Review : The Girl at Midnight by Melissa Grey

Summary (from Goodreads) 

Title : The Girl at Midnight (The Girl at Midnight #1)
Author : Melissa Grey
Publication Date : April 28th 2015
Publisher : Delacorte Press
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For readers of Cassandra Clare's City of Bones and Leigh Bardugo's Shadow and Bone, The Girl at Midnight is the story of a modern girl caught in an ancient war.

Beneath the streets of New York City live the Avicen, an ancient race of people with feathers for hair and magic running through their veins. Age-old enchantments keep them hidden from humans. All but one. Echo is a runaway pickpocket who survives by selling stolen treasures on the black market, and the Avicen are the only family she's ever known.

Echo is clever and daring, and at times she can be brash, but above all else she's fiercely loyal. So when a centuries-old war crests on the borders of her home, she decides it's time to act.

Legend has it that there is a way to end the conflict once and for all: find the Firebird, a mythical entity believed to possess power the likes of which the world has never seen. It will be no easy task, but if life as a thief has taught Echo anything, it's how to hunt down what she wants . . . and how to take it.

But some jobs aren't as straightforward as they seem. And this one might just set the world on fire.

Personal Thoughts

What a wonderful and absolutely thrilling book The Girl at Midnight was! This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year, so I'm beyond happy that I loved it so much. The Girl at Midnight is not just a book with a gorgeous cover, but the content was pretty beautiful as well.

The main character in The Girl at Midnight, Echo, was such a lively character. I was instantly drawn to her personality. She was a little spit fire and that made for some great scenes in the book. I loved her brash she was and her sense of humor only added to my enjoyment of the book. I also loved that she wasn't always this tough heroine though. There were moments where she exposed her vulnerabilities and that made her so humane to me. Most of her insecurities came from being a simple human to her Avicen family, full of feathered magical creatures. Throughout the book, Echo's growth leads her to learning where her true strengths lie and the maturity she underwent was very refreshing. On the other side of the story we had Caius, the dragon prince. Caius was another character that I highly enjoyed in The Girl at Midnight. He was sweet, charming and just a boy with so many responsibilities. I really loved his character and I'm hoping we get to know him even better in the next book. The beautiful thing about The Girl at Midnight was how well-developed the secondary characters were. I loved that the author took her time to flesh them out and give them each individual personalities that allowed them to shine alongside the protagonists.

The world building in The Girl at Midnight was phenomenal. We had the Avicen, who were the feathered creatures with magic and the Drakharin who were at war with each other. In the middle of it, we have Echo, who is tasked to find the Firebird. The Girl at Midnight is very much an adventurous book and I loved the cool locations that Echo and the rest of the gang traveled to. Melissa Grey's writing style is absolutely stunning and I was so invested in the story line. It was fast-paced and kept my attention throughout. Perhaps my favorite part about The Girl at Midnight were the budding friendships between the characters. I'm a sucker for books with friendship, so there was no question as to whether I would like it in The Girl at Midnight or not. The romance in The Girl at Midnight was also very sweet. I loved the slow development of it and the mutual respect that grew out of this relationship. Echo and Cauis really get to know each other before their feelings turn romantic and I loved that. I will admit that I wasn't a fan of the fact that Echo had a boyfriend when she met Cauis, but it was pretty clear by the end of this book that there wouldn't be much of a love triangle because Echo did not seem like the kind of girl who wavered.

With a gorgeous writing style, lovely characters and an action-packed plot, The Girl of Midnight is one of 2015's strongest debuts. This is a book that I highly recommend to all YA fantasy lovers. It won't disappoint you!

Rating 

Cover : 4/5
Plot : 5/5
Characters : 4/5
Writing : 5/5

**Overall Rating : 4.5/5**

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the e-ARC of The Girl at Midnight.