#touching darkness

Currently re-reading one of my favourite series of all time. Feeling very lonely in a fandom that seems so scattered and faded. If you've never read it, and young adult fantasy/sci-fi is your jam, then I'd highly recommend!

These aren't my copies, by the way, as the books are apparently out of print (?) and I can only read them on iBooks. Found this picture of the covers online 😊

"Rex pulled his long black coat around himself and clung to the row of lockers along the wall, waiting for the crowd to clear, wondering exactly when he had become invisible. And why. Maybe it was because the daylight world meant so little to him now."

Scott Westerfeld, 'The Secret Hour', Midnighters, p.9

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As someone who daydreams for hours every day, I understand this quote a lot. The "daylight" world, better known as the "real" world, ceases to exist for most of the day. You do what you need to do to get by in it, but in the end it doesn't hold your heart like your world does.

Thinking about it, a lot of Rex's thoughts, feelings, and behaviours throughout the series are similar to those of an immersive or maladaptive daydreamer (I am the former, not the latter - precariously). It's what's on his mind most of the time, he's always doing research and reconstructing the language and history of the midnight world, it makes him feel confident and capable, and it's where he knows he fits. He has had a rough life, and it makes sense he'd dive headfirst into a mysterious, potentially dangerous world for safety and solace.

I had read the first book of the series for my summer reading before sixth grade, and I thought I had liked it, but after reading the whole series, I realized that this was not for me. The writing felt weak throughout and the repeated use of the r-word was really jarring and kind of disturbing to read at this point in time. It was semi-exciting, but still just utterly a forgettable set of stories.

I had to read this for a summer reading assignment before 6th grade and I vaguely remembered enjoying it, but it was honestly not great. I was entertained enough to keep reading, but I honestly did not care about any of the characters. Melissa was kind of mean, Jessica was boring, Jonathan was kind of a jerk, Rex was mildly interesting, and Dess was probably my favorite, but even she wasn’t perfect. I felt like I never quite understood what was going on despite the extensive explanations. The ending was the best part, but the overall story was lacking in a lot of ways.

Favorite Quote: Being lame does work sometimes, I guess.

This was marginally better than the first book in some ways, but much worse in others. The best part was probably Beth’s and Jessica’s sibling relationship starting to mend itself, but so much else was confusing. There were too many POVs for me to keep track of who knew what. Jessica and Melissa were kind of despicable for a while toward the end, the lore still doesn’t make a lot of sense, Dess was probably my favorite in this one because I just couldn’t make myself care about the relationships. Parts of it were kind of emotional, but I just didn’t really like it. I’m so glad there’s only one book left.

Favorite Quote: Spanish was kicking darkling ass in Oklahoma about four hundred years before English got here.

This was a wholly unsatisfying read. Despite the apparent emphasis on lore in the story, it all felt fragmented and incomplete. The characters, once again, were not especially compelling, except for Dess, who was arguably one of the more minor midnighters in this one. I did appreciate that the Grayfoots had a redemption arc of sorts because I did find it messed up the at the one native family was the villain. I didn’t like the ending, and it seemed kind of out of character and underdeveloped. The story was still interesting and fast-paced enough to keep me entertained, but it wasn’t a great read.

Favorite Quote: Not everything made you stronger. It was possible to survive, yet still be crippled for your trouble. Sometimes it was okay to run away, to skip the test, to chicken out. Or at least to get some help. 

Many of the naming aspects of this whole series were kind of weird from a modern context. Jessica Day immediately made me think of New Girl, and the darklings make me thing of The Darkling from Shadow & Bone. The whole background of the story didn’t seem to have a lot of backing and most characters were pretty dull. One thing I did appreciate that Westerfeld did, though, was put latinx and indigenous people in Oklahoma, despite it only being a few. This is definitely not a series I will be revisiting, which is a little disappointing since his Uglies series was one of my favorites as a kid.

Rating: ⭐⭐

Books in Series: The Secret Hour; Touching Darkness; Blue Noon

Westerfeld may have done it again! I give this book a solid 4.5 out of 5. Really, the series is tantalizing, intriguing, and unique, but the final fate will be determined by the third book!

Hit “Keep Reading”, but consider this your spoiler alert!