Night Shift

"One Touch of Venus"

POSSIBLE MILD SPOILER. The blurbs and descriptions for this book may be somewhat misleading. This is neither violent, nor scary, nor in any fashion a traditional ghost story. What this book is is a remarkably well written, cleverly well crafted, engagingly romantic, and eerily suspenseful YA variation on the best Twilight Zone episode ever.

Our young drifter hero Daniel is the new, sole night security guard at Willard's Department Store, which is well known to be haunted and loaded with things that go bump in the night. Daniel Gale, (and just note that Dorothy in "Wizard of Oz" is Dorothy Gale), takes the job with some trepidation, but from the start there is an air of possibility, mystery and the fabulous that fills the air in Willard's.

Early on it becomes clear, in a general way, what's going on at Willard's and while Daniel is a bit slow to figure it out he still does so reasonably soon. Instead of dragging this book on and on to a final, obvious and overdue reveal, the author gives us a partial reveal early on, and then slowly spins out mini-mysteries, mini-resolutions, and small jokes and asides as everyone shares in the magic. Daniel, his love interest, other store employees, other characters from the past and present, all have secrets and are all interconnected, and they react to each other and play off each other as the details of what's going on are teased out.

The biggest drawback of, or limitation on, groundbreaking efforts like Twilight Zone was that they had to set up a tale, play it out, and resolve it in a very short time frame, (25 minutes per episode). There wasn't much room for anything more than a fast, bare bones setup and ending. You might get a punch at the end, but there couldn't be much time wasted in getting to the payoff. Here, the author has the luxury of taking a great premise and setting it up slowly, playing it out, fooling around with it, tossing in a few red herrings, and then wrapping it up at leisure. The result is rich and satisfying. So, we get multiple overlapping stories and a slow drip of info and fantastic possibilities. The downside of that, though, is that we get a lot of loose ends and unanswered questions by the end. (Hence the need for Book 2, which is out, and Book 3, which apparently is coming.) Enough is made clear that the reader doesn't feel cheated, but it's nice to know that there's more to come if you want it.

I was very pleasantly surprised by this book, which I expected to be a haunter/thriller. It was fast paced and loaded with engaging characters that were fleshed out and well conceived. The teen hero was an appealing balance of doofus and hero material and the female lead held her own nicely and had style and spirit. This is much more than a genre piece and a good, ambitious and well written find.

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Really enjoyed this book, as I was reading I had ideas about where it was going and they were all completely turned upside down. The oppulant setting and intriguing cast on the night shift made for a magical story that I was drawn in to,finishing the book in a day. I'm off to read book two, I can't wait to find out what happened next.

I love the writing style of this story. I was drawn in from the first page. I thoroughly enjoyed it

This book exceeded my expectations!

Set in one of the most amazing stores in the world--grand staircases, a confectioner, and themed window displays, we are introduced to Danny a young bo-ahem, man who is wandering around the country looking for something that he cannot quite remember. Walking into Willards seems like a last hope. Tired of travelling and looking Danny takes a job as a Night Shift security guard and before he can even begin his first shift he is met with the betting pot for how long he will last. The night shift security never last-- something is wrong with Willards in the night.

Is it ghosts or just a little magic?
Through the book we walk along side Danny and those he discovers along the way as he learns a bit about himself and the things that might make him stay.

This really was an excellent read!

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

Wow, this book really blew me away. I had a bit of bad luck lately with ARC's from NetGalley, well this one made up for all the bad ones. I was in constant suspense from page one. It definitely wasn't predictable. I was constantly surprised by the turns of the events. And the ending.... it was PERFECT.

It is a story of Daniel Gale , who decided to leave school and travel the world, looking for a lost memory. With parents both gone, he is a bit lost, looking for a home. Last place on his list is Willard's store in New York where he takes job as a Night Guard. On his job interview, the boss asks him if he believes in ghost, and he said no.

On his first night he hears some things and fall into empty elevator shaft, only to be saved by someone who should not be there. It is a beautiful girl, Mary and she tells him she works nights to. Well that turns out it is not entirely true and that is where this start to get reaaaaly interesting.

