This was not what I was expecting...

The writing style was comfortable and helped me get through the book. I had some issues with the pacing and the main character. The pacing was too slow and the entire plotline just felt too flat. There's not really anything from the story that really stands out to me after finishing the book. I couldn't relate to Tana at all, which is probably what put me off the book.

I loved the magic system and the cosy feeling that this book gave, but it wasn't enough for me to really fall in love.

This was such an enchanting read! I have been meaning to pick up a book by Rachel Griffin for sometime and was lucky enough to get my hands on an eArc for this book. She did not disappoint! The writing was just so beautiful and atmospheric, you can tell she loves witches and pours so much into shaping the magic.

Tana's life has been laid for her since birth. She was the one who would finally provide her coven with safety by marrying the mainlander governor's son. She knows this is her duty and will do anything to protect her community. But after meeting Wolfe, a boy from the dark-magic coven that shouldn't exist Tana's path so carefully laid out for her begins to seem suffocating. After feeling so free with Wolfe Tana doesn't know if she can go back to the ignorant life she's always lived. She would be risk her coven's safety if she chose Wolfe and but if she chose duty Tana would lose so much more. After a life of living for others will Tana finally choose herself?

I can not get over how amazing the authors writing is, it is just beautiful, enchanting and atmospheric, it conveys emotion and imagery like no other. When combined with a secretive, magical and passionate plot like the one in this book it becomes so amazing!

This plot had me absorbed from the first page and I just loved the way our mc Tana had such a connection to the water and the way the magic was used on the island in teas and perfume. The slow discovery of lies told by the island's council was really well paced.

The one thing that I wasn't the biggest fan of was the romance. For someone who doesn't read a lot of romance I actually loved this romance! And Wolfe was just such a great character! I loved how they had to put aside their differing opinions and work together. But it seemed a little fast, not quite insta-love but still a little fast. Tana was a good character but sometimes I was frustrated with her and didn't really feel their romance. Like I could see them together and loved it but there was something missing and that could have been partly because of their fast relationship.

Anyway that was only a small criticism because I loved absolutely everything else! Rachel Griffin just has a beautiful way of drawing me in and keeping me entranced with her writing, I cannot wait to check out her backlog!


This book had:
✨ Beautifully written magic
✨ Setting on a lush magical island
✨ Secrets and tension
✨ Choosing between duty and love

Thank you NetGalley and SourceBooks Fire for granting me access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley, SourceBooks Fire, and Rachel Griffin for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

“𝘐'𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. 𝘏𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘢 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯. 𝘓𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦, 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘢𝘪𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘤 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥: 𝘢𝘣𝘴𝘰𝘭𝘶𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺 𝘷𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭.”

This book was magical and whimsical, the writing beautiful and immersive. I love maritime themed books and I think it was my favourite aspect of this book. Tana’s connection to the ocean was so beautiful and it made me feel like I was on an island with her.

The start of this book had a cozy fantasy vibe as well, with Tana working at the perfumery and the workings of the Witchery. It was all very cozy and whimsical in its presentation. Which I loved a lot I thought it was a fresh take on witches and their powers.

Tana is set to marry Landon, a marriage that will cement her covens safety and bring the mainlanders and the witches closer together. But Wolfe and his dark magic sweep in like the evening tide and threaten to drag her away.

I wanted more love triangle, I think I would have cared more about Tana and Landon if there had been more depth to them. It would have made the choices she made more impactful. But I did love Wolfes POV chapters.

The ending was a tad rushed for my liking but it got the job done. And the ending was suddenly spicy? It felt like it was almost thrown in there at the end? I feel like the scene earlier in the book could have been the spicy one and the end not as spicy?

Overall I really enjoyed Bring me your Midnight! This book releases August 1, 2023 and the author has a preorder campaign running as well.

4.35!

"I don't want to lose you" he says.
"I was never yours to lose," I say.

