Peter Last

THOUGHTS…

The Midnight Plot maintains the good of its predecessor and even improves upon it. The somewhat two-dimensional worlds of the first novel have been replaced with fully developed, interesting, and immersive settings. This is often accomplished through more competent descriptions, but this never leads to the data-dump situations common in the previous book. Rather, Mr. Wyers has done away almost entirely with such devices, honing his writing skill to utilize a plethora of storytelling devices. Most often, he focuses his descriptions on what is seen and what is needed to understand the story, leaving the rest on the cutting room floor. This makes for a tight, immersive. The series is ultimately telling an allegory, and while it is mostly organic to the story, the novel does sometimes find itself slave to the allegory. In one case, a specific choice is set up as a temptation but one which is obviously wrong. Though the character being tempted seems to find middle ground to justify their actions, the reader is not privy to such a compelling line of reasoning, and I found myself frustrated at any confusion as to the correct course of action. A softer touch could probably have made this temptation seem more…tempting to the reader. A few new characters were introduced, testing the limits of Mr. Wyers’s skill. A notable example is the relationship between Darbian and a new character, Angel Sol. They are at odds from the beginning in a ridiculous over-the-top at-each-other’s-throats way, but one-third of the way through the book, Darbian comments “I’m starting to not hate her so much.” The relationship’s arc is clunky, sporadic, and an example of an area Mr. Wyers could improve in the future. Mitigating this weakness, however, is that fact that Angel is a very interesting character with a backstory teased out across the novel. Finally, while Micah is once more at the whim of the plot, Hannalore seizes agency to forge her own path, making mistakes along the way and ultimately commanding her own story. I was impressed with the improvement in Mr. Wyers’s writing, especially how he is able to make accessible to young audiences surprisingly deep messages on taking a stand, avoiding temptation, and facing fear. The Midnight Plot is leaps and bounds ahead of its predecessor, and I highly recommend it for younger audiences.