Member Reviews

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. So here it is!

The more I claim to not really like books about witches, the more I seem to read them? Bring Me Your Midnight (BMYM for ease) really reminded me of The Poison Season by Mara Rutherford, a book that I LOVED! Like Rutherford’s witches, this coven occupies its own island that overlooks the mainland that fears the witches and their magic. For those who have not read The Poison Season, I will not say anything more! While BMYM starts out with these similar alienating vibes, we quickly learn that the witches desperately want the mainlanders to accept them, and the coven leader is willing to create a marriage alliance between her own daughter, Tana, and the governor’s son, Landon. For years, Tana has accepted this role, until one midnight when everything changes.

Full of magic, deceit, prejudice, and dark secrets, this was a pretty good read! I always feel like standalones would benefit from being expanded into a series. Just over 300 pages doesn’t feel enough to form a fully immersive world, and I think this could have been built upon. For a single novel, however, I think author Rachel Griffin did a really good job of laying out the details in a beautiful and lyrical way.

3.75/5 stars.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Ms. Rachel has done it again!

Bring Me Your Midnight is a spellbinding and enchanting novel that beautifully showcases the author's talent for magical storytelling. As a devoted fan of Rachel's writing, I was thrilled to find that this book encompasses all of her best elements. From the very first page, I was transported to a world filled with wonder and intrigue, where magic and romance intertwine in mesmerizing ways.

Set on a remote island, Tana’s coven has appeased those who fear their power for years by releasing most of their magic into the ocean during the full moon. But when Tana misses the midnight ritual—a fatal mistake—there is no one she can turn to for help…until she meets Wolfe Hawthorne. Wolfe claims he is from a coven that practices dark magic, making him one of the only people who can help her. But he refuses to let Tana’s power rush into the sea, and instead teaches her his forbidden magic. A magic that makes her feel powerful. Alive.

One of the highlights of Bring Me Your Midnight is the passionate and tumultuous romance between two witches, raised to hate each other but destined to fall in love. Griffin masterfully weaves a tale of forbidden love, filled with intense emotions and a deep connection that transcends the animosity between their covens. The chemistry between the characters is palpable, and their journey to overcome their upbringing and embrace their feelings is both captivating and heart-wrenching. This romantic subplot adds an extra layer of depth to the story, leaving readers swooning and rooting for the star-crossed lovers.

Rachel Griffin's writing style is nothing short of magical. Her poetic descriptions bring the world to life, painting vivid imagery that immerses readers in a realm brimming with beauty and mystery. The fantastical elements are intricately woven into the narrative, creating a captivating atmosphere that sparks the imagination. The author's ability to infuse her stories with such wonder and enchantment is a testament to her storytelling prowess, and Bring Me Your Midnight is no exception. For fans of Rachel's work, this book is a must-read that delivers on every front, and for those yet to discover her writing, this novel is a perfect introduction to a world filled with magic, passion, and poetic brilliance.

Was this review helpful?

I am simply in love with Rachel Griffin’s writing. It’s that simple. While this book wasn’t my favorite of hers, it had everything that I love from the worlds that she builds. Her stories have such a strong connection to the earth; they are the epitome of cozy cottage-core witch vibes. I loved the change of scenery in this book - her last was very forest-focused, and this is very summer and ocean oriented.

I think what I wanted from this book was a bigger conclusion - while Tana and Wolfe help their island make some progress, I wanted something more satisfying. I can appreciate that the ending was a more practical step forward, I was hoping Tana would completely shake up the entire island’s belief system.

Overall though this was a great book to sit down with on a warm summer evening.

Was this review helpful?

Tana lives on a beautiful island with her friends, family, and witch coven. Her fate has been decided for her since before she was born. In order to keep the island of witches safe, Tana must marry Landon, who is the governor's son. Contrarily, Tana finds herself stunned by the shooting star that is her newfound love, Wolfe who came into her galaxy. Magical, mystical and entrancing love she has for Wolfe is where her heart lies, even though she is planning to marry Landon.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for this e-arc.*

Was this review helpful?

𝗤𝘂𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀
• enemies to lovers
• forbidden love
• duty vs. love
• witchy spoopy season time

I’m obsessed with the witch world Rachel Griffin has created with her previous books, and this one is no different. Bound by her duty to bring peace and safety between low tide witches and “normal” people, Mortana “Tana” Fairchild is sent to marry the mainland governor’s son, until she literally runs into Wolfe Hawthorne, a practitioner of forbidden high tide magic.

It’s painful to watch Tana try to keep all aspects of her life happy and harmonious at the expense of her own, and at the same time wish the witches didn’t have to sacrifice their way of life due to fear of death at the hand of a group of people who don’t understand them.

Perfect to get into the fall spooky season, this story weaves its own witchy lore with a comfortable dose of romance.

