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avidreaderandgeekgirl's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
That being said it was an excellent book, in my opinion, very dark, but a good romantic thriller. However, the end left me unsatisfied. I'd have liked an epilogue of what happened to the town after, and if the MCs made it through.
I found the journey enjoyable, and it had some unpredictable twists. Overall, an excellent book.
Narrator Rating: 4.25 stars
Well the narrator did a good job, she didn't do enough tonal shifts for different characters' voices.
Graphic: Abandonment, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Fire/Fire injury, Sexism, Toxic relationship, Alcoholism, Blood, Bullying, Suicidal thoughts, Animal death, Gaslighting, Violence, Animal cruelty, Death of parent, Grief, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Panic attacks/disorders, Child abuse, Classism, Death, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Misogyny, Murder, and Religious bigotry
Moderate: Cursing, Gun violence, Sexual harassment, Medical content, Mental illness, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Gore, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Physical abuse, and Racism
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Antisemitism, Body horror, Colonisation, Forced institutionalization, Torture, Vomit, Addiction, Abortion, Drug abuse, Pregnancy, and Medical trauma
The graphic animal cruelty & animal death were not too drawn out and at the start of the book. The other animal death wasn't on the page, just some parts with talk or one of the characters having a dead animal (snake and deer).tiiiger35's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Sexual harassment, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Religious bigotry, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Hate crime, Murder, Pedophilia, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Abortion, Rape, Sexual assault, Blood, Death of parent, Death, Domestic abuse, Grief, and Drug abuse
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"Midnight Is the Darkest Hour" follows Ruth Collier, a young woman who has spent her entire life trying to overcome her struggles as the preacher's daughter. In Ruth's small, southern town of Bottom Springs, there is only one thing the citizens fear more than God, and that is the Low Man. When a skull is found in the swamp, the town believes the Low Man is back, and their prime suspect is Ruth's best friend, Everett. Everett has always been an outsider, and never been accepted by the town because of his father, but the townspeople are all the more suspicious of him because of secrets from his past that he is trying to keep hidden.
I was really engaged with this story from the beginning. I am normally not a fan of stories set in the deep south, but this one really hooked me. I was fascinated by the hypocrisy of the townspeople because they seem to preach being good, God-fearing people, but then they are so quick to turn on someone who is different than themselves. Ruth's father is a tyrant and has used his position as a church leader to break Ruth into submission for her entire life. Ruth has spent her adult years trying to discern who she is outside of church, and if she is a good person. This book exemplifies religious trauma.
I really enjoyed and appreciated Ruth's and Everett's friendship. They were both such misfits, and I think they really complement each other well. Through all of their hardships, they have remained close, and I really loved seeing their story arch.
One of my few gripes with this story is the reference to "Twilight". When Ruth is young, she steals and hides a copy of "Twilight" from the library. She finds such comfort in the story and the characters, and she dreams of having a romance like the one depicted between Bella and Edward. I think this was a nice touch, and really helps to highlight this idea that teenaged girls are often ridiculed for their "immature" interests. People are often so quick to dismiss things, like an interest in "Twilight" as dumb, because a teenaged girl loves it. My critique is the other used this as a plot point continually, and at one point a character tells Ruth that life can be like "Twilight", and I laughed out loud. Perhaps that was part of the point the author was trying to make, but it completely took me out of the story.
The greater mystery of what was going on, and who the Low Man really was, was captivating, and I did not see it coming. I felt like the mystery had layers, and I really enjoyed seeing all of the reveals come through.
This is probably my least favorite of Ashley Winstead's thrillers, but I still very much enjoyed it, and I would recommend!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Death of parent, Death, Torture, Confinement, Child abuse, Alcohol, Physical abuse, Murder, Emotional abuse, Drug use, Alcoholism, Blood, Hate crime, Religious bigotry, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual content