By Midnight (Ravenwood, #1)

Jan 26, 2012 FashionDayDreamer rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Okay, well the first bad thing that comes to mind is the line that basically Twilight said, and it's pretty bad, quote: "You're a honey trap for vampires. Everything about you is designed to draw them in: the way you look, the sound of your voice, even your smell."

Not to mention pages after pages of long paragraphs dribbling on about nothing. Seriously - get to the point. And when it does get to the point, like Twilight , it all erupts at the end of the book. So basically you have to read up to...more

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Apr 26, 2012 Inge *Studying for Exams* rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, vampires, main-character-is-a-dumb-cow, suspense, put-a-sock-in-it, fantasy

3.5 stars

Pros
+ Absolutely loved the setting of the book. London, Highgate, Ravenwood, the cemetery, it was all very well done.
+ The authors gave us really elaborate stories about the history of the vampires, the Furies and all that. It's what draws me to these books, not the romance. It was very interesting and nicely done. Also the Gill's bookstore and her dad's job, both connected to the stories, were great.
+ No insta-love. Well, they called each other 'girlfriend' and 'sort-of-boyfriend' afte...more

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May 27, 2011 Deni's Inkberries rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Alright.. So I got this, and there really were parts I enjoyed. Yet, still, I have to agree, the book really did go on, and on, and on. Unbearable at some point!

-Spoilers Ahead-

I won't say it's a bad book; because it isn't. I've overlooked the whole quote from Twilight thing, seriously guys, we get it. I read many reviews about it as well, but still, we get it. Taken from Twilight, yada yada.

Now, one thing I truly adored about it, was the amount of research put into it. Really, who can do so muc...more

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Oct 19, 2011 chucklesthescot rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: youngadult, fiction, paranormal-romance

OK why did I hate this book? I read the first 23 pages and it seems well written enough despite the usual plot of girl-goes-to-snobby-school-and-is-picked-on-by-bitches-then-spooky-stuff-happens. I thought maybe it might be better than some of these school based crappies that I've read recently.

Instead the author managed to totally piss me off with her continued negative steriotypes of Edinburgh and Scotland which were totally untrue and give a very false and inaccurate view of life here, making...more

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Oct 18, 2011 Liberty Gilmore rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What’s Good About It

In a market more than saturated with ‘my boyfriend is a vampire’ novels, it’s a breath of fresh air to read a story with real mystery, threat and intrigue. That just happens to have vampires. Okay, so a lot of the tropes are present – Gabriel is gorgeous and mysterious and slightly creepy – but whereas in many of these sorts of books the plot is essentially ‘when are they going to get together’, By Midnight’s story has a lot more depth.

There are some truly shocking turns of e...more

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Dec 30, 2010 Yolanda Sfetsos rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-paranormal

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. April Dunne is sixteen years old and has just moved to Highgate in north London. She's not happy about having to leave Edinburgh behind, where all of her friends and even her crush lives. But her father has found himself a new job here--he's an investigative journalist who also writes books about conspiracies and other strange phenomena. Having her parents argue all the time, and being distant from her mother doesn't help. Not to mention that she's pretty sure her parents, and even her grandfath...more April Dunne is sixteen years old and has just moved to Highgate in north London. She's not happy about having to leave Edinburgh behind, where all of her friends and even her crush lives. But her father has found himself a new job here--he's an investigative journalist who also writes books about conspiracies and other strange phenomena. Having her parents argue all the time, and being distant from her mother doesn't help. Not to mention that she's pretty sure her parents, and even her grandfather, are keeping secrets from her.

Having to attend the prestigious school called Ravenwood doesn't improve things. Everyone's either super rich, or super intelligent. Still, meeting a conspiracy-nut called Caro, and the gorgeous Gabriel help matters a little. Yet, things don't seem to be normal in Highgate. People act strange around her, especially the boys. But she figures it's just because she's the new girl.

When a murder happens in the nearby cemetery and Gabriel saves her, April's life begins to spiral downward.

Suddenly, she finds herself in the middle of some very scary situations, one of which takes her father away from her. Determined to get to the bottom of it, she begins to suspect everyone, and is determined to find out who killed her father. Putting her own life on the line.

