Had heard so much about this and it honestly delivered on every expectation! I loved the characters, the story and the translation was spot on!

Short, sharp and utterly absorbing, The Midnight Shift delivers a vampire mystery with bite. Blending the supernatural with an all-too-human emotional core, this queer noir thriller is as much about loneliness and grief as it is about the undead.

When a string of elderly patients die in eerily similar circumstances at the same hospital, Officer Su-Yeon finds herself the only person asking questions. Everyone else is happy to chalk the deaths up to age and despair, but with her own beloved friend living on the same ward, Su-Yeon digs deeper. Her search brings her face-to-face with Wanda, an enigmatic stranger whose answers veer from the rational into the realm of the fantastical. Vampires? Surely not. And yet the bodies tell a different story.

The pacing is brisk, the writing clever and cutting, and the mystery itself is laced with just enough dread to keep the pages turning. What sets The Midnight Shift apart is its quiet exploration of emotional isolation—how loneliness can make us vulnerable to the darkest of forces, human or otherwise. There’s also something tender at its core: the fragile bond between Su-Yeon and Eun-Shim, and the slow, uncertain connection forming between Su-Yeon and Wanda.

A noir-tinged urban fantasy with heart, this is a perfect pick if you want something dark, poignant and a little bit strange.

The NetGalley version has reduced the rating as it was hard to distinguish between paragraphs and chapters, I'd recommend uploading a better version if possible.

This was weird and strange and just such an incredible experience! I was honestly captivated by the crime and mystery elements of this and how it was overlayed with the supernatural! I’m soooo in love with this book it’s unreal! I’ve never actually read a Korean book in translation before but this was so amazing and I need to read anyrbing the author puts out!!

I feel that this is the type of book that I think I didn't really take in as I was reading it but parts of it will stay with me for a very long time. I really enjoyed how each story line wove together. It was sad and lonely. It was both brutal and gentle.

The Midnight Shift is a Korean vampire novel about loneliness and connection, as a police detective tries to uncover the mystery of a series of apparent suicides when a woman claims a vampire was to blame. Su-Yeon is a detective investigating deaths at a condemned care home, particularly worried about her elderly friend who is a resident there. She meets Violette, a vampire hunter, who blows everything out of the water when she reveals that a vampire is to blame, but as they delve further, they might be putting themselves in danger.

There tends to be two main ways of presenting vampires: either from the point of view only of human characters, or having vampire perspectives in the narrative. This book is the former, a vampire book that is very much about the humans, and their connections to each other and to vampires. The mystery plot drives the book, which is told from three different perspectives, two in the present day of the narrative and one that's more of a flashback. This makes the book feel multifaceted, bringing together different genres including mystery and queer romance.

I did feel that the vampire side of the book felt underdeveloped at times, particularly in how the vampires adapted to place given that the present of the book is set in Seoul and there's flashbacks set in France. I like how the book doesn't feel the need to tell the reader too much, but occasionally it made events and character relationships confusing, rather than mysterious.

I enjoyed The Midnight Shift, but I also was a bit disappointed as I wanted the different elements to just be a bit more. It is an atmospheric book that paints a sad picture of loneliness, but it didn't quite grab me as I'd hoped.

as a vampire rushes around killing the people of seoul a vampire hunter finds the truth.

the concept of this really intrigued me. the writing was simplistic and drew you in - especially the descriptive writing.

my favourite part in particular was lily and violettes relationship - despite one being a vampire.

this was a quick paced intriguing read and i definitely enjoyed it. it was one of the better translated fictions i’ve read.

An interesting novel that uses the setting of a detective coming to learn of the existence of vampires, as a device to question the longevity of human life, and how easy it is to pray on the loneliness people have if they don't have family or friends to look out for them, how they are ultimately not missed. It's also a book which tackles the messy nature of human connections, a form of social commentary on society as it is today.

The novel felt a little reminiscent of the Korean Vampire Detective or Vampire Prosecutor TV series.

Thank you for the e-ARC Netgalley & Bloomsbury, it's a book which I'm looking forward to getting my hands on in print once released.

Thank you to the author and publishers for allowing me an ARC via NetGalley!

The description for this book really hooked me; a mix of fantasy, crime, fiction, and sapphic tones. The premise of this book is incredible, and the plot is so unique that I’ve never really heard of it before so I was excited to try this.
One of the best things about this book is the way it explores human emotions - loneliness, guilt, abandonment, apathy, and isolation. It felt very genuine and offered a unique viewpoint into how our actions can make others feel, intentionally or not.
I found it hard to relate to any of the characters, as a lot of them felt underdeveloped as there was no context or history given. I also found the story hard to follow at times, as it does jump between different characters and different timelines, and this caused me to struggle to read it sometimes as I felt distracted.
Overall, this was a good book, and the premise really has some potential, but I don’t think it was the book for me.

Rating: 3/5 stars (⭐️⭐️⭐️/⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

"They're right beside us, Suyeon said, her voice detached. 'So be careful. The only way we can protect ourselves is by making sure no one is left alone?' Because in every corner untouched by sight, and deprived of light, they were out there, breathing in the scent of lonely blood."

