the midnight garden

There's a reason why I haven't been around as much online, and it can summed up in two words: The Selection. I don't blame anyone at all for skipping right over this post, because it's going to be extremely long since there are a lot of issues to address, and it may not be entirely coherent since it's late and I will have to come back later to clarify certain points. I have never blogged about this until now because I try to keep The Midnight Garden a happy place, and I'm not a fan of unnecessary drama. But when blatant lies and gross exaggerations are published in attempt to curry favor and to seek attention, I think it's time to break the silence and explain what happened so that the facts of the matter are very clear.

As you may or may not know, there have been a lot of YA author meltdowns this year. I've always believed in speaking up when I see someone being attacked, particularly when it's someone I know to be a fair reviewer and whom I consider to be a friend. Still, when it happened to me over a comical review I wrote of The Selection by Kiera Cass, I tried to avoid speaking publicly about this other than on my own review and in a single interview in an attempt to refrain from further fanning the flames. I've turned down all other requests to talk about it, even though I understood why people were interested: when a public figure goes on the offensive towards someone who is not a professional reviewer, it is an ugly and shameful thing. What made me really furious about that behavior was that if it happened to me, it could happen to anybody. There are a lot of fledgling bloggers and casual reviewers who don't have nearly the kind of support system I do, and the thought of someone being guilted into changing or deleting his or her review made me very upset.

Things have been a little quiet around here lately, but we haven't forgotten you! We have a couple of extra finished copies of buzzed-about books we'd love to share with our readers. 

The Last Princess by Galaxy Craze and Revived by Cat Patrick were just released this month, and thanks to our friends at Little Brown, we're giving you a chance to win a finished hardback copy of one of these books! You can find synopses through the links, which take you to GoodReads. If you're a fan of paranormal mysteries or dystopian fantasies, these are titles that are probably already on your list.

Enter to Win!

To enter the contest, all you have to do is fill out the Rafflecopter form below and leave us a comment to let us know which book you'd prefer if you win. As usual, you can earn extra entries for sharing the contest on Facebook, tweeting daily, etc. This contest is open internationally to readers aged 13 and older.

Many thanks to Little Brown Books for Young Readers for providing these prizes.

Coming Soon

Stay tuned for more awesome giveaways in the next few weeks as we get ready to celebrate 1000 blog followers! We appreciate our readers so much, and we're busily squirreling away some goodies for our fantastic fellow YA fans.

By the way, the winner of our Of Poseidon giveaway was Kari from Ramblings of a Reader. It looks like she really enjoyed the book, so yay for Kari!

Blackout (Newsflesh #3)
by Mira Grant

This review is spoiler-free, and safe even for those who haven't read the first two books in the series.

Forget everything you ever assumed about science fiction novels or zombie thrillers: the Newsflesh trilogy defies all expectations. The story that began with a turbulent political campaign in a post-apocalyptic Feed escalates here as the blogger journalists from After the End of Times continue their quest to uncover the truth behind the deadly Kellis-Amberlee virus that has decimated civilization--one that is now mutating and spreading faster than ever before. The breakneck action and intrigue in Blackout is intense as a dangerous rescue mission, disease-carrying mosquitoes, zombie bears, tangled family drama, and a mysterious patient known as Subject 7B all complicate what is already hell on earth.

It's funny that my favorite zombie series actually has the least amount of zombie action in it, but Newsflesh hasn't ever been about the undead anyway--it's about the human response to it. As with The Reapers Are the Angels and Warm Bodies, this series is fascinating to me because it explores the idea of personal integrity within extreme circumstances. What would you do when the world ends? If you're Shaun and Georgia Mason, adopted siblings whose closeness forms an unbreakable team, you lead your fellow bloggers into an unrelenting search for truth--no matter what the cost. Or at least, that's how their story began. But now that the stakes are higher than they've ever been and those they love most are at risk, the focus has shifted to a very human need to hold onto the connections that matter most.

Blackout seamlessly combines medical thriller, political intrigue, and pulse-pounding action sequences with unforgettable human drama. How you feel about this series will very much depend on how you feel about the characters in general--if you love the Masons, Alaric, Becks, Mahir, and Maggie, you'll most likely have a fantastic time with Newsflesh. It doesn't mean the characters are perfect, of course; Shaun in particular is mourning a huge loss, and his reckless, desperate behavior in the second book caused a lot of criticism from a lot of readers. For me, I felt his pain so keenly, however, that his torment became mine--and I understood, too, the unconventional, defiant ways in which he grasped for some semblance of happiness as the world around him was destroyed. In books and in real life, I respond very strongly to loyalty, honesty, and the determination to do what's right. Shaun and Georgia, as well as their superbly realized supporting cast, embody those traits in a big way. Because they also are slammed with unbelievable suffering throughout these books that require a brutal amount of self-sacrifice, it isn't any wonder that I feel such fiercely protective love for them, as well as for the ideals they represent. 

