Midnight on the Celestial

Gr 9 Up–In a futuristic society that features both Morphics (who have magical powers) and non-Morphics, Roe Damarcus wields the unique power to resurrect the dead. After turning 18, Roe faces the trial required of all Morphics. If a Morphic fails, two possibilities await them: the permanent loss of their magic, or a job on the cruise ship Celestial, where they must earn the opportunity for a retrial. After failing, Roe boards the Celestial, where she is dismayed to learn that the magic of all the Morphic crew members is painfully extracted each night in order to offer wealthy passengers the supernatural and paranormal experiences for which the cruise is famous. Roe fares badly at her job serving a demanding family on board but eventually makes friends with other servers. Recognizing that the extracted magic is endangering everyone on board, Roe and her fellow shipmates eventually escape the Celestial in hopes of returning to the Demarcus family estate where they will seek the help of Roe’s father, Lord Cyrion. This novel brings readers to the mystical world of Tamarynth and richly details the pleasant and horror-filled aspects of its magic system. The novel moves quickly, creating mystery and suspense with each chapter as the cast of diverse and developing characters (though the race of the main character is not mentioned) rush to save their world from a new war between Morphics and non-Morphics that would surely be destructive. While the novel doesn’t hold back on blood and oozing flesh, readers who enjoy fantasy novels and who can tolerate the gore will love this new addition to the genre. There is some mild language.

[CORRECTION NOTICE: We found an editorial error in the original review; this online version has been corrected.]