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The Mediator #4
Darkest Hour
What - or who - is buried in Susannah's backyard?
When the nineteenth-century ghost of Maria de Silva wakes her up in the middle of the night, Suze knows this is no ordinary visitation - and not just from the knife at her throat, either. In life, Maria was the fiancée of Jesse - the same Jesse who was murdered a hundred and fifty years before. The same Jesse Suze is in love with.
Maria threatens Suze: The backyard construction must cease. Suze has a pretty good idea what - or rather, who - Maria doesn't want found. But in solving Jesse's murder, will Suze end up losing him forever?
When the nineteenth-century ghost of Maria de Silva wakes her up in the middle of the night, Suze knows this is no ordinary visitation - and not just from the knife at her throat, either. In life, Maria was the fiancée of Jesse - the same Jesse who was murdered a hundred and fifty years before. The same Jesse Suze is in love with.
Maria threatens Suze: The backyard construction must cease. Suze has a pretty good idea what - or rather, who - Maria doesn't want found. But in solving Jesse's murder, will Suze end up losing him forever?
316 pages, Paperback
First published February 6, 2008
About the author
Jenny Carroll
11 books272 followersA pseudonym of Meg Cabot, under which she wrote the first 4 1-800-Where-R-You books (When Lightning Strikes, Code Name Cassandra, Safe House, and Sanctuary) and the first 4 Mediator books (Shadowland, Ninth Key, Reunion, and Darkest Hour). These 8 books have been re-released under her her real name.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 974 reviews
August 5, 2016
Here's the thing about Mediators:
We're hard to kill.
I know it’s been a week since I posted my pre-review and I know I said I would be writing said review a long time ago. But, as it is, I’ve been tired and busy and just completely out of sorts. Sometimes, though, you love a book so much that you can’t stand the thought of not posting your thoughts about it. And, even more surprising, I loved this book so much more than I expected or ever thought I could this time around and just want to push it on people-that’s what I do.
It’s no secret this series is-and always will be-a favorite. Each book I re-read cements my love more and makes it crystal clear that my obsession as a middle schooler wasn’t unfounded. There is truly something special about these books you can’t quite understand until you pick them up and experience them for yourself. Each character eeks their way into your heart in some special way and they don’t let go.
I really have to start hiding my textbooks from him. The thing is, he reads them and actually manages to retain what they say, and then applies that to other things he finds to read around the house.
Why he can't just watch TV, like a normal person, I do not know.
Even her crazy brothers are hard to dislike. Suze is a character that you fall for quickly-she’s quirky, funny, and a total smart ass. Her inner ramblings are so relatable, it’s uncanny. From book one on, then and now, I find/found that her voice reminds me a lot of my own. When I was younger, she was a bit cooler than me, I have to admit (Hey, I’m not counting High School, only middle school), but now as I read them as an adult, all those jokes I didn’t understand-or missed before-are so witty and funny and I find myself relating to her more than I care to admit.
I won't lie or anything and say I was embarrassed for a hottie like Paul to see me in my swimsuit. I look a lot better in the navy blue one-piece suit the hotel forces us to wear than I do in those heinous shorts.
Plus my mascara is totally the waterproof kind. I mean, I'm not an idiot.
In this installment-which I had completely forgotten about from years ago (the best kind of surprise)-we visit the darker and sadder side to Jesse’s past. But the best part is, it doesn’t come via flashbacks, memories, etc.-it comes in the form of his ex-fiance and her handy henchman. I don’t know why I loved this installment so much, but I did. We get more Jesse, we begin to see how he really might feel about Susannah (awwww as he calls her), and it introduces the one (har har-just one, my ass) person that makes Jesse a jelly green giant. Oh, and did I mention he becomes Suze’s arch nemesis?
I'd have much rather talked about his sisters. For instance, had he found living with five girls as trying as I find living with three boys? I would imagine probably not, given the reverse toilet seat situation. Did they even have toilets back then? Or did they just go in those nasty outhouses, like on Little House on the Prairie?
God, no wonder Maria was in such a bad mood.
Well, that and the whole being dead thing.
Yeah, so totally worth it, this one. It’s not enough that this story came as a total surprise to me, though that has to be my favorite thing about it. No, it’s that every emotion was expressed ten-fold and we finally get somewhere in the feelings and confessions department. We aren’t all the way there yet, but that is why book five is my (I think) favorite, right? ;) Oh, and let’s not forget the lengths to which Jesse would go to save Suze-we can never discount that. EEPS.
"Stupid girl! I said to Diego that you were far too much of a fool to cause trouble for us, but I see now that I was wrong. You are everything I have heard about mediators-interfering, loathsome creature!"
I was flattered. I truly was. No one had ever called me loathsome before.
So why should you read this series I’ve been talking about over and over and over again? That’s simple: It’s fun. It’s cute and sexy. It’s swoony without being over the top. And, most importantly, IT HAS JESSE. Duh. What else in the world do you need? Well, okay, her arch nemesis, because that epic battle at the end of book 5 makes my bbf heart go pitter patter with glee, I won’t lie. I lubbs the jelly boys. Oops. So, you know, pick this up, or don’t pick this up-it makes no difference to me. It’s you who is losing out, in the end, so I guess it’s your loss, right?
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Guys, I can't even begin to explain how big I smiled, how loud I laughed, and how giggly I became in this installment. Call me crazy, but I guess I just completely forgot what this book was about and who was introduced in this one. Like...the amount of happiness I found reading this book was absurd...and I already want to re-read it again. Favorite re-read yet!
OR START THE NEXT ONE IMMEDIATELY because
RTC.
