The Girl at Midnight

The Girl At Midnight was such a fun and surprising read that I just couldn't put it down. Echo is one of the most fun protagonists i've encountered with all her quirks like referencing Pop Culure and obsession with large and obscure words which adds a fun layer to an already interesting and layered book. Echo is as human as you or I, but she lives in a world that is unknown to most humans. The world of the Avicen and the Drakharin, whom of course are at a long war with each other, because what great story doesnt have feuding races. The Girl At Midnight has such beautiful and rich scenery building and the world and magic surrounding it is absolutely breathtaking and i want to continue diving in. I love the attention to detail of the different types of birds that the Avcien can be and how it affects their mannerisms and personality. The Drakharin are extremely similar in that regards as well. The romance side of it is very subdued and you are unsuer for the first few chapters or so. But then man, the middle of the book hits and BAM there's a character as flamboyant and perfect as Magnus Bane himself. And he's mine to protect and keep his plummage clean. SOmehow over the course of this summer, i have found 2 new faves and they are both dark skin, sassy and Gay. And Named Je/asper. Like Seriously, it must be fate. THe twist near the end is mostly unexpected unless you are one of those people that starts speculating all sorts of things as they read and it can easily be one of those guesses. I absolutely loved this book and it is definitely going to be another favorite. I would recommend it for fans of Darker Shade of Magic, A Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and definitely Mortal Instruments because Jasper is literally Magnus Bane except part bird instead of a warlock.

The Girl at Midnight is a fun fantasy novel that resembles The Daughter of Smoke and Bone in style and atmosphere. Originally, this is why I picked it up. I mean, I adored Daughter so when I head reviewers comparing it with this new book coming out, I knew I had to get my hands on it! And The Girl at Midnight doesn’t disappoint. It’s quick, filled with snarky humor and a sassy protagonist. The Avicen and Drakharin (magical races in the novel) are interesting and creative. The story deals with war, friendship, love, magic, and personal strength, all while balancing humor and fun, which was pleasant and made it easy to get into! The characters are fun too. Echo is our lead protagonist and the only human character. She’s witty and filled with book references which are a bonus for me any day. Her romantic counterpart is Caius, who has a decent amount of characterization, enough to fill me with fluffy feelings for the two, but the same-sex relationship budding between Dorian and Jasper was much more enjoyable and less cliché. While some of the side characters are less filled out, the main cast is enjoyable with their bickering and growing dynamic as the story progresses. The writing is very elegant and atmospheric. While Melissa Grey doesn’t quite hit Laini Taylor’s level of lyrical magic, Grey is very promising in her debut and I look forward to seeing her style become more refined. This book includes a lot of elements that are popular in current urban fantasy fiction but it’s all pulled together in a new and entertaining way. If books such as Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Shadow and Bone were personal favorites, I’d try picking up The Girl at Midnight next.

