The Midnight Spell by Kody Boye and Rhiannon Frater
Published by: Permuted Press
Publication date: February 28th 2013
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Publication date: February 28th 2013
Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult
Best friends since kindergarten, Adam and Christy have always been the perpetual outsiders in their small town in Texas. The other kids call Adam gay and Christy a witch.
On both counts the bullies are right.
Their junior year in high school seems destined to be the same old same old until Christy decides to cast a love spell for Adam at the midnight hour. The next day an alluring and mysterious boy enrolls at school and sets hearts aflutter, including Adam’s. Meanwhile, Christy’s mad crush on the handsome football player Ian seems to be going nowhere fast and her witch puberty is making her life miserable.
When a great evil arrives in town that threatens everything they hold dear, the best friends realize that finding a boyfriend is the least of their worries. Soon Adam and Christy will have to battle a force of darkness that has killed in their town before, and will again.
On both counts the bullies are right.
Their junior year in high school seems destined to be the same old same old until Christy decides to cast a love spell for Adam at the midnight hour. The next day an alluring and mysterious boy enrolls at school and sets hearts aflutter, including Adam’s. Meanwhile, Christy’s mad crush on the handsome football player Ian seems to be going nowhere fast and her witch puberty is making her life miserable.
When a great evil arrives in town that threatens everything they hold dear, the best friends realize that finding a boyfriend is the least of their worries. Soon Adam and Christy will have to battle a force of darkness that has killed in their town before, and will again.
REVIEW
Oh. My. Gosh! This was one exciting, thrill-a-second, adventurous from start to finish read, and I could not put it down!
There was so much to love about this story that I'm not even sure where to begin. I immediately liked Adam and Christy. Their connection was so strong and it really came through in the fantastic writing. My heart broke a little for each of them because even thought they had each other, they both seemed to be missing a little something in their lives. While Christy pined over her crush, Adam's sexuality really left him with limited, or make that NO chance of finding love in such a small town. I loved that Christy loved Adam so much that she'd do just about anything to help him find happiness. Even casting a love spell.
The thing is, love spells tend to have a way of going awry. They may eventually find their way, but they are sure to wreak havoc before that ever happens. I truly thought, though, that Christy's spell had been flawless, when Mark showed up. He seemed like the perfect guy for Adam. Maybe too perfect...
There was a moment there when I wondered if perhaps he wasn't gay and it was going to cause a whole lot of turmoil between the two BFFs, but I was glad when things started to look up for Adam. That is until everything started to fall apart.
I just have to take a moment to mention the great support system that both Christy and Adam had. It has been a while since I read book in which a family wasn't on the brink of, or already, falling to pieces. It was good to see healthy parent/child relationships, and parents who showed real interest in their kids. Even if the parents where a little kooky, they were cool and fun, and it such a wonderful change from the norm.
Okay, back to the boy drama...
I really felt for Christy, because it seemed like every time she made a little progress with Ian, it all went to hell. If she wasn't making a fool of herself, he was making an ass of himself and pissing her off. I was glad to see that she was willing to put her friendship before her love life, though.
Things were getting a little weird on Adam's end. Mark seemed genuine and sweet, but something was a bit off with him. When he started acting weird about Christy I thought he had jealousy issues or that he was a little over possessive, but I never expected him to turn into a complete nightmare of a boyfriend, quite literally. When talk of the ghost came up, and with Mark acting strange, I started to wonder if there was something more paranormal to his crazy behavior, and I really was expecting him to show up on the bridge Halloween night. I certainly did not expect everything that happened after that night, and this story took a twisted, malevolent turn as old secrets were unveiled, and a terrifying past came to light.
This book was wickedly cool, with a chilling back story that gave me the creeps and had me looking over my shoulder more than once. It was also a story of love, friendship and courage. There were times in this story when I thought my heart would shatter into pieces, and times when I couldn't help smiling. It was filled with some serious subject matter, things that are very relevant today, allowing the reader to connect with the story in many different ways. But, it also had a fun, lighter side to the darkness, which was thoroughly entertaining.
