[Review] — "MIDNIGHT ON BEACON STREET" is a Poorly Written Love Letter to Horror Movies

"Where does the time go?" This question puzzled me as I realized I'd had a copy of MIDNIGHT ON BEACON STREET sitting on a desk collecting dust for eight or nine months. I read the novelization by Emily Ruth Verona shortly after receiving it. However, I needed time to reflect on my thoughts before sharing my opinion on the book. It wouldn't be fair to rush it. "Disappointment" is the word that comes to mind to describe what I finished reading on the very last page. I set it aside, reread it weeks later, set it aside again, and reread it, hoping my opinion would change—it did not.

I grew up on horror movies, so the premise for MIDNIGHT ON BEACON STREET caught my attention: "A babysitter must overcome her anxiety to protect two children when strangers come knocking at the door." The blurb on the back cover states the book is a "love letter to vintage horror movies." So, I was all in in the beginning, but then I realized after a few pages that it would be a rough read because of the amateur storytelling. It's Emily Ruth Verona's debut novella. Still, she has been a Bram Stoker Award nominee, a Jane Austen Short Story Award finalist, and a Luke Bitmead Bursary finalist, and won the Pinch Literary Award in Fiction. Now, do you see why I expected more?

MIDNIGHT ON BEACON STREET feels like a fanfic thriller with every horror movie cliche imaginable—minus any actual scares—and comes across as juvenile. Despite obvious flaws, the novella has an interesting premise, but it goes nowhere; it's like a bad D-rated horror flick you regret watching once the credits roll. It's not the worst book I've read, but it's close. Despite my feelings, the author had good ideas here, but poorly executed; hopefully, she'll grow her skills; maybe her next book, if there's one, will be better. ╌★✰✰✰✰

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