abigcoffeedragon's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed the read - Definitely for Young Adult readers - Young characters, Sci-Fi setting, dystopian world, filled with hope, mechanical magic (my term) as well as alien powers - this is not my usual grab, but as it was a First-Read, I signed up - NaNoWriMo put me behind on reading, but I finished and I enjoyed this - the writing is juvenile at times, which I feel is the author setting the tone for the characters, and normally it is annoying but here it works enough to make this a fun read. if I finish a book these days it is because it holds my attention and this one did. Job well done.
bookishdaylight's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
3.0
A sci-fi dystopian story about an invasion of mechanical beings taking over the Earth. A story with a fast-paced plot, thrilling adventures as well as a found family trio. A story with a lot of different elements that are similar to other dystopian novels as well as making it different in its own way.
This was a quick and easy read for me and I was here for all the adventures of the characters. It did lack in some aspects like the worldbuilding and the background of the characters and how they became who they are. I did get confused with the purpose of mechanical beings and why they are like that same with the main characters.
This was a quick and easy read for me and I was here for all the adventures of the characters. It did lack in some aspects like the worldbuilding and the background of the characters and how they became who they are. I did get confused with the purpose of mechanical beings and why they are like that same with the main characters.
xoxotawnydee's review against another edition
4.0
That ending is literally going to drive me bonkers until I can read the next book. Bonkers I tell you.
A great book other than that though. The only thing I didn't like was how so many sentences were cut off mid-thought. I understand when they're talking, but it got really annoying during their actions.
I read this book out loud to my hubby so it took a while to get through it, trying to find time to read it and whatnot, but when we did find the time it was hard to put the book down. We both wanted to know what would happen. Just one more chapter. Just one more. We would end up reading for hours at a time because there was no good place to stop. No matter where you tried to pause you were itching to read what happened next.
I liked everything about the actual story though. I liked the aliens and their very War of the Worlds feel. I liked the idea of the Tone, and i liked the different ways the Tone could affect you. It was definitely an interesting read and I loved how well they were described so it was easy to picture them in my head. I liked the tension between Holt and Mira. I liked Holt's indecision about whether or not to keep Zoey around.
It was just those damn sentence cut offs that.....
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from GoodReads First Reads.
A great book other than that though. The only thing I didn't like was how so many sentences were cut off mid-thought. I understand when they're talking, but it got really annoying during their actions.
I read this book out loud to my hubby so it took a while to get through it, trying to find time to read it and whatnot, but when we did find the time it was hard to put the book down. We both wanted to know what would happen. Just one more chapter. Just one more. We would end up reading for hours at a time because there was no good place to stop. No matter where you tried to pause you were itching to read what happened next.
I liked everything about the actual story though. I liked the aliens and their very War of the Worlds feel. I liked the idea of the Tone, and i liked the different ways the Tone could affect you. It was definitely an interesting read and I loved how well they were described so it was easy to picture them in my head. I liked the tension between Holt and Mira. I liked Holt's indecision about whether or not to keep Zoey around.
It was just those damn sentence cut offs that.....
I received this book in exchange for an honest review from GoodReads First Reads.
otakuish's review against another edition
5.0
Um...WOW.
I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed Midnight City. READ IT. ASAP. NOW. Seriously.
Update: Has anyone ever noticed that Midnight City has a very similar premise as the TV show Falling Skies? They're not completely the same, but there are similarities. Both are good, so watch the show, and read the book.
I can't even tell you how much I enjoyed Midnight City. READ IT. ASAP. NOW. Seriously.
Update: Has anyone ever noticed that Midnight City has a very similar premise as the TV show Falling Skies? They're not completely the same, but there are similarities. Both are good, so watch the show, and read the book.
m3l89's review against another edition
2.0
Both ideas of an alien race conquering earth and some disease (or other thing) only affecting adults have both been done before and seem very popular at the moment. Midnight City was published in 2012, so may actually have been a precursor to the current themes of popularity.
Reminded me of the TV series The Tribe which used to be on Sunday mornings in the 90s. Also reminded me of I Am Legend - one man and his dog in an apocalyptic world.
I could easily imagine this being a computer game, both due to the plot and the intricate descriptions.
I did get frustrated at the beginning as sections of the plot only featuring one character really seemed to drag. Once the characters starting meeting each other, I hoped the plot would pick up pace, but this didn't happen. I didn't warm to Holt, Mira or Zoey.
This was very well written and very well imagined, but just not for me.
