Rating 4.5
I have come to terms with the fact that im an immersion reader, and I prefer this style of reading for comprehension reasons, but honestly, I enjoy stories better this way. So I waited for this audiobook, and I liked this Winstead story better than her last. Yes, to the suspenseful plot and the small-town murders. I deducted half a star because Ruth annoyed me, and I wanted more page time with Everett. Also, the story felt YAish at times, and IDK if it was because of the mention of one of the most popular YA vampire stories, but we could have left Twilight at the door.

When a book begins with a trigger warning about religious fundamentalism, substance abuse, ableism, colonialism, familial violence, sexual violence, child abuse, and murder, you know you are in for something interesting. Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead is both dark, filled with twists, and compelling. I read an advanced readers copy courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley.

The book is the story of a young, 23 year old librarian, Ruth --the daughter of the fundamentalist preacher, who dominates the small south Louisiana town of Bottom Springs, in the . Ruth is the outsider, who has been sheltered by her fire and brimstone father, but wants more. She has one true friend, another outsider, Everett, who we learn befriended her as a teen. But "Ever" and Ruth have more than friendship in common. They have a dark secret, one which has defined her adulthood, and which has kept her in fear. The secret threatens to come out when a body is found in the swamp; or I should say,a. skull is found. The book uses a present and past motif for its chapters, in which we slowly learn what happened to Ruth and Ever, and as the story builds, we learn more and more -- and there a twists that caught me off guard.

Midnight is the Darkest Hour is a story of anti-heroes, or as the author says in a interview included with the book, "moral outlaws." It is a story of justice, a story of murder, indeed maybe serial murders. It is a book that will give you much to mull over and think about. Read it.

Ruth and Ever are the town outcasts. Ruth is the daughter of the local fire and brimstone preacher. Ever is the son of the local drunk. Together they find a local network of crime, manipulation, witchcraft and cultism. Can they survive their town and their families? Creepy gothic Louisiana tale of murder and young love.

Some aspects of this book I loved.. