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Midnighters #3
Blue Noon
The darklings will hunt once again.
The secret hour when time freezes arrives every night at midnight in Bixby, Oklahoma. It’s a dangerous time, when five teenagers are the only humans awake and dark creatures crawl out of the shadows, but at least the midnight hour is regular and predictable.
Until suddenly, the blue time comes ... in the middle of the day.
The noise of school stops. Cheerleaders are frozen in midair, teachers brought to a standstill. Everything is the haunted blue color of the midnight hour.
The Midnighters can’t understand what’s happening, but as they scramble for answers, they discover that the walls between the secret hour and real time are crumbling. Soon the dark creatures will have a chance to feed after centuries of waiting, unless these five teenagers can find a way to stop them.
A desperate race against time, a mind-blowing mystery of paranormal logic, a tale of ancient evil and spine-chilling sacrifice: blue noon is the exhilarating third volume in the Midnighters series by acclaimed author Scott Westerfeld.
The secret hour when time freezes arrives every night at midnight in Bixby, Oklahoma. It’s a dangerous time, when five teenagers are the only humans awake and dark creatures crawl out of the shadows, but at least the midnight hour is regular and predictable.
Until suddenly, the blue time comes ... in the middle of the day.
The noise of school stops. Cheerleaders are frozen in midair, teachers brought to a standstill. Everything is the haunted blue color of the midnight hour.
The Midnighters can’t understand what’s happening, but as they scramble for answers, they discover that the walls between the secret hour and real time are crumbling. Soon the dark creatures will have a chance to feed after centuries of waiting, unless these five teenagers can find a way to stop them.
A desperate race against time, a mind-blowing mystery of paranormal logic, a tale of ancient evil and spine-chilling sacrifice: blue noon is the exhilarating third volume in the Midnighters series by acclaimed author Scott Westerfeld.
384 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2006
149 people are currently reading
7,112 people want to read
About the author
Scott Westerfeld
90 books21k followersScott Westerfeld is a New York Times bestselling author of YA. He is best known for the Uglies and Leviathan series. His current series, IMPOSTORS, returns to the world of Uglies.
The next book in that series, MIRROR'S EDGE, comes out April 6, 2021.
The next book in that series, MIRROR'S EDGE, comes out April 6, 2021.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 887 reviews
January 27, 2008
My only complaint about this book is that it is apparently the last of the series.
Man, Westerfeld is the master, but I am mad at him for leaving Jessica, and all of the fans of the Midnighters series hanging!
Man, Westerfeld is the master, but I am mad at him for leaving Jessica, and all of the fans of the Midnighters series hanging!
December 3, 2010
Alright, I'm about to reveal the ending of this book.
Go away if you haven't read the series or at least this book in the series!
Here we go, I'm about to give you an explanation to my likes and dislikes of the story!
Dislikes
The book isn't just the ending to their journey, but also a beginning to a new journey.
Jess is trapped in the blue time, frozen during the other twenty-four hours of the day, and she's the one who saved eveyone! Her sister and parents are left without her. Beth knows she's trapped and feels miserable without her. Her parents thinks she ran away and that's a horrible way to remember your child, as a runaway.
Johnathon is miserable without Jess all the time. He will also age much quicker than Jess and they can't be happy together because they know this.
Melissa and Rex are being seperated when they're the ones who keep each other mentally sane. Rex is stuck with a vegetable and a vegetable who is regaining her mind. Melissa will have to deal with more minds now than ever, even during the midnight hour.
Likes
Dess is about to go into the world and introduce new Midnighters to Dessometrics. Also, she won't be a fifth wheel any longer and has plenty of guys to choose from.
Finally, he didn't give a real ending. You can make up what you want to happen next. I have a few ideas...
1. Dess gets a boyfriend!
2. There will be a Midnighter with the ability to transports (like from America to Egypt!)
3. Once Maddy's mind heals, she'll take care of Rex's dad and he can rejoin Melissa.
4. There will be a Midnighter who can make people that are not born at midnight Midnighters, reuniting Jess and Beth.
5. (My favorite) There will be a new midnighter that can release Jess from her prison of being trapped in the midnight hour, or can trap Johnathon in it so they can be together.
6. I've also thought of the idea (and I don't like it) but there's the possiblity that Johnathon may age and find someone else to love since Jess is trapped in the midnight hour.
7. Dess finally figures out the midnight hour and is able to release Jess, or trap Johnathon with her.
8. After Johnathon and the others are gone, Jess (still stuck in the midnight hour) may commit suicide.
9.After Johnathon and the others are gone, Jess (still stuck in the midnight hour)will lead all future Midnighters.
10. Rex will finally snap and turn into a creature and Melissa might have to put him down, causing herself to commit suicide.
Well, I won't go on any further, even though I have a few other millon ideas. But it is great to wonder about all the other characters that are going to come into play! Also I love the idea of getting to choose the way I want the story to end up. He could've wrote a fourth, and I would so read it, but he didn't. He left the rest to our imagination, and I like the idea of that. Though I do wish I knew what he wanted to happen in the future for the characters, it's obvious that Dess will have her happy ending, but what about the other four? One more thing, he put alot of time and effort into this series, and I liked it, alot.
Go away if you haven't read the series or at least this book in the series!
Here we go, I'm about to give you an explanation to my likes and dislikes of the story!
Dislikes
The book isn't just the ending to their journey, but also a beginning to a new journey.
Jess is trapped in the blue time, frozen during the other twenty-four hours of the day, and she's the one who saved eveyone! Her sister and parents are left without her. Beth knows she's trapped and feels miserable without her. Her parents thinks she ran away and that's a horrible way to remember your child, as a runaway.
Johnathon is miserable without Jess all the time. He will also age much quicker than Jess and they can't be happy together because they know this.
Melissa and Rex are being seperated when they're the ones who keep each other mentally sane. Rex is stuck with a vegetable and a vegetable who is regaining her mind. Melissa will have to deal with more minds now than ever, even during the midnight hour.
Likes
Dess is about to go into the world and introduce new Midnighters to Dessometrics. Also, she won't be a fifth wheel any longer and has plenty of guys to choose from.
Finally, he didn't give a real ending. You can make up what you want to happen next. I have a few ideas...
1. Dess gets a boyfriend!
2. There will be a Midnighter with the ability to transports (like from America to Egypt!)
3. Once Maddy's mind heals, she'll take care of Rex's dad and he can rejoin Melissa.
4. There will be a Midnighter who can make people that are not born at midnight Midnighters, reuniting Jess and Beth.
5. (My favorite) There will be a new midnighter that can release Jess from her prison of being trapped in the midnight hour, or can trap Johnathon in it so they can be together.
6. I've also thought of the idea (and I don't like it) but there's the possiblity that Johnathon may age and find someone else to love since Jess is trapped in the midnight hour.
7. Dess finally figures out the midnight hour and is able to release Jess, or trap Johnathon with her.
8. After Johnathon and the others are gone, Jess (still stuck in the midnight hour) may commit suicide.
9.After Johnathon and the others are gone, Jess (still stuck in the midnight hour)will lead all future Midnighters.
10. Rex will finally snap and turn into a creature and Melissa might have to put him down, causing herself to commit suicide.
Well, I won't go on any further, even though I have a few other millon ideas. But it is great to wonder about all the other characters that are going to come into play! Also I love the idea of getting to choose the way I want the story to end up. He could've wrote a fourth, and I would so read it, but he didn't. He left the rest to our imagination, and I like the idea of that. Though I do wish I knew what he wanted to happen in the future for the characters, it's obvious that Dess will have her happy ending, but what about the other four? One more thing, he put alot of time and effort into this series, and I liked it, alot.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 7, 2012
AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHHH
That was my reaction to this book. It was that good. THAT GOOD. No words can describe it!
GIFS for the 1st time!!!
That was me literally.
