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Midnight is the Darkest Hour
A twisted tale of murder, obsessive love, and the beastly urges that lie dormant within us all...
In her small hometown, librarian Ruth Cornier has always felt like an outsider, even as her beloved father rains fire-and-brimstone warnings from the pulpit at Holy Fire Baptist. Unfortunately for Ruth, the only things the townspeople fear more than the God and the Devil are the myths that haunt the area, like the story of the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to steal into sinners' bedrooms and kill them on moonless nights. When a skull is found deep in the swamp next to mysterious carved symbols, Bottom Springs is thrown into uproar—and Ruth realizes only she and Everett, an old friend with a dark past, have the power to comb the town's secret underbelly in search of true evil.
A dark and powerful novel like fans have come to expect from Ashley Winstead, Midnight is the Darkest Hour is an examination of the ways we've come to expect love, religion, and stories to save us, the lengths we have to go to in order to take back power, and the monstrous work of being a girl in this world.
In her small hometown, librarian Ruth Cornier has always felt like an outsider, even as her beloved father rains fire-and-brimstone warnings from the pulpit at Holy Fire Baptist. Unfortunately for Ruth, the only things the townspeople fear more than the God and the Devil are the myths that haunt the area, like the story of the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to steal into sinners' bedrooms and kill them on moonless nights. When a skull is found deep in the swamp next to mysterious carved symbols, Bottom Springs is thrown into uproar—and Ruth realizes only she and Everett, an old friend with a dark past, have the power to comb the town's secret underbelly in search of true evil.
A dark and powerful novel like fans have come to expect from Ashley Winstead, Midnight is the Darkest Hour is an examination of the ways we've come to expect love, religion, and stories to save us, the lengths we have to go to in order to take back power, and the monstrous work of being a girl in this world.
404 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 3, 2023
1411 people are currently reading
102024 people want to read
About the author
Ashley Winstead
9 books5,448 followersAshley Winstead's bestselling, critically-acclaimed books have been translated into more than a dozen languages, optioned for television, named Library Read, Loan Star, and Amazon Editor picks, and covered everywhere from the New York Times to People magazine. She's a former academic who lives in Houston with her husband, three cats, and beloved wine fridge.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 5,392 reviews
August 31, 2023
Amazing. Spectacular. Review to come once I stop screaming and crying and throwing up
August 9, 2024
eh, this was fine.
with an average rating on the lower end, i was worried going into this that it would be quite the let down. luckily, it wasnt, but that doesnt mean it was amazing either. it was just a fine read all around.
the narrative is more mystery than it is thriller, but it has an interesting commentary on southern legends, compelling secrets, religious influence and everything else that makes small appalachian towns unique. i did find the pacing to be quite slow and there wasnt anything specific that made me look forward to picking this up, but something about that story made me want to see how everything played out.
so, all in all, this was interesting enough but nothing spectacular.
↠ 3 stars
with an average rating on the lower end, i was worried going into this that it would be quite the let down. luckily, it wasnt, but that doesnt mean it was amazing either. it was just a fine read all around.
the narrative is more mystery than it is thriller, but it has an interesting commentary on southern legends, compelling secrets, religious influence and everything else that makes small appalachian towns unique. i did find the pacing to be quite slow and there wasnt anything specific that made me look forward to picking this up, but something about that story made me want to see how everything played out.
so, all in all, this was interesting enough but nothing spectacular.
↠ 3 stars
August 29, 2023
In the little town of Bottom Springs Louisiana, fear spreads among the God Fearing residents. A vampiric figure known as The Low Man, is killing sinners on moonless nights, or is it really a flesh and blood neighbour of Bottom Springs?
Librarian, Ruth Cornier, daughter of the local fire and brimstone preacher, Pastor James Cormier, of the Holy Fire Baptist church, finds herself at the centre of this mystery when a battered skull is discovered in Starry Swamp, surrounded by mysterious carved symbols.
Ruth has become involved with Everett, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Everett has a dark past, and Ruth’s daddy warns her to stay away from him, but it’s not going to happen, because these two have found in each other, their true soulmate.
Ruth and Everett delve deep into the town’s many secrets to attempt to solve the crime, but it will set them against some surprisingly evil townsfolk and put their lives at risk.
This novel is so atmospheric, and has a feel of Bonnie and Clyde, mixed with a touch of horror. On the surface, Bottom Springs appears to be a pious, God Fearing community, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find that evil reigns supreme. You’ll never know who to trust or what’s coming next but I doubt you’ll be bored. The ending is something you’ll either love or hate! I thought it fit the storyline perfectly. Recommended.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Aria and Aries for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
Librarian, Ruth Cornier, daughter of the local fire and brimstone preacher, Pastor James Cormier, of the Holy Fire Baptist church, finds herself at the centre of this mystery when a battered skull is discovered in Starry Swamp, surrounded by mysterious carved symbols.
Ruth has become involved with Everett, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Everett has a dark past, and Ruth’s daddy warns her to stay away from him, but it’s not going to happen, because these two have found in each other, their true soulmate.
Ruth and Everett delve deep into the town’s many secrets to attempt to solve the crime, but it will set them against some surprisingly evil townsfolk and put their lives at risk.
This novel is so atmospheric, and has a feel of Bonnie and Clyde, mixed with a touch of horror. On the surface, Bottom Springs appears to be a pious, God Fearing community, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find that evil reigns supreme. You’ll never know who to trust or what’s coming next but I doubt you’ll be bored. The ending is something you’ll either love or hate! I thought it fit the storyline perfectly. Recommended.
*Thank you to Netgalley and Aria and Aries for an ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review *
November 6, 2023
Three words: Twilight Fan Fiction (and not the good kind).
If the (now incredibly popular) author's name isn't enough to intrigue you to pick up this book, then your nostalgic love for all things Bella and Edward might. This narrative reads like the fever dream of an older, extremely delusional Twilight fan growing up in a small, dangerously pious town in the deep backwoods of the south. I just...I don't have the right words to describe how cringe-worthy this book is; I don't know how to properly, and without snark, describe how intensely I wanted to boot this book off of the highest cliff. I want to be able to KINDLY tell you how much I wish I could bury this book in the densest sand of the deepest ocean. I want to UNREAD this book, oh my good GOD.
DID WE ALL READ THE SAME BOOK !?!?!
Okay, okay let me give you a proper review. Let me attempt this, hang on:
It starts with the discovery of a skull, as all of the best and juiciest thrillers do (or any body part, you pick). Then we meet Ruth, and then we meet Everett, and then we discover that together they did some naughty things and quite possibly want to do naughty things to each other (but we don't have this confirmed until you're forced to read an entire 300+ pages of absolute eye-gouging paragraphs about the town's culty religious extremities and fear of the occult and Ruth running around like an innocent and doe-eyed headless chicken playing super sleuth), and then we get to a conclusion that may or not be the most infuriating culmination of events I've ever read in my 37 years on this Earth.
Listen, this is my own fault. I got about 10 pages into In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and I immediately returned it to the library because....no thank you. Winstead's writing has an appeal, and I can totally understand and appreciate that, but for me, it feels like reading what someone THOUGHT a thriller should sound like, and not what actually works (collectively) to make it strike hard and cut deep. I wasn't moved at all by any of the things that, I suspect, were written to move me. I hated the plot, I LOATHED the romance, I wanted each character to somehow find their way to the bottom of a lake, and if you tried to pay me to read this again I would probably have to call the cops, sorry.
All of that to say, I am 1000% in the minority with all of the above opinions. This book has a freakin 4+ average rating overall for god's sake (which is also why I vowed this year to not trust ratings anymore--books are so subjective!) so don't take my word for it. This one may absolutely be for you!!
Edit: it HAD a 4+ star average rating when I reviewed it...it has since dropped
If the (now incredibly popular) author's name isn't enough to intrigue you to pick up this book, then your nostalgic love for all things Bella and Edward might. This narrative reads like the fever dream of an older, extremely delusional Twilight fan growing up in a small, dangerously pious town in the deep backwoods of the south. I just...I don't have the right words to describe how cringe-worthy this book is; I don't know how to properly, and without snark, describe how intensely I wanted to boot this book off of the highest cliff. I want to be able to KINDLY tell you how much I wish I could bury this book in the densest sand of the deepest ocean. I want to UNREAD this book, oh my good GOD.
DID WE ALL READ THE SAME BOOK !?!?!
Okay, okay let me give you a proper review. Let me attempt this, hang on:
It starts with the discovery of a skull, as all of the best and juiciest thrillers do (or any body part, you pick). Then we meet Ruth, and then we meet Everett, and then we discover that together they did some naughty things and quite possibly want to do naughty things to each other (but we don't have this confirmed until you're forced to read an entire 300+ pages of absolute eye-gouging paragraphs about the town's culty religious extremities and fear of the occult and Ruth running around like an innocent and doe-eyed headless chicken playing super sleuth), and then we get to a conclusion that may or not be the most infuriating culmination of events I've ever read in my 37 years on this Earth.
Listen, this is my own fault. I got about 10 pages into In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and I immediately returned it to the library because....no thank you. Winstead's writing has an appeal, and I can totally understand and appreciate that, but for me, it feels like reading what someone THOUGHT a thriller should sound like, and not what actually works (collectively) to make it strike hard and cut deep. I wasn't moved at all by any of the things that, I suspect, were written to move me. I hated the plot, I LOATHED the romance, I wanted each character to somehow find their way to the bottom of a lake, and if you tried to pay me to read this again I would probably have to call the cops, sorry.
