Mari Adkins

This review was written on my blog:

Midnight is Southern Gothic fiction set in 1980's rural Kentucky. The story entails the struggles of Samantha Clark in getting away from an abusive boyfriend and dealing with some major emotional issues.

The synopsis on the back of the book says: "Samantha Clark has always known she was different. Brought up in a loveless household, she can almost forgive herself for turning to an abusive boyfriend to help her give her the roots and love she desperately needs...Midnight is the inward journey of Sami's self-loathing, self-reflection, and eventual self-acceptance."

While that is the over arching story, it is also a love story and has vampires. Yes, that's right...vampires! (I love vampires)

Let me start off by saying that I enjoyed the book. It was hard to put down at times but also hard to follow...here's the why's of it all:

The book is written a bit differently. While it isn't from Sami's point of view, it's written in the same emotional state that Sami is in. The first 100 pages were fuzzy and confusing because Sami spends her days in a haze of marijuana smoke and wine intoxication. It starts out with her feeling battered physically and emotionally. You're really meant to be confused and disoriented from her physical and emotional traumas.

Moving to Harlan County has its own difficulties as Sami is aware of the strange energies in the area. She's not sure of what she is sensing partially because she is in such a strange emotional state and far from clear headed. Energy is actually a major plot device in the book as it has many Pagan elements with lots of discussion on manipulation of energy and spell work.

Sami is really seeking a place to belong and she thinks that is with Steve, an old friend from college. They have such a tumultuous relationship and can't seem to figure out if they want each other or not. Along the way she meets Jeremy and falls in love unexpectedly which brings in even more emotional issues. Then there's Michael (I think I'm in love with Michael). He's this mysterious yet familiar person to Sami and she spends most of the book drawn to him yet unsure of why.

All in all, Sami is trying to find a place to belong with home and a family. Yet she can't handle the emotions of finding 'family' in Steve, Jeremy and Michael, as she consistently whines about them all abandoning her. It takes her most of the book to get herself under control. Some will find her flip flopping back and fourth between Steve and Jeremy familiar. I think we all have felt drawn to two people but didn't want to choose which one to be with.

I'm not even going to try to discuss the vampire side of the story. It was pretty original and different but hard to grasp as the vampires don't even know the how's and why's of their situation. They just sort of accept it. This is reminiscent of the Blood Opera Sequence by Tanith Lee as her vampires are vampires genetically but not much else is revealed on the why. I would love to learn more in the sequels (I hear this is to be a trilogy) and I think the whole story has lots of potential to grow!

All this being said, I found some of the dialogue a bit hard to get through and repetitive. I know there were secrets kept for reasons but this was reiterated several times. I just wanted answers darn it!

If you do read this book, know that there are mentions of things that didn't actually exist in 1985. The afterword didn't really explain why the author did it but did list the anachronisms in the story; I really wanted to message Ms. Adkins and say "Hey! Brandon Lee didn't play Eric Draven until the 90's" and am glad I held my tongue! ;) She did bring in a lot of local colour to the story from living in Harlan County herself. I really enjoyed knowing most of the places she talks about as I've been all over that part of Kentucky.

All in all, it was an interesting story and fast paced read. I was drawn in for most of it (the fuzziness at the beginning really threw me) and liked the direction it seems to be going. There are several plot points that were touched on but never returned to so I'm hopeful for a sequel. Again, I need answers!… (mer)

It took me a while to catch on to what the author was doing here in her work and I thought I was going to have to be negative about this review. In reality, Ms. Adkins has put a new spin on the world of vampires. This tale is told by a 22 year old woman who is in the process of deciding whether to become a fully "turned" vampire herself. We experience her doubts and confusion through an alcohol and marijuana haze. She has been severely abused by a former love and was abandoned as a child into the hands of grandparents who died when she was still too young to care for herself. With no real family or friends she falls into a family of vampires and their culture and must decide whether to become one of their kind. These are not the vampires of Hollywood or the original literature. It is a difficult read at the start until you realize what is happening to this young woman. My thanks to the author and LibraryThing for a complimentary copy.… (mer)