I LOVE YOU MR. WESTERFELD!!!!!!!!!! YOU ARE MY FAVORITE AUTHOR (this is the 9th book by him I've read)
The ending!
That was my reaction to this book. It was that good. THAT GOOD. No words can describe it!
GIFS for the 1st time!!!
That was me literally.
I LOVE YOU MR. WESTERFELD!!!!!!!!!! YOU ARE MY FAVORITE AUTHOR (this is the 9th book by him I've read)
The ending!
December 9, 2010
Read more reviews here.
I guess that this book's biggest flaw is that its just a replay from the two others. By that I mean that the Midnighters search, go out and investigate, live their normal life, fight the Darklings until they realize they need to stop the big problem blocking their way. Surprise, this time they really need to save the world.
I honestly wanted to be done with this book. It dragged too long and because the story played out always in the same place, as in Bixby and its surroundings (well, in this book the Midnighters actually go to another town, but it's still near Bixby), most of the things were predictable.
Jessica and Johnathan were uninteresting. Their relationship didn't have any spice, it was just too plain. Rex, on the other side, became my favorite character. I like how he is one of the only Midnighters that actually evolved through out the book. Melissa, too, became less of a prick, and Dess got over her brooding.
The plot was well developed, interesting, very connected to our present society and humanity's sins and clearly sending out its message but not laid out well enough as I mentioned before. If only Westerfield could have gone a bit out of the box, just a little bit, given a fresher taste, than I might have enjoyed this final book. Even if the description, fights and action are well written, it dragged too much.
The ending could have had such a bigger impact if it had also been handled properly. Many disliked the ending, which I fear I will not reveal, because it really shut things up. I liked it. It was dramatic, cruel, at my taste, but it didn't affect me as much as such endings usually do. When you read the book, and if you've already read it, maybe you'll get what i mean.
In conclusion, a somewhat poorly executed serie final, in my opinion. Repetitive and dragging. It is worth reading if you want to know how the serie ends, though, and if you want to see a badass Rex.
I guess that this book's biggest flaw is that its just a replay from the two others. By that I mean that the Midnighters search, go out and investigate, live their normal life, fight the Darklings until they realize they need to stop the big problem blocking their way. Surprise, this time they really need to save the world.
I honestly wanted to be done with this book. It dragged too long and because the story played out always in the same place, as in Bixby and its surroundings (well, in this book the Midnighters actually go to another town, but it's still near Bixby), most of the things were predictable.
Jessica and Johnathan were uninteresting. Their relationship didn't have any spice, it was just too plain. Rex, on the other side, became my favorite character. I like how he is one of the only Midnighters that actually evolved through out the book. Melissa, too, became less of a prick, and Dess got over her brooding.
The plot was well developed, interesting, very connected to our present society and humanity's sins and clearly sending out its message but not laid out well enough as I mentioned before. If only Westerfield could have gone a bit out of the box, just a little bit, given a fresher taste, than I might have enjoyed this final book. Even if the description, fights and action are well written, it dragged too much.
The ending could have had such a bigger impact if it had also been handled properly. Many disliked the ending, which I fear I will not reveal, because it really shut things up. I liked it. It was dramatic, cruel, at my taste, but it didn't affect me as much as such endings usually do. When you read the book, and if you've already read it, maybe you'll get what i mean.
In conclusion, a somewhat poorly executed serie final, in my opinion. Repetitive and dragging. It is worth reading if you want to know how the serie ends, though, and if you want to see a badass Rex.
June 11, 2015
2 stelle e mezzo.
Una fine deprimente per una saga che meritava tantissimo. Non so nemmeno cosa dire o come esprimere in maniera coerente cosa penso di questo libro. È stato troppo caotico, si è risolto tutto troppo in fretta. Non mi piace quando alcuni dei personaggi non ricevono la fine che meritano, nemmeno se sono personaggi per cui non impazzisco particolarmente.
Ecco le mie opinioni:
- I personaggi. Cos'è successo?! Erano tutti così interessanti, bizzarri, diversi... ma in questo libro mi è sembrato quasi che non fossero più loro. Erano tutti (o quasi) out of character.
Rex resta sempre il migliore, è il più intelligente, più originale, più affascinante.
Melissa non può fare a meno di piacermi, mi è piaciuto che le abbiano dato ancora più spazio in questo libro rispetto a quelli precedenti ma, allo stesso tempo, vorrei che gliene avessero dato di più. Sarà che alcuni degli altri protagonisti non li sopporto? Non lo so.
Dess in questo libro praticamente non esiste, ed è una cosa che ho odiato. Non mi sembra giusto che venga tagliata fuori così!
Jessica è una povera inetta, come lo è stata sin dal primo libro. Quando c'è in gioco la vita di 1000+ persone bisogna agire secondo il bene comune e non secondo i propri fini!
Jonathan se prima avevo invocato a gran voce un'attenzione maggiore nei suoi confronti, ora ritiro tutto. E' un povero scemo anche lui, mi ha deluso tantissimo.
- La trama avrebbe avuto senso se fosse stata spiegata più approfonditamente. Cos'era quel miscuglio là? Facevo fatica a seguire i ragionamenti, non ho capito bene come il tutto abbia fatto a risolversi e, di sicuro, avrei apprezzato una cura un po' più precisa dei dettagli e degli avvenimenti in generale. Davvero non capisco, se c'è qualcuno che sa sbrigarsela alla grande negli intrighi quello è Westerfeld, ma in questo romanzo ha proprio toppato alla grande.
- Era tutto troppo confusionario. Come ho già avuto modo di dire, facevo fatica a seguire il filo conduttore del discorso e, secondo me, la questione/il problema si è risolto FIN TROPPO in fretta. Non mi piace quando un finale di una serie (un finale che dovrebbe essere epico come i libri precedenti) venga tramutato in una pappardella incomprensibile. Io volevo una battaglia finale coi fiocchi, ma purtroppo non è stato così.
- Il finale non mi ha soddisfatto, per niente! Io non sono mai stata contro i finali aperti, anzi, a volte mi piace avere la possibilità di immaginare con la mia testa come si svilupperanno gli eventi però, in questo caso, non era assolutamente necessario. E poi, un'altra cosa che odio, è quando non tutti i personaggi ricevono il finale che meritano. So che questo conferisce un tono più "realistico" al libro, ma non riesco proprio a mandare giù questo aspetto.
- Lo stile di scrittura solitamente scorrevole di Westerfeld mi è sembrato tremendamente lento in questo romanzo. Non mi invogliava a leggere e mi faceva contare sempre più spesso quante pagine mancassero alla fine.
Dunque questo libro è stata un po' una delusione. Le due stelline e mezzo se le è guadagnate per l'originalità del lavoro in sè e dei personaggi, specialmente Rex e Melissa, e per il bizzarro (seppur frettoloso) modo di concludere la vicenda. Vorrei avergli potuto dare di più, vorrei che Westerfeld avesse potuto darmi di più ma ormai è andata così, anche se mi è un po' difficile da accettare.
In ogni caso, credo che questa sia una trilogia che merita di essere letta perché è comunque diversa da tutto ciò che io abbia mai letto finora. Me la porterò sempre nel cuore e, con lei, anche il mio amato Rex! Peccato per il finale.
Una fine deprimente per una saga che meritava tantissimo. Non so nemmeno cosa dire o come esprimere in maniera coerente cosa penso di questo libro. È stato troppo caotico, si è risolto tutto troppo in fretta. Non mi piace quando alcuni dei personaggi non ricevono la fine che meritano, nemmeno se sono personaggi per cui non impazzisco particolarmente.
Ecco le mie opinioni:
- I personaggi. Cos'è successo?! Erano tutti così interessanti, bizzarri, diversi... ma in questo libro mi è sembrato quasi che non fossero più loro. Erano tutti (o quasi) out of character.
Rex resta sempre il migliore, è il più intelligente, più originale, più affascinante.