This book was absolutely beautiful. So lush and unique. It has been so long since I read a book this vivid and vibrant, the author aced the writing style because I was so easily captivated by it.

Though this book didn't have a strong plot it definitely had characters that steal the show easily that would not even make you think about the plot. The plot is there but the story focuses alot on the character and their character developments which I really liked.

Wolfe was an amazing MMC I loved how he coped with things and how he dealt with mortana mortana our FMCwas likeable as well, I sometimes yelled at her for making stupid decisions but I really started understanding her near the end alot.

The romance. THE ROMANCE. It was so so so good, the slow burn was ❤️‍🔥 I absolutely devoured it, I wanted more but what we got was very good.

The magic system of this book was unique as well, I really liked the concept of witches and their covens and how both covens had different opinions on magic and how each other coped with humans.

It's really hard for me to read a book with witches and like it ( not because of witches 😭) because not many authors can write good witchy books but this author nailed it.

* Arc provided by the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

"That's the problem with dreams: they are so easy to get lost in and so very difficult to give up."

First and foremost, THAT COVER. It just makes me want to cry, it's so pretty. I'm going to be honest with you all, that was the main reason I even wanted to read this book. I mean sure, there are witches and magic and stuff, but this book could have been titled "The Life of a Rock" and I still would have read it. Stunning cover art aside, the actual contents of the book blew me away.

Bring Me Your Midnight is a fantasy that takes place on an island called the Witchery, a witch coven. The setting was so beautiful, immersive, and whimsical. I loved it. Although Goodreads groups this in with urban fantasy, it felt more 1940s with electricity and old-timey automobiles but no cell phones or anything like that. I liked how we got to see different places too like the mainland and Wolfe's side of the island. The overall worldbuilding I thought was pretty strong, complex, and original enough but not too confusing or overdone. The whole magic system was super interesting and I enjoyed the different elements, layers, and history behind it.

I loved the mc, Tana, and the side characters were well done as well. It was interesting to see how Tana's relationships with all the other characters developed throughout the story. Not only does she have a growing and changing relationship with her love interest, Wolfe (we'll talk about him later), but she also has an ever-changing friendship with her best friend Ivy as well as her parents and even Landon (potential future husband).

The writing was beautiful and I thought that Rachel Griffin did a great job with the pacing and the flow as well. I will definitely be reading more of her books.

The plot was pretty decent overall albeit a little slow at the start. I wasn't really engaged for the first 15-20% but it did pick up after that. My only real issue with the book was that I lost focus a few times throughout and thought it dragged every once and a while. This was partially due to the fact that I thought the problems were too easily wrapped up and there wasn't enough time spent working through them or really any angst. It just wasn't much of a nail-biter but I know that that's what some people like.

The romance was a big part of the plot but it could have possibly been a bit less. I thought that it was well-developed for the most part and both Tana and Wolfe were fleshed out characters which added depth to their relationship. It was nice to see how Tana's relationship with Wolfe led to a lot of self-discovery and personal growth which of course I loved. It was a beautiful and healing relationship for the both of them and I loved seeing how this progressed.

SPOILERS

I feel like I should mention, though, that I wasn't a huge fan of their relationship timeline right after they kissed for the first time. Too soon after that, they were already confessing their love for each other which felt very rushed especially compared to how their relationship began.

I did really like the events after Tana took the memory potion to forget about Wolfe, though. I liked how she made the conscious decision to leave her engagement to Landon and her coven to be with Wolfe and the old coven because she knew that she had loved him and felt like it was the right thing to do. Before she got her memories back, she was trying to learn more about everything that had happened between them and genuinely tried to spark their relationship again.

SPOILERS END

I also really enjoyed the ending and thought that it tied up everything nicely while still showing where the characters could continue to change and grow. It was one of those endings that said, "the story isn't over" which is always good.

Overall, I thought that this was a delightful read and I would definitely recommend. 4 stars.

