Stolen Midnights by Katherine Quinn – Book Review

Book Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Series: Stolen Midnights (Book 1)

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy Romance

Spice: Medium

Summary:

In Andalay, when a favored child turns eighteen, the Fates gift them a magical object, imbuing them with a unique magical ability. Wren Hayes, the daughter of a prominent upper-class family, is excited to receive her magical object and finally join the ranks of her parents and older sister. But as the clock strikes midnight, no gift arrives. Devastated by this turn of events, Wren decides to visit the Fates and ask them what happened, a thing not done in Andalay. She is initially welcomed into the Fate Dusk’s garden, but quickly she finds blood on the ground and a note left for her. The fate is missing, and Wren is the prime suspect.

While most gifts go to the richest in the city, an orphaned thief named Damien is the exception; he has a mirror that can make him invisible. As a well-known thief, Damien is paid to steal the Fate’s magical gift to the princess of the city, Wren Hayes. When he opens the stolen locket, he finds his own picture. Shaken, he decides not to give the locket to the buyer. But after a chance encounter with Wren at a high society party he was casing, Damien loses the locket. But Wren intends to take advantage of a run-in with the notorious thief; she wants to team up with Damien to find her missing gift. Together, Wren and Damien will attempt to solve the mysteries of the lost gift and the missing fate all while an undeniable attraction grows between them.

Reaction:

Stolen Midnights had a lot of potential for me to enjoy it: a unique magic system, an exciting plot filled with mystery and action, and a complicated religious and political system. But for me, the book focused too much on the romance that I didn’t enjoy, and not enough on those other elements.

From the start, the plot of Stolen Midnights was fast-paced and exciting with some interesting wrinkles. I thought the mysteries presented were unique and I was really interested to find out the answers. There were a few plot holes towards the middle and end of the novel, and while they were a bit annoying, they didn’t impact the overall outcome of the investigations the characters were conducting. What bothered me was the interruption of that exciting plot with romantic scenes. My favorite authors know when to insert romance without interrupting critical moments of the plot, but I felt this book didn’t have that balance. There were very evident themes related to women’s equality and wealth disparities that were presented from an interesting POV (a rich, privileged woman), but I’m not sure if it had anything conclusive or interesting to say about those themes.

The idea that people receive magical objects from deities to give them specific powers was interesting and unique. But to me, it seemed like the “rules” for this magic system were continually called into question to the point where I didn’t understand whether there actually were any limits to the magic. So, while the magic system was interesting at the start, it seemed to break down over time. I also thought the political environment of the city would have been so fascinating to explore more. Like I wanted more information on the Fates, the larger world, and how this city fit into it. The focus just seemed a little too narrow for my liking.

I didn’t really connect to Wren’s character. From the start, she had conflicting characteristics presented: she struggles to control her emotions but she’s a great actress, or she’s not quick to trust but in the novel, she trusts Ruby and Grayson really quickly. These inconsistencies really made me wonder who this FMC was. I also thought she was bold without the experience or thoughtfulness to back that up, which made her appear really naïve without the ability to acknowledge that fact. I did appreciate her character growth; at the beginning of the novel, she seemed self-centered and unable to empathize with others, not in her situation, but she gained this ability over time. I enjoyed Damien’s POV much more than Wren’s because he was more focused, worldly, and calculating. His POV really drove the mystery aspect of the plot in my opinion, which was my favorite element of the book. The only downside to Damien was that he was so down on himself as a person; he wasn’t confident in who he was and felt the need to present a front to the world. I thought the supporting characters were well written for the most part, and I didn’t have any trouble remembering them as they came and went through the story.

I thought the romance in this book was too over the top. It was overwhelming and sickly sweet, and interrupted plot progression so many times. I’ve also never been a fan of the insta-attraction type of romance present in this book. It’s not a true enemies to lovers where an affection or attraction builds over time, but more a fated attraction that feels forced instead of natural.

I was really interested in the fast paced plot with mysteries and surprises this book offered, but it was too often interrupted by the over-the-top romance. I didn’t relate to Wren’s character because I didn’t feel like she had solid characterization. And ultimately, I wanted more from the political and religious aspects of the book. I’m usually looking for a fantasy with a romantic subplot, and this seemed more like a romance with a fantasy background. So safe to say, I think this book just wasn’t for me.

What I enjoyed:

·       The idea that magical objects are what imbues people with magic. It offers a chance for powers to be stolen, totally unique, and also as frivolous or useful as the person who owns them.

·       The mystery aspects of this book. At about 80%, one of my notes said, “The only reason I’m still reading this book is because I have to know what Wren’s dad and the Fates are up to. 1000%.”

What I didn't enjoy:

·       That there was little detail about the wider world outside of Andalay. Like there were mentions of a King, other land outside the city, and even lands across the sea, but there was no reference to what those places were like, and how they interacted with Andalay.

·       Plot holes. They were more annoying than anything else, like how did this guy survive this injury, how did they not see that coming, but those were the things that stuck with me as I kept reading.