**For more reviews, please visit wanderingbarkhumanities.wordpress.com ** For months, I was champing at the bit, hoping to get an ARC of Melissa Grey’s The Girl at Midnight. The cover is beautiful, I love YA, the title reminded me of Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone, and the author is a hoot on Twitter. So, I wanted the precious. WARNING: If you have not read the book, this review contains information some may consider spoilers. Turns out, I was right to want to read it so badly. First and foremost, I was hooked when the Ala said, “When I’m feeling sad, I like to be around…books. They’re very good at making you forget your troubles. It’s like having a million friends, wrapped in paper and scrawled in ink.” I mean, come on. Right there we have a quotation destined for a poster, T-shirt, mug, you name it. Someone get on that, ok? I immediately loved Echo, mostly because I recognized pieces of myself in her. Isn’t that what we all want in works of fiction, to be able to see ourselves/our situations represented? I was even more convinced by page 16, when Echo labeled her book hoarding “tsundoku,” a word I only just learned last year, because, well, I hoard books. Books are “home” to me—the first thing I would do when we would move was unpack books, at least one box, so that the new place felt more like home. The bonus with Echo, though, is that many readers—of various backgrounds—could see themselves in her, too. She has brown hair and brown eyes, and is described once as “pale,” but to me, I didn’t “read” her as being a member of any particular race. This is something I appreciated, and something that, as a mother of a bi-racial daughter and teacher to under-represented students, I value. My daughter and students don’t see themselves in contemporary young adult literature very much, and that is something that definitely needs to change. I’m heartened to see some of that change happening in Grey’s book. Another thing I loved about Echo was her knowledge of and references to words in languages other than English—words that aid our expression when English will not suffice. Among other words, I learned kalverliefde, backpfeifengesicht, akrasia, petrichor, desenrascanço,. I have moments when I can’t think of the right word, and when that happens, I’ll just have to remember what Echo said: “There’s a word for just about everything if you look hard enough.” Of course, as an English teacher, I love to see literary allusions in YA literature—they are a gateway to intellectual curiosity and a springboard to accessing other books and literature. There were several throughout the book, ranging from Shakespeare to Sherlock Holmes. What makes the allusions and language references work—and even more appealing to young adult (and adult) readers—is that Echo’s internal monologue and external dialogue are so believable, as are the rest of the narrative voices through which the story is told (Caius, Ivy, and Dorian). When I read, “The word was so salty Caius could almost taste it,” I chuckled. I’ve heard that word so much in my classroom, I was happy to see it. The inclusion of the word is believable, and it works (though I would’ve guessed that POV would’ve been Echo’s, not Caius’s). Probably most importantly for the story to “work,” the world Grey built in TGAM is real and grounded—in New York City and other international cities—but also other, where it is possible to use shadow dust to travel via the “in between,” a place I’ve always sworn existed. Not only that, but the concept of bird- and dragon-like people is something fairly new and refreshing. They’re not entirely human, not entirely “other,” either. Another beautiful thing I loved in Grey’s book was the lack of the ever-ubiquitous main character-boyfriend-secondary-potential-love-interest love triangle. Though shades of it are there, it was not prominent. What was prominent—and all the more beautiful to me—was the love triangle between Caius, Dorian, and Jasper. Though more a story of unrequited love on Dorian’s part, the representation of same-sex love and relationships was so naturally incorporated it warmed my heart. The inclusion of all types of romantic relationships, just like the inclusion of diverse characters, needs to happen more in YA literature. I’ve quoted quite a few lines already, but the line that made the most impact was late in the book when Caius said, “Memories make us who we are…Without them, we are nothing.” I’m just going to leave that there because I think Caius’s words say it perfectly. Well, there you have it. Now go read the book! I’m about to go hand my copy off to a colleague who wants to read it after she saw it lying on my desk. And then I shall make all manner of impatient faces as I wait for The Girl at Midnight 2. I hope you enjoy—and share—the book love!

Von der ersten Seite an fesselnd geschrieben, schöner Schreibstil, die perfekte Mischung von Humor und Ernsthaftigkeit. Ich konnte es nicht zur Seite legen. Für Liebhaber von YA Fiction nur zu empfehlen.

Purtroppo in Italia questo libro è uscito solo in formato cartaceo, perciò ho deciso di acquistare la versione kindle in lingua inglese: peccato perché il romanzo (primo di una serie) promette bene e mi sarebbe piaciuto leggerlo in italiano, spero sarà possibile in futuro. La trama è molto originale, anche se in alcuni punti ho trovato qualche somiglianza con un’altra serie fantasy, ma la storia è comunque diversa e ricca di colpi di scena in grado di tenere il lettore incollato alle pagine fino alla fine. Raramente amo tutti i personaggi principali, ma in questo caso devo dire che mi sono piaciuti tutti, li ho trovati ben descritti e, soprattutto, credibili. Consiglio questa serie, sicuramente leggerò anche il prossimo volume.

