Midnighters #2: Touching Darkness [Hardcover]

In the first book we were introduced into the blue time, the time where only Midnighters can walk through it and where the creatures, the darklings, exist. This time we find out that this secret time gets known to non-midnighters that are threating our five midnighters.

The characters in this book have started to change as the events progress and they are constantly in danger. People, non-midnighters, are following them and they have to make hard decisions. Jessica was more confident in this book since she has the power to defend all five of them since she's the flame-bringer. Also new characters are introduced, characters that want to harm them and also old midnighters are introduced, to help them figure out the blue time. The timing isn't the best though and they find it hard to trust anyone resulting putting in great danger one of them.

The writing was fabulous again and Scott Westerfeld made me actually like a little more physics and understand that after all those math classes, they may come in hand one day. The plot was fast paced. After the initial intro in this wold the pace picks up and it is filled with action-paced scenes and the developing of this new world -the secret hour- that it seems that it doesn't stop from growing.

Overall I enjoyed Touching Darkness so much more than the first book The Secret Hour and I can't wait for the last book called Blue Noon. If you have read the first one and wasn't so sure about it, give this one a try. It's worth it. It's so much easier to understand it now that you have already known the basics of the Secret Hour. It's one of those series that gets better as it goes.

Touching Darkness by Scott Westerfeld is the second book in The Midnighters series and is so much more interesting than the first novel in the series. This book starts off somewhat uninteresting, but after the first chapter, the story goes in an unexpected direction. I had no idea what would happen next, which made the story all the more better.

Jessica and her boyfriend Jonathan are jumping around during the secret hour that occurs at midnight. Only the Midnighters are able to live through that hour, while the normal humans freeze in their spots. Jonathan spots a man taking pictures of Jessica's window. Someone knows about the secret hour and that someone wants Jessica dead.

I especially liked the fact that no new main characters were introduced, but the story went more in-depth with new antagonists. There are so many secrets of midnight and of the disappeared Midnighters of the past that are revealed in this novel.

I highly recommend this series for people of all ages, especially those that enjoy a unique fantasy.

Second installment of the Midnighters trilogy.
Jessica Day has finally discovered her powers and now she knows why the Darklings were out to get her. She,out of all the midnighters, possesses powers strong enough to KILL darklings with common household utensils, like a flashlight. After thousands of years comes along Jessica who can bring technology and fire INTO the secret hour, something the darklings greatly feared. Just like how darklings manipulate peoples nightmares, Jessica is bringing their nightmares to their sanctuary. The reason why the darklings had created the secret hour has diminished all thanks to jessica. Ever since Jessica discovered her powers and the darklings attempt to kill her was a fail, they have decided to leave her alone.
In this installment, not only is Jessica in danger but ALL Midnighters are at the risk of becoming extinct. Surprisingly, the cause of this extinction is not darklings but mere humans. The Midnighters fear there are some people out there who know about the existence of the "secret hour" and to top this, they know a whole lot more than the Midnighters.
Melissa will become better at manipulating her mindcasting powers. Jessica will become the unstoppable Flame-bringer. Jonathan will apply his knowledge of physics to enhance the "flying experience". Dess will stumble upon a gadget which will take numbers to a whole new level.But Rex will discover there is a lot more to the lore than meets the eye. Rex will come to know that even though lore does not lie, their answer to the plot holes in the lore lies within Bixby's Daylighters(people) history. All Midnighters will learn something unpredictable occurred to the past generation of Midnighters 50 years ago which made them all disappear, the same way these 5 are about to now.
The second installment is very fast paced and picks up right after the first one halted. In my opinion, it is better than the first because it has a greater mystery aspect to it. Relationships will be taken to a new level. Secrets about the secret hour will be revealed. Of course, unlike the first one, this one doesn't take time building up the plot, getting into the story, developing characters and setting; but goes right into the main plot.
Highly recommended if you have read the first one, this one will leave you asking for more...