Darkness Fall by Mia James

Synopsis

Highgate.
When April's family moved to the sleepy North London village of Highgate, everyone told her it was the start of an amazing new life. They didn't know the half of it. Weeks later, her father was the latest in a series of brutal killings, someone has tried to kill her, and now her boyfriend, Gabriel, is dying too . . .

Murder
April couldn't save her father, but there's just a chance she can save Gabriel. There's an ancient recipe, hidden in a forbidden book, which holds the cure. All April has to do is find it. Somehow.

Vampires
But she has to keep a low profile. In a school full of vampires, where one of their own has been killed, they're beginning to suspect they have a Fury in their midst. April's blood might be deadly to vampires, but even that won't save her if they figure out who she is.
Time is short, the stakes are high, and surviving school has never been so tough . . .

The middle book of any series is always a tough one as the story is hanging between the exciting beginning and introduction stage and a dramatic conclusion. By Midnight was one of my favourite picks for 2010 so I was excited to get my hands on Darkness Falls. The book picks up a week after the dramatic end of By Midnight. April is out of hospital but feeling a little shaken. She also has to cope with Gabriel's illness and work out a way to cure him. Alongside all of this April's father has been murdered and things at home are not going well.

I adored so much about this book. There's a great deal of detail on Highgate which suited me as I love the cemetery. If you ever get a chance to visit do go on a guided tour of the West Cemetery so you can experience the places in the book for yourself. London itself is also covered in detail which all gives the book a great sense of place and atmosphere. There are some great characters in Darkness Falls and I hope that we'll see more of the witch that April, Caro and Gabriel meet in the woods and Jessica the bookshop owner. The search for a cure for Gabriel takes April and Caro to an amazing library full of stuffed animals and secret books. I loved this part of the book and wished we could have spent more time in the museum.

But April's main problem is the conspiracy that the vampires are cooking up. More deaths take place and April always seems to be at the centre of things. So much so that the police start shooting sideways looks at her and I loved the awful psychologist Tame that is drafted in to try and find out what April is hiding. Her mother seems to have her own secrets and April finds herself alone in her race to discover who the vampire regent is before the vampires discover who the fury is. There were times in part two that I wanted to reach into the pages and shake April. She turns her back on everyone who can help her and blunders into trouble at every turn but I couldn't fault her passion and tantrums in her quest for the truth.

I have high hopes for the next instalment. At times reading Darkness Falls I was reminded of creepy, Gothic Hammer horror movies but in a good way. This book has it all, including the wise but discreet vicar, the clueless policeman, love, mystery and intrigue. A bloody, British romp of a book.

MFB Best of 2010 - Sarah's Choices

Tricky, tricky, tricky. As this is my first year on MFB and blogging I've never done one of these before. After much deliberation I've managed to narrow it down to a select few. As you've probably realised by now I'm passionate about paranormal young adult fiction so it'll be no surprise that it dominates my list. So, with no further ado let's crack on.

By Midnight, Mia James

I love Highgate Cemetery. It's one of the most atmospheric, gothic places I've ever visited so I was excited to read about it. The book caught the feeling of Highgate for me but more than that, it captured London too. I've lost count of the amount of American paranormal fiction I've read and By Midnight's very Britishness was refreshing. I also appreciated the, "real," way that teenages were depicted. They drink! They smoke! They generally carry on like reckless young 'uns. There was also a delicious mix of great dresses, snarky kids at school, geeky best friends and the whole thing was a glorious read.

Clockwork Angel, Cassandra Clare

Clare is one of my favourite authors but I couldn't imagine the world of Shadowhunters in the Victorian era. I needn't have worried as the murky atmosphere of gas-lit Victorian london is perfectly suited to to the world of Mortal Instruments. Heroine Tessa arrives in London and is immediately swept into the disgusting world of the Dark Sisters. It becomes apparent that Tessa isn't just a sweet, innocent girl over from America but has a secret that even she didn't know about. A great collection of characters plus a chance to get to know the fabulous Magnus a bit better made this instantly addictive.

Nevermore, Kelly Creagh

Dark, moody, addictive - I loved, loved, loved this book. The stereotypes are there; the goth and the cheerleader forced together for a class project. However, everything else about Nevermore is incredibly unique. Varen, outsider at school, is obsessed with the works of Poe - perhaps too much? Outwardly, Isobel has it all; popular, jock boyfriend, top flyer in the cheerleading squad. However, she's started to feel that there's more to life than putting up with her bullish boyfriend. Varen intrigues her and she finds herself questioning the way her life is going. Varen is a tortured soul and I was willing them to get together. Aside from the goings on in the physical world there's also the world of Poe which adds a wonderful air of mystery to the whole novel. As the real and imaginary worlds begin to bleed into one another the story reaches its climx. I can't say enough good things about Nevermore, it goes beyond most Young Adult novels I've read and got me reading Poe. Enough said.