Melissa non può fare a meno di piacermi, mi è piaciuto che le abbiano dato ancora più spazio in questo libro rispetto a quelli precedenti ma, allo stesso tempo, vorrei che gliene avessero dato di più. Sarà che alcuni degli altri protagonisti non li sopporto? Non lo so.
Dess in questo libro praticamente non esiste, ed è una cosa che ho odiato. Non mi sembra giusto che venga tagliata fuori così!
Jessica è una povera inetta, come lo è stata sin dal primo libro. Quando c'è in gioco la vita di 1000+ persone bisogna agire secondo il bene comune e non secondo i propri fini!
Jonathan se prima avevo invocato a gran voce un'attenzione maggiore nei suoi confronti, ora ritiro tutto. E' un povero scemo anche lui, mi ha deluso tantissimo.
- La trama avrebbe avuto senso se fosse stata spiegata più approfonditamente. Cos'era quel miscuglio là? Facevo fatica a seguire i ragionamenti, non ho capito bene come il tutto abbia fatto a risolversi e, di sicuro, avrei apprezzato una cura un po' più precisa dei dettagli e degli avvenimenti in generale. Davvero non capisco, se c'è qualcuno che sa sbrigarsela alla grande negli intrighi quello è Westerfeld, ma in questo romanzo ha proprio toppato alla grande.
- Era tutto troppo confusionario. Come ho già avuto modo di dire, facevo fatica a seguire il filo conduttore del discorso e, secondo me, la questione/il problema si è risolto FIN TROPPO in fretta. Non mi piace quando un finale di una serie (un finale che dovrebbe essere epico come i libri precedenti) venga tramutato in una pappardella incomprensibile. Io volevo una battaglia finale coi fiocchi, ma purtroppo non è stato così.
- Il finale non mi ha soddisfatto, per niente! Io non sono mai stata contro i finali aperti, anzi, a volte mi piace avere la possibilità di immaginare con la mia testa come si svilupperanno gli eventi però, in questo caso, non era assolutamente necessario. E poi, un'altra cosa che odio, è quando non tutti i personaggi ricevono il finale che meritano. So che questo conferisce un tono più "realistico" al libro, ma non riesco proprio a mandare giù questo aspetto.
- Lo stile di scrittura solitamente scorrevole di Westerfeld mi è sembrato tremendamente lento in questo romanzo. Non mi invogliava a leggere e mi faceva contare sempre più spesso quante pagine mancassero alla fine.
Dunque questo libro è stata un po' una delusione. Le due stelline e mezzo se le è guadagnate per l'originalità del lavoro in sè e dei personaggi, specialmente Rex e Melissa, e per il bizzarro (seppur frettoloso) modo di concludere la vicenda. Vorrei avergli potuto dare di più, vorrei che Westerfeld avesse potuto darmi di più ma ormai è andata così, anche se mi è un po' difficile da accettare.
In ogni caso, credo che questa sia una trilogia che merita di essere letta perché è comunque diversa da tutto ciò che io abbia mai letto finora. Me la porterò sempre nel cuore e, con lei, anche il mio amato Rex! Peccato per il finale.
October 11, 2018
I’m torn between how I actually feel about this book. Part of me feels like it was great but then the other part of me thought it wasn’t really needed. There was a point where I had gotten really annoyed with Jess and her persistent need to have everything her way. There was another point at the end where I was nothing but confused. Are Melissa, Johnathon, and Jess leaving? Who’s leaving?! What happened?!
The ending was really confusing. Overall, I guess it was a pretty good conclusion to the trilogy
The ending was really confusing. Overall, I guess it was a pretty good conclusion to the trilogy
April 23, 2023
In the third book in the series, Westerfeld introduces moral ambiguity, which raises the stakes and the realism. The concept is so cool, of these particular special powers and their role, that it's easy to overlook the other aspects he handles so well: the dynamics of families and school and small towns. I'd have given it five stars, but it seemed a little slow at the beginning.
May 31, 2015
Hang onto anything close by because this trilogy is more than meets the eye. I have have a longer review on my book blog page: http://quirkyreader.livejournal.com/4...
June 15, 2009
I love this series, love the characters, but I have to say the ending totally sucks! Mr. Westerfeld blew it. It sounds like he got to a point where he was just sick of writing, sick of the story and wanted to move on to other things so he went to someone who had never read the stories, gave that person a quick recap and then asked how it should end and he said 'Ok, that'll do' and just walked away from it. The ending doesn't make any sense! It's like he never even met any of the characters before! Jonathan & Rex & Melissa would never make the decisions he has them making at the end. It would never happen because it wouldn't put them any closer to getting what they want. Which is disappointing because right up until the very last chapter this book was excellent! Perfect.
I read on Westerfeld's website that Dess was his favorite character and it kinda seems like he just blew her off for most of this book (she didn't even get to do much of anything at all in the final showdown)and then he felt bad about it so he threw the rest of the characters to the wolves and let Dess give herself a smug pat on the back. Which is completely useless.
SO, here's what you should do. Read the series, because they really are great, and then when you get to the last chapter of Blue Noon, either write your own ending (because it HAS to be better than Westerfeld's) OR assume that the very next morning Rex wakes up and says
'Ok, guys, change of plans. What we were going to do yesterday would only be frustrating and fruitless and it was a stupid idea anyway. I'm the leader of this group and we still have 2 more years of High School so here's what we'll do: Jonathan, you work on solving Jessica's problem or, if you get the chance, just become like her. Melissa, you help me w/ my halfling problem while using the contortion to mindcast for other new midnighters. We'll contact them, spill the beans, give tips. We'll have a chat w/ Jessica's family...'. When Maddy says 'The Bixby of my day was blah, blah, blah' He'd say 'Well, it's not your day anymore. It's ours and Bixby is now an oasis for midnighters everywhere'. Dess would bide her time becoming famous as the best anti-darkling defense weapons developer in the world until she got out of High School and then she'd go show off her big brain in college and the story could still end on her smug one-liner. Bada-bing bada-boom! Much better than the real ending.
I read on Westerfeld's website that Dess was his favorite character and it kinda seems like he just blew her off for most of this book (she didn't even get to do much of anything at all in the final showdown)and then he felt bad about it so he threw the rest of the characters to the wolves and let Dess give herself a smug pat on the back. Which is completely useless.
SO, here's what you should do. Read the series, because they really are great, and then when you get to the last chapter of Blue Noon, either write your own ending (because it HAS to be better than Westerfeld's) OR assume that the very next morning Rex wakes up and says
'Ok, guys, change of plans. What we were going to do yesterday would only be frustrating and fruitless and it was a stupid idea anyway. I'm the leader of this group and we still have 2 more years of High School so here's what we'll do: Jonathan, you work on solving Jessica's problem or, if you get the chance, just become like her. Melissa, you help me w/ my halfling problem while using the contortion to mindcast for other new midnighters. We'll contact them, spill the beans, give tips. We'll have a chat w/ Jessica's family...'. When Maddy says 'The Bixby of my day was blah, blah, blah' He'd say 'Well, it's not your day anymore. It's ours and Bixby is now an oasis for midnighters everywhere'. Dess would bide her time becoming famous as the best anti-darkling defense weapons developer in the world until she got out of High School and then she'd go show off her big brain in college and the story could still end on her smug one-liner. Bada-bing bada-boom! Much better than the real ending.
April 14, 2008
In the final book of the Midnighter's trilogy, the blue time is beginning to fracture and fall apart. The five Midnighters, Dess, Jonathan, Jessica, Melissa and Rex are left scrambling, trying to find out why and prevent the entire world from becoming one big darkling buffet.
Like the other books this one is action-packed and rapid-paced from the first word to the last. We discover more about the lore and about the old Midnighter culture in Bixby. I loved the character development that has happened throughout the series and especially in this last book. While the series began with Jessica, the subsequent books made the other characters just as central to the story. It was an engaging read and one I'm sorry is over. It was so hard to put this book down and pace myself as I read!
