The Secret Hour (Midnighters #1)

An impressive series-starter. The concept was so unique and original, I had to give it a shot. The idea of existing inside of an alternate compressed dimension within an extra 'hour' of the day is certainly a fantastical basis for a plot, but the author handled the descriptions, rules, and physics of said realm well enough for me to feel immersed in the details. Action-oriented, I saw it as having appeal for both males and females interested in the YA and supernatural genre.

The inter-relational aspects were strong, as was the pacing--and I appreciated the believable female lead. I have to give the author kudos for inserting aspects of vocabulary and mathematical terms that could be considered educational, while somehow making it seem more fascinating and integral to character survival than for the sake of beating us over the head with fun factoids.

This was a good little bit of sci-fi (or is it urban fantasy?), that answered a number of questions while leaving enough hanging to interest me in reading the next one.

Reader reviewed by vampreviews

This book is a pretty good one, its about kids who were born at exactly midight, therfore giving them the power to go into a secret hour, a time created for monsters who are afraid of metal and the number thirteen. Nothing electric works in the secret hour, and all the kids have amazing powers. Then a girl named Jess moves into town, shes also a midnighter, but the old midnighters need to figure out what her power is.  Then she falls in love with the outcast midnighter, Jonathan. But the secret hour is extremely dangerous, because the monsters are getting stronger.

Reader reviewed by Nina

Bixby, Oklahoma might seem like an insignificant, tiny little town in the middle of nowhere to the average person. However, this tiny town holds a huge secret. Jessica Day, who has just moved here with her family, is about to find out. Because like the other midnighters, she is born exactly at midnight, which allows her to roam freely during the secret hour every night at midnight. Meanwhile, everyone and everything besides Rex, Melissa, Dess, Jonathan and now also Jessica, is frozen in time. Each midnighter has a talent and Jessica must find out what hers is with help of the other midnighters. Not as easy as it sounds, because the creatures that the midnighters share the secret hour with are doing everything they can to prevent this.
This was another great book by Scott Westerfeld, who writes some of the best science fiction for young adults. I especially enjoyed the characters in the book because they are all so different and there will probably always be at least one person you can relate to. The book is fast-paced, never boring, and full of exciting action. And who doesnt love the idea of a secret hour to enjoy and explore with your friends and kick butt in every once in a while!?!

Reader reviewed by looneytunez8

This book is original, very interesting, and a total cliff-hanger.

Jessica has just moved to Bixby, Oklahoma. She is noticed by a group of kids at her high school. That group of kids were born at midnight. They call themselves Midnighters. The Midnighters exist for 25 hours a day. The extra hour is called the blue time. During that time, nobody moves except for the Midnighters and creatures. When Jess arrives, this is no longer a peaceful time. All the creatures seem to hate Jessica. Also, while everyone else in this group has obvious powers, Jessica has not discovered her special talent.

Reader reviewed by Katie

I don't read anything but series, and these books are my favorite by far, adventure wise. This has got to be the most unique series besides the Underland Choronicles. It's like being a super hero, but in public, you're a gothic outsider. It really makes you think about what the gothic kids at your shcool really do at night.

Reader reviewed by Kit-Kat

Apparently I'm the only one giving this book a bad review, so it's probably just me. But the point of reviews is to give your opinion, so that's what I'm going to do.

With the exception of "Extras," I liked every single book in Westerfeld's Uglies 'trilogy.' So when I picked this book up, it was with high expectations.

They were not met. The characters (I mention them every review because for me, they are the core of the story) were under-developed - completely flat. Many were naive and didn't grow in any way throughout the book. Also, they're personalities didn't seem to vary much outside of their special powers. They all talked the same, preferred the same things, etc.

Then, we have the plot. There was a bunch of action, but for some reason it just kind of bored me. I didn't like the pacing. Also, many of the action scenes seemed repeated over and over again without variation. The characters didn't learn and the results were always the same.

Then, the fact that everything was explained to you, instead of letting you discover it. Not my style.

The idea for the story were very good. 25th hour, only you and a few others can experience it...but it didn't live up to the potential it had.

Reader reviewed by Danielle

What if there was a 25th hour in the day that only some people had access to? When Jessica Day moves to Bixby, Oklahoma, she expects it to be a normal town school with normal people. But on her first night in Bixby, she enters the secret hour and her life changes forever.

Midnighters was incredible. The secret hour and the creatures in it were mysterious and interesting; this is one of my favorite books. It kept me hooked throughout the whole book. The sequels are just as good if not better.

Reader reviewed by Bettina

When Jessica Day moves to Bixby, Oklahoma her life changes dramatically. She finds out there is a 25th hour that everybody is frozen in except for people who were born at the stroke of midnight and creatures of the dark. For some reason the secret hour only happens in Bixby. She finds other "midnighters". Everyone of them, Rex, Melissa, Dess and Jonathan have a gift. All except for Jessica. Rex can see things that have been touched by the creatures of the dark (the darklings. Melissa can hear other peoples thoughts. Dess is a math genuis. Jonathan can fly but only in the secret hour. All of these gifts help them fight the darklings, but what is Jessicas's gift. She is defenseless except for the thirteen letter words Dess gives her and the new metal that darklings are afraid of. Things are even worse because the darlkings seem to have gotten even more active when she came and they keep on trying to attack her. Jessica must learn her gift quickly or she might even die.

I loved this book. It had such a great plot and the details were great. There was also a lot of action.

Reader reviewed by GreenAngel

Oksy, seriously not what I was expecting. This book and the added hour fascinates me. The whole fact about how the Midnight Hour exist is so intriguing and at times I myself wonder if it truly can exist and how cool would THAT be? All I know is that I can't wait for the nexto one.

Reader reviewed by Dominique

What if there were 25 hours in a day instead of 24?

After moving to Bixby, Oklahoma, Jessica Day discovers that strange things seems to happen at midnight. Time comes to a halt for one hour--the 25th hour of the day. Only midnighters are free to move in that time, as well as the darklings. The 25th hour passes in a flash for some people, but for midnighters, they live in it. Each has a gift: seerer, acrobat, polymath, or mindcaster. But when Jessica learns she's a midnighter, she can't figure her gift out. She meets other midnighters and they show her how the battle the darklings. But why do all the darklings seem to go after Jessica in particular? And does Jessica have a gift? And if she does, what is it?

I really enjoyed this book! It's unique and creative. I'd recommend it to all people who like fantasy books.