Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
107th out of 124 books
—
125 voters
The Midnight Gate (Spellbinder #2)
by
Helen Stringer (Goodreads Author)
It’s been two months since Belladonna Johnson discovered she was the Spellbinder, and she’s full of questions about her powers. When a ghost finds Belladonna and her classmate, Steve, and gives them a mysterious map, the friends don’t know if they should be looking for or hiding from the one person who holds the answers to Belladonna’s powers: the Queen of the Abyss. Throw...more
Hardcover, 376 pages
Published
May 10th 2011
by Feiwel & Friends
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
387)
This a very good followup to Helen Stringer's earlier novel, Spellbinder. In this latest episode, Belladonna Johnson, a twelve year old is wondering what comes next. For a girl who lives with the ghosts of her parents and has traveled to the Dark Side and back, life that is defined by middle school classrooms is not very exciting. Her biggest problem is how to avoid trouble with Sophie Warren, who reigns as the class bully. Trying to stay one step ahead of her isn't easy. After a run in with Bel...more
Oh-em-freaking-zee!!! That was epic. I love Steve. He is awesome. And wow! Go Belladonna! That last sentence....ahh!!! Holy cow! That school! AAAhhh! Sorry. I am not really saying much about the book, am I?
K, so the story picks up few months after the whole incident with Dr. Ashe. Belladonna and Steve are back at school and...depressingly for them...everything has gone back to almost exactly as it had been before the grand adventure had begun. Life is boring, which aught to be good. Belladonna i...more
K, so the story picks up few months after the whole incident with Dr. Ashe. Belladonna and Steve are back at school and...depressingly for them...everything has gone back to almost exactly as it had been before the grand adventure had begun. Life is boring, which aught to be good. Belladonna i...more
Why I read this: I really enjoyed reading Spellbinder and was happy to read on into the second novel.
Plot: Another intriguing plot, where Belladonna and Steve once again have to save the world from the evil powers. I really enjoyed these tales, with all of its supernatural awesome mixed with witty British humor. They go on quite the adventure with tests involved and are almost killed, quite a few times actually. And I definitely laughed when they met the Queen of the Abyss because it was complet...more
Plot: Another intriguing plot, where Belladonna and Steve once again have to save the world from the evil powers. I really enjoyed these tales, with all of its supernatural awesome mixed with witty British humor. They go on quite the adventure with tests involved and are almost killed, quite a few times actually. And I definitely laughed when they met the Queen of the Abyss because it was complet...more
This book reminded me of Harry Potter. Not in the broad sense, they aren't witches but in the smaller sense that a young child is forced into a position where they have to be so much wiser and older than their years. Poor Belladonna is still only 12 years old - this story is only months away from the previous. The adventure is far more dangerous. The sad part is that those who have put Belladonna in this position really don't care if she lives or dies, she's replaceable as the Spellbinder. She h...more
One of the best things about book blogging is that I get the occasional middle-grade chapter book to review. I don't always like them, but some of them are favorites that I'll never forget.
Spellbinder, the first in Helen Stringer's series, was delightful. Goth and quirky and funny without being condescending about any of those things and about kids who seem real, who have real problems, who make mistakes, who aren't templates of childhood perfection. Wonderful book - I gave it away immediately t...more
Spellbinder, the first in Helen Stringer's series, was delightful. Goth and quirky and funny without being condescending about any of those things and about kids who seem real, who have real problems, who make mistakes, who aren't templates of childhood perfection. Wonderful book - I gave it away immediately t...more
Belladonna and Steve continue their supernatural adventures in this second book. The authorities discover that Belladonna is still living at home, seemingly alone, after the death of her parents. Grandma Johnson has mysteriously disappeared. So Belladonna has no choice but to stay with her foster parents, the Proctors. But then she finds out that the building in which they live was demolished years ago, and the Proctors themselves are not what they seem. What part will Belladonna, the Spellbinde...more
The Midnight Gate starts off not too long after Spellbinder concluded and while it begins with a much slower pace, the story unfolds cleverly and with ease. Belladonna’s troubles couldn’t have ended with Dr. Ashe being carted off by The Hunt, that would have been far too easy. But her troubles double, triple, just get really, really bad. Yet Belladonna is still Belladonna. She copes remarkably well for a twelve year old girl with dead parents and an ever-mounting pile of bad on her doorstep.