Since The Mortal Instruments ended I've been looking for a new series to fill the gap and none have come close to it, until now. I haven't been this excited about a book since that particular series either, not that this is another TMI, it's not, okay so it's got a secret New York, but that's about it. This is very different from TMI, but is most certainly for fans of the book, it's hard to explain, but it has a similar vibe to TMI, a vibe that makes it impossible to put down and just makes you so ridiculously excited to read it. TGAM has all the elements I love, imagination, adventure, action, magic, a quest, mystery, humour, a vivid world, romance and a badass heroine as well as a colourful cast of characters, each as interesting as the other, whether they're a main character or a secondary character. Not to mention a race of people (Drakharin) with dragon like qualities, some more than others, and a race of OTHER people (Avicen) who have bird like qualities. So much awesome. Like I said, I'm not saying this is the new TMI, I'm saying, I haven't read a book that's made me feel like TMI has in ages, made me feel the excitement of each new page, made me stay up until 3am because I can't put it down, grab a few hours of sleep and then start reading again, made me wonder at the world created and totally lose myself in it, made me wish I was a character from the book, made me fall in love with the book from the first page. TMI is one of my favourite book series, my friends and I love it and are always talking about it and whenever a new one came out some of us would literally spend all night reading it and whatsapping about it while we read. I suck at picking ONE favourite series but if I had to pick, it'd probably be TMI. TGAM is the first book I have read, that has come anywhere close to inspiring the same kinds of feelings in me that I get when I pick up a TMI book for a re-read. Seriously. So yeah, this book is not only an exciting start to a fantastical new series, but it's the start of what's looking to be my new favourite series, my new series that I will eagerly await the next instalment of, pre-order and then spend an entire night reading so I don't get spoilered and because I can't wait any longer with it sat staring at me. A new favourite series that I will return to whenever I need a pick me up. It's going to be right up there, I can tell you now without having read the other books. Honestly, this book is my favourite release of 2015 so far, and I will fight anyone who disagrees. Prepare for rambling ahead.... Echo is everything I love in a heroine. She's strong, feisty, and she makes me laugh and chuckle and I love her to pieces. I connected with her straight away, and loved her from the first page. She's tough but she's not perfect. She's a little bit hard on the outside but squishy on the inside, and she's had a tough time and that's obviously effected her, she doesn't let people in easily. Over the course of the book you see her change a lot, after the museum she struggled a little bit, I don't want to say she was broken because she wasn't really she was just dealing with a lot. You see her go through a lot and you see different sides to her and she's a very well written character with plenty of depth. She comes across as very human, she's realistic and believable as a character because of all of the above, all of the things that make her un-perfect. Caius is just as damaged as Echo, he's been through even more than she has, Echo is dealing with feeling like an outcast in her own home and then everything with her real home and everything that happened there, whereas Caius also has some issues with family not quite the same as Echo but there where some. Anyway, Caius too is emotionally closed off. Caius, however, comes across quite horribly in the beginning. Genuinely, when I started reading, and we first met Caius I was like "okay, this is the bad guy who's gonna be a total evil douchebag and I'm going to hate with a burning passion" then a few chapters later I was like...."dammit he's my fave". Then from there Caius just kept changing and developing, as his walls dropped and he became less stand offish and you got to know him better along with Echo, and you started to like him more and more until he's pretty much your precious flower and he's totally adorable and really sweet, and you vaguely remember back in the beginning when you thought he was gonna be the evil bad guy and you remember it like it's 100 years ago. So yeah, I loved Caius too hahahaa. Dorian's character development also deserves a mention because it was a thing of beauty, I'd be more specific but I don't want to spoil things. I'm just excited to see where his character is going to go now! Jasper, well I loved Jasper, he made me laugh so much, just as much as Echo did, and the way he was with Dorian just....