Review for books 1 and 2 of the Past Midnight series

I've always been a fan of ghost stories, even when they terrified me to the point of huddling under the covers with only a tiny air hole open at top, so not even a ghostly breeze could touch me.*

Thing is, I've loved good spooky stories without being overly horrifying or gory, but sadly I haven't seen many good ones crop up in middle grade or young adult fiction over the past few years.

Enter Mara Purnhagen, who has written creepy ghost stories that make me want to burn the candles late into the night as I read, even with the possibility that I won't be able to sleep in a creaking house later. The premise struck me immediately—the daughter of ghost debunkers is followed home by the spooks that apparently don't exist—the writing and characterization are solid enough to provide a captivating story.

While her books will probably be classified as paranormal romance, I prefer to think of them as magical realism. These ghosts are the goosebumpily realistic kind that could potentially happen to anyone—if you believe in ghosts. Maybe even if you didn't.

Both books are good, solid stories, though I was more captivated by the first, Past Midnight. There is also a short story, Raising the Dead, touted book 1.5, that I've downloaded to my Kindle but still waits to be read.

Overall, I enjoy this series and look forward to Purnhagen's forthcoming titles.


*I haven't done that since I was a kid. Well, not really.

Thanks to Harlequin Teen for review copies of both books ( )

I didn't realize at first that this was the 2nd book in a series. I'd had it in my Netgalley queue for awhile, and when I went to mark it on Goodreads, I saw that it was book 2. I had to track down book 1, because wouldn't it be weird to read the 2nd book in a series first?!

Anyway, I digress.

I liked Past Midnight a lot, so I was really looking forward to what One Hundred Candles would offer. It didn't disappoint. I think I liked Past Midnight better, but this was still a great read. Quick, easy, and full of good stuff.

I already liked Charlotte a lot and I liked her continued development. She's a character that I can understand: trying to fit in during high school was complete torture, and I didn't have the added burden of being the child of famous paranormal investigators. Through it all, Charlotte stays true to herself and yet is still a teenager trying to find her way.

I liked how things unfolded in One Hundred Candles. Who knew that something as simple as a party game could lead where it did? I liked the suspense build up and I liked the resolution. Very well done.

I think this book was everything a summer read should be: fun, light, and engaging. Pick it up if you get a chance! I'm giving One Hundred Candles a 'Drool Worthy' rating. ( )

It is really starting to look as though 2012 is going to be a good year for books. And I am very glad that I got the opportunity to read and review ONE HUNDRED CANDLES.

This is actually the second book in the Past Midnight series the first book actually called PAST MIDNIGHT. There were enough mentions of what occurred in the first book to make me curious but I didn't feel shorted in the least by not reading it first. I want to give Ms. Purnhagen real kudos for striking that delicate balance as I do tend to be anal about wanting to read books in order.

In some ways this is a typical young adult novel with the heroine facing the dilemmas of what to wear with what, who she was going to the prom with and dealing with the seeming disintegration of her parent's marriage. But then we toss in the Watcher who attacked Charlotte and all the strange happenings in her high school. When you blend it all together the result is a book that I had a hard time putting down.
The characterizations were first rate and the pacing perfect. All in all I was very impressed and do recommend this book to readers of Young Adult and Paranormal. I rate this book a 4.2.
I did receive this book from NetGallery in exchange for the review. No money exchanged hands and all opinions are my own. ( )

Put simply, I loved this book! I read it in just two sittings, not wanting to put it down in between. The characters are strong, well-developed and real. I didn’t find myself getting bored or frustrated with them. They were not over-the-top like some YA novels I have read. Charlotte is an easily likable character who craves normal actually. And her relationships with her family and friends, even romantic, are realistic and complex at the same time. The parents’ occupations as debunkers of the paranormal were an original and wonderful idea.
The solid writing in this novel did not leave you guessing at the paranormal elements and therefore easily built suspense with elements of the unknown. Enough was revealed and enough was held back. I think the amount of subplots and plot twists added to the novel, grabbing the reader and not letting go. The author does a great job of raising tension, a nice build with subtle hints and lots of plot hooks.
I found this book to be wonderfully creepy and truly haunting. Rarely does a book surprise me, but this one did. I can’t say exactly how or why, but this story walked that thin line between scary and entertaining and age appropriate situations. As a mom, I enjoyed it myself and would have no qualms letting my teens read it. In fact, I think it would be fun to discuss. As a former English teacher, it also touched upon enough of life’s issues like divorce and death that I think it would make a worthy class read.
If you are a fan of ghost stories, I highly recommend it no matter what your age. ( )

This is the second book in the Past Midnight series by Mara Purnhagen. At first I was not sure how I would like this series. I don’t like those ghost hunter shows on TV, but I was absolutely blown away by this series! I loved it!

One hundred Candles takes place a few months after the events that happened in the first book, where Charlotte got a glimpse into the other world. While trying to act like a normal teenage girl, Charlotte agrees to go to a party with her friends, Noah and Avery. She runs into Harris, who invites her to another party across the street. Once there she finds a group of people sitting on the floor surrounded by candles. The object of the game is to tell a real ghost story or occurrence that has happened to you or someone you know, and then light a candle. When all one hundred candles have been lit, they wait for something spooky to happen…

With nothing happening at the party everyone was convinced it didn’t work. Until a few days later when weird things start happening at school. With the strange things at school and the investigations Charlotte helps her parents with; she has a full plate of weird. Somewhere along the way, the weird and strange things start to affect her life and she is faced with a “thing” called the Watcher. If all that wasn’t bad enough, she is having relationship issues with not only her boyfriend, but with her friend Noah.

I love how easily I was drawn into the life of Charlotte Silver. There was never a dull moment. This book was a complete page turner and had me on the edge of my seat till the end. With the end leaving you hanging, I had to start book three, Beyond the Grave, right away! ( )