Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me an advanced copy of this book to read and review. Unfortunately this book was not for me & I did not end up finishing it.

3.5 rounded up, although it took me awhile to get there. At first I really struggled with the book, I didn't enjoy any of the characters in particular, but the writing and narration and dialog was really good. And then I thought the plot started to coalesce and I was getting a Hunger Games meets queer Tangled and I wasn't super mad at that. The ending is what really rounds it up for me, but I don't know if Rutkoski will go full 'burn it down' like I think would really be satisfying.

Thank you to Netgalley and Macmillan Children's Publishing for sending me a copy of this book! All opinions are my own!

Having not read the Winner's trilogy, I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, but I was so pleasantly surprised! It was such an interesting world to learn about, and it was extremely unique for someone who is constantly reading fantasy!

Nirrim is such a relatable character as someone who felt pretty sheltered in life but just wanted more of everything. Her innocence can be a bit annoying, but her character arc is one for the books for sure! It made me want to go out and change the world, but I guess I'd need to get pants on to do that. Not to mention the romance was adorable and infuriating at the same time. I loved the authenticity and the way the romance arc came about, especially when it mixed in with the overall character growth.

The ending left me screaming, and I absolutely need to go get the second book right now!
If you're a fantasy lover, you do not want to miss this epic sapphic story!

I wanted to love this book but it really fell short. I didn't feel anything for the characters and really didn't feel any connection to the story.

This is one of those reads where you’re unexpectedly surprised at how much you end up loving it. The beginning of the story you meet Nirrim. The story is slow moving, along with a feeling of despair. Nirrim lives a life that is hard. No dreams or even hope can change that. Then one night everything starts to change for her. At that point the story slowly blossoms into one of adventure and curiosity with a slight hint of danger. Vivid scenery and debauchery was easily pictured in my mind, thanks to the incredible writing talent of the author. There are some twists and secrets. None of which I saw coming and I loved that. I wasn’t expecting that ending. Mind blown.

This book was unputdownable! The story was fascinating and refreshing. It left me wanting more! Marie Rutkowski is a new to me author. I can’t wait to read the next book or any of her future works. I highly recommend this book! I give this 5 stars.

3.25 stars

Nirim lives a life in the Ward just trying to follow the rules and keep out of trouble. Especially since she is keeping a dangerous secret.

When Nirim meets the fascinating Sid, a traveler to her land, she can’t help but become swept away. Sid claims that the High Caste have magic, and she wants to prove that, pulling Nirim into an adventure that will change everything she’s ever known.

I had a hard time with Nirim’s character in this book. She lets everyone walk all over her and is just so weak. I know it’s her place in the book, and I imagine she will grow from here, but it was really hard to stomach at times, and I just couldn’t connect with her- or with any of the characters really.

The idea of the story that drew me to this book to the begin with is intriguing and the writing is lovely, I’m just not sure I was invested enough to continue with the next book.

*Thank you to Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Farrar, Straus, and Giroux, & NetGalley for providing me with a copy.

3.5 stars
I went into this book having only read The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski (which I loved, but I have I continued the series...no. Oops.) and it didn't live up to my opinion of that one.
I didn't really like the characters that much. Nirrim is naive and doesn't realize she is being emotionally and physically abused by more than one person. Raven is not nice and neither is Auden (not sure of spelling, I listened to the audiobook). Sid was ok, but I didn't feel like there was any chemistry between her and Nirrim.
I liked the plot more than the characters. I was actually pretty interested right away, although I felt like I was just thrown in and had to learn along the way. I liked how Nirrim and Sid met, it was almost like a meet cute but in jail. The pacing of the story was good, it really kept my interest throughout almost the whole thing. It was very easy to listen to.
I kind of got lost at the end though, but I can't wait to see the direction this series heads in!

After such a long time, I finally got to this one. And I'm kicking myself for not reading this earlier.

It is a story of a country that is separated by a wall. On one side people are suffering, and on the other, the rich are living the life. Nirrim, is used to keeping in line, living her life quietly, without color or sweets, with lies surrounding her and her world. Until one day she encounters a stranger, from a different world. She is on a search for magic.