*sigh* and also *evil laugh* Ivy, I'm looking forward to seeing more of Ivy because I'm waiting for her to get her awesome hero moment and to get more of the spotlight. I liked her, she was another strong character, she was badass in her own way. After everything with Dorian...she still helped him. She comes across as quite calm and level headed as well. She's also a really good friend to Echo, and I love her and Echo's friendship, it was the definition of true friendship to be honest, they most definitely fit some of the tumblr memes and things about "real friends..." haha So it's safe to say that each and every character is well written, with plenty of depth and background making them who they are, no matter whether they're a main character or a lesser character. Each character has their own distinct personality, each character is different and each character develops so well over the course of the book. Each character makes you want to know more and more about them and their lives. The world is rich and colourful and imaginative and it's so vividly written and created that it sucks you in and blocks out the real world, you can get totally lost in this fictional world that is also kind of real because you know...New York. But we don't STAY in New York, there's a cathedral in Strasbourg, jaunts to Japan and a few other locations, and each and every setting is written so that you can clearly picture the place, and feel like you're there. Which didn't really help with my whole, I want to travel vibe! Anyway, the book, the world, the settings, the scenes, they're all very cinematic and atmospheric, and each setting has a different vibe, and all of this combined with the plot and characters help to suck you in. The mythology of the world is rich, enchanting and detailed, and I love it when there's loads of cool and original mythology for a world. You get so much information about these two peoples and their past without being bogged down with pages and pages of information, it's all woven in to the narrative and dialogue perfectly, but I still left the book wanting to know MORE! I was literally so fascinated by the mythology and history of the peoples of the book and their world. Like the Oracle...is Echo right?! That kind of thing. I soaked up every bit of information in this book and I'm excited for more in the next one. The book is multi POV and it's the best kind of multi POV to be honest because it was so well done! First of all, the POV's are mostly Echo and Caius but there's a few bits from Dorian and Ivy and Jasper, all of which are interesting and add more insight to the characters, than just hearing about them from Caius and Echo. Each change is smooth, engaging and each character has a different and distinctive voice and not just in narratives either. I mean I'm sitting there reading Tanith's lines in my head and doing them all smirky and evil (I don't know why I do evil characters with British accents, especially considering I'm British), and then Echo all american and snarky and casually delivering hilarious lines. I know it sounds weird, but it's an acting thing and sometimes I do it automatically instead of you know...just reading. Seriously, I've been known to read books and pick a character and say their lines and include accents and everything, to stretch my acting muscles and I promise you it's a serious acting exercise we got taught to do! Except with this book it was too hard to pick one character because they where all so richly created. Secondly, you get both sides of the story from the different POV's, the Avicen side and the Drakharin side, not just of the whole conflict between their peoples, but the search for the firebird and the motives and so on. Caius for example, wanted the locket back because of who it belonged to, (which made him seem more human when you still thought he was the bad guy). Both he and the Avicen wanted the bird to end the war for their people. You could see both view points and understand both peoples, which in the beginning, is what made it so hard to keep seeing Caius as the bad guy. Tanith however...no problems there, she is the big bad after all. Thirdly, the scenes kind of crossover, so you'll be in one scene and the character will look over at another character in time to catch a character reacting to a conversation that happened in the POV immediately before. So you don't get double dialogue, you just get crossovers and little moments like that. It was seriously, very well done. I'd do better if I explained it in filmed terms to be honest, but none of you are here for me getting in to that and those specifics! I also liked how there'd be moments when something would be said in one POV in one conversation, and then be referenced in another POV like a TV show and the POV changes are different shots. It added to the cinematic element. The writing is slick, and the story flows nice and smoothly, there's action from the start, the very first page, and then all the way through keeping you captivated until the very end. There is never a dull moment, which makes it super hard to find a place to put it down, I was like "one more chapter before bed...just one more to see how that plays out, or what's going to happen next". There's always points where you go "OOOOOOHHHH" as a puzzle piece falls in to place, and each chapter ending leaves you wanting more, which is why, like I already said, it was hard to find a place