Nirrim is a Low Kith and lives in the walled city of the Ward. All who live in the Ward are banned from leaving, must wear plain clothes, eat plain foods and live a decidedly plain life. Despite their imposed limitations, they are creative craftsmen. They make beautiful things that are sold to the High Kith outside the Ward. Middlings are those who can move in and out of the Ward and who sell the Low Kith wares to the rich beyond the wall.

Nirrim is a baker who makes fancifully decorated breads to sell. She also has a perfect memory and is a skilled forger. When she is unfairly thrown in prison for doing something good, she meets another prisoner – Sid. The two share conversations from their cells. From the beginning, there is a sizzle and spark between them. But Sid is unlike anyone Nirrim has ever met and thus begins a connection that will change Nirrim’s life forever.

Rutkowski’s newest series is set in the same world as her Winner’s Trilogy. It is a well-crafted stratified society with secrets and stringent rules. The tithes that are taken from those in the Ward are creepy (blood) and sometimes horrible (body parts.) Nirrim and Sid are memorable and their banter is lively and seductive. One feels the electricity when they are together. To top it off, Rutkowski has written an ending that is powerful and will leave readers desperate for the next book.

This book was even better than the Winner's curse trilogy because it is true to the author's life. The character's are unforgettable, especially Sid. The world building is very original and a great expansion on her previous world. I would definitely recommend this to teens to read.

This was the first book I've read by Marie Rutkoski, but, having read it now, I find myself drawn to tackle all of her published novels. While reading this, I constantly texted my best friend my thoughts, my feelings, my favorite lines and she assured me that all of Marie's writing felt a lot like The Midnight Lie.

On that note, the Midnight Lie was a unique read, one that you don't often get enough of. To be honest, I haven't read a book like this since Carrie Ryan's The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Something simultaneously lyrical and descriptive, but also old fashioned in its verbiage. So many lines felt quotable and impassioned. I could have filled a notebook with every single turn of phrase I fell in love with.

Nirrim is every bit the perfect narrator. She doesn't tell you every little thing because she herself is unsure of every little thing. She has spent her entire existence feeling unsure of her ability to remember every moment of her life and every piece of information she encounters. She has been told that the visions she has are false and the world is as it is and will never change. The more her visions come into her life and the more she is exposed to that she shouldn't be, her perception of the world changes. The moment she meets Sid, her view of the world is decimated and she's left to work with Sid to rebuild it. But it's in rebuilding the image she has that everything begins to fall apart.

This book kept me on my toes until the very end, where even now I'm still questioning the ending. The only thing keeping me calm is that I know there will be a sequel. Otherwise, I'd be emotionally wrecked and ruined. Nirrim's character arc is one of the greatest I've read and I cannot wait to see what happens to her in later books and just how much she continues to deceive the reader.

I am speechless. I mean, this book is marvelous, spectacular, amazing. Should I write every adjective here to say how good this book is?
This my 2020's favorite read.
Congratulations, Marie Rutkoski.

Marie Rutkoski's books are such a treat - even when the characters are basically getting tortured. The Midnight Lie is set in the same world as The Winner's Curse and oh my god I was anxious the whole time I was reading it. You see, I was very invested in Nirrim, the main character who really has had the shaft in life.

The Midnight Lie is set on this island where the populace is divided into three classes: Half Kith, Middlings, and High Kith. The half kith are the lowest of the low and can be forced to give tithes and attacked by the militia for random things. The middlings are the middle class and are a bit better off. Then there's the high kith - who are rich and live pleasant rewarding, worry free lives for the most part. Nirrim is a half kith orphan who ends up adopted by a middling woman named Raven along with two other young ladies. Through circumstances, Nirrim ends up in jail across from a foreigner named Sid who is rakish and doesn't really understand why things are the way that they are in Nirrim's world.

What results is a deeply engaging love story as well as a story of waking up to the lies that make up Nirrim's society and ultimately, her life. I got really into this book after we meet Sid. There's a lot to unwrap with Nirrim and some revelations get dropped. The ending was such a shock but I loved it. I am so eager for the next book from Marie Rutkoski and just have to know what happens next.

I feel about The Midnight Lie the way I felt about The Winner's Curse. I can copy my review of it, and it will work just as well here.

The Midnight Lie is the kind of fantasy that doesn't really have much fantasy or world building in it. It's mostly a personal journey with a ton of romancing. And again, I am totally reminded of Cashore's fantasy work, especially Bitterblue (NOT my fave) in the way it deals with memory and erased history.

