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The Midnight Shift
A bestseller in Korea, a biting, fast-paced vampire murder mystery exploring queer love and the consequences of loneliness.
When four isolated elderly people commit suicide back-to-back at the same hospital by jumping out of the sixth-floor window, Su-Yeon doesn’t understand why she’s the only one at her precinct that seems to care. Dismissing the case as a series of unfortunate events due to the patients’ loneliness, the police force doesn't engage. But Su-Yeon doesn’t have the privilege of looking away. Her dearest friend, Grandma Eun-Shim, lives on the sixth floor, and Su-Yeon is terrified that something will happen to her next.
As Su-Yeon begins her investigation alone, she runs into a mysterious woman named Wanda at the crime scene. Wanda, hot on the trail of her ex-lover, Lily, gives Su-Yeon the answer: a vampire did it. Su-Yeon is skeptical at first, but then a fifth victim jumps from the window and her investigation reveals the body was completely drained of blood. Desperate to discover the cause of the deaths, Su-Yeon considers Wanda’s explanation—that something supernatural is involved.
The Midnight Shift is a gripping mystery, overflowing with commentary about societal isolation and loneliness, the sharp knife of grief, and the effects of marginalization, perfect for readers of Cursed Bunny; Woman, Eating; and A Certain Hunger.
When four isolated elderly people commit suicide back-to-back at the same hospital by jumping out of the sixth-floor window, Su-Yeon doesn’t understand why she’s the only one at her precinct that seems to care. Dismissing the case as a series of unfortunate events due to the patients’ loneliness, the police force doesn't engage. But Su-Yeon doesn’t have the privilege of looking away. Her dearest friend, Grandma Eun-Shim, lives on the sixth floor, and Su-Yeon is terrified that something will happen to her next.
As Su-Yeon begins her investigation alone, she runs into a mysterious woman named Wanda at the crime scene. Wanda, hot on the trail of her ex-lover, Lily, gives Su-Yeon the answer: a vampire did it. Su-Yeon is skeptical at first, but then a fifth victim jumps from the window and her investigation reveals the body was completely drained of blood. Desperate to discover the cause of the deaths, Su-Yeon considers Wanda’s explanation—that something supernatural is involved.
The Midnight Shift is a gripping mystery, overflowing with commentary about societal isolation and loneliness, the sharp knife of grief, and the effects of marginalization, perfect for readers of Cursed Bunny; Woman, Eating; and A Certain Hunger.
280 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 2021
160 people are currently reading
13859 people want to read
About the author
Cheon Seon-ran
11 books61 followersBorn in 1993, Cheon Seon-ran is a beloved author by the ‘MZ Generation’ (Millennials and Gen Z) of South Korea. A graduate from the department of creative writing in Anyang Arts High School, she holds a master’s degree in creative writing from Dankook University. She dreams of living in a world where humans become the minority in a world of flora and fauna. She is always thinking what the end of the world will look like, and what is happening elsewhere in the universe. One day, she decides to pen her thoughts down in this novel. A Thousand Blues won the 4th Korea Sci-fi Literature Award. She is the author of several novels and short-story collections.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 286 reviews
October 11, 2025
An inventive blend of murder mystery and vampire narrative centred on a care facility for the elderly in Incheon. Suyeon’s a detective whose close friend and former mentor lives in a unit dedicated to patients with dementia. When a series of patients die by suicide, Suyeon suspects something nefarious behind their deaths, so she ignores her superiors and launches a covert investigation. Her explorations lead her to Violette a French vampire hunter adopted from a Korean orphanage as a small child. Violette has her own, highly-personal reasons for digging into events at the facility.
Cheon Seon-ran’s intricate, character-led narrative unfolds from a range of perspectives, shifting backwards and forwards in time, taking in a sapphic love story, reworked vampire lore, and reflections on mortality, grief and loss. Overall, it’s an unusual mix of fast-paced, supernatural detective story and lyrical meditation on loneliness and the possibility of intimate connection – however fleeting. Cheon Seon-ran weaves in commentaries on contemporary South Korean society from the breakdown of familial bonds and traditional blood ties to growing issues with drugs and organised crime. I wasn’t always convinced by the semi-philosophical elements but still found this fairly compelling, fluid and well-crafted. Translated by Gene Png.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Bloomsbury for an ARC
Rating: 3.5
Cheon Seon-ran’s intricate, character-led narrative unfolds from a range of perspectives, shifting backwards and forwards in time, taking in a sapphic love story, reworked vampire lore, and reflections on mortality, grief and loss. Overall, it’s an unusual mix of fast-paced, supernatural detective story and lyrical meditation on loneliness and the possibility of intimate connection – however fleeting. Cheon Seon-ran weaves in commentaries on contemporary South Korean society from the breakdown of familial bonds and traditional blood ties to growing issues with drugs and organised crime. I wasn’t always convinced by the semi-philosophical elements but still found this fairly compelling, fluid and well-crafted. Translated by Gene Png.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher Bloomsbury for an ARC
Rating: 3.5
August 19, 2025
Women in Translation Month 2025 #3
밤에 찾아오는 구원자
After DNFing some Japanese translated cozies, it is apparent that East Asian horror is still my genre of choice. There is some shit going down at a certain hospital in South Korea: secrets, suicides, and vampires. A win.
We follow a few intertwining POVs, most of which are interesting to me, which is not always the case. I was intrigued by Violette, an adoptee born in South Korea, but raised in France. While the beginning of the story captivated me more than the end, this is a "fun" short read, perfect for both Women in Translation Month (this month) and Halloween (October).
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing
밤에 찾아오는 구원자
After DNFing some Japanese translated cozies, it is apparent that East Asian horror is still my genre of choice. There is some shit going down at a certain hospital in South Korea: secrets, suicides, and vampires. A win.
We follow a few intertwining POVs, most of which are interesting to me, which is not always the case. I was intrigued by Violette, an adoptee born in South Korea, but raised in France. While the beginning of the story captivated me more than the end, this is a "fun" short read, perfect for both Women in Translation Month (this month) and Halloween (October).
📱 Thank you to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing
June 27, 2025
a vampire novel where the real monster is isolation. and also capitalism. and maybe memory. and also grief. idk.
there’s murder. there’s a detective losing it. there’s a vampire hunter with unresolved sapphic trauma. it’s weird and a little messy but hits in a way i wasn’t ready for (3.5stars).
thank you to the publisher for kindly sending me an arc <3
there’s murder. there’s a detective losing it. there’s a vampire hunter with unresolved sapphic trauma. it’s weird and a little messy but hits in a way i wasn’t ready for (3.5stars).
thank you to the publisher for kindly sending me an arc <3
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August 5, 2025
The Best New Books of August in Every Genre:
This Korean bestseller is now available in English! When police officer Su-Yeon learns that four elderly people have died from jumping out a sixth story window at a hospital, she takes the case personally: Grandma Eun-Shim lives on that floor, and Su-Yeon is determined to stop her from facing the same fate. The rest of the police force dismisses the deaths as suicides, but as Su-Yeon investigates, she meets Violette, who claims to be a vampire hunter looking for her ex-girlfriend, Lily. When the next body is found drained of blood, Su-Yeon begins to believe Violette. It’s a vampire murder mystery!
This Korean bestseller is now available in English! When police officer Su-Yeon learns that four elderly people have died from jumping out a sixth story window at a hospital, she takes the case personally: Grandma Eun-Shim lives on that floor, and Su-Yeon is determined to stop her from facing the same fate. The rest of the police force dismisses the deaths as suicides, but as Su-Yeon investigates, she meets Violette, who claims to be a vampire hunter looking for her ex-girlfriend, Lily. When the next body is found drained of blood, Su-Yeon begins to believe Violette. It’s a vampire murder mystery!