Reminded me of the TV series The Tribe which used to be on Sunday mornings in the 90s. Also reminded me of I Am Legend - one man and his dog in an apocalyptic world.
I could easily imagine this being a computer game, both due to the plot and the intricate descriptions.
I did get frustrated at the beginning as sections of the plot only featuring one character really seemed to drag. Once the characters starting meeting each other, I hoped the plot would pick up pace, but this didn't happen. I didn't warm to Holt, Mira or Zoey.
This was very well written and very well imagined, but just not for me.
wrenlee's review against another edition
4.0
13494718
Amazon / Goodreads
Lord of the Flies meets War of the Worlds in J. Barton Mitchell's alien-invaded post-apocalyptic world where two teens and a youngc girl with amazing powers must stop the aliens’ mysterious plan
Earth has been conquered by an alien race known as the Assembly. The human adult population is gone, having succumbed to the Tone---a powerful, telepathic super-signal broadcast across the planet that reduces them to a state of complete subservience. But the Tone has one critical flaw. It only affects the population once they reach their early twenties, which means that there is one group left to resist: Children.
Holt Hawkins is a bounty hunter, and his current target is Mira Toombs, an infamous treasure seeker with a price on her head. It’s not long before Holt bags his prey, but their instant connection isn’t something he bargained for. Neither is the Assembly ship that crash-lands near them shortly after. Venturing inside, Holt finds a young girl who remembers nothing except her name: Zoey.
As the three make their way to the cavernous metropolis of Midnight City, they encounter young freedom fighters, mutants, otherworldly artifacts, pirates, feuding alien armies, and the amazing powers that Zoey is beginning to exhibit. Powers that suggest she, as impossible as it seems, may just be the key to stopping the Assembly once and for all.
Midnight City is the breathtaking first book of the Conquered Earth series.
I love the characters. They're all really interesting. Neither of them are the same. They have special personalities. Great ones. And special powers.
Colt is brave. He's strong too. He has a motto. Survive. And his past is dark. His sister especially. I like that. Colt is a great guy. A nice guy even. He pretends like he doesn't care. But he does. I like this tough guy not really character. It's pretty awesome. I've sucker for tough characters. They have secrets. Reasons for being tough. Colt's is his sister. And he becomes more and more fascinating. He is someone else. A caring person. A loving person even. And that's amazing.
Mira is smart. I love her cocky personality. She's such a cool person. And she is dangerous. And wicked smart. I like her personality. She's brave and daring. But she has secrets. Secrets in Midnight City. Demons in Midnight City. She has to accept them. And she's slowly turning towards the Tone. She's a fighter. Mira fights. Plus, she uses her knowledge like a sword. How to use different artifacts. How to take different artifacts. (Ehem. Chance Generator.)
Zoey is fascinating. There is just something about her. It's not her childish personality. Well...maybe. Her childish personality contradicts her words and the feelings. It's as if she doesn't care. I'm not sure who Zoey is. She's childish, but she has the feelings. (Which I think is the Tone talking to her.) Who is Zoey? Is she Heedless? Is she human? (Was she never human to begin with?) There are so many questions. (Don't worry. You'll find out something later.)
The plot is great. Fast-paced. Mysterious. Daring. It's fascinating.
The story kept me going. I want to read more. The action is good too. It was fast. The characters were fighters. That made their fights better. (If that makes sense.) The plot also reveals things about all three characters. Emily. Ben. And the Apex. All these things are revealed. They change the characters which change their actions which affects the plot.
I do think there is a problem, though. They don't really go outside of Midnight City. Why is that? They don't think about running until it's too late. I feel like Mira could have avoided this by leaving. (Or not returning.) Then again...you wouldn't find out part of Zoey's backstory. And the inhabitants of Midnight City are all focused on their Points. Is that resemblance to today's society? We're all in love with our money. Is that implying anything? I'm unsure of the truth. I want to say this is an economic thing. Not sure, though.
The romance isn't bad. It's kinda cute actually. I'm a huge fan of enemy-turned-lover. (I don't know why.) And this is a good example of it. I like how the characters don't rush. It's slow and gentle. And it's not you can't see the chemistry. It's definitely there. You can see it.
What I don't like is that Holt seems fixated on Mira's physical attributes. I think it's okay for the emerald we this. That's important to the story, the Tone and all. I get it. Nice lady figure means you likey. Okay okay. But really? Physical looks aren't all that important. Not to me, at least.