The story is set in a very vaguely sketched world with 3 separate social classes. Passive and quiet Nirrim belongs (of course!) to the lowest one. She goes about her days, complacent and accepting of her fate. Until... she meets Sid. And here lies the crux of Rutkoski's appeal. The slow burn romance, the thinking, the talking and talking and talking. There is magic to her love interests simply talking and circling each other. The languor of their interactions just works for me. I ship these people, that's it.

I wish the fantasy part was much stronger though. The ideas in this story are big - gods, memories, gaslighting even. The latter part of the novel dabbles in themes VERY similar to the ones in Laini Taylor's work. But the world is just so small and underdevoled, I could cry.

But I WILL DEFINITELY read the next book in this (?)duology.

Marie has such an understated and lyrical writing style that slowly works its way into your mind and heart.

She always incorporates the most interesting games you want to learn to play. In this book it was a card game called Patheon which features faces of 100 gods. I need to learn this game.

Could having the ability to remember be a gift or curse? The ending to this book blew me away and I will say for now Nirrim has found a way to overcome her memory being a curse.

If you love fantasy that has great world and character development then this is one to add to your TBR.

I enjoyed THE MIDNIGHT LIE quite a bit! It had quite the slow start, though, which kept me from loving it as much as I've loved Marie Rutkoski's last series. I also found the worldbuilding a little hard to unravel. The more complicated the worldbuilding got and the more the author told me, the more confused I got.

Nirrim was not a very sympathetic narrator. I would've liked her a lot, if she wasn't so NAIVE. It was obvious that she was being taken advantage of, and I couldn't believe how long it took her to realize it.

I was so excited for this book, but I found it quite live up to the hype - but it was close. The characters were great, and nuanced, but I found the beginning of the story to be slow. It was definitely a deep dive into the mind of Nirrim, which was intriguing at first, but I wanted more answers than I got. If you've read Rutkoski's earlier books you'll appreciate the references! The action really picks up in the last quarter of the book. Rutkoski's ability to infuse detail into her storytelling is what keeps me coming back time and time again. The story premise seems common, but Rutkoski has a way of making it so much more!

We know the world... mostly. A new island, one that believes it has always been there, that the society has always existed as it is, and one that seemingly doesn't exist to others in the world we've previously explored in The Winner's Curse series.

Obviously, none of the above aren't true and over the course of the book, as we follow Nirrim and Sid in their adventures, much of the history Herrath becomes clear. And because this is the first of a duology (per the author) there are Questions Left Unanswered at a critical moment. What makes this a little deeper than many in this genre are the questions that get raised about relationships and power, with Nirrim serving as our surrogate for three different types of relationships (nicely realistic, despite the world in which they're set).

eARC provided by publisher.

The Midnight Lie has some brilliant ideas but they are buried in some seriously slow plot lines. Basically, orphan Nirrim lives in a society with a caste system, and she is part of the caste that acts in servitude to the higher castes, with very few rights. How did the caste system come to be? Why is there a huge wall keeping the lower caste people inside of a sector of the city called the Ward? You can ask, but nobody knows. Written history? Good luck with that.

Nirrim is thrown into jail, which many people of her caste don't make it out of alive, but is saved by a mysterious traveler named Sid (they don't get many - or any? - travelers 'round those parts, so it's pretty exciting and strange). Nirrim and Sid embark on a journey to figure out the history of this isolated island society, and begin to discover.... *cue dramatic music*...that things aren't what they seem...

As I mentioned, this is an interesting premise but the delivery is slow and kind of unexciting. The final act of the book where things start to come together ramps up the drama a bit, but I'm not totally sure that I'm too invested into the answers that are on the horizon. The romance between Nirrim and Sid is pretty sweet, though.

I read Rutkoski's original trilogy and wasn't really wowed by it. It felt very generic YA for the time it was published, but I was still curious about her next book in the same world. And I think I like where this story is going more than her original trilogy. The Midnight Lie has everything I wanted from the original trilogy and then some. The world building in this is interesting. I like the caste system Rutkoski created and the big reveal for why the world is the way it is is unique. The big reveal at the end is probably my favorite, if I'm being honest. I also love the characters. They're each different in their own way and bring something new to the story. I love reading the ways they see the world and how it differs from Nirrim's. Nirrim herself is a very naive character who believes her world is exactly how people say it is, but when she finds out the truth of certain things, she starts to grow as a character which I enjoyed. I also love her relationship with Sid who is probably my favorite character. The sapphic romance in this is very sweet and realistic and has everything I love with the slow burn trope. Overall, I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to the next book! Definitely recommend people to pick this book up especially if they're like me and aren't big fans of the original trilogy.

