Snag Five Midnights Depicted By Ann Dávila Cardinal Distributed As Volume

hell that was a good book, The audiobook narrator is superb, I loved the struggles with ethnic identity, Abandonment issues. The powers of belief and the interesting questions of at what age are you held fully responsible for your own actions.
Does your environment or circumstances play into that if so how much This review can also be found at sitelinkCarole's Random Life in Books.


I was pretty impressed with this novel! I thought that this book sounded interesting when I saw it on a blog a few months ago so I was really excited when I got my hands on an early copy.
Once I started reading, I knew that I was in for a treat because I was hooked right away.
I thought that this book was a really entertained read,

I am ashamed to say that I haven't read too many books set in Puerto Rico so I really liked the fact that this book not only was set there but was based on folklore from the island.
I really felt like the setting played a big part in the story and was really well done.
Puerto Rico really came alive in this book, Everything from the relationships between the characters, the crime, and general attitudes were vividly described,

This story is told from multiple points of view, Some points of view are used very rarely while others carry the bulk of the story, I thought that each point of view was distinctive and I really grew to like the main characters.
Lupe was a really interesting character, I liked the fact that she had Puerto Rican roots but was really more of an outsider.
It was nice seeing things from her perspective, Javier's character was equally important, He was really in the center of the story and I liked that he had worked so hard to make his life better.
They worked really well together as a team,

I thought that the mystery in this story was really well done, I loved the fact that there was a bit of horror and some supernatural elements worked into the story.
I wasn't exactly sure what was causing everything and enjoyed watching Lupe and Javier work to figure it out.
There were some pretty exciting moments in the story and quite a few surprises, I found this to be quite the pageturner,

I would recommend this book to others, I thought that this book was really well written with a fantastic premise and wonderful characters, I will definitely be looking out for future books written by this talented author,

I received a review copy of this book from Tor Teen,

Initial Thoughts
I really liked this one! I was hooked by this story from the very start.
I loved the horror and supernatural aspects of the story, The fact that this book includes cultural folklore and really does a great job with the Puerto Rican setting.
I liked the characters and thought that the mystery was really well done, So glad I read this one!
every single young puerto rican guy of any importance to the story was a drug addict and/or a gang member.

all the fathers were absentee and/or drunks, abusive or cheaters,
the only puerto rican girl of any importance to the story was impulsive, explosive, violent and called crazy by everyone.

the island was described as a depressing, crumbling hole of economic and cultural disrepair,
the very first spanish words in the novel were incorrect,
every puerto rican character was extremely superstitious and religious, the only haitian character happened to know a lot about voodoo, so make of that what you will.

most of the puerto rican characters were disgustingly racist, especially against the halfwhite, halfpuerto rican protagonist.
just because some puerto ricans recognize and reject our state as an american colony it does not make us hateful against whites and/or americans.
you will never find a freaking professor in the most important university on the island and the caribbean openly telling a girl that her blood is sullied because her mom is white.
you won't see us turning around to stare and whisper about a paleskinned person on the street becausepale people are ridiculously common here my own paternal grandma is paleskinned, whiteblonde and paleblue eyed andit's not weird in the slightest to see white tourists in Old San Juan.


moreover, the characters were insufferable, especially the mc, the plot near nonsensical and the pace all over the place.
new audiobook

sitelink Blog sitelinkTrigger Warning Database sitelinkTwitter sitelinkInstagram
Out TODAY from Tor Teen!

The blurb for Five Midnights caught my attention immediately.
YA horror set in Puerto Rico Myths and legends coming to life Hells yeah!

What I was expecting: this will be really cool and different and probably diverse, since its a Tor Teen title.


What I was NOT expecting: a story this rich, powerful, and full of depth! Darkly beautiful descriptions.
A thoughtprovoking story packed full of themes, written in a way thats smart but not didactic, A setting that leaps from the page, Distinct, relatable characters that face vastly different, yet veryrealistic feeling struggles,

In short, I was unprepared for the sheer brilliance of this story, Five Midnights isnt a trick, It includes everything youd expect from YA horror, Its creepy, gritty and atmospheric, There are teenagers struggling to find their place in the world, There are overprotective parents. Theres a light romance element,

Its just that the story also contains SO, MUCH. MORE. Drugs, drug culture, and addiction, The downward spiral of impoverished neighborhoods and the effects on kids who grow up in them, Morality and personal responsibility. Loss. What its like to approach a culture from the outside, A taste of Puerto Rico and really, I could almost taste it through all of the delicious food descriptions!

The story isnt particularly gory.
The horror lies in so much more than the legend of El Cuco though El Cuco is pretty shudderworthy too.
Its in the realization of what each kid in the story has gone through, What its like for the mothers in the neighborhood, watching and desperately trying to keep their kids away from the temptation of drugs and drug money.
Its in the terrible understanding of what happens when kids are forced to grow up too soon.


I loved this story and highly, highly recommend it! Seriously, ready for more Ann Dávila Cardinal books ASAP sign me up for anything she writes!

Thank you to Tor Teen and Netgalley for an advanced copy

of the book in exchange for an honest review.
All opinions are my own, .