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Midnight

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A Rabbi who is prepared to wear a crucifix if it keeps vampires away. He was the only good guy I believed in. The vampires were a boring mafia organization of jerks with human goons under their long-nailed thumbs. Oh and the humans on their team were marked by a long stupid earring. What, no weird tattoo or cool scar? Violet lives with her parents and her big brother, Will. She struggles to make friends and to escape the control of her big brother until new school-girl, Jasmine, enrols at the school. But can Jasmine’s influence save Violet from her brother’s grasp? Project Fairy' follows Mabs, an albeit irritating protagonist (hence the missing 0.75 star!) and her unconventional mother and little brother. Mabs does encompass the same trademark features of most JW protagonists, with her pale skin and mousy hair and skinny legs, but that's probably to do with her own childhood and insecurities. The illustrations are more diverse than I've seen in a JW book for a long time, which was also so nice to see.

I kind of wish there was a mention, like a suggestion, of whether Mum was taking any kind of medication, any antidepressants, however. What about therapy? Asking for help when dealing with mental health problems big enough that you had to be institutionalised and separated from your children for a while is a good thing to represent in children's lit! Was it a good thing for Mum to deal with her depression mostly on her own? I'm not sure. It depends on the context. What I am certain and adamant about is that Mab shouldn't have to act like an adult and take care of her out of anxiety. When the teenage girls of the world (and some of their moms) were dividing into Team Jason or Team Edward, I had already declared for Team Buffy. First of all, it's BUFFY. Second, I've always been more interested in the vampire hunters. Too often, the vampire geeks of the world seem like sad types with low self-esteem, the kind who, in more extreme cases, become serial killer groupies. Wilson takes some shots at Anne Rice novels and goth-type vampire-wannabes who find that getting what you want isn't always so great. (Not every victim gets turned; some just die horribly.) Also, Wilson has a lot of former investment bankers, politicians, and lawyers becoming vampires or the human weasels who help them, a touch that I liked.Take a shady but thrilling ride along the corridors of the smooth stone walls of La Cabaña of Che Guevara Fantasy and complex reality intertwine like a dewy, silky spiderweb in a mist, and not in a way that Violet expects or likes. At first, the book did look as if it had it covered, using Violet’s only and new friend, Jasmine as the person to mentor and save Violet but that changed as the book went on.

Ok, I have done something I have never done in a book review before, I have given 2 versions of synopsis. I have done this because I feel that the Goodreads synopsis promises the story as something better than it is. When I was young there were three authors I could also count on, that I considered my three favorite authors whose books I enjoyed over every one else. Those three were Clive Barker, Richard Matheson and Stephen King. As an adult my tastes have changed, the amount of authors I have read have expanded and within the last year I put F.Paul Wilson into my current top three(Today he is with John Shirley and Robert McCammon). Moving on in the story, a new girl called Jasmine came to Violet's school and chose her as a friend. Jasmine has long hair, is very pretty and wears amazing bohemian outfits. The whole class wants to be her friend, but she chooses Violet because they both have flower themed names. Violet was thrilled and spent a lot of time with Jasmine. Despite adoring Will, she even once refused to spend a day with him and instead, went to Jasmine's house. One day, Violet's father said that they were to go to their Gran's house to wish her a happy birthday but Will refused because of how she had charmlessly told him about his being adopted. Violet's dad gets quite mad and when Violet says no as well, he is ready to hit them but doesn't. Violet's mother as usual gives in and makes a fuss when she finds out that they both are not going. In the end, they leave without them. Will and Violet start playing 'Truth and Dare' and Will asks Violet that if she could have a love affair with any one, who would it be, so Violet said Casper Dream. Violet asks the same question to Will but before he can answer, Jasmine calls and asks for help with her maths homework. Will, much to Violet's surprise (as he hates for her to have friends over), invites Jasmine himself. They work for a while and then play Truth and Dare where Will asks Violet who she likes better, him or Jasmine. When Violet fails to come up with a reply, Will dares her to spend 10 minutes in the attic.Moving on in the story, a new girl, Jasmine Day, comes to Violet's school and she chooses her as a friend. Violet is thrilled and spends a lot of time with Jasmine. Even though she adores Will, Violet refuses to spend a day with him, to go to Brompton Woods, and instead chooses to go to Jasmine's house. The author Wilson is an intriguing character himself, coming into writing relatively late after a lengthy career in teaching following a youthful dose of Vietnam. His own autobiography would, I suspect, be a fascinating read, but his age, experience and viewpoint can be detected throughout this book without ever overwhelming it and giving it just the right degree of a philosophical, almost elegiac, undertone.

Wilson describes himself as someone who was raised as a Catholic but is in remission. I was surprised at his very naive portrayal of the two nuns in the book. I've never met nuns quite so unworldly as these two. Credit card number? Sure,’ said Will, and he reeled off a number and an expiry date. He put the phone down, grinning. ‘Supper in twenty minutes, Violet.’ As I am sure you are aware, Wilson is a children’s writer who doesn’t shy away from telling stories about the suffering of children. These books are usually character-led stories that lend themselves to the plot. Katy, Hetty Feather and Lily Aloneare just a few of many examples.However, Midnight is different for this reason. Fairies are real! Or is it the little girl protag Mab's imagination, born out of sadness and desperation? You can come to your own conclusion after finishing it. I think the fairies, who are not so sweet and saccharine like you see in other children's media, are intended to be real in 'Project Fairy'.

The characterizations here are great, though a tad clichéd, and the different perspectives give each personality greater meaning. You'll root for the ragtag rebellion, and laugh and cry along with them as they struggle to regain humanity's hold on the world. Ok, before writing this review, I set myself a task to see how many Wilson books I can get through. I kind of gave up on that challenge. Maybe I will read them all one day. Hopefully, the rest are not as bad as this but as good as her other books. that I read. Katy and The Butterfly Club are probably my favourite books of hers. Maybe Hetty Feather. Midnight Book Review I could have shown Mum my scarlet nose or my scratches but I didn’t dare. She never suspected a thing. Project Fairy' ended up being no different. But on the whole, it is a harmless little light fantasy read.

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