Review: Midnight City (Conquered Earth #1) by J. Barton Mitchell

Title: Midnight City (Conquered Earth #1)

Author: J. Barton Mitchell
Published:  Oct 30th 2012 by St. Martin's Griffin

Book taken from Netgalley

Book Description:
Earth has been conquered. An extraterrestrial race known as The Assembly has abducted the adult population, leaving the planet’s youth to fend for themselves. In this treacherous landscape, Holt, a bounty hunter, is transporting his prisoner Mira when they discover Zoey, a young girl with powerful abilities who could be the key to stopping The Assembly. As they make their way to the cavernous metropolis of Midnight City, the trio must contend with freedom fighters, mutants, otherworldly artifacts, pirates, feuding alien armies, and perhaps most perilous of all: Holt and Mira’s growing attraction to each other.

Midnight City is the breathtaking first novel in the Conquered Earth series, and a stunning work of imagination from debut author J. Barton Mitchell.

MY THOUGHTS:

Like Whoa! It’s all action till the end. I love how dystopian, post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, adventure and romance merges together in one book. It was pure bliss and it’s hard to put down.

The story started where the aliens had taken over the earth. The population was almost wiped out. All the adults have succumbed, leaving children and teens on their own. Holt is a bounty hunter and a heedless. Somehow, he’s immune to the tone. He was told to capture Mira, a freebooter from Midnight City. He needs her in order for him to get out of the group (Menagerie). But capturing Mira is as hard as winning the war. The story took a great turn when the met Zoey, a 9 year old kid who keeps a secret that could save them all.  What can Zoey do? Can Holt be able to turn Mira in, despite his growing affection? You have to read this awesome book to find out.

I love books with superb world-building. Midnight City did not disappoint me at all. It has everything that I want from a book.  As for the genre, I have an itch when it comes to sci-fi, dystopian and post-apocalyptic. I love how all those genres are in one book. It’s brilliant!

The survival and adventure always captures my interest. I think its how one character can endure the hardships. Their strength and strong wills fascinates me.  The story is written in a fast-paced manner, where you have to brace yourself from aliens, mutants and pirates. The element of surprise! You don’t know where the story can lead to. I also enjoyed how the author described the scenes in a detailed manner. The vultures, raptors and fall out swarms gave me goose bumps and heaps of excitement. Again, I like how it was written perfectly like it could be turn into a comic or manga rather than a book. It certainly dragged me out of reality.

The characters are interesting and easy to like. The book was written in third person. You get to see the whole story from Mira to Holt. Two characters that I came to love. Holt had caught my attention instantly. He’s strong, brave and cold. Yep, cold because of what happened to his past. Somehow Mira and Zoey made him a bit softer. Mira reminds me of Katniss from Hunger Games. I love how brave and brilliant she is.  She’s a butt kicking and innovative. Zoey’s character gave spice to the story. The aliens want her badly! –Can’t really tell why- She’s innocent and funny. Her remarks made me laugh several times. A nine year old match maker!

The romance angle is good. It was not insta love. I enjoyed Holt and Mira’s blossoming relationship; it felt real. The “Ohhhhh! Can you guys kiss already?” moments made this book more appealing.

Overall, Midnight City is a fun read. I recommend this book to sci-fi, dystopian and post-apocalyptic lovers. It has a hint of romance that you don’t want to miss. I can’t wait to read another book from this author.

I give this 4.5 whales.