Bell...more
Bell...more
I do like the characters in these books. Belladonna ... you can't help but sort of relate to her feeling out of place at school and with her new Spellbinder responsibilities (whatever they may be). Steve is a lot smarter than he lets on.
"Okay, yes, this could be the end of the world. But we can't worry about things we have no way of knowing. Right now we just have to concentrate on getting to the Queen of the Abyss. We'll figure everything else out later." (p 284)
That quote just stuck out at me...more
"Okay, yes, this could be the end of the world. But we can't worry about things we have no way of knowing. Right now we just have to concentrate on getting to the Queen of the Abyss. We'll figure everything else out later." (p 284)
That quote just stuck out at me...more
Most sequels are not as well written or developed as the first novel. This is not the case with The Midnight Gate. Stringer spins another great ghost-story with Belladonna and Steve at the center of the mayhem. Danger abounds as Belladonna and Steve try to prevent evil from crossing over from the dark spaces. You will enjoy every minute of the fast read.
Totally an average good book. I think I liked it a little better than the first one. My library has these as audio books, so I hope they get more.
Both of the main kids are fun characters, they are both very capable and smart. They never get to the point of being obnoxiously too smart for their ages.
A good book for kids with some cross over appeal.
Both of the main kids are fun characters, they are both very capable and smart. They never get to the point of being obnoxiously too smart for their ages.
A good book for kids with some cross over appeal.
As the sequel to The Spellbinder, this fantasy about a boy and a girl with heavy responsibilities is, at times, confusing and always dark. Humor nearly saves the story, but the plethora of beasts with unfamiliar names in unusual settings is nearly enough to make the reader skip pages. Part ghost story and part coming-of-age, this suspense will delight many children. Others will be frightened by the themes.
Even though it is a ypung readers book I truly enjoyed it. Now my Grand daughter is reading it and is very absorbed. There are so many things [ghosts, dragons and etc] that we both love to read about and she really likes the fact that the heroine is a little girl jjust like her.
well.. This is my first book of Helen Stringer, I had no idea that this was a sequel to spellbinder ... :( it wasn't mentioned any where in the book though.. so I guessed the situations where there were mentioning of the past events.
this may be rather exciting for children... full of ghosts... death .. etc...
this may be rather exciting for children... full of ghosts... death .. etc...
i loved this book so much! this is the best series ever. and just like i wrote for spellbinder i don't remember when i read this but i remember reading it and loving it. I REALLY WANT THERE TO BE A THIRD BOOK!!!
I read this book aloud to my 11 year old son. We both looked forward to reading it every night. Now to find book 3 in the series.
Had to rate this from memory - I don't remember it by now and strangely didn't write anything down about it. May be better than 3 stars.
Loved this book and clever thinking about the door mat. The first book was better.
a very good follow up of what happened I cant wait to read what happends next
Another book which has the potential to become a movie. There is adventure, there is excitement and danger lurks at every turn.
Read my review at Let's Talk Books
Best book evar! Damn i want 3rd Novel mmh...
This was a great book. It was a Goodreads win. I will definitely look for more from Helen Stringer. It is geared more for pre-teens, teens, but it is still a good read, very similar to the Harry Potter genre. I thought the characters were very well developed and the plot was very good - moving along as it should to keep one interested. I highly recommend this for a fun summer reading experience.
Wow! This book is definitely in my top 20
See the first book Spellbinder
I am pretty much in love with this series. I LOVE it. It's a fun read and it feels like a new twist on Young Adult fantasy. I loved it.
LOVED IT!!!
Like the way Stringer turns a phrase, but this book as sequel felt like beating a one-trick pony.
Feb 04, 2011
Barbara
added it
Helen brought me an ARC and I'm loving it. It's very clever! Terrific story. I'm going to pass the ARC on to the kids in my book club and get their responses/
3.5 out of 5. A great addition to this series. Will review soon. I wouldn't suggest reading out of order. Start with The Spellbinder.
May 14, 2013
Adrienne Snow
marked it as to-read
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Helen Stringer is a British novelist living in the United States. Spellbinder (UK title: The Last Ghost) is her first book.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
More about Helen Stringer...
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
