"Midnight is the Darkest Hour" is a dark, twisty, bizarre thriller set on exposing the malicious underbelly of fundamentalist religion. The story is set in a small town in Louisiana, led by fire and brimstone preacher James Cournier. Everyone in the town fears and revers him, and head his caution against witchcraft. They are shaken by the finding of a crushed skull in a river and occult symbols carved into the nearby trees. James' daughter, Ruth, becomes connected to the case as well as her childhood friend Everett. The two go on a wild goose chase peeling back layers of secrets that threaten the Christian and pious image of their peers.

This book is exceptionally written and it all made sense to me when I read the author has a PhD in English. The plot itself isn't as bizarre and shocking as "The Last Housewife." The reveals are incremental and arrive with sufficient warning for me to not categorize this as a pure thriller. Key to the plot is the way that church communities, and especially their leaders', exert control. The lack of nuance and slightly caricatural depiction of religion in the South will be a turn off to some, but I saw it as the necessary backdrop to understand Ruth's character. She vacillates between Good Christian Girl and Pure Heathen, because she does not have the language to imagine a world that is not binary. She frequently refers back to the Twilight books, as they are her only gateway to a world where women transform and have power. I thought this was a brilliant move by the author as those books really tapped into a generation of young girls' desires. The ending is going to be very divisive: without spoiling it, not all of the readers' questions will be answered. It was a bit of a disappointment for me, but overall I found this to be a great read even if it didn't tap into the occult element the way I anticipated.

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark Publishing for sharing with me the ARC of Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead. I have loved Winstead's work in the past and this one was no exception. I think Midnight is the Darkest Hour will be one that strikes a cord in many and might even be polarizing in its reviews. Winstead brings forth a lot of discussion material with this one. I cannot say that it was a solid 5 stars for me, mostly because of its resolution, but the book kept me invested and thinking hours after the last page.

With a rollicking quick pace, an atmospheric setting, and a strong plot with lots of twists and turns, secrets and lies, this book sucked me in from the start and refused to let go. Not only was the story entertaining and fun to read, it also made me think about things like the push and pull of good versus evil in all of us and the true definition of justice, morality, and what is right. It also exposed the often deeply ingrained narratives women are told, or tell themselves, about how they should think, feel, and behave (and not just women, but anyone raised in or involved in a controlling, abusive environment). This would be an excellent book club read, likely to spark a lively discussion!

Thanks to #partner @netgalley and @bookmarked for the digital ARC of Ashley Winstead's Midnight Is the Darkest Hour. The book will be published on October 3!

For years, since her friendship with Everett began, Ruth has waited for their sin to catch up with her. Drawn together by their crime, Ruth—confined by her father’s role as her small Louisiana town’s judge and confessor—and Everett—an outcast whose fate was cemented by his father’s evil—find refuge, affection, and understanding in each other, which brings them comfort as they ride out the end of their teenage years together.

And then a skull is found in the swamp. Suddenly, the peril of discovery that has been looming over her life arrives at her doorstep. Everett now only visits Bottom Springs in the summer, so Ruth has sought refuge and her parents’ approval by stepping tentatively into their vision for her: no college; marriage to a hometown boy; a family; and a fundamentalist Christian lifestyle. But when Everett returns, Ruth feels pulled again to a different way of living.

As the investigation speeds up, Winstead reveals the truths of Ruth’s past and present in alternating passages, revealing some secrets she’s kept and some that have been kept from her.

Midnight Is the Darkest Hour was my first book by Winstead, and wow, was it compelling. I didn’t want to stop reading! The non-chronological structure of the novel creates twists and turns, solving one mystery only to uncover another. The role of books and reading in Ruth and Everett’s characters, and in their relationship, made my heart happy. Most of all, I loved watching Ruth work through her vision of who she wanted to be in the face of her parents’—and the town’s—oppressive expectations. What a satisfying read!