August 25, 2025
I was so ready to fall head over heels for this Korean bestseller, with its promises of queer vampire romance and a spooky murder mystery set in a creepy Seoul hospital. I mean, vampires! Queer love! A detective with a chip on her shoulder! It sounded like the kind of book I’d clutch to my chest and sigh dreamily over, maybe even stay up all night reading while sipping sweet tea and pretending I’m in a K-drama. But, alas, this book and I were like that one Tinder date where you show up expecting fireworks and get... a damp sparkler.
Let’s talk about the good stuff first, because I’m not a total grump, and there were moments that I enjoyed. The scenes between Violette and Lily? Those flashbacks to 1980s France were everything. I was living for their gothic, sapphic tension. The quiet, yearning moments where Violette, this lonely Korean adoptee, finds herself utterly bewitched by Lily, the enigmatic, barefoot vampire who makes Korea sound like a fever dream. I could’ve read a whole book of just them staring intensely at each other over candlelit dinners, with Lily maybe or maybe not contemplating a quick nibble on Violette’s neck. Those scenes were the sparkly vampire heart of the book.
But then... the rest of it. The characters outside of Violette and Lily felt flatter than my attempts at baking soufflés. Su-Yeon, our detective, is supposed to be this gritty, lonely cop with a personal stake in the mystery (her grandma’s in the hospital where old folks are yeeting themselves out of windows), but she’s about as compelling as a cardboard cutout of a K-drama lead. I wanted to root for her, I really did, but she’s just... there, brooding and asking questions that don’t seem to go anywhere. And Nanju, the nurse with a secret? Girl, I wanted to empathize with you, but your chapters felt like they were written by someone who forgot to give you a personality. I kept waiting for these characters to pop off the page, to make me laugh or cry or FEEL something, but they were like guests at a party who show up, mumble a few lines, and leave early.
It’s billed as a “fast-paced vampire murder mystery,” but it’s more like a slow-motion train wreck you can’t stop watching. Four elderly patients jump from the sixth floor of a hospital, and Su-Yeon’s the only one who thinks it’s suspicious. Enter Violette, our vampire-hunting queen, who drops the bombshell: “A vampire did it.” But the big reveal about the vampire killings? It lands with all the impact of a soggy paper towel. I was expecting a jaw-dropping twist, something that would make me gasp and clutch my pearls, but instead, I got a half-baked explanation that left me squinting at the page like, “That’s it?” And don’t even get me started on the vampire killings’ connection to Lily. There’s this vague hint that Lily’s tied to the whole mess, but the book just... forgets to tell us how or why. It’s like wanting a nice steak and getting a piece of rubber.
The whole thing feels incomplete, like Cheon Seon-ran had a brilliant idea but got distracted halfway through and decided to wrap it up with a Post-it note that says, “Good enough.” The vampire lore is inconsistent... sometimes it’s creepy and atmospheric, other times it’s like the author forgot the vampires were supposed to be scary. The themes of loneliness and isolation are there, and I wanted to be moved by them, but they’re handled so clumsily that I felt like I was reading a rough draft. I kept waiting for that emotional gut-punch, but it never came.
I will say, the writing itself has a certain moody charm, especially in those Violette/Lily scenes that had me fanning myself. But even that couldn’t save the book from feeling like a missed opportunity. It’s like going to a concert expecting a full-on rock show and getting a local cover band set with half the band missing. It left me feeling like I’d just watched a K-drama that got canceled mid-season. If you’re here for the Violette and Lily vibes, you’ll get a few swoony moments. But if you’re expecting a cohesive, gripping story with characters who leap off the page? Maybe keep swiping left.
Let’s talk about the good stuff first, because I’m not a total grump, and there were moments that I enjoyed. The scenes between Violette and Lily? Those flashbacks to 1980s France were everything. I was living for their gothic, sapphic tension. The quiet, yearning moments where Violette, this lonely Korean adoptee, finds herself utterly bewitched by Lily, the enigmatic, barefoot vampire who makes Korea sound like a fever dream. I could’ve read a whole book of just them staring intensely at each other over candlelit dinners, with Lily maybe or maybe not contemplating a quick nibble on Violette’s neck. Those scenes were the sparkly vampire heart of the book.
But then... the rest of it. The characters outside of Violette and Lily felt flatter than my attempts at baking soufflés. Su-Yeon, our detective, is supposed to be this gritty, lonely cop with a personal stake in the mystery (her grandma’s in the hospital where old folks are yeeting themselves out of windows), but she’s about as compelling as a cardboard cutout of a K-drama lead. I wanted to root for her, I really did, but she’s just... there, brooding and asking questions that don’t seem to go anywhere. And Nanju, the nurse with a secret? Girl, I wanted to empathize with you, but your chapters felt like they were written by someone who forgot to give you a personality. I kept waiting for these characters to pop off the page, to make me laugh or cry or FEEL something, but they were like guests at a party who show up, mumble a few lines, and leave early.
It’s billed as a “fast-paced vampire murder mystery,” but it’s more like a slow-motion train wreck you can’t stop watching. Four elderly patients jump from the sixth floor of a hospital, and Su-Yeon’s the only one who thinks it’s suspicious. Enter Violette, our vampire-hunting queen, who drops the bombshell: “A vampire did it.” But the big reveal about the vampire killings? It lands with all the impact of a soggy paper towel. I was expecting a jaw-dropping twist, something that would make me gasp and clutch my pearls, but instead, I got a half-baked explanation that left me squinting at the page like, “That’s it?” And don’t even get me started on the vampire killings’ connection to Lily. There’s this vague hint that Lily’s tied to the whole mess, but the book just... forgets to tell us how or why. It’s like wanting a nice steak and getting a piece of rubber.
The whole thing feels incomplete, like Cheon Seon-ran had a brilliant idea but got distracted halfway through and decided to wrap it up with a Post-it note that says, “Good enough.” The vampire lore is inconsistent... sometimes it’s creepy and atmospheric, other times it’s like the author forgot the vampires were supposed to be scary. The themes of loneliness and isolation are there, and I wanted to be moved by them, but they’re handled so clumsily that I felt like I was reading a rough draft. I kept waiting for that emotional gut-punch, but it never came.
I will say, the writing itself has a certain moody charm, especially in those Violette/Lily scenes that had me fanning myself. But even that couldn’t save the book from feeling like a missed opportunity. It’s like going to a concert expecting a full-on rock show and getting a local cover band set with half the band missing. It left me feeling like I’d just watched a K-drama that got canceled mid-season. If you’re here for the Violette and Lily vibes, you’ll get a few swoony moments. But if you’re expecting a cohesive, gripping story with characters who leap off the page? Maybe keep swiping left.
March 24, 2025
I'm a little conflicted about this book. I don't want to crown Cheon Seon-ran as my favorite Korean author, but her book A Thousand Blues is one of the best books I read last year. I loved the story, and it was definitely a fun time, but it was severely undercooked.
The Midnight Shift follows Suyeon, a detective investigating strange suicides taking place at a retirement home. The deceased are all found after jumping from the roof with a suicide note in their own handwriting... and no blood in their bodies or at the scene. Which is a little strange, considering they threw themselves off a building. Luckily for her, Suyeon gets an answer when Violette - a Korean adoptee - shows up and kindly lets her know vampires exist, and that maybe one of the hospital staff is working with a vampire.
Besides the main paranormal investigation storyline, there's also an additional timeline set in France in 1983, following Violette's interactions with a vampire. I found this to be the absolute highlight of the book. I don't know how to describe the vibe, but it was very Carmilla-esque, with an unlikely friendship (with heavy sapphic undertones) that turns very dark, mixed in with Violette's lonely coming-of-age story.
The book felt like a paranormal CSI episode. It was fast-paced without much chewing or world-building, which made it fun, but I had so many questions about so many things (i.e., BIG LONG ETCETERA). It also had some gaps/contradictions that just made me raise an eyebrow while reading (i.e., ).
