Until the Clock Strikes Midnight was the perfect cozy book to read for some much-needed escapism.

Darling is a talented fairy who yearns to help humans find their happily ever after as a Guardian. She gets a chance to win a Mortal Outcome Council mentorship, but it turns out that she has competition.

Calamity aka Calam is a talented Misfortune, an immortal who saves humans from unhappily ever after by guiding them into contentedness. This mentorship is his ticket to getting away from his father who has never been a loving presence in his life. Darling and Calam must choose to compete or collaborate in order to help Lucy, a young bookshop owner, turn away from her projected unhappily ever after.

My short (spoiler free) review

There are so many things I loved about this story! Lucy was a sweetheart and her struggles with her mental illness (bipolar disorder) felt very relatable. Despite that, she seeks joy through connection and recognizes that lasting change requires stability in the community in order to positively affect the people within it. I also loved her chemistry with Calam and his willingness to open up.

This story is a testament to radical empathy! I really enjoyed this story and hope more people pick it up.

My full review (spoilers included)

As with other books I've read by Alechia Dow, the world-building and organic conversations make it easy to melt into Until the Clock Strikes Midnight.

Despite the escapism, there were many painful moments throughout this book that made me feel seen. Darling is an outsider, or feels like one, in every space she occupies. Her community in Whimsia can't understand why she'd want to leave and become a guardian alongside celestials. Celestials think fairies like Darling are unhinged, frivolous, and not to be taken seriously. She's been told that she's "too much" and that paired with other negative self-talk drags her down from time to time, but she refuses to stop sparkling. Now, unknowingly set up to fail by the celestials, Darling is tasked with saving Lucy from an unhappily ever after in the Kingdom of Lumina, a place unknown to her. They all thought she would crumble but she built foundations, instead.

She's been told that she's "too much" and that paired with other negative self-talk drags her down from time to time, but she refuses to stop sparkling.

I'm not a fairy, but I have struggled with similar issues all my life. Growing up, I revealed my true giggly, loving, and intensely nerdy self to folks and realized that many people judged me for that. I closed myself off when I went to college in a new state, but my severe anxiety and moderate depression convinced me that everything I said or did was "too much" or embarrassing and the people around me were just being nice to me because they felt sorry for me. I recognized Darling's spiraling thoughts as my own and, as I read, the compassion I felt for Darling started to hit me. She deserved compassion and love and so do I.

A part of me wants to follow my dreams, dress is bright colors, and break out in song every time the urge hits me while another part of me doesn't want "to be perceived."

Calam also felt relatable to the part of me that craves the comfort I feel from organization, control, and predictability. A part of me wants to follow my dreams, dress is bright colors, and break out in song every time the urge hits me while another part of me doesn't want "to be perceived." That part of me argues for having a stable job, not rocking the boat too much, and accepting my circumstances. Like Calam comes to realize throughout the book, some things are worth taking a risk for and boat-rocking is sometimes needed in order to make real and lasting change.

It seems like a lot of people are under the assumption that teen/young adult books aren't valuable to adults in the same way that novels and non-fiction aimed for our demographic is. Obviously, I strongly disagree. Until the Clock Strikes Midnight, and many other books like it, give us the opportunity to heal our inner child and find comfort in an increasingly hostile world. I felt a warm appreciation for my body, my hair, and style thanks to Dow's descriptions of Darling and her confidence. Reading about people loving on us, can be life-saving.

Until the Clock Strikes Midnight, and many other books like it, give us the opportunity to heal our inner child and find comfort in an increasingly hostile world.

The ways that Darling positively affected everyone around her and emphasized the importance of hope for the community in Lumina was inspiring. She tried her hardest to find connections between everyone and still knew that making life worth living required an even playing field with supports in place.

Yes, this is a Fantasy book inspired by Fairytales, but it is also book for inspiring radical empathy, organizing, love, and so much more. It's queer normative and inclusive. It's sweet and thoughtful.

I hope you'll pick it up at your local library or bookstore.

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