All of that to say, I am 1000% in the minority with all of the above opinions. This book has a freakin 4+ average rating overall for god's sake (which is also why I vowed this year to not trust ratings anymore--books are so subjective!) so don't take my word for it. This one may absolutely be for you!!
Edit: it HAD a 4+ star average rating when I reviewed it...it has since dropped
November 18, 2025
Welcome to Ashley Winstead's dark, sinister, complex, mind-bending, and bleak universe. It's an eerie small community with cultish, witchery, and demonic vibes, and it features a heart-wrenching love story between two outsiders: the preacher's daughter and the devil's son. This book draws reminiscences of M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village" mixed with the thrilling elements of "Bonnie & Clyde."
Pietism, blind faith, and narrow-mindedness permeate the core of Bottom Springs, where Pastor James Cornier's opinions hold more power than any law enforcement. He is curtsied and worshipped by the entire town, and his words are listened to with awe.
Ruth Cornier, the preacher's daughter, has always been an outsider and has never fulfilled her father's high expectations of becoming an exemplary Christian. Trapped in this town for a long time, she hides behind the facade of a shy, obedient, and naive librarian. However, instead of losing herself in the various universes of books, the only thing that liberates her from becoming a sheep in the town's flock is her sacred friendship with Everett Duncan, the Devil's son. Everett, dressed in ratty clothes and bearing an intense stare, follows in the footsteps of his father, one of the town's chief church-shirkers.
Their shared interest in getting lost in fictional worlds by burying their heads in books is not the only thing that makes them inseparable. They also share a dangerous secret: something very bad happened on the day Ruth dreamt of getting her first kiss during her first date. The night turned out to be far more unexpected and traumatic than she had anticipated.
Now Sheriff Thomas Theriot and his deputies have discovered a skull in Starry Swamp, belonging to a male aged twenty-five to fifty. The fracturing on the bone indicates blunt-force trauma. This earth-shattering news isn't the only shock the townies receive; satanic symbols are also found carved around the area where the skull was discovered.
Luckily, Everett, Ruth's secret keeper and best friend (and perhaps more than that), returns to town as if he has sensed trouble brewing. Their first thought is that they might get caught for the accidental murder they committed. However, as the victim's identity is revealed and another skull is found, they realize that things are far more complex than they had imagined. They find themselves in the middle of an investigation that may lead them to face the most frightening urban legend of all: Low Man, a nightmarish creature that takes the form of a beautiful man. Low Man is a trap for sinners, capable of seeing into their hearts and revealing their true wickedness. He slips in through their windows, sinking his fangs into their necks to take not only their lives but also their souls.
As Ruth and Everett delve into the mysteries of the town, the ugly face of Bottom Springs, created by its distorted "good" citizens, slaps them in the face as yet another layer of hidden truth is revealed.
The twists in this book are well executed, unpredictable, and leave readers feeling as if the rug has been pulled out from under them.
The conclusion of the story and that ending... Dear Ashley Winstead knows how to write an impactful and epic ending that takes readers' breath away. She literally left me breathless!
She is one of those brilliant authors who can play with the strings of our hearts by writing addictive romance books. Yet, she can effortlessly delve into the dark side and deliver twisty, dark, and shocking psychological thrillers like this one. This book has earned my full five stars, and I highly recommend reading it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for sharing this thrilling read's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest review.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
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Pietism, blind faith, and narrow-mindedness permeate the core of Bottom Springs, where Pastor James Cornier's opinions hold more power than any law enforcement. He is curtsied and worshipped by the entire town, and his words are listened to with awe.
Ruth Cornier, the preacher's daughter, has always been an outsider and has never fulfilled her father's high expectations of becoming an exemplary Christian. Trapped in this town for a long time, she hides behind the facade of a shy, obedient, and naive librarian. However, instead of losing herself in the various universes of books, the only thing that liberates her from becoming a sheep in the town's flock is her sacred friendship with Everett Duncan, the Devil's son. Everett, dressed in ratty clothes and bearing an intense stare, follows in the footsteps of his father, one of the town's chief church-shirkers.
Their shared interest in getting lost in fictional worlds by burying their heads in books is not the only thing that makes them inseparable. They also share a dangerous secret: something very bad happened on the day Ruth dreamt of getting her first kiss during her first date. The night turned out to be far more unexpected and traumatic than she had anticipated.
Now Sheriff Thomas Theriot and his deputies have discovered a skull in Starry Swamp, belonging to a male aged twenty-five to fifty. The fracturing on the bone indicates blunt-force trauma. This earth-shattering news isn't the only shock the townies receive; satanic symbols are also found carved around the area where the skull was discovered.
Luckily, Everett, Ruth's secret keeper and best friend (and perhaps more than that), returns to town as if he has sensed trouble brewing. Their first thought is that they might get caught for the accidental murder they committed. However, as the victim's identity is revealed and another skull is found, they realize that things are far more complex than they had imagined. They find themselves in the middle of an investigation that may lead them to face the most frightening urban legend of all: Low Man, a nightmarish creature that takes the form of a beautiful man. Low Man is a trap for sinners, capable of seeing into their hearts and revealing their true wickedness. He slips in through their windows, sinking his fangs into their necks to take not only their lives but also their souls.
As Ruth and Everett delve into the mysteries of the town, the ugly face of Bottom Springs, created by its distorted "good" citizens, slaps them in the face as yet another layer of hidden truth is revealed.
The twists in this book are well executed, unpredictable, and leave readers feeling as if the rug has been pulled out from under them.
The conclusion of the story and that ending... Dear Ashley Winstead knows how to write an impactful and epic ending that takes readers' breath away. She literally left me breathless!
She is one of those brilliant authors who can play with the strings of our hearts by writing addictive romance books. Yet, she can effortlessly delve into the dark side and deliver twisty, dark, and shocking psychological thrillers like this one. This book has earned my full five stars, and I highly recommend reading it.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for sharing this thrilling read's digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest review.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
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May 1, 2023
GET READY FOR OCTOBER BOOK LOVERS!!!! 😮💨🖤👏🏼🧛🏼🙌🏼
Ashley Winstead never misses 👏🏼🙌🏼 this book was SO creative, soooo atmospheric, so interesting and that ending?! i’m still recovering!!! 😩
MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR will be the best fall book you can add to your TBR when it’s out in October. i’m so grateful to Ashley for sending this my way early with the sweetest note and dedication (pics on my IG), she is the sweetest human. it’s not often when i read a book the second after i receive it in the mail (hello, exploding TBR) but this was one i started within 24 hours of unwrapping it. COULDNT WAIT!
i did my best to make this last too, stretching it over a few days and 3-4 sittings. i was so transfixed by these characters. as a fellow Twilight and The Vampire Diaries girlie, i was in HEAVEN… iykykyk. that’s all i’m gonna say 😂🧛🏼
i think i’ll settle on 4.5 for this (rounded up to 5 on GR) because i guessed the twist before it happened. but this didn’t disappoint me as much as it usually does bc there wasn’t a big build up/a lot depending on the twist if that makes sense?
BUT THAT ENDING. YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT SHOCKING? i actually screamed and immediately messaged Ashley screaming as well😂
i can really tell Ashley went out of her comfort zone for this. some of the subject matter is dark and similar vibes to THE LAST HOUSEWIFE so heads up there—but not nearly as dark or triggering.
i loved Ever. i loved the creativity. i loved all the vampire references. i loved the ending 🖤👏🏼🙌🏼🧛🏼
Ashley Winstead never misses 👏🏼🙌🏼 this book was SO creative, soooo atmospheric, so interesting and that ending?! i’m still recovering!!! 😩
MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR will be the best fall book you can add to your TBR when it’s out in October. i’m so grateful to Ashley for sending this my way early with the sweetest note and dedication (pics on my IG), she is the sweetest human. it’s not often when i read a book the second after i receive it in the mail (hello, exploding TBR) but this was one i started within 24 hours of unwrapping it. COULDNT WAIT!
i did my best to make this last too, stretching it over a few days and 3-4 sittings. i was so transfixed by these characters. as a fellow Twilight and The Vampire Diaries girlie, i was in HEAVEN… iykykyk. that’s all i’m gonna say 😂🧛🏼
i think i’ll settle on 4.5 for this (rounded up to 5 on GR) because i guessed the twist before it happened. but this didn’t disappoint me as much as it usually does bc there wasn’t a big build up/a lot depending on the twist if that makes sense?
BUT THAT ENDING. YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT SHOCKING? i actually screamed and immediately messaged Ashley screaming as well😂
i can really tell Ashley went out of her comfort zone for this. some of the subject matter is dark and similar vibes to THE LAST HOUSEWIFE so heads up there—but not nearly as dark or triggering.
i loved Ever. i loved the creativity. i loved all the vampire references. i loved the ending 🖤👏🏼🙌🏼🧛🏼
October 15, 2023
With so many glowing five-star ratings, I had a huge case of FOMO. I had to get my hands on this book! And in this case…the audio!
Ruth was raised the daughter of a preacher. A fiery man of the cloth who has the entire small southern town under his spell. Girls will remain chaste and serve their husbands as their first lieutenant.
Umm…ok.
But of course, Ruth wants more. An education and most of all, the local bad boy!
