So I’m going to review all 3 books in this trilogy in one review because why not. Obviously, there are spoilers in review for book 2 and 3 for the previous book(s). My reviews are also going to be a tad shorter than usual.
Until Midnight
My Rating: ★★★★★
Synopsis: 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.
Review for Until Midnight : Oooh!!!!! This book was amazing! This is my first time ever entering the vampire genre (books and films, I’ve never read or watched them as they are always mainstream and I don’t want to follow the crowd). This book mainly focuses on vampires near the end but don’t worry we have a lot of drama before that!
The book starts with a girl named Clarabelle. She is from the Glade which is the farming land far away from the rich centre of the country and the city. I’m the Glade people have no medicine and often starve. Clara’s father is newlywed so Clara’s stepmother is trying to help her fit in (If helping is the right word). Clara’s stepmother disregards anyone who isn’t her two daughters. Anyway, Clara is given an invitation to the ball held by the ‘Crimson Fold’. They are the leaders of the country and live in the ‘Core’. Clara has never heard of this ball as only people from the ‘inner circle’ are asked to attend. One 17-21 year old woman from specific families I believe (I’m not entirely sure).
I like Clara and how she acts in front of the leaders Crimson Fold. This book is a mix of Cinderella, Hunger Games and the Selection series. By this, you already know it’s going to be good. Clara is comfortable in her own skin and doesn’t forget where she has come from.
“You bring us here, lavish us with food and fancy clothing,” I jerked at the bottom of my shirt, “When you have people starving out in the rest of the rings.”
I applaud her for standing up for herself. She’s undoubtedly strong.
We don’t really pay much attention to Patrick Blordril. He is the leader of the ‘Crimson Fold’ so the leader of the country. He has taken a liking to Clarabelle but Clarabelle hates him.
I enjoyed the writing style of this book. My only complaint was that it took me a while to understand the first 2 or 3 chapters about how she didn’t know what was happening and such. It could just be me but I had to reread that bit. However, the rest of the book was gripping and we had friends and enemies (can we tell the difference between them though). I was shocked that his was a YA book from the synopsis but it definitely is.
Overall, this book gets 5 stars. It was an enticing read. It had a lot of drama and rivalry and we kind of have a romance (kind of).
Until Dawn
My Rating: ★★★★ an 1/2 or 4.5
Synopsis: The Hunger Games meets Cinderella. Happily Ever After is only beginning. Winning had never been the plan. I just wanted to go home. I still do. Now, I’m in too deep. With my conversion only days away, the count down has begun. When it hits zero, I lose. My only hope is to rely on the one who brought me here in the first place. A few unlikely friends might make all the difference between the Fold winning and a revolution. If I can stay alive that long.
Review for Until Dawn: After reading this book, I can say that the hype around vampires is justified. I found this especially in the second half of chapter 6.
In the previous book, Clara had just been chosen to be a convert for Patrick. She is trying to get Marsha (her friend who happens to be a boy) to believe her that the Crimson Fold are just vampires.
Ooh, Patrick is a character. He is kind enough to Clarabelle, as kind as he can be. Patrick is trying to become friends with her (even though they are in a forced marriage). I like Patrick, he is becoming a real love interest for Clarabelle in this book.
Clarabelle just stays in bed for the first few days and I was worried that she was going to lose her fire. Of course, she didn’t and is still trying to fight against the Crimson Fold and her growing feelings for Patrick.
Not much happens in the first quarter of this book but the second half is where the drama goes down. Literally, there are life and death situations here as well as hypnosis. This book is very different, writing-wise to the first book, I think. The first book was more about Clara as a character and setting out the scene. This book is about how Clara is trying to show people the truth about the Crimson Fold. Out of the three, this is my favourite book!
Overall this gets 4.5 stars because we get that buildup of romance and lots of tension and drama. This book is the climax of the trilogy (as it’s the middle book, obviously).
Until Sunset
My Rating: ★★★★ and 1/2 or 4.5
Synopsis: The end? This is just the beginning. Winning seems like a far-off dream. Something that happened a lifetime ago, to someone else. Now, I don’t even recognize myself. This hunger inside of me demands to be fed, but the need to save my people is stronger. It’ll come down to us versus them, but the problem is which side am I really on? And will I be able to live with myself when it is all over? Living with regret is even harder when you have eternity to remember.
Review for Until Sunset: Can book 1 and 3 be the joint second place because drama ensues in this book! Drama and a lot of fights.
So Clarabelle has just been forced into a marriage to Patrick and she has fled to her old home in the Glade. She eventually comes up with a plan to expose the Crimson Fold to everyone. Clara is also turned into a vampire just after the wedding so is trying to not eat humans even though the thirst for human blood is driving her insane. She refuses to act like a mad(wo)man.
This book is the most romantic of the three. I could have fallen in love just by reading it (maybe I did fall in love).
*spoiler kind of*
Clara and Patrick actually become more than friends, but not really husband and wife yet.
*spoiler end*
Even though they are husband and wife, they are not exactly friends with each other (who would be friends with their spouse of forced marriage). But Patrick is a gentleman as always, he saved her life by turning her into a vampire. Who knew Patrick would be the real hero!? (Okay I know it was predictable but still, it’s cute!)
I think that Clarabelle is strong even though she does kind of breakdown in chapter 11 although it is expected. Patrick also helps her then and actually helps her throughout the book.
My only complaint is that the ending was underwhelming. I was expecting an amazing ending that put the rest of the books to shame. I’ve heard that there was a fourth book for this series called ‘Until Twilight’ but I haven’t seen it being sold on amazon. The ending was sufficient but I wasn’t anything amazing.
*kind of spoiler*
It kind of has an open ending, we know what happens (they get to go back to the core) but the end line is:
“Let’s go play.”
*spoiler end*
So yeah other than that it was amazing. The ending wasn’t bad it just wasn’t as exciting as I thought it would be and leaves quite a lot of questions, unanswered but otherwise, it’s great so 4.5 stars.
Diary of a Book Addict 