Winstead’s tale set in the small, god-fearing town of Bottom Springs, Louisiana is darkly gothic. Over the town lords Pastor James Cornier, a born-again fundamentalist Christian of Holy Fire Born Again Church. The Church has grown bigger and richer over time and now the pastpor’s all encompassing power holds everyone in its thrall, even the Sheriff and his deputies.

Ruth Cornier, the pastor’s daughter only survives by living a life in the shadows, toeing the line as the quiet, godly daughter, but leads an inner life through her love of books and reading. As a young teenager, she found and stole a copy of ‘Twilight’ banned from the Library, she became obsessed with Edward and dreamt of meeting a man just like him who would take her away from Bottom Springs. After finishing school, her father barred her from leaving home to attend college, stating ‘these places are Sodom incarnate’ and that the Bible teaches her everything she needs to know about self control, making a home for a husband and children and submitting to God’s will. Trapped in the town, she retreats to the only place she feels safe, becoming a librarian, but now in her twenties is now feeling the pressure of expectation to marry and bear children.

Ruth is not the only misfit in town lying low. Everett Duncan, the boy they call the Devil’s son, is the son of the outcast town drunk who is suspected of dabbling in witchcraft. Beaten by his father and reviled by all, Everett has survived only by hunting small creatures in the swamps he has come to feel at home in. Despite the town’s overt godliness, tales abound of a creature trapped in the deepest darkest swamps called the Low Man. Said to wake every few years, he searches for those with the most wickedness hidden inside and in a vampiric frenzy devours their souls.

Everett and Ruth became friends the night he rescued her in the swamp, when she was seventeen and in danger. The dark deed they committed that night has remained a secret between them, but one they are afraid will one day be revealed. Their shared love of books and poetry is what binds them and keeps their friendship growing, even after Everett leaves town, returning only in the summers to visit Ruth. Everett has always moved below the town radar, learning the many secrets and deeds of its inhabitants. Ruth also observed the strange behaviour of her father and his friends during her childhood without realising what it was they were doing. Between them Ruth and Everett they have the means to expose the hypocrisy and evil that has enveloped the town.

This deliciously dark tale is one of power and corruption, secret cults and ancient myths. It has atmosphere in spades, with the dark creepy swamp, ancient legends and hints of a witchcraft like cult. The novel is a slow burning tinder box of fear and tension waiting to explode and explode it does in a detonation that will be felt by all. It’s also a tender but heart-rending love story with an ending that will take your breath away.

4.5 stars

Holy moly!! Ashley Winstead does it again 👏

Her writing is phenomenal. I couldn't put this book down. I loved the FMC and MMC, Ruthie & Everett.

The religious aspect and small town worked so well. And let me tell you that ending 🤯

Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Canada & Sourcebooks Landmark for advance copies in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the atmosphere of the book, but the characters were incredibly frustrating and flat, despite the drama. The conceit of the book kept it moving, but it all felt a little unbelievable. I also thought the ambiguous ending was a bit of a cop out.

Captivating Southern Gothic thriller that will leave you on the edge of the seat from start to finish - you're not ready for this one folks!

WOW, this was a creepy journey and I loved every moment. Winstead does a fantastic job transporting the reader to this small town in Louisiana and into the path of these troubled, conflicted people. The writing is so atmospheric and detailed. The character development is authentic. My favorite surprise were all the "Twilight" references :)

If you liked Verity, Flicker in the Dark, or any of other books by Winstead, GET YOUR HANDS ON THIS ONE!

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for this Advanced Readers Copy of Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead!

This book was not a good fit for me.

I thought the premise of this sounded amazing, but the pace was very slow, and I didn't really care about any of the characters. Ruth's reasoning for staying trapped in that miserable town, under her father's churchy thumb, didn't make a whole lot of sense, and the open-ended ending was infuriating, especially after the amount of time it took me to slog my way through.

Loads of other early reviewers LOVED this (as well as her two previous thrillers), so I'm coming to the realization that Winstead is maybe not the author for me when she's writing thrillers -- I did, however, really enjoy her first romcom, Fool Me Once!

