Midnight

by Nicholle Pugmire, Maddison Stewart (Illustrator)

Disillusioned with her life as an innkeeper’s daughter in a poor farming community, sixteen-year-old Elle longs for an opportunity to achieve her dreams of becoming a famous dancer. When she is approached by a handsome and mysterious stranger who promises to fulfill her deepest dreams, Elle finds herself swept away to a magical realm full of both beauty and danger. Now Elle must decide whether her visions of grandeur are worth leaving everything else behind, including her best friend, Wes. In a Cinderella story unlike any other, Elle discovers that dreams can quickly become nightmares, and often the greatest treasures are those that are overlooked.

253 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 21, 2020

Reviews

[Charissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This twist on the Cinderella story takes us into a fantasy world of fae, fairies, and other fantastic, dangerous creatures as Elle, who dreams of dancing for the governor at the fall festival, is charmed by a handsome stranger who ends up taking her into the fae world, where her dreams come true as she dances all night for the fairy creatures and is happy beyond her wildest dreams. But Wes, her best friend who plays the flutes so she can dance on the old wooden stage of the inn her step-mother keeps, thinks she’s making a grave mistake. He determines to save her from her folly. But will he be able to convince her that the fairy world is not her dream come true, but that he is? Or will he have to give up on his own dreams and set her free?

This was a fun story, with lots of thrilling adventure and magical creatures to play in your dreams or nightmares. It’s a super unique twist on the Cinderella story that will keep you turning pages to see how Elle’s story plays out. I loved the theme of being happy with your life as it is and being grateful for what’s right in front of you. Sometimes the things we love most are the things we take most for granted.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really like this authors writing. Good story, fun characters and very descriptive! It did take a while for Elle to finally figure it out and recognize what she had, and I had a hard time thinking of her as a Cinderella sort, just because Cinderella is always counting her blessings and Elle just wants out of there... but because it was a mix of 12 dancing princesses and Cinderella she had a good personality for what was happening to the story I guess. I really liked Wes, good ol Wes!