Genre: Historical Fiction

Published: February 16, 2010

Everyone has wishes lingering in their hearts as we are held down by our situations. Genna, the main character of A Wish after Midnight, is no different and, just like all of our wishes in this too-realistic world, her wishes never seem to come true – until one actually does. The only problem resides in the question: what did she wish for? This question never does get answered, but as the story progresses Genna becomes more sure of herself and her goals.

Personally, I was unable to connect with Genna towards the end. In the beginning, I did. Genna is a smart girl with humble ideas about herself. She wants out of her situation and to contribute more to society. At the end, she is willing to forgo all of her goals in order to just be with her boyfriend. Reflecting on my age towards what I felt about Genna, I can understand that I felt strongly against her boyfriend at the beginning. To me, the relationship was toxic. He wanted her to drop all of her plans and make his plans her own (not something you should ask of anyone). Even in my younger years when I was the same age as Genna would I willingly change my plans to just someone else’s plans, boyfriend or not. (I would perhaps adapt my own.)

Perhaps that is why I did not like the book as much as I would have. I liked the storyline. Transported back in time, Genna learns about the hardships the African Americans (her people) faced during the Civil War and what it means to be human when everyone thinks you are inferior. The present did not connect with the wish though. Genna always seemed to respect her heritage (more so than her self-righteous boyfriend) and she always looked to better herself through hard work and dedication. While black adults in her life seem to dislike white people, she tries to understand each side and theories that there are some good whites just as there are good blacks as well as there are bad cases of each. She knows that she faces discrimination but thinks she will be able to work around it to achieve her goals. What purpose would Elliott have to transport the character into the past to see how horrible black people were treated?

That being said, I welcome anyone to read the story especially those just becoming teens. I implore you to look at Genna and ask yourself if giving up on your goals in order to keep a partner is okay. If you can think of an answer to what Genna’s wish was, please let me know.

This book is the first of a series. The second book, A Door at the Crossroads, continues the previous by telling Genna’s boyfriends encounters at the same time of the first book. Supposedly there will be a third, and I hope there is. Genna comes into her age in this novel and learns a lot about herself and the world. I want to see how she uses this in her present world. That said, A Wish after Midnight ends on September 10, 2001. Will Elliot use the fateful day of 9/11 to change Genna’s circumstances into something greater at the expense of Eastern European Americans? Or is Elliot trying to create a link for the reader to see the similarities between have African Americans and Eastern European Americans and how they are treated by the white majority?

Plot:                7/10 (I liked the stories separately)

Characters:      9/10 (All characters were relatable and realistic)

Writing:          10/10

Editor:             10/10

Total:              36/40

Title: A Wish After Midnight

Author: Zetta Elliott

Edition: Kindle

Publisher: Skyscape

ISBN: 9780982555057 (based on the print edition on Amazon)