I actually liked the premise. The world has ended. There is the Tone. The only people exempt? Children and the Heedless. We have Mira and Holt. A Freebooter and a bounty hunter. And Zoey. They are all interesting characters. The story has many terms. Freebooter. Spiders. Osprey. Many things. And the world is different. There are stories with alien types. But this story is different.
The ending...wow. What a surprise. What a reveal. I loved the ending. In a way. This story was so open ended. Lots of things could happen. Or not happen. Seems interesting, right? Indeed. I think the ending really highlights Zoey's importance. And how she is more powerful than anyone else.
Weather:
Sunny with a few clouds
4/5
Amazon / Goodreads
Lord of the Flies meets War of the Worlds in J. Barton Mitchell's alien-invaded post-apocalyptic world where two teens and a youngc girl with amazing powers must stop the aliens’ mysterious plan
Earth has been conquered by an alien race known as the Assembly. The human adult population is gone, having succumbed to the Tone---a powerful, telepathic super-signal broadcast across the planet that reduces them to a state of complete subservience. But the Tone has one critical flaw. It only affects the population once they reach their early twenties, which means that there is one group left to resist: Children.
Holt Hawkins is a bounty hunter, and his current target is Mira Toombs, an infamous treasure seeker with a price on her head. It’s not long before Holt bags his prey, but their instant connection isn’t something he bargained for. Neither is the Assembly ship that crash-lands near them shortly after. Venturing inside, Holt finds a young girl who remembers nothing except her name: Zoey.
As the three make their way to the cavernous metropolis of Midnight City, they encounter young freedom fighters, mutants, otherworldly artifacts, pirates, feuding alien armies, and the amazing powers that Zoey is beginning to exhibit. Powers that suggest she, as impossible as it seems, may just be the key to stopping the Assembly once and for all.
Midnight City is the breathtaking first book of the Conquered Earth series.
I love the characters. They're all really interesting. Neither of them are the same. They have special personalities. Great ones. And special powers.
Colt is brave. He's strong too. He has a motto. Survive. And his past is dark. His sister especially. I like that. Colt is a great guy. A nice guy even. He pretends like he doesn't care. But he does. I like this tough guy not really character. It's pretty awesome. I've sucker for tough characters. They have secrets. Reasons for being tough. Colt's is his sister. And he becomes more and more fascinating. He is someone else. A caring person. A loving person even. And that's amazing.
Mira is smart. I love her cocky personality. She's such a cool person. And she is dangerous. And wicked smart. I like her personality. She's brave and daring. But she has secrets. Secrets in Midnight City. Demons in Midnight City. She has to accept them. And she's slowly turning towards the Tone. She's a fighter. Mira fights. Plus, she uses her knowledge like a sword. How to use different artifacts. How to take different artifacts. (Ehem. Chance Generator.)
Zoey is fascinating. There is just something about her. It's not her childish personality. Well...maybe. Her childish personality contradicts her words and the feelings. It's as if she doesn't care. I'm not sure who Zoey is. She's childish, but she has the feelings. (Which I think is the Tone talking to her.) Who is Zoey? Is she Heedless? Is she human? (Was she never human to begin with?) There are so many questions. (Don't worry. You'll find out something later.)
The plot is great. Fast-paced. Mysterious. Daring. It's fascinating.
The story kept me going. I want to read more. The action is good too. It was fast. The characters were fighters. That made their fights better. (If that makes sense.) The plot also reveals things about all three characters. Emily. Ben. And the Apex. All these things are revealed. They change the characters which change their actions which affects the plot.
I do think there is a problem, though. They don't really go outside of Midnight City. Why is that? They don't think about running until it's too late. I feel like Mira could have avoided this by leaving. (Or not returning.) Then again...you wouldn't find out part of Zoey's backstory. And the inhabitants of Midnight City are all focused on their Points. Is that resemblance to today's society? We're all in love with our money. Is that implying anything? I'm unsure of the truth. I want to say this is an economic thing. Not sure, though.
The romance isn't bad. It's kinda cute actually. I'm a huge fan of enemy-turned-lover. (I don't know why.) And this is a good example of it. I like how the characters don't rush. It's slow and gentle. And it's not you can't see the chemistry. It's definitely there. You can see it.
What I don't like is that Holt seems fixated on Mira's physical attributes. I think it's okay for the emerald we this. That's important to the story, the Tone and all. I get it. Nice lady figure means you likey. Okay okay. But really? Physical looks aren't all that important. Not to me, at least.