The author's writing gets better and better in each book, with well-researched scientific dilemmas and brilliant recaps that engage the reader without resorting to long info-dumps. Her brisk, matter-of-fact style of writing suits the story perfectly, and the sophisticated plot is exceptionally well-paced, with shifts from furious action to moments of stark stillness and contemplation handled beautifully. Whether we're getting worked up over red herrings, watching someone facing her own mortality, or respectfully acknowledging fallen comrades, the emotional pitch throughout the book felt utterly right, which is something that is very hard to pull off when there are so many ethical issues at stake.

I don't know that I've ever read another series where the emotion it evoked was so intense--Feed left me crying so hard I could hardly see the keyboard, Deadline had me literally whimpering with pain in the middle of the night, and Blackout made me want to scream with excitement and agony and worry all at once. If you'd told me that a science fiction trilogy with zombies could be so searingly emotional or feel so incredibly personal, I'd have told you it was impossible. And I've never been happier to be proven wrong. I know most true fans of this series will race through the pages just like I did, with the same urgency and dread and excitement.

While I'm devastated that this particular story is over (although there are two more Newsflesh novellas coming this year) and I dearly wish they could all turn into zombies so this story could live on forever, I'm happy with the way the story ended. I'm sure Mira Grant's new forthcoming novels Parasitology and Symbiogenesis will be absolutely spectacular.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

This review also appears on GoodReads. An advance copy was provided by the publisher.

P.S. For more proof of the power of Mira Grant's writing, read the alternate ending to FEED below, Fed, which is ONLY for those who have already read the first book. Holy frak, that woman is an evil genius.

One Moment
by Kristina McBride

One Moment by Kristina McBride is a story of the unfairness of life; how things are cut short, how things are not what they seem, how things are stolen, changed, a path diverted in a blink.

Maggie and her friends are at the gorge. Maggie and her boyfriend Joey are at the top of the cliff, about to jump off -- then everything goes blank. Maggie opens her eyes and Adam is urging her out from the bush she's hidden herself behind. There is screaming, sirens, and blood. Joey is dead. The story goes on as Maggie and her friends deal with their loss, as Maggie attempts to piece together her final moments with Joey in the hopes of figuring out what, why, and how it all happened. But it's not all it seems. Along the way, Maggie discovers secrets that threaten to sever the friendships, and distort the image of Joey from her heart.

This book begins with Maggie describing Joey's lopsided grin, and the soft texture of his hair; the daring glint in his blue eyes, and the smooth surface of his muscles. Naturally, I groaned. But. This was surprisingly well-written -- in great conflict to it's frightening start. I mean, it's still there. Maggie observes hair, eyes, skin, smiles of everyone and everything. She describes Joey as her be-all and end-all.  But I just rolled through those like a boss -- you learn. Despite that, One Moment was complex. Its characters were well-roundedly flawed. They were guilty but sympathetic -- not an easy feat. The friendships between Maggie, Joey, Adam, Shannon, Tanna, and Pete were relatable: supportive, yet occasionally tense; caring, yet not overly selfless. They loved each other, but they're teenagers and so at times loved themselves a little more.

This was part teen drama, part romance, part mystery, part crime thriller, part psychological study. It flowed well, with the narrative going back and forth between the aftermath of Joey's death, and the events leading up to it. It was neatly balanced; as readers, we are interested in both timelines. Nice, though, it was, it was not entirely mysterious. Case in point: p. 37. P. 37 is when I figured it all out. It really isn't all that, being clever, you know. And the secrets are a little too predictable, though, if I may say so, not totally transparent either. There is a good diversion that leads you one way -- but then it all comes back together and you're wit is proven in troth (applause). So to clarify, most of the "usuals" are there, it's the way they are told that is refreshing.

What really impressed me about the book is not the characters themselves. Although I did quite enjoy them...so much so that when the secrets did surface, I felt the betrayals personally. As if I were a member of this tight-knit group and that it had also happened to me. Thumbs up. Anyway, what I liked most was the overall presentation of the imperfections within us. These characters have done wrong, and while you may want to judge them on impulse, you can't because their sides and confessions are fleshed out. They simply suffer from immaturity, selfishness, panic, confusion, what have you. They show good parts, and bad parts, and suddenly your finger isn't as quick to point. I liked all this -- unless I'm being a little too forgiving...which I hope I'm not.

I enjoyed the book. It evoked a reaction from me. It isn't the most profound read, it isn't the most emotional. But if you want to feel just a little bit sad (am I the only one who goes through these moods, where I actually want to read a book that will depress me?), then read this. It won't dampen your whole day, but if you want to be hurt j