My two other 'issues' with the book were the characters and the lack of a 'message' in the book. The characters felt a little apathetic to me, especially Suyeon, who just went through the motions and half the time would not even answer when people talked to her. But mostly, I think because we lacked so much context, I just didn't get why Nanju and Violette (and Greta and Ulan) acted one way or another. And... about the 'message'. I just kept mentally comparing it to A Thousand Blues because I sobbed a few times while reading it and I highlighted half the thing, but here? It was just very... meh. Don't trust a vampire. Life sucks, but you're alive so you can do things...? Idk. I wanted more.
I usually don't mention translations unless it's to say something good, but I do want to talk about this one. The translation was great, but at times I'd be reading and I'd stop because I would be confused about some word choices. Also, I thought it was interesting that the words halmoni and ajumma were added sometimes but not always (i.e., sometimes the book talks about 'Granny Eunshim' and then suddenly she was referred to as halmoni). I'm okay with it, but I do think people who aren't familiar with Korean will be a little confused there.
I sense this comes off as a bad review, and I do admit I was a little disappointed, but it was still a great read for me. 3.5 rounded up.
Bits I highlighted:
'Maybe I'd feel better if it was a monster who'd killed him.
'Monster?'
'It's easier to blame the things you don't want to accept on monsters. Your grandfather used to tell me that. He had quite the imagination, that one. He would always tell me how hed met a vampire when he was a kid. Whenever someone went missing, or died, or had a breakdown, hed say that a vampire did it.
____
Santa had once existed. He died when Violette stopped believing in him. Every year, millions of Santas were born and killed at the same time. Every child must kill Santa on the road to adulthood.
Little do children know, Santa is just the beginning.
There are plenty of others after him whom children kill without a sound. Without knowing. That was why every child got lonelier and lonelier as they grew up. The vacancy cannot simply be filled by another human being.
People were not as kind or loyal as those creatures of imagination whom the child killed. An empty heart was the penalty for killing those who'd stuck with them.
*ARC received for free, this hasn’t impacted my review/rating.
The Midnight Shift follows Suyeon, a detective investigating strange suicides taking place at a retirement home. The deceased are all found after jumping from the roof with a suicide note in their own handwriting... and no blood in their bodies or at the scene. Which is a little strange, considering they threw themselves off a building. Luckily for her, Suyeon gets an answer when Violette - a Korean adoptee - shows up and kindly lets her know vampires exist, and that maybe one of the hospital staff is working with a vampire.
Besides the main paranormal investigation storyline, there's also an additional timeline set in France in 1983, following Violette's interactions with a vampire. I found this to be the absolute highlight of the book. I don't know how to describe the vibe, but it was very Carmilla-esque, with an unlikely friendship (with heavy sapphic undertones) that turns very dark, mixed in with Violette's lonely coming-of-age story.
The book felt like a paranormal CSI episode. It was fast-paced without much chewing or world-building, which made it fun, but I had so many questions about so many things (i.e., BIG LONG ETCETERA). It also had some gaps/contradictions that just made me raise an eyebrow while reading (i.e., ).
My two other 'issues' with the book were the characters and the lack of a 'message' in the book. The characters felt a little apathetic to me, especially Suyeon, who just went through the motions and half the time would not even answer when people talked to her. But mostly, I think because we lacked so much context, I just didn't get why Nanju and Violette (and Greta and Ulan) acted one way or another. And... about the 'message'. I just kept mentally comparing it to A Thousand Blues because I sobbed a few times while reading it and I highlighted half the thing, but here? It was just very... meh. Don't trust a vampire. Life sucks, but you're alive so you can do things...? Idk. I wanted more.
I usually don't mention translations unless it's to say something good, but I do want to talk about this one. The translation was great, but at times I'd be reading and I'd stop because I would be confused about some word choices. Also, I thought it was interesting that the words halmoni and ajumma were added sometimes but not always (i.e., sometimes the book talks about 'Granny Eunshim' and then suddenly she was referred to as halmoni). I'm okay with it, but I do think people who aren't familiar with Korean will be a little confused there.
I sense this comes off as a bad review, and I do admit I was a little disappointed, but it was still a great read for me. 3.5 rounded up.
Bits I highlighted:
'Maybe I'd feel better if it was a monster who'd killed him.
'Monster?'
'It's easier to blame the things you don't want to accept on monsters. Your grandfather used to tell me that. He had quite the imagination, that one. He would always tell me how hed met a vampire when he was a kid. Whenever someone went missing, or died, or had a breakdown, hed say that a vampire did it.
____
Santa had once existed. He died when Violette stopped believing in him. Every year, millions of Santas were born and killed at the same time. Every child must kill Santa on the road to adulthood.
Little do children know, Santa is just the beginning.
There are plenty of others after him whom children kill without a sound. Without knowing. That was why every child got lonelier and lonelier as they grew up. The vacancy cannot simply be filled by another human being.
People were not as kind or loyal as those creatures of imagination whom the child killed. An empty heart was the penalty for killing those who'd stuck with them.
*ARC received for free, this hasn’t impacted my review/rating.
August 13, 2025
3.5 rounded up.
I enjoyed this book, but just wanted more from it. I wanted to know more about Eungyeong and Suyeon's relationship, I wanted to know more about Suyeon and her upbringing, I wanted to know more about Nanju (honestly her chapters were my favourite!) and I wanted to see more between Violette and Lily. It's true that this novel doesn't do a lot of world-building, but somehow that made the vampires feel more realistic to me; what I did want more of was reasons to connect to these characters emotionally, and I did feel that the novel was a bit light in that regard.
All in all I did enjoy this book a lot! But I'd recommend maybe waiting until it's out in paperback.
I enjoyed this book, but just wanted more from it. I wanted to know more about Eungyeong and Suyeon's relationship, I wanted to know more about Suyeon and her upbringing, I wanted to know more about Nanju (honestly her chapters were my favourite!) and I wanted to see more between Violette and Lily. It's true that this novel doesn't do a lot of world-building, but somehow that made the vampires feel more realistic to me; what I did want more of was reasons to connect to these characters emotionally, and I did feel that the novel was a bit light in that regard.
All in all I did enjoy this book a lot! But I'd recommend maybe waiting until it's out in paperback.
May 28, 2025
This book is, more than anything, about loneliness. If you're expecting a quick and funny read about vampires and lesbians, you'll probably end up disappointed. Reading it felt like stepping into a fog, my senses dulled, unsure of where my next steps would take me. I was completely in the dark alongside the three main characters, to whom I grew very attached, especially Violette.
I really enjoyed it. The writing was beautiful and deeply reflective. It explored themes of loneliness, darkness, loss, yearning, depression, and dementia in a way that was both cruel and beautiful. I was never bored while reading, though I can understand why some readers might be, it’s not a plot-driven book. Still, the writing was so compelling that I kept wanting more.
I really enjoyed it. The writing was beautiful and deeply reflective. It explored themes of loneliness, darkness, loss, yearning, depression, and dementia in a way that was both cruel and beautiful. I was never bored while reading, though I can understand why some readers might be, it’s not a plot-driven book. Still, the writing was so compelling that I kept wanting more.
September 3, 2025
This is part crime thriller, part vampire novel. This story featured multiple POVs which was a little hard to figure out who was who at the beginning but cleared up as the story progressed. Overall I thought it was solid but a bit predictable.
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August 21, 2025This Vampire story was ok. 2.75 🌟 audiobook
April 6, 2025
'They're right beside us, Suyeon said, her voice detached. 'So be careful. The only way we can protect ourselves is by making sure no one is left alone?' Because in every corner untouched by sight, and deprived of light, they were out there, breathing in the scent of lonely blood.
The Midnight Shift is Gene Png's translation of 밤에 찾아오는 구원자 by 천선란 (Cheon Seon-ran)
This is the second of the Korean author's novels to appear in English after A Thousand Blues is translated by Chi-Young Kim from the original 천개의 파랑.
If that novel was sentimental sci-fi reminscent of Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun (or rather the other way round since 천개의 파랑 came first), this one takes us into vampire territory.
This is however really, at its heart, a novel about loneliness.