May 24, 2017
Re-read 4/27/17: Swooney swoon SWOON. I cannot over here. I'm a swooney mess. Have mercy
February 13, 2017
THIS BOOK JUST TOOK THIS SERIES TO A WHHOLE NEW LEVEL OMG
August 31, 2022
This is fourth in a series and you probably want to read at least the first before this one.
I can't tell if my loathing for Paul comes from memories of the next book or if he's just a creepy creeper who should have been kicked from the gene pool for creeping. I hate that guy. So this book sucked, just a little more, every time he showed up on-page.
The bits with Jack (Paul's little brother who turns out to be able to "see dead people") were interesting. Seeing him develop with someone who believes him (Suze, obviously) was fun. Jesse, however, is mostly a no-show. And I continue to be astonished at how much Cece and Adam are not present. I remember them being a much bigger part of these stories.
I'm going to keep this at four stars, but I'm almost certain it doesn't deserve it. Paul alone ought to drag this sucker down a star and I'm not sure it was higher than four to begin with.
A note about the next one: I have no idea why I rated that sucker five stars. I remember hating everything to do with Paul. Maybe there's finally some real progress on the core relationship that I forgot about? I don't want to read the next one and it doesn't help that the only audiobook for it appears to be an abridged version. Maybe Cabot agrees with me that Haunted is best skimmed over as lightly as possible? Maybe I'll just skip it?
A note about Chaste: There's no kissing or anything sexually suggestive. Even Suze noticing other guys is way down in this one as she has acknowledged, to herself, that she's in love with Jesse. Sadly, the other downer of the story is her lying to Jesse about that. Outright. Though admittedly in a way that he'd see through. At any rate, it's extremely chaste.
I can't tell if my loathing for Paul comes from memories of the next book or if he's just a creepy creeper who should have been kicked from the gene pool for creeping. I hate that guy. So this book sucked, just a little more, every time he showed up on-page.
The bits with Jack (Paul's little brother who turns out to be able to "see dead people") were interesting. Seeing him develop with someone who believes him (Suze, obviously) was fun. Jesse, however, is mostly a no-show. And I continue to be astonished at how much Cece and Adam are not present. I remember them being a much bigger part of these stories.
I'm going to keep this at four stars, but I'm almost certain it doesn't deserve it. Paul alone ought to drag this sucker down a star and I'm not sure it was higher than four to begin with.
A note about the next one: I have no idea why I rated that sucker five stars. I remember hating everything to do with Paul. Maybe there's finally some real progress on the core relationship that I forgot about? I don't want to read the next one and it doesn't help that the only audiobook for it appears to be an abridged version. Maybe Cabot agrees with me that Haunted is best skimmed over as lightly as possible? Maybe I'll just skip it?
A note about Chaste: There's no kissing or anything sexually suggestive. Even Suze noticing other guys is way down in this one as she has acknowledged, to herself, that she's in love with Jesse. Sadly, the other downer of the story is her lying to Jesse about that. Outright. Though admittedly in a way that he'd see through. At any rate, it's extremely chaste.
July 2, 2018
This book has a slightly more serious tone than the previous books. A lot more tears from Suze and a lot more high-stakes situations.
I still find Suze to be infinity relatable and hilarious. I like that we get to see her becoming more serious, but at the same time, I do miss the more fun, breezy times like from the 1st book.
It is summer in this book, and Suze has a babysitting job. Not the most fun premise but I do like the normalcy of this. She is getting more comfortable around her stepfamily, and I still find it funny that she’s the only one who has not realized that her stepbrothers are basically her brothers and her stepdad is basically her dad now because they treat her like true family. I hope we get to see more touching family moments in the future. Also, I miss having Doc in this book. It’s sweet that he would have come home for Suze even though he seemed to be enjoying camp. And even Sleepy has become increasingly brotherly in this book. And Andy is increasingly more like a dad.
I hope we go back to school in the next book because I think I find that setting more fun to read. Anyway, finally, the romance is starting to really happen in this book.
I seriously adore how much Father Dom has come to mean for Suze. It just makes my heart melt the friendship/mentorship thing they have going on.
I’m giving this 3.5 stars (maybe 4).
Things that you might want to know (WARNING: Spoilers below)
Happy/satisfying ending?
Love triangle? Cheating? Angst level?
Tears-worthy?
Humor?
Favorite scenes?
What age level would be appropriate?
------------
I have been holding off on continuing this series because of school/finals/grad, and finally I'm back to my weekly Sunday reading of The Mediator. It's such a stress-reliever <3
I still find Suze to be infinity relatable and hilarious. I like that we get to see her becoming more serious, but at the same time, I do miss the more fun, breezy times like from the 1st book.
It is summer in this book, and Suze has a babysitting job. Not the most fun premise but I do like the normalcy of this. She is getting more comfortable around her stepfamily, and I still find it funny that she’s the only one who has not realized that her stepbrothers are basically her brothers and her stepdad is basically her dad now because they treat her like true family. I hope we get to see more touching family moments in the future. Also, I miss having Doc in this book. It’s sweet that he would have come home for Suze even though he seemed to be enjoying camp. And even Sleepy has become increasingly brotherly in this book. And Andy is increasingly more like a dad.
I hope we go back to school in the next book because I think I find that setting more fun to read. Anyway, finally, the romance is starting to really happen in this book.
I seriously adore how much Father Dom has come to mean for Suze. It just makes my heart melt the friendship/mentorship thing they have going on.
I’m giving this 3.5 stars (maybe 4).
Things that you might want to know (WARNING: Spoilers below)
Happy/satisfying ending?
Love triangle? Cheating? Angst level?
Tears-worthy?
Humor?
Favorite scenes?
What age level would be appropriate?