And when she finds out the truth about who and what she really is, it will challenge everything she's ever believed.

I absolutely loved every moment of it, and couldn't wait to get back to reading. April seems like such an average girl dealing with typical teenage angst after having to start fresh in the middle of the school year in a new school. But life throws some very serious and painful things her way, things that normal teens don't have to deal with. Being forced to face a myth that actually turns out to be a reality, after she argued with her father about it just before he died, makes everything that little bit harder to deal with.

By Midnight was brilliant! Everything about this story was drenched in suspense so thick that every time I turned to a new page, it was with a combination of excitement and anticipation. I couldn't get enough of the events and enjoyed how they slowly unravelled the mystery of Ravenwood, leading to a very violent conclusion.

I loved this book so much. It's intriguing, heartbreaking, interesting, deep, and just... wonderful. An absolute page-turner. April was a great character to get to know, and I liked Gabriel. I found him to be an enigma, but I never suspected him. I also love that the vampire lore has been challenged here, introduced, and dealt with in a very unique way. (less)

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Aug 04, 2010 Amanda rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: series, review-copy, ya

April is deeply upset when her father takes a job at a small paper in London, and moves his wife and daughter from Edinburgh to do so. At first she is just miserable because she misses her friends and has to start a new school, Ravenwood, where many of the students are either stunningly beautiful or frighteningly clever. But then the deaths start, and April realises that she might be in danger as well. Suddenly there is no one she can trust — not even the beautiful and mysterious Gabriel, who Ap...more

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Jun 22, 2010 Claire rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cross posted from my Blog: http://books-bees.blogspot.com/

When April Dunne's family gets uprooted from Edinburgh to London, she is not impressed. Now April has to go to the impressive and imposing Ravenwood, for students who are gifted, financially or academically, but April is neither, making it all the more terrifiying. On top of this are 'the Faces' the rich and impossibly beautiful clique at the school, which for an inexplicable reason want to be friends with her, making many enemies for Apr...more Cross posted from my Blog: http://books-bees.blogspot.com/

When April Dunne's family gets uprooted from Edinburgh to London, she is not impressed. Now April has to go to the impressive and imposing Ravenwood, for students who are gifted, financially or academically, but April is neither, making it all the more terrifiying. On top of this are 'the Faces' the rich and impossibly beautiful clique at the school, which for an inexplicable reason want to be friends with her, making many enemies for April in the process. After the murder of the rock star Alix Greaves, and being saved by one of the Faces, Gabriel from another murder, April and her new friend conspiracy theorist Caro start to sense something hinky is going on. But the real question is will they solve the mystery before the killer comes for April?

Make no mistake this isn't a supernatural romance, despite its cover, By Midnight most definitely is closer to a murder mystery then Twilight or the other stock-standard supernatural romances. There is romance hidden in there, it just doesn't take precedent over the murders and the mystery that surrounds them and April herself. I really enjoyed the relationship between Caro and April, and as someone who has moved from school to school, it was very believable especially when the appearance of her Edinburgh best friend Fiona is entered into the mix. The lore the author used to back up and support her version of fictional supernatural lore, along with historical facts and murders, really was the point that pulled me in and grab ahold of me for the ride, but to be honest, there were some parts that felt like they were added in to appease the fluffy supernatural fans.

By Midnight is written by a husband and wife team, and by having a male and a female point of view it helped round out the characters of April, Caro, and Gabriel. I also found the periphery characters to be engaging and loved April's quick humour. In short I will be buying the next installment when it comes out, but for the mystery, and scooby-doo factor, not the romance.(less)

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Jan 06, 2011 Viohlet rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: People who like whiny, bratty, un-likeable lead characters

Shelves: read-2-hated, paranormal-vampires, genre-young-adult

*Taken from my original review on my blog*

Not gonna lie, the cover intrigued me, and the back of the cover synopsis just built on that curiosity. However, when I began reading it, everything went downhill. Fast.

Mia James is a pseudonym used by Tasmina Perry and John Perry.
Quite frankly, I was surprised that a woman of her age had written, or at least contributed towards the writing of it, as I was genuinely convinced a young woman of around 18-21 (one who was rather shallow, immature and unimagi...more *Taken from my original review on my blog*

Not gonna lie, the cover intrigued me, and the back of the cover synopsis just built on that curiosity. However, when I began reading it, everything went downhill. Fast.

