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A review by savvyrosereads
Midnight Is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Out October 3, 2023 [Thank you so much to the publisher and author for the early copy for review!]
Rating: 5/5 stars
A serial killer begins stalking a small Louisiana town, and preacher’s daughter Ruth Cornier may be the only one with the keys necessary to uncover the truth.
This book is every single thing I love in literature all wrapped up in an absolutely perfectly written bow. The vibes—creepy, southern Gothic, small town, serial killer, vaguely paranormal—are perfection, the characters are delightful, the literary references and feminist commentary are on point…truly if I was asking someone to write a perfect book for me, it would end up looking a lot like this one. As you can probably put together from this statement, I LOVED this book.
Ashley Winstead is a brilliant thriller author (I already knew this and hopefully you did too) but Midnight truly puts her in an entirely new league of her own. The way she weaves literary themes with pulse-pounding edge-of-your-seat tension, the way she plots out dramatic reveals and curveballs that nonetheless fit together all the breadcrumbs she’s already left for readers, the way you feel completely immersed in the worlds she creates—without hesitation, I will read anything she ever writes, and I hope you do too.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: small town suspense; vampire literature; serial killer thrillers
CW: Religious fundamentalism; child abuse (all forms); sexual assault/violence; murder/death/violence
Rating: 5/5 stars
A serial killer begins stalking a small Louisiana town, and preacher’s daughter Ruth Cornier may be the only one with the keys necessary to uncover the truth.
This book is every single thing I love in literature all wrapped up in an absolutely perfectly written bow. The vibes—creepy, southern Gothic, small town, serial killer, vaguely paranormal—are perfection, the characters are delightful, the literary references and feminist commentary are on point…truly if I was asking someone to write a perfect book for me, it would end up looking a lot like this one. As you can probably put together from this statement, I LOVED this book.
Ashley Winstead is a brilliant thriller author (I already knew this and hopefully you did too) but Midnight truly puts her in an entirely new league of her own. The way she weaves literary themes with pulse-pounding edge-of-your-seat tension, the way she plots out dramatic reveals and curveballs that nonetheless fit together all the breadcrumbs she’s already left for readers, the way you feel completely immersed in the worlds she creates—without hesitation, I will read anything she ever writes, and I hope you do too.
Recommended to anyone, but especially if you like: small town suspense; vampire literature; serial killer thrillers
CW: Religious fundamentalism; child abuse (all forms); sexual assault/violence; murder/death/violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Pedophilia, Religious bigotry, Violence, Murder, and Child abuse