At the beginning I wasn't sure about this one, I was considering DNFing it but I gave it another go and I was glad I did. It is an entertaining read with a different concept, I barely read this kind of mix (vampires living among the mortals) and I know it should have more depth than what I could grasp bit it was a nice exploration of loneliness.

This book is described as ‘a biting, fast-paced vampire murder mystery exploring queer love and the consequences of loneliness,’ which sounds awesome! However, after reading the book, I would argue that the ‘consequences of loneliness’ part of the description should have been emphasised a little more. This would probably work for a lot of people, but as someone more interested in the ‘vampire murder mystery exploring queer love’ part, I was a little disappointed.

I thought this had such a cool premise, and I was glad to have an ARC to read for Women in Translation month! The writing was very eerie and beautiful, and there was a heavy feeling of sadness and loneliness throughout the whole book that lent itself to the philosophical themes of the book. I also really loved the main characters, especially Violette, and learning about their backstories and the coming-of-age element that this introduced.

However, as good as these elements were, I didn’t really go into this book expecting such a subdued, sad story. It might just be that it was very different to other things I’ve been reading recently, especially in terms of vampire fiction, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations based on the description. The writing in particular became a little droning and even boring because of how depressing the subject matter was.

I feel that this was a very good book, but not exactly what I was looking for at the moment and probably not in line with the type of modern queer vampire fiction that I expected it to be similar to. It’s therefore quite difficult for me to review because, while I didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped to, I am sure other people prefer more reflective vampire books like this, and they will absolutely love it. Especially with spooky season coming up, I think this could be a really great read to experience and reflect on. But if you’re more like me and want slightly more fast-paced fiction focused on queer identity, and especially if you want your vampires to be romanticised and fun, you should maybe give this one a skip.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with this eARC in return for my honest review.

When I saw that there was a queer Korean book about vampires up for grabs I immediately mentally did grabby hands, because that is most certainly something I need in my life. This was a good read, though it wasn't quite what I expected as it wasn't a straightforward horror or vampire romance, but more so an exploration of loneliness and human (or rather, humanoid) connection.

A story full of mystery, masterfully connecting myth and reality in a tale of loneliness, grief and sadness. Really enjoyed reading this one!

A vampire murder mystery? Count me in. Eerie and suspenseful , this ticked all the boxes. That cover is amazing!

Interesting book. It has an interesting plot - a series of murders with a vampire and a vampire hunter.

The Night's Watch is one of those books that you need to be in the mood for.

The problem I had was with the characters. Sometimes they felt very flat.
A bit spoilery but my favourite thing might be that these vampires can sense loneliness, and that's a way they find their prey.

I highly recommend this book.

The Midnight Shift is an intriguing read. Su-Yeon is at the centre of the story - a detective investigating a string of apparent suicides at the hospital. All are elderly patients found mysteriously drained of blood. Her investigation leads her to Violette, a vampire hunter with a traumatic past.

I felt that the story's pacing was uneven. It started off strong, then took a dip to became tedious; the plot eventually gained momentum after the halfway mark.

The book explored themes like grief, loneliness, and identity in a quiet but powerful way. I would have liked to have read more of Violette's journey into becoming a vampire hunter.

A compact, haunting thriller that I got lost in for three days. If anything I could have lived in this book for longer, following more back stories for the various characters. The balance of dark and gritty vs romantic mystery is a real antidote to the sparkly YA vampires of years past. These are vampires that feel real, and are genuinely frightening. A fantastic, atmospheric quick read.

Police detective Su-Yeon is investigating suspicious suicides which all happened at the same hospital. During her investigation she meets Violette, a Korean orphan who was adopted by a French couple. Violette tells Su-Yeon not only that a vampire is responsible, but that she herself is a vampire hunter looking for the culprit. When the next victim is found, drained of blood, Su-Yeon starts to believe Violette.

This vampire mystery is less about gory details or enthralling vampires and more about lonely people. Don't get me wrong, it's also about catching the murderer, but mainly it is about how lonely the individual POV characters and some of the side-characters are.

The multiple POV narration is interesting, but at times it is difficult to distinguish between the characters. This might be due to nuances being lost in translation. Still, a solid read that I will certainly recommend.

The Midnight Shift was such an enjoyable horror for me. It has everything you could want and before I even finished it I was preordering a physical copy. I loved how it is part murder-mystery, part horror and part vampire fiction. The pace was fast but I think it suited the narrative perfectly. The translation was amazing and I didn’t feel anything was lost in translation which can sometimes happen. I also loved how while this is a fast paced and doesn’t hold back there are moments that make you question. Mostly how loneliness can affect people.
I won’t spoil the plot but I will say if you enjoy vampire fiction that is well written and with an interesting twist you will enjoy this one.