SPOILER WARNING - DON'T READ BELOW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK
Despite how much I liked the book, however. I'm a little disatisfied with the ending. That's why you only see four stars on this review. Jessica stuck in the blue time just doesn't feel right. The book even points out how quickly Jonathan and Jessica's relationship will get squicky and you're just left feeling bad for Jonathan and also for Jessica's family. I don't expect all my books to end with a perfect happy ending but this one just felt wrong - I didn't see the inevitability of it. There are so many other ways it could have gone. Also, the last line, while amusing, didn't fit the series either. We end with Dess when we began with Jessica. I think the series should have ended with a sentence about Jessica as well. Saying it's cool to be the one who does the math just feels flip when the book could have ended on better line. Westerfeld nailed the endings in all four of his Uglies series books so that's why I'm critical of this one. Other than that quibbling though I adored this book and the others. They were fun reads - nothing that was earth shattering but fun and fast.
Like the other books this one is action-packed and rapid-paced from the first word to the last. We discover more about the lore and about the old Midnighter culture in Bixby. I loved the character development that has happened throughout the series and especially in this last book. While the series began with Jessica, the subsequent books made the other characters just as central to the story. It was an engaging read and one I'm sorry is over. It was so hard to put this book down and pace myself as I read!
SPOILER WARNING - DON'T READ BELOW IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK
Despite how much I liked the book, however. I'm a little disatisfied with the ending. That's why you only see four stars on this review. Jessica stuck in the blue time just doesn't feel right. The book even points out how quickly Jonathan and Jessica's relationship will get squicky and you're just left feeling bad for Jonathan and also for Jessica's family. I don't expect all my books to end with a perfect happy ending but this one just felt wrong - I didn't see the inevitability of it. There are so many other ways it could have gone. Also, the last line, while amusing, didn't fit the series either. We end with Dess when we began with Jessica. I think the series should have ended with a sentence about Jessica as well. Saying it's cool to be the one who does the math just feels flip when the book could have ended on better line. Westerfeld nailed the endings in all four of his Uglies series books so that's why I'm critical of this one. Other than that quibbling though I adored this book and the others. They were fun reads - nothing that was earth shattering but fun and fast.
November 24, 2012
My mood:
The characters:
Um, what? Okay, so mostly I just wanted to smack them. For the most part, they're stupid(Dess is smart but makes stupid decisions) annoying, frustrating, treat each other like crap, whiney. ARRRGGH. I got no enjoyment from reading about them.
Johnathan freaked me out. Seriously? You think that the blue time expanding and the darklings rampaging around, killing people, would be a good thing? All so that you can fly around all the time? JERK.
The cover:
Is that supposed to be Rex? I can only assume. He would make the most sense...except for the fact that he has virtually no hair now. Great job, design artists.
The plot:
Confusing as all get out. Nothing makes any sense. We still got no answers about the darklings, origins, etc.
WHY BIXBY!!?? Why on earth was that town chosen? Who chose it?
The ending:
Wow.
What about their families?
That's not a satisfying ending, Westerfeld!
How can I love Leviathan series so much and be so indifferent/dislike (about) this series?
I don't know, but it appears that Westerfeld improves as he writes.....
Ultimately...
So...so long, "Midnighters"! It's been real.
November 23, 2008
What should have been the most exciting book to get through, was actually the hardest. There is so much of the story that is repetitive and predictable. The plot line sorta goes: normal life, whoa big revelation, normal life, scary darklings, Jessica to the rescue, discussion about previous night . . . on and on. It's like the plot points are on loop. Maybe it's just because I read all three books together.
April 26, 2017
Third and presumably final book of Midnighters. Not one of Westerfeld's better books or better series. This one in particular felt rushed that it did have a true actual ending. The characters kept on making annoying choices rather than interesting or smart choices. And the story took a long time building until it finally started rushing, so I suppose the pacing was a bit off. But it was a fast read. 3.5 of 5.
August 4, 2023
I thought knowing the ending would save me some heartache. It didn't.
Growing up, this was my favorite book of the Midnighter's trilogy. As an adult it was the hardest to get into, funny how that works?
It might be because of the French translation I was reading, a lot of the french slang that was adequate in 2004, 2009, now seems outdated and cringy. For example, when Jonathan, says "what's up" or "sup" (I assume) in English, the French translation states "ça boume?" which is closer to "what's the haps?". Very uncomfortable
If you can get passed that, there is a lot to love about Blue Noon: The Midnighters finally act as a team, we get kick ass fight scenes, unexpected plot twists and a not so happy non-clichéd ending.
And that's in addition to the Scott Westerfeld staples: debates on mind control and whether you're really on the "right" side of history, Sci-fi with an emphasis on the Sci, flying, secret worlds shared by only a lucky few etc..
As always when finishing a series by Mr Westerfeld, I'm finding it hard to move on. It's a story about fighting old monsters during a secret hour but somehow it turned Bixby Oklahoma into my own cozy corner of the world. It makes me want to pick up algebra again for fun.
What a strange range of emotions.
Bottom line is, this might be a silly YA series from the early 2000's but I'm so glad I didn't give these books away, I can see myself reading them again someday in autumn by a fireplace with a cup of coffee in hand. I'm also so grateful they sparked a lifelong interest in science/mathematics that influenced my entire life.
Aaah!
Now all there's left to do is stare at the rain and process these emotions, again.
Growing up, this was my favorite book of the Midnighter's trilogy. As an adult it was the hardest to get into, funny how that works?
It might be because of the French translation I was reading, a lot of the french slang that was adequate in 2004, 2009, now seems outdated and cringy. For example, when Jonathan, says "what's up" or "sup" (I assume) in English, the French translation states "ça boume?" which is closer to "what's the haps?". Very uncomfortable
If you can get passed that, there is a lot to love about Blue Noon: The Midnighters finally act as a team, we get kick ass fight scenes, unexpected plot twists and a not so happy non-clichéd ending.
And that's in addition to the Scott Westerfeld staples: debates on mind control and whether you're really on the "right" side of history, Sci-fi with an emphasis on the Sci, flying, secret worlds shared by only a lucky few etc..
As always when finishing a series by Mr Westerfeld, I'm finding it hard to move on. It's a story about fighting old monsters during a secret hour but somehow it turned Bixby Oklahoma into my own cozy corner of the world. It makes me want to pick up algebra again for fun.
What a strange range of emotions.
Bottom line is, this might be a silly YA series from the early 2000's but I'm so glad I didn't give these books away, I can see myself reading them again someday in autumn by a fireplace with a cup of coffee in hand. I'm also so grateful they sparked a lifelong interest in science/mathematics that influenced my entire life.
Aaah!
Now all there's left to do is stare at the rain and process these emotions, again.
December 11, 2017
A bittersweet ending to this unique trilogy.
Having gotten used to their secret hour, the Midnighters are thrown for a loop when the blue hour arrives during the day. Soon their fears are realized when they figure out that the rip between worlds is failing, and there may be no way to stop it and keep the monsters out.
I liked the flow of this one. New elements were thrown in that threw our crew for a loop and it was fun to watch them try to figure out what was going on. But we also got to see the strain that this secret life was taking on them personally. Home lives were falling apart and even their own friendships were straining.
Sadly though, I never really connected with any of the characters. I'm not sure why. I just never felt any sense of "OMG NO" when bad things happened. I didn't swoon when characters made a love connection. I just didn't feel it.
Also, why didn't Jessica's sister get taken by the monsters? Because she was such a little shit. And speaking of her sister, I did feel that the ending was a little too sweet on their part, but again, that may just be me not connecting.
Overall, an interesting series to read, but not sure it will be one I remember.