------------
I have been holding off on continuing this series because of school/finals/grad, and finally I'm back to my weekly Sunday reading of The Mediator. It's such a stress-reliever <3
April 20, 2015
เล่มนี้คือสนุกแบบเว่อร์วัง สนุกแบบไม่ลืมหูลืมตา พีคมาก ลุ้นจนตัวเกร็ง ถ้าเทียบกับสามเล่มแรกที่เอื่อยเฉื่อย อ่านไปหาวไป เนื้อเรื่องตอนนี้จะเข้มข้นขึ้นและเข้าสู่ประเด็นหลักนั่นก็คือเรื่องของเจสซี่รวมถึงอดีตของเขา ไหนจะเรื่องของพอลอีกล่ะที่เราคิดว่าเป็นประเด็นในเล่มต่อไปแน่ๆ เราชอบสตอร์รี่ไลน์ของเล่มนี้มาก ตรงที่มันต่อเนื่องกันไปเรื่อยๆ รายละเอียดที่กล่าวถึงแต่ละอย่างก็ดูน่าสนใจน่าจับต้องไปหมด ไม่เหมือนเล่มแรกๆที่เราอ่านแล้วแทบจะปล่อยผ่านไปทันทีเพราะไม่ค่อยมีอะไรน่าจดจำมากนัก ยกเว้นเล่มหนึ่งที่เราว่ามันก็แมสสำหรับเราอยู่นะ ส่วนเล่มสองเล่มสามเราคิดว่าประเด็นมันจืดๆ ดูไม่ค่อยน่าสนใจเท่าไร
ถ้าจะพูดก็พูดเถอะ เราคิดว่าเล่มนี้เป็นเล่มที่เราชอบมากที่สุดในซีรีย์ชุดนี้ เดี๋ยวจะลองดูว่าอีกสองเล่มที่เหลื���จะเปลี่ยนใจเราได้มั้ย ฮ่าๆ แต่เราว่า...เนื้อเรื่องมันมาถึงจุดพีคในเล่มนี้แล้วล่ะ ขออย่าให้เล่มหน้าดรอปลงเลยเหอะ ถ้าทุกเล่มเขียนออกมาให้โทนมันคล้ายๆกับเล่มนี้ เราคงจะชอบหนังสือชุดนี้แบบไม่ลืมหูลืมตาแน่นอน
ถ้าจะพูดก็พูดเถอะ เราคิดว่าเล่มนี้เป็นเล่มที่เราชอบมากที่สุดในซีรีย์ชุดนี้ เดี๋ยวจะลองดูว่าอีกสองเล่มที่เหลื���จะเปลี่ยนใจเราได้มั้ย ฮ่าๆ แต่เราว่า...เนื้อเรื่องมันมาถึงจุดพีคในเล่มนี้แล้วล่ะ ขออย่าให้เล่มหน้าดรอปลงเลยเหอะ ถ้าทุกเล่มเขียนออกมาให้โทนมันคล้ายๆกับเล่มนี้ เราคงจะชอบหนังสือชุดนี้แบบไม่ลืมหูลืมตาแน่นอน
December 4, 2011
This is the best Mediator book so far! In the three previous books, it was always according to a model great times - ghost - a boy who wants to have a date with Suze (and is in some relation with that ghost) - ghost is beaten with some consequences to that boy. And of course there was Jesse, somewhere, usually telling Suze not to do something dangerous what she obviously does so he helps her. (And I mean every word of it in a good way, I enjoyed every single book.) But now, finally, Suze knows how she feels about Jesse, even if she doesn't want to admit it to anybody, and everything is so much clearer.
Darkest Hour was epic and I'm really crazy about The Mediator series! (Unfortunately I discovered it has just 6 books! Why does The Princess Diaries have like hundred and fifty books without any reason (because even in the 5th book, Mia's already totally annoying) and Mediator just 6?!)
Darkest Hour was epic and I'm really crazy about The Mediator series! (Unfortunately I discovered it has just 6 books! Why does The Princess Diaries have like hundred and fifty books without any reason (because even in the 5th book, Mia's already totally annoying) and Mediator just 6?!)
February 6, 2018
This book took shit to the next level. The series had blurred together in my memory and I couldn’t remember when Paul made an appearance, but I’m so glad he finally did. I’m excited for the drama in the next book!
July 31, 2018
read this in one sitting!
i need more of jesseeee!!
i need more of jesseeee!!
October 17, 2020
Definitely my favourite book in the series!!! I mean, welcome Paul Slater *whistles*, hello to badassery by Father D, and *drumroll*....that.last.scene...my heart can't deal. Swooning.
April 12, 2015
Young Blood, the fourth book in the Mediator series by Meg Cabot is definitely my favourite so far!
Suzie's first summer in California doesn't quite go to plan when her stepdad forces her to either get a job or go to summer school. She chooses to work and ends up at the Pebbel Beach Hotel and Golf Resort as a daytime child minder. She is assigned to look after a unsociable young man called Jack and it soon become evident that just like Suzie he can also see spirits. Throw in Jesse, Suzie's gorgeous yet dead roommate and his crazy ex girlfriend and all hell breaks lose!
I loved the simplicity of this novel, there isn't a love interest who is weak and that Suzie isn't that fond of, there isn't any best friend or high school drama and there was much more likable characters.
We are introduced to Jack an eight year old who is afraid of his ability. I feel like Jack's story won me over, he was such a lovable character and I really felt for him when he was being ignored by his family or when he made mistakes.
Jesse and his back story served a much larger part in this book, we finally learn all about his life and I found it very interesting. Unlike the other books Jesse is a main 'feature' which was much better than him acting like a guardian angel of sorts and only turning up when something bad was happening to Suzie.