to stop. Which is why I found myself starting to read at 12am, and then the next thing I knew it was gone 3am in the blink of an eye! I could have red this in one sitting easily, but I did have to sleep. I kind of wish I had been able to read it in one go because it was so excruciating to press pause and put the book down, I was thinking about it and eager to get back to it whenever I wasn't reading it. But at the same time, I'm kind of glad I got to drag it out and spend longer in the world with the characters. That's the kind of book this is. The kind you can read in one sitting, stopping only to pee, but you don't want to because you don't want it to end. The book is a proper quest type book, there's maps to follow, clues to work out, traps, mystery and everything that makes a good quest. Plot wise it's seemingly quite simple, to save their respective people, a group of enemies turned allies must follow the clues to find the firebird and end the war. But it's actually so much more complex than that. The book has some very detailed politics for both worlds that are all brought in to play and are going to effect the firebird discovery and search. There's power struggles, people trying to get along while dealing with all their emotionally damaging personal stuff and so on, I'm making it sound so serious, and it is, but there's so many times I found myself laughing out loud or trying to restrain myself from laughing in a public place. The humour in this book is so on point, and being a snarky person myself, I was pretty much cackling at some points. Romance. Ah the romance. The romance is subtle. It's there, and it becomes more obvious at some points and then towards the end, but for a large part of the book it's very subtle. Even when it's all obvious and out in the open, it's still secondary to the plot, it just adds some interesting dimensions to the character and the story. Now, let me tell you about my ships. I ship Jasper and Dorian SO HARD. Do not get me started on that time when something happened and I spent a good few chapters thinking the worst like "OMG NO WHAT YOU DIDN'T JUST..." kind of bad before I reached the "oh never mind, s'all good, I didn't panic" part. Don't worry Melissa, my feels will recover in time, and my heart....and my trust. (I'm just kidding!). I'm SO excited to see how this plays out because so far it's so well done, and you're kind of sitting there wanting to prod them together while you read and you're like "DORIAN SERIOUSLY". But yeah. I'm waiting. Impatiently, but waiting. Do not even get me started on how badly I ship Echo and Caius. Sorry Rowan. (What even happened to Rowan? Poor Rowan) It's not that I don't like Rowan, it's just that he seemed okay in the beginning and I was excited to get to know him and watch the romance and everything, he was the best friend before he was the boyfriend and everything, and I wanted to see their relationship. But we didn't get to see too much of Rowan or get to know him at all, although I feel like the author's done this on purpose and then next book we'll get load of Rowan, which would mean less Caius which is boo but Rowan intrigues me, I'd like to say if that happened I'd find it hard to choose between the two but I don't think I will haha! Rowan, at one point, didn't even defend her and they've known each other since they where kids and he just kind of stood there. Caius who'd only known her a few days was essentially doing Rowan's job, protecting her. So yes. I am firmly Team Caius. Caius just seemed so mildly terrifying in the beginning but then you get to know him and you see he's actually kind of broken from all the bad stuff that's happened to him, and he's actually quite sweet and kind of perfect and very sigh inducing and it's really hard not to shop him with yourself. I mean echo. Yes. Anyway, I enjoyed the fact immensely that this romance between them slowly developed and came to life, and then there where some warm and fuzzy "AWWWWW OMG" moments and then Echo kind of backed off a bit because of some personal things. The romance would still be there, but it wasn't all something romantic happens, and immediately they're together and then it's happy relationship land for the rest of this book and the other books. Almost immediately there's a problem, and then there's obstacles to overcome, and it's just not going to be an easy journey to the two of them being together. Especially with Echo feeling torn about her family and where she belongs and what her family would think of her. But they work so well together! Neither of them lets people in easily and then there they are! They where literally so cute together, and I was all like "aaaaghhh no" whenever something would happen, either one of them drawing back or a new obstacle. I just wanted them to be together haha! At the end I was like "sooooo are they together now or?". Regardless of whether they are or not I get the sense that it's going to be a relationship or a journey to a relationship that's going to have a lot to overcome until they finally get their happy ending. Especially as Echo needs to deal with a lot before it can be all sunshine