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Until the Clock Strikes Midnight
By Alechia Dow
Young Adult Romantic Fantasy, Fairy Tale
Paperback & eBook, 320 Pages
February 3, 2026 by Feiwel and Friends
Summary
The Good Place meets the Brandy version of Cinderella in Until the Clock Strikes Midnight, a cozy, romantic fantasy from award-winning author Alechia Dow.
Darling is the most talented—and unusual—Guardian to get a chance at winning the coveted once-in-a-generation Mortal Outcome Council mentorship. Getting the spot would mean having the opportunity to shape the future happiness of all mortal realms—if she succeeds at her first assignment, Lucy Addlesberg. Darling thinks it’ll be an easy razzle-dazzle job… until she actually meets Lucy. Her life is a complete mess, from her failing bookshop in her downtrodden village to her doomed flirtation with the princess of Lumina. But if there’s one thing Darling’s good at, it’s a makeover.
Calamity is the most talented—and arrogant—Misfortune of his class. It’s his job to save mortals from their own terrible decisions made in the pursuit of the mythical “Happily Ever After.” When Calam is granted a shot at the Mortal Outcome Council mentorship, he thinks his dreams are finally coming true. But first, he must pass the test. It should be easy—Lucy Addlesberg has been unfortunate for years. All he has to do is continue her string of bad luck so she can finally come to terms with reality and settle for a safer, more logical path in life. Yet when he arrives, he finds that Lucy has a Guardian assigned to her too—a chipper overachiever who is as colorful as the magic pouring from her glittery wand.
To thwart each other, Darling and Calam insert themselves into Lucy’s life posing as a betrothed couple. As they try to guide her down what they each see as the best path for her, they start questioning their roles and ultimately what they truly want for themselves… and if those feelings of loathing they have for each other might actually be something more like love.
Content Warning: Bipolar disorder, intrusive thoughts, brief self-harm and passive suicidality
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My Review
UNTIL THE CLOCK STRIKES MIDNIGHT is a fairy tale twist of Cinderella with two fairy godmothers. There's some creative world building, relatable characters, and sweet romance along with some darker and deeper topics, making the story not all fluff. Young adult romantic fantasy or fairy tale fans may enjoy this one.
I'm a big fan of strong heroines and lots of banter, so this story was off to a great start for me. Both Darling and Calamity were very different people with different backgrounds and struggles. I felt like Calamity knew more what he was doing while Darling was very spontaneous and didn't think things through. He also was supposed to be the darker one while she was full of light. Those lines didn't stay drawn as the story progressed though. It's not called bipolar disorder, but that's kind of what Darling has with her extreme ups and then downs that show severe depression and self-infliction. Regardless of her struggles she brightens the town and brings people together.
Even though this story started well, I wanted a lot more development and consistency as it went. I'm also not an insta-love fan, and that's basically what happened here. Calamity also wasn't consistent with his character from the second day and I would have liked those changes to happen more over time instead of him feeling like his whole character changed. That also made it so the romance felt flat to me because all of a sudden the banter and conflict wasn't there and the couple went straight to the romance with no substance. Darling's struggles were a major part of the story, but even more so because she also wasn't taking care of herself, so she basically spiraled multiple times. Part of that also didn't feel consistent to me from how she was presented at the beginning of the book and her being on her own for so long and managing it before. It came off overly dramatic instead of feeling organic. From about half-way through I just felt like rolling my eyes over and over again.
In the end, was it what I wished for? I think there was a lot of promise here. I really liked the overall concept, storybook world, and characters. This didn't turn out to be a book I loved but for those of you who do enjoy lush characters, lots of drama and insta-love, this one might be for you.
Content: Some suggestive references, some swearing (including the f-word and a few s-words), gay relationships.
Source: I received a complimentary copy from the publisher through Toppling Stack Tours, which did not require a positive review. All opinions are my own.
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