Mia James is a pseudonym used by Tasmina Perry and John Perry.
Quite frankly, I was surprised that a woman of her age had written, or at least contributed towards the writing of it, as I was genuinely convinced a young woman of around 18-21 (one who was rather shallow, immature and unimaginative) had penned it. Truth be told, given the final product, using an unrelated nom de plume was probably the best idea they had.

From Page One, Word One, all this novel did was remind me of why I stopped reading "teen" romance. I was determined to get through it though, after all, it had sounded interesting, and I paid $15 for it.
The entire book, my main feeling towards the novel, was annoyance.

You've got your classic "I'm-16-and-know-everything-I-won't-listen-to-a-word-anyone-says-even-though-I'm-quite-possibly-wrong-treat-me-like-an-adult-but-I-want-to-act-like-a-child" herione. Yes, I realise there's a great many teenage girls who are like that, but there are plenty, myself included, who aren't or weren't.

I wasn't able to relate to the herione at all, as apart from the overall lack of character development (for all characters), she is a whiny, selfish brat (don't even get me started on her air-brained, social-climbing, neglective, shallow, selfish mother), and while this is typical of teenagers, it pushes to the extreme, thinking of herself without any thought for anyone else's thoughts or feelings to the point of blind ignorance and arrogance.
She would throw a tantrum when not given a direct answer to something she thought she should know, which she may have done, but while spouting things like 'stop treating me like a child', and 'please treat me like an adult', she would scream and carry on and tell people she 'hated them'.
She could never commit to anything, feelings or actions, and stereotypical of this current generation, cared about nothing more than the latest trends, parties and snagging a boyfriend. {Quote; "I don't want a destiny!...I want a boyfriend! end-quote}.

She also had a rather irritating, for myself anyway, desperation to fit into the 'cool crowd' even though she knew they were nasty pieces of work and she'd be better off without them, ignoring the advice of many people, including her so-called 'friend' to get into a taste of 'glamour'.

The novel itself was also rather dragged out. It could probably have had about 50-60 pages shaved off, if over-describing of scenes (something J.K Rowling is guilty of) were cut, and seemingly pointless and irrelevant scenes altogether (seemingly for the sake of making the book longer) were also removed.

The ending was a dead giveaway for a sequel, however, I have no intention of ever reading it, when, if at all, it is published.

All in all, I would give this a 2 out of 5, simply because the murder mystery itself was rather well plannned, and I will admit to being mildly surprised over the outcome. However, I would not recommend this book, unless you love torturing yourself, and I don't plan to ever re-read this title.(less)

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Aug 26, 2010 Zanthie * ♫ The Music Freak ♪ * rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: action, horror, young-adult, romance, paranormal-supernatural, vampires

I liked this book. It was unusual, and I liked the fact that the concept of 'vampire' changed again in this book. The vampires can go out in daylight, without sparkling, burning etc. but they do not show up on camera or video records.
The story itself was quite good-April Dunne is happy with her life, until she has to move to a dull village called Highgate. She has to attend a posh school for the super rich and the genii of the country, and fitting in will be a real challenge. She finds friendsh...more

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Aug 02, 2010 Pamela Todd rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, ya-mg, read-in-2010

By Midnight is one of those hard books to review. I won't give a recap of the plot outline as this has already been done, instead give my thoughts while I was reading it.

The first was that By Midnight isn't at all what you think its going to be. While reading the back in the bookshop the other day I thought, I kinda want to read this, but feel like I've already read it. Couldn't have been further from the truth.