Poor naive Nirrim, I felt so bad that she was so blind to the realities of her life. And was so glad that the duo gets entangled really fast and easily. Their romance was so endearing and easy, I just loved every second of it. (Though I'm not a big fan of romance story lines in a book).

Well that ending and the turn this book took in the end was great. I needed that kind of twist with a fantasy, and I'm all here for it and the sequel in this series.

This was a bit of a nail biter for me from the beginning which is the perfect way to start a book, in my opinion. I loved the surprises, emotion, and intrigue. Looking forward to the next installment very much!

I received this book from NetGalley as an eARC in exchange for a review.

This book just did nothing for me. I didn't care about the characters or the story. Nothing was particularly exciting or captivating. I'm disappointed.

I was given a copy of this book by the publisher via Netgalley. If I'm being honest it's more of a 3.5 than a 4 but I thought a 3 was unfair.

Fair warning if you've ever been gaslighted by someone you cared for this book could be very triggering as the main character is oblivious to this fact. She trust everyone and thinks they're good despite living a hard life and being shown humans are awful.

The MC can be frustrating bc many things are obvious to the reader that are apparently not obvious to her.

She's on a mission to figure out where magic comes from and mets a traveler she falls fall. Despite the traveler often skirting the truth and obviously keeping secrets.

Overall I'd read the best book so it's recommend it!

I have loved all of Rutkoski's work so far and this didn't stray far from that path. Although it was a little more underwhelming than I expected.

I guess I just didn't connect as much to the characters this time which is surprising because I liked them! I just wasn't super into them like I thought. But Rutkoski's writing kept me hooked, she is a gorgeous writer and I can't wait to read everything else she ever writes.

The sequel to this book is releasing tomorrow and I was hoping to get approved for it when I was approved on Net Galley for this one. But I think I should have read it sooner, oops. So now I need to go get it cause, Wow that ending!

Nirrim, a Half-Kith forger, helps those like her escape beyond the wall. She is the only one who wonders why they have to be on this side of the wall and not the Middling or High-Kith. Those two classes are way above them and have so many more luxuries in life, but why?

Why does being born Half-Kith make her different?

These questions keep coming to her more frequently after she spent time in jail after helping someone of higher quality (no good deed goes unpunished and all). She meets an interesting character that she soon seeks out and wants to learn more about.

Sid the beautiful tall lean short haired woman in men's clothing. She's more than she seems and she's not from this land. She has more questions about the customs no one questions than Nirrim does.

This book was full of magic, gods, sapphic romance, but also abusive parental figures, horrid living conditions and keeping people in their place.

But Nirrim what did you just do?! 
I need the 2nd book!! 

Thank you @fsgbooks and @netgalley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and Marie Rutkoski for the opportunity to review an e-arc of this title.

The Midnight Lie is the first installment in the Forgotten Gods duology, and it was not what I was expecting in the best way. I went in not knowing a whole lot about this one and I love how everything unfolded.

Nirrim is a member of the lowest rung in society. She lives in a crime ridden, harsh district meant to serve the High Kith and is forbidden from wearing color or tasting sweets. She keeps her head down and a secret close to her chest. But Nirrim is curious and wants more out of life than what society has allotted her. Through a series of events she meets Sid, a rakish traveller passing for High Kith. Nirrim becomes entangled in Sid’s search for magic and gets more than she bargained for.

The first quarter was a little slow, but I expect that in a new fantasy adventure. The world building didn’t feel like it was dumped on us all at once. We learned what we needed to know gradually and I appreciated that. There were a few twists that I didn’t see coming and a few that were predictable.

The writing was lovely and I enjoyed getting to know Nirrim and Sid. Their interactions were so entertaining and I’m definitely invested in their relationship. I love the banter between them and the slow building of their romance. I’m anxiously awaiting The Hollow Heart to find out what happens next.

This book is a DNF for me. That doesn’t mean I won’t give it a go again but I am having a very hard time with the writing style presented.

All of the sentences are short, while that can make things easy sometimes, it didn’t work for me here. It feels scatter brained because it goes from what is happening in the present to a memory all in the same paragraph. After rereading those areas it can make sense but I don’t want to have to take the time to do this for the whole book.

I’ve seen some other great reviews so it totally gives me hope but right now I just can’t. I feel like I’m just missing something.