**Many thanks to NetGalley for granting me this ARC in exchange for my honest review

Rachel Griffin never disappoints. This is a tale of duty and honour and how sometimes we need to hold space for ourselves in our lives, because we only live once and we need to make it count.

I don’t know how I was lucky enough to get an arc for this but thank you so much NetGalley, SourceBooks Fire, and Rachel Griffin !
This was my first book from Rachel Griffen and it was such a beautiful read. Vibes & plot were so well written. I loved how everything came together in this story, and how the relationships grew and developed.

Tana is content on her island home; practising low magic and following the rules set by her ancestors. The most important of these is the rush, when the coven joins together each full moon to release their excess magic into the ocean, an act they've completed since becoming the 'new' coven.

Tana's all too aware of the tenuous history of her coven and those on the mainland, it's why she's agreed to enter into an arranged marriage with Landon, the son of the mainland Governor. Together, their alliance will finally bring security to her coven and ensure their past history with dark magic isn't held over them any longer.

On the night of the rush, Tana is distracted by an impossible sight, and subsequently misses the rush. Terrified with the knowledge that her magic will soon consume her, she's shocked when an unknown witch named Wolfe appears and breaks through all her tightly held beliefs. The old coven still exists, they practise dark magic (properly known as high magic) and he's now the only one who can save her.

As Tana is torn between love and duty, will she be able to save the island she holds dear or will the ocean reclaim them all?

Thank you to Author @timesnewrachel @netgalley & @sourcebooksfire for providing this ARC. I was instantly hooked with this magical world and wish I could insert myself into it!! The way the Author laid out the history of the island, the new vs old coven and the propaganda like changes made was impressive. It made Tana's beliefs, motivations and actions so much more believable throughout the story and added extra layers to an already intriguing history.

Wolfe was such a complex character, with the weight of his coven resting firmly on his shoulders as he broke the rules to save Tana. The feelings that developed between them became a key aspect of the story and I enjoyed watching it all play out.

I am REALLY hoping that this is the first book in a series as it was an easy 5 star read for me ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book absolutely wrecked me. I have not read something that evoked such strong feelings in a very long time. It was so good, so beautifully done that I found myself in tears more than once. This was brilliantly written and orchestrated to evoke feelings of longing for a perfect world, to belong, and to be loved.

The importance of family and responsibility to a greater good is emphasized in a way that's heartbreaking, and the power of deception is greater than anyone could know. Through a chance encounter with Wolfe, Tana discovers that her people, her family, has been keeping secrets and lying to her and everyone else on the island. Friendships and loyalties are tested, tenuous relationships are stressed and familial strength is stretched to its limit.

Tana must decide whether to stay with her coven and continue to live under lies, or to go with Wolfe, who has opened her eyes to so much more than she ever thought she could have? But was their encounter really so random? Is what he's presenting so bad?

The way they meet and practice in secret is very romantic, even though the focus is on the magic for most of the time. Tana is engaged to Landon, which was arranged before she was even born, to link the coven to the mainland and gain their protection. But she doesn't love him...can she truly accept this, even for the good of her people? Is what Wolfe is offering her even an option?

The path taken to answer those questions was devastating and meaningful, and difficult choices were made. Ultimately, Tana must decide who to trust as her entire world is shaken with new information. She and others close to her realize they've made a huge mistake after drastic measures are taken to ensure Tana goes through with the marriage to Landon, and its a race for time to find out if it can be undone.

This is my first read by Rachel Griffin and I would give it 4.5 stars. I thought this book was very well done and it had me on an emotional roller coaster toward the end. The only thing that had me confused was the time period. I thought it was set in an earlier era due to the arranged marriage, but then there was mention of phones, and ambulances and so I got the impression it was more modern. Other than that, the character development and pacing were good. I will definitely be reading more of Rachel Griffin's works.

*Thank you NetGalley, SourceBooks Fire, and Rachel Griffin for the dARC of this work in exchange for my honest review.