Suzie did get a little annoying at times, like always! And she said a few things that I didn't like (see below in comments for little rant, haha!) but overall her relationships were a lot more interesting and her decision making flowed easier than previous books. Even if she was slightly rash at times I understood why she did certain things.
When Suzie enters the inbetween I was suprised to actually enjoy the little details that we were given by Cabot, I have a lot of unanswered questions but I feel that any more description would have been overdone and not believable.
The ending, oh Jesse my heart! So cute, can't wait for the next book now actually!
Suzie's first summer in California doesn't quite go to plan when her stepdad forces her to either get a job or go to summer school. She chooses to work and ends up at the Pebbel Beach Hotel and Golf Resort as a daytime child minder. She is assigned to look after a unsociable young man called Jack and it soon become evident that just like Suzie he can also see spirits. Throw in Jesse, Suzie's gorgeous yet dead roommate and his crazy ex girlfriend and all hell breaks lose!
I loved the simplicity of this novel, there isn't a love interest who is weak and that Suzie isn't that fond of, there isn't any best friend or high school drama and there was much more likable characters.
We are introduced to Jack an eight year old who is afraid of his ability. I feel like Jack's story won me over, he was such a lovable character and I really felt for him when he was being ignored by his family or when he made mistakes.
Jesse and his back story served a much larger part in this book, we finally learn all about his life and I found it very interesting. Unlike the other books Jesse is a main 'feature' which was much better than him acting like a guardian angel of sorts and only turning up when something bad was happening to Suzie.
Suzie did get a little annoying at times, like always! And she said a few things that I didn't like (see below in comments for little rant, haha!) but overall her relationships were a lot more interesting and her decision making flowed easier than previous books. Even if she was slightly rash at times I understood why she did certain things.
When Suzie enters the inbetween I was suprised to actually enjoy the little details that we were given by Cabot, I have a lot of unanswered questions but I feel that any more description would have been overdone and not believable.
The ending, oh Jesse my heart! So cute, can't wait for the next book now actually!
April 14, 2015
Suze's stepfather and stepbrothers make a discovery in the backyard putting Suze in danger as she gets an unexpected visit from Maria de Silva. This book had an interesting storyline but I didn't really enjoy the execution; way too much verbal diarrhea being one reason. Suze was again making crazy decisions and overestimating her ability. I guess Suze chasing after Jesse in the in-between world and bringing him back was meant to be romantic but instead I got the message that Suze was giving her life away to save a guy who was already 'dead' and it was kind of stupid because what did she expect? They can't have a future together! There were some twists which was nice, after the lack in Book 3. I'm interested in finding out more about Paul in the next book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 6, 2015
Meg Cabot, to end the book like this! Oh, God, Oh, God... I have to rush and read the next one.
Jesse querido...
I have Buffy in mind sometimes when I read this. Suze is such a kick-ass in that black clothes. And Jesse is Angel <3
So that means this Paul Slater will be Spike? No way, but he will come back, I am sure.
Jesse querido...
I have Buffy in mind sometimes when I read this. Suze is such a kick-ass in that black clothes. And Jesse is Angel <3
So that means this Paul Slater will be Spike? No way, but he will come back, I am sure.
January 28, 2021
Original rating: 4 stars
7/2020 reread: 4.5 stars
--
And extreme buildup necessitates extreme catharsis--or at least, a tense and emotional revelation. So the question becomes, did the book deliver?
Hoo. Well. Let's see.
The book opens with Suze working away her summer at a resort for rich tourists. She's a particular favorite of the Slaters because their agoraphobic youngest son, Jack, seems to prefer her above the other sitters. The root of this agoraphobia is, as we immediately discover, that Jack is a mediator. Terrified of the specters that he alone can see, and traumatized by years of therapy forced on him by his unbelieving family, Jack opts to stay inside as often as possible to avoid run-ins with ghouls of any persuasion. Suze soon takes this young boy (reluctantly) under her wing, which immediately and inadvertently places her in the sights of Paul Slater, arguably the series antagonist.
While Suze is getting her mentor on, her stepfather and stepbrother tackle a long-planned household project mentioned in previous books: the digging of a hole for the eventual installation of a hot tub in their backyard. Why is the hot tub hole storyline pertinent?
Well because, as the recently-disturbed ghost of 1850s belle Maria de Silva soon informs Suze via knife-to-the-throat, there's somebody buried outside who she would very much prefer remained unearthed.
There's never any doubt who is buried, of course, and the narrative doesn't pretend for an instant that there is. Suze realizes right away that the soon-to-be-discovered body belongs to Jesse.
Adding insult to injury is the secondary plot, in which Suze realizes that Jesse's disappearance at the time of the body's exhumation isn't the result of his spirit passing on naturally but a fucking exorcism orchestrated by Maria de Silva, Paul Slater, and Jack Slater. That's right, folks: Not only was Jesse murdered in cold blood for daring to break off a marriage with Maria, but this bitch comes back from the grave to rip him from his life again.
And Jesse, not knowing of Jack's existence, thinks Suze did it. The scene between them in the shadowlands, where Suze seeks to pull Jesse's soul back to the realm of the living before he is forced to cross over, was really well done. There's so much respect in their relationship, so much love. I mean Suze really exorcizes herself just to give him the option of coming back, if he wants to. While insisting, multiple times and with great sincerity, that he should take the opportunity to end his purgatorial existence on Earth if he believes that will bring him peace.
Now, as for execution: I thought it was a slight step backward from book three. The pacing of the book is rushed, kind of reminiscent of the first installment--I believe due to the heightened emotions Suze displays--and the dialogue was a bit flat in the first half, though this improves dramatically once the "save Jesse" plot commences.