The Midnight Shift is Gene Png's translation of 밤에 찾아오는 구원자 by 천선란 (Cheon Seon-ran)

This is the second of the Korean author's novels to appear in English after A Thousand Blues is translated by Chi-Young Kim from the original 천개의 파랑.

If that novel was sentimental sci-fi reminscent of Ishiguro's Klara and the Sun (or rather the other way round since 천개의 파랑 came first), this one takes us into vampire territory.

This is however really, at its heart, a novel about loneliness.

It opens with a detective, Suyeon, called to the fourth in a series of suicides at the Cheolma Rehabilitation Hospital, essentially a care facility for elderly patients, most suffering from dementia. The series of deaths seems to her rather suspiscious (as is the fact that the elderly patients managed to jump from the top of the hospital, and indeed .... the odd lack of blood), but her partner points out there is no upside in investigating:

"Look, we could go on and on about whether or not we've got a case on our hands. So let's ask ourselves the most important question here - who is interested in bringing the case to light? Because here's the thing, if the only one interested in finding the truth is the detective, then it's all pointless? Suyeon stayed quiet. Chantae continued. No one showed up for these victims, kid. No one."

However one of the patients in the hospital, who she calls Granny (Halmonie) is, while not a blood relative, someone important to her so she carries on her investigation. And she finds she is not the only one investigating as she encounters Violette (a Korean orphan adopted by a French couple, now living back in Korea) who rather casually tells her that she suspects a vampire is involved, and that Violette is a vampire hunter.

The novel is told from the alternating perspectives of Suyeon, Violette (including her back story from her teenage years in France) and that of Nanju, a nurse in the hospital with a rather chequered past and who herself seems to be tied up in the events.

The vampire world here is - as Violette explains - not entirely consistent with the legend of movies/novels - garlic, crossed and silver bullets are useless; there is a written code of conduct between vampires and the human organisation Violette represents, so she can only kill vampires if they breach it (e.g. she must be able to prove they murdered a victim, not simply took their blood), and most pertinently, the idea that once bitten by a vampire one becomes one is a myth, one made up by authors "to capture the romance of spending eternity together".

As here relationships between vampires and humans can exist, but even when affectionate are rather like those between a human and a short-lived pet.

And the blood that vampires seek most is that of the most lonely of all - such as the abandoned patients in the hospital:

'People who are driven to the edge of loneliness and solitude don’t cry. They’ve forgotten how, or know their tears would only go to waste. They pass their days staring into nothing with soulless eyes. Crying when you’re sad, that is, being able to cry, is a testament that your will to live still exists. People who’ve lost their will to live don’t cry. Because crying won’t grant them release. If no tears are shed, then no moisture escapes the body. Extra moisture dilutes a person’s blood, just like aged wine. And since they are creatures with an inconceivably keen sense of smell, they can discern the scent of lonely blood.'

“외로움과 고독 끝에 몰린 사람들은 울지 않거든. 잊었다고 해야 할지 소용없는 걸 안다고 해야 할지. 영혼 없는 눈동자로 허공만 바라보며 하루를 까먹지. 슬플 때 눈물이 난다는 거, 그래서 울 수 있다는 거, 그 나름대로 살아 있다는 의미야. 의욕을 잃은 사람들은 울지 않거든. 운다고 속이 시원해지는 것도 아니니까. 그렇게 울지 않으면 몸속 수분이 밖으로 빠져나가지를 못해. 그 수분 때문에 피가 아주 묽어지는 거지. 잘 숙성된 적포도주처럼. 그들은 우리와 비교할 수 없을 정도로 후각이 발달해서 그 고독한 피의 향을 맡을 수 있어.”

Relationships play a key role in the novel - and there are strong hints of queer love as well (particularly the relationship as a teenager between Violette, isolated by her confused identity, and a vampire Lily), although this is not particularly explicit, and indeed it is a strangely sexless novel.

And the relationships are often complex in their dependencies - Nanju is addicted to the relationship with the figure that is behind the deaths, even though she knows herself: "Once she had learned that he was just a fucking bat who killed for sport, she should've made a run for it. But she couldn't. He'd freed her from her father's respirator. Of course, what shed believed was love, and what she'd given up everything for, turned out to be a mere hallucination, a symptom of breathing in the poison he exhaled."

A more satisfying novel than the vampire-murder-mystery set up might suggest, indeed that's perhaps the weakest part (quite how Violette kills vampires is for example rather unclear, as is the relationship between them and humans).

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for an ARC.

This was an interesting take on vampires - the idea that they can sense loneliness, that it draws them to humans, that those make the best feast... it's a cool idea, and one that works well. The best type of victim is the one nobody will miss and in this book, the killer is feasting on just that.

The main characters were all interesting - although confusingly the blurb on Goodreads has one of the characters under a different name - a translating error? A change that hasn't gone through? The name in the actual book fits the story a lot better.