While yes, By Midnight has supernatural elements and the good old fashioned human-vam...more

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Oct 09, 2010 Soph...*Lock&Key* rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, predictable-reads, read-in-2010

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. This book is rated somewhere between two and three stars.
Okay here are my ratings.
Characters: 1/5 stars
The characters in this book were quite bad I must admit. I am sorry to say but they were very unlikable. April was soooooo boy obsessed it was sad really. That’s all she could think about, she wasn’t even interested in friendship or grateful for those who stuck by her, and she was soooo fast paced, she kept wanting Gabe to kiss her. I mean get to know each other first. Gabe was too plain for my...more This book is rated somewhere between two and three stars.
Okay here are my ratings.
Characters: 1/5 stars
The characters in this book were quite bad I must admit. I am sorry to say but they were very unlikable. April was soooooo boy obsessed it was sad really. That’s all she could think about, she wasn’t even interested in friendship or grateful for those who stuck by her, and she was soooo fast paced, she kept wanting Gabe to kiss her. I mean get to know each other first. Gabe was too plain for my liking he wasn’t bad he just didn’t stick out and it will be easy for me to forget him. And as for the rest of the characters i didn’t like em much. The only character I liked (the dad) died. So that really sucked.

Story: 4/5 stars
I must say that I quite liked the storyline, It was clever and took a new turn on vampires. It had a great context and the events built up well.

Writing: 2/5 stars
The writing wasn’t bad. Let’s get that strait. It was easy to understand. Where the author went wrong was that she explained too much, I would turn the page and see paragraphs non end and I would just cringe. Also I was not too fond of all the information, some is ok but there were just pages and pages of it.

unpredictable: 3/5 stars
Some parts of this book were predictable, i will admit to that. The whole romance had the been there done that vibe. Gabriel who lost his true love and has never fallen in love or shone any interest in a girl since magically loves April. He was supposed to call and didn’t. He throws pebbles at her window midnight. Bla, talk about seen it all before. The storyline on the other hand was not predictable. I quite liked it and thought with just a bit more work it could be fantastic.

Overall , this book was okay. If I had read this book last year I probably would have loved it, but I have read a lot of books so far and I have to say that this book is just another paranormal love story.

Ohhhh and for the record this book is not a twihard, thats what the other reviews said but its not true it is quite different. and well twilight is a lot better.
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Feb 05, 2013 Leselurch rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*Worum geht's?*
Die sechzehnjährige April Dunne ist alles andere als begeistert davon, mit ihren Eltern aus ihrer Heimat Edinburgh in den Londoner Stadtteil Highgate zu ziehen, alles, was ihr lieb und teuer ist, zurück zu lassen und ihre Freunde nicht mehr bei sich zu haben. Aber ihnen blieb gar keine andere Wahl: Nachdem ihr Vater William seinen Job in Schottland verloren hatte, fand er nur in London eine neue Anstellung als Journalist. Dank ihres einflussreichen Großvaters erhält April dort sog...more

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Sep 22, 2010 Kirsty (overflowing library) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: uk-author

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I was left at the end of it with loads of questions and am intrigued about where the series will go in the long run as quite a few interesting story threads have been set up.

The whole was interesting as a whole as it was told from a whodunnit angle. I haven't read a vampire book that has taken this angle before and the whole story arc kept me guessing throughout as I was trying to 'solve' the crimes committed as the characters were also trying to do the same. I f...more I enjoyed this book quite a bit. I was left at the end of it with loads of questions and am intrigued about where the series will go in the long run as quite a few interesting story threads have been set up.

The whole was interesting as a whole as it was told from a whodunnit angle. I haven't read a vampire book that has taken this angle before and the whole story arc kept me guessing throughout as I was trying to 'solve' the crimes committed as the characters were also trying to do the same. I found myself getting paranoid and not knowing know to trust more and more as the book went on. The setting of Highgate made for a good setting and I enjoyed the scenes at school. I am a little puzzled about why April is actually at Ravenwood being that she is neither rich nor gifted but I am hoping that it becomes clear as the series progresses. That said that is one of many questions I have about the school and the whole set up.

One of the strengths of this book for me was the characters. There were a whole host of intriging charcaters both main and secondary who I enjoyed. April was very sweet and normal. I like that she was dizzy and had to deal with all of the hundreds of random things that normal teenagers have to deal with as well as being in the situation she finds herself in. I enjoyed the relationships she had with her friends Fee and Caro and how it differed from the relationship she had with Davina one of the 'faces' and the one with Gabriel (I am dying to see where that one goes). My absolute stand out favourite character of the book had to be Miss Townley the 80 year old librarian and despite the fact she had a very small part in the book I loved everything about her. I especially enjoyed the line "break the spine on one of my books and I'll break yours" Definately a woman I can relate to.