I actually liked the premise. The world has ended. There is the Tone. The only people exempt? Children and the Heedless. We have Mira and Holt. A Freebooter and a bounty hunter. And Zoey. They are all interesting characters. The story has many terms. Freebooter. Spiders. Osprey. Many things. And the world is different. There are stories with alien types. But this story is different.
The ending...wow. What a surprise. What a reveal. I loved the ending. In a way. This story was so open ended. Lots of things could happen. Or not happen. Seems interesting, right? Indeed. I think the ending really highlights Zoey's importance. And how she is more powerful than anyone else.
Weather:
Sunny with a few clouds
4/5
jasminecydney's review against another edition
4.0
4.25⭐️
love this world so much, this story was super interesting and unique and so freaking cool!! please ignore any grammatical errors… :)
love this world so much, this story was super interesting and unique and so freaking cool!! please ignore any grammatical errors… :)
ann_reads_'s review against another edition
4.0
i think this is the third time i’ve read this book now and finally have ordered the second off of amazon (no bookstore i’ve been to carries it because they don’t seem to be widely read).
the writing has some minor issues with overuse of descriptors of mira’s eyes (i can only handle a girl’s eyes being compared to emeralds a few times, not 20+) and the fondness between mira and holt seems to develop a bit too quickly (i think this makes sense but might make sense considering the state of the world & the general loneliness/isolation but would feel more natural if it were consciously acknowledged or presented as more deliberate). i think that the lightness and fun of the romance and parental relationships over zoey and max nicely complement the dystopian elements the book is based on, and allow the book to incorporate multiple genres.
i think i keep rereading this just because i know every time it’s going to be enjoyable and interesting; it absolutely never lets down and it always flies by. the premise reminds me a bit of The 5th Wave and the Tripods novels written by John Christopher in the 60s but with a little extra that still makes it feel original and engaging, something that i think is difficult to accomplish in YA.
i’m really looking forward to finally reading the second book, and hope that it’s as good as i think it will be (with maybe a little growth on j. barton mitchell’s end as this is his debut novel, after all).
the writing has some minor issues with overuse of descriptors of mira’s eyes (i can only handle a girl’s eyes being compared to emeralds a few times, not 20+) and the fondness between mira and holt seems to develop a bit too quickly (i think this makes sense but might make sense considering the state of the world & the general loneliness/isolation but would feel more natural if it were consciously acknowledged or presented as more deliberate). i think that the lightness and fun of the romance and parental relationships over zoey and max nicely complement the dystopian elements the book is based on, and allow the book to incorporate multiple genres.
i think i keep rereading this just because i know every time it’s going to be enjoyable and interesting; it absolutely never lets down and it always flies by. the premise reminds me a bit of The 5th Wave and the Tripods novels written by John Christopher in the 60s but with a little extra that still makes it feel original and engaging, something that i think is difficult to accomplish in YA.
i’m really looking forward to finally reading the second book, and hope that it’s as good as i think it will be (with maybe a little growth on j. barton mitchell’s end as this is his debut novel, after all).
fl0ralaura's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars because it was ehh it wasn't bad but it wasn't amazing you know. But it got really good towards the end
jojoreads89's review against another edition
4.0
For my 2nd read I'm giving it a 4 star again. The characters were all very well done. The main characters were funny and witty. The bonus was that it was kind of a slow burn romance, instead of that insa-love crap. Our human antagonists were very believably evil in their own ways. Even the dog had a great personality. The "artifacts" were very clever and interesting to read about; the storyline was a tad bit lacking in my opinion but still very good and the plot was great.
The only reason why I didnt give it 5 stars is because I thought it was a little too descriptive in some places, i wanted to read more about the aliens and I'm not sure I like the aliens being mechanical. There was a couple mentions of lights so maybe in the next book? Also, I'm curious as to why the "tone" takes everyone before a certain age. Why cant a 30-40+ year old fight the tone? Again, maybe the next book will explain this?
One thing I know I'm not looking forward to is the love triangle. By the way the book ended I assume that is to come and it's rare that a love triangle amuses me instead of annoy me.. we'll see.
The only reason why I didnt give it 5 stars is because I thought it was a little too descriptive in some places, i wanted to read more about the aliens and I'm not sure I like the aliens being mechanical. There was a couple mentions of lights so maybe in the next book? Also, I'm curious as to why the "tone" takes everyone before a certain age. Why cant a 30-40+ year old fight the tone? Again, maybe the next book will explain this?
One thing I know I'm not looking forward to is the love triangle. By the way the book ended I assume that is to come and it's rare that a love triangle amuses me instead of annoy me.. we'll see.