Review: 13 Days of Midnight

By Leo Hunt
Available now from Candlewick
Review copy

Luke Manchett's father left him and his mother.  Luke hasn't even spoken to him in years.  However, he has just received news of his father's death - and a rather large inheritance.  Tempted by the money, Luke doesn't pay too much attention to the papers he's signing.  But then the ghosts start showing up.

I thoroughly enjoyed 13 DAYS OF MIDNIGHT.  There's a nice balance of horror and humor.  I found Luke sometimes frustrating, since he takes a ridiculous amount of time to clue into the danger he's in.  He might not have intended to inherit a host of ghosts and dark necromantic powers, but he had plenty of opportunity to notice everyone warning him that things could go horribly awry.  Luckily he finds help with Elza, the school weirdo who just happens to have second sight and be a low-level witch.  With her, Luke isn't completely hopeless.

I did like that the reader figures out what is going on and how the necromancy works along with Luke and Elza.  All is revealed at the end, but it takes time since the reader is thrown into the deep end with Luke.  I love books that let you put together the pieces on your own.  I also liked that the adventure in 13 DAYS OF MIDNIGHT wrapped up neatly while still leaving a wicked hook for sequels.  I hope there are more books coming, because it looks like Luke has more terrifying things lurking in his future.

While 13 DAYS OF MIDNIGHT is a horror story, it's not a scary story.  It's a ghost story, and a creepy one, with some macabre imagery and heroes forced to use awful measures to prevent worse things from happening.  It's a kind of horror that I enjoy very much.

13 DAYS OF MIDNIGHT is a book that will remind you to always read the fine print before making a deal with a lawyer.