It opens with a detective, Suyeon, called to the fourth in a series of suicides at the Cheolma Rehabilitation Hospital, essentially a care facility for elderly patients, most suffering from dementia. The series of deaths seems to her rather suspiscious (as is the fact that the elderly patients managed to jump from the top of the hospital, and indeed .... the odd lack of blood), but her partner points out there is no upside in investigating:
Look, we could go on and on about whether or not we've got a case on our hands. So let's ask ourselves the most important question here - who is interested in bringing the case to light? Because here's the thing, if the only one interested in finding the truth is the detective, then it's all pointless? Suyeon stayed quiet. Chantae continued. No one showed up for these victims, kid. No one.
However one of the patients in the hospital, who she calls Granny (Halmonie) is, while not a blood relative, someone important to her so she carries on her investigation. And she finds she is not the only one investigating as she encounters Violette (a Korean orphan adopted by a French couple, now living back in Korea) who rather casually tells her that she suspects a vampire is involved, and that Violette is a vampire hunter.
The novel is told from the alternating perspectives of Suyeon, Violette (including her back story from her teenage years in France) and that of Nanju, a nurse in the hospital with a rather chequered past and who herself seems to be tied up in the events.
The vampire world here is - as Violette explains - not entirely consistent with the legend of movies/novels - garlic, crossed and silver bullets are useless; there is a written code of conduct between vampires and the human organisation Violette represents, so she can only kill vampires if they breach it (e.g. she must be able to prove they murdered a victim, not simply took their blood), and most pertinently, the idea that once bitten by a vampire one becomes one is a myth, one made up by authors to capture the romance of spending eternity together.
As here relationships between vampires and humans can exist, but even when affectionate are rather like those between a human and a short-lived pet.
And the blood that vampires seek most is that of the most lonely of all - such as the abandoned patients in the hospital:
'People who are driven to the edge of loneliness and solitude don’t cry. They’ve forgotten how, or know their tears would only go to waste. They pass their days staring into nothing with soulless eyes. Crying when you’re sad, that is, being able to cry, is a testament that your will to live still exists. People who’ve lost their will to live don’t cry. Because crying won’t grant them release. If no tears are shed, then no moisture escapes the body. Extra moisture dilutes a person’s blood, just like aged wine. And since they are creatures with an inconceivably keen sense of smell, they can discern the scent of lonely blood.'
“외로움과 고독 끝에 몰린 사람들은 울지 않거든. 잊었다고 해야 할지 소용없는 걸 안다고 해야 할지. 영혼 없는 눈동자로 허공만 바라보며 하루를 까먹지. 슬플 때 눈물이 난다는 거, 그래서 울 수 있다는 거, 그 나름대로 살아 있다는 의미야. 의욕을 잃은 사람들은 울지 않거든. 운다고 속이 시원해지는 것도 아니니까. 그렇게 울지 않으면 몸속 수분이 밖으로 빠져나가지를 못해. 그 수분 때문에 피가 아주 묽어지는 거지. 잘 숙성된 적포도주처럼. 그들은 우리와 비교할 수 없을 정도로 후각이 발달해서 그 고독한 피의 향을 맡을 수 있어.”
Relationships play a key role in the novel - and there are strong hints of queer love as well (particularly the relationship as a teenager between Violette, isolated by her confused identity, and a vampire Lily), although this is not particularly explicit, and indeed it is a strangely sexless novel.
And the relationships are often complex in their dependencies - Nanju is addicted to the relationship with the figure that is behind the deaths, even though she knows herself: Once she had learned that he was just a fucking bat who killed for sport, she should've made a run for it. But she couldn't. He'd freed her from her father's respirator. Of course, what she'd believed was love, and what she'd given up everything for, turned out to be a mere hallucination, a symptom of breathing in the poison he exhaled.
A more satisfying novel than the vampire-murder-mystery set up might suggest. Indeed that's perhaps the weakest part (quite how Violette kills vampires is for example rather unclear, as is the relationship between them and humans, who exactly Violette works for etc etc).
3.5 stars rounded to 3.
Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for an ARC.
The Midnight Shift is Gene Png's translation of 밤에 찾아오는 구원자 by 천선란 (Cheon Seon-ran)
This is the second of the Korean author's novels to appear in English after A Thousand Blues is translated by Chi-Young Kim from the original 천개의 파랑.
If that novel was sentimental sci-fi reminscent of Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun (or rather the other way round since 천개의 파랑 came first), this one takes us into vampire territory.
This is however really, at its heart, a novel about loneliness.
It opens with a detective, Suyeon, called to the fourth in a series of suicides at the Cheolma Rehabilitation Hospital, essentially a care facility for elderly patients, most suffering from dementia. The series of deaths seems to her rather suspiscious (as is the fact that the elderly patients managed to jump from the top of the hospital, and indeed .... the odd lack of blood), but her partner points out there is no upside in investigating:
Look, we could go on and on about whether or not we've got a case on our hands. So let's ask ourselves the most important question here - who is interested in bringing the case to light? Because here's the thing, if the only one interested in finding the truth is the detective, then it's all pointless? Suyeon stayed quiet. Chantae continued. No one showed up for these victims, kid. No one.
However one of the patients in the hospital, who she calls Granny (Halmonie) is, while not a blood relative, someone important to her so she carries on her investigation. And she finds she is not the only one investigating as she encounters Violette (a Korean orphan adopted by a French couple, now living back in Korea) who rather casually tells her that she suspects a vampire is involved, and that Violette is a vampire hunter.
The novel is told from the alternating perspectives of Suyeon, Violette (including her back story from her teenage years in France) and that of Nanju, a nurse in the hospital with a rather chequered past and who herself seems to be tied up in the events.
The vampire world here is - as Violette explains - not entirely consistent with the legend of movies/novels - garlic, crossed and silver bullets are useless; there is a written code of conduct between vampires and the human organisation Violette represents, so she can only kill vampires if they breach it (e.g. she must be able to prove they murdered a victim, not simply took their blood), and most pertinently, the idea that once bitten by a vampire one becomes one is a myth, one made up by authors to capture the romance of spending eternity together.
As here relationships between vampires and humans can exist, but even when affectionate are rather like those between a human and a short-lived pet.
And the blood that vampires seek most is that of the most lonely of all - such as the abandoned patients in the hospital:
'People who are driven to the edge of loneliness and solitude don’t cry. They’ve forgotten how, or know their tears would only go to waste. They pass their days staring into nothing with soulless eyes. Crying when you’re sad, that is, being able to cry, is a testament that your will to live still exists. People who’ve lost their will to live don’t cry. Because crying won’t grant them release. If no tears are shed, then no moisture escapes the body. Extra moisture dilutes a person’s blood, just like aged wine. And since they are creatures with an inconceivably keen sense of smell, they can discern the scent of lonely blood.'
“외로움과 고독 끝에 몰린 사람들은 울지 않거든. 잊었다고 해야 할지 소용없는 걸 안다고 해야 할지. 영혼 없는 눈동자로 허공만 바라보며 하루를 까먹지. 슬플 때 눈물이 난다는 거, 그래서 울 수 있다는 거, 그 나름대로 살아 있다는 의미야. 의욕을 잃은 사람들은 울지 않거든. 운다고 속이 시원해지는 것도 아니니까. 그렇게 울지 않으면 몸속 수분이 밖으로 빠져나가지를 못해. 그 수분 때문에 피가 아주 묽어지는 거지. 잘 숙성된 적포도주처럼. 그들은 우리와 비교할 수 없을 정도로 후각이 발달해서 그 고독한 피의 향을 맡을 수 있어.”
Relationships play a key role in the novel - and there are strong hints of queer love as well (particularly the relationship as a teenager between Violette, isolated by her confused identity, and a vampire Lily), although this is not particularly explicit, and indeed it is a strangely sexless novel.
And the relationships are often complex in their dependencies - Nanju is addicted to the relationship with the figure that is behind the deaths, even though she knows herself: Once she had learned that he was just a fucking bat who killed for sport, she should've made a run for it. But she couldn't. He'd freed her from her father's respirator. Of course, what she'd believed was love, and what she'd given up everything for, turned out to be a mere hallucination, a symptom of breathing in the poison he exhaled.
