ARC Review: The Girl at Midnight (The Girl at Midnight #1) by Melissa Grey

Release Date: April 28th, 2015

Publisher: Delacorte Press

Rating: 3 / 5

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I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Blurb:

For readers of Cassandra Clare's City of Bones and Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone, The Girl at Midnight is the story of a modern girl caught in an ancient war.

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.

Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, but if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

*I received an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review* 

First Thoughts

I liked The Girl at Midnight, but I didn't love it and I'm a little disappointed because it was one of my most anticipated reads for 2015. I thoroughly enjoyed the first half of the book, but then it started to fall flat. I found myself skipping through entire paragraphs and just skimming the pages to pick up important points.

The series has great potential-- it's about two ancient races that have warred against each other for centuries. There are those among the Avicen (bird people) and Drakharin (dragon people) that seek the mythical Firebird, for legend says the Firebird's power can be used to either stop the fighting or eliminate the opposing race.

Melissa Grey has a beautiful style of writing, I enjoyed the fantasy she added to our world, and I loved all the different culture, locations, and food she incorporated into her story! The female MC, Echo, and I could seriously be foodie soul mates!

What I Enjoyed

Echo's snark. This is what drew me in when I started reading The Girl at Midnight! I loved Echo's cheekiness! She had this spunk about her that just made her so likable! Unfortunately, her sass fizzled out toward the end-- hence part of my reasoning for the later half of the book losing a bit of its spark.

The budding romance between Jasper & Dorian. This was a delightful surprise for me! I can't recall any books I've read in recent years that include gay characters. The inclusion of characters from all walks of life in books give me great hope that we are becoming more and more of a tolerant society every day!

All the culture! The Girl at Midnight took us to places like Taiwan, Japan, Scotland, France, etc. I love Melissa Grey's descriptions of all the places and her insertion of all the different foods that were in the book! So exciting! There were pork buns, macarons, eclairs, mochi, and bacon waffles. I need bacon waffles. Now.

What Could Have Been Better

The last several chapters. Melissa Grey's writing was fantastic. The descriptions, fantastic. I should have loved this. It's really the last 30% of the book that lost my interest. Echo lost her charm. The plot became too predictable. Echo having Rose in her head was just too strange. A ton of my questions were never answered. I hope the second book picks back up!

Memorable Quote

"Yes, bacon waffles. And you want to know why?" She shoveled a sizable serving onto another plate. "Bacon next to waffles? Good. Bacon inside waffles? Great."

Yes, I am obsessed with the food in this book. Especially the bacon infused waffles.

Recommended For

Well, honestly, I've never read Shadow and Bone, but I hear it's quite similar. I assume if you liked Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, you'll enjoy The Girl at Midnight as well.

3 asterisks

Happy Reading!