Nightshade, Andrea Cremer

Nightshade has just snuck in at the end of the year enabling me to include this in my list. I was a little worried when I read the synopsis that this would be somewhat reminiscent of Bitten. I needn't have worried as Nightshade is a completely different animal (sorry). Calla is an alpha Guardian (she can switch between human and wolf forms at will) who's purpose in life is to protect the ancient Keepers. Calla is also promised to a fellow alpha, Ren so they can form a new pack under their control. However, the appearance of a new boy at school throws Calla's life plans into disarray. The massive strength of Nightshade for me was the carefully planned mythology that Cremer had used as the base for her story. However, none of it seems forced and you discover bits here and there until the whole becomes clear. Like By Midnight, I liked that the teenage desire seemed authentic and the book fairly sizzled from start to finish. The world of Nightshade felt fresh and was deliciously creepy at times too.

Angels: The Weetzie Bat Books, Francesca Lia Block.

I started this book on a long car journey and after a few pages stopped. I really wasn't sure about the language but I dove back in determined to give it a proper chance. The world of Weetzie is, I found, very hypnotic and addictive. Soon I was finding the language beautiful and descriptive rather than alien. The edition that I read was a bind-up of the whole series and they cover all the members of Weetzie's family in each separate book. What I also loved was the subject matter that the books covered. It was a little tricky to put an era on the books but they seemed to cover anything from the 1960's to early 1990's and focus on the serious side of life. I actually made a note of some of my favourite lines and that's not something that I often do. Dangerous Angels is a lyrical gem.

2010 was an important year for me and this piece wouldn't be complete without thanking Liz and Mark for inviting me to join MFB and let me post rambling, gleeful reviews of amazing books. Guys, I've loved it and am looking forward to getting stuck in to some great releases for 2011. Thank you for everything, you've made my life richer - honestly.

Okay, bring on the new books - grrrr!

By Midnight by Mia James

Synopsis


April Dunne is not impressed.


She's had to move from Edinburgh to Highgate, London, with her parents. She's left her friends - and her entire life - behind. She has to start at a new school and, worst of all, now she's stuck in a creepy old dump of a house which doesn't even have proper mobile phone reception. Ravenwood, her new school, is a prestigious academy for gifted (financially or academically) students - and the only place her parents could find her a place, in the middle of term, in the middle of London, on incredibly short notice. So she's stuck with the super-rich, and the super-smart . . . and trying to fit in is when the rest of the students seem to be more glamorous, smarter, or more talented than she is, is more than tough. It's intimidating and isolating, even when she finds a friend in the conspiracy-theorist Caro Jackson - and perhaps finds something more than friendship in the gorgeous, mysterious Gabriel Swift.

But there's more going on at Ravenwood than meets the eye. Practical jokes on new students are normal, but when Gabriel saves her from . . . something . . . . in the Highgate Cemetery, and then she discovers that a murder took place, just yards away from where she had been standing, April has to wonder if something more sinister is going on.

. . . and whether or not she's going to live through it . . .


When I initially heard about By Midnight I was a little cynical. I mean, is there really anything left that hasn't already been written about teenagers and vampires? Well, as it happens, yes there is. Not only that but I found I was pleased to be found wrong, ecstatic in fact. Much like Liz's review of Dark Goddess I also had to take a few days out before writing this so I didn't gush too much.

April Dunne has been relocated to London and is hating it, her new school is elitist and unfriendly. Alongside this her parents are arguing constantly and April can barely get a reception on her phone. A murder of a famous rock star just around the corner from April's house means she has to be home straight from school which is a disaster for her social life. Fortunately April ignores good advice and soon finds herself exploring the cemetery at night. She discovers a dead fox and blood - too much blood to belong to one fox - only to be saved by the uncommunicative but gorgeous Gabriel from school.


Things improve for April as she befriends conspiracy nut Caro who fills her in on her theories behind Ravenwood. Students have been disappearing but no-one seems too worried about finding out about it. April's dad, a journalist, is also investigating something weird - vampires. When April takes some photos at a party she discovers that some of the most popular kids in school don't show up on film. Then, another murder takes place and April finds herself being questioned by police and more involved than she wants.

So, what's so good about By Midnight? First off, the setting of Highgate in London. I love Highgate cemetery, have been on the tour and often mull over if I can afford to be buried there (I can't - bah). The real-life mystery of the Highgate vampire is explained and this forms the basis of the story. As a result the whole book is dripping in Gothic horror; from the architecture to the parties. Even the autumnal weather gives the By Midnight a kind of shadowy, murky glamour. I also loved the characters who were all "real" teenagers. Parties have alcohol and people have sex - there's none of this skirting around the issues pretending that they don't happen. The most perfect part of it for me was that it encapsulates the whole confusion of being a teenager. April remembers when she got on with her parents and when they got on with each other. Now they hiss at each other in corners whilst April's life is a closed book to most of the adults who surround her. She feels alone and confused but unable to turn to anyone except her friends to find the answers.

The pace of By Midnight is perfect too, just the right amount of action and reflection and April is instantly likeable and relateable. I found myself whizzing my way through, desperate to find out what it was that made April different and why she was being held in suspicion by her peers at Ravenwood. There's some wonderful dialogue and one-liners throughout. This little quote gives you an idea of where April and By Midnight differs from other vampire stories.


'You're certainly different, April Dunne.' He chuckled, holding his side.


'What's so funny?' said April, still annoyed.

'Well, most people confronted by a vampire for the first time scream or beg for their lives. You, on the other hand, stab the vampire and then start telling him off.'

Now I've finished I'm left drumming my fingers wondering when I can get more from April and Ravenwood.