but Requiax are supposed to be the enemies of love and light and rainbows and puppy dogs and basically every good thing in the world, right? So why did it somehow magically fuse itself onto Pixler (a man who in his own mind, I would say, embodies all of the above)? Why didn't it just kill Pixler while he was deep in the Sea of Izabella?
Fifth, apparently Geneva, Mischief, Jimothi and others Candy has met in her travels through the Abarat are part of a resistance group called the Kalifee. This group is both ineffectual (I doubt Mater Motley even knew of their existence... they certainly didn't do much to stop her take-over of the islands) and basically a bunch of bitches. When it is revealed that Candy and Boa can still communicate somhow, the Kalifee kick Candy out of their super secret meeting. Gazza, of course, comes to comfort Candy after her friends reject her and then the Stormwalker shows up and all hell (literally) breaks loose.
Okay. Despite all of the negatives, there were a few really positive things about Absolute Midnight.
I've always been fond of Christopher Carrion, so it was nice to see him redeem himself. FINALLY. I really liked seeing Carrion turn into an anti-hero from the villain of the first book and a half.
I liked the character of Zephario, Christopher Carrion's long lost father, former ruler of the island of Midnight. After being horribly disfigured in the fire that Mater Motley set to kill her entire family, Zephario, apparently, became a mad man and eventually settled down on the island of Idjit to read fortunes. Of course, he and Candy eventually meet and Candy promises him to get him a meeting with Carrion. Blah blah blah. Father/Son reunion. Blah blah blah.
To sum up: Book Three is not nearly as good as the first two Abarat books. Like others, I'm hoping that this book is just suffering from trying to set too much up for the final two books that'll be released god knows when. This series is still one of my favorites, mostly because of the promise of the first book. I'll read the next one when it comes out, but probably not the day it comes out.