Unfortunately, I am just going to say this is a case of “it’s me…not the book”. 🙋🏻♀️
I think I was the wrong reader for this one. I’m not sure if it was the writing or the narration but it had a very YA feel to me with far too many references to Twilight. Neither of which are my cup of tea.
There are so many positive reviews from readers who connected with this book. So be sure to read their amazing reviews.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen and review this title.
Ruth was raised the daughter of a preacher. A fiery man of the cloth who has the entire small southern town under his spell. Girls will remain chaste and serve their husbands as their first lieutenant.
Umm…ok.
But of course, Ruth wants more. An education and most of all, the local bad boy!
Unfortunately, I am just going to say this is a case of “it’s me…not the book”. 🙋🏻♀️
I think I was the wrong reader for this one. I’m not sure if it was the writing or the narration but it had a very YA feel to me with far too many references to Twilight. Neither of which are my cup of tea.
There are so many positive reviews from readers who connected with this book. So be sure to read their amazing reviews.
Thank you to NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the opportunity to listen and review this title.
April 11, 2024
I have questions for whoever called this Verity. To me, this Southern gothic thriller feels more like Where the Crawdads Sing and The Last Carolina Girl.
That's not to say all Southern books are the same. They're not. The South is a very vast and nuanced place. It has its problems, but so does everywhere else.
I have issues with the South. I grew up there. I'm not white. And while I grew up Catholic, and not evangelical, this book brought back some religious trauma. If you, too, are bothered by these things, don't pick this up.
I thought the Low Man would be a more exciting villain. Ruth's obsession with Twilight is questionable, but comparisons are obviously made. While I wanted the true evil to be something more supernatural, in the end, isn't true evil just what life makes it?
🎧 NetGalley
That's not to say all Southern books are the same. They're not. The South is a very vast and nuanced place. It has its problems, but so does everywhere else.
I have issues with the South. I grew up there. I'm not white. And while I grew up Catholic, and not evangelical, this book brought back some religious trauma. If you, too, are bothered by these things, don't pick this up.
I thought the Low Man would be a more exciting villain. Ruth's obsession with Twilight is questionable, but comparisons are obviously made. While I wanted the true evil to be something more supernatural, in the end, isn't true evil just what life makes it?
🎧 NetGalley
November 15, 2023
“Where the Crawdads Sing meets Twilight meets Thelma and Louise…” ~Clare Macintosh, New York Times bestselling author
Perfection. That’s what that quote is. Sheer perfection. And honestly, what more needs to be said about Ashley Winstead’s latest release, Midnight is the Darkest Hour… except, who the heck kidnapped Ashley Winstead?
Seriously. I know she’s being held hostage. Either that, or she has amnesia? What other explanation is there?
I simply cannot believe that the same acclaimed author who gave us In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and The Last Housewife — probably the most disturbing, yet equally fascinating novel I’ve read to date — penned Midnight.
What the heck, Ashley?
Stephanie Meyer fans take note: Midnight is the Darkest Hour reads like Twilight fan fiction.
In fact, wanna have some fun? Okay, drinking game: every time the word twilight is mentioned in the book, have a swig of your favorite alcoholic beverage. You’ll be hammered in no time.
Our story takes place in Bottom Springs, Louisiana, elbow deep in the Bible Belt of Southern Baptist country, where evil wears the mask of piety.
Ruth Cornier, the preacher’s virtuous daughter, discovers the Twilight series when she’s fourteen and becomes utterly obsessed with the books’ hunka-hunka vampire Edward Cullen.
Oooh, naughty girl.
As all God-fearing folk of daddy’s Holy Fire Born Again Church know, Twilight is on the forbidden book list. Duh.
Add to that, at seventeen, Ruth befriends teen outcast Everett Duncan (read: Edward Cullen) and the two quickly become inseparable. Girl, you’re going to hell in a handbasket.
The book has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments…not sure, but probably not the reaction Winstead was going for?
On one memorable occasion, Everett sucks snake venom out of Ruth’s inner thigh, which both turns Ruthie on and saves her life. Lord, have mercy.
Daddy, aka James Cornier, aka The Preacher, is right out of central casting. Like all fervent evangelical Men of God, he manages to whip the entire town into a frenzy with a rousing speech about demons walking amongst them and Christ’s deliverance. Can I get an Amen?
Winstead layers on the Southern atmosphere heavily like a collection of cliches: “Hardy Tullis, you know, that crazy fella that tries to wrestle gators?” and “Old Man Jonas’ Bait & Tackle Shop.”
I dunno, but the author’s messages about female oppression, the dangers of religious extremism, and the hypocrisy of religious fanatics kinda get lost among the drug-dealing motorcycle gangs, secret occult societies, and some vigilante shenanigans.
But hey, what do I know? Call me a Godless heathen on outlier island. Imagine Entertainment (ie the Oscar-winning team of Ron Howard & Brian Grazer) just optioned the novel for television.
Coming soon to your favorite streaming service. Enjoy!
Perfection. That’s what that quote is. Sheer perfection. And honestly, what more needs to be said about Ashley Winstead’s latest release, Midnight is the Darkest Hour… except, who the heck kidnapped Ashley Winstead?
Seriously. I know she’s being held hostage. Either that, or she has amnesia? What other explanation is there?
I simply cannot believe that the same acclaimed author who gave us In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and The Last Housewife — probably the most disturbing, yet equally fascinating novel I’ve read to date — penned Midnight.
What the heck, Ashley?
Stephanie Meyer fans take note: Midnight is the Darkest Hour reads like Twilight fan fiction.
In fact, wanna have some fun? Okay, drinking game: every time the word twilight is mentioned in the book, have a swig of your favorite alcoholic beverage. You’ll be hammered in no time.
Our story takes place in Bottom Springs, Louisiana, elbow deep in the Bible Belt of Southern Baptist country, where evil wears the mask of piety.
Ruth Cornier, the preacher’s virtuous daughter, discovers the Twilight series when she’s fourteen and becomes utterly obsessed with the books’ hunka-hunka vampire Edward Cullen.
Oooh, naughty girl.
As all God-fearing folk of daddy’s Holy Fire Born Again Church know, Twilight is on the forbidden book list. Duh.
Add to that, at seventeen, Ruth befriends teen outcast Everett Duncan (read: Edward Cullen) and the two quickly become inseparable. Girl, you’re going to hell in a handbasket.
The book has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments…not sure, but probably not the reaction Winstead was going for?
On one memorable occasion, Everett sucks snake venom out of Ruth’s inner thigh, which both turns Ruthie on and saves her life. Lord, have mercy.
Daddy, aka James Cornier, aka The Preacher, is right out of central casting. Like all fervent evangelical Men of God, he manages to whip the entire town into a frenzy with a rousing speech about demons walking amongst them and Christ’s deliverance. Can I get an Amen?
Winstead layers on the Southern atmosphere heavily like a collection of cliches: “Hardy Tullis, you know, that crazy fella that tries to wrestle gators?” and “Old Man Jonas’ Bait & Tackle Shop.”
I dunno, but the author’s messages about female oppression, the dangers of religious extremism, and the hypocrisy of religious fanatics kinda get lost among the drug-dealing motorcycle gangs, secret occult societies, and some vigilante shenanigans.
But hey, what do I know? Call me a Godless heathen on outlier island. Imagine Entertainment (ie the Oscar-winning team of Ron Howard & Brian Grazer) just optioned the novel for television.
Coming soon to your favorite streaming service. Enjoy!
August 23, 2023
4.5 rounded up
I’ve been wanting to read a book by this author for a while and she’s acquired a new fan, what a book!
In Bottom Springs, South Louisiana, Pastor James Cornier holds these “God-fearing“ folks in the palm of his hand with his old school fire and brimstone preaching. His daughter Ruth, however, is a quiet outsider with a few friends but a closeness to fellow outsider Everett Duncan, the pair are united by secrets. When human remains are found in Starry Swamp it unleashes danger but also myths and legends especially of The Low Man. This is just the start of the darkness and evil that is to come.
I love how this story unfolds and what emerges sure is ugly. It’s a sort of seeker of justice novel where a “Bonnie“ meets “Clyde“, infused with elements of Twilight, one of Ruth’s favourite books, combined with an Old Testament biblical tale. It’s clever and multi layered with a setting that perfectly matches the events. Bottom Springs is a terrible place, it has a veneer of godliness, but it’s the narrow-minded, blindness of faith kind and hypocrisy doesn’t quite cover it. Reverend Cornier and his unholy alliance of cronies stride like giant Colossus wielding such power they create a scary climate of fear. His portrayal is startlingly good and you are able to see him in all his horrifying glory. Add in mediaeval attitudes and the nightmarish legends of The Low Man and you have a tinderbox scenario. Southern Louisiana lends itself to just the right atmosphere too. Its spooky, ghostly, creepy and a sort of swampy, evil, Grimms fairytale emerges. It’s tension fuelled and full of suspense, the hold your breath kind. It’s twisted and twisty right from the start, you expect certain things to happen but you’re constantly being surprised and tested. The levels of danger build and build and you’re just waiting for it to erupt into heaven knows what, except it won’t be heavenly.
What of Ruth and Everett? I love these two and I love their story, which is told in a nonlinear format which works so well allowing you to grow in understanding of their bond. Their friendship and their survival in the face of such darkness is emotional in places as what they confront is so unjust. They are righters of wrongs though not necessarily following the path of the righteous. The ending is superb.