There was so much to love about this story that I'm not even sure where to begin. I immediately liked Adam and Christy. Their connection was so strong and it really came through in the fantastic writing. My heart broke a little for each of them because even thought they had each other, they both seemed to be missing a little something in their lives. While Christy pined over her crush, Adam's sexuality really left him with limited, or make that NO chance of finding love in such a small town. I loved that Christy loved Adam so much that she'd do just about anything to help him find happiness. Even casting a love spell.
The thing is, love spells tend to have a way of going awry. They may eventually find their way, but they are sure to wreak havoc before that ever happens. I truly thought, though, that Christy's spell had been flawless, when Mark showed up. He seemed like the perfect guy for Adam. Maybe too perfect...
There was a moment there when I wondered if perhaps he wasn't gay and it was going to cause a whole lot of turmoil between the two BFFs, but I was glad when things started to look up for Adam. That is until everything started to fall apart.
I just have to take a moment to mention the great support system that both Christy and Adam had. It has been a while since I read book in which a family wasn't on the brink of, or already, falling to pieces. It was good to see healthy parent/child relationships, and parents who showed real interest in their kids. Even if the parents where a little kooky, they were cool and fun, and it such a wonderful change from the norm.
Okay, back to the boy drama...
I really felt for Christy, because it seemed like every time she made a little progress with Ian, it all went to hell. If she wasn't making a fool of herself, he was making an ass of himself and pissing her off. I was glad to see that she was willing to put her friendship before her love life, though.
Things were getting a little weird on Adam's end. Mark seemed genuine and sweet, but something was a bit off with him. When he started acting weird about Christy I thought he had jealousy issues or that he was a little over possessive, but I never expected him to turn into a complete nightmare of a boyfriend, quite literally. When talk of the ghost came up, and with Mark acting strange, I started to wonder if there was something more paranormal to his crazy behavior, and I really was expecting him to show up on the bridge Halloween night. I certainly did not expect everything that happened after that night, and this story took a twisted, malevolent turn as old secrets were unveiled, and a terrifying past came to light.
This book was wickedly cool, with a chilling back story that gave me the creeps and had me looking over my shoulder more than once. It was also a story of love, friendship and courage. There were times in this story when I thought my heart would shatter into pieces, and times when I couldn't help smiling. It was filled with some serious subject matter, things that are very relevant today, allowing the reader to connect with the story in many different ways. But, it also had a fun, lighter side to the darkness, which was thoroughly entertaining.
Follow the Tour HERE
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Rhiannon Frater is the award-winning author of over a dozen books, including the As the World Dies zombie trilogy (Tor), as well as independent works such as The Last Bastion of the Living (declared the #1 Zombie Release of 2012 by Explorations Fantasy Blog and the #1 Zombie Novel of the Decade by B&N Book Blog), and other horror novels. In 2014, her newest horror novel, The Mesmerized, will be released by Permuted Press. Dead Spots will be published in 2015 by Tor. She was born and raised a Texan and presently lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and furry children (a.k.a pets). She loves scary movies, sci-fi and horror shows, playing video games, cooking, dyeing her hair weird colors, and shopping for Betsey Johnson purses and shoes.
You can find her online at:Website: rhiannonfrater.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.
Twitter: twitter.com/
Blog: rhianonfrater.blogspot.
Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/
Email: rhiannonfrater at gmail.com
Born and raised in Southeastern Idaho, Kody Boye began his writing career with the publication of his story [A] Prom Queen’s Revenge at the age of fourteen. Published nearly three-dozen times before going independent at eighteen, Boye has authored numerous works—including the short story collection Amorous Things, the novella The Diary of Dakota Hammell, the zombie novel Sunrise and the epic fantasy series The Brotherhood Saga. He is represented by Hannah Brown Gordon of the Foundry Literary + Media Agency.
You can visit him online at kodyboye.com
Wonderful review, Roxy! This sounds like a really fun read and I love how well developed Adam and Christy both sound with a realistic connection, too! I love the balance of creepy and humor!
ReplyDelete