By Rhiannon Frater and Kody Boye
Publication Date: February 28, 2013
Genre: Young Adult Paranormal
Source: Xpresso Book ToursBest friends since kindergarten, Adam and Christy have always been the perpetual outsiders in their small town in Texas. The other kids call Adam gay and Christy a witch.
On both counts the bullies are right.
Their junior year in high school seems destined to be the same old same old until Christy decides to cast a love spell for Adam at the midnight hour. The next day an alluring and mysterious boy enrolls at school and sets hearts aflutter, including Adam’s. Meanwhile, Christy’s mad crush on the handsome football player Ian seems to be going nowhere fast and her witch puberty is making her life miserable.
When a great evil arrives in town that threatens everything they hold dear, the best friends realize that finding a boyfriend is the least of their worries. Soon Adam and Christy will have to battle a force of darkness that has killed in their town before, and will again.
Goodreads Summary
It’s time for another gushingly incoherent review! We can even make a drinking game out of it, just for fun (I would advise against using liquor though): for every “I really liked..” take a sip of whatever you’re drinking. For every “I loved..” take a full drink and for every minor curse word, chug whatever’s in your glass or cup. Assuming you’ve got something semi-healthy in there, I’m promoting kidney health, right?
I’ve been slacking on my Frater-freaking, mostly because of that lack of time thingy, and until I read The Midnight Spell, I hadn’t been aware of Kody Boye. I don’t have to know that much about either of them though to know they’re like peanut butter and chocolate and they make one very yummy peanut butter cup. They seemed to effortlessly fall into the skins of the teens, parents and somehow, a broom and cat.
I don’t even know if I have a favorite character, which seems odd. As the only gay boy in the tiny town he lives in, Adam is so lonely in love that his bestie Christy crafts a love spell for him. Even though she says she’s a witch and everyone at school calls her a witch, even Adam isn’t truly a believer, so he thinks it’s more like coincidence when a guy who fits his dream list to a T shows up at school the next day and he’s gay and interested. There were times when I was sniffling because of how keenly Adam felt his isolation and need for love, even though he was surrounded by the best of friends and family. When he gets horribly bullied by jerks – okay, yeah, I had Kleenex in hand and was pissed off as hell. I loved (drink up) his character so much; I wanted to hug him, cheer for him, be his friend and feed this kid breakfast. Sheesh, he never ate a proper meal!
Christy held just as much of my heart as Adam did, she was such a great combination of a confident butt-kicker and insecure, defensive girl. She gets crap at school for the way she looks and acts and at home, she’s the daughter of …well, some powerful parents and she’s not that powerful, at least not yet. She was so awesome standing up for Adam and her constantly texting him was funny. I did like that she came into her powers as the story went along but I would have thought her mom at least would have given her guidance considering what evil things were going on. It seemed odd to me to just leave Christy to run around doing her best to come up with spells on the fly.
You might as well just go grab a couple of glasses of whatever you’re drinking and down them. I’m not going to repeat myself because this part would be a mass of “loved,” but that’s what I think about all of these characters, so the intent is there. The supporting characters were so funny and sweet and charming that every time they showed up on the page, I was glad to see them. Adam’s mom is a manic pixie shoe whore, his sister is a glowering crab and they make his household feel so warm and real. Christy’s family was just flat-out hilarious. Her hippy witch mom, her Wii-loving (and oh, so inappropriate) Dad, her cat/mom’s familiar Callie and a sneaky, spying broom made me wonder how she ever kept being a real witch silent from anyone. The way she kept throwing up or getting tongue-tied around Ian, her big crush, was kind of endearing; really, how many of us can relate to having that one big crush and being flustered when they finally talk to us?
It was pretty easy to see that Mark wasn’t who he said he was fairly on, but I loved the way the authors played out his story, even if it was painful to read because of the wringer they were putting Adam through. The last quarter of the book was full of action and heavier on the paranormal stuff than the first three quarters, well worth waiting for. There were a couple of fun (and funny) surprises in there too.