This is a very darkly different immersive and utterly compelling mystery/thriller with a few elements of horror. I loved it.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Aria and Aries for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
I’ve been wanting to read a book by this author for a while and she’s acquired a new fan, what a book!
In Bottom Springs, South Louisiana, Pastor James Cornier holds these “God-fearing“ folks in the palm of his hand with his old school fire and brimstone preaching. His daughter Ruth, however, is a quiet outsider with a few friends but a closeness to fellow outsider Everett Duncan, the pair are united by secrets. When human remains are found in Starry Swamp it unleashes danger but also myths and legends especially of The Low Man. This is just the start of the darkness and evil that is to come.
I love how this story unfolds and what emerges sure is ugly. It’s a sort of seeker of justice novel where a “Bonnie“ meets “Clyde“, infused with elements of Twilight, one of Ruth’s favourite books, combined with an Old Testament biblical tale. It’s clever and multi layered with a setting that perfectly matches the events. Bottom Springs is a terrible place, it has a veneer of godliness, but it’s the narrow-minded, blindness of faith kind and hypocrisy doesn’t quite cover it. Reverend Cornier and his unholy alliance of cronies stride like giant Colossus wielding such power they create a scary climate of fear. His portrayal is startlingly good and you are able to see him in all his horrifying glory. Add in mediaeval attitudes and the nightmarish legends of The Low Man and you have a tinderbox scenario. Southern Louisiana lends itself to just the right atmosphere too. Its spooky, ghostly, creepy and a sort of swampy, evil, Grimms fairytale emerges. It’s tension fuelled and full of suspense, the hold your breath kind. It’s twisted and twisty right from the start, you expect certain things to happen but you’re constantly being surprised and tested. The levels of danger build and build and you’re just waiting for it to erupt into heaven knows what, except it won’t be heavenly.
What of Ruth and Everett? I love these two and I love their story, which is told in a nonlinear format which works so well allowing you to grow in understanding of their bond. Their friendship and their survival in the face of such darkness is emotional in places as what they confront is so unjust. They are righters of wrongs though not necessarily following the path of the righteous. The ending is superb.
This is a very darkly different immersive and utterly compelling mystery/thriller with a few elements of horror. I loved it.
With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Aria and Aries for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.
October 14, 2023
Umm. What in the middle grade, Twilight hell was this?!?
August 3, 2023
Ashley Winstead is one of those drop everything you are doing and read type of authors. So as soon as I was approved for this one on NetGalley I moved everything aside and began reading.
Ruth Coriner lives in the small Bible Belt town of Bottom Springs. As the daughter of the town's beloved Pastor, Ruth has always felt like an outsider. Especially since she prefers reading fiction to her Bible studies. Her only saving grace has been her best friend and fellow black sheep Everett.
Bottom Springs is thrown into chaos when a skull is discovered in a swamp. Next to the swamp are strange symbols carved into trees. Ruth and Everett team up to uncover the truth behind the murder, before a dark secret of their own comes out.
Another five-star winner from one of my favorite authors! This Southern gothic contains so many elements that make a good thriller including a murder mystery, small-town secrets, an earth-shattering twist, edge-of-your-seat suspense, and even a bit of romance. Her portrayal of living in a small town in the Bible belt south was spot on. Especially the aspect of how even in our modern times, women and vulnerable populations are still oppressed under so-called ‘powerful’ men.
I loved how she incorporated two very different spiritual beliefs into the book- the zealot Christian fundamentalists and the occult. But my favorite was the town's spine-tingling folklore of the Low Man- a Draculaesque demon who on a moonless night will slip into your bedroom and kill you.
I love how versatile Ashley is as an author. Each thriller she releases is completely different from the next(not to mention she's also a beloved romance author). We all know and love Ashley Winstead in the online community but I see this book being huge everywhere when it publishes. Midnight is the Darkest Hour will solidify Ashley as a household name. Just like her prior thrillers, readers will absolutely love this one!
Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead will be available on October 3. Many thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the gifted copy!
Ruth Coriner lives in the small Bible Belt town of Bottom Springs. As the daughter of the town's beloved Pastor, Ruth has always felt like an outsider. Especially since she prefers reading fiction to her Bible studies. Her only saving grace has been her best friend and fellow black sheep Everett.
Bottom Springs is thrown into chaos when a skull is discovered in a swamp. Next to the swamp are strange symbols carved into trees. Ruth and Everett team up to uncover the truth behind the murder, before a dark secret of their own comes out.
Another five-star winner from one of my favorite authors! This Southern gothic contains so many elements that make a good thriller including a murder mystery, small-town secrets, an earth-shattering twist, edge-of-your-seat suspense, and even a bit of romance. Her portrayal of living in a small town in the Bible belt south was spot on. Especially the aspect of how even in our modern times, women and vulnerable populations are still oppressed under so-called ‘powerful’ men.
I loved how she incorporated two very different spiritual beliefs into the book- the zealot Christian fundamentalists and the occult. But my favorite was the town's spine-tingling folklore of the Low Man- a Draculaesque demon who on a moonless night will slip into your bedroom and kill you.
I love how versatile Ashley is as an author. Each thriller she releases is completely different from the next(not to mention she's also a beloved romance author). We all know and love Ashley Winstead in the online community but I see this book being huge everywhere when it publishes. Midnight is the Darkest Hour will solidify Ashley as a household name. Just like her prior thrillers, readers will absolutely love this one!
Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead will be available on October 3. Many thanks to Sourcebooks and NetGalley for the gifted copy!
December 8, 2023
ARC provided by the publisher via Netgalley
i really wanted to read my first ashley winstead because so many of my friends have absolutely loved in my dreams i hold a knife, but i really think i did myself a disservice making this the one i picked up. i don't want to be overly negative, because i do think this book is important for some people who grew up with abuse under the guise of religion, and they were able to find escapism and safety and happiness in literature, like twilight. and i just really don’t want to downplay the importance of that safe place for kids and teens, especially when you can just tell this story feels very personal to the author.
but i think this was just so completely different than what i was anticipating, that it felt like a really big disappointment to me. this felt like a literary romance with some suspenseful elements, not a mystery thriller in the slightest. you will truly know from the first 10% of this book what is going to happen, and the rest is just a lot of twilight comparisons. now, i will also give this book credit because it made me rewatch twilight, and i did miss that blue filter more than i realized. i will also say i liked the very end, which i know will be an unpopular opinion, but it was a definite risk i do not think many authors would take, and i respect that. i will still for sure read in my dreams i hold a knife and report back!
trigger + content warnings: death, murder, violence, blood, cults, religious abuse, talk of suicide, gun violence, animal injury + death, talk of animal sacrifice, extreme child abuse in past, child captivity in past, talk of domestic abuse in past, mention of bullying in past, power imbalances, sexual assault (attempted rape), depression, panic attacks, hospital setting, talk of forced abortion, ableism (always in a negative light), implied pedophilia, implied human trafficking, trauma, grief, death of a mother during child birth in past, alcoholism mentions, drugs, misogyny, fire, snakes
blog | instagram | youtube | kofi | spotify | amazon
i really wanted to read my first ashley winstead because so many of my friends have absolutely loved in my dreams i hold a knife, but i really think i did myself a disservice making this the one i picked up. i don't want to be overly negative, because i do think this book is important for some people who grew up with abuse under the guise of religion, and they were able to find escapism and safety and happiness in literature, like twilight. and i just really don’t want to downplay the importance of that safe place for kids and teens, especially when you can just tell this story feels very personal to the author.
but i think this was just so completely different than what i was anticipating, that it felt like a really big disappointment to me. this felt like a literary romance with some suspenseful elements, not a mystery thriller in the slightest. you will truly know from the first 10% of this book what is going to happen, and the rest is just a lot of twilight comparisons. now, i will also give this book credit because it made me rewatch twilight, and i did miss that blue filter more than i realized. i will also say i liked the very end, which i know will be an unpopular opinion, but it was a definite risk i do not think many authors would take, and i respect that. i will still for sure read in my dreams i hold a knife and report back!
trigger + content warnings: death, murder, violence, blood, cults, religious abuse, talk of suicide, gun violence, animal injury + death, talk of animal sacrifice, extreme child abuse in past, child captivity in past, talk of domestic abuse in past, mention of bullying in past, power imbalances, sexual assault (attempted rape), depression, panic attacks, hospital setting, talk of forced abortion, ableism (always in a negative light), implied pedophilia, implied human trafficking, trauma, grief, death of a mother during child birth in past, alcoholism mentions, drugs, misogyny, fire, snakes
blog | instagram | youtube | kofi | spotify | amazon
December 13, 2024
Mild spoilers ahead.
This is the boringest book that ever boringed.
Unfortunately, I have encountered yet another book that set out to bamboozle me but even I didn't know what it was trying to lie to me about. I feel like my hands are tied. Am I reading too much into something as simple as a sad attempt at Where the Crawdads Sing fanfiction? Or was it actually just a boring book trying to be a southern gothic mystery?
The blurb of this book strung up a combination of words that usually have me running the other way. Things like "perfect for fans of Twilight" mean that it's unlikely I would ever enjoy it. But I impulsively joined a book club and this was their February book of the month. A horror novel in the month of "love"? I had to try, right?
