Southern gothic setting with small town secrets, forbidden love, sprinkle in a few bodies, and that is Midnight Is the Darkest Hour in a nutshell.

The story is phenomenal but the pacing could have been a bit better. Regardless, a great read!

I’ve been on the fence with how I should rate this one because I both loved it and hated it. Some things that I loved is how authentic it felt in terms of the deep-rooted religious beliefs in the south and how far people are willing to go to protect their beliefs. I also think the author did a great job when it came to making her characters fit into the story she was telling. However, I wasn’t a huge fan of what was hidden BEHIND these religious beliefs. I don’t want to say because it’ll spoil the book, but I personally don’t feel like it really fits into the story. I think the author could have stuck with one twist instead of making it so much bigger. Sometimes twists on twists are just too much for one book. In the end though, this one has been sticking with me so I can’t give it anything less than it deserves which is 4 stars.

If you enjoy bleak southern novels that dabble in religion/hysteria, the occult, and some pretty sadistic characters who hide behind what they preach then this is a must read. It’s a slow burn and there were moments where I just wanted it to be over, but I did enjoy the story overall.

𝗣𝗘𝗥𝗙𝗘𝗖𝗧 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗔𝗡𝗦 𝗢𝗙
❥ Sothern Thrillers
❥ Slow Burn Thrillers
❥ Character driven stories

𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Given how much I enjoy sturm und drang and good old melodrama, I am always surprised that I don’t like gothic novels more, and that Southern gothic novels, specifically, often irritate me. Gothics can feel so self-conscious and self-referential, and adding the Southern atmosphere amps up those qualities. It’s all just too much for me, usually from the start. (It doesn’t help that the typical gothic heroine is relentlessly insipid.)

This novel layers the Southern gothic atmosphere on from the first scene: our protagonist, Ruth, is part of a group of townspeople gathered to hear the sheriff declare the discovery of a human skull that shows signs of violence. There are murmurings about the Low Man (a local mythical boogeyman) and dark happenings, and attention turns to Ruth’s father, the town preacher, who seems to hold more power over the residents of Bottom Springs than any of the other men of standing in the community. He manages to whip everyone up with a rousing speech about demons walking amongst them and Christ’s deliverance.

The story is told in alternating timelines: the present, when Ruth is about 23 and the past, starting when Ruth is 17. I usually enjoy alternating timelines, but this one got confusing for me – Ruth has Dark Secrets that she keeps from her best friend Everett and I found it hard to keep track of just what secrets Ruth was keeping and when she started keeping them.

Teenaged Ruth is extremely shy and quiet, the only child of ultra-strict parents who are central casting archetypes: Preacher and Preacher’s Wife. She has a rebellious streak (well, duh) but it’s pretty well hidden. When she begins to receive attention from an older itinerant worker, Renard, Ruth’s romantic dreams (fueled by her reading of forbidden books, such as Twilight) take flight. But a secret meeting with Renard (in the swamp, the most romantic of rendezvous locations) ends very badly. Which leads to present-day Ruth thinking she knows who that skull might belong to.

The bad date with Renard also leads Ruth to a fast and intense friendship with Everett, who she previously knew simply as the town weirdo. Everett is the son of an alcoholic father; they are poor and Ever is what passes for a goth outcast in Bottom Springs. Ever teaches Ruth about the natural world around her and the wonders of the swamp (!) and on one memorable occasion sucks snake venom out of her inner thigh, which both turns Ruth on and maybe saves her life? I don’t know. Ruth’s terrible parents are disapproving of the relationship but don’t forbid it outright (not believably, given the control they have over Ruth).

From there the book gets kind of crazy with drug-dealing motorcycle gangs, secret occult groups and some vigilante shit that made me uncomfortable. Both Ruth and Ever have secrets, and also neither seem to realize or at least acknowledge the sexual tension between them for YEARS, for reasons that were unclear.

Ruth gets a condescending boyfriend in the form of a sheriff’s deputy. She continues to kowtow to her parents and doesn’t just skip Bottom Springs like she wants to at 18. This made no sense to me and honestly kind of infuriated me, though it was finally explained as being related to her Dark Secret.

