Past Midnight (Past Midnight, #1)

by Mara Purnhagen

Let me set the record straight. My name is Charlotte Silver and I'm not one of those paranormal-obsessed freaks you see on TV...no, those would be my parents, who have their own ghost-hunting reality show.

And while I'm usually roped into the behind-the-scenes work, it turns out that I haven't gone unnoticed. Something happened on my parents' research trip in Charleston-and now I'm being stalked by some truly frightening other beings.

Trying to fit into a new school and keeping my parents' creepy occupation a secret from my friends-and potential boyfriends-is hard enough without having angry spirits whispering in my ear.

All I ever wanted was to be normal, but with ghosts of my past and present colliding, now I just want to make it out of high school alive...

• ISBN10: 0373210205
• ISBN13: 9780373210206
• Publish Date: 31 August 2010 (first published 1 January 2010)
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 8 February 2021
• Imprint: Harlequin Teen
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

Okay. Whatever you do, do not read this book at midnight.

This book actually scared the crap out of me. Maybe because I guess I consider myself spiritual but I also am not so knowledgeable in the area and I've personally had unexplained things happen, that this stuff freaks me out.

The idea of ghosts being residual energy is interesting. But also something that confuses me and doesn't really fit with my beliefs over the subject. I guess it also doesn't fit with my experiences. So I did find it hard to understand the logic at times yet at the same time I did understand. Which contradicts itself and makes no sense. And then near the end I was so freaked out that I had to switch on all the lights at my end of the house as for me just thinking about spirits makes me hyper aware of them in the room. And I can't really handle that.

I would say I enjoyed this book. But this book wasn't a book I could enjoy, but only because of the subject. So I feel silly for wanting to read it. I guess I felt like a thrill, I just forget how this subject does more than thrill for me. I had to finish the book in one night so I knew what happened and wasn't kept up wondering.

[Stephanie]

I was interested in reading this book because of the ghost hunting parents. I mean, that's pretty awesome. And the fact that her parents try to prove that ghosts aren't real is even better, especially when their daughter now has ghosts following her and basically tormenting her until she figures something out for them, but what they want her to find out is beyond everybody.

I really liked this book. It was something fun and different to read. I didn't find it very scary or anything, though sometimes it did get a little spooky, but that could have been because I was reading at work once, when I was by myself after everyone left, and we just finished talking about how the place was haunted. So. That may have been the case.

I really enjoyed all the characters, though sometimes the main character, Charlotte, annoyed me a little, just a little though. And I really liked the sub plot with Charlotte's best friend.

I found this book to be a very refreshing read.

[Amber]

I did, originally, only pick up this book because I received an ARC for the sequel. I hadn’t previously heard much about this series as there hasn’t been as much hype for this as there have other books - at least on the blogs that I follow and read. However, I was pleasantly surprised!

I’ve not read many books about ghosts. I think the last one I read was a Point Horror book back in middle school. This book was a great way to get reintroduced to the topic! I loved hearing about different hauntings, and how Charlotte’s parents went about their investigations and dived into various situations.

I did find Charlotte’s personality, to begin with, kind of bland. But that’s only because she was trying to be inconspicuous! I would, too, if I had parents who were famous for ghost hunting!

I found the ghosts in this book to be very creepy, they often sent shivers down my spine! There’s a lot of mystery going on in this book as well, and that aspect of the book was very interesting, I was kept hooked. I thought I’d figured it out, but with so little to go on, it was hard, and it turns out I was completely wrong. Sherlock Amber was duped this time.

Overall, Past Midnight is a very fun read, and a surprisingly great book! I definitely recommend it if you enjoy reading books about ghosts - it’s so much fun! The second book in the series, One Hundred Candles, was released in February. Go grab a copy of this, now!

[Kim Deister]

Charlotte Silver has grown up in a family that isn't your everyday family next door. Her parents are famous paranormal investigators and the entire family travels around the world, debunking reports of ghostly hauntings. Charlotte has always been in the background of their investigations, her sister Annalise being the sister considered to be more "sensitive". Most of the time, Charlotte is okay with that, just wanting to be a normal high school girl. But after a research trip to Charleston, everything changes for Charlotte. No longer is she in the background, and that threatens the semblance of normalcy she has finally found.

Past Midnight is a modern day ghost story with all the chills and thrills you would want. Sometimes, with a ghost story, it can become overdone, overpowering the other elements that make for a good story. This was definately not the case with this novel. It was a perfect blend of mystery, every day drama, and the paranormal. The paranormal was definately the center of the story, but the subplots were equally as engaging. The themes of grief and guilt between Jared and Avery was heartwrenching, but due to a desire to not give a spoiler, I won't explain further! Charlotte's struggle to be normal and to be accepted was entirely relatable because everyone at some point in their lives feels that way.

The characters were extremely well-developed, even those that weren't at the forefront of the story. Charlotte was very easy to relate to as a person and was extremely likeable. You could feel her angst as if it were your own. Because there were things she wasn't being honest about, Avery was harder to get to know in the story, as you weren't quite sure if she was going to turn out to be good or bad. Jared's story just made my heart ache for him. The only characters I truly didn't like as much were Charlotte's parents, who were so wrapped up in their work that they tended to not really see their daughters and their problems.

The only thing that left me wanting was Dante the dog. A dog, I know! A point was made repeatedly throughout the book about his apparent dos;ike for Charlotte, and no explanation was ever made. Other than that one little silly thing, I absolutely loved this book! I absolutely recommend it and I cannot wait for the next one to come out!