and rainbows. Which also makes the romance quite interesting, that and the chemistry between the two. But I ship them so hard, and it's going to be interesting to see where it goes. Especially considering the Rose element and the fact that Rowan could pop up more in book two. Rose needs to just not. Like when it got to the bit about her and you read what happened, (I don't like her) then in your mind the repercussions are piling up and you're not sure which ones are going to be relevant. Like the Rose thing is going to effect my ship goddammit! Rose is going to bring some heavy and annoying doubt. It's going to add an interesting element, the whole "Who's really feeling this? Is this really my feelings" thing. For me, the romance is done, I have my ship, I'm waiting for them to get their happy ending. For the book in general, this could possibly open up an interesting love triangle, rowan the best friend and boyfriend I'm assuming will get a shot in the second book, he didn't impress me this book though! And then there's the whole obvious attraction to Caius but the doubt because of Rose. It'll be a very interesting and well done love triangle that makes sense if it goes that way. It's going to add an interesting element, the whole "Who's really feeling this? Is this really my feelings" thing. For me, the romance is done, I have my ship, I'm waiting for them to get their happy ending. For the book in general, this could possibly open up an interesting love triangle, rowan the best friend and boyfriend I'm assuming will get a shot in the second book, he didn't impress me this book though! And then there's the whole obvious attraction to Caius but the doubt because of Rose. It'll be a very interesting and well done love triangle that makes sense if it goes that way. The entire book is fast paced and action packed, but the last 60 or so pages, it really ramps up and things are kicking off and there are some really OMG NO THAT DID NOT JUST HAPPEN *SCREAMING* *THROWS BOOK* moments that you don't see coming, the book was full of twists and turns, and surprises and shocks like DOES THIS MEAN WHAT I THINK IT MEANS type things and "oh snap" moments, but the big guns really came out at the end to make you even more desperate for the next book, which is just MEAN. It's a hard enough wait as it is! I found it interesting that there was a clear difference between the two people. Drakharin seemed all about the blood and violence, Tanith in particular, they seemed more brutal and stiff and formal, even when growing. The Avicen in contrast didn't appear as bloodthirsty. They didn't seem to be the antagonisers. Although Altair's a total d*** and totally shady. Echo's story is when it really hits home, with Ruby being the standard mean girl, it made the Avicen seem normal despite their feathers. The Drakharin are definitely odd school though. Although, the Avicen being prejudice to Echo did get my back up on her behalf. It seemed very firmly, the Drakharin are the bad guys, they're all murder happy, we're just defending ourselves and we didn't do anything wrong. But I'm curious as to whether that's really the case, the Avicen just seem too...squeaky clean, if that makes sense. The ending though. The most BADASS final line ever for a book. Perfectly set up the rest of the series in the last few chapters, while concluding this book perfectly and without sacrificing the plot. Plenty of surprises and originality until the end. The colour of the fire? So my kind of thing. The ending leaves things concluded, in the sense that they've found the firebird and things have been resolved, but still open, there's a war to stop, and they have to go on the run. So you have a vague idea of what's going to happen next, but at the same time not really. Kind of the perfect ending. Leaves you wanting more without an unbearable cliffhanger of angst. Although I'm impatient and I loved this way too much, so the wait for the next book was gonna be excruciating for me cliffhanger or no. But yeah, perfect ending, badass line from Echo, book two set up, and book one wrapped up with a few threads to take us in to book two. Sorry for the rambling guys, rather than a review this has become a huge fangirling, talking out loud type post, but I was typing "notes" that ended up being way too detailed, as I was reading, and every time I'd be done reading it for the day I'd type up some notes that where more detailed than they should be and thus this is practically a novel. (Although if you do want to discuss the book with me feel free to pop me a message or comment!) So. TGAM is a fantastic debut and an epic start to a new, original and action packed series that will keep you on your toes until the very end. Full of twists and turns you'll never fail to be surprised, the world will pull you in and keep you engrossed until the very last page. I would suggest arming yourselves with supplies before you start reading! There's characters you'll love and characters you'll love to hate, and endless amounts of humour. TGAM is a combination of many different elements that have come together to create an enchanting and magical read.