Was this review helpful?

This was really good, i love her books and I definitely recommend this one. Such whimsical vibes. I will be picking up all future books

Was this review helpful?

I can’t explain to you how excited I was to receive this ARC, I’m SUCH a Rachel Griffin fan and nothing makes me happier than being tangled in one of her stories. Bring me your midnight was full of the lush world building I love so much from Rachel. I fell in love with our FMC from page one, her free spirit could be felt on every page. I loved her connection to the ocean and her selflessness, Tana truly is one of my favorite characters I’ve ever read. And then there’s WOLFE my sweet brooding angel. They really were two sides of a coin and their romance truly swept me away. I loved this book so much oh my goodness. If you’re a fan of Rachel’s writing I think you’re going to love this one…and even if you just have small coastal town daydreams like I do, this one is COZY goodness. So excited to get my personalized copy in the mail!

Was this review helpful?

I love a good title about forbidden love (a pull between duty and desire), and this one doesn't disappoint! I read it within a single sitting, and I'd do it again right away!

Was this review helpful?

I had seen a lot of great reviews for this book, so I was quite excited when I hopped into reading it. However, I just don’t think the book clicked with me as much as it did for others. I felt like the book was way too slow paced but then super fast paced at times, and I began wishing that it would flow at a more continuous momentum than it did. All of this being said, I did think the plot was unique and I have a feeling that a lot of kids in our library could really like this book.

Was this review helpful?

Bring Me Your Magic is about family expectations, friendship, love for your home, and best of all Magic!

Tana lives on an island with a coven of witches that practice low magic, and the wheels have been set in motion since she was a child for her to marry a Mainlander. Hoping the union would help cement laws to protect her home and the witches that live there. Tana is okay with this plan, at least until she meets Wolfe, and while their first interaction is a bit antagonistic their chemistry is undeniable. He tells her the truth and has her questioning everything she thought she knew.

I loved Tana's relationship with Wolfe, even when she doesn't want to she is drawn to him. He tells her the truth and not only loves her for who she is but teaches her to love herself. The writing and the setting are beautiful, and the plot and the romance sucked me in from the first page.

Was this review helpful?

Bring Me Your Midnight was a beautiful story about many kinds of relationships. The book focuses on Tana's relationship with her mother, her best friend, her community, the boy she loves, herself, and her magic. As always, Rachel Griffin's writing pulls you in and evokes your senses. Although not as lyrical as her other stories, the writing is still beautiful and I was more invested and hooked by the plot in this book.

The setting was wonderful and cozy, and the magic system was very simple and easy to follow. I loved all the characters, and wished we had more backstory on each of Tana's parents (although the book does get into some of her mother's story). I also loved the fact that Landon, Tana's betrothed, was such a good guy. I enjoyed seeing their relationship begin to develop, and would have liked even more! The relationship between Tana and Wolfe was intense and I loved every second of it. Even though it happened pretty fast, it was done well.

I loved this book and would recommend it to fans of Rachel Griffin, witchy and atmospheric reads, kind-of love triangles, main characters finding themselves, complicated relationships, "I shouldn't love you," and beautiful broody male characters.

Thank you to Sourcebooks, NetGalley, and Rachel Griffin for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own and are given freely. This beautiful book is available on August 1st, 2023!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to the publishers for sending me a copy of Bring Me Your Midnights. While I love all things Rachel Griffin, I was slightly disappointed in the execution of this novel. The descriptions were beautiful as Rachel is an expert storyteller, but Bring Me Your Midnights as a whole felt slightly rushed and unfinished

Was this review helpful?

Flew through this book, especially in the second half. Loved the island setting, and the non-complex magical system. It wasn’t overly complicated or difficult to understand. The romance happened very quickly, but I really loved their chemistry and would like to see more! I agree with others about how nice some POV from Wolfe would have been! Nice, whimsical YA magical read!

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley for sending me an eARC copy of this book!

4/5 Stars

This was exactly what I was needing when I picked this up, something light, a quick page-turner, and something which would kept me interested. This is a perfect standalone fantasy, which I enjoyed very much. The seaside island town with a touch of magic, is perfect for those looking for a quick low fantasy read. I couldn't stop reading this, and found myself finishing this book within one sitting.

I highly recommend picking up this book, and am definitely looking to get a physical copy for myself.

Was this review helpful?

I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book! I was sucked in and sped through the last 2/3 of it like it was air and I had been underwater for hours. The characters felt alive, and while the romance was instant and not usually my style, the plot’s consistency and intrigue kept me close.


Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for a digital copy of this delightful story. Opinions are my own!

Was this review helpful?