Having gotten used to their secret hour, the Midnighters are thrown for a loop when the blue hour arrives during the day. Soon their fears are realized when they figure out that the rip between worlds is failing, and there may be no way to stop it and keep the monsters out.
I liked the flow of this one. New elements were thrown in that threw our crew for a loop and it was fun to watch them try to figure out what was going on. But we also got to see the strain that this secret life was taking on them personally. Home lives were falling apart and even their own friendships were straining.
Sadly though, I never really connected with any of the characters. I'm not sure why. I just never felt any sense of "OMG NO" when bad things happened. I didn't swoon when characters made a love connection. I just didn't feel it.
Also, why didn't Jessica's sister get taken by the monsters? Because she was such a little shit. And speaking of her sister, I did feel that the ending was a little too sweet on their part, but again, that may just be me not connecting.
Overall, an interesting series to read, but not sure it will be one I remember.
January 13, 2009
Wow, Midnighters ended with a bang; quite an apocolyptic wrap-up for the series. Perhaps I should have expected this, having read the Uglies series, but I guess it just seemed like such a contained story in the first book that it caught me by surprise to see things get so... big in this one.
Well, it was definitely action-packed and suspenseful. My favorite part of the book was watching Rex develop--he became by far the most interesting character in the whole story as he dealt with both his internal changes and grappled with history. Here Westerfeld was at his best: he had his characters learn how to question what they'd read and been taught, but he never became particularly preachy to his reader about that lesson.
It wasn't a perfect experience for me. He still overused certain phrases and didn't seem to always think through all the details and characterizations. A couple times I found myself confused over why a character would say one thing in one chapter when the chapter before they'd expressed the opposite view. I still don't feel like he had a good grasp of the locale.
On the other hand, Westerfeld certainly has a knack for telling a compelling and creative story. I found Midnighters to be superior to Uglies in those respects: while the premise of Uglies was original, his actual plotlines became very repetitive and his characters were much flatter. I had to grow to like the midnighters, but eventually I did (well, except Jonathan...) and I always felt like the story was going somehere new and unexpected. I have to hand it to Westerfeld: he doesn't back away from a bittersweet ending, but I think it was a strong ending, just open-ended enough.
Well, it was definitely action-packed and suspenseful. My favorite part of the book was watching Rex develop--he became by far the most interesting character in the whole story as he dealt with both his internal changes and grappled with history. Here Westerfeld was at his best: he had his characters learn how to question what they'd read and been taught, but he never became particularly preachy to his reader about that lesson.
It wasn't a perfect experience for me. He still overused certain phrases and didn't seem to always think through all the details and characterizations. A couple times I found myself confused over why a character would say one thing in one chapter when the chapter before they'd expressed the opposite view. I still don't feel like he had a good grasp of the locale.
On the other hand, Westerfeld certainly has a knack for telling a compelling and creative story. I found Midnighters to be superior to Uglies in those respects: while the premise of Uglies was original, his actual plotlines became very repetitive and his characters were much flatter. I had to grow to like the midnighters, but eventually I did (well, except Jonathan...) and I always felt like the story was going somehere new and unexpected. I have to hand it to Westerfeld: he doesn't back away from a bittersweet ending, but I think it was a strong ending, just open-ended enough.
January 1, 2010
Blue Noon is the third and final installment of the Midnighter's trilogy. In this book the five teenagers that experience the secret hour begin to question everything they've believed in about Bixby's history as the town's secret hour and real time start to mesh together. As Halloween draws closer each Midnighter begins to fully feel the darklings anticipation to feast, and they have to band together one last time in order to protect all the innocent people who inhabit Bixby, Oklahoma from a total midnight slaughter.
Overall, Westerfeld has crafted an amazing finale for a great series with Blue Noon. He doesn't stop the fast-paced action and sudden realizations that all the characters share in this novel. In more ways than one Blue Noon connects with its predecessors by having great action sequences, character relationships, and interesting storyline.
The one thing I didn't find particularly to my taste in Blue Noon was the ending. The ending itself was fine, if not bittersweet and a bit apocalyptic. The thing I didn't like so much was that throughout the first 2/3 of the story he made readers anticipate one moment or battle (if you've read the book you know what I'm taking about) and during that one moment or battle it felt really rushed and a bit disorganized. So that was a bit of a let-down.
However, Blue Noon will still satisfy the science-fiction fans out there who have read the previous two installments, without a doubt. This was a satisfying series by Westerfeld and even though personally I'm not a fan of sci-fi his work here was good and made me read the entire trilogy - something that normally I never would have done.
Overall, Westerfeld has crafted an amazing finale for a great series with Blue Noon. He doesn't stop the fast-paced action and sudden realizations that all the characters share in this novel. In more ways than one Blue Noon connects with its predecessors by having great action sequences, character relationships, and interesting storyline.
The one thing I didn't find particularly to my taste in Blue Noon was the ending. The ending itself was fine, if not bittersweet and a bit apocalyptic. The thing I didn't like so much was that throughout the first 2/3 of the story he made readers anticipate one moment or battle (if you've read the book you know what I'm taking about) and during that one moment or battle it felt really rushed and a bit disorganized. So that was a bit of a let-down.
However, Blue Noon will still satisfy the science-fiction fans out there who have read the previous two installments, without a doubt. This was a satisfying series by Westerfeld and even though personally I'm not a fan of sci-fi his work here was good and made me read the entire trilogy - something that normally I never would have done.
July 29, 2011
The final book of the series climaxes the action while one of the Midnighters is going through a huge change, he’s becoming a halfling, half-midnighter half-darkling. Also, mysteriously enough, time frozes in the middle of the day, leaving humans unprotected from the terrors of midnight. Finally, there is one last confrontation with the Darklings on the most dangerous midnight of them all, Halloween.
A grand finale! And a not so happy ending but none the less a great one!
A grand finale! And a not so happy ending but none the less a great one!
May 12, 2012
Book was pretty good but it felt pretty much the same as the first two. It was still fun but I was hoping for more.
April 21, 2022
2.5 stars. Woulda been 2 but admittedly this book isn’t bad by any means. It’s actually pretty okay. My brain just decided to not enjoy it for a reason I can’t exactly pinpoint.
Listen, I CAN NOT explain why this book decided to become the bane of my reading existence. Like it took me a month to get through this. A MONTH. But this book isn’t even bad! It should be a quick read!
The only thing that’s scary in this horror book is the fact that a book with “spooky monsters” whose weakness is the number 13 got published under the young adult genre and not on the pbs channel.
I will say, though, Rex’s character was absolutely delightful. I love characters going off the deep end, and I wish Rex had an arc with a breaking point that didn’t randomly turn him into a superhero, but turned him into a monster instead. The whole man-slash-monster trope (is that a trope? It should be) is EPIC and I’m a big fan.
Thank god that’s over.
Listen, I CAN NOT explain why this book decided to become the bane of my reading existence. Like it took me a month to get through this. A MONTH. But this book isn’t even bad! It should be a quick read!
The only thing that’s scary in this horror book is the fact that a book with “spooky monsters” whose weakness is the number 13 got published under the young adult genre and not on the pbs channel.
I will say, though, Rex’s character was absolutely delightful. I love characters going off the deep end, and I wish Rex had an arc with a breaking point that didn’t randomly turn him into a superhero, but turned him into a monster instead. The whole man-slash-monster trope (is that a trope? It should be) is EPIC and I’m a big fan.
Thank god that’s over.
May 19, 2021
The end of this series was, again a 3 stars read. It's nothing amazing or groundbreaking (maybe it was when it was written). The premise is interesting but there's always something missing to make this more than just an "okay" book.
The ending left me quite disappointed. I would've prefer a sadder, but more realistic, ending.
The ending left me quite disappointed. I would've prefer a sadder, but more realistic, ending.
March 18, 2019
I’m kind of glad this didn’t have a total happily-ever-after.