I wasn't all that keen with the idea of Furies (I won;t say much about it as I don't want to spoil it for others who haven't read the book yet) especially when the idea of a guardian was also introduced as it it seems to be a clear whedonesque slayer/watcher rip off, but I haven't seen too much of the whole set up to judge outright yet.

Definately a series I will be looking out for in the future. I have hundreds of questions whirling round my head which I am dying to have answered.(less)

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Nov 26, 2012 Mimi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

April Dune zieht mit ihren Eltern von Edinburgh nach London. Sie ist nicht gerade davon begeistert die Schule zu wechseln und nun die "Neue" zu sein. Die Eliteschule Ravenwood entspricht außerdem nicht dem typischen Schulbild und es gesehen seltsame Dinge. Es kommt zu einer Reihe ungeklärter Tötungsdelikten: 1. Der Rockstar einer bekannten Band wird ermordet 2. ein junges Mädchen wird auf dem Friedhof neben Aprils Wohnhaus gefunden und 3. ihr eigener Vater stirbt auf unerklärliche Weise. Die Ere...more

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Oct 04, 2011 Ashton Freckles Willson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favourite-books, favorites

I really enjoyed this book, i found it hard to put it down. Characters are easily likeable they don't get annoying like most books who repeat them self's. Also there's a guy called Gabriel that is really hot in the book!! lol and the best bit of the book is that its English and and in the london area, its nice to see something different and good to have an english book instead of American books. defiantly a must read

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Mar 14, 2012 Michelle rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have had my eye on this series for a while but have never got around to reading it. When Darkness Falls was offered up for review I jumped at the chance to accept it but then realised it was the second book in the series. I sent an email to the publicist expaining my mistake and a few weeks later was very happy to see both books in a parcel for me.

I knew reading By Midnight it would be about vampires, but I did not expect to have another paranormal being be added to the mix and was pleasantly...more I have had my eye on this series for a while but have never got around to reading it. When Darkness Falls was offered up for review I jumped at the chance to accept it but then realised it was the second book in the series. I sent an email to the publicist expaining my mistake and a few weeks later was very happy to see both books in a parcel for me.

I knew reading By Midnight it would be about vampires, but I did not expect to have another paranormal being be added to the mix and was pleasantly surprised by the revelation. From the moment I opened the book I was hooked and wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen next.
Ravenwood sounds creepy and mysterious and is the perfect setting for this book, it adds to the mystery and intrigue but also acts as a great cover for what is really going on behind the scenes.

I also thought the teachers were all creepy when they were always saying that their doors were always open for April, but as you get further into the book bits are revealed that explain the reasons why they act the way they do. The area surrounding Ravenwood is also explained in detail and it was easy to imagine it in my head how it all looked. The characters are likeable and it was easy to relate to some of the experiences they had.

I did feel sorry for April having to be moved from everyone she knows and made to start a new school, and although I have never experienced this myself Mia James has done a great job of portraying the emotions and feelings April is feeling. I absolutely loved Caro, and even though she had crazy ideas about what was really going on, which eventually turned out to be true, I couldn't help but enjoy the parts she got. She always put a smile on my face with the things she said.

Throughout By Midnight I was constantly trying to guess who was the murderer and I never once picked who it really was. I thoroughly enjoyed reading By Midnight and have already made my way through half Darkness Falls by the time this review is scheduled.
Mia James is an author everyone should watch out for and I can't wait to see what else she has to offer us.
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Nov 03, 2011 Kirsti rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Well, i liked this one, but it went FOREVER and I mean forever. We're given little bits of information, but it's not until right at the end that we find out what's going on exactly. The length is one reason I gave it only 4 stars, the other being the long winded paragraphs about nothing important that occurred as well.

That being said, the characters are interesting and fresh, the main character, April, displays more emotion that just love which is unlike most YA fiction, and the myths and legend...more

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Oct 05, 2010 Jen {The Book Twins} rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, favourite, young-adult, vampires, paranormal-romance

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 02, 2011 Book Angel Emma rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

OMG this book is flippin fantastic. So glad the 2nd book is nearly out I dont think I could wait much longer for it.

