Early Review: The Girl at Midnight (The Girl at Midnight #1)

The Girl at Midnight (The Girl at Midnight #1)
Melissa Grey

Published By: ATOM Books
Publication Date: April 28, 2015
Date Read: December 7, 2014
Genre: YA - Epic Fantasy
Source: ARC from ATOM Books
Format: Paperback
Pages: 361

From Goodreads:
Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.

Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, but if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

Keep Scrolling After the Review for Exclusive Girl At Midnight Nail Art Tutorial

~ Review ~

"One cannot have light without darkness to temper it."

As soon as I heard about The Girl At Midnight I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. It sounded so awesome and so unique I just knew it would be something that I would love... and I wasn't wrong. The Girl At Midnight was everything I could have imagined it to be and more. I just have got to take this moment to thank the wonderful people at ATOM Publishing for sending me an ARC of this book that is allowing me to sit here writing this review 4 months before it is even released.

The Avicen have always existed and they live right beneath you. A being that is full of magic and who has feathers instead of hair the Avicens just want peace. But that is the last thing they have as there is the war that has spanned decades between them and the Drakharin, another ancient race, and it still continues. Enter Echo, pickpocket and human the Avicen are the only family she has ever known and she will do anything for them. When Echo steals a magical musicbox that sets a destiny she never knew she has bestowed upon her in motion there is no turning back. Echo must journey to find the magical Firebird, the only thing that might just stop this devasatating war. But as her journey becomes more and more complex Echo has to decide what is the most important the life of two ancient races, or the life of one?

The Girl at Midnight was oh my god amazing. I am honestly speechless that this is Melissa Grey's debut novel because it is just so unbelievably amazing I can't believe it's her first book. Her characterisation is immense. I just can't get over how amazing and complex her characters and her world building is yet she has wrote it in a way that is so easy to read and understand. I have trouble with a lot of fantasy novels as I feel like their complexity is just too much to be able to understand easily. The Girl At Midnight had none of that. It had the complexity you come to expect from going into any new fantasy world but Melissa's writing style is just so unbelievable fantastic it makes it so easy-going to read that you can read this book really quick and understand all of it easily. Melissa Grey's writing style is flawless and amazing. I have only read her debut and already I am adding her to my must-read-authors list.

Echo is one hell of a heroine. She is snarky, spunky and completely kick-ass. I love that we have a human heroine kicking-ass in a magic-weilding world. I loved that! It's so very rare for us to find a human, with no magic being the heroine in a world full of creatures with magical abilities. I think it really portrayed that you don't have to have those special qualities for you to be strong. That we have strength in all of us. Kudos Miss Grey, kudos to you!

The Girl At Midnight provided my with not one, but two new book boyfriends. At first I fell for Rowan. Rowan is the sweetest most adorable guy ever. He is supportive, caring and sweet. What's not to like. Then we met Caius... Caius is aggressive, beautiful and immortal. I fell head over heels in love with Caius. I adored him. The more I read the more I loved him. He is a soldier who only wants to war to end. He is rough around the edges but has a soft heart... what is not to LOVE?!?!?!

The Girl At Midnight has absolutely everything I could have wanted in a YA Fantasy book. A beautifully new and complex world filled with magical ancient races and a human kick-ass heroine. It was jam packed with action, intrigue, mystery and romance. I loved every single second of it. Immediately after finishing this book my initial thought was 'this book is great but it's not the best fantasy book I've ever read, I'll give it 4 Stars' and yes, it's not the best I've ever read but then I thought back to my favourite fantasy series and found I was comparing this book to thh third book in that series and that isn't really fair. I think The Girl At Midnight has so much potential to grow and be just as phenomenal as that series if, or when, it gets to that stage. It is completely on par with the first installment of my favourite fantasy series and I have no doubt that this will soon be competing for the top stop in my heart. And so for that reason I'm totally bumping it up to 5 Stars

I loved every moment of The Girl At Midnight and the end completely left me reeling dying for the second book in this series. This is without a doubt one of the best debuts I have ever read and I know everyone will go insane for this book. This is the one fantasy book that you MUST read in 2015. Utterly Phenomenal!

"Tanith thinks the only way to win is in a fury of fire and blood. But fire only brings about death, and blood only brings about more blood."

~ The Girl At Midnight Nail Art Tutorial ~

So when the wonderful ATOM Publishing sent me the ARC of this amazing book they also sent me a tutorial for Nail Art to match the UK cover of The Girl At Midnight. Here it is with my very own pictures...

Step 1: Put a coat of clear base coat on your nails and allow to dry completely.

             I used the Barry M Clear Base and Top Coat

Step 2: Paint your nails white and allow to dry completely.

            I used Barry M White and applied two coats to ensure a bright white.

Step 3: Put a diagonal line down each nail and colour the right side of that line in black.

            I used Rio Neon Black Nail Art Pen

Step 4: Put a clear coat on your nails to seal the black and white in.
            Again, I used Barry M Clear Base and Top Coat

Step 5: On your feature nail put a thin blue line down the seam of the black and white.
            Then put lines out from each side to form a feather. Repeat with purple.
            I used Rio Neon Blue and Purple Nail Art Pen

Step 6: Add another clear coat to finish your design.
            Again I used Barry M Clear Base and Top Coat

And there you have it, your very own The Girl At Midnight Manicure...