This fairy tale has no happy endings only dark beginnings.
They call them the Crimson Fold. High up in their castle they look down on my little world and wield a silent control. That is until the invitations are sent out.
I never dreamed I’d be selected. They tell me it’s a privilege. I should be honored. But the fear in their eyes doesn’t lie.
If I refuse to go, my family will be shunned. If I go, my life and my body will no longer be mine. It’ll be theirs.
At midnight it will be over. At Midnight I’ll be his.
Hello everyone!
It’s been a while since I’ve posted but I am here with another review! This week I read Until Midnight by Erin Bedford. In summary, I think it’s a combination of the Hunger Games, The Selection, and a classic Cinderella tale. While it does take themes from these books, it still manages to stay pretty original and doesn’t feel like I am rereading one of these other books.
Summary
The book tells the tale of Clarabelle “Clara” whose father recently remarried into the upper class of her society and moves to Inner Circle. Before this, Clara and her father lived in “the glade” which lies on the outskirts of the Kingdom, a place where the lowest class lives and works with no food and no resources. While still trying to fit into this new luxurious lifestyle, Clara discovers a tradition in which the ruling class, The Crimson Fold, send invitations to the inner circle every year, inviting the eldest child to come to the palace.
When Clara is invited to attend this event, she does not want to go, but her stepmother deceives her into accepting the invitation. With no way out, Clara is now forced to compete to earn a spot at the palace and remain there forever. The alternative is to be sent home with her memory wiped clean. The places you could receive in the castle are 1. Servant, 2. Companion, and the 3rd and most coveted, a Convert. Whoever is chosen as the convert will be married to the leader of this society, Patrick Blordril.
Review
The book has many twists, turns, and surprises that kept it exciting and stopped me from putting it down.
Clara’s character was well developed and remained consistent with her beliefs throughout the entirety of the book. I wish we would have learned more about Clara’s background in the glade so we could see what events made her the person she is. I hope the author expands on that in the second book.
What I think was not done well was the relationship between Patrick Blodril and Clara. From the beginning, it is clear that Patrick had a particular interest in her, but their interactions were so short that I felt no connection to them as a couple. Maybe that was the point, but I felt like there could have been more moments with just the two of them. They didn’t develop as a couple, so I wasn’t that interested when (spoiler alert) he chose her as his convert in the end.
Overall the book was a good read, and in usual Shelby fashion, I read it in one sitting.
I would give this book,
More reviews are coming soon!
XOXO Shelby Grace