After a slow start in the first half (where was this going? and how did we bounce from L to W that quickly?) the second half of this book took off. I meant to read about 100 pages in the morning and then never stopped. I like witch books. I love a magical island. I need more forbidden love in my life. This checked so many boxes for what I needed in a romance and in a story that I just gobbled it up. Was it perfect? no. Was it a great read? totally.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to sourcebooks, NetGalley, and Rachel Griffin for an ARC of this book. All opinions that follow are my own.

Wow! This book is beautiful and catches you right from the beginning. The descriptions of the world are building. Rachel Griffin also has such a way of making you feel every emotion - you feel the happiness, sadness, and confusion right alongside the characters as they navigate growing up.

Exploring the ideas of duty vs doing what’s right for you. Would you be willing to put everything you’ve known at risk? Would you potentially turn your back on everything you’ve ever known?

I loved the world that was created, it felt both fanciful and believable. The world felt like it could really exist alongside our own as Griffin merged the magical and the modern in a way that felt natural and not forced.

This book was such a beautiful exploration of growing up, relationships between: a daughter and her parents, an individual and her community, a woman and the man she loves, and a girl and her best friend. Never did this feel forced or unnatural.

Highly recommend this book!

Was this review helpful?

thank you to netgalley for the arc! this was such a fun read, so i enjoyed reading it all!

rachel griffin writes about tana fairchild who is the daughter of the coven's leader on an island where they have a tense relationship with the mainland who seem to be afraid of the witches. tana's role as the heir is to marry the son of the mayor over at the mainland, landon. the story starts with tana missing a ritual that can be fatal for her. but she meets wolfe, a mysterious boy who helps her in more ways than one.

overall, i really enjoyed the plot and the witchcraft of it all. it wasn't a complicated magic system which i appreciate so much in a fantasy novel. this is a young adult novel, and while some of it was obvious, it was still enjoyable.

the novel is written in first person, so it's somewhat difficult to understand what the other characters were thinking since we only saw them through tana's eyes, but even then, i loved seeing her different relationships with her parents, her best friend, and wolfe. the one thing i would have liked to have more of is seeing landon and having more interactions with him. because honestly? zero part of me ever wanted to root for him.

the romance was really cute between tana and wolfe. i still feel like i would have liked to see wolfe's perspective because there were times tana would see that wolfe was getting emotional, but all we read was the dialogue between the two of them. and oftentimes, wolfe would say different things than what he was feeling, so i think at least a few chapters from his perspective would have been so fun to read! especially about life in the hidden coven.

this book was one of my favorites i've read this year because it was whimsical and fantastical, and there were so many parts of the story that made my heart ache. so if you're looking for a cute and quick read with splendid worldbuilding, i can't recommend this one enough.

Was this review helpful?

This book had me screaming, crying, and throwing up from beginning to end. Once I started, I did not want to put it down but also simultaneously did not want the story to end! I loved every page of this book even if I was suffering! This book wrecked me and I will be sending Rachel my therapy bills! Easiest 5 star award for books I read in July.

Bring Me Your Midnight follows Mortana, or Tana, as she aims to fulfill a duty to her coven to form an alliance with the mainland by marrying the governor's son, Landon. Tana believes she owes it to her family and to her coven to be selfless and form a bridge between the mainlanders and the witches on the island.

However, Tana begins to discover things about herself and her world that she did not know were possible and begins to question whether her life is being chosen for her, or if she has the power to rewrite her destiny. Tana is faced with a choice on her covenant ball of bonding herself with her coven forever or denouncing the coven entirely. You'll have to read the story to learn which role she chooses.

This is a story about family, friendships, love, and duty packed with important lessons about growth and self-discovery. This is the first book of Rachel Griffin's that I have read, but I have already added more of her books to my list! If Rachel Griffin writes a book, I will buy it and I will read it.

Was this review helpful?

“I would set the world on fire just to see your face. That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Then we can burn together.”
- Rachel Griffin, Bring Me Your Midnight

ARC review 📝 Romantic. Atmospheric. This island, Witchery, will easily and unapologetically invade all your senses and get under your skin. There’s no escaping it. There’s no escaping magic. Even if magic itself seems to be at war with the very same nature that fuels it.

Tana and Wolfe are our hosts and their midnight rendezvous will make you swoon… or worse, hope. How can one not fall for them?! How can one resist rooting for more?!

I have a thing for witchy reads. I also have a thing for atmospheric islands that feel like characters on their own. And Rachel Griffin has this power, to pick you up and take you for a truly aesthetic ride through these incredibly beautiful worlds she creates.

What’s inside:
🖤witchy fantasy romance
🖤h*te to love
🖤secretive island
🖤midnight encounters
🖤I would set the world on fire for you

NA. 4 stars ⭐️ Thank you so much @ @sourcebooksfire and @timesnewrachel for this eARC. This beauty will be out in the wild on August 1st 🥹 and yes, you want it 👏🏼

Was this review helpful?