This book is really hard to care about. It starts with the discovery of a skull in the river/swamp/lake thing and our narrator Ruth is very anxious about it. She prattles on using biblical adjectives about how much anxiety the discovery has wrought on her. Usually I'd clip some words from the prose to show what irritated me so much but I just can't be bothered. This book was that stupid and uninspiring.
Ruth has a best friend, Everett or Ever, as she calls him. If you can't tell, that's my disdain dripping on your face. Ever has a habit of slipping in and out of town and as the book starts, Ruth tells us he shows up at the beginning of summer. He's supposed to be Edward Cullen coded. And you can tell because he sounds like a stupid teenager's fantasy. As the book progresses, this matters little. At least until where I read. I don't care if he does remain loyal to his befuddling timeline. There are a few important things to learn about Ever. He used to get into barfights in high school, he was Ruth's "hero", he doesn't own a cellphone and his teeth are fanged. No, really, he has fangs. Ruth won't ever shut up about his fucking fangs.
We're supposed to care that Ruth and Ever killed a man, his skull has potentially been found. Oh no whatever will they do? I don't care. This book also thinks its readers are stupid because hinting is something as foreign to it as tolerance. Whenever a new clue is dripfed through painfully lengthened dialogue (was the author trying to meet a word count?) we can't be given a chance to figure out what's happening. We are immediately tossed into a flashback where everything is spoonfed to us.
Oh are you curious why Barry, speaker of the worst proposal known to mankind, accused Ever of breaking into Ruth's father's safe? Fear not, in the next chapter the author will hold your hand and shove your head against the display window of her bizarre patchwork of a story. At first I figured this was a straightforward murder coverup mystery, and perhaps Ruth and Ever are forced to commit even more murders and thefts to eventually escape Bottom Springs. But no. They remain in this town for reasons that aren't organic, believable, or even intelligent.
When the bike gang was introduced (yes, for real, a biker gang), having been red-herringed with a satanist cult a few chapters before, I was just done with the story. Ruth and Ever aren't compelling enough characters for me to care about anything they do. Ruth's father, the reverend was a caricaturised evil who did deeds that could be uncovered by a detective who asked more than a few questions, so at no point did I feel that Ruth and Ever were justified in trying to take justice in their own hands. And most egregiously, I was just bored. I skipped to the end to see what unfolds and I will forever be proud of the fact that I stopped reading on Page 150. I don't understand the audience of this book is supposed to be. There is barely any "forbidden" romance for the Twihards. The twist is stupider than the one in Crawdads and if you liked that, you will not enjoy this. It's a string of words trying to match AO3 tags pulled out of a hat. It thinks it wants to start a discussion about themes like parental abuse, fundie churches, liberation through education and exploration through fiction. But I grew so bored I couldn't be bothered to forment any thoughts about what it may have been telling me. Only read this if you have no fear of boredom.
Narration: 2 stars
This is the boringest book that ever boringed.
God should have the monopoly on fear.Have you met me? There are many who should fear me: children, people who hate cats and men who hate women. Another group that should consider fearing me is boring books.
Unfortunately, I have encountered yet another book that set out to bamboozle me but even I didn't know what it was trying to lie to me about. I feel like my hands are tied. Am I reading too much into something as simple as a sad attempt at Where the Crawdads Sing fanfiction? Or was it actually just a boring book trying to be a southern gothic mystery?
The blurb of this book strung up a combination of words that usually have me running the other way. Things like "perfect for fans of Twilight" mean that it's unlikely I would ever enjoy it. But I impulsively joined a book club and this was their February book of the month. A horror novel in the month of "love"? I had to try, right?
This book is really hard to care about. It starts with the discovery of a skull in the river/swamp/lake thing and our narrator Ruth is very anxious about it. She prattles on using biblical adjectives about how much anxiety the discovery has wrought on her. Usually I'd clip some words from the prose to show what irritated me so much but I just can't be bothered. This book was that stupid and uninspiring.
Ruth has a best friend, Everett or Ever, as she calls him. If you can't tell, that's my disdain dripping on your face. Ever has a habit of slipping in and out of town and as the book starts, Ruth tells us he shows up at the beginning of summer. He's supposed to be Edward Cullen coded. And you can tell because he sounds like a stupid teenager's fantasy. As the book progresses, this matters little. At least until where I read. I don't care if he does remain loyal to his befuddling timeline. There are a few important things to learn about Ever. He used to get into barfights in high school, he was Ruth's "hero", he doesn't own a cellphone and his teeth are fanged. No, really, he has fangs. Ruth won't ever shut up about his fucking fangs.
We're supposed to care that Ruth and Ever killed a man, his skull has potentially been found. Oh no whatever will they do? I don't care. This book also thinks its readers are stupid because hinting is something as foreign to it as tolerance. Whenever a new clue is dripfed through painfully lengthened dialogue (was the author trying to meet a word count?) we can't be given a chance to figure out what's happening. We are immediately tossed into a flashback where everything is spoonfed to us.
Oh are you curious why Barry, speaker of the worst proposal known to mankind, accused Ever of breaking into Ruth's father's safe? Fear not, in the next chapter the author will hold your hand and shove your head against the display window of her bizarre patchwork of a story. At first I figured this was a straightforward murder coverup mystery, and perhaps Ruth and Ever are forced to commit even more murders and thefts to eventually escape Bottom Springs. But no. They remain in this town for reasons that aren't organic, believable, or even intelligent.
When the bike gang was introduced (yes, for real, a biker gang), having been red-herringed with a satanist cult a few chapters before, I was just done with the story. Ruth and Ever aren't compelling enough characters for me to care about anything they do. Ruth's father, the reverend was a caricaturised evil who did deeds that could be uncovered by a detective who asked more than a few questions, so at no point did I feel that Ruth and Ever were justified in trying to take justice in their own hands. And most egregiously, I was just bored. I skipped to the end to see what unfolds and I will forever be proud of the fact that I stopped reading on Page 150. I don't understand the audience of this book is supposed to be. There is barely any "forbidden" romance for the Twihards. The twist is stupider than the one in Crawdads and if you liked that, you will not enjoy this. It's a string of words trying to match AO3 tags pulled out of a hat. It thinks it wants to start a discussion about themes like parental abuse, fundie churches, liberation through education and exploration through fiction. But I grew so bored I couldn't be bothered to forment any thoughts about what it may have been telling me. Only read this if you have no fear of boredom.
Narration: 2 stars
Read
October 24, 2023It didn’t grab my attention enough, so I didn’t finish it.
October 7, 2023
Ever read a book that shocks you in all the right ways? Midnight Is the Darkest Hour was a riveting read which I enjoyed via audiobook. I was swept away by this southern gothic book that is knee deep in religious fervor, outcasts, love, myths, and the bayou. I had a hard time putting this book down as I wanted to know what was going to happen next. I was captivated by the bond between Ruth and Everett, two outcasts who I was rooting for the entire book.
Bottom Springs, Louisiana is a place where the preacher’s daughter and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks make everyone in this god fearing town uncomfortable. Ruth's father rules from the pulpit preaching about God and the Devil. The town is also fearful that a myth about the Low Man, a vampire type creature may be real and lurking the swamps. When a skull is found and strange carvings are found on the trunks of trees, the town goes on high alert.
This was such a gripping, dark, gothic and mesmerizing read. I loved the audiobook version and thought the narration was fantastic. If it were not for the modern references and talk of the book, Twilight, I would have thought the book took place in the 1950's due to how females were treated, the talk of being a "good girl", the control of the preacher and local law enforcement.
This book is full of twists, turns, revelations and shocking moments. The book is full of atmosphere, secrets, tension, danger, and darkness. Survival becomes the name of the game when truths come to light!
WOW! I cannot wait to read more of Ashley Winstead's book. I was blown away with how much this took me by surprise and wowed me. Plus, that ending!
*A traveling Witch buddy read
#MidnightistheDarkestHour #NetGalley #AshleyWinstead, #Tantor Audio
Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
Bottom Springs, Louisiana is a place where the preacher’s daughter and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks make everyone in this god fearing town uncomfortable. Ruth's father rules from the pulpit preaching about God and the Devil. The town is also fearful that a myth about the Low Man, a vampire type creature may be real and lurking the swamps. When a skull is found and strange carvings are found on the trunks of trees, the town goes on high alert.
This was such a gripping, dark, gothic and mesmerizing read. I loved the audiobook version and thought the narration was fantastic. If it were not for the modern references and talk of the book, Twilight, I would have thought the book took place in the 1950's due to how females were treated, the talk of being a "good girl", the control of the preacher and local law enforcement.
This book is full of twists, turns, revelations and shocking moments. The book is full of atmosphere, secrets, tension, danger, and darkness. Survival becomes the name of the game when truths come to light!
WOW! I cannot wait to read more of Ashley Winstead's book. I was blown away with how much this took me by surprise and wowed me. Plus, that ending!
*A traveling Witch buddy read
#MidnightistheDarkestHour #NetGalley #AshleyWinstead, #Tantor Audio
Thank you to Tantor Audio and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
Read more of my reviews at www.openbookposts.com
October 6, 2023
EXCERPT: 'Are you afraid now?' he whispers? In the flickering light I can't read his face. But it doesn't matter. It's my heart on the scale, not his. The chains are tilting back and forth, asking 'Who are you?'
