A review by kaybethbookish
The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski

3.0

This is a story that for me had writing that tried too hard to be lyrical and whimsical, combined with an LGBT story that felt inorganic and forced, but also had some brilliant dialogue and approached the subject of abuse and manipulation in a relatable and sensitive way.

My biggest issue with the story was how quickly Nirrim's opinion changed towards Sid. One minute, she thinks Sid is a male and is disgusted by 'him', but within a moment of finding out Sid is female, she suddenly has urges and forbidden feelings towards her. The shift was so fast that it left me unable to believe in the relationship throughout the book, even though I really wanted to.

I also struggled with the storyline. There were elements within that had beautiful descriptions, and moments of real intrigue, but for the most part, I found myself reading the story and wondering when things were actually going to start happening. By the end of the book, I was still unsure what the main plot is actually about and what the sequel would entail.

I wanted to like this series, however, despite the snippets of great writing, I just couldn't bring myself to want to continue the story on.