This series’ concept is so cool and different, I loved it.
I particularly liked Dess, the polymath.
This series’ concept is so cool and different, I loved it.
I particularly liked Dess, the polymath.
February 5, 2020
My only complaint is it shouldn't ended up here. There should be more.
June 18, 2018
This was probably my favorite book of the entire series. The midnighters work together to defeat the darkling threat once and for all. Really crazy stuff starts happening and the conclusion to the series is very satisfying though a bit sad. I would love to have had an epilogue just detailing what happened to everyone afterwards. The pacing of the book was great and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time. Really enjoyed this series and may try others by Westerfeld in the future.
June 13, 2012
I feel satisfied with this ending. Westerfeld's story idea was a good one--full of fantasy and horror and intrigue. His execution might not have been the best, but I was sold on the fantasy of it. There were a few things that bothered me with this novel--all of which were things that bothered me consistently with the others in this trilogy. But in the end, I felt good about it.
Here are a few things that bothered me:
The more I tried to think logically about what was happening, the more I saw holes in his plot. I pointed out in the last book that using latitude and longitude didn't make sense considering that the beginning of this mythology took place before those lines were understood by the local people. In the same way, hours, and calendars would be useless.
Forgetting the complications of using hours and minutes, let's talk about calendars. He points out, somewhere in an earlier book and even in this one that there are differences in calendars used over the years. There's a comment about when months were in a different order. But there are a few holes in all of this. The months we work with today are from the Georgian calendar, put into effect by Pope George the who-knows-which-number. Not only is it relatively new in creation, but it's special in that it's a solar calendar instead of a lunar one. This means that it follows the sun and seasons instead of the moon. Solar and lunar calendars function very differently. For more details ask a Muslim, Jew, or pretty much anyone from Asia. They all use lunar calendars. The Georgian calendar was introduced to the Americas by European colonists.
I'm willing to bet a large sum of money (though I have not researched this myself) that before Europeans came to America, any calendar the natives were using was not solar, but lunar. The Mayan calendar is a lunar one. This means that Samhain would not fall on the same day each year--none of the months would be exactly the same each year--they're all dependent on the moon.
Take the same basic concept of where our hours, minutes, and day changes come from and you've got the other plot hole that I found. (Who the hell decided that our day should change in the middle of the night, anyway?)
Now, I realize that's a whole lot of issue with the story. I wish he would have done a little bit more research on these things and covered himself a little better. But I still enjoyed the story. I like his spread of characters, his change in perspective in each chapter, his build up to the climax, and most importantly, I loved how he brought it to a close.
Endings can be very tricky. Especially in trilogies like this. I feel that Suzanne Collins failed us in her ending to the Hunger Games trilogy because she just dropped our emotions and anticipation without care and wrapped things up too quickly. Westerfeld didn't do that. He surprised us with an extra little twist on the ending, pushed the characters into their own futures, and then released the reader with something that makes us feel sad that it's over, but encourages our imagination to keep on rolling with the story. I like that tactic. It's satisfying enough to know there wont be another book, but it's open enough to not let the story die at the end of the page.
Here are a few things that bothered me:
The more I tried to think logically about what was happening, the more I saw holes in his plot. I pointed out in the last book that using latitude and longitude didn't make sense considering that the beginning of this mythology took place before those lines were understood by the local people. In the same way, hours, and calendars would be useless.
Forgetting the complications of using hours and minutes, let's talk about calendars. He points out, somewhere in an earlier book and even in this one that there are differences in calendars used over the years. There's a comment about when months were in a different order. But there are a few holes in all of this. The months we work with today are from the Georgian calendar, put into effect by Pope George the who-knows-which-number. Not only is it relatively new in creation, but it's special in that it's a solar calendar instead of a lunar one. This means that it follows the sun and seasons instead of the moon. Solar and lunar calendars function very differently. For more details ask a Muslim, Jew, or pretty much anyone from Asia. They all use lunar calendars. The Georgian calendar was introduced to the Americas by European colonists.
I'm willing to bet a large sum of money (though I have not researched this myself) that before Europeans came to America, any calendar the natives were using was not solar, but lunar. The Mayan calendar is a lunar one. This means that Samhain would not fall on the same day each year--none of the months would be exactly the same each year--they're all dependent on the moon.
Take the same basic concept of where our hours, minutes, and day changes come from and you've got the other plot hole that I found. (Who the hell decided that our day should change in the middle of the night, anyway?)
Now, I realize that's a whole lot of issue with the story. I wish he would have done a little bit more research on these things and covered himself a little better. But I still enjoyed the story. I like his spread of characters, his change in perspective in each chapter, his build up to the climax, and most importantly, I loved how he brought it to a close.
Endings can be very tricky. Especially in trilogies like this. I feel that Suzanne Collins failed us in her ending to the Hunger Games trilogy because she just dropped our emotions and anticipation without care and wrapped things up too quickly. Westerfeld didn't do that. He surprised us with an extra little twist on the ending, pushed the characters into their own futures, and then released the reader with something that makes us feel sad that it's over, but encourages our imagination to keep on rolling with the story. I like that tactic. It's satisfying enough to know there wont be another book, but it's open enough to not let the story die at the end of the page.
January 15, 2011
Plot Summary: When time freezes in the middle of the day, during a school pep rally, the Midnighters have a problem. The secret hour is slowly making its way into the real world. The last book in the midnighters trilogy is all about the adventure of trying to keep the secret hour in the secret hour.
The Midnighters begin to experience the secret hour more and more frequently during daylight hours. To make matters worse, Rex's darkling side cannot always control itself, and may be becoming stronger. By using Madeline and other resources, the Midnighters find out that on the night of Samhain (Halloween), the Secret Hour will expand, and more of the Earth will be sucked up.
This is because there is a "rip" in true midnight, which allows non-midnighters to slip into the blue time, that is expanding like a seam in fabric. While trying to keep people out of these dangerous zones, Jessica has some trouble with her curious little sister Beth. True midnight (usually confined to the secret hour) will last for the whole day, and all humans and creatures within it will be awake, no longer 'stiff'.
This will allow the darklings to feast once again upon the creatures of day-unless the five teens find a way to stop it from happening. When Jessica and her boyfriend Johnathan, manage to stop the "blue time" from spreading to the whole world, Jessica unfortunately gets sucked into the "blue time".
To Johnathan and the whole Midnighter's teams dismay, she will forever be trapped in the blue time, only able to live for an hour of every day. Jessica's parents become very sad about their daughter's
"disappearance" and are still greiving about her loss when Beth comes to visit Jess for the last time. Both sisters share an emotional time with each other before Johnathan has his moment to say good bye. Finally, with a half hour to spare, Johnathan takes Jessica and Beth on their last flight through the blue time.
Thoughts:
First time readers to this series MUST start from book one. If you don't you will lose some much needed background information on the 5 midnighters themselves.
I still don't much care Melissa's character, but at least in this one she became a guiding force instead of a nag.
I'm not shocked that Jessica sacrificed herself and is now in what is called Temporal Dependence. Ever since Madeline said that she manipulated her into coming to Bixby, I figured she would be either the villian in the end, or the hero.
Cassie, Beth and Angie Grayfoot all play pivotal parts in this last book. Beth, more of a bad part than a good part. I would have strangled Beth had she been my sister, but that's neither here nor there at this point. What's done is done, and the series is finished.
Could there be any chance that another spin-off of this series would be worth the read? Especially knowing that three of the main characters are going away from Bixby searching for other Midnighters.
Finis - Overall rating 3.5 stars. There wasn't enough of Dess in this story, and sometimes I just wanted to scream at Jessica for being so silly.
The Midnighters begin to experience the secret hour more and more frequently during daylight hours. To make matters worse, Rex's darkling side cannot always control itself, and may be becoming stronger. By using Madeline and other resources, the Midnighters find out that on the night of Samhain (Halloween), the Secret Hour will expand, and more of the Earth will be sucked up.
