The Midnight Realm

“People don’t just disappear,” I say. “There’s always something.” One thing I’m always looking for is a murder mystery that keeps me on my toes, waiting for the next twist and keeps me reading. I just finished this book in a day, which should tell you enough about the fast-paced, well-flowing story “Ready or not” tells. The chapters are short and quick to read, with Millie’s letters to get distributed evenly throughout the book without becoming annoying. Only the police-records seemed a little unnecessary, especially about Noah, as it took away from the actual plot for a character that is a little flat and never captured my attention. Millie is a much more interesting protagonist than most “murder-mystery” – girlies that always fall on the same spectrum of very smart, nerdy main characters, that also find love during their journey. While Millie clearly has the “smart-girl that is awkward and everyone kind of rolls their eyes at them” vibes, her relationship to Kat makes her stand out. Because, while she wants to find out what happened to Kat it is also, very clearly, always about her (Millie) and her need for closure? Vengeance? Understanding? Instead of Kat’s actual well-being. I enjoyed the mystery, it flowed with the plot without being too overbearing or irrelevant, but at the same time it did feel a little cheap in the middle section of the book. Characters, who were introduced as smart and acted the same way otherwise, seemed to look over obvious details in Kats's case. Especially Noah, with his research should’ve pinned down a lot more even without Millie’s help. Noah’s a whole different story altogether, but I can’t say much without spoiling his part in the story. What I can say is that one-dimensional characters shouldn’t be part of your suspect in a murder mystery. I loved the ending of ready or not, and without giving too much away, I think it perfectly encapsulates not only the way the book presents games and stories but also fits Kats & Millie’s characters and their relationship to one another beautifully. And you bet I was silently screaming while I followed the last chapters, making up my own end in my head before the solution was found. If you enjoy any of Karen M. McManus’ YA Murder mysteries like me, you will probably also enjoy this book and its characters!