A more satisfying novel than the vampire-murder-mystery set up might suggest. Indeed that's perhaps the weakest part (quite how Violette kills vampires is for example rather unclear, as is the relationship between them and humans, who exactly Violette works for etc etc).
3.5 stars rounded to 3.
Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for an ARC.
August 14, 2025
3.75 ⭐️
July 31, 2025
I first discovered Cheon Seon Ran through A Thousand Blues, which I found on NetGalley. That novella was a brilliant piece of sci-fi, thought-provoking and Black Mirror–esque, and it left me eager to see what else the author could do. So when I found out there was a new English-translated work, The Midnight Shift, and it was a vampire murder mystery, I was instantly on board.
TLDR, this book is another winner for me.
The writing was incredibly engaging and vivid. I often struggle to visualize scenes while reading, but not this time. The prose just worked for me. I had clear, cinematic images in my mind throughout. In fact, I kept picturing it in the same visual tone as the Swedish film Let the Right One In, which is an excellent vampire movie everyone should watch. Like that movie, The Midnight Shift isn’t just about vampires. It’s more about grief, isolation, and the impact of deep loneliness on human behavior, and how that can distort actions in quiet, devastating ways.
This isn’t a fast-paced, twisty mystery, something I initially expected going in. Instead, it’s more about experiencing the lives of the three main POV characters. And honestly, I loved my time with all three of them. Their perspectives felt intimate, layered, and grounded, and the emotional threads throughout the story gave it real depth.
At the risk of repeating myself, I can’t wait to see what Cheon Seon Ran has in store for us next. This author is now firmly on my must-read list.
TLDR, this book is another winner for me.
The writing was incredibly engaging and vivid. I often struggle to visualize scenes while reading, but not this time. The prose just worked for me. I had clear, cinematic images in my mind throughout. In fact, I kept picturing it in the same visual tone as the Swedish film Let the Right One In, which is an excellent vampire movie everyone should watch. Like that movie, The Midnight Shift isn’t just about vampires. It’s more about grief, isolation, and the impact of deep loneliness on human behavior, and how that can distort actions in quiet, devastating ways.
This isn’t a fast-paced, twisty mystery, something I initially expected going in. Instead, it’s more about experiencing the lives of the three main POV characters. And honestly, I loved my time with all three of them. Their perspectives felt intimate, layered, and grounded, and the emotional threads throughout the story gave it real depth.
At the risk of repeating myself, I can’t wait to see what Cheon Seon Ran has in store for us next. This author is now firmly on my must-read list.
November 1, 2025
The Midnight Shift is a Korean supernatural murder mystery. Elderly people living in a care home are supposedly committing suicide at an alarming rate and a police detective named Suyeon is on the case. She encounters a woman named Violette who claims that a vampire are involved. Suyeon's investigation is interspersed with flashbacks to Violette's first encounters with vampires in France years before. Although I'm not generally a fan of murder mysteries, there are a lot of promising elements here. The third point of view is that of Nanju, a nurse at the care home and perhaps the most intriguing character. The fact that the victims are effectively abandoned by society is moving and cleverly done. There is some appealing sapphic tension and a few fun pieces of vampire world-building.
On balance, though, I think The Midnight Shift would have worked better for me as a kdrama, so that actors could give events more tension and emotional impact than the text managed to. Indeed, I found myself casting it as I read: Kim Taeyri as Violette, Jung Eun-chae as Suyeon, and Park Gyuyoung as Nanju. Somehow I found the progression of events rather underwhelming, despite the constituent parts having a lot of potential. I think the pacing and perhaps the tone of the translation were factors in this. To my surprise, The Midnight Shift amounted to less than the sum of parts. I preferred Cheon Seon-ran's sci-fi novel A Thousand Blues.
On balance, though, I think The Midnight Shift would have worked better for me as a kdrama, so that actors could give events more tension and emotional impact than the text managed to. Indeed, I found myself casting it as I read: Kim Taeyri as Violette, Jung Eun-chae as Suyeon, and Park Gyuyoung as Nanju. Somehow I found the progression of events rather underwhelming, despite the constituent parts having a lot of potential. I think the pacing and perhaps the tone of the translation were factors in this. To my surprise, The Midnight Shift amounted to less than the sum of parts. I preferred Cheon Seon-ran's sci-fi novel A Thousand Blues.
September 12, 2025
When I saw that this book was a Korean translated sapphic novel that had a detective and a vampire hunter working together, but was mostly a meditation on urban loneliness, then I just had to have it!!
The writing was very moody and cinematic. The author had some lovely turns of phrase that were translated very well. I was also really intrigued by our two mysterious protagonists: Su-yeon, the lonely detective who seems to be the only person who cares about a mysterious string of elderly suicides, and Violette, a vampire hunter with a complicated past. The plot is predictable, but solving the mystery isn't the point of the novel; the character work is. This is a world where vampires aren't allowed to kill humans outright, and so they are drawn to lonely, suicidal people, victims that are easily manipulated and won't be missed.
That said, I feel like the author was too ambitious and tried to cram too many themes into this book, but wasn't able to explore them all properly. It could have benefited from being longer. I liked Su-yeon's POV best, but it felt like we only hit the surface with her characterization. I wanted to see more flashback scenes between her and her deceased detective partner/friend -- the woman whose death left a hole in her heart. There is significantly more insight into Violette's past, and most readers on Goodreads seem to favor her storyline: a tragic love story between a vampire and a lonely teenage girl who goes from victim to vampire hunter. There is also a third POV character who was a foil to Violette (another human drawn to vampires), but I felt like her arc unraveled too fast and I would've appreciated less telling, more showing with her storyline.
It was a decent read and I can see this easily being adapted into a TV series. The writer is gifted, but I just wanted more from the story. 3.5 stars rounded down.
The writing was very moody and cinematic. The author had some lovely turns of phrase that were translated very well. I was also really intrigued by our two mysterious protagonists: Su-yeon, the lonely detective who seems to be the only person who cares about a mysterious string of elderly suicides, and Violette, a vampire hunter with a complicated past. The plot is predictable, but solving the mystery isn't the point of the novel; the character work is. This is a world where vampires aren't allowed to kill humans outright, and so they are drawn to lonely, suicidal people, victims that are easily manipulated and won't be missed.
That said, I feel like the author was too ambitious and tried to cram too many themes into this book, but wasn't able to explore them all properly. It could have benefited from being longer. I liked Su-yeon's POV best, but it felt like we only hit the surface with her characterization. I wanted to see more flashback scenes between her and her deceased detective partner/friend -- the woman whose death left a hole in her heart. There is significantly more insight into Violette's past, and most readers on Goodreads seem to favor her storyline: a tragic love story between a vampire and a lonely teenage girl who goes from victim to vampire hunter. There is also a third POV character who was a foil to Violette (another human drawn to vampires), but I felt like her arc unraveled too fast and I would've appreciated less telling, more showing with her storyline.
It was a decent read and I can see this easily being adapted into a TV series. The writer is gifted, but I just wanted more from the story. 3.5 stars rounded down.
December 24, 2025
A series of suicides are occurring in the memory and rehab ward of a South Korean hospital. The detective on scene has a personal connection to the case: her "grandmother" lives on that ward. No one believes her that something strange is happening, until a woman shows up claiming to be a vampire hunter.
Part noir mystery, part doomed teen/vampire love story, the book follows two timelines. Now, in a race against time to stop the suicides before the detective loses the last person she has left, and in the 1980's, the origin story of a vampire hunter.
It's lovely the way the author works philosophy into the book, particularly about loneliness. It's not something I'm used to in my police procedurals. I know I'm going to want to recommend this book, but honestly I'm not sure who the ideal reader is.
