Until the Clock Strikes Midnight

Gr 8 Up–Darling and Calamity both want the same thing: for mortal Lucy to avoid an Unhappily Ever After. If successful, they’d win the coveted mentorship with the ­Mortal Outcome Council. However, there’s only one spot available, and they have differing ideas on what Lucy’s life should look like. Darling, an unapologetically big and loud fairy, wants to push Lucy toward True Love’s Kiss and a Happily Ever After. To do that, she thinks helping everyone in Lucy’s town succeed will ultimately help Lucy. ­Calamity, a scowling and practical Misfortune, thinks Lucy should aim for stability. She should get the things she needs to survive in the world and nothing else, resulting in an ­Ordinary Ever After. Each has their reasons for wanting the mentorship, but what happens when, to keep face, they must pretend to be madly in love? Dow (A Song of ­Salvation) gives readers an interesting take on the classic Cinderella story. Each of the characters has depth, and their own needs and wants. Darling deals with a fairy-tale version of anxiety, which is ­delicately handled and is a great representation for young readers. The romance tropes are a bit heavy-handed but self-aware. The author’s meta-fictional work is in coversation with the original material. Characters are described as having various shades of brown skin.