Ugh, this one pains me to write 😣

I adored Ashley’s first two books and 1000% assumed Midnight would be exactly the same…

Sadly, something got lost in translation between me and this book 😞

I just didn’t get it. However, many early reviews are raving about it and I’m so glad it’s speaking to y’all 🤍

My hang-ups:

• Nothing really happened until ~70% in.

• Billed as a thriller, but mostly felt like a coming-of-age story about two friends (with some mystery, occult, and shady small-town dealings thrown in).

• I had trouble connecting with Ruth, who never seemed particularly sure of herself, her feelings, or what she wanted for most of the book 🤷🏼‍♀️

I unfortunately did not enjoy this story. This felt like Bible camp meets Forks, Washington and the way Twilight wasn’t just mentioned but part of the plot really turned me off.

There were actual quotes from Twilight in this book and the FMC romanticized it to the point that she didn’t think her love interest was human.

The anti-female rhetoric was a bit much, the plot didn’t make any discernible sense, the characters were caricatures of Edward and Bella, and I felt that this was a drag and hard to read.

There were some redeemable twists, but I also did not enjoy the ending.

Thank you NetGalley, Sourcebooks, and Ashley Winstead for proving me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thanks to Net Galley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy of Midnight Is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead. This book will be published on October 3, 2023.

This book is a deeply atmospheric Southern Gothic thriller that totally captivated me. It has ties to religion, the occult, and the Twilight book.

Ashley Winstead is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors for twisty thrillers! The ending was magnificent!

I greatly disliked the relationship between the main character and Everett. When it wasn’t boring me, it was irritating me. It didn’t help that Barry was in the middle “complicating” things.
Beyond that, I didn’t like jumping backward and forward through time. Just as I was getting into one timeline, it’d switch to the other.
I read the whole thing(the ending is so over the top melodramatic) but this book had lost my interest by the 30% mark.

Ashley is definitely known for handling hard topics and usually packs her books full of trigger warnings, and this one is no different.

She hasn't been the author for me, but I still keep reading her books. I think this is my favorite of hers. The small town and cult vibes were done well and I really did enjoy this one.

The only reason it didn't get 5 stars is because the ending dropped off a little bit and became slow. She's an amazing writer and is talented as hell.

This one wasn’t for me, I think. I couldn’t really connect to the story and writing. But that’s may, we will still purchase for the collection as I know we have patrons that will really enjoy this novel.

Ashley Winstead does well with multiple genres, creating stories that pull you in and and don't let go. Midnight is the Darkest Hour wasn't my favorite of her books, but it kept my interest throughout and I really enjoyed the setting.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead, set in fictional small town, Bottom Springs, Louisiana, is a creepy tale of religious fervor, dark secrets, town lore, and family dysfunction. While a slow beginning, the last quarter of the book picks up speed and ends with a bang.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I read In My Dreams I Hold a Knife like 18 months ago. Since then, I’ve been enthralled with Ashley Winstead’s work. I read an arc of The Last Housewife and was thrilled to get access to this arc to see if it also would fit in with the others in my wee bookstore. One of my most favourite things about Winstead is that she uses the thriller/suspense/mystery genre to examine real things in a really honest, truthful way.

This book is doing A LOT of things, but in my opinion, accomplishing them masterfully. The examination in this book of religious fundamentalism, of hypocrisy, of power, of the belief in the ends justifying the means, of the ways that bad men get away with things, of the inclination to take things into your own hands - it’s all extremely incisive and poignant. I personally don’t agree with the comps here, mostly because I HATED Where the Crawdads Sing (I think Owens is 1000% less thoughtful about her writing); I will never read a Colleen Hoover book but I’ve heard about Verity and strong disagree; and while I think Flicker in the Dark is the closest of the three, I didn’t find it necessarily as intentional or perceptive as Midnight is the Darkest Hour. I really enjoyed it and I can’t wait to see more from Winstead.