My biggest beef with book four is Paul Slater, to be honest. Again, I started with Haunted, so I knew Paul's character going into Darkest Hour. I remember that even the first time I read the series sequentially, I was disappointed by his first appearance. It's just kind of anticlimactic? His lines are mostly cringey or else blatantly manipulative, and the reveal that he's a mediator and can walk freely between the realm of the living and the dead comes out of left field, but not in a good way. Not in a "a-ha, nice foreshadowing" way but a "sorry, did I miss something?" way. Reading Haunted again, now, I can recognize that Paul's character in general has never been as strong as I once believed it to be, nor the interactions between he and Suze as riddled with tension as they presumably should and could have been, given that he is the first person her own age who shares her gift (and then some).
Anyway, moving on! I'm getting so close to reading new Mediator content!!
7/2020 reread: 4.5 stars
--
I was flattered. I truly was. No one had ever called me loathsome before.In the fourth book of The Mediator series, readers finally learn the full details surrounding Jesse de Silva's death. Considering that Jesse is both one of the series' main characters and Suze's main love interest, not to mention an all-around cool dude you hate to imagine being murdered at twenty, the buildup to the events in this novel can be considered, um, "extreme." To say the least.
And extreme buildup necessitates extreme catharsis--or at least, a tense and emotional revelation. So the question becomes, did the book deliver?
Hoo. Well. Let's see.
The book opens with Suze working away her summer at a resort for rich tourists. She's a particular favorite of the Slaters because their agoraphobic youngest son, Jack, seems to prefer her above the other sitters. The root of this agoraphobia is, as we immediately discover, that Jack is a mediator. Terrified of the specters that he alone can see, and traumatized by years of therapy forced on him by his unbelieving family, Jack opts to stay inside as often as possible to avoid run-ins with ghouls of any persuasion. Suze soon takes this young boy (reluctantly) under her wing, which immediately and inadvertently places her in the sights of Paul Slater, arguably the series antagonist.
While Suze is getting her mentor on, her stepfather and stepbrother tackle a long-planned household project mentioned in previous books: the digging of a hole for the eventual installation of a hot tub in their backyard. Why is the hot tub hole storyline pertinent?
Well because, as the recently-disturbed ghost of 1850s belle Maria de Silva soon informs Suze via knife-to-the-throat, there's somebody buried outside who she would very much prefer remained unearthed.
There's never any doubt who is buried, of course, and the narrative doesn't pretend for an instant that there is. Suze realizes right away that the soon-to-be-discovered body belongs to Jesse.
Maybe he's busy. I mean, that was his skeleton down there. Maybe he's following it to wherever they're taking it. To the morgue or whatever. It's probably very traumatic, watching people dig up your body. Jesse didn't know anything about Hinduism and karma. At least, that I knew of. To him, his body had probably been a lot more than just a vessel for his soul.Like, what the fuck?? Not only does Suze witness the exhumation of one of her best friends' (and love's) skeleton, but Brad accidentally spears his shovel through Jesse's skull while it's happening. I truly believe Meg Cabot exhausted every drop of savagery on this plotline because let me tell you that there has been nothing in her work since then that has even come close to this level of wild ass emotional horror.
That's where he was. The morgue. Watching what they did with his remains.
Adding insult to injury is the secondary plot, in which Suze realizes that Jesse's disappearance at the time of the body's exhumation isn't the result of his spirit passing on naturally but a fucking exorcism orchestrated by Maria de Silva, Paul Slater, and Jack Slater. That's right, folks: Not only was Jesse murdered in cold blood for daring to break off a marriage with Maria, but this bitch comes back from the grave to rip him from his life again.
And Jesse, not knowing of Jack's existence, thinks Suze did it. The scene between them in the shadowlands, where Suze seeks to pull Jesse's soul back to the realm of the living before he is forced to cross over, was really well done. There's so much respect in their relationship, so much love. I mean Suze really exorcizes herself just to give him the option of coming back, if he wants to. While insisting, multiple times and with great sincerity, that he should take the opportunity to end his purgatorial existence on Earth if he believes that will bring him peace.
Now, as for execution: I thought it was a slight step backward from book three. The pacing of the book is rushed, kind of reminiscent of the first installment--I believe due to the heightened emotions Suze displays--and the dialogue was a bit flat in the first half, though this improves dramatically once the "save Jesse" plot commences.
My biggest beef with book four is Paul Slater, to be honest. Again, I started with Haunted, so I knew Paul's character going into Darkest Hour. I remember that even the first time I read the series sequentially, I was disappointed by his first appearance. It's just kind of anticlimactic? His lines are mostly cringey or else blatantly manipulative, and the reveal that he's a mediator and can walk freely between the realm of the living and the dead comes out of left field, but not in a good way. Not in a "a-ha, nice foreshadowing" way but a "sorry, did I miss something?" way. Reading Haunted again, now, I can recognize that Paul's character in general has never been as strong as I once believed it to be, nor the interactions between he and Suze as riddled with tension as they presumably should and could have been, given that he is the first person her own age who shares her gift (and then some).
Anyway, moving on! I'm getting so close to reading new Mediator content!!
January 19, 2016
At A Glance
Genre: Young Adult; Ghost
Love Triangle/Insta Love/Obsession?: no
Cliff Hanger: no
Rating: 4.5 stars
Score Sheet
All out of ten
Cover: 8
Plot: 8
Characters: 9
World Building: 8
Flow: 8
Series Congruity: 9
Writing: 7
Ending: 8
Total: 8
In Dept
Best Part: Jack :D
Worst Part: Nah!
Thoughts Had: Oh no; yayyyyyy; hurry up!!!!!!!