The Midnight Lie is a richly-written fantasy that weaves magic, a sapphic love story, a scathing critique of classism and social divides, and a protagonist who discovers her own power in the face of emotionally abusive/toxic relationships.

Rutkoski has a knack for gorgeous descriptions and intricate worldbuilding, while at the same time grounding her characters and making them relatable. You can't help but fall for Nirrim as she starts to take steps outside of the world and routines she has always known, and question the boundaries that have been set for her and the people she cares about. Her relationship with Sid sparks with chemistry right from the start, and Sid's protectiveness and anger for Nirrim are exactly what you want for both of them.

And don't get me started on that ending -- how in the heck am I supposed to wait to find out what happens to our beloved Nirrim, Sid, and the people of the Ward? Cannot wait for the sequel, The Hollow Heart!

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan for the advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Midnight Lie has everything you can expect from Marie Rutkoski: gorgeous, atmospheric writing, fantastic world building, complex characters, and a bittersweet romance. I was intrigued from the introspective, and foreboding opening, and hooked instantly on Nirrim and Sid.

Nirrim's world is highly divided by class. Nirrim is of the lowly Half Kith, and never allowed to the leave the walled Ward where she has spent her entire life. People of her low, impoverished status are forbidden from wearing bright colors, fancier clothing, sweets, and a great deal of independence.

When she encounters Sid, she is introduced to things and concepts she hasn't even dreamed could be true. This book has fantastic character growth and a wonderful twist at the end that I did not see coming. I highly recommend for fans of the Winner's Curse, Sabaa Tahir, V.E. Schwab, and atmospheric fantasy.

I really loved the Winner's Curse trilogy so I was very excited to receive a copy of the Midnight Lie to coincide with its paperback release this year. I really enjoyed this book and am excited to see where things go in the sequel. Thank you to Fierce Reads and Macmillian for providing me with an e-ARC of this beautiful book.

Honestly not like anything else I have ever read. I didn't like it as much as The Winners Curse series but it was good. I am very anxious to read book two.

THE MIDNIGHT LIE is a lush and atmospheric YA fantasy. The book transports us to another world, where people are separated from birth into socioeconomic categories they cannot leave. The High Kith are the wealthiest with Middlings providing most service jobs. The Half-Kith are trapped within a wall, never to leave their poverty, trapped within a wall to a small area, and they are treated poorly, frequently forced to give tithes (hair, skin, blood, and even sometimes organs) for no apparent reason. Of course, this is better than being Un-Kith, which are given the worst and most dangerous jobs.

Nirrim is Half-Kith and has rarely questioned her lot in life. She lives with an abusive woman, who frequently lashes out in violence and uses Nirrim for her gifts of memory to forge documents. Nirrim's world changes when she is arrested and finds that the prisoner next to her is fascinating and fascinated in her. This prisoner is also a traveler- something completely unheard of and seemingly impossible- from the world beyond the island that Nirrim has always known. This other prisoner sets Nirrim on a course of questioning her world and looking for answers to the questions she had always kept suppressed.

What I loved: This world pulls you in right from the start with descriptions that unfold beautifully to create a unique and dangerous new world. Nirrim is an interesting character. She has suffered terribly through her upbringing and it has caused some dissociation that allows her to be both within this world and outside of it. There are some interesting themes here about wealth, right/wrong, and the rippling effects of lies (small to large lies).

I also really love the romance that develops between Nirrim and a woman, Sid. It was beautiful and adds a fantastic element to the story, complementing the larger storylines. It is woven so entirely into the plot that they are both necessary to have, and I love when romance is so well done like this.

I would add warnings for child and domestic abuse, child neglect, drug use/abuse (tertiary characters, mainly), sexual abuse (from another character involving the main character, along the lines of power dynamics and expectations), and some disturbing themes around the tithes (the ways that peoples bodies are used for others).

Final verdict: Completely engrossing and beautifully crafted, THE MIDNIGHT LIE is a fantastic read. I will be highly anticipating future books in this series. Would recommend for fans of Alexandra Christo, Rosaria Mundo, Sabaa Tahir, and Rutkowski's other books.

I’m a simple girl, I see Marie Rutkoski and I click add to cart! I loved the magic system here and the unanticipated connection to her Winners’ trilogy. I will definitely pick up the next book when it comes out!