'Midnight at the Houdini' by Delilah S. Dawson - Book Tour, Review, & Playlist

9/4/2023

Midnight at the Houdini by Delilah S. Dawson - Book Tour Schedule

Continue below to read my REVIEW of the book, peruse my SUGGESTED PLAYLIST, and be sure to follow this link - [TOUR SCHEDULE] to check out the rest of the stops on the 'MIDNIGHT AT THE HOUDINI' blog tour brought to you by TBR & BEYOND TOURS, DELACORTE PRESS/RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN'S, and DELILAH S. DAWSON!

Midnight at the Houdini by Delilah S. Dawson

Midnight at the Houdini
Delilah S. Dawson

Publisher: Delacorte Press / Random House Children's

Pub Date: Sept. 5th, 2023

Genre: Young Adult Fantasy

Synopsis:

A girl discovers a surreal hotel where no one ever leaves. When the clock strikes midnight she’ll be trapped there forever unless she’s able to break free from magic that in turn breaks all her rules. Perfect for fans of Caraval and The Starless Sea!

The night is perfect and glorious and sparkling, too beautiful to be real. Like magic.

Anna may have grown up in glitzy Las Vegas, but she’s determined that no one will ever call her shallow. While her older sister Emily is the star of the family, Anna is the diligent stage manager, making sure that both their lives go perfectly to plan. But when Emily reveals a startling betrayal, Anna flees in the middle of a raging storm and takes shelter in a boutique establishment she’s never seen before: The Houdini.

Inside, Anna discovers a magic hotel . . . and a magical boy. Earnest, curious Max has lived his entire life inside the Houdini. Over the course of one surreal evening, he becomes Anna’s guide to the curious building. For the first time in her life, Anna is center stage, in a place that anticipates her every desire, with a boy who only has eyes for her.

But that’s because the Houdini has no other guests. No one ever enters the Houdini . . . and no one ever leaves. When the clock strikes midnight, Anna will be trapped in the Houdini forever. If Anna’s ever going to find out who she is on her own in the real world, she’ll first have to make an impossible escape. But will she be able to do it if it means leaving Max behind?

Suggested Playlist for
'Midnight at the Houdini' by Delilah S. Dawson

'I Put a Spell on You' - Screamin' Jay Hawkins

'Magic' - The Cars

'Rhiannon' - Fleetwood Mac

'Good People Do Bad Things' - David Thomas Connolly & Max Samuel Rowat

'Revenge' - David Thomas Connolly & Max Samuel Rowat

'The Curse' - Agnes Obel

'You Can Run' - Adam Jones

r e v i e w
rating: ★ ★ ★ (3 / 5 stars)

I've mentioned before that I have discovered an affinity for fantasy stories with performance magic style settings, so when I saw 'Midnight at the Houdini' by Delilah S. Dawson show up in the tour offerings for the month, I jumped at the chance to give it a read.

The concept is clever and I enjoy the ticking time clock on the course of events. It certainly keeps things interesting knowing that there's a finite point not far ahead and a lot for the main character, Anna, to deal with.. if there's hope of resolution.

While the story is good and the characters are likeable, I find for me personally.. the prose to be just a bit simple. I believe the author is just trying to set the tone to match Anna's age, but her voice doesn't change much between the opening pages when she's a mere 10 year old girl, to the core of the story.. six years later. Despite her whirlwind organizational skills, she seems the same in the way she communicates and processes thoughts.

Ironically, this is a young adult story with definitive young adult themes, some of which are relatively dark. But the style of writing just makes it feel younger. I'd still recommend it as a read, but I'd also suggest adjusting your expectations of the way it's told and how things unfold.

Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it. Anna is a sweet, if needy girl and Max is quite disarmingly charming. The dynamic between the others who run the hotel is filled with tension and the place has a lovely old eerie quality to it.

About the Author:

Delilah S. Dawson is the New York Times-bestselling author of Star Wars: Phasma, Black Spire: Galaxy’s Edge, and The Perfect Weapon. With Kevin Hearne, she writes the Tales of Pell. As Lila Bowen, she writes the Shadow series, beginning with Wake of Vultures. Her other books include the Blud series, the Hit series, and Servants of the Storm.

She’s written comics in the worlds of Marvel Action: Spider-Man, Lore’s Wellington, Star Wars Adventures, Star Wars Forces of Destiny, The X-Files Case Files, Adventure Time, Rick and Morty, and her creator-owned comics include Star Pig, Ladycastle, and Sparrowhawk.

AUTHOR LINKS: WHIMSYDARK.COM | GOODREADS | INSTAGRAM | TWITTER

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