This story begins with four deaths in the same hospital, all recorded as suicides or accidents but the question remains whether that is truly the case here & that had me gripped almost immediately!!

I would say this is the kind of story that sinks in slowly, its full impact only felt when you take time to consider the author’s intended message but may not piece together right away for readers (if that even makes sense)

It took me a few days after finishing to truly appreciate the deeper meaning it was conveying & it certainly made for a unique atmospheric read with vampires & a queer romance.

If you’re vibing for a short mysterious read then I say go for it!🖤

Sapphic vampire detective fiction, tracing the threads of loneliness and connectedness that fissure through human existence, interwoven and intersecting, a hair's breadth apart as two sides of a slim coin.

The plot is predictable, deliberately so as the point is not the whodunnit but the humanity and inhumanity of existence, characters as metaphors for drive and desire. But also, this very predictability is why I felt the pace needed to be tighter, the narrative sharper and tenser, some scattered and loose thematic tendrils given better shape and form and depth, something to better grip the reader as we head to the near inevitable conclusion. When we know the ending, the journey matters all the more.

I'd say Cheon Seon-Ran's The Midnight Shift (atmospherically translated from the Korean by Gene Png) is for fans of subtle and slow literary supernatural fiction.

Thank you to the publishers for the chance to read this book ahead of its publication.

Happy publication day to The Midnight Shift!
This is a vampire book, murder investigation, and commentary on what family and love means all in one book. It does not have the normal vampire fantasy tropes. It feels like you are watching a police drama. During this episode we follow the crime scene of a nursing home where there has been a suicide, someone jumped left a note but there is no blood... turns out a lot of people decide to end their lives in a short period of time and it just doesnt line up. Then our main character meets a stranger who tells her about vampires and everything goes from there. While I wasnt into the crime scene investigation vibe 2/3s into the book I really enjoyed the character relationships and background. This is a slow one but has some great messages.

The Midnight Shift is a vampire Sapphic novel like no other. It combines different genres to serve a character-focused story that explores loneliness, belonging and identity from different angles. Unlike many recent vampire romance or philosophical books and films (eg Only Lovers Left Alive), The Midnight Shift never tries to humanise or romanticise vampires (there is even a scene specifically about this, starring the seemingly 'good' vampire). In line with quite a lot of recent vampire media, the vampires here are monsters first and foremost, and as much as I love watching Armand and Lestat, I am here for it. Stylish, atmospheric and beautifully written, The Midnight Shift delivers so many interesting things.

The narrative focuses around a series of unexplained suicides at a godforsaken hospital/care home full of long term patients with few or no relatives to care for them. Structured as a crime novel, the book explores three different female perspectives: a detective assigned to the case whose elderly friend is a patient, a night shift nurse saddled with her late father's medical debts, and a mysterious ethnically Korean woman who was adopted by a French couple, and whose POV chapters are set decades earlier.

I loved so much about this book. The plot is genuinely engaging, and I was equally drawn by the criminal investigation of the detective, the coming of age identity crisis tale set in a deliberately vaguely drawn France, and the social commentary inherent in the nurse's Parasite-like story.

Spoilers:

Alongside Greek Lessons, The Midnight Shift is probably the most European Korean novel I have read recently. Violette's tale manages to avoid many clichés of adoptee stories and write her relationship with her parents in a nuanced and complex way. Her relationship with her Korean identity offered a refreshing perspective on the subject. Su-Yeon, the detective, is an interesting character in her own right and a conduit to explore the issues of elderly loneliness in contemporary Korea, demonstrated through her relationship with the elderly neighbour in her care. Both of their stories also explore Sapphic relationships, still a bit of a taboo in mainstream Korean fiction. Nanju, the nurse, offers a welcome perspective on what happens when a love affair with a vampire has gone south, and a woman is trapped in a relationship with an astronomic power imbalance. She is also a tool for the author to critique the healthcare industry in Korea, exploring ways in which compromised healthcare professionals can abuse their positions and still find jobs in remote institutions with high staff turnover.

The plot, whilst engaging, came together a bit too neatly in the end. At about the 60% mark, there was a red herring that would have been a more interesting and original twist than what actually happens as it would have subverted the readers' expectations. The queer relationships could have been explored more openly and in more detail.

Nevertheless, this is one of my favourite recent reads. Highly recommended.