Part noir mystery, part doomed teen/vampire love story, the book follows two timelines. Now, in a race against time to stop the suicides before the detective loses the last person she has left, and in the 1980's, the origin story of a vampire hunter.
It's lovely the way the author works philosophy into the book, particularly about loneliness. It's not something I'm used to in my police procedurals. I know I'm going to want to recommend this book, but honestly I'm not sure who the ideal reader is.
August 4, 2025
A great start to Women in Translation Month - "The Midnight Shift" is a short, atmospheric Korean novel that feels like watching an old noir film. It’s moody, quiet, and makes you a lil bit afraid of walking in the dark.
The story follows Su-Yeon, a detective investigating a string of suspicious deaths in a care home - all elderly people, all officially ruled as suicides, all “mysteriously drained of blood”. She crosses paths with Violette, a woman who introduces herself as a vampire hunter.
As the story unfolds, we learn more about Violette’s past through flashbacks - her mission is deeply personal, as she’s searching for her ex-lover, Lily. Su-Yeon remains more of a mystery, which was my biggest disappointment as she never quite felt fleshed out.
This isn’t a plot-heavy or character-driven book, and it won’t be for everyone. The writing is beautiful but so quiet that I had to be in exactly the right mood to stay with it. At times, I found myself drifting or feeling a bit bored.
There’s a real sense of grief, sadness, and loneliness running through the story. The fact that "the lonely" elderly care home patients were targeted precisely because “no one would miss them” felt.. heavy.
Overall, I’d say this would be a wonderful choice for spooky season, and I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy slow, atmospheric horror with a touch of sadness.
3.75/5 ⭐
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
The story follows Su-Yeon, a detective investigating a string of suspicious deaths in a care home - all elderly people, all officially ruled as suicides, all “mysteriously drained of blood”. She crosses paths with Violette, a woman who introduces herself as a vampire hunter.
As the story unfolds, we learn more about Violette’s past through flashbacks - her mission is deeply personal, as she’s searching for her ex-lover, Lily. Su-Yeon remains more of a mystery, which was my biggest disappointment as she never quite felt fleshed out.
This isn’t a plot-heavy or character-driven book, and it won’t be for everyone. The writing is beautiful but so quiet that I had to be in exactly the right mood to stay with it. At times, I found myself drifting or feeling a bit bored.
There’s a real sense of grief, sadness, and loneliness running through the story. The fact that "the lonely" elderly care home patients were targeted precisely because “no one would miss them” felt.. heavy.
Overall, I’d say this would be a wonderful choice for spooky season, and I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy slow, atmospheric horror with a touch of sadness.
3.75/5 ⭐
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 17, 2025
Se c’è una cosa che questo libro mi ha trasmesso dall’inizio alla fine è sicuramente una tristezza infinita.
Per Su Yeon, per nonna Eun Shim, per il passato di Wanda e persino per quella stronza di Nanju.
Così come per Madam Tarot, è innegabile che la scrittura coreana sia molto diversa da quella occidentale. Non solo i romanzi sono più brevi, ma la narrazione è molto coincisa e senza fronzoli: va dritta al punto e non perdona, anche se nell’insieme riesce a rendere 150 pagine come se fossero 400. Eppure, nonostante la brevità, le atmosfere e le ambientazioni sono rese divinamente.
Il setting dell’ospedale, le problematiche dei debiti, l’assenza di legami, una storia d’amore e di amicizia travagliata hanno fatto da sfondo a un’indagine senza esclusione di colpi.
Inoltre ho adorato il modo in cui è stata descritta la figura del vampiro.
Per quanto sia simile a quella a cui siamo abituati, ovvero all’occidentale, riesce comunque ad avere un twist in grado di renderla comunque apprezzabile e originale, introducendola in modo ottimale nel contesto coreano.
Tuttavia, avrei preferito una partecipazione maggiore riguardo l’antagonista, per non parlare del passato di Wanda.
L’indagine in sé è gestita bene, ma si sente che manca uno sviluppo maggiore per i retroscena al punto che sul finale ti rimane un senso di incompletezza che si abbina bene alla tristezza generale.
Insomma, Le guardiane della notte è un thriller con un tocco di sovrannaturale che lo rende apprezzabile nonostante le lacune. Si fa leggere, ma lo sconsiglierei a chi sta vivendo un periodo difficile per le ovvie ragioni.
Per Su Yeon, per nonna Eun Shim, per il passato di Wanda e persino per quella stronza di Nanju.
Così come per Madam Tarot, è innegabile che la scrittura coreana sia molto diversa da quella occidentale. Non solo i romanzi sono più brevi, ma la narrazione è molto coincisa e senza fronzoli: va dritta al punto e non perdona, anche se nell’insieme riesce a rendere 150 pagine come se fossero 400. Eppure, nonostante la brevità, le atmosfere e le ambientazioni sono rese divinamente.
Il setting dell’ospedale, le problematiche dei debiti, l’assenza di legami, una storia d’amore e di amicizia travagliata hanno fatto da sfondo a un’indagine senza esclusione di colpi.
Inoltre ho adorato il modo in cui è stata descritta la figura del vampiro.
Per quanto sia simile a quella a cui siamo abituati, ovvero all’occidentale, riesce comunque ad avere un twist in grado di renderla comunque apprezzabile e originale, introducendola in modo ottimale nel contesto coreano.
Tuttavia, avrei preferito una partecipazione maggiore riguardo l’antagonista, per non parlare del passato di Wanda.
L’indagine in sé è gestita bene, ma si sente che manca uno sviluppo maggiore per i retroscena al punto che sul finale ti rimane un senso di incompletezza che si abbina bene alla tristezza generale.
Insomma, Le guardiane della notte è un thriller con un tocco di sovrannaturale che lo rende apprezzabile nonostante le lacune. Si fa leggere, ma lo sconsiglierei a chi sta vivendo un periodo difficile per le ovvie ragioni.
March 11, 2025
This is a hard one to rate for me. I enjoyed the story itself, and I liked the structure of having three different POVs. What didn’t hit for me was the writing, and since this is a translation, I can’t say if my issue was with the original text or if it just didn’t translate well. A lot of the prose and dialogue read as clunky and awkward, and the imagery was uninspired. I can’t speak to how it comes across in the original Korean, but what I guess was supposed to evoke loneliness and bleakness unfortunately just came across as lifeless.
August 13, 2025
The Midnight Shift is a vampire Sapphic novel like no other. It combines different genres to serve a character-focused story that explores loneliness, belonging, and identity from different angles. Unlike many recent vampire romance or philosophical books and films (eg Only Lovers Left Alive), The Midnight Shift never tries to humanise or romanticise vampires (there is even a scene specifically about this, starring the seemingly 'good' vampire). In line with quite a lot of recent vampire media, the vampires here are monsters first and foremost, and as much as I love watching Armand and Lestat, I am here for it. Stylish, atmospheric, and beautifully written, The Midnight Shift delivers so many interesting things.
The narrative focuses around a series of unexplained suicides at a godforsaken hospital/care home full of long-term patients with few or no relatives to care for them. Structured as a crime novel, the book explores three different female perspectives: a detective assigned to the case whose elderly friend is a patient, a night shift nurse saddled with her late father's medical debts, and a mysterious ethnically Korean woman who was adopted by a French couple, and whose POV chapters are set decades earlier.
I loved this book so much about this book. The plot is genuinely engaging, and I was equally drawn by the criminal investigation of the detective, the coming of age identity crisis tale set in a deliberately vaguely drawn France, and the social commentary inherent in the nurse's Parasite-like story.
Spoilers:
Alongside Greek Lessons, The Midnight Shift is probably the most European Korean novel I have read recently. Violette's tale manages to avoid many clichés of adoptee stories and write her relationship with her parents in a nuanced and complex way. Her relationship with her Korean identity offered a refreshing perspective on the subject. Su-Yeon, the detective, is an interesting character in her own right and a conduit to explore the issues of elderly loneliness in contemporary Korea, demonstrated through her relationship with the elderly neighbour in her care. Both of their stories also explore Sapphic relationships, still a bit of a taboo in mainstream Korean fiction. Nanju, the nurse, offers a welcome perspective on what happens when a love affair with a vampire has gone south, and a woman is trapped in a relationship with an astronomic power imbalance. She is also a tool for the author to critique the healthcare industry in Korea, exploring ways in which compromised healthcare professionals can abuse their positions and still find jobs in remote institutions with high staff turnover.