It is so well written book. Every chapter end on a cliffhanger, you just cannot stop yourself from turning the pages. Also bonus point, I love that one of the female characters is in love with another woman. I love the it was done. Lately authors have been trying to be more divers, but if feels forced most of the time, something that should be natural, looks out of place, and that is just not OK. In this book it is written, just as it supposed to be, natural part of live, adding to the flow of the story, rather than taking away.

I love this book all together. Highly recommend it.

This was a fun read with some interesting twists. Part ghost story, part magic, a lot about the power of love. I recommend!

I honestly loved this novel! It was such a fun and enjoyable read that it kept me engrossed throughout the journey! I was expecting a ghost story, something a bit more sinister. This novel was actually nothing like what I expected and that was the biggest surprise to me! There was this whole Hollywood-glam vibe associated with this story, with the traditional Willard's department store and the references to Hollywood classics. The world building was something I really enjoyed reading about it, and it made the story so much more unique! I loved all of the characters and their interactions; it was all very genuine. I think that the love angle that was part of this story was perhaps a bit too quickly developed; it would have been nicer for it to have a slower progression. But that's my only complaint. Overall, a marvelous entertaining read, and I can't wait to read the sequel!

Well, this is a good book. The story is easy to predict, but that does not make it less interesting/entertaining.


PROS & CONS OF READING THIS BOOK:

a) The main subject.
Pro: Not every day I found books about living mannequins and it's a pretty interesting topic.
Con: The issue is not well explained, how they were created, why only certain people can see them, what physical functions they have, etc. I have a lot of questions!

b) The main character.
Pro: The narrator is a boy and it's nice to see how his perspective of the place changes by knowing the guys.
Con: His attitude left me indifferent. And I wanted to know more about his life and his past and how much he wanted to find that place and that is not explained.

c) Romance.
Pro: Mary is a very interesting character and some of her scenes with Daniel were kinda cute. I liked the girl
Con: I feel it like insta-love and didn't like them as a couple.

d) The other characters.
Pro: Everyone has something that makes them very distinctive and differentiates them from each other. Little Petey was my favorite.
Con: There is no deep in the personal stories. Barely knew the basics about them and I got mixed the names a few times.

e) The end.
Pro: There are a few "revelations" that make the plot more interesting and left me wanting to know more about the story.
Con: The "mystery" in the story is really predictable.

f) The style.
Pro: It's easy to read. It took me about three hours to read it and could not put it down.
Con: It has a very simple style and it has not developtment about certain things.


So, it's a book I enjoyed a lot while reading it. But it ends with more questions than answers. And it's sad because I had no idea it was part of a series, and I'm not sure if I want to read the next one.

After the death of his father, Daniel chose not to finish high school, but rather to travel around trying to find a department store that he once visited with his mother. When he takes a job as the night security guard at Willard's department store, he is asked if he believes in ghosts. It seems that most night guards don't last long there. Daniel, however is different and he makes friends with the other people who also work nights at Willard's. He soon learns that things are not as they seem and there is quite a mystery afoot.

Night Shift caught y interest after I’ve read its synopsis. It is pretty interesting in the first chapters but there are parts where I don’t like it and starts to lose my interest. The characters are relatable and likeable but the story is quiet predictable but it still kept me engaged. Further, I am still looking forward to its sequel.

Night shift by B R Myers.
At Willard's department store, none of the night security guards survive for long, and eighteen-year-old Daniel Gale is about to discover why.
Tired of living out of his backpack, he ignores the clerk's gossip about the old building being haunted and accepts the latest vacated position of night guard. On his first shift Daniel narrowly escapes a fatal fall down an elevator shaft and is rescued by Mary—a bossy and intriguing girl far too beautiful for after hours inventory.
Anticipating every night shift as a chance to be with her, Daniel thinks his traveling days are over hoping that Manhattan is the place to call home. But as his life becomes more entwined with Willard's, Daniel senses unnatural changes and bizarre coincidences both with Mary and the store itself. Soon he begins to suspect Willard's is hiding something more sinister than gossip about ghosts—something that could make him the next casualty of the NIGHT SHIFT.
An absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters.  I loved Daniel's character.  I just couldn't put it down.  Read in one sitting. I didn't see that coming.  5*.