Bring Me Your Midnight has quickly become my favorite of work of Rachel Griffin, and one of my top reads of 2023.

The mc, Tana Fairchild, is a young witch with a destiny already set by her family--she is set to marry the governor's son and solidify an alliance between the mainland and her island home to protect her coven--that she is ready and willing to accept, until one night her world and everything she believes becomes clouded with an unknown truth about the history of her people and a love that could shatter their world.

The plot of this novel twists and turns like a forest path in unexpected ways that kept me wanting to know what happens next even as my own expectations were shattered and reformed over and over again. The magic system is basic and "natural," without having to have complex theory, yet unique and interesting. Often YA books centered around family destiny have whiny or wishy-washy MCs that distract from the plot or make it difficult to continue reading but not in this one. In fact, all of the characters are complex, interesting, and I wanted to root for all of them to get exactly what they wanted. I laughed and cried as I was completely swept away by this book.

This witchy fantasy and light on spice romance is a delightful read. I can see this novel appealing to many different readers--fans of witches and fantasy, romance, YA readers and more.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Bring Me Your Midnight.

I enjoyed this book and happy I got a copy. I was excited to get this book by Rachel Griffin as I have heard great things about her other books. I thought it may be a bit slow, but I didn’t find that reading it. I wanted to know more of the story with every page. This book gave me cozy, fall vibes! I would recommend picking this book up, perfect for the upcoming fall season.

ring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin

What a fantastic and spell-binding book! Tana is a witch of the new order, her magic is tame and her coven lives by the rules that keep them safe. Her future is set, including an arranged marriage to solidify the witches protection from the mainland. But one night she meets Wolfe, a witch of high magic whose coven was thought to have disappeared long ago.

This story was completely captivating from the start. I loved the setting - definite similarities to Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young - and the atmosphere was truly magical. Rachel Griffin is an incredibly talented writer, she writes books that make you feel like you can smell the woods and feel the ocean waves.

This romance was beautiful, Wolfe was dreamy and complicated. It was a quick fast paced book, at times very clearly YA, but that was fine with me! Lots of drama, powerful relationships and sweet moments of character growth.

Loved it! Thanks to @sourcebooksfire for my copy on @netgalley! This one is out on August 1st!

Another beautiful YA, coming-of-age, fantasy romance from Rachel Griffin.

Readers can expect the same beautiful writing we know and love from this author, as well as a story that many of us have as teens/young adults.

There is a version of our story in which we do exactly what is expected of us by those we love and trust. The other version is the one in which we do what sets our soul on fire. Do these have to be mutually exclusive?

I adored all the characters. Tana, the main character, is wild, curious, and fiercely loyal. In fact, each character was true to and protective of their beliefs, while none of those beliefs were portrayed as the "bad" or "immoral" way, just a different way, and I feel this message is so powerful.

Tana has a good familial support system and a best friend who sees her soul, and seeing their interactions through both tension and peace felt realistic, with the love jumping off the page. Tana allows herself to be refreshingly vulnerable... even with a boy she just met. The romance is forbidden, unexpected for both characters, and everything a first love should be.

If you're into YA romance, I highly recommend this cozy read!

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an advanced copy!

Tana is set on her future. She has to be as the coven leader's daughter. She will marry the Governors son and help bring in an alliance between her coven and humans on the mainland. But when she meets Wolfe on the beach, he opens her eyes to the secrets of her island home.

I haven't read YA fantasy in a WHILE, and I'm happy this is the one that I chose to read. The atmosphere of this novel is heavy. You are dropped right into this witchy, island world with its magic and traditions. Griffin does an amazing job building this world without having to tell you too much. She lets you experience it with Tana instead. My favorite part was the love story. Tana is not a rebellious girl but Wolfe brings out something in her that she didn't realize she was missing. The main storyline was well thought out and I was happy this was a standalone, giving a good ending to all of the characters. I wouldn't mind, however, entering this world again!

