My Goodreads review: Midnight Crossroad

[ankh_hpl]

Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I read this because I enjoyed the TV series Midnight, Texas a lot this past summer, and was curious about the novels that inspired this series. So far, I've only read the first of three, but can already report that the reading experience was much different than the viewing experience.

The viewing experience, for me, was a fast, fun, guilty-pleasure throwback to shows like Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Midnight Crossroad is more like reading an occult-flavored cozy mystery. The same cast of characters is involved -- though a couple of them are not the same ethnicity as they were in the series -- and the mystery will be familiar to series viewers. However, not all of the characters' occult identities are fully revealed. This might be interesting for those who have watched the series, but confusing for others.

I also noticed several abrupt switches of viewpoint during the novel, sometimes without a great deal of warning. It was always clear whose viewpoint the reader was getting, but I wasn't always sure why Harris had chosen to switch POV at that particular point.

I'm not sure how much of my mixed reaction to this mystery was due to previous exposure to the series, but I found it to be a rather toned-down and somewhat confusing read. Those new to the Midnight world might have an entirely different experience.






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