Conclusion
Continuing the Series: yes
Recommending: yes
Short Review: Probably my favorite so far in this series. It had everything and i have zero major issues with it. Other than Paul, who is evil, and i kinda want to see if he shows up in the next book so we can see what he has to offer. The new character Jack is a riot thou, i love him. I'm angry that Suze made him cry, but i saw where she was coming from. Maria was a nice addiction to the story as well. The ending had me worried! i was yelling at them to hurry the heck up!!! I'm excited to get into book 5!
Review in GIF Form:
Genre: Young Adult; Ghost
Love Triangle/Insta Love/Obsession?: no
Cliff Hanger: no
Rating: 4.5 stars
Score Sheet
All out of ten
Cover: 8
Plot: 8
Characters: 9
World Building: 8
Flow: 8
Series Congruity: 9
Writing: 7
Ending: 8
Total: 8
In Dept
Best Part: Jack :D
Worst Part: Nah!
Thoughts Had: Oh no; yayyyyyy; hurry up!!!!!!!
Conclusion
Continuing the Series: yes
Recommending: yes
Short Review: Probably my favorite so far in this series. It had everything and i have zero major issues with it. Other than Paul, who is evil, and i kinda want to see if he shows up in the next book so we can see what he has to offer. The new character Jack is a riot thou, i love him. I'm angry that Suze made him cry, but i saw where she was coming from. Maria was a nice addiction to the story as well. The ending had me worried! i was yelling at them to hurry the heck up!!! I'm excited to get into book 5!
Review in GIF Form:
November 1, 2015
Source: I own a bind up of books 3 and 4 in this series.
Cost: Free gift
Title: Darkest Hour/Young Blood
Series: Mediator #4
Author: Meg Cabot
Overall Rating: 3.7 stars
This one I liked slightly less than the past one, it didn't hold me as much but that may be because of the whole...lack of Jesse thing. Jesse is definitely one of my favourite characters. The best thing about Meg Cabot's books though have to be that her main characters sort of take things into their own hands rather than depending than some random boy to fix their issues. Susannah takes matters into her own hands.
Cost: Free gift
Title: Darkest Hour/Young Blood
Series: Mediator #4
Author: Meg Cabot
Overall Rating: 3.7 stars
This one I liked slightly less than the past one, it didn't hold me as much but that may be because of the whole...lack of Jesse thing. Jesse is definitely one of my favourite characters. The best thing about Meg Cabot's books though have to be that her main characters sort of take things into their own hands rather than depending than some random boy to fix their issues. Susannah takes matters into her own hands.
November 7, 2020
Best book in the series to date. Takes the book into a new direction making me keen to read the next instalment.
May 10, 2020
Reread 2020: This may be my favorite out of the series. I like that the ghost mystery is personally connected to the characters. And Jesse's character development is really added too. Also the mediator mythos is explored some. Also, God, Paul. Probably my favorite Cabot secondary love interest even though I don't actually root for him and Suze to be together in cannon.
To see review with gif click here.
What I Remember:
I remember really being surprised by this one and kind of shocked about how evil Paul was in this one. Because remember, I read Haunted first. If you just read Haunted, Paul just seems like a sightly sleazy boy who makes some dubious choices. But in Darkest Evil you know that he would have no problem fighting Voldemort and probably winning (he’d probably exorcise all seven pieces of Voldy’s soul and laugh about it).
Reread
If Suze Simon isn’t a BAMF character before, she is now.
Honestly, in a lot of ways, Darkest Hour is my favorite book in the series. The last one might hit some emotional strings for me, but this book does too and has Suze fight probably the most scariest baddies in the series.
We also get more backstory on Jesse which is a good thing, because really up until this point the character Jesse needed some (okay, a lot fleshing out).
I think this book is what seals the deal for the Juze ship. My OTP. Okay, to be honest I do like Paul/Suze in fanfiction better. Only because I think in fannon it allows more story, but in cannon I <3 Suze and Jesse forever. You can really feel how much these two characters have grown to love each other in this book-though Suze is too stupid to realize Jesse has feelings for her.
I also like how the two of them interact around Maria and Diego. I thought having Suze having to deal with Jesse’s past was a pretty smart idea on Cabot’s part. The dude has baggage due to the way he died, and I’m glad she didn’t ignore that.
Maria and Diego make more formable foils than Heather or the RLS Angels, that’ s for sure. It doesn’t take Suze almost 200 pages to be in peril only till like chapter 2 or 3. And she’s actually scared. And Jesse doesn’t really come to her rescue in this book. She does a bit of saving herself. Really as far as action goes, I’d say this is probably the most action filled Mediator book.
As I said in the first part of this review, this is the first book that Paul comes into play. After reading the series as a whole, it is the same Paul but you do see a different side of him here. I think I read somewhere that Meg always was a little shocked with Paul’s popularity because he is a sleaze. To be honest, he is sleazy in this book but the Paul character evolves as the series comes to play. I really wonder if I would be so team Cannon Juze had the series been allowed to extend to the seven or eight book she initially wanted to do.
Overall Darkest Hour was probably one of the best if not the best books in the Mediator series.
To see review with gif click here.
What I Remember:
I remember really being surprised by this one and kind of shocked about how evil Paul was in this one. Because remember, I read Haunted first. If you just read Haunted, Paul just seems like a sightly sleazy boy who makes some dubious choices. But in Darkest Evil you know that he would have no problem fighting Voldemort and probably winning (he’d probably exorcise all seven pieces of Voldy’s soul and laugh about it).
Reread
If Suze Simon isn’t a BAMF character before, she is now.
Honestly, in a lot of ways, Darkest Hour is my favorite book in the series. The last one might hit some emotional strings for me, but this book does too and has Suze fight probably the most scariest baddies in the series.
We also get more backstory on Jesse which is a good thing, because really up until this point the character Jesse needed some (okay, a lot fleshing out).