The plot, whilst engaging, came together a bit too neatly in the end. At about the 60% mark, there was a red herring that would have been a more interesting and original twist than what actually happens as it would have subverted the readers' expectations. The queer relationships could have been explored more openly and in more detail.
Nevertheless, this is one of my favourite recent reads. Highly recommended.
The narrative focuses around a series of unexplained suicides at a godforsaken hospital/care home full of long-term patients with few or no relatives to care for them. Structured as a crime novel, the book explores three different female perspectives: a detective assigned to the case whose elderly friend is a patient, a night shift nurse saddled with her late father's medical debts, and a mysterious ethnically Korean woman who was adopted by a French couple, and whose POV chapters are set decades earlier.
I loved this book so much about this book. The plot is genuinely engaging, and I was equally drawn by the criminal investigation of the detective, the coming of age identity crisis tale set in a deliberately vaguely drawn France, and the social commentary inherent in the nurse's Parasite-like story.
Spoilers:
Alongside Greek Lessons, The Midnight Shift is probably the most European Korean novel I have read recently. Violette's tale manages to avoid many clichés of adoptee stories and write her relationship with her parents in a nuanced and complex way. Her relationship with her Korean identity offered a refreshing perspective on the subject. Su-Yeon, the detective, is an interesting character in her own right and a conduit to explore the issues of elderly loneliness in contemporary Korea, demonstrated through her relationship with the elderly neighbour in her care. Both of their stories also explore Sapphic relationships, still a bit of a taboo in mainstream Korean fiction. Nanju, the nurse, offers a welcome perspective on what happens when a love affair with a vampire has gone south, and a woman is trapped in a relationship with an astronomic power imbalance. She is also a tool for the author to critique the healthcare industry in Korea, exploring ways in which compromised healthcare professionals can abuse their positions and still find jobs in remote institutions with high staff turnover.
The plot, whilst engaging, came together a bit too neatly in the end. At about the 60% mark, there was a red herring that would have been a more interesting and original twist than what actually happens as it would have subverted the readers' expectations. The queer relationships could have been explored more openly and in more detail.
Nevertheless, this is one of my favourite recent reads. Highly recommended.
June 28, 2025
Murder mysteries are never books I’m usually drawn to but when you add a vampire into the mix that changes everything and I’m very glad I gave this a read because it was a lot of fun!
Although the vampire plot drew me in, it was the unlikely relationship between Suyeon and Violette that kept me around. I also loved the backstory we got around Violette and her relationship with a Vampire when she was younger. It wasn’t overtly sapphic but there were lots of undertones or at least that’s what I read into it. It was conflicting and hopeful yet dark at times. The relationships between characters definitely sold the book to me. Let me be clear it isn’t romance but it’s not not romance at the same time.
Translated literature usually has a very clear cut moral message but this book stays a lot more subtle and focused on the plot which I enjoyed a lot actually. However I think for me the big takeaways were the themes around aging, life and death and morality. I love books that explore death and this did it in a really interesting way with ‘suicides’ and vampire killings.
I will say that a lot of the characters lacked something extra. There was no big emotions, certainly a lack of care or empathy, everyone was somewhat simple. I was so close to rating this book 4 stars but I think it was just slightly lacking in some areas for me to give it a whole 4 but it was very close!
All in all, a really enjoyable book and I will probably reread at some point.
3.75/5⭐️
Release date: August 2025
[ Thankyou so much @bloomsburypublishing for sending me a proof of this book ]
Although the vampire plot drew me in, it was the unlikely relationship between Suyeon and Violette that kept me around. I also loved the backstory we got around Violette and her relationship with a Vampire when she was younger. It wasn’t overtly sapphic but there were lots of undertones or at least that’s what I read into it. It was conflicting and hopeful yet dark at times. The relationships between characters definitely sold the book to me. Let me be clear it isn’t romance but it’s not not romance at the same time.
Translated literature usually has a very clear cut moral message but this book stays a lot more subtle and focused on the plot which I enjoyed a lot actually. However I think for me the big takeaways were the themes around aging, life and death and morality. I love books that explore death and this did it in a really interesting way with ‘suicides’ and vampire killings.
I will say that a lot of the characters lacked something extra. There was no big emotions, certainly a lack of care or empathy, everyone was somewhat simple. I was so close to rating this book 4 stars but I think it was just slightly lacking in some areas for me to give it a whole 4 but it was very close!
All in all, a really enjoyable book and I will probably reread at some point.
3.75/5⭐️
Release date: August 2025
[ Thankyou so much @bloomsburypublishing for sending me a proof of this book ]
November 23, 2025
2.5/5
If there's another queer Korean vampire tale that's cleared the gauntlet of an English translation in the last five years, I'm unaware of it. 'Tis a shame, for the field is ripe for such in terms of pop culture and cultural capital, and while this work would've caught my eye even without my familiarity with mildly tangential K-Pop Demon Hunters, I doubt it would've broken into the Anglo market in less than five years without that kind of hypertrending phenomenon. At its best, this took me back to some of my best moments spent watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or more specifically its spin off Angel, as this text is far more brooding postdoc than enterprising, if beleaguered, high schooler. For the most part, though, it was wildly uneven, constantly puncturing its own momentum with fourth-wall-breaking context that was either introduced at the wrong moment or never should've been trotted out at all, making for a plot that was far more interesting as summary than as long form experience.
For all that, I don't take it for granted to have been able to engage with it so soon after its publication thanks to the collection development policies of a local(ish) library, and for all it didn't work for me, it could easily serve as a representation springboard in many a direly needed way. Also, if this got picked up for a TV adaptation by someone willing to take a del Toro Frankenstein/Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle/The Princess Bride approach to the source material. I'd be more than a little chomping at the bit, I will admit.
If there's another queer Korean vampire tale that's cleared the gauntlet of an English translation in the last five years, I'm unaware of it. 'Tis a shame, for the field is ripe for such in terms of pop culture and cultural capital, and while this work would've caught my eye even without my familiarity with mildly tangential K-Pop Demon Hunters, I doubt it would've broken into the Anglo market in less than five years without that kind of hypertrending phenomenon. At its best, this took me back to some of my best moments spent watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer, or more specifically its spin off Angel, as this text is far more brooding postdoc than enterprising, if beleaguered, high schooler. For the most part, though, it was wildly uneven, constantly puncturing its own momentum with fourth-wall-breaking context that was either introduced at the wrong moment or never should've been trotted out at all, making for a plot that was far more interesting as summary than as long form experience.
For all that, I don't take it for granted to have been able to engage with it so soon after its publication thanks to the collection development policies of a local(ish) library, and for all it didn't work for me, it could easily serve as a representation springboard in many a direly needed way. Also, if this got picked up for a TV adaptation by someone willing to take a del Toro Frankenstein/Ghibli's Howl's Moving Castle/The Princess Bride approach to the source material. I'd be more than a little chomping at the bit, I will admit.
July 16, 2025
3.5 ⭐️ It´s difficult to review this book as it´s nothing like I ever read before.
While The Midnight Shift is a vampire murder mystery, this book goes much deeper than that. In its essence it´s a story about human nature, loneliness and grief. What stood out to me was how the author dealt with these themes while still creating a story that felt like a story.
This book promises to be fast-paced and it really is! We get different POVs but also different timelines and I loved this. It gave me, as a reader, a complete view of all the characters. Especially the storyline of Violette and Lily was interesting to me. It is a queer one but I'd say with a sapphic undertone rather than explicit.
