Review - The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night by Jen Campbell

The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night by Jen Campbell

Published 2nd November 2017 by Two Roads

Star Rating - ****

Goodreads Challenge - 32/50

I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

'These days, you can find anything you need at the click of a button.
That's why I bought her heart online.'

Spirits in jam jars, mini-apocalypses, animal hearts and side shows.
A girl runs a coffin hotel on a remote island.
A boy is worried his sister has two souls.
A couple are rewriting the history of the world. 
And mermaids are on display at the local aquarium.

The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night is a collection of twelve haunting stories; modern fairy tales brimming with magic, outsiders and lost souls.

My Thoughts

I do really enjoy a good short story collection however, I generally find myself leaning more towards YA collections rather than adult collections. This is usually because the stories in YA collections often seem more cohesive and final as opposed to adult collections where the stories can often seem unfinished or a bit abstract. That being said I was really keen to check out Jen Campbell's collection as I watch her on YouTube and I love how passionate she is about folklore and fairy-tales and I knew this would run throughout her collection and I was right. These stories were magical and full of many different aspects of folklore and fairy-tale as I had hoped. 

I enjoyed most of these stories, most of them felt fully formed and I was able to pick out the meaning behind most of them. The inspiration behind some of the stories was quite clear too, especially my favourite, Aunt Libby's Coffin Hotel, which very clearly took it's inspiration from Ancient Greek mythology. 

I also really enjoyed the story Plum Pie. Zombie Green. Yellow Bee. Purple Monster about children who had sprouted plants, who then go to a special camp. This one was a fantastically original idea, steeped in magic and fairy-tale. 

Another of my favourites was Bright White Hearts which gave a quite raw account of what its like to live with a deformity which, if you watch Jen's channel, you will know is something close to her heart. She had obviously done a lot of research for this story as it included some interesting historical facts that linked well with the story. 

Overall I really enjoyed this collection. I loved the elements of fairy-tale and folklore that are weaved throughout each story and, although she took her inspiration from this all of the stories were completely unique. I'd love for Jen to come out with a full length novel as that is something I would definitely want to pick up.

Overall Rating