The Secrets of the Midnighters

By Felicia R.

           

            This cross between romance and a spook is the perfect way to spend a boring

night that needs to be spiced up. Midnighters: The Secret Hour, written by Scott Westerfeld is not only interesting, but makes you not want to put the book down. I was always asking, "What happens next?". Protagonist Jessica Day recently moved to the unusual town of Bixby, Oklahoma, and learns that she has a secret talent.

            Jessica Day is a quiet girl who never got herself into any trouble. She knew things would be different in Bixby, but she never would have imagined how extreme that difference actually was. She thought it was all just a dream at first; only to come to her realization that it was not. Jessica wakes from her sleep at exactly midnight every single night, and enters what is called the "blue time". the secret hour of midnight. Rather than having twenty four hours in a day, midnighters have twenty five. Time literally freezes the full minute of midnight, and for that one minute of 12:00, equals an entire hour for midnighters to spend in the blue time. Seems cool to have the opportunity to have an hour in the day, right? Not so much.

            Jessica and her four other midnighter friends from Bixby face dark creatures of the night called slithers. The other midnighters never had an issue with them; that is, until Jessica day moved to town. She brought a new power, a talent, to Bixby, that scared the slithers of the blue time. Jessica and her friend are on a mission to find out what her talent is, and why the slithers are so scared of her and want her dead.

            Westerfeld's writing is extraordinary. I could put myself into the scene and imagine it as if I was there. It was in fact fast paced, never a boring moment. I always wanted to keep reading, knowing something was always happening. His character developments are strong, as are his use of words throughout the story. It was very descriptive, but not to the point you just wanted to skim through it, I got a very well developed mental picture. The book's ending was a little disappointing however, I expected there to be a little something more to give off that "wow" moment, but it wasn't really there.

            This is Westerfeld's first novel I have ever read, and I would say that I'd read another one of his stories, I do enjoy his writing style. The Midnighters is a series, made up of a total of three novels, and I do plan on reading them. I suggest you give them a try as well.

            Midnighters: The secret Hour, by Scott Westerfeld,