As mentioned, the Southern atmosphere is ladled on heavily, with references to colorful local characters: “…Hardy Tullis-you know, that crazy fella that tries to wrestle gators?” and “Old Man Jonas” and a lower-class cadre of actual fishwives, whose husbands are employed by the major business in the area. None of it feels realistic. Nor do the main characters – while the protagonists of the author’s previous books In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and The Last Housewife where flawed but sympathetic, Ruth and Ever feel too much like a collection of cliches to ever come alive. To the degree that Ruth felt real to me, I found myself irritated with her for her unwillingness to just cut her parents off, already. When she finally does, it’s a overcorrection that leads to tragedy.

Speaking of which, the denouement features an actual lynch mob, Ruth doing very stupid things that somehow work out as planned, and an ending I really wasn’t thrilled with.

BIG SPOILER

Spoiler: Show

I rarely give actual bad grades to suspense books, mostly because they tend to hold my attention and I value that highly when grading. Maybe I’ve just read enough of them now that that doesn’t count for as much, or maybe I was just too annoyed with the aspects of Midnight is the Darkest Hour that annoyed me. I’m giving it a D.

I had such high expectations after loving In My Dreams I Hold a Knife and The Housewives, and I just do not understand this is the direction the author went. I did not enjoy it. The main characters were frustrating and the deeply religious town was not at all interesting. It was a slow burn, and I almost DNF'd it.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of "Midnight is the Darkest Hour" by Ashley Winstead. I went into this book with high expectations but it was a miss for me. I am not sure if it was the vampire or not thread or just didn't snag my attention. I enjoy Winstead's writing and I am sure this will be popular, maybe I will give it a re-read in the future. Maybe not.

Sooo dark and creepy, a perfect Halloween read. Ruth was a fascinating character and I liked the romance element of her story. The way Ashley Winstead is able to write multiple genres and absolutely slay is inspiring. Loved it and will definitely pick up her next book.

2.5 stars
The premise of this book sounded so interesting: southern gothic small town setting, a librarian who gets involved with local bad boy, a mystery to solve together, and said mystery may or may not be tied to the supernatural. Unfortunately the plot just fell a little flat for me.

The book is narrated by Ruth Cornier, preachers daughter, obsessed with Twilight and all around good girl. She and local bad boy Everett (Ever) Duncan have known each other since childhood but don't really connect until a shared traumatic encounter in the woods as teens. The two stay friends as Everett comes and goes from their small town. However, the two are really pulled together again when a string of bodies begin showing up. Ruth and Everett both have secrets they'd prefer to remain hidden and work together to solve the murders. However, the murders seem to be the work of the Low Man a mythical, devil like creature and the fear of the unknown begins to permeate the town. But the truth of the murders may be more sinister than myth.

I enjoyed Ruth's narration to a point, but the amount of exposition and her "realizations" got tedious fast. I feel like we really got to know Ruth but at the same time some of internal monologues could have been cut. I also thought some of the side characters could have been more developed if we spent less time inside Ruth's head.

Similarly the reveal(s) of her secrets (and Ever's as well) felt like they took awhile to come and because there was so much exposition I'd pretty much figured them out so there was no real surprise.

While Ruth's and Everett's secrets were not surprising but the revelations about the murders and elders of the town was surprising and well earned.

I did like the ending especially with the fake out ending. No spoilers of course but it was definitely a surprise.

Overall I would recommend this book to existing fans of this author or those who like a soap-y mystery.

I was provided a free copy of this book through NetGalley.

I'm an Ashley Winstead fan, but this books was really just doing too much! The culty vibes, the unhinged townspeople, the TWILIGHT references!!! Also this is her second book featuring a library worker in 2023..and she hasn't quite gotten it right yet.

Where to start? This book was SO GOOD. I love the way it toys with morality and the limits of love. It had a huge focus on small towns, religion, power dynamics, patriarchy, and finding yourself (or fighting against yourself) in all of that. This is one I’ll absolutely be recommending to everyone, especially fans of Crawdads, and will now be buying myself a physical copy to have on the shelf too.

Someone described this as Twilight FanFic. Yeah, I have no clue. While there were a lot of Twilight references (like our MC absolutely thought she was Bella and her love interest was Edward), I didn't get past the sample when trying to read Twilight. All this is to say that I have no clue whether this is FanFic or just...heavily referenced?

It is, however, a good Southern Gothic full of mystery, intrigue, and some very dark characters. Even those you like are a hair trigger away of doing something perfectly awful.

There were times when it slowed down just a bit for me, but I was intrigued by our mystery and worried for our main character.

It was a good read.

