A review by jenny_librarian
Midnight Horizon by Daniel José Older
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
The only reason I didn’t DNF this is because I was worried I’d miss important information to the more general THR plot (and I was right).
This has to be my least favourite THR book so far. The other YA (and even the MG) novels felt more connected, while this felt very much like an afterthought. I didn’t like the writing, and it could’ve used some more edits.
I also didn’t care much for Zeen and Krix. I guess you have to be a fan of the comics to really like them. Ram was fine, if underdeveloped. Reath was the one I connected with the most, but I assume that’s because I already knew him from past novels.
What bugged me the most (infuriated me, to be exact) was how the author kept trying to hammer in the “Jedi can love too” plot point. We know that. I don’t need you to shove 3 different clumsy romantic arcs to tell me that Jedi can be alloromantic. And not one of them actually understands what the whole “no attachment” thing means. Kantam’s backstory felt glued on with duck tape. Lula and Zeen had about 5 min together in this. The only somewhat realistic romance was Crash and Svi’no, but even that was watered down by everything else happening in there.
I am deeply disappointed in this. For a book that happens at the same time as The Fallen Star, I didn’t feel the same urgency here until the last 15%. And even then…
This has to be my least favourite THR book so far. The other YA (and even the MG) novels felt more connected, while this felt very much like an afterthought. I didn’t like the writing, and it could’ve used some more edits.
I also didn’t care much for Zeen and Krix. I guess you have to be a fan of the comics to really like them. Ram was fine, if underdeveloped. Reath was the one I connected with the most, but I assume that’s because I already knew him from past novels.
What bugged me the most (infuriated me, to be exact) was how the author kept trying to hammer in the “Jedi can love too” plot point. We know that. I don’t need you to shove 3 different clumsy romantic arcs to tell me that Jedi can be alloromantic. And not one of them actually understands what the whole “no attachment” thing means. Kantam’s backstory felt glued on with duck tape. Lula and Zeen had about 5 min together in this. The only somewhat realistic romance was Crash and Svi’no, but even that was watered down by everything else happening in there.
I am deeply disappointed in this. For a book that happens at the same time as The Fallen Star, I didn’t feel the same urgency here until the last 15%. And even then…
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gun violence, War, and Blood
Moderate: Grief and Xenophobia
Minor: Death and Death of parent