Written in 3rd person narrative but focalized from April's point of view. April has been taken away from her friends and security of Edinburgh due to her fathers job relocation. But is there more to why her father moved them to Highgate. The writing is typically British which was refreshing as well as adding to the realism for me.

The multi-layered plot makes the third person narrat...more OMG this book is flippin fantastic. So glad the 2nd book is nearly out I dont think I could wait much longer for it.

Written in 3rd person narrative but focalized from April's point of view. April has been taken away from her friends and security of Edinburgh due to her fathers job relocation. But is there more to why her father moved them to Highgate. The writing is typically British which was refreshing as well as adding to the realism for me.

The multi-layered plot makes the third person narrative a necessity in order to keep tight control of the threads. I am not going to give away plot details as it is an intrinsic part of the reading experience in this book. Seriously you have to read it for yourself - vampires, curses, destiny and eastern European folklore all play a part in the plot. Alongside the usual teenage cliques are portrayed brilliantly but with an added dimension taking the characters to another level. I was constantly questioning motives and personalities.

Speaking of characters I have to mention Caro - yes she is a genius and her levels of sarcasm rival my own but boy is she a complete conspiracy nut. I totally loved her. She proves to be a great friend to April in many ways. April is lucky to have her and her friend from Edinburgh (I hate it when I forget to write their names down) in her life. Especially in the tougher times.

Plus Gabriel *swoonalicious* oh Gabriel what can I say about you other than I totally blame Buffy and Angel for my love of brooding vampires with a conscious.

Beautiful yet chilling Gothic imagery add to the world building. Sensory encompassing so you can lose yourself completely into the pages of the book. I know it is weird but I wanted to go on a tour of Highgate Cemetery and the other places mentioned within the narrative. Tracing Aprils footsteps to add to the realism of the story.

The action is fast-paced and dramatic interspersed with enlightening, reflective prose which gives insight into both the characters and the plot. Put that alongside the amazing character development and interaction and you have one heck of a story.

One thing I will say is that I am glad I have read the book close to the publication of the second book knowing I will not have to wait long to get some of the answers I so desperately need. The ending of By Midnight will leave you gasping for more immediately.

In my humble opinion I think this book is brilliant. I can hear some of you saying 'Oh No, not another vampire book' but read it and I will bet it will renew your love of vampires.(less)

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Aug 25, 2011 Enchantedtoreadyou rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

so it´s actually more like a 3.5 or something but I rated matched a 3 and I definitely liked this more.

Okay so it wasn´t too full of love drama and more about April soing random shit. I seriously liked that. Some thing could have been shorter like the guide through the cemetery but it´s okay once in a while. A book isn´t all about interesting parts I think.

What i really liked about this book were the well developed characters. I loved the short-tempered April, who wasn´t perfect at all. Even tho...more so it´s actually more like a 3.5 or something but I rated matched a 3 and I definitely liked this more.

Okay so it wasn´t too full of love drama and more about April soing random shit. I seriously liked that. Some thing could have been shorter like the guide through the cemetery but it´s okay once in a while. A book isn´t all about interesting parts I think.

What i really liked about this book were the well developed characters. I loved the short-tempered April, who wasn´t perfect at all. Even though the "special" part about her could have been left out. I dislike all that " the main character is sooooooooooooooooooo special" stuff. I mean come on. Normal Kids can be good too. Or am i all that boring? ;D

What wasn´t all too well was the love. I mean yeah it´s fine it isn´t all that romantic like I mentioned earlier. What botheres me is "WHY?" Why does she love gabriel. Okay so he´s good-looking and is really nice and does cute things like a date out at midnight. But...thats´s it, isn´t it. Don´t get me wrong, i´d like that too. But to call it LOVE, when all they did in the end was argue? Hmm. But Since I guess there´ll be a sequel I hope for more of them.

