The Thrill

Midnight Secrets #2

by Wolff Ryp

Kendra believes that Ariane is the cause of the bad luck that seems to follow her, until the mysterious and seductive Revell reappears in Kendra's life

Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Horror

212 pages, Paperback

First published January 4, 1994

Reviews

[Amna Azhar · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very very fun to read while it is raining.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great follow up to the first book of the series, Temptation, The. A new character appears, and we don't really know what her angle is. And of course Revell (Rodolphe in the French version) is still there, lurking around and trying to control poor Kendra. We also learn a bit more about the secret surrounding Revell and the manor.

[Janice · Rating 5 out of 5]

this so crazy wat happen to her is like everything in her life is a trap. is fun n cool to read this book

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has it really been less than a month since I read the first book in this series? It feels like a dim memory from years past. But hey, I'm not alone in that: Kendra also remembers nothing that happened in The Temptation. Which means we get basically the same plot all over again. The only difference is that this time we get a shifty French girl staying at the spooky house. Kendra doesn't trust her, but stepbrother Anthony seems rather smitten! With his father's niece. Why was cousincest still a sexy thing in the '90s?

Revell continues to be a non-threatening non-presence. In fact he's even less formidable in this book, where he's off-page for 90% of it. Kendra resists his manipulation so easily that there's never any real suspense. And again, why isn't he a vampire? He's clearly immortal, he's seductive (to Kendra, not to the reader), he has powers of mind control, he keeps saying he needs Kendra's "life force" to stay alive, he hangs out in cemeteries.... Seriously, the series is called Midnight Secrets! Just make him a vampire, Wolff Ryp! Instead Revell is some vaguely defined, boring malevolent force whose abilities and motivations are entirely unclear.

Word of advice to YA writers: If you've only got 200 pages to develop your story, maybe don't populate it with a dozen bland characters. Pretty much the only characters Ryp needed for this story were Kendra, Ariane, Revell, and the ghost of Syrie, and none of them are developed enough to be interesting. That leaves us with Neil, Dinah, Michel, Hallie, Anthony, Mrs. Stavros, and Graham hanging around with pretty much nothing to do for the entire book. At least Kendra's sister Lauren got shipped off in the first chapter so we didn't have to deal with her.

Probably the only thing that sets these books apart is the urban setting. You're used to YA horror taking place in the suburbs, or small towns in the middle of nowhere, or isolated chateaus in the countryside of some English-speaking European nation. Having one take place in the heart of New York City, where the protagonist takes cabs and buses everywhere and shops on Fifth Avenue, is novel.

[Marlina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, I just finished book 2 of the midnight secrets trilogy. What can I say about it? Well, it is a continuation from the first book and is marginally better than the first. There are return characters and new ones. The book ends on a cliffhanger, and for completion's sake, I will be reading the last book. Like I said in my first review, the book is ok and geared towards young adults and a great gateway to paranormal suspense ("romance?").

Anyway, I am happy i am able to revisit a childhood haunt and can't wait to come full circle with the last book.

[Paula Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

This basically feels like I'm reading the same book all over again! Kendra has conveniently forgotten all about Revell since she destroyed him in the first book, so we have to slog through the exact same plot as Kendra slowly figures out he's not all he's cracked up to be.

Boring! Should have made it a two-parter.