If this scene were a painting in my father's office it might be called The Final Corruption of Ruth Cornier. In one of my mother's cautionary tales, this would be the moment she leaned in and whispered, And the girl signed her soul away. If we were in one of the books I loved, those literary classics, it would be the moment the reader knew I was doomed.
ABOUT 'MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR': In her small hometown, librarian Ruth Cornier has always felt like an outsider, even as her beloved father rains fire-and-brimstone warnings from the pulpit at Holy Fire Baptist. Unfortunately for Ruth, the only things the townspeople fear more than the God and the Devil are the myths that haunt the area, like the story of the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to steal into sinners' bedrooms and kill them on moonless nights. When a skull is found deep in the swamp next to mysterious carved symbols, Bottom Springs is thrown into uproar and Ruth realizes only she and Everett, an old friend with a dark past, have the power to comb the town's secret underbelly in search of true evil.
MY THOUGHTS: I'm not overly enthusiastic about this novel which seems to have enchanted and pleased many other readers, but I really don't know why. Midnight is the Darkest Hour has all the traits that normally enthrall me: Small town secrets; set in the deep South; forbidden love; and a few bodies thrown in for good measure. I didn't enjoy the cultish aspect of the story, nor the frequent switches between the present time and the past which gave a somewhat disjointed feel to the read. And personally, I found the creep factor totally lacking.
I liked Ruth's and Everett's characters and Everett's unflinching devotion to Ruth, although Ruth's character at times perplexed me.
This is not a fast-paced book - it is more meandering; sometimes interesting, sometimes not. There is a lot of darkness in this book which I usually enjoy, but not this time. By the last third of the book, which should have been the most exciting and suspenseful, I was becoming bored and wishing it was all just over. Not even the ending came as a surprise.
As I said this has been very popular with other readers, so perhaps read some of the more positive reviews before deciding if this is for you.
⭐⭐.5
#MidnightistheDarkestHour #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: Ashley Winstead writes across as many genres as she can get away with. She lives in Houston with her husband, two cats, and beloved wine fridge.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Aria and Aries, Head of Zeus, for providing a digital ARC of Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
If this scene were a painting in my father's office it might be called The Final Corruption of Ruth Cornier. In one of my mother's cautionary tales, this would be the moment she leaned in and whispered, And the girl signed her soul away. If we were in one of the books I loved, those literary classics, it would be the moment the reader knew I was doomed.
ABOUT 'MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR': In her small hometown, librarian Ruth Cornier has always felt like an outsider, even as her beloved father rains fire-and-brimstone warnings from the pulpit at Holy Fire Baptist. Unfortunately for Ruth, the only things the townspeople fear more than the God and the Devil are the myths that haunt the area, like the story of the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to steal into sinners' bedrooms and kill them on moonless nights. When a skull is found deep in the swamp next to mysterious carved symbols, Bottom Springs is thrown into uproar and Ruth realizes only she and Everett, an old friend with a dark past, have the power to comb the town's secret underbelly in search of true evil.
MY THOUGHTS: I'm not overly enthusiastic about this novel which seems to have enchanted and pleased many other readers, but I really don't know why. Midnight is the Darkest Hour has all the traits that normally enthrall me: Small town secrets; set in the deep South; forbidden love; and a few bodies thrown in for good measure. I didn't enjoy the cultish aspect of the story, nor the frequent switches between the present time and the past which gave a somewhat disjointed feel to the read. And personally, I found the creep factor totally lacking.
I liked Ruth's and Everett's characters and Everett's unflinching devotion to Ruth, although Ruth's character at times perplexed me.
This is not a fast-paced book - it is more meandering; sometimes interesting, sometimes not. There is a lot of darkness in this book which I usually enjoy, but not this time. By the last third of the book, which should have been the most exciting and suspenseful, I was becoming bored and wishing it was all just over. Not even the ending came as a surprise.
As I said this has been very popular with other readers, so perhaps read some of the more positive reviews before deciding if this is for you.
⭐⭐.5
#MidnightistheDarkestHour #NetGalley
THE AUTHOR: Ashley Winstead writes across as many genres as she can get away with. She lives in Houston with her husband, two cats, and beloved wine fridge.
DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Aria and Aries, Head of Zeus, for providing a digital ARC of Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.
https://sandysbookaday.wordpress.com/...
May 3, 2023
And the first book that I've read for May isn't even on my May TBR, but when Ashley Winstead sends you a copy of her latest book, MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR, releasing in October, you put everything down and read it! Thank you @ashleywindsteadbooks! MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR is very different than her previous thriller, THE LAST HOUSEWIFE, but both are so gripping, engaging, and incredibly powerful.
Taking place in rural Louisiana, Ruth Cornier is a young 20-something year old living in her preacher father's shadow. The town of Bottom Springs all follows his teachings of fundamentalist Christianity (Holy Fire Baptist), but Ruth is trying to create a pathway for herself. When the town finds a skull in the swamp with mysterious carved symbols, the town believes it to be the workings of "the Low Man" - a vampiric figure said to kill sinners on moonless nights. This discovery reconnects Ruth with a man from her past, Everett. Her friend Everett (Ever) and Ruth have an "interesting" path to say the least and they'll have to face the past and present together.
MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR deals with some major triggers (such as fundamentalism, child abuse, sexual assault, just to name a few), but is not as triggering or dark as THE LAST HOUSEWIFE, so if you enjoyed that one, this book will be more of a breeze for you. That being said, while THE LAST HOUSEWIFE dove into topics of sex and power dynamics between men and women, MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR dives into religion and community. I loved the way that Ashley is able to pivot and change courses with her writing between books. Each of her thrillers have been uniquely different, but with the power and voice that fans should expect from her. Part romance, part thriller, part townsfolk drama, MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR will engage readers up until the very end (seriously, the ending BLEW MY MIND!).
Taking place in rural Louisiana, Ruth Cornier is a young 20-something year old living in her preacher father's shadow. The town of Bottom Springs all follows his teachings of fundamentalist Christianity (Holy Fire Baptist), but Ruth is trying to create a pathway for herself. When the town finds a skull in the swamp with mysterious carved symbols, the town believes it to be the workings of "the Low Man" - a vampiric figure said to kill sinners on moonless nights. This discovery reconnects Ruth with a man from her past, Everett. Her friend Everett (Ever) and Ruth have an "interesting" path to say the least and they'll have to face the past and present together.
MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR deals with some major triggers (such as fundamentalism, child abuse, sexual assault, just to name a few), but is not as triggering or dark as THE LAST HOUSEWIFE, so if you enjoyed that one, this book will be more of a breeze for you. That being said, while THE LAST HOUSEWIFE dove into topics of sex and power dynamics between men and women, MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR dives into religion and community. I loved the way that Ashley is able to pivot and change courses with her writing between books. Each of her thrillers have been uniquely different, but with the power and voice that fans should expect from her. Part romance, part thriller, part townsfolk drama, MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR will engage readers up until the very end (seriously, the ending BLEW MY MIND!).
November 9, 2023
Well this was different… I’ll start off by saying that I LOVED Winstead’s previous two novels, “In My Dreams I Hold A Knife” (which is one of my all time favorite books), and “The Last Housewife”. However, this book did not grab me or connect with me in the way her other books did. In fact, I felt as if this book was written for a younger audience (and maybe this book should be listed under YA?) I never read the Twilight series, and this book had so many eyeroll references to Twilight that I don’t think I ever will read it after this book. 🙄
This book is about Ruth Cornier growing up under a strict religious household. Her father runs the town with his Church. Ruth becomes friends with the social outcast Everett, and they made a pact when they were 17 years old that they would be together forever.
As a skull washes up in the swamp, Ruth and Everett keep their secret as to what happened that night in the woods… However, their whole friendship has been a fight against the “holier than thou” people of the community, including Ruth’s father.
As you can see, I don’t have much to say about this book. I was quite disappointed as I expected so much more. I will say that I have been sick with the flu or a bad cold 😷, so maybe that affected how I felt about this book at the moment, but I honestly could not get into this. Definitely not my favorite by Winstead, but I am hoping that her next book puts her back up on top of my list.
This book is about Ruth Cornier growing up under a strict religious household. Her father runs the town with his Church. Ruth becomes friends with the social outcast Everett, and they made a pact when they were 17 years old that they would be together forever.
As a skull washes up in the swamp, Ruth and Everett keep their secret as to what happened that night in the woods… However, their whole friendship has been a fight against the “holier than thou” people of the community, including Ruth’s father.
As you can see, I don’t have much to say about this book. I was quite disappointed as I expected so much more. I will say that I have been sick with the flu or a bad cold 😷, so maybe that affected how I felt about this book at the moment, but I honestly could not get into this. Definitely not my favorite by Winstead, but I am hoping that her next book puts her back up on top of my list.
July 24, 2023
A genre bending read filled with religious zealots and people behaving badly that just didn't work for me despite my love for this author's previous work.
Ruth Cornier is the pastor's daughter in a small Southern town where it's either fall in line or be an outcast. It's made for a lonely living, but she's found friendship in Everett, a town outcast that lights up her heart with their conversations of poetry and life outside of this town. However, when a slew of murders become revealed with all signs pointing to Everett, what is Ruth to do?
I truly struggled with this read. For a premise that had so many interesting concepts: southern christian fundamentalist giving cult vibes, a supposedly morally grey male main characters, a female main character who loves to read and gives us allll the Twilight references, and a murder mystery or two...what's not to love!?