And just one more thing I LOVED. Aprils reactions. It wasn´t like. "You´re a vampire? NO WAY. i got to tweet this to all my friends. I knew it! " It was more like.? WHAT? Don´t get near me freaking monster.
Now thats a reaction i think is good after discovering the truth. Stab him, yeah go girl! I loved how she run way from him and it was hilarious how she yelled he was a thief. Oh come on you know you like that too ;D

It wasn´t like
"oh-hes-good-looking-but-i-think-he´s-a-murderer! Anyway-lets-kiss-because-i´m-magicaly-drawn-to-hiM"
BULLSHIT. I waited for a heroine to react like that. go april, I like you so much ;D Because your the most human, unhuman character I had to pleasure to accompane!

and last but not least.
HER NAME
Because have you noticed that in the recent Ya-novels all the heroines seem to be named with C=
Cassy, Clary and whatnot. WHY? ;D

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Oct 19, 2010 Siobhan (Totally Bookalicious) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I bought this book for two reasons. Firstly, I was drawn to this book because of the cover (I know I shouldnt but I tend to always go for the cover first) It really stands out and captures the darkness in the story. Secondly, it is set in England, I found this a great change from most YA books in this genre being set in America.

By Midnight its a very good read and really keeps you interested from start to finish. By Midnight takes you on an emotional rollercoaster that I found myself crying on a...more

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Sep 07, 2010 Rachael rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

My biggest problem (when it comes to my unhealthy book obsession ;D) is I cannot just put the book down and walk away when I'm not enjoying it. I have to read the entire book. Word for word. Top to bottom. Counting the pages until it ends. And so on and so on...and that is how i feel about "By Midnight".

The characters were lifeless. There was no connection, no passion between any of the characters. Not with friendship, family or the love interest.
I could feel the author trying but it never real...more

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Oct 09, 2012 Kara-karina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

3.5/5
The world-building is very plausible in this book conspiracy-wise, however I had a feeling that the authors got a bit lost with what they were trying to say.

Great ideas, plenty of potential and gory, dark, Gothic atmosphere. I was surprised at how violent this book was. What went wrong then? you would ask.

My issues stem from the inability of April to rise to the status of a true heroine. Her mood swings and mistakes are literally lethal. Seems to me with all the people getting killed and a...more

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Aug 14, 2010 Carmen Belgium rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, 2010-read

I liked this book, read it in one go! It could keep me intrigued all the time, and that's gotta be worth something!

Btw, make sure to check out the videos at http://www.ravenwoodmysteries.com/, they rock!

This book touched me deep, because some things I can very much relate to and I really do understand the pain April goes through, it cuts me like a knife.

Okay, there are vampires in this book and yes they can walk in daylight, but at least they don't sparkle ^^ You just don't notice anything spe...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Emma Louise rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bought, forgettable

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

2 likes · like · see review

Jul 17, 2012 Lauren Mcvey added it · review of another edition

Shelves: books-13-25

By Midnight is a mystery novel that is set both around and in the Highgate Cemetary that is in North London. This is a paranormal mystery with a bit of romance put in but the romance is not overwhelming. Many things happen in the town that April the main character and her family live in. Things that are not normal and one would hope would never happen in ones community.

I cannot give a lot of information about this book because it would give to much away. I can say that it was worth reading and t...more

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Sep 15, 2011 Winged_One rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Can I smack her? Can I? It started to pick up 80% of the way through the book, but April didn't mature or wise up even when she started to know the truth. I couldn't finish it because she continued to annoy me so much.

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Aug 25, 2011 Jennifer H. rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have always admired authors that give their story/characters ample time to build and develop. I love lush details and descriptions, and digging deep into a characters mind to find out what makes them tick. It can make any 400+ page book fly by where you are so caught up in it that you want to savor every word, every page until the very end.

Unfortunately, for me, that wasn't the case with "By Midnight" by Mia James. It truly felt like I had been reading this book for MONTHS. (Instead of just o...more

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Mar 22, 2011 Lizzie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: paranormal, romance, ya-fiction, vampires, in-a-series

Two stars feels like a push for this book. If you ignore the obvious 'I-spawned-from-Twilight' feel of the whole thing, it was forgettable. I've read just this kind of thing before, and I was really drawn in by the blurb just to be disappointed. I was also disappointed (because there are not enough in YA fiction) that the author was British because... well. April was selfish, nearly insufferable to read at some points, and the only redeeming thing I can think of is that some teenagers are, unfor...more

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title link	preview: By Midnight
avg rating	preview: By Midnight Goodreads rating: 3.65 (1199 ratings)
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By Midnight (Ravenwood Mysteries #1)

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