Im Alter von 7 Jahren lebt - bzw. versteckt - sich Protagonistin Echo zwischen den unzähligen Bücherregalen der New Yorker Bibliothek. Dort begegnet sie eines Tages um Mitternacht Ala, einer Avicen Dame, die sie schnappt, als Echo gerade ihre Geldbörse stibitzen möchte. "The dimness of the library made her black skin appear almost human dark, but the feathers she had in place of hair and the unrelieved blackness of her eyes, as wide and glossy as a raven's, were pure Avicen." .. "A girl, skinny and pale, clutched the Ala's coin purse in a tight, tiny fist. She stared at the Ala's exposed wrist, brown eyes unblinking. "You've got feathers", said the girl." Ala nimmt sich dem kleinen Mädchen an, das von nun an in der Obhut der Avicen aufwächst. Dieses vogelähnliche Volk lebt versteckt und dank ihrer Magie unentdeckt, unterhalb New York. Eben jene Magie ist es auch, mittels derer sie zwischen den unzähligen Städten dieser Welt hin und herreisen können, durch das sogenannte "in-between". Ein bisschen hat es mich die Art un Weise, wie Echo reist, an das Flohpulver aus Harry Potter erinnert ;-) Eines Tages stiehlt Echo, inzwischen 17 und eine erfahrene Taschendiebin, in einem Pariser Antiquitätenladen eine kleine Musikbox, die als Geburtstagsgeschenk für Ala gedacht ist. Doch diese enthält weit mehr - nämlich einen Hinweis auf den mystischen Feuervogel (Phönix). "According to the prophecies, the firebird will bring about the end of this war with the Drakharin, but the nature of that end is up to whoever controls it." Heimlich wird Echo von Ala damit beauftragt, mehr über den heiß begehrte Phönix herauszufinden. Somit gerät Echo ungewollt zwischen die Fronten eines seit Jahrhunderten andauernden Krieges zwischen den Avicen und den, von Drachen abstammenden, Drakharin. Eine aufregende und gefährliche Reise beginnt, bei der es nicht immer leicht ist, zwischen Feind und Freund zu unterscheiden. Ihre Reisegruppe, unfreiwillig zusammengewürfelt, wächst zusammen und Echo beginnt, ihr Herz zu verlieren, obwohl es doch eigentlich bereits Rowan, einem getreuen Krieger der Avicen Armee gehören sollte. Mehr zu erzählen - ohne zu viel zu verraten, fällt mir schwer. Daher muss dies als Einblick reichen. Die besondere Stärke des Buches liegt für mich in der genauen, detailreichen und doch nie zu lang wirkenden Charakterbeschreibung. z.B. "He was sickeningly handsome, verging on beautiful. The light drew the angled planes of his face into sharp relief. He was tall, with just the right amount of muscle for his height. Hair so dark it was all but black brushed the faint dusting scales on his cheekbones, and his eyes were the kind of green that would make emeralds weep with envy. There was a savage sort of beauty to him." So hat man als Leser sofort ein klares Bild vor Augen, ohne durch zu viel Information überladen oder durch zu ausführliche Beschreibungen gelangweilt zu werden. Ich finde immer wieder, dass dies ein schwerer Part ist - in manchen Büchern fällt die Charakterdarstellung zu kurz aus, in anderen wieder, füllt sie ganze Textseiten. Echo wird auf ihrer Suche von einer bunt-gemischten Truppe begleitet, die allesamt - trotz ihrer Unterschiede und Eigenheiten - sehr sympathisch ankommen. Worlbuilding: Ein Großteil von Echos Reise findet innerhalb Europas statt (was ich sehr angenehm fand, mal keine amerikanischen Großstädte ;-.)), so dass weniger fremde Welten dargestellt werden müssen als deren Bewohner (eben Avicen und Drakharin). Ganz besonders hat mir gefallen, dass es Echo auch nach Strasbourg verschlägt - eine Stadt die ich persönlich schon öfters besucht habe! Ein weiterer Pluspunkt ist die humorvolle Art von Melissa Grey. So habe ich mehrmals herzhaft gelacht, vor allem als Echo versucht Schinken-Waffeln zu kochen ... "I am screwed, Echo thought. Or I passed screwed five miles back." Was hat mir nicht so gefallen? Die Avicen kann ich mir gut vorstellen - schwerer tue ich mich jedoch bei den Drakharin. Vielleicht habe ich es auch überlesen, aber eine klare bildliche Vorstellung davon, wie sie nun wirklich aussehen und welchen Bezug sie zu Drachen haben, fehlt mir noch immer. Und das, obwohl rein von der Charakterbeschreibung ich gerne mal Protagonist Caius begegnen würde ... hmmm!!! *grins* Das einer der Reisebegleiter Dorian hieß, damit kam ich ehrlich gesagt gar nicht klar - aber das liegt einfach daran, dass der Name bei mir so sehr von Sarah J. Maas gebrandmarkt ist (Throne of Glass). Alles in allem 4 von 5 Punkten - und eine klare Lese-Empfehlung. Ich bin in jedem Fall auf Band 2 der Reihe gespannt, dass wohl voraussichtlich im Juni 2016 erscheinen wird.