Interesting story that could be a little longer and more expanded.

The Midnight Shift main character Suyeon is a detective working on a series of suicides commited by patients of a hospital. She thinks there's something more to it and her suspicions are proven true when she meets a mysterious woman, Violette, claiming that the people were killed by a vampire. From that we have chapters with different poves focusing on three women: Suyeon, Nanju (a nurse from the hospital), and Violette.

I really enjoyed these stories. The three women have different experiences in life, but all feel the same loneliness and lost some important people. My favourite character was Violette and I would love to read more about her story as a vampire hunter who's in love with a vampire.

The story has some issues. For one, it seemed underdeveloped, it missed some explanations. I'm not sure if it's not a translation issue, but there were moments when the words felt inadequate to situations.

If you are counting on a lesbian vampire romance, then, unfortunately, it's not a main focus here, but it's still an excellent book.

To me, The Midnight Shift felt unfinished. There was scope for a really excellent novel but with the complicated storylines that met at the end I felt there should have been more character backstory and development before the climax.

The supernatural element was a fun twist on the very dark topic of loneliness and how it can, ultimately, prove fatal.

The Midnight Shift by Cheon Seon Ran is a razor-sharp, lightning-paced adventure, stuffed to the brim with mystery, queer romance, and just the right dash of supernatural spice.

It wastes no time getting creepy, four elderly patients from the same hospital ward leap from the sixth floor one after another. The police shrug and call it loneliness. Su-Yeon, however, isn’t buying it, especially since her beloved Grandma Eun-Shim lives on that floor.

Enter Violette, enigmatic, intense, and on a mission of her own to track down her ex-lover, Lily. She casually drops the kind of theory that belongs in a late-night horror flick: It’s a vampire. Su-Yeon laughs… right up until the next victim turns up drained of blood like a juice box. Suddenly, vampires don’t seem so silly.

The book bounces effortlessly between past and present, slowly unwrapping the emotional baggage, deep wounds, and hidden connections of its characters. Yes, there’s a nail-biting mystery, but it’s also a beautifully tender look at loneliness, friendship, love, and what it means to find yourself.

The real gem? It’s three female leads. Each one is vivid, layered, and unforgettable, and together, they give the story an emotional punch you’ll feel long after you’ve closed the book.

Moody, heartfelt, and deliciously addictive, this is not just any vampire story, it’s a hypnotic, heart-grabbing journey you’ll want to devour in one sitting.

Unfortunately, this book is a DNF for me at the 34% mark. Whilst the premise and story was intriguing, the translation did not work well. The translation felt clunky and often it felt like a similar but, not quite correct word had been chosen (such as using culprit and suspect interchangeably despite having different meanings). I have rated three stars as the story was compelling enough to keep me reading for a significant period despite the awkward language, and I will definitely consider trying the translated audio when it becomes available to see if that flows better.

Thank you so much for the ARC!

A great start to Women in Translation Month - "The Midnight Shift" is a short, atmospheric Korean novel that feels like watching an old noir film. It’s moody, quiet, and makes you a lil bit afraid of walking in the dark.

The story follows Su-Yeon, a detective investigating a string of suspicious deaths in a care home - all elderly people, all officially ruled as suicides, all “mysteriously drained of blood”. She crosses paths with Violette, a woman who introduces herself as a vampire hunter.

As the story unfolds, we learn more about Violette’s past through flashbacks - her mission is deeply personal, as she’s searching for her ex-lover, Lily. Su-Yeon remains more of a mystery, which was my biggest disappointment as she never quite felt fleshed out.

This isn’t a plot-heavy or character-driven book, and it won’t be for everyone. The writing is beautiful but so quiet that I had to be in exactly the right mood to stay with it. At times, I found myself drifting or feeling a bit bored.

There’s a real sense of grief, sadness, and loneliness running through the story. The fact that "the lonely" elderly care home patients were targeted precisely because “no one would miss them” felt.. heavy.

Overall, I’d say this would be a wonderful choice for spooky season, and I’d recommend it to readers who enjoy slow, atmospheric horror with a touch of sadness.

3.75/5 ⭐

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

A nicely crafted novel from Cheon Seon-ran, whose writing I enjoyed much more than I expected. There are many layers to her story and she leaves no loose ends, just a bit of an open ending. I like that we got to follow three female characters who all went through a lot but made different choices in life. Nanju’s point of view helped us understand (though not excuse) her present actions, while Violette’s blossoming first love added some softness to the book. It was honestly a good read. Also, very interesting reflections were shared by the author.