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rileyreadsalatte's review
4.0
I finished this book a few days ago, and didn’t get to write my review until now, but I have not been able to stop thinking about it!!! Maybe it’s because I grew up in a southern town as well, or maybe it’s because I grew up in an extremely religious home as well, but this story just hit in all the right ways. I was intrigued from the start, and I loved the back and forth timeline between present day and Ruth’s teenage years. There was just enough information given to help you feel like you might have an idea of who the villain was, but then there would be a twist that had you second-guessing everything. I loved the cult vibes and the bond between Ruth and Everett, the only reason that I didn’t give this 5 stars was due to the ending being somewhat open ended. While I know that some readers enjoy imagining what happens, I want to know what the author envisioned, so this ending frustrated me a bit. But overall, it was a super fun thriller.
emilybooks22's review
2.0
2.5 ⭐️ if this was your thing great!! I wanted it to be my thing. I almost put it down. I get the story. The writing was great. It just wasn’t for me. When I hear vampire story this is far from what I was expecting and may have made me bias in my rating. I don’t like that it took till 70% in to finally have something exciting going on. And it felt very… forceful when it came to the religious aspect. I mean I’m catholic…. So I related well with it… it just felt unnecessary at times. Battle of good and evil. Both internally and externally.. karma. Family issues. The ending was a shock. I suspected it half way through but not fully.
emilynelson's review against another edition
4.0
*audiobook* I didn’t read the synopsis of this one and I think that wasn’t the best choice. This one threw me for a loop and I guess I expected more of a thriller aspect to it?
However, it was still a decent read and had me feeling an array of emotions! Anger, sadness, empathy, rage, confliction, and did I say anger?
It kind of gave me similar vibes to Where the Crawdads Sing!
It was a good read with many layers! It wasn’t my favorite book by any means but it was good!
However, it was still a decent read and had me feeling an array of emotions! Anger, sadness, empathy, rage, confliction, and did I say anger?
It kind of gave me similar vibes to Where the Crawdads Sing!
It was a good read with many layers! It wasn’t my favorite book by any means but it was good!
lovethebooksmell's review
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
theblushbookworm's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ashley Winstead writes unique thrillers that I tend to love. This one unfortunately did not live up to the standard she has set. I think my biggest problem was that I didn’t enjoy the narrative voice of Ruth in the same way I’ve enjoyed her other protagonists. Likability isn’t a dealbreaker for me, but Ruth’s overly meek and naive characterization got on my nerves. I did enjoy the themes of religious abuse and the exploration of Southern Baptist culture in a small town. I also think the unhinged ending would’ve worked better for me with a different main character. This has the potential to be good, but Ruth made it kind of meh.
elle_jeanne's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
mckennaasmith's review against another edition
I literally just did not care at all. About anything.
mhugie2's review
5.0
Midnight is the Darkest Hour is some wild, religious cult murder mystery! If that sentence appeals to you at all, then you need to read this book! It was such a wild ride of a story where Ashley Winstead manages to do it again!
This book is dark, twisty, mystical and absolutely maddening. The writing is an absolute masterclass. The people of Bottom Springs, Louisiana are God-fearing folk, but also hillbilly swamp folks. The amount of fire and brimstone thrown around this town is enough to start a country-wide wildfire. So what happens when the town is thrown into an uproar over dead bodies showing up in the swamp?
The only reason you may not like this book is if you do not like any of the trigger warnings, Particularly child abuse and cult behaviors'. But I absolutely loved this book and think that every thriller and mystery lover should check this one out.
Ashley Winstead is an auto-buy for me after this novel. She brought the same raw talent and moody writing to this story as she has her others, but it was a whole different experience and different subgenre. Not many authors are capable of producing quality books of such different lanes within a genre, but Winstead did it with flourish! The narration was just magical, really bringing a depth to the characte3rs that I otherwise wouldn't have caught. I can't wait to see what this author does next and I will be promoting this book far and wide.
This book is dark, twisty, mystical and absolutely maddening. The writing is an absolute masterclass. The people of Bottom Springs, Louisiana are God-fearing folk, but also hillbilly swamp folks. The amount of fire and brimstone thrown around this town is enough to start a country-wide wildfire. So what happens when the town is thrown into an uproar over dead bodies showing up in the swamp?
The only reason you may not like this book is if you do not like any of the trigger warnings, Particularly child abuse and cult behaviors'. But I absolutely loved this book and think that every thriller and mystery lover should check this one out.
Ashley Winstead is an auto-buy for me after this novel. She brought the same raw talent and moody writing to this story as she has her others, but it was a whole different experience and different subgenre. Not many authors are capable of producing quality books of such different lanes within a genre, but Winstead did it with flourish! The narration was just magical, really bringing a depth to the characte3rs that I otherwise wouldn't have caught. I can't wait to see what this author does next and I will be promoting this book far and wide.