The Midnighters Extract

HERE WE ARE! The last day of the Midnighters tour and I have a delicious extract to share with you guys! 

Ema has always felt different. Her family are filled with famous scientists, so there's not much room for omens and superstitions, even though they follow Ema wherever she goes. Nor does it help that she appears to predict events before they happen or has a peculiar fear of shadows...

So when Ema is sent to live with her uncle in Prague, she fears that she'll never fit in. Then she meets Silvie, a girl who sees Ema and soon, the two are having midnight adventures and facing Emma's fears together. 

Then Silvie vanishes...

As you know, I'm in a bit of a reading slump, but this book sounds delightfully weird for me to pass up! I am excited to sink my teeth into this world that Hana Tooke has created (and with lush illustrations by Ayesha L. Rubio)! 

Now, before I give you the tiny sneak peek of the prologue, I just wanted to thank Bee from Kaleidoscopic Tours for inviting me to tag along and being very kind to gifting me a copy of The Midnighters. And, if you want to check out Hana online, you can visit hanatooke.com or you can tweet her at @hannekewrites!

Now, ONTO THE EXTRACT!!!

A man wearing oil-spattered overalls sat on the edge of the bed, frowning down at Liliana in concern.

Milena's new child is on the way, Josef said, dabbing his mother's brow with the cleanest corner of his handkerchief. ‘Isn't that wonderful, Maminka?' 

'It's terrible, Liliana muttered. ‘Worse than terrible, in fact. Nothing short of hellish?

'That's no way to speak of a new grandchild. The other eleven children all seem perfectly tolerable. I'm sure this one will be too.

Liliana seemed not to hear him. 'It's bad enough that it's the twelfth child. But born on the twelfth day of the twelfth month too.' 

'A mere coincidence –' 

'I caught you eating twelve fruit dumplings this morning.' 

‘You can hardly blame me. Those things were divine.' 

'There were twelve crows circling the Týn spires.'

'You're giving me twelve different headaches right now. 

Liliana's eyelids fluttered weakly; her voice dropped to a raspy whisper. “This new child ... I sense—'

‘Maminka, let's not get into prophecies again; it wears you out

'I sense dark shadows. And I see -' she squeezed her eyes closed, then immediately snapped them open again - 'an eyeball.'

Josef let out a long sigh. ‘Just the one?'

Liliana's bleary gaze turned to where many ink-smeared words had been scrawled on the wall. 'This new child is the one I've been dreaming about.'

Josef pinched the bridge of his nose. 'You should sleep. The doctor said you'd feel better in the morning.'

‘The doctor was wrong,' Liliana whispered, summoning a weak smile. ‘My time is nigh, and I am more than ready.

‘Don't say that.'

‘One day you'll believe me again,' Liliana rasped. 'One day, you'll see I'm not the foolish old woman your sister insists I am. '

'I don't think you're foolish, but you are rather pale.' 

Across the river, the clunking gears of the Astronomical Clock echoed through Big Old Town Square. Despite being too far away to hear it, Liliana turned her gaze in its direction.

On the top floor of the Vaškov residence, the scream of a newborn baby filled the air, and at the very same moment, in the candlelit attic room, Liliana sagged into her pillow.

The baby's first breath had coincided – precisely – with Liliana's last.

The Astronomical Clock began to chime the hour.

Twelve strikes.

Midnight.