Midnighters: The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld

Midnighters by Scott Westerfeld.

Strange things happen at midnight in the town of Bixby, Oklahoma.
Time freezes.
Nobody moves.
For one secret hour each night, the town belongs to the dark creatures that haunt the shadows. Only a small group of people know about the secret hour -- only they are free to move about the midnight time.
These people call themselves Midnighters. Each one has a different power that is strongest at midnight: Seer, Mindcaster, Acrobat, Polymath. For years the Midnighters and the dark creatures have shared the secret hour, uneasily avoiding one another. All that changes when the new girl with an unmistakable midnight aura appears at Bixby High School.
Jessica Day is not an outsider like the other Midnighters. She acts perfectly normal in every way. But it soon becomes clear that the dark creatures sense a hidden power in Jessica . . . and they're determined to stop her before she can use it.
A story of courage, shadowy perils, and unexpected destiny, the secret hour is the first volume of the mesmerizing Midnighters trilogy by acclaimed author Scott Westerfeld. (summary from back of book)

As I mentioned before the hubby liked this one more than Uglies. I still liked the Uglies series better, but this was still an enjoyable read. It is interesting to watch each of the midnighters deal with their powers, and deal with the threat of the darklings. I also like the spin that the darklings have been haunting man since prehistoric times, and are ancient creatures. I think it is interesting that the characters have to learn about the prehistoric origins and history of Bixby as a result. It gives the series a different feel than a bunch of other stories. The beginning of the book was a bit boring for me, but I eventually got really into the story and enjoyed all the nerdy high school characters. Not as fun as Uglies, but still a solid entertaining read.

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