However, all together it struggles to come together until the very end in a way that feels unsatisfactory and obvious.
What I Struggled With:
- The Main Character: The character felts underdeveloped and static. They didn't feel like real people, but only caricatures of what people like this may be like. Ruth was aggresively naive. Everett was ridiculous cryptic. And I didn't buy into their friendship outside of their love for poetry. And their constant miscommunication was tiring.
- Pacing/Length: This book felt too long. Nothing really happens until almost 70% in. It is a ton of exposition dump and Ruth ruminating on things that feel totally obvious.
- The Plot Twists: There are quite a few "reveals" in this book; however, all of them feel obvious by the time they are revealed, which given the length/pacing feels like FOREVER. If they had been revealed earlier, it would've made for a more exciting and thought provoking read versus a matter of fact one.
- The Ending: The ending is a two part-er in a sense. First is the final confrontation. It was so rushed my head was spinning. All of these connections were made but it felt almost jumbled and far-fetched. Ruth was conveniently given all of these clues right before that add up to truly a crazy scenario. And the second is the kind of epilogue - and it is open ended in a way that feels ridiculous. I don't feel like we left any of the character we were supposed to care about in a better place than we found them. It made for a truly unsatisfying feeling after having invested so much.
Unfortunately Midnight Is The Darkest Hour fails to give me the magic In My Dreams I Hold A Knife did, but I think some will enjoy it just for the shock value and twilight reference and hey, who am I to judge?
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my free eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Ruth Cornier is the pastor's daughter in a small Southern town where it's either fall in line or be an outcast. It's made for a lonely living, but she's found friendship in Everett, a town outcast that lights up her heart with their conversations of poetry and life outside of this town. However, when a slew of murders become revealed with all signs pointing to Everett, what is Ruth to do?
I truly struggled with this read. For a premise that had so many interesting concepts: southern christian fundamentalist giving cult vibes, a supposedly morally grey male main characters, a female main character who loves to read and gives us allll the Twilight references, and a murder mystery or two...what's not to love!?
However, all together it struggles to come together until the very end in a way that feels unsatisfactory and obvious.
What I Struggled With:
- The Main Character: The character felts underdeveloped and static. They didn't feel like real people, but only caricatures of what people like this may be like. Ruth was aggresively naive. Everett was ridiculous cryptic. And I didn't buy into their friendship outside of their love for poetry. And their constant miscommunication was tiring.
- Pacing/Length: This book felt too long. Nothing really happens until almost 70% in. It is a ton of exposition dump and Ruth ruminating on things that feel totally obvious.
- The Plot Twists: There are quite a few "reveals" in this book; however, all of them feel obvious by the time they are revealed, which given the length/pacing feels like FOREVER. If they had been revealed earlier, it would've made for a more exciting and thought provoking read versus a matter of fact one.
- The Ending: The ending is a two part-er in a sense. First is the final confrontation. It was so rushed my head was spinning. All of these connections were made but it felt almost jumbled and far-fetched. Ruth was conveniently given all of these clues right before that add up to truly a crazy scenario. And the second is the kind of epilogue - and it is open ended in a way that feels ridiculous. I don't feel like we left any of the character we were supposed to care about in a better place than we found them. It made for a truly unsatisfying feeling after having invested so much.
Unfortunately Midnight Is The Darkest Hour fails to give me the magic In My Dreams I Hold A Knife did, but I think some will enjoy it just for the shock value and twilight reference and hey, who am I to judge?
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for my free eARC in exchange for my honest review.
October 10, 2023
This was very different from Winstead's past novels. I did enjoy it and it had me hooked honestly. It's all about morality I feel. Good and evil, heaven and hell. Is it truly black and white or morally gray? We follow a morally gray character you can't help root for. This also talked about Twilight alot and about how much it shaped our main character's life when she read it as a teen. As someone who read Twilight also during my formative years I related to this.
Overall it wasn't quite a 5 star for me but still interesting and definitely not as dark as her last thriller.
Overall it wasn't quite a 5 star for me but still interesting and definitely not as dark as her last thriller.
Read
November 24, 20254 ⭐️
This was such a wild ride in the best way possible. My second novel by Winstead and by far my favorite!
The writing was truly atmospheric, I feel like I could smell the forest, hear the mosquitoes, and taste the Louisiana air. I absolutely loved the Twilight references and thought the overall question or concept of morality/justice was asked in a really provocative and intriguing way.
There was romance, mystery, really good twists and a killer ending. Really enjoyed it!
This was such a wild ride in the best way possible. My second novel by Winstead and by far my favorite!
The writing was truly atmospheric, I feel like I could smell the forest, hear the mosquitoes, and taste the Louisiana air. I absolutely loved the Twilight references and thought the overall question or concept of morality/justice was asked in a really provocative and intriguing way.
There was romance, mystery, really good twists and a killer ending. Really enjoyed it!
Want to read
October 17, 2023i heard the writing is very similar with the crawdad’s sing with its atmosphere and the slow paced history..I love morally grey books i hope this one makes me wanna do an evil laugh at the end hehe
also..CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW GOOD THE COVER ART IS
also..CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW GOOD THE COVER ART IS
October 22, 2023
Unfortunately, for me, the best part of MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR is the potential I saw in the synopsis. This one does not live upto any of it and instead it was more a grimace and bear it and hope there's some good around the corner kind of reading experience.
Spoiler alert, there was not.
But who am I to say? The feed is flooded with early praise so maybe I'm, once again, an outlier.
If you are into a meandering, flashbacks and present day timeline, kind of slowburn unfurling of.. something, this may work for you. There are so many elements that appeal between the southern setting, the small town, the outcasts from two different sides of town banding together, but it's the rest that frustrated me. Winstead again uses the back and forth jumping around of events to set her scenes, which seems to be her shtick for her darker books, but the cult-y religious narrative was just.. tired. Ruth as a character had all the elements to make her a sympathetic character and yet her characterization felt so.. flimsy -- and don't get me started on the TWILIGHT obsession. It definitely crossed the line into Too Much territory. As for Everett, well. That was just obsession full stop but he, too, had reasons for the reader to feel sympathetic towards him but I could never really take him seriously. He ended up feeling something of a caricature and it was not swoony or enthralling.
Ultimately -- and what really worked against this for me was -- this just took too long to get going. The teasing and unveiling of secrets that were supposed to keep us on the hook for this slow pace just didn't do it for me and because we are trapped in Ruth's obliviousness for literally 85% of the book, there were only a few moments where Winstead could really bust out some beautiful and heartbreaking observational points about the world around her characters and, especially, the double-edged sword of being a teenage girl.
So where does that leave us? Not with a thrilling or chilling atmosphere (if you, like me, saw the horror tag, disregard it. it isn't accurate; and I would use thriller only loosely). Not with characters to get behind. Not with a plot that is anything new. And certainly not with a satisfying ending (not just the actual ending, which was dumb, but the right-before-the-end part.. how does that one little showdown, without proof, result in anything more than speculation in the aftermath? they did nothing, solved nothing, and have left others behind with deal with it all, which isn't at all what they set out to do, so, like.. make it make sense). So.. yeah, not much at all.
I definitely had really high hopes for this after THE LAST HOUSEWIFE and because nothing seasonally appropriate has been satisfying so far. And here we are again still lacking that win. But, hey, again, maybe this'll do the trick for you. I guess I just have to hope the next Winstead fits the bill for me.. otherwise the aforementioned title might be the outlier and we’re just not meant to be.
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
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This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
Spoiler alert, there was not.
But who am I to say? The feed is flooded with early praise so maybe I'm, once again, an outlier.
If you are into a meandering, flashbacks and present day timeline, kind of slowburn unfurling of.. something, this may work for you. There are so many elements that appeal between the southern setting, the small town, the outcasts from two different sides of town banding together, but it's the rest that frustrated me. Winstead again uses the back and forth jumping around of events to set her scenes, which seems to be her shtick for her darker books, but the cult-y religious narrative was just.. tired. Ruth as a character had all the elements to make her a sympathetic character and yet her characterization felt so.. flimsy -- and don't get me started on the TWILIGHT obsession. It definitely crossed the line into Too Much territory. As for Everett, well. That was just obsession full stop but he, too, had reasons for the reader to feel sympathetic towards him but I could never really take him seriously. He ended up feeling something of a caricature and it was not swoony or enthralling.
Ultimately -- and what really worked against this for me was -- this just took too long to get going. The teasing and unveiling of secrets that were supposed to keep us on the hook for this slow pace just didn't do it for me and because we are trapped in Ruth's obliviousness for literally 85% of the book, there were only a few moments where Winstead could really bust out some beautiful and heartbreaking observational points about the world around her characters and, especially, the double-edged sword of being a teenage girl.
So where does that leave us? Not with a thrilling or chilling atmosphere (if you, like me, saw the horror tag, disregard it. it isn't accurate; and I would use thriller only loosely). Not with characters to get behind. Not with a plot that is anything new. And certainly not with a satisfying ending (not just the actual ending, which was dumb, but the right-before-the-end part.. how does that one little showdown, without proof, result in anything more than speculation in the aftermath? they did nothing, solved nothing, and have left others behind with deal with it all, which isn't at all what they set out to do, so, like.. make it make sense). So.. yeah, not much at all.
