Review: Midnighters: Touching Darkness by Scott Westerfeld

Synopsis:  From Amazon
The Midnighters of Bixby, Oklahoma, know that their town is full of secrets - especially since they keep the biggest secret of all: knowledge of the secret hour, the mysterious time at midnight when the world freezes, except for them and the creatures that inhabit the darkness. What they don't know is why earlier generations of Midnighters all disappeared, or why they are now the only Midnighters in town. As they learn more about the secret hour's twists and turns, they uncover terrifying mysteries woven into the very fabric of Bixby's history, and a conspiracy that touches both the midnight hour and the world of daylight. At the same time, the Midnighters' own secrets start to emerge, including some that were never meant to come to light, changing the fragile dynamics among the five. This time Jessica Day is not the only Midnighter in mortal danger. If the group can't find a way to overcome their differences, they could lose one of their own - forever

Review:
Firstly, breathing a sigh of relief, I was so happy that the amount of snake references were at a minimum enabling me to enjoy the story without shuddering every few minutes.

The story starts right where The Secret Hour ended, throwing the reader directly into the action and making it necessary to read the books in series order to enable full understanding of the plot, the characters and their interactions. I really liked how all of the Midnighters characters were developed alongside one another.

Further elements were added to the plot, giving it additional depth. The action is still fast paced with some very interesting twists and turns, keeping the reader on the edge of their seat, so to speak. The plot is revealed in segments and it is up to the reader to put the pieces together. I love doing that, trying to guess what happens next, so this aspect really kept me turning the pages. 

My favourite part of this book would have to be that more of The Midnighters history is revealed piece by piece. The history of the group itself plus individual history, the narrative shows how the both aspects tie together, very clever plot building is involved here.

My concerns with Rex and Melissa carried over from The Secret Hour where dealt with completely with some amazing shocks and surprises. The intricacies of their relationship are revealed showing the codependency they have to its full extent. I still think Melissa is hiding something and has her own agenda.  Will I be proved correct, I cant wait to find out so  I will be moving onto book three rapidly. Keep your fingers crossed that the snake references are limited in that one too.

In conclusion, a great sequel, showing further character and plot development while leaving the reader jump to their own conclusions. This middle book in the trilogy certainly has me hooked on this series more than the 1st book did but I think that is because of all the snake references in Book One. Really looking forward to Book Three to achieve resolution with the plot.