★ true rating: 3.5 stars ★

★ I received an ARC by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ★

Nirrim lives at the bottom of her society's caste system behind a wall, where the people live under constant fear of the militia. Where any "crime" can land you in jail paying a "tithe" (which can be anything from shaving your head, giving vials of blood, or more sinister offerings). Nirrim tries to keep her head down and out of trouble, but her whole world turns upside down when she meets the traveler Sid - this character is the connection between this series and the Winner's trilogy. Sid is basically the first person to be nice to Nirrim in A LONG TIME. Nirrim is stuck in 2 different types of abusive relationships, and it was difficult to read about in some parts of the book. There are a lot of mysteries ,twists and turns in this story. Yes, something like magic exists on this island, but at what costs? and who is paying that cost? where did it come from? You will learn all this, as well as an explosive ending that will leave you on the edge of your seat. This would have been a solid 4 stars for me, had it not been for all the abuse. The author really piled on the abuse of the character Nirrim and it was a little too heavy handed for my taste. That said this has major Strange the Dreamer vibes and I look forward to reading book 2!

This book was received as an ARC from Macmillan Children's Publishing Group - Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR) in exchange for an honest review. Opinions and thoughts expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book was really hard to grasp. The description said it was supposed to reflect the LGBTQ genre but then it goes to talk about rebelling and following the rules and escaping the war of the town. These are different concepts that are an immediate recipe for jumping around the plot making it hard to follow. However, I LOVED the name of the main protagonist, Nirrim. It was fun to read and say her name throughout the book and I know a lot of our teens will love saying her name too. However, I know if this title was picked for our teen book club, there would be a lot of questions mostly and not a lively discussion.

Due to the confusion and the many question this book will generate, we give this book 3.5 stars.

Series Info/Source: This is the first book in the Midnight Lie series. I got an eGalley to review through NetGalley.

Story (4/5): I ended up enjoying this quite a bit. It wasn't what I thought it was going to be, but still ended up being very good. I was hoping for a bit faster pace and more adventure; what I got was a beautifully done mystery about the source of an island's magic. There were some twists at the end that took me entirely by surprise without feeling contrived, so that was a special treat.

Characters (4/5): I really enjoyed watching Nirrim and Syd explore the amazing magical city and unravel the horrifying truths behind the magic there. Nirrin and Syd have great chemistry together and watching how they both grew in each other's company was fantastic. These two characters are really well developed but other side characters are definitely lacking in depth.

Setting (5/5): I loved this fantasy setting on this mysterious magical island. Although the world-building is mostly narrowed to this small island, there are hints about the great world and I look forward to reading more about this world in later books.

Writing Style (5/5): The writing and description in here was truly mesmerizing, the settings really come alive. This was a very engaging read and flowed really well, it was a joy to read.

Summary (4.5/5): Overall, aside from the pace lagging at points, I really loved this. I enjoyed the characters, the interesting magical island, and the fascinating mystery. I plan on continuing the series and would recommend to those who enjoy reading about magic and fantasy.

Many thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for the ARC. Probably one of my most looking forward to reads of 2020 because of how much I liked The Winner’s Trilogy.
The premise started off as an eerily similar-feeling “walled off castes” dystopian, but it was set in a fantasy world. Truthfully I had no idea where the book was headed, and the synopsis doesn’t really give you much other than a general hint of the direction.
It follows Nirrim, a girl of the lowest caste, who can remember literally everything. Being born, every conversation, a glance at a book. Everyone in the lower caste is not allowed to leave their walled off section of the city. No mirrors. Strictly enforced rules about apparel and appearance. Terrible tithes of blood and hair and body parts. No history books. Gods that no one remembers. Everyone accepts it because “it is as it’s always been.”
But as the synopsis says, she meets Sid the traveler who makes her question everything she has believed. Sid claims there’s magic in the city (that the lower caste have no knowledge of because it’s kept from them) and wants Nirrim’s help to find out what it is.
So the book is about Nirrim’s discovery of the sections she had been barred from and of herself, of seeking out the magic of the High caste, of finding out exactly what the city is, why it is the way it is, and why no one remembers.
The levels of fantasy go deeper and deeper as the novel progresses in a frankly surprising (but very fitting) turn of events. I’m super excited to see how the story continues in the next novel.
And as stated in the synopsis, it is a LGBT+ romance. I literally could not get enough of Sid and Nirrim and all of their antics. Their banter. The tension. Sid in general. I love them.
I would also like to mention this novel does a really good job on talking about and showing the effects of toxic relationships, with family and love. Some of it was hard to read and I don’t think it’s usually ever depicted in such a realistic and complicated way.
I would highly recommend this book for fans of Laini Taylor’s Strange the Dreamer.