The first half of this book reminded me of Daughter of Smoke and Bone and the other half of my favorite series, The Mortal Instruments. Needless to say, it was impossible for me to end this read and stare at my digital copy with no hearts in my eyes. It was so beautifully crafted that I gawped when seeing a sentence revealing that this was in fact Melissa Grey’s debut novel. Colour me impressed. With gorgeously detailed sensory detail and outstanding figures of speech, the writing made me want to crawl inside the story and take the main character (Echo)’s place in order to find the firebird that would bring peace between the Avicen and the Drakhain with as much intrepidity as she showed. I don’t usually feel this way about books (neither do I normally desire to, with no regrets, push a main character from a cliff) but the world-building that was contained inside The Girl at Midnight shimmered with quality. It will give you as impression that what you are reading matters, that it is worth your time. Furthermore, those weren’t the only elements that make this story a memorable one to me. That’s right; it had a structured – without giving you as feeling that you can determine the next scene – plot and the kind that includes adventure, a quest, encounters with new characters, romance, betrayal, bravery and a remarkable amount of hopefulness. It drove me from my normal life straight to a more mystical and exciting one. I can see this series becoming a success very clearly. And maybe even a movie… At least, I hope so, because I’ve never met cinematographic (or book) characters with the appearance of Avicen people and would love to see how they would look like on the big screen. I remember staring at the cover of this book repeatedly day after day since I first discovered it. I kept thinking, ‘‘This has to be good.’’ And, as you may suspect if you have read my thoughts written above, it absolutely was for me. More than that: it was fantastic. However, my self wanting to kill the heroine does mean that this read was not a flawless one. Indeed, Echo’s personality and behaviour, especially before the quest was given, was comparable to a kid’s one due to her bluntness, recklessness and lack of judgement in certain situations. She was also the only character that used a strongly colloquial language. It just didn’t feel right for the story. Every time Echo started speaking, I was constantly sulking at how it disintegrated inch by inch the seriousness and deepness of the fantasy genre that constituted the story. Good thing that both of those things were always restored by the magnificent secondary characters. Otherwise, I would have been very annoyed. Technically, there was a slight love-triangle, but I did not mind it. You will see that the ‘‘second,’’ if that is how I shall call it, couple come to know one another in such a gradual and believable way that you will too forget the boy Echo left behind soon enough *wink* *wink*. The relationships were actually well-done and I am referring to both romantic and friendly ones. And you know the best part? There was a gay couple in this story. Hats off to the author for having convinced me of their affection toward one another. I did feel like they did not have enough scenes together though. But neither did Alec & Magnus in City of Bones and look at how it all evolved. I wish everyone would give this first in a formidable new series book a chance.