Item: Midnight Is the Darkest Hour
Rating: 3.00
Author: quirkycat

by Ashley Winstead

From the critically acclaimed author of In My Dreams I Hold A Knife and The Last Housewife comes Midnight is the Darkest Hour, gothic Southern thriller about a killer haunting a small Louisiana town, where two outcasts-the preacher's daughter and the boy from the wrong side of the tracks-hold the key to uncovering the truth.

For fans of Verity and A Flicker in the Dark, Midnight is the Darkest Hour is a twisted tale of murder, obsessive love, and the beastly urges that lie dormant within us all...even the God-fearing folk of Bottom Springs, Louisiana. 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.

"Where The Crawdads Sing meets Twilight meets Thelma and Louise in this brilliantly realized, totally original thriller. Absolutely sensational-I couldn't put it down." - Clare Mackintosh, New York Times bestselling author

Book Summary:

Ruth Collier never really fit in with her small and tight hometown. While most of her classmates were happy to follow the church path (and worship Ruth's father), Ruth was more inclined to be her own person. Her love of books was just one of many small ways she rebelled.

Still, Ruth has found a peaceful path in life. That is until a skull is dredged up from the swamp. When that happens, Ruth knows that her life will change forever. Not just her life but the life of her best friend.

My Review:

I want to start this review by saying I have mixed feelings about Midnight Is the Darkest Hour. I was utterly hooked in some ways, but in other ways, I was disappointed? It's a weird mixture of feelings, and I bet I'm not the only reader walking away feeling...uncertain.

Midnight Is the Darkest Hour toes the line between thriller/mystery and horror thriller. At one moment, I was convinced it was leaning one way, only to spin in the other direction. Rinse, and repeat. I didn't mind that dance – though I think I would have been happier if it had gone the opposite direction from how things ended.

On that note (and forgive me if this is a bit of a spoiler), Midnight Is the Darkest Hour has one of those endings that will split the room. Readers are either going to love or absolutely hate how this book ends. It might make for a fun debate at a book club. But sitting here reading this book all by myself, it just left me a bit sad and conflicted.

Highlights:
Layers of Secrets
Mystery/Thriller
Horror Elements

Trigger Warnings:
(Attempted) Assault
Religious Trauma
Familial/Child Abuse

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Midnight Is the Darkest Hour

by Ashley Winstead

Reviewed by Quirky Cat on Dec 31, 2023

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