Reviews with content warning for Violence - Midnight Is the Darkest Hour

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Midnight Is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead

38 reviews

bukworm345's review against another edition

This book was TERRIBLE. The main character is insipid and obsessed with Twilight. The driving force of the book is secrets- not mystery, just secrets. Ruth and Everett could have figured a lot of shit out if they stopped keeping secrets and started working together. There’s drugs, religious fanaticism, satanic rituals, pedos, corruption, and on top of all that mess there’s Twilight obsessed Ruth starting to think Wverett is an actual vampire/monster. Skip it. It’s not even a so bad-so good scenario because the characters are so dumb.

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brandilovesbooks's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Midnight is the Darkest Hour is a book about the fine line between good and evil.

Ruth is the daughter of an extreme minister in coastal Louisiana. She has one friend- Everett, a boy who saved her from rape. She dreams of leaving her small town and going to college.

Everett teaches her to climb trees and savor nature. He is a reader like she is. They read together and talk about books.

When Everett moves out of town, Ruth is forced to stay. He returns after staying away for a year.

A skull is found in the swamp. Ruth and Everett are worried the skull will point to them.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour is told in two timelines- the summers beginning when Ruth was 17 and now.

It is the story of two people making one shady choice after another while they try to avoid the truth coming out. This is the first book I've read where you know the MC committed murder in their past.

As the book goes on, they learn that evil in the most unexpected places. Power in their small town means some people are above the law.

I almost put the book down a couple pages in. Ruth has an obsession with the book Twilight and idolizes Bella. I was not a fan of that character- I found her annoying and weak. I decided to keep reading because I understood why a very sheltered minister's daughter might see something in Bella.

This book is a train wreck. You can't look away. Ruth and Everett continuously make bad decisions. Everett convinces Ruth that committing small crimes is okay because the person is bad. This continues as the crimes get progressively worse.

About half way through the book, the tempo really picked up. It was hard to put the book down.

Ruth and Everett are lovable in the same way you love a stray animal. You can't fault them for their issues because of the damage inflicted on them in the past.

I alternated between reading and listening to the audiobook. The audiobook narrator had a perfect southern accent. Listening to dialog was much better than the Midwestern voice in my head could do.

I recommend this book for anyone who likes reading about moral grey areas, sheltered girls and the bad boy, or southern small towns.

My content warnings- lots of fire and brimstone preaching, murder, attempted rape, child abuse, an unhealthy obsession with Twilight, sacrifice, old fashioned beliefs that women should be obedient, cursing (but appropriate and no F words).

The romance is closed door.

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noble_editorial's review against another edition

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mysterious 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

This one sounded promising, but it turns out it really wasn't for me. The story feels contrived and relies too heavily on tropes—it just doesn't feel fresh. The MC is incredibly frustrating, the romance doesn't feel authentic, and the ending borders on ridiculous. It has a beautiful setting, though.

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morethanmylupus's review against another edition

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adventurous dark reflective sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I liked this one ok. It's a classic story of the evil mankind, and men in particular, can cause. Particularly in the name of religion.

The plot pacing is weird. Dragging with unnecessary details at times and skipping too fast to tell the full story in others. I found the MC, Ruth, to be incredibly naive - more than she should be given how much she reads. Her clunk love story with Ever was too angsty for adults and dragged down the plot. This is especially true in some scenes that showcase things like weirdly erotic first aid (why?).

And, as a final point, the story is entirely too reliant on the Twilight saga in lieu of writing new metaphors.

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