This book was just so, so amazing. I loved it so much. I barely even have words to describe it!
I’ve been a huge fan of the Winner’s Curse trilogy since I was in high school, and I’ve wanted to revisit the world for so long. Marie Rutkoski is one of my all-time favorite authors, as well. I’ve always loved the way she crafts intricate worlds with smart, sly characters.
The Midnight Lie is one of those books you need to start reading knowing very little about it. It’s set in the same world as The Winner’s Curse, except about 20-25 years later. It’s also set on an island separate from the countries in the original trilogy, and obviously follows different characters, the main character being Nirrim.
Nirrim’s world is inexplicably controlled, complicated, and for Nirrim’s class, devoid of most pleasure. Nirrim was such an amazing character, as were almost all of the side characters. Another thing I really liked about this books is the romance. It’s very different than the romance between Arin and Kestrel in The Winner’s Curse, but it is beautifully written and, as with the rest of the book, the pacing is wonderful.
You can also read this book even if you haven’t read The Winner’s Curse series; however, I would recommend reading them first because it makes the plot twist much more enjoyable if you understand the background of the world and previous characters.
I can’t praise this book enough; the writing was exquisite, the characters were wonderfully complicated, and the mythology of Nirrim’s world was like nothing I’ve encountered before.

Nirrim is a quiet survivor. She's at the bottom of her society's rigid class system, so she knows to keep her head down and to always choose the safest course. Though Nirrim catalogues and analyzes everything with her preternaturally good memory, she follows the cues of everyone around her, and plays by the rules. No one around her asks questions, so why should she?

But one day, Nirrim takes an uncharacteristic risk. It lands her in trouble, but also introduces her to Sid -- a cagey yet charismatic girl, unlike anyone she's ever met. Through her association with Sid, Nirrim wonders if taking risks and asking questions might not be such a bad thing after all.

Rutkoski's characters are very well-developed. I can't go much into it without getting spoilery, but I particularly loved Nirrim. Her perfect memory and shrewd mind could easily come across as cold or unsettling, but she's very much lead by emotion, and her choices and calculations are informed by events in her past. The reveals about Sid are more predictable, but she's a fun character, and their romance was actually really genuine and charming.

All in all, I really enjoyed this one, and I'm excited to see how that ending changes things in the next book. I can't wait to check out Rutkoski's other books as well!

Marie Rutkoski returns to the world of The Winner’s Curse with this new trilogy set in a city where it is as it is and it has always been that way.
Nirrim is Half-Kith, the lowest caste in this society, confined by walls to the Half-Kith quarter of the city, her clothing, food, and even hair circumscribed by her caste. Orphaned and then adopted by a woman who says she loves her, Nirrim goes as she’s told and keeps her head down, trying to avoid the guards who may arrest her and take a tithe. The tithes are anything from a lock of hair to an eye depending on what the offending action is, and they’re used as one of the cudgels to keep the Half-Kith in their place. With luck, money, and a counterfeit passport, Half-Kith may escape to the Middling section, but those are few and far between.
No good deed goes unpunished, and Nirrim is jailed when she returns a lost High Kith bird found in the Half Kith quarter to a guard. Her sentence is one month in jail, with blood taken each day. The prisoner across the hall from her is charming, cocky, and sure of themselves, and Nirrim is unwillingly fascinated by Sid’s self-confidence, and is knocked off-balance when she realizes that Sid is a woman as well. Sid somehow gets both herself and Nirrim released early, and Nirrim is shocked when Sid appears at her home, demanding her services as a lady’s maid the next day.
Sid doesn’t take Nirrim’s explanations for how life is, that it has always been this way and there’s no way to change it. Sid’s relentless questioning of the ways of the city unnerve Nirrim, and when Sid takes her out of her quarter and into the High Kith parties and houses, Nirrim begins to realize what’s being kept from her, and what’s being taken from all Half-Kith.
I loved The Winner’s Curse, and was so excited to get an advance copy of The Midnight Lie. Nirrim’s passivity in her life was frustrating, but also something that had been forced upon her from birth, and whatever curiosity and daring she had was shoved deep inside and locked up. Sid is a rake in the best way: cocky, charming, sure in her self and in her place in the world. Rutkoski’s writing is, as always, engaging, with twisty plots and people questioning how their world is ordered and their own complicity in it. I’m excited to booktalk this when it’s released and I’m grateful to Macmillan for the advance copy.

There is no doubt that Rutkoski is a talented writer and she once again creates something magical and unique and all her own in a dazzling her series that is still some how connected to our beloved Winner's trilogy.

Something that fans of both the Winner's trilogy and the author will delight in enjoy and be begging for more at the end.