Unfortunately this book didn’t work for me and was a DNF but I am sure other readers will feel differently! Thank you for the ARC!

I've enjoyed every Ashley Winstead book I've read so far and have already ordered this one for the store I work at. Her writing is so fast-paced and gripping and it definitely has helped turn me into a thriller girly. I'm excited to dive into her romance books next to see if I enjoy them just as much.

I was hooked from the beginning! This book is the second book I have read by Ashley Winstead, the first being The Last Housewife, and this one is my favorite by far! I really liked the characters, Ruth and Everett, and how their relationship/friendship helped bring this book together. I also liked the setting that reminds me of the books, Where the Crawdads Sing and Twilight, with the vampire feeling, but had the dark cult twisty totally out there story plot that kept me wanting to figure out what was gonna happen next.

I was a little disappointed with the ending, even though it was a shocker that I never expected, because I didn't get the clarification that I wanted and left me with a - what happened? feeling. I assume the ending ended the way it did to let the reader make their own judgement, with how they felt and connected with the characters, to make it a succeed or not succeeded ending.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and would definitely recommend. Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

A culty Southern gothic thriller set in southern Lousiana? Sign me up. Everett and Ruth have been friends since childhood, but both of them have been outsiders. When mysterious cult-like Satanic symbols appear in the swamp, and skulls are found, suspicions and threats begin to swirl around the town.

I loved the cult vibe. The twilight relationship was a little far fetched for me, but overall I enjoyed the book!

I think this book probably deserves at least another star, but for me personally it was a 3 star read, because it's not the type of thriller/horror I prefer.

What this book has going for it - it's fast paced, has a layered mystery, two main characters who are intensely, emotionally attached to each other, and an extremely hilarious Twilight scene.

Why this wasn't for me - it was a bit tough for me to read about this misogynistic fundamentalist Southern town, how the main characters had been treated in it, and how trapped and hopeless the FMC often felt. I also prefer a bit more of a supernatural element in my thrillers.

Pretty good! Loved the stance Ashley was showing and the authors note. This was a bit slow in the middle and it took me a while to pick it back up. Thats the reason for the star being lower. Was overall good read and Ashely will always be a fave of mine.

It took me a while to get through this book. It didn’t hook me like I was hoping. There was so much potential but unfortunately it felt slow and once I finished I felt like nothing really happened. The thigh light references were repetitive and just became too much.

"Midnight Is the Darkest Hour" by Ashley Winstead is a gothic Southern thriller that takes place in a small Louisiana town haunted by a killer. The story revolves around Ruth Cornier, a librarian who has always felt like an outsider in her hometown of Bottom Springs. Ruth's father is a preacher at the Holy Fire Baptist church, and the town is rife with myths and legends, including the tale of the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to kill sinners on moonless nights.

When a skull is discovered in the swamp with mysterious carved symbols, the town is thrown into turmoil, and Ruth realizes that only she and Everett, an old friend with a dark past, have the ability to uncover the truth. As they dig deeper into the town's secrets, they uncover dark and hidden aspects of the town's history.

The novel is a thrilling examination of love, religion, and the power of stories. It delves into the blurred lines between good and evil, and it's a haunting tale that explores the complexity of relationships, loyalty, and the quest for identity.

With its eerie atmosphere and beautifully crafted prose, "Midnight Is the Darkest Hour" promises a captivating and chilling reading experience, making it a must-read for fans of gothic Southern thrillers.

Ashley Winstead is truly one of the most talented people out there — not only does she write both thrillers and romcoms, but her thrillers are all SO different. Her ability to do so much within the thriller genre blows my mind. Her writing is phenomenal and makes anything she writes a home run.

💫 MIDNIGHT IS THE DARKEST HOUR is a brilliant southern gothic thriller about a killer hunting a small town in Louisiana. I always appreciate how Ashley includes content warnings at the beginning of her books because she is known for writing difficult topics. Ruth and Everett are such complex characters and their trauma made me as a reader empathize with them — even though I couldn’t necessarily relate to their experiences.

I don’t remember the last time a book ending left me as shocked as this one. My jaw dropped and I had to tell my husband all about it 😂

It is difficult being a reader who loves horror/thrillers and romance, but this managed to do both in such a compelling way. The atmosphere was gorgeous, and I couldn't get the story out of my mind. I read the entire book in one day. And that ending! I loved it. I want more!