I think this book is what seals the deal for the Juze ship. My OTP. Okay, to be honest I do like Paul/Suze in fanfiction better. Only because I think in fannon it allows more story, but in cannon I <3 Suze and Jesse forever. You can really feel how much these two characters have grown to love each other in this book-though Suze is too stupid to realize Jesse has feelings for her.
I also like how the two of them interact around Maria and Diego. I thought having Suze having to deal with Jesse’s past was a pretty smart idea on Cabot’s part. The dude has baggage due to the way he died, and I’m glad she didn’t ignore that.
Maria and Diego make more formable foils than Heather or the RLS Angels, that’ s for sure. It doesn’t take Suze almost 200 pages to be in peril only till like chapter 2 or 3. And she’s actually scared. And Jesse doesn’t really come to her rescue in this book. She does a bit of saving herself. Really as far as action goes, I’d say this is probably the most action filled Mediator book.
As I said in the first part of this review, this is the first book that Paul comes into play. After reading the series as a whole, it is the same Paul but you do see a different side of him here. I think I read somewhere that Meg always was a little shocked with Paul’s popularity because he is a sleaze. To be honest, he is sleazy in this book but the Paul character evolves as the series comes to play. I really wonder if I would be so team Cannon Juze had the series been allowed to extend to the seven or eight book she initially wanted to do.
Overall Darkest Hour was probably one of the best if not the best books in the Mediator series.
February 8, 2016
This is like a fangirling mess, so read at your own caution
Jesse made the move! My heart!
The second half of this series is probably my favorite, I mean I love them all but at this point we are getting a main antagonist in Paul, we're finally getting into Jesse's past, and my OTP took the plunge! This is like the turning point for the series, we're getting down to business!
Jesse made the move! My heart!
The second half of this series is probably my favorite, I mean I love them all but at this point we are getting a main antagonist in Paul, we're finally getting into Jesse's past, and my OTP took the plunge! This is like the turning point for the series, we're getting down to business!
August 4, 2020
Re-read in 2020 on audio:
Suze's stepdad is digging a hole in their backyard to build a hot tub, but the ghost of Maria de Silva threatens to kill Suze if she doesn't put a stop to the digging. Why? Well, because Jesse's body is buried in Suze's backyard. The truth about Jesse's murder comes to light and at the same time, Suze is working as a babysitter for little Jack Slater, who also happens to be a mediator. Only, Jack doesn't understand why he sees ghosts, so he doesn't know that he's a mediator until Suze teaches him about it. There's also Jack's older brother, Paul Slater, who comes into the picture and there's a lot more to this guy than what Suze had initially thought.
Shit gets real in Darkest Hour; this is a huge turning point in the series for Suze and Jesse. Maria de Silva and her hubby Diego are real pieces of work. I wanted to kick their asses myself. Jesse gets himself in real trouble and Suze is the one who's saving him this time around. The introduction of Paul Slater only makes the story better and I have so many questions about Paul!! I read this series 10 years ago and I only remember bits and pieces about Paul, so it kind of feels like I'm reading this series for the first time again. And omg THE ENDING! So good!! Onto the next book!!
Suze's stepdad is digging a hole in their backyard to build a hot tub, but the ghost of Maria de Silva threatens to kill Suze if she doesn't put a stop to the digging. Why? Well, because Jesse's body is buried in Suze's backyard. The truth about Jesse's murder comes to light and at the same time, Suze is working as a babysitter for little Jack Slater, who also happens to be a mediator. Only, Jack doesn't understand why he sees ghosts, so he doesn't know that he's a mediator until Suze teaches him about it. There's also Jack's older brother, Paul Slater, who comes into the picture and there's a lot more to this guy than what Suze had initially thought.
Shit gets real in Darkest Hour; this is a huge turning point in the series for Suze and Jesse. Maria de Silva and her hubby Diego are real pieces of work. I wanted to kick their asses myself. Jesse gets himself in real trouble and Suze is the one who's saving him this time around. The introduction of Paul Slater only makes the story better and I have so many questions about Paul!! I read this series 10 years ago and I only remember bits and pieces about Paul, so it kind of feels like I'm reading this series for the first time again. And omg THE ENDING! So good!! Onto the next book!!
February 17, 2016
In this installment we finally met Paul Slater. He was all sorts of charming and every bit as cocky as I remember. I can't wait to see more of him in the next couple books because I know I really liked him but I couldn't remember why in Darkest Hour. Here's to finding out why in the future!
Jake (aka Sleepy) is my favorite of the brothers. I don't really know why but I have just been adoring him lately.
Jesse and Suze are fabulous together as always. I love them too much. BUT THAT ENDING. I can't handle. Need book 5 like yesterday.
Jake (aka Sleepy) is my favorite of the brothers. I don't really know why but I have just been adoring him lately.
Jesse and Suze are fabulous together as always. I love them too much. BUT THAT ENDING. I can't handle. Need book 5 like yesterday.
May 23, 2013
One of the best of the series. Reasons include:
* Paul is an interesting complication to the Jesse/Suze relationship.
* Great finally getting more information on Jesse's background and the reason for his death.
* Love the romantic element, Suze leaving her body to bring Jesse back to earth.
* More butt kicking and supernatural action.
Ticks the boxes for me. :)
* Paul is an interesting complication to the Jesse/Suze relationship.
* Great finally getting more information on Jesse's background and the reason for his death.
* Love the romantic element, Suze leaving her body to bring Jesse back to earth.
* More butt kicking and supernatural action.
Ticks the boxes for me. :)
August 13, 2022
Re-read of May 2022: In true Cat fashion, I ignored all other books in my TBR (and the ones I'm currently reading), because all I wanted was to read this book.
