The Secret Hour: Number 1 in series (Midnighters, #1)

by Scott Westerfeld

As the new girl at Bixby High School, Jessica Day expected some unwelcome attention. What she didn't expect was to feel an instant connection to a stranger in the corridor . . .

Who is this boy dressed in black? And why can she feel his eyes following her wherever she goes?

The answers will have to wait until the sun goes down, for here in Bixby, midnight is the time for secrets; secrets that Jessica is going to find out, whether she wants to or not.

• ISBN10: 0748126767
• ISBN13: 9780748126767
• Publish Date: 20 January 2011 (first published 2 March 2004)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: GB
• Publisher: Little, Brown Book Group
• Imprint: ATOM
• Edition: Digital original
• Format: eBook (EPUB)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

For all the love and praise people give The Uglies, it would be a lie to say I wasn’t expecting more from this book. It was good, but it didn’t blow my mind, the way I was expecting. Of course, this series isn't The Uglies and maybe that was the problem altogether.

Jessica Day isn’t an unlikable protagonist. She’s pretty typical, as far as protagonists go, and a little too friendly for my tastes, but not too disagreeable. Her new friends are generally all angry, pessimistic people who act like they are better than everyone else because of their secret – including her. I think that Westerfield did that by design, but I didn’t like it. If I wasn’t frustrated with Jessica’s arrogance and frivolity, I was irritated with the rest of the character for being uppity. The exception to this would be Jonathan. While I can’t say that Jonathan's character was any more realistic, he was likable, and I think maybe I even envied him a little for his sense of freedom. However, even his fallen hero redeemed storyline ran a little too close to annoying. The characters didn’t feel real to me, and since Westerfield was trying to present a dangerous fantasy world, the groundedness of the characters is important.

The concept of the story was interesting, though. In the realm of fantasy and lore, “midnight” has always had its connotations, but it is infrequently called upon in modern fantasy. The world Westerfield has created is almost there, right on the edge of magical. The first midnight that Jessica experienced left high expectations for me, and everything after that first magical experience seemed a little lacking. The creatures were too easily intimidated, and the characters seemed to be able to travel incredible distances too easily, in just an hour.

All in all, the book wasn't bad. Just, for something presented as "dark," it seemed too light and easy. It's a good quick read, and would probably be better for readers younger than myself.