The best parts were the story in France, the themes of love and loss even when young.

I both wanted more and less of Korea in this - more because I wanted to know what they thought of vampires, what kind of creature haunted their nightmares, their folklore. And less because there were times when the translator left in words that to those who don't know Korean, made no sense. I didn't understand some of the titles and terms and felt as if I was missing part of the story as a result.

An engaging read that I finished in a day, that left me with more questions and the hope that the author returns to this world. More vampire hunting and police work please!

An interesting detective story that unwound the story well, though the climax was a bit confusing. I enjoyed the blending of two different timelines and the way the writer juggled multiple perspectives.

I'm a little conflicted about this book. I don't want to crown Cheon Seon-ran as my favorite Korean author, but her book A Thousand Blues is one of the best books I read last year. I loved the story, and it was definitely a fun time, but it was severely undercooked.

The Midnight Shift follows Suyeon, a detective investigating strange suicides taking place at a retirement home. The deceased are all found after jumping from the roof with a suicide note in their own handwriting... and no blood in their bodies or at the scene. Which is a little strange, considering they threw themselves off a building. Luckily for her, Suyeon gets an answer when Violette - a Korean adoptee - shows up and kindly lets her know vampires exist, and that maybe one of the hospital staff is working with a vampire.

Besides the main paranormal investigation storyline, there's also an additional timeline set in France in 1983, following Violette's interactions with a vampire. I found this to be the absolute highlight of the book. I don't know how to describe the vibe, but it was very Carmilla-esque, with an unlikely friendship (with heavy sapphic undertones) that turns very dark, mixed in with Violette's lonely coming-of-age story.

The book felt like a paranormal CSI episode. It was fast-paced without much chewing or world-building, which made it fun, but I had so many questions about so many things (i.e., Ulan? The vampire-hunting association? Vampire hunters get paid? How did Violette become involved in this? Why was Greta meeting people who wanted to commit suicide if not to break the 'rules' - or why was Violette okay with her breaking the 'rules'? BIG LONG ETCETERA). It also had some gaps/contradictions that just made me raise an eyebrow while reading (i.e., vampires are described as territorial and living alone/not interacting with others, but then it turns out all vampires have a clan or companions?).

My two other 'issues' with the book were the characters and the lack of a 'message' in the book. The characters felt a little apathetic to me, especially Suyeon, who just went through the motions and half the time would not even answer when people talked to her. But mostly, I think because we lacked so much context, I just didn't get why Nanju and Violette (and Greta and Ulan) acted one way or another. And... about the 'message'. I just kept mentally comparing it to A Thousand Blues because I sobbed a few times while reading it and I highlighted half the thing, but here? It was just very... meh. Don't trust a vampire. Life sucks, but you're alive so you can do things...? Idk. I wanted more.

I usually don't mention translations unless it's to say something good, but I do want to talk about this one. The translation was great, but at times I'd be reading and I'd stop because I would be confused about some word choices. Also, I thought it was interesting that the words halmoni and ajumma were added sometimes but not always (i.e., sometimes the book talks about 'Granny Eunshim' and then suddenly she was referred to as halmoni). I'm okay with it, but I do think people who aren't familiar with Korean will be a little confused there.

I sense this comes off as a bad review, and I do admit I was a little disappointed, but it was still a great read for me. 3.5 rounded up.

I thought the premise of this was interesting but the execution left me feeling disappointed. The writing felt very juvenile and rushed in places and incredibly slow and drawn out in others. I couldn’t bring myself to feel any sort of real connection with either main female character and found myself wishing the book would end sooner. It just didn’t work for me!

Cheon Seon-Ran’s *The Midnight Shift* is a fresh and thrilling take on the vampire genre, seamlessly blending supernatural horror with poignant social commentary. Set in contemporary Seoul, the novel follows three lonely individuals—Su-yeon, Wanda, and Nanju—each struggling with societal isolation, identity, and personal demons. Their paths cross with a mysterious vampire who preys not just on blood, but on loneliness itself, drawing them into a dark and unexpected entanglement. What begins as a murder mystery quickly evolves into something deeper—a meditation on queer love, marginalization, and the search for belonging in an unforgiving world.

What makes *The Midnight Shift* so compelling is its ability to balance its gripping plot with layered emotional depth. The novel borrows the best elements of classic vampire lore, but infuses them with a distinctly modern and socially conscious edge. Cheon Seon-Ran crafts a story that is at once thrilling and thought-provoking, offering a supernatural tale that resonates on a deeply human level. With its unique premise and immersive storytelling, *The Midnight Shift* is a standout addition to the ever-evolving vampire canon.

The Midnight Shift by Cheon Seon-Ran is so good and cool I couldn't put it down for a second. So so good!!! I totally recommend everyone to read this book as fast as they can because it's really good.

DNF at 57%

- I tried SO hard to push through with this one since the premise really called to me but I just couldn’t care about the characters. The story itself couldn’t get my attention even though I am a firm vampire lover