I absolutely loved this and if this is what Frater and Boye can do together, I would like to encourage them to peanut butter cup-it again for the sake of us readers. It was fun, a little heart-breaking, a great testament to the power of friendship and a reminder that cats rule, dogs drool.
My Rating: A
I had the pleasure of working with Kody during Fraterfest, and I am so glad you think they are peanut butter and chocolate..yum. Love your review, I am now out of coffee though!
That’s so cool that you got to know Kody! Coffee is an ever replenishing resource at your house, I suspect.
So it’s all good, right?
lol. I am a dog person. :p But Callie was freaking awesome. I loved this one so much. I loved the family dynamics for both Christy and Adam. I am a fan of Frater and Boye now.. Amazing review.
Jenea @ Books Live Forever
Thank you, doll! I will allow you to post, even if you are one of those drooling doggy people.
This was such a great book – I saw somewhere that Frater and Boye would be open to a sequel if there was a demand for it. Ha, I DEMAND it. 
Wow! You really enjoyed this book, Barb! There’s just so much praise in this review. I might need to read it soon if you enjoyed it so much! I’ll probably love it too. I can’t wait to meet the fantastic cast.
By the way, I don’t like peanut butter. I find it gross! >.<
I loved it! You do need to read it, find some time in that brainiac schedule of yours. lol
I shouldn’t tell you that every so often I just have a giant spoonful of extra crunchy peanut butter for lunch then, huh? I don’t like peanut butter with jelly though, that’s gross. Slimy. *shudder*
Thanks for the giveaway! I’ve seen this book floating around on various blogs and think it looks really good.
mestith at gmail dot com
It’s great Meghan! I hope you have a chance to read it.
I have three of Rhiannon’s books and haven’t been able to get to them YET!! I think I’ll love her writing! Fabulous review, can’t wait to get my hands on this one.
Definitely do, Nova!! Since it’s a standalone so far, it’s easy to pick it up and whip through it. I thought it looked long so it would take me a while. I never put it down and the time flew by.
LOL – Frater-freaking! I loved the little sister and Olivia!
*snicker* Olivia and her suckers were too funny and Adam’s sister was like a female Damian.
Dude, If I was a drinker–>I would be DRUNK!! Love PB&Chocolate-YUM and I actually had to pass @ reviewing this, because my plate was full, but someday I will squeeze it in. Fantastic review!
Hey now, I warned against no alcohol! (that was my PSA of the day) I hope you get a chance to read it, I think you’d LOVE it. I know what you mean about having to pass on something though. I keep seeing things go by that make me sniffle over.
I just received my copy of this book from Rhiannon the other day and I am very much looking forward to reading this one. I am also excited to check out Kody’s writing as we come from the same area. I am glad I didn’t take you up on that drinking game!
Ooh, I hope you’re reviewing it! I’d love to hear what you thought about it. I was amazed to read about Kody and how freaking young he is. He’s incredible, I can’t wait to read some of his things.
Hey now, you could have had anything you’d like to drink!
Bwahahahaha!!!! I am so drunk right now and spinning on a Reese’s cup high!!!
I really loved this story, too!!! I didn’t know Kody either but I really love his voice. Like you thought something was up with Mark from the beginning, I thought that too but I was really, really hoping for a dream come true. I liked how they brought that back around, huh?!?
Another hysterical review, girlie!!!!!
YES – How cool was it that Adam…eh….you have to read it.
I was all giddy and squirmy, but that could have been the chocolate, mostly from my cursing and need of a bathroom break. lol
I’m so glad you loved it too! Those two said a sequel might happen if people seemed to want it. I think we the peeps want it, huh?
Aw thank you – since you’re the queen of reviews that make me choke on whatever I’m drinking ..or air..
Great review!!! I am adding this to my tbr pile.
Thank you, Heather! I hope you get a chance to read it, it’s really an awesome book and well worth taking the time to read.
Sounds like a really good book!! I’m adding it to my TBR pile (the ever-growing one ;D)