And, of course, like all previous books in the series, I practically devoured this. I just love Suze's inner voice so much!
And, of course, like all previous books in the series, I practically devoured this. I just love Suze's inner voice so much!
May 14, 2019
Suze's boring summer of working as a babysitter for customers of an expensive hotel in the area, gets more exciting than she'd ever wished, with the appearance of .
Suze is certain she can deal with everything, but does not expect . Depressed and unwilling to just accept it, she does everything she can to make things right, even if that means risking her life.
In the process, she meets yet another mediator who seems to know a lot more than she does about their abilities and manages to .
Engaging story that was a lot darker than the previous installations of the series and opens up a lot of possibilities for the next books. Suze and Jesse's story continues in Haunted next.
Previous book reviews:
✦ Every Girl's Dream (The Mediator, #3.5)
✦ Reunion (The Mediator, #3)
Suze is certain she can deal with everything, but does not expect . Depressed and unwilling to just accept it, she does everything she can to make things right, even if that means risking her life.
In the process, she meets yet another mediator who seems to know a lot more than she does about their abilities and manages to .
Engaging story that was a lot darker than the previous installations of the series and opens up a lot of possibilities for the next books. Suze and Jesse's story continues in Haunted next.
Previous book reviews:
✦ Every Girl's Dream (The Mediator, #3.5)
✦ Reunion (The Mediator, #3)
August 5, 2017
Loved Jack and the ending was everything. This was my fave so far finally some Jesse loved it!!
June 9, 2020
3.5*
April 5, 2021
Entertaining! Teenage mediator encounters ghosts, solves mysteries, and discovers other mediators. She's a warrior!
Read
November 6, 2024This is what I read while I was working at the polls and I stand by it
November 15, 2021
big thank you to 14 year old me for having EXCELLENT taste in books
August 20, 2012
I don't know what it is about this series. I liked this book, but I didn't really like it. It's sort of par for the course when it comes to my response to the series, but I was really hoping that this book would break the trend.
Darkest Hour brings everything back to Jesse's death when his ex-fiancée decides that the backyard reno is digging a little too deep for her liking.
You know with this sort of plot that the focus will undoubtedly be all about the Jesse/Suze relationship. This is the first time where their connection really worked for me. In the last couple books, Cabot never gave me a strong enough feeling that these two actually have conversations, actually have things in common, actually have something going on between them beyond Suze thinking he's dreamy. It makes a lot of difference when Jesse is the focus of the story and isn't just appearing to help out and give vague warnings. I liked seeing more of him.
As for the plot itself. It went in some pretty unexpected directions and has opened up the door to question what it really means to be a mediator for Suze.
Cabot writes books that are easy to read, I was able to finish this within a couple hours of when I started. But I think that might also be part of why I find it so difficult to give these books anything higher then a three. I like the characters and the stories, but so much is left undeveloped and unexplored. So many of the characters just get rotated out of the story. Any new character that is introduced is generally written away by the end chapter. They've moved, they were on vacation, they have some other reason to skedaddle. It's all too neat for me. It's like nothing has any sort of lasting repercussions and the story is so condensed that it misses out on opportunities to do more.
For example, where is Suze's dad? When the series started up Suze made a point of saying he pops up in her life a lot, but we haven't really seen much of him since. I would have thought he'd play a bigger role. Having a dead parent who hasn't passed on seems like it should be a bigger deal.
I just don't know what it is I'm not getting from the story, but it's all too put together and the more I read the more formulaic it's starting to become. Now is when Suze will not tell anyone what's going on to try and do things on her own; now is when she'll decided she needs to kick some ass and go off on her own; well what do you know that didn't go well; now it's time for a new plan which works, but only sort of; now she's in trouble; final battle; emotional conclusion; new characters written out of story; normalcy restored; the end.
It's still enjoyable to read, but it's not hitting that level of enjoyment that I've been waiting for.
Darkest Hour brings everything back to Jesse's death when his ex-fiancée decides that the backyard reno is digging a little too deep for her liking.
You know with this sort of plot that the focus will undoubtedly be all about the Jesse/Suze relationship. This is the first time where their connection really worked for me. In the last couple books, Cabot never gave me a strong enough feeling that these two actually have conversations, actually have things in common, actually have something going on between them beyond Suze thinking he's dreamy. It makes a lot of difference when Jesse is the focus of the story and isn't just appearing to help out and give vague warnings. I liked seeing more of him.
As for the plot itself. It went in some pretty unexpected directions and has opened up the door to question what it really means to be a mediator for Suze.
Cabot writes books that are easy to read, I was able to finish this within a couple hours of when I started. But I think that might also be part of why I find it so difficult to give these books anything higher then a three. I like the characters and the stories, but so much is left undeveloped and unexplored. So many of the characters just get rotated out of the story. Any new character that is introduced is generally written away by the end chapter. They've moved, they were on vacation, they have some other reason to skedaddle. It's all too neat for me. It's like nothing has any sort of lasting repercussions and the story is so condensed that it misses out on opportunities to do more.
For example, where is Suze's dad? When the series started up Suze made a point of saying he pops up in her life a lot, but we haven't really seen much of him since. I would have thought he'd play a bigger role. Having a dead parent who hasn't passed on seems like it should be a bigger deal.
I just don't know what it is I'm not getting from the story, but it's all too put together and the more I read the more formulaic it's starting to become. Now is when Suze will not tell anyone what's going on to try and do things on her own; now is when she'll decided she needs to kick some ass and go off on her own; well what do you know that didn't go well; now it's time for a new plan which works, but only sort of; now she's in trouble; final battle; emotional conclusion; new characters written out of story; normalcy restored; the end.
It's still enjoyable to read, but it's not hitting that level of enjoyment that I've been waiting for.
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