This is because there is a "rip" in true midnight, which allows non-midnighters to slip into the blue time, that is expanding like a seam in fabric. While trying to keep people out of these dangerous zones, Jessica has some trouble with her curious little sister Beth. True midnight (usually confined to the secret hour) will last for the whole day, and all humans and creatures within it will be awake, no longer 'stiff'.
This will allow the darklings to feast once again upon the creatures of day-unless the five teens find a way to stop it from happening. When Jessica and her boyfriend Johnathan, manage to stop the "blue time" from spreading to the whole world, Jessica unfortunately gets sucked into the "blue time".
To Johnathan and the whole Midnighter's teams dismay, she will forever be trapped in the blue time, only able to live for an hour of every day. Jessica's parents become very sad about their daughter's
"disappearance" and are still greiving about her loss when Beth comes to visit Jess for the last time. Both sisters share an emotional time with each other before Johnathan has his moment to say good bye. Finally, with a half hour to spare, Johnathan takes Jessica and Beth on their last flight through the blue time.
Thoughts:
First time readers to this series MUST start from book one. If you don't you will lose some much needed background information on the 5 midnighters themselves.
I still don't much care Melissa's character, but at least in this one she became a guiding force instead of a nag.
I'm not shocked that Jessica sacrificed herself and is now in what is called Temporal Dependence. Ever since Madeline said that she manipulated her into coming to Bixby, I figured she would be either the villian in the end, or the hero.
Cassie, Beth and Angie Grayfoot all play pivotal parts in this last book. Beth, more of a bad part than a good part. I would have strangled Beth had she been my sister, but that's neither here nor there at this point. What's done is done, and the series is finished.
Could there be any chance that another spin-off of this series would be worth the read? Especially knowing that three of the main characters are going away from Bixby searching for other Midnighters.
Finis - Overall rating 3.5 stars. There wasn't enough of Dess in this story, and sometimes I just wanted to scream at Jessica for being so silly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 9, 2011
Scott Westerfeld consegue com esta trilogia apresentar-nos algo muito diferente da Trilogia Uglies.
Aqui não é uma questão de Futuro, mas sim de Presente complementado por um mundo paralelo apenas possível e visível para alguns - os Midnighters.
Achei os três livros muito bem relacionados uns com os outros, apesar de estarem bem definidos e com as suas diferenças. O meu preferido foi o primeiro, que é visto como a introdução à vida e aos cinco amigos: Rex, Jonathan, Jessica, Dess e Melissa. O segundo achei-o mais parado, sem grande acrescento à história, mas o terceiro compensou-o, tanto pelas novas personagens como pelos desenvolvimentos e relações familiares. Neste último senti uma aproximação muito maior à vida da personagem Dess e da Jessica e por isso aumentou a empatia e a ligação com estas.
A originalidade é uma das características mais presentes, tanto nas personagens, inimigos, cenários, acontecimentos ou "talentos".
Estranhei um pouco tanto a relação da Dess com a sua boneca, até mesmo muito infantil, como a relação de Rex com a Melissa. O inicio da sua amizade e a extensão dessa entraram um pouco em conflito com a relação amorosa deles, o que achei um pouco forçado. Além disso, a reacção de Rex e de Melissa ao toque era também um pouco excessiva, ou mesmo estranha comparando com os outros.
A transformação de Rex também me pareceu um pouco fora do contexto, porque a sua mudança não foi feita gradualmente e sim quase aleatoriamente. Talvez, na minha opinião, ficasse um pouco mais coeso se o autor escolhesse ou uma transformação ou uma recuperação completa. Acho que os seus instintos e conhecimentos do mundo darkling foram benéficos para o desenvolvimento, mas por outro lado as reacções mais "animais" dele fizeram com que ele ficasse estranho ou mesmo agressivo e diferente de mais.
Jessica também sofreu algumas alterações, sendo a menos boa quando ela começa a ter dúvidas e a tornar-se incerta em relação ao Jonathan. Esta incerteza ou baixa auto-estima tornou-se demasiado distante e contrária à sua confiança em relação aos seus poderes.
Estes sim foram o aspecto mais positivo dos Midnighters. Gostei particularmente do da Jessica, e menos do do Jonathan. Todos primam pela originalidade, mas o deste último foi descrito de uma maneira um pouco física de mais, tanto que quando o imaginava nos seus "voos" imaginava mais um astronauta ou um macaco, o que não contribuiu em nada para os "voos românticos" ou até os salvamentos.
Gostei razoavelmente das capas, mas o mesmo não aconteceu com os símbolos que simbolizam cada um. Não é que não tenha percebido a relação, apenas os achei-os feios e assimétricos, além de achar que os colocarem em todos os capítulos não tem necessidade nenhuma.
A escrita continua fluida e rica em descrições e pormenores.
De qualquer forma, o resultado é positivo e vou continuar a acompanhar as obras de Scott Westerfeld.
Aqui não é uma questão de Futuro, mas sim de Presente complementado por um mundo paralelo apenas possível e visível para alguns - os Midnighters.
Achei os três livros muito bem relacionados uns com os outros, apesar de estarem bem definidos e com as suas diferenças. O meu preferido foi o primeiro, que é visto como a introdução à vida e aos cinco amigos: Rex, Jonathan, Jessica, Dess e Melissa. O segundo achei-o mais parado, sem grande acrescento à história, mas o terceiro compensou-o, tanto pelas novas personagens como pelos desenvolvimentos e relações familiares. Neste último senti uma aproximação muito maior à vida da personagem Dess e da Jessica e por isso aumentou a empatia e a ligação com estas.
A originalidade é uma das características mais presentes, tanto nas personagens, inimigos, cenários, acontecimentos ou "talentos".
Estranhei um pouco tanto a relação da Dess com a sua boneca, até mesmo muito infantil, como a relação de Rex com a Melissa. O inicio da sua amizade e a extensão dessa entraram um pouco em conflito com a relação amorosa deles, o que achei um pouco forçado. Além disso, a reacção de Rex e de Melissa ao toque era também um pouco excessiva, ou mesmo estranha comparando com os outros.
A transformação de Rex também me pareceu um pouco fora do contexto, porque a sua mudança não foi feita gradualmente e sim quase aleatoriamente. Talvez, na minha opinião, ficasse um pouco mais coeso se o autor escolhesse ou uma transformação ou uma recuperação completa. Acho que os seus instintos e conhecimentos do mundo darkling foram benéficos para o desenvolvimento, mas por outro lado as reacções mais "animais" dele fizeram com que ele ficasse estranho ou mesmo agressivo e diferente de mais.
Jessica também sofreu algumas alterações, sendo a menos boa quando ela começa a ter dúvidas e a tornar-se incerta em relação ao Jonathan. Esta incerteza ou baixa auto-estima tornou-se demasiado distante e contrária à sua confiança em relação aos seus poderes.
Estes sim foram o aspecto mais positivo dos Midnighters. Gostei particularmente do da Jessica, e menos do do Jonathan. Todos primam pela originalidade, mas o deste último foi descrito de uma maneira um pouco física de mais, tanto que quando o imaginava nos seus "voos" imaginava mais um astronauta ou um macaco, o que não contribuiu em nada para os "voos românticos" ou até os salvamentos.
Gostei razoavelmente das capas, mas o mesmo não aconteceu com os símbolos que simbolizam cada um. Não é que não tenha percebido a relação, apenas os achei-os feios e assimétricos, além de achar que os colocarem em todos os capítulos não tem necessidade nenhuma.
A escrita continua fluida e rica em descrições e pormenores.
De qualquer forma, o resultado é positivo e vou continuar a acompanhar as obras de Scott Westerfeld.
October 29, 2008
Um...okay. Way to ruin the last book of an amazing series that had lots of potential, Scott. Thanks a lot.