All the characters' stories came together eventually and it really felt like no huge revelations were made but the story felt right. There are so many beautiful quotes in this book, I'll have to do a reread at some point and annotate this book!
While The Midnight Shift is a vampire murder mystery, this book goes much deeper than that. In its essence it´s a story about human nature, loneliness and grief. What stood out to me was how the author dealt with these themes while still creating a story that felt like a story.
This book promises to be fast-paced and it really is! We get different POVs but also different timelines and I loved this. It gave me, as a reader, a complete view of all the characters. Especially the storyline of Violette and Lily was interesting to me. It is a queer one but I'd say with a sapphic undertone rather than explicit.
All the characters' stories came together eventually and it really felt like no huge revelations were made but the story felt right. There are so many beautiful quotes in this book, I'll have to do a reread at some point and annotate this book!
October 17, 2025
3.5 / 5
I did enjoy the urban fantasy vibe of this book, paired with the murder mystery it made a refreshing change to what I usually read.
I fear the translation from korean to english kind of "ruined" the writing a bit, at least for me and I didn't really get warm with the style of writing. The story was still well told, but it took me quite long to get through this even though it's a short book.
I did enjoy the urban fantasy vibe of this book, paired with the murder mystery it made a refreshing change to what I usually read.
I fear the translation from korean to english kind of "ruined" the writing a bit, at least for me and I didn't really get warm with the style of writing. The story was still well told, but it took me quite long to get through this even though it's a short book.
October 28, 2025
LOVED!!!!! not the greatest translation though i wish i could read every language ever known to man 😪
February 25, 2025
3.5 rounded up
This story was both so good and compelling, but also slightly underdeveloped. There was just something missing to give it a 4 stars. It's quite short, mysterious, dark and entertaining. I would honestly read it again in the future. (The E-Galley text made it hard to distinguish between paragraphs and povs) I might get a physical copy for a reread when it comes out.
*E-Galley received from Edelweiss and Bloomsbury in exchange of an honest review*
This story was both so good and compelling, but also slightly underdeveloped. There was just something missing to give it a 4 stars. It's quite short, mysterious, dark and entertaining. I would honestly read it again in the future. (The E-Galley text made it hard to distinguish between paragraphs and povs) I might get a physical copy for a reread when it comes out.
*E-Galley received from Edelweiss and Bloomsbury in exchange of an honest review*
December 1, 2025
This was an intensely readable Korean vampire novel that I devoured in two days. At its heart, it's a novel about loneliness, so it was often quite a sad read, but there were glimpses of hope as well.
September 1, 2025
i really liked this. it ignited my realization that i love vampire stories (and that vampires are inherently gay)
January 18, 2025
Sarei tentata di definirlo un romanzetto leggero di evasione, ma potrebbe non essere così banale riuscire a evadere leggendo un libro dalle atmosfere crudamente cupe (il libro è ambientato all'interno di una struttura per lungodegenze nella quale gli anziani vivono abbandonati a se stessi sperando solo in una morte rapida e dimenticati persino dai parenti stessi).
Quindi, mi trovo un po' in difficoltà sul come definirlo: un romanzetto senza troppe pretese, che sicuramente non ambisce a diventare un capolavoro del suo genere né tantomeno a essere "filologicamente accurato" nel descrivere la figura del vampiro, probabilmente destinato a un pubblico di young adult (parte della narrazione si compone da flashback del passato risalenti all'adolescenza di una delle protagoniste). In questo senso, riesce nel suo scopo, facendosi leggere piacevolmente. Peccato per la conclusione, che ho trovato molto deludente in quanto non riesce neanche per scherzo a trasmettere il pathos e l'emozione che sarebbero stati necessari; se non fosse stato per quello, forse forse avrei potuto dargli anche una stellina in più (a volerlo valutare nel contesto del genere letterario di cui fa parte).
In una nota finale, l'autrice spiega di aver scritto il romanzo mentre andava avanti e indietro dalle cliniche di lungodegenza in cui sua mamma era ricoverata da anni, e di aver avuto l'idea di scrivere un libro con questa ambientazione per descrivere al grande pubblico un microcosmo di cui in genere si parla molto poco, e che quindi la gente ignora totalmente finché i casi della vita non dispongono diversamente. E non ne dubito affatto: questo, sotto sotto, è un romanzo che parla di anziani in ospedale (anzi, specificamente in lungodegenza), non di vampiri; i vampiri sono solo la scusa per portare la storia in libreria (e un po' si vede).
Quindi, mi trovo un po' in difficoltà sul come definirlo: un romanzetto senza troppe pretese, che sicuramente non ambisce a diventare un capolavoro del suo genere né tantomeno a essere "filologicamente accurato" nel descrivere la figura del vampiro, probabilmente destinato a un pubblico di young adult (parte della narrazione si compone da flashback del passato risalenti all'adolescenza di una delle protagoniste). In questo senso, riesce nel suo scopo, facendosi leggere piacevolmente. Peccato per la conclusione, che ho trovato molto deludente in quanto non riesce neanche per scherzo a trasmettere il pathos e l'emozione che sarebbero stati necessari; se non fosse stato per quello, forse forse avrei potuto dargli anche una stellina in più (a volerlo valutare nel contesto del genere letterario di cui fa parte).
In una nota finale, l'autrice spiega di aver scritto il romanzo mentre andava avanti e indietro dalle cliniche di lungodegenza in cui sua mamma era ricoverata da anni, e di aver avuto l'idea di scrivere un libro con questa ambientazione per descrivere al grande pubblico un microcosmo di cui in genere si parla molto poco, e che quindi la gente ignora totalmente finché i casi della vita non dispongono diversamente. E non ne dubito affatto: questo, sotto sotto, è un romanzo che parla di anziani in ospedale (anzi, specificamente in lungodegenza), non di vampiri; i vampiri sono solo la scusa per portare la storia in libreria (e un po' si vede).
September 14, 2025
My interest in this book, a gothic fantasy mix with cosy crime, was not the plot, which was what I expected it to be, but the inclusion of vampires. In doing this Cheon allows herself to not be confined to the limits of a genre, and can basically do whatever she wants, and the way she chooses to take the story is cleverly done. Speculative fiction is a broad term, but this certainly fits into it.
What Cheon, and her translator, Gene Png, do particularly well, is in the descriptions of Korean culture, its cuisine and courtesies, and its history. She boldly bends vampiric lore to suit her needs. It was Stoker who suggested that a vampire must be invited over the threshold. It was Slavic folklore that suggested garlic would keep a vampire away. It was Bathory who suggested vampires drank the blood of young women, and now Cheon suggests a sort of unwritten agreement between the vampire community and those who hunt them, that they cannot be attacked unless they are killing the unwilling. It serves her plot well.
Speculative fiction exists to do this. A better example even, is the Mexican writer, José Luis Zárate‘s excellent novel The Route of Ice and Salt where he postulates the sea captain bringing Dracula’s coffin to Whitby was gay, and the effect that might have on such a voyage.
Though here we read about a different country in Korea, the problems and challenges faced by the population are the same. People want to connect, be sociable, to share experiences and vampires seek to divide and destroy.
What Cheon, and her translator, Gene Png, do particularly well, is in the descriptions of Korean culture, its cuisine and courtesies, and its history. She boldly bends vampiric lore to suit her needs. It was Stoker who suggested that a vampire must be invited over the threshold. It was Slavic folklore that suggested garlic would keep a vampire away. It was Bathory who suggested vampires drank the blood of young women, and now Cheon suggests a sort of unwritten agreement between the vampire community and those who hunt them, that they cannot be attacked unless they are killing the unwilling. It serves her plot well.
Speculative fiction exists to do this. A better example even, is the Mexican writer, José Luis Zárate‘s excellent novel The Route of Ice and Salt where he postulates the sea captain bringing Dracula’s coffin to Whitby was gay, and the effect that might have on such a voyage.
Though here we read about a different country in Korea, the problems and challenges faced by the population are the same. People want to connect, be sociable, to share experiences and vampires seek to divide and destroy.
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