I definitely had really high hopes for this after THE LAST HOUSEWIFE and because nothing seasonally appropriate has been satisfying so far. And here we are again still lacking that win. But, hey, again, maybe this'll do the trick for you. I guess I just have to hope the next Winstead fits the bill for me.. otherwise the aforementioned title might be the outlier and we’re just not meant to be.
** I received an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
---
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
June 6, 2023
Thank you SO much to Ashley Winstead and Sourcebooks for my copy of this book! Ashley is one of my favorite authors and I am obsessed with her writing. This book was a southern gothic thriller about Bottoms Springs Louisiana. It is a stereotypical southern town, with religion at the center and no room for outsiders. Ruth has always felt like an outcast, while the town is enamored by the fire-and-brimstone teachings of her preacher father.
The only thing the town fears more than the Devil are the local myths that haunt the area. One of these is the Low Man, an evil shapeshifter that is said to use moonless nights to sneak into sinners' bedrooms and kill them. When a skull is found in the swamp near eerie symbols, Ruth and her only friend, Everett, try to get to the bottom of what’s going on. They have ties to the town’s past, and there are secrets they never want to get out.
Thoughts: Once again I LOVE that Ashley Winstead puts content warnings at the beginning of her books. They include religious fundamentalism, substance abuse, colonialism, physical and sexual abuse, child abuse, and murder. This story was dark and damp and haunting and important, though not as dark as The Last Housewife. I loved the fact that she included Twilight in the story, and the connections made a lot of sense.
This book is about taking back our power as a woman in the world. It’s about the intersection of religion and love and fear and power. There is an element of romance in the book, and while I normally don’t like that, she did it perfectly to give examples of a power dynamic. The claustrophobic religious small town mixed with the occult and power of nature were a fascinating contrast. I love that Winstead can take on so many important topics and do it so well. It’s much more than your typical thriller, and I loved it! 5-stars!
The only thing the town fears more than the Devil are the local myths that haunt the area. One of these is the Low Man, an evil shapeshifter that is said to use moonless nights to sneak into sinners' bedrooms and kill them. When a skull is found in the swamp near eerie symbols, Ruth and her only friend, Everett, try to get to the bottom of what’s going on. They have ties to the town’s past, and there are secrets they never want to get out.
Thoughts: Once again I LOVE that Ashley Winstead puts content warnings at the beginning of her books. They include religious fundamentalism, substance abuse, colonialism, physical and sexual abuse, child abuse, and murder. This story was dark and damp and haunting and important, though not as dark as The Last Housewife. I loved the fact that she included Twilight in the story, and the connections made a lot of sense.
This book is about taking back our power as a woman in the world. It’s about the intersection of religion and love and fear and power. There is an element of romance in the book, and while I normally don’t like that, she did it perfectly to give examples of a power dynamic. The claustrophobic religious small town mixed with the occult and power of nature were a fascinating contrast. I love that Winstead can take on so many important topics and do it so well. It’s much more than your typical thriller, and I loved it! 5-stars!
October 31, 2024
It had potential, but it just didn't work for me.
October 10, 2023
Ugh, no. No thank you. I do not like this.
It is so boring, yet so long, and so annoying. It will have you constantly asking “what year is it?” and “are these people a failed AI experiment?” because nothing makes any sense. Everything’s made up and the points don’t matter. Why don’t these people have cell phones? Where are the police? Why does this girl think she’s living inside of Twilight? (Yes, really)
And that ending… i mean, I get the flare for the dramatic but… bitch call the FBI and let the adults handle this
It is so boring, yet so long, and so annoying. It will have you constantly asking “what year is it?” and “are these people a failed AI experiment?” because nothing makes any sense. Everything’s made up and the points don’t matter. Why don’t these people have cell phones? Where are the police? Why does this girl think she’s living inside of Twilight? (Yes, really)
And that ending… i mean, I get the flare for the dramatic but… bitch call the FBI and let the adults handle this
October 22, 2023
LOVED. Still getting my thoughts together. Just WOW! 🌘🌘🌘🌘🌘
__
It’s no secret that MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR by ASHLEY WINSTEAD was my most anticipated book of 2023 and short version - I loved it!
I intentionally stayed as far in the dark as possible about this book - initially hooked when ASHLEY WINSTEAD first described it as “Every Summer After with serial killers”. Done.
What I knew was there was a gothic noir setting in a small Louisiana & when the book opens a skull is found deep in the swamp. The one person who believes she knows who the skull belongs to is Ruth, the preacher’s daughter. And the reason she knows is because she, and her best friend Everett, put it there.
With a teaser like that how can you not dive in head first? Once again I found myself having such an impactful reading experience — caught between wanting to binge read, but also wanting to slowly devour every word in these pages. (I opted for slower…clocking in at 5 days!).
This book is haunting + dark. Disturbing + hopeful. It’s so incredibly atmospheric and she paints such a vivid picture of the town…the woods…the swamp…the bar…the everything. I was anxious + uncomfortable. I fully did a fist pump at one point. I gasped. I shed some tears. I was so intrigued by Ruth and Everett’s relationship and found so many lines and quotes and moments of relatability in these pages. I could feel Ruth’s yearning in my bones.
I have to say I’m so happy I went in knowing next to nothing as I truly didn’t know what to expect, but I know I’m in the best of hands with ASHLEY WINSTEAD. I’m amazing by how she can weave such powerful commentary into a page-turning thriller and she infuses her writing with so much passion and power.
She continues to astound me with her writing and powerful storytelling. I’ve read, and loved, all of her books and I will continue to auto-buy and auto-read everything she writes.
I’m intentionally staying vague on details, in case you also want to go in dark - highly recommend you do.
MIDNIGHT is thought provoking and wholly entertaining and was absolutely worth the wait!
__
It’s no secret that MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR by ASHLEY WINSTEAD was my most anticipated book of 2023 and short version - I loved it!
I intentionally stayed as far in the dark as possible about this book - initially hooked when ASHLEY WINSTEAD first described it as “Every Summer After with serial killers”. Done.
What I knew was there was a gothic noir setting in a small Louisiana & when the book opens a skull is found deep in the swamp. The one person who believes she knows who the skull belongs to is Ruth, the preacher’s daughter. And the reason she knows is because she, and her best friend Everett, put it there.
With a teaser like that how can you not dive in head first? Once again I found myself having such an impactful reading experience — caught between wanting to binge read, but also wanting to slowly devour every word in these pages. (I opted for slower…clocking in at 5 days!).
This book is haunting + dark. Disturbing + hopeful. It’s so incredibly atmospheric and she paints such a vivid picture of the town…the woods…the swamp…the bar…the everything. I was anxious + uncomfortable. I fully did a fist pump at one point. I gasped. I shed some tears. I was so intrigued by Ruth and Everett’s relationship and found so many lines and quotes and moments of relatability in these pages. I could feel Ruth’s yearning in my bones.
I have to say I’m so happy I went in knowing next to nothing as I truly didn’t know what to expect, but I know I’m in the best of hands with ASHLEY WINSTEAD. I’m amazing by how she can weave such powerful commentary into a page-turning thriller and she infuses her writing with so much passion and power.
She continues to astound me with her writing and powerful storytelling. I’ve read, and loved, all of her books and I will continue to auto-buy and auto-read everything she writes.
I’m intentionally staying vague on details, in case you also want to go in dark - highly recommend you do.
MIDNIGHT is thought provoking and wholly entertaining and was absolutely worth the wait!
October 11, 2023
Ummmm wtf was that ending?
October 17, 2024
Is there anything that Ashley Winstead can not do? Midnight is the Darkest Hour was so different from her previous books, but she still smashed it out of the park. Just wow, an incredibly dark and unsettling story, and yet again, I could not put it down.
This was a slower burning mystery/thriller, set in a bottom Springs, Louisiana. A human skull has washed up on shore, and a homicide investigation begins. This small town is ruled by the local church. The preacher has full control of his parishioners, and he knows everything that happens. His own daughter, Ruth, rebels against everything that her father preaches. She has become friends with the local outcast and loves to read Twilight books.
There are so many characters in this story that I really did not like. The preacher has one set of rules for some and others for the church when it suits him. There are many many disturbing themes in this book, and the author does mention that at the very start. If you have read her books before, you will know how she writes them so well. The amount of research into these awful subjects she must have done scares me.
The ending was just brilliant, and I did clap my hands after I had finished it. So clever. An intense drama with a bit of romance, a lot of violence, and gothic themes… something for everyone, really.
Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. I have already pre ordered my hardcover copy to add to my collection come October. Published October 3rd. A must-read.
This was a slower burning mystery/thriller, set in a bottom Springs, Louisiana. A human skull has washed up on shore, and a homicide investigation begins. This small town is ruled by the local church. The preacher has full control of his parishioners, and he knows everything that happens. His own daughter, Ruth, rebels against everything that her father preaches. She has become friends with the local outcast and loves to read Twilight books.
There are so many characters in this story that I really did not like. The preacher has one set of rules for some and others for the church when it suits him. There are many many disturbing themes in this book, and the author does mention that at the very start. If you have read her books before, you will know how she writes them so well. The amount of research into these awful subjects she must have done scares me.
The ending was just brilliant, and I did clap my hands after I had finished it. So clever. An intense drama with a bit of romance, a lot of violence, and gothic themes… something for everyone, really.
Thank you so much to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. I have already pre ordered my hardcover copy to add to my collection come October. Published October 3rd. A must-read.
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