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Reading age
8-12
Genre
Fantasy
Publisher
Aladdin
Publication date
August 29, 2023
A girl has stumbled onto a great mystery that can impact the lives of Midnight Lake and maybe the whole world.
Vivian Van Tassel, a 12-year-old girl, has to move to her late mother’s childhood home, the town of Midnight Lake. Vivian is guilty of her mother’s death since she thinks her running away a few blocks (due to her temper) made her mother die in a car crash against a tree looking for her. At her new school (formerly a physiatric hospital), Vivian has to research the school’s history. Vivian couldn’t put her finger on it, but the cases of “delusion” involved monsters that appeared in B&B, the game her acquaintances love to play. Coincidence or not?
This debut fantasy was good, but the story dragged on a bit too long at the end.
Aside from that, the school intrigued me the most because it reminded me of a book I had read called Asylum—a school in a formerly a physiatric hospital.
The story is based on the infamous Beasts & Battlements (B&B) roleplaying game invented in Midnight Lake.
I also love that Vivian is a Harry Potter fan as well. You will find many HP references throughout the book.
Vivian is a very bittersweet character. She is perceptive but, at times, a little too angry. Her dad is lovely and hardworking. Her mother sounded like a beautiful person. The stairwell misfits (Vivian’s acquaintances) are quirky. I wish they would be more involved in the story.
Give this book to mystery lovers who love an excellent adventurous fantasy story that teaches moral lessons of friendship, trust, and forgiveness.
My rating
