MIDNIGHT FLIGHT Book Review

Midnight Flight¹ (book 2 in Broken Wing series) by V.C. Andrews, physical, 400 pages

Synopsis from GoodReads: They lived on the wild side. Now these bad girls are paying the price. At Dr. Foreman's School for Girls, the "students" sleep in barns, work on a farm in the blazing heat, and are subjected to ruthless guards who watch their every move. It's an institution run by the dreadful Dr. Foreman, a woman who delights in administering the worst form of punishment -- the mysterious Ice Room where the girls face their darkest fears.

Now Phoebe, Teal, and Robin -- three girls from very different worlds -- are the newcomers in this desert hell. During their stay, each girl will be tempted to commit the ultimate crime of betrayal as Dr. Foreman cleverly tries to turn them against each other -- until they learn that the only way to survive is to stick together...and fight back.

BOOK REVIEW: This book came out in 2003. I could tell by the book before I started it again back in July 2021 (yeah...it took me 1.5 years to read it this time) that I had read it before at least once. The binding looked used where it had been bent to lay flat or the curve of the cover and pages from trying to find different and comfortable ways to hold the book...however, I have no recollection of reading it. I remembered the stories of Robin, Teal, and Phoebe as I was reading Broken Wings but I had no memory of Midnight Flight so it was as if I was reading it for the first time.

The things these poor girls had to endure is straight up horrific. Yes, Robin had been part of an armed robbery (she didn't know the guy had a gun). Yes, Teal attempted to steal thousands and thousands of dollars, not to mention expensive jewelry and other things, and leave the state with a guy and his underage sibling. Yes, Phoebe killed a boy who was trying to assault her...they are not innocent but the cruel punishment they receive at this "school" is wrong and the government clearly has no idea what actually happens. Oh and the "guards" are supposed to be girls that are close to graduating. They have been given special permissions to leave the compound and do whatever they feel is necessary to the girls, like issuing demerits that land a few of the girls in the Ice Room or have their mattresses, blankets, and pillows taken away. They are affectionately referred to as "buddies" and "M'Lady One, Two, and Three". These are the ultimate mean girls!

I don't know if it's the nostalgia of my late teens that rates this book a 5 out of 5 or if I truly love the story. You see the girls fight, sometimes physically, mentally and emotionally and ultimately discover that if they're going to make it out alive, then they have to get over all their preconceived notions about one another and work together.

5/5 Stars

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