marimoose's review against another edition
3.0
Ugh. Westerfeld's got this knack of piquing my interest at the very end of the story. Much like the Uglies series, this one was remotely interesting as far as the scifi goes, and this one wasn't actually as annoying as far as character viewpoints were (but that's because thankfully, Jessica wasn't the only focus).
Anyway, The Secret Hour is the story of a group of high schoolers who were born at the blue time, an extra hour between midnight and 12:01. Each of the midnighters--a term coined by their resident seer--has a talent: Rex is the knowledgeable seer, Dess is the mathematician (which practically makes her the first line of defense), Melissa is their mindcaster (a mind reader), and Jonathan is their acrobat. Jessica, however, is new to all this midnighter stuff, and nobody can seem to figure out what her talent is and why the creatures of the blue time are after her.
The book ran a little boring in the beginning, and I was more interested in what Melissa, Dess, and Rex were doing as opposed to what Jessica was experiencing with her hormonal rages. But that's usually the case these days, always with the secondary characters and never the main ones. That said, the book picked up at the end, after all the introductions and settings were put into place. I might have to pick up the second book only so that I can read what happens next!
Anyway, The Secret Hour is the story of a group of high schoolers who were born at the blue time, an extra hour between midnight and 12:01. Each of the midnighters--a term coined by their resident seer--has a talent: Rex is the knowledgeable seer, Dess is the mathematician (which practically makes her the first line of defense), Melissa is their mindcaster (a mind reader), and Jonathan is their acrobat. Jessica, however, is new to all this midnighter stuff, and nobody can seem to figure out what her talent is and why the creatures of the blue time are after her.
The book ran a little boring in the beginning, and I was more interested in what Melissa, Dess, and Rex were doing as opposed to what Jessica was experiencing with her hormonal rages. But that's usually the case these days, always with the secondary characters and never the main ones. That said, the book picked up at the end, after all the introductions and settings were put into place. I might have to pick up the second book only so that I can read what happens next!
aether's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
A classic from my childhood, revisited since I enjoyed the premise. No wonder I identified with all the girl protagonists!
andimontgomery's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. This had an interesting plot and was an easy read. I'll definitely read the next one!
$1.99 Kindle daily deal 5/20/13
$1.99 Kindle daily deal 5/20/13
jodyladuemcgrath's review against another edition
2.0
Too young for me and I normally love YA books. I think this was written for 13 year olds. Mary Sue and Insta love. Premise was good though.
jessicayaun's review against another edition
1.0
Read a few chapters but I just couldn't get into this one.
ladyofbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Still a favorite childhood series. I realized that I never finished it, so plan on doing that this year hopefully.
mjfmjfmjf's review against another edition
3.0
An early Westerfeld. And a bit lame. Good to know that he got better. This one made [b:Zeroes|24885636|Zeroes (Zeroes, #1)|Scott Westerfeld|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1424511164s/24885636.jpg|43591153] seem virtually plagiaristic, but that one is better executed. In this one the characters feel kind of lifeless and the world arbitrary. The ideas are interesting but not detailed enough. But otherwise its basically a superhero book but just not labeled as such. Details would have been better - of the individuals, of the lore. I'll still read the sequel, but I was hoping for more. 2.5 of 5.
mxinky's review against another edition
4.0
I'll admit I'm a fan of Scott Westerfeld. The premise of the book is that for some people, there is an extra hour at midnight. Of course, there are perils associated with being a midnighter. As usual, Westerfeld gets the world of the teens right. They have complex motives and ideas, more like Buffy than The Lightening Thief.
I always like Westerfeld's attention to and treatment of the young female characters.
This series was enjoyable, but being a shorter work overall, it didn't have the lasting impact that the Uglies series had on me. It's much lighter.
I always like Westerfeld's attention to and treatment of the young female characters.
This series was enjoyable, but being a shorter work overall, it didn't have the lasting impact that the Uglies series had on me. It's much lighter.
richardpierce's review against another edition
4.0
I found this in one of the boxes of books left from moving house. Sometimes you come across YA with a brilliant premise excellwntly executed. This is one of those. I want to read the whole series now