The other two books were soooo good, crazily astounding. And most of this book was, too. Up until the last chapter, it had all the good stuff that comes with the Midnighters trilogy; action and suspense and excitement and thrill and eye-glue and heart-speed and all the rest of the kit and kaboodle. I was really happy with it and thought it was sooooo good...until the ending.
The ending completely killed it.
The only words I can come up with to describe it are, “What the HELL?!?”
It was really sad, bad, horrible, weird and confusing, not to mention the fact that it didn't make a lot of sense. Uh, okay...Jessica gets swallowed up by the blue time and can only live during midnight (how does that work?). For some reason Melissa and Jonathan are leaving Bixby and going to travel the world to find other Midnighters, since the blue time has somehow swallowed the whole world (and somehow Jessica is going to be able to go with them, even though she doesn't exist during the daylight hours). Rex and Dess get completely excluded and left out to rot away in Bixby (???@??@??@??!!?!?!?!). And Jessica's parents are left sobbing their eyes out, no clue what is going on, and are considering moving somewhere else, waiting until they get “more evidence” (of what? Scott didn't care to explain what the blazes he was rambling about. If it's “more evidence” of whether Jessica's alive or not, would you care to tell us?). Oh yeah, and the creepy fact that Jessica is going to be nineteen when Jonathan is going to be a vegetable of eighty years old.
Gee, thanks.
It might not have been so bad if Scott had written it better. Like, actually explaining things better, in a much less confusing way, and maybe not leaving a bunch of information out. And maybe not bringing up random, shocking statements and then not clarifying them. Plus the whole time gap thing; it was quite annoying when Scott kept skipping huge gaps of time throughout the books, especially at the end, and making us do the work of filling in the gaps.
Ugh. Talk about killing a good series.
Don't get me wrong- the rest of the book was still AMAZING. It was just the ending that ticked me off. I only took one star off for that. XD
The other two books were soooo good, crazily astounding. And most of this book was, too. Up until the last chapter, it had all the good stuff that comes with the Midnighters trilogy; action and suspense and excitement and thrill and eye-glue and heart-speed and all the rest of the kit and kaboodle. I was really happy with it and thought it was sooooo good...until the ending.
The ending completely killed it.
The only words I can come up with to describe it are, “What the HELL?!?”
It was really sad, bad, horrible, weird and confusing, not to mention the fact that it didn't make a lot of sense. Uh, okay...Jessica gets swallowed up by the blue time and can only live during midnight (how does that work?). For some reason Melissa and Jonathan are leaving Bixby and going to travel the world to find other Midnighters, since the blue time has somehow swallowed the whole world (and somehow Jessica is going to be able to go with them, even though she doesn't exist during the daylight hours). Rex and Dess get completely excluded and left out to rot away in Bixby (???@??@??@??!!?!?!?!). And Jessica's parents are left sobbing their eyes out, no clue what is going on, and are considering moving somewhere else, waiting until they get “more evidence” (of what? Scott didn't care to explain what the blazes he was rambling about. If it's “more evidence” of whether Jessica's alive or not, would you care to tell us?). Oh yeah, and the creepy fact that Jessica is going to be nineteen when Jonathan is going to be a vegetable of eighty years old.
Gee, thanks.
It might not have been so bad if Scott had written it better. Like, actually explaining things better, in a much less confusing way, and maybe not leaving a bunch of information out. And maybe not bringing up random, shocking statements and then not clarifying them. Plus the whole time gap thing; it was quite annoying when Scott kept skipping huge gaps of time throughout the books, especially at the end, and making us do the work of filling in the gaps.
Ugh. Talk about killing a good series.
Don't get me wrong- the rest of the book was still AMAZING. It was just the ending that ticked me off. I only took one star off for that. XD
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 21, 2010
Que Bixby era uma cidade especial, já nós sabiamos. Em Hora Secreta e No Limiar das Trevas, acontecimentos únicos decorreram nesta pequena porção de Oklahoma. O mundo para à meia-noite. Apenas algumas pessoas com capacidades únicas conseguem habitar nesta hora extra do dia, os Midnighters. Mas criaturas vis, também as há, e andam ansiosas para poderem viver mais que esta hora por dia.
No final do último livro, um dos midnighters sofreu sérias alterações. As suas atitudes e formas de ver o mundo, nunca mais seriam as mesmas. Os seus colegas, estranham as suas reacções. Terá Rex ficado maluco? Terá ele passado para o lado negro? E mais, a irmã de Jessica, Beth, anda cada vez mais curiosa sobre as saídas misteriosas da irmã. Mete o nariz onde não deve. Até que ponto a identidade dos Midnighters está segura?
Quando todos se tentam adaptar à nova realidade, eis que Bixby pára de novo. Mas hey! Não é meia noite, são apenas 9:00 da manhã! Como é que a hora azul chegou tão cedo?! Pessoas que começam a desaparecer.. Porquê? É então aqui que o ritmo da história fica alucinante.
Um livro que nos enche de adrenalina até à última página, que não nos deixa tirar os olhos de linha após linha. O que acontecerá à humanidade se a hora azul continuar a invadir Bixby em plena luz do dia? Que estarão os seres antigos e vis, os darklings, a tramar? Melissa consegue sentir os seus festejos quando tal acontece.
Extremamente bem escrito, simples e original, Meio-Dia Azul vem encerrar uma trilogia fantástica. Diferente de todas as modas que possam por aí andar, com personagen singulares, inteligentes, todas diferentes umas das outras... Únicas. São livros que se lêem de rajada, tal é a vontade que nos assalta mal começamos a percorrer as primeiras linhas de cada livro. Sem dúvida que vou ficar cheia de saudades desta trilogia.
O fim deixou-me um pouco emocionada, não estava a contar. Não é um fim onde tudo acaba bem e cor-de-rosa. Quando acabamos por nos afeiçoar às personagens, custa-nos um pouco quando elas ficam afectadas, de certa forma, pelos acontecimentos. Quando ainda por cima se tiveram de sacrificar para um bem maior.
No final do último livro, um dos midnighters sofreu sérias alterações. As suas atitudes e formas de ver o mundo, nunca mais seriam as mesmas. Os seus colegas, estranham as suas reacções. Terá Rex ficado maluco? Terá ele passado para o lado negro? E mais, a irmã de Jessica, Beth, anda cada vez mais curiosa sobre as saídas misteriosas da irmã. Mete o nariz onde não deve. Até que ponto a identidade dos Midnighters está segura?
Quando todos se tentam adaptar à nova realidade, eis que Bixby pára de novo. Mas hey! Não é meia noite, são apenas 9:00 da manhã! Como é que a hora azul chegou tão cedo?! Pessoas que começam a desaparecer.. Porquê? É então aqui que o ritmo da história fica alucinante.
Um livro que nos enche de adrenalina até à última página, que não nos deixa tirar os olhos de linha após linha. O que acontecerá à humanidade se a hora azul continuar a invadir Bixby em plena luz do dia? Que estarão os seres antigos e vis, os darklings, a tramar? Melissa consegue sentir os seus festejos quando tal acontece.
Extremamente bem escrito, simples e original, Meio-Dia Azul vem encerrar uma trilogia fantástica. Diferente de todas as modas que possam por aí andar, com personagen singulares, inteligentes, todas diferentes umas das outras... Únicas. São livros que se lêem de rajada, tal é a vontade que nos assalta mal começamos a percorrer as primeiras linhas de cada livro. Sem dúvida que vou ficar cheia de saudades desta trilogia.
O fim deixou-me um pouco emocionada, não estava a contar. Não é um fim onde tudo acaba bem e cor-de-rosa. Quando acabamos por nos afeiçoar às personagens, custa-nos um pouco quando elas ficam afectadas, de certa forma, pelos acontecimentos. Quando ainda por cima se tiveram de sacrificar para um bem maior.
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