Five Midnights

I was intrigued by this YA horror novel because it seemed original and unusual to me. Let's just say I was not disappointed. The novel takes place in Puerto Rico and was written by a Puerto Rican female author. Five friends are being killed one by one and it is up to Javier Utierre who is one of the five, and Lupe Dávila who is the niece of the police chief investigating the murders to work together to solve the murders before Javier becomes one of the victims. Ann Davila Cardinal utilizes the legend of El Cuco and skillfully interweaves the culture of Puerto Rico in the narrative. This is the first book I have ever read that takes place in Puerto Rico and the author put so much marvelous detail that it came to life for me especially the food. The book is marketed as horror but I did not find it frightening but more of a very developed exploration of human nature, society, and myths. It did not detract from the novel at all but actually made it a more interesting read for me. It is a YA horror novel and it is written exactly the way it should be. It is a wonderful introduction to the horror genre for YA, and also rocks in the sense that the author is not only female but from Puerto Rico. All in all, I really enjoyed the writing and will be looking for more books by this author.

3/5 Stars