What do You think about The Back Door Of Midnight (2010)?
There are different reasons for reading books, sometimes to simply appreciate the beauty of the writing, sometimes to learn something, sometimes to open your mind to new ideas... there are tons of reasons. My reason for reading this one was pretty simple, I needed an escape, all I was doing for weeks was revising and needed a book that I could read for a couple of minutes a day and feel relief, escape.I wanted fluff. Complete and utter fluff. Nothing that would make me think too hard but also, nothing stupid, sexist or damn annoying which would make me very, very angry. The Back Door of Midnight ticked all the boxes, Chandler is a great Young Adult author and I would definitely recommend this book if you're in dire need of escape or if you just enjoy a cute book because... that's just it: The Back Door of Midnight is a cute mystery with a slightly dark feel and a touch of romance thrown in for good measure.Anna is a likeable protagonist who goes through a lot but is still able to work through her problems with a clear head. It was a little strange how little the death of Anna's uncle affected her but if Anna was a real person, I would totally be okay with talking to her and being friends (I have now decided I'm putting female protagonists into one of two categories when I read a book, either yes, we could be friends or no, she should just remain a fictional character forever). The romance is a little underdeveloped and the love interest, Zack, is a bit of a douche if I'm being perfectly honest.However, the plot makes up for the slightly disappointing love story, it was fun to guess who the murderer was and how all the characters were connected. It was shocking when the killer was revealed! This could be because I really wasn't thinking too much when reading The Back Door of Midnight or because I haven't had much experience in reading mysteries but whatever the reasoning behind why I was shocked, I was shocked all the same.If I had read this book at a different time I probably would've automatically disliked The Back Door of Midnight for the lack of character development and disappointing romance however not being completely invested in the characters made putting down the book more easy to do when I really needed to revise. You would think that it would be hard to pick up the book again for the same reason but I thoroughly enjoyed the plot and the overall feel of the book is pretty original; both fluffy and dark at the same time.In one sentence? The Back Door of Midnight is an entertaining read.More reviews and my music choice for The Back Door of Midnight can be found on my blog, Lyrics. :)
—Sadia
When Anna O'Neill receives a letter from her Uncle Will, requesting that she visit, she doesn't think much of it. She expects to spend the summer before college getting to know her only remaining family better, but instead, upon her arrival in Wisteria, she finds out that Uncle Will has been murdered. The police have no real leads, and her possibly psychic or just crazy Aunt Iris is no help at all. Anna can't just let it be, especially when she finds out that her uncle's murder may be connected to the murder of her own mother years earlier. But is Anna really prepared to delve deep into Wisteria's families' deadly secrets? Caught between strange psychic visions, frightening threats, and a cute boy with secrets of his own, Anna will have to solve these murders--before she becomes the next victim.Chandler has written many other paranormal murder mysteries set in Wisteria, so one would think that Dark Secrets 3 would bore me. I am happy to say that despite the many similarities that The Back Door of Midnight shares with the stories in Dark Secrets 1 and Dark Secrets 2, boredom was the farthest thing from my mind while reading this story. I became quite easily immersed in Anna's story and investigation and was not at all disappointed by the murder mystery presented by Chandler. Where I believe Dark Secrets 3 triumphs over the other Dark Secrets stories is in romance. In both Dark Secrets 1 and Dark Secrets 2, I was rather disconcerted by how the heroine found love by the last page because the romantic relationships were always inadequately developed. However, Anna's relationship with Zack in Dark Secrets 3 is much more satisfying when it comes to fruition because they had a real connection throughout the whole story.
—Khalia Hades
tAfter Anna receives a letter from her Uncle Will asking her to spend the summer with him, she plans to go to Wisteria and spend her last summer before college getting to know her only relative. When Anna arrives in Wisteria she is faced with the shocking reality that her Uncle Will has been murdered. Anna quickly realizes that the rumors that her aunt is mentally ill are true, but Anna feels like its her responsibility to stay with Iris and figure out the mystery.“People fear anyone who differs from what is considered normal, and in a small town the idea of normal can be as narrow as the streets.” Everyone in Wisteria assumes that Anna must be as crazy as her aunt.tAs if her summer wasn’t crazy enough, Anna finds herself falling for Zack, the cute boy next door. She is confused whether or not she should trust Zack, she doesn’t want to believe it, but she thinks that he might now more about her uncles murder than he is telling her. Zach asks Anna, “Actually, I came because I have a last-minute invitation. My friend Erika Gill is having a big party tomorrow night, one of those all-out birthday bashes that girls like. Want to go?" Anna replies, "No. Sorry." Zach starts to respond, "Since it's a catered thing, at a restaurant, I'll pick you up at- what did you say?" Anna repeats, "I'm sorry. I can't do it." Zach in shock asks Anna, "You're busy?" Anna repeats herself, "I just can't do it.” This part of the book surprised me, I thought for sure that Anna would say yes when Zack asked her out, and the fact that she later on does accept it, makes you question their relationship even more. After Anna begins her investigation, and makes a connection between her birth mothers murder and her uncles, she is determined to get to the bottom of it in fear that she may be next. tI really enjoyed this book, I have read other murder mysteries by Elizabeth Chandler, and this is by far my favorite. When I first started reading this book, I was worried that I was going to be bored because I thought it was going to be just like her other books. I soon got hooked into the mystery of the murders, and found myself questioning whether or not Anna should trust Zack. This book was very well-written, the language was easy to understand. Parts of this story were easy to relate to, but the mystery behind the murders are definitely what intrigued me. I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you have read other Elizabeth Chandler books. tI would rate this book a 4, although it was not quite a 5, it was still a very good book. It was one of those books that made you keep wanting to read, and wondering what was going to happen next. I felt myself questioning who I should trust as I read, and couldn’t figure out who the murderer was until the very end.
—Katie C