Overall, I enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the gifted copy. My reviews are always honest.

Rachel Griffin's words are like a song I never want to end. A melody that I effortlessly lose myself in, as though I've been carried out to sea, landing on The Witchery's shore.

In Bring Me Your Midnight, Tana navigates duty and longing, mistakes and power. She comes alive when she meets Wolfe and discovers a world made of the very magic she was raised to fear. My heart burst with happiness, anger, heartbreak, love and hope—the first time I have felt a story so deeply since I read Twilight and knew I had to be a writer.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review and to Rachel Griffin for writing one of my new favorite books.

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
I generally enjoyed Rachel Griffin’s prior books, even if I had some issues with their approach at times, they brought a lot to the table I hadn’t seen before. Bring Me Your Midnight, meanwhile, was fine, but didn’t blow me away.
While previous books were grounded in the real world, this book is more in the high fantasy vein. However, Griffin is once again writing about witches, and I enjoyed seeing how the witches’ magic system was developed throughout.
Tana is a pretty solid protagonist. She has a very standard conflict between doing her duty and following her heart. She’s also a very curious person who’s always seeking out answers for herself.
The romance was the weak point for me, because in spite of the romance feeling much stronger, I wasn’t sure I felt Tana and Wolfe (the name is super-cringe!) had much chemistry in their interactions with each other. Wolfe also didn’t feel like he had a ton of substance as a character, beyond his issues with magic, which Griffin has already used, to much better effect in my opinion, in a prior book.
While I didn’t love this book, I also admit I’m not the target audience. If you enjoy younger YA fantasy romance and/or witches, I’d recommend checking it out, to see if it works out better for you.

"I'm selfish, and when I see you practicing my magic, the world makes sense."

"I would set the world on fire just to see your face."

"You are more real to me than the waves on the shore or the blood in my veins."

It's been a while since a young adult novel captivated me so completely and Bring Me Your Midnight did just that. From the moment I picked up this book, I was sucked into the magical world Rachel Griffin created. A world where witches were threatened by mainlanders and only an unprecedented alliance could protect them. The characters were equally intriguing. Tana had the weight of the world on her shoulders and was afraid she wouldn't be able to live up to the expectations that were set forth for her. She never questioned her life until Wolfe came into the picture..

Bring Me Your Midnight is a well-written and intriguing story. This story captivated me and was impossible to put down. I easily devoured it in just a few hours. Bring Me Your Midnight is filled with magic, secrets, romance, and just enough drama to keep you on your toes. I had a wonderful time getting swept up in Tana and Wolfe's story.

This was my first book by Rachel Griffin, and it did not disappoint.

Synopsis: To save the Witchery, Tana is betrothed to marry the son of the Governor of the mainland, Landon. Their marriage would secure an essential alliance between the witches and mainlanders. Tana's coven has catered to the fearful mainlanders for years by releasing most of their magic into the ocean that separates them during full moons; however, Tana misses the ritual one night, which is a huge problem. It is on that fateful night that she meets Wolfe, who is from a coven that practices "dark magic," and he seems to be the only one who can help Tana. Rather than guiding her on how to release her magic, though, he shows her how to harness it. Tana cannot fight the allure of this powerful magic, or Wolfe, but she is also obligated to fulfill her duty to both her family and coven by marrying Landon. How will she decide what to do?

Thoughts: Griffin's writing is atmospheric, lyrical, and nothing short of beautiful. She meticulously creates this fantastical world with great detail, but it is also manageable for readers to grasp. This story had it all: family drama, romance, tension, and darkness. Needless to say, this will not be my last read by her!

Rachel Griffin does it again. The way that Rachel writes is so atmospheric and beautiful that it's not hard to imagine being there right with the characters. I love how this book makes you question just what is bad and what is good when you willingly have forgotten your past. There were forbidden romance vibes that I absolutely loved. Bring Me Your Midnight is perfect for fans of witchy, romantic stories with female protagonists that make their own path.