This one has a pretty neat cover, prompting me to check it out. Yes, I do occasionally judge a book by its cover. Spoilers ahead.
It's the early days of World War II in England, and a boy named Col is feeling alone, living in the countryside with his aunt who is an imperfect guardian. To his surprise, he finds that he is being visited by his childhood imaginary friends: the King of Rogues, a dashing knight with a temper; Mr. Noakes, an old but strong-willed badger; and Pendlebury, the most level-headed of the bunch who happens to be a tiger who can shrink and grow at will. Together these guardians take Col on a journey to get him to his sister in London, before disaster can strike there. Meanwhile, they're being pursued by the dark forces of the evil Midwinter King, who has decided that Col and his Guardians are his targets.
So yeah, this is basically two things. On the one hand, a dark, realistic and depressing war story. On the other hand, an epic and imaginative fantasy. And honestly despite these two seeming quite different, it meshes quite well. Do note that this isn't like The Chronicles of Narnia, where the war in England and the fantastical elements take place in separate worlds: Pretty much all of The Midnight Guardians is set in our realm, just with a lot more fantastical elements. Granted, there is the realm where the fantasy creatures come from, but the main setting is still very much Earth. But despite these contrasting tones (the harsh reality of war and a more fairy tale-like story) it works together very well.
Both sides, the supernatural and the earthly, do also influence one another to quite a great extent. Like, the Midwinter King (our main villain) isn't the cause behind World War II in this or anything, but he does draw power from people despairing and that in turn makes the weather on Earth horrible, leading to darkness and snowstorms. This vicious cycle now has to be broken by none other than a little boy in weird clothes trying to get to his sister; a Jewish German girl who joins him on his mission; and three fantastical characters from Col's imagination.
It's an imaginative concept and executed just very well. The book never gets too dark or depressing, but at the same time it's also not afraid to show the true horrors of war both on the fantastical and realistic side. The book feels harsh but it also has a subtle warm undertone throughout all of it. Despite how much despair there is, despite how much hatred and division and fear is being spread by the war and the Midwinter King, there's still friends to be found and hope to be had. And this moral is conveyed very well through the relationship of our main characters especially.
Col and his gang are all very unique and likable characters. Col himself is nice and while not the most interesting out of the bunch, you absolutely root for his plight as he just wants his sister back and has seen a vision where she dies horribly due to London being bombed.
He has to get from the countryside to London in time to warn her, and the only three who can help and guide him on this journey are his imaginary friends, who are all as likable and unique as you might expect. I found myself being fondest of Pendlebury, as she's very much the leader of the group and also a slight maternal/older sister figure to Col, but Mr. Noakes for his wisdom and keen sense of smell and the King of Rogues were also equally lovable. The King of Rogues especially steals the show as one of the funniest characters in the book mostly because of his dialogue, but he never feels unfitting for the tone of the book. I wouldn't call him a comic relief, but he does have the most funny moments out of the main cast.
Finally, joining him on this quest, is Ruth, a Jewish girl who originates from Germany. She at first is at odds with Col and especially the Guardians, but later grows close to them and basically becomes their family in the end. She's also a character I really grew attached to quickly. She's a bit secretive and abrasive at times, but you totally know why once you learn her backstory. Heck, part her whole story is never even really resolved by the end because we never learned what became of her parents. Which has...dark implications. But the part where she feels alone on this world and like she has no one who looks after her is definitely resolved as she finds a new family in Col, the Guardians, and eventually his aunt and sister.
So great characters all around. There's more than them, but they're not of super high importance other than the Midwinter King and the Green Man, though the latter is more of a background player than anything and only really appears in one scene. The Midwinter King himself is an imposing villain, though, and his final confrontation with Col was one I greatly enjoyed reading. He's not truly defeated, just kept at bay, but such is the balance of the Spirit World.
The book also ends with the bittersweet conclusion that Col will never see his Guardians again after they have served his purpose, but despite losing them for good after this he still is happy throughout all of it, happy that he's been able to go on this journey with them and that they stuck with him through thick and thin. Which was just yet another powerful vision. He's also sad, of course, but the positive thoughts win and when Ruth asks him if he's okay, he says he is. That moment just made me nearly tear up. Such a bittersweet one, especially if you consider that Col already lost his father and now is losing his closest friends as well.
Finally, one thing I really want to compliment this book for is the dialogue. I think I've yet to read another book with dialogue that is as snappy and full of character as this one. It can genuinely be really beautiful and heartfelt when it needs to, but the book also has plenty of moments where the characters just have a genuinely funny or snappy interaction that made me laugh, yet it never felt uncalled for or like it didn't fit the tone.
It's also really cool how in most scenes you can generally tell which character is talking just based on their dialogue alone; their choice of words and cadence of their sentences. Pendlebury tends to have the most sensible and laid back sentences. Mr. Noakes talks a bit more polite and gentle, but he's not posh, either. The King of Rogues has very short and snappy sentences, and at times dry remarks, matching his personality. Col's aren't as full of personality, but you could argue that this is because he's a bit of an every-man and an audience stand-in. Finally, Ruth has the tendency to be sharp-tongued, but she's also many times calm and she often doesn't tell the entire story. Just neat to see a main cast that all has unique voices like that.
Overall this was a great book, I don't really have any flaws to remark. It's heartfelt, it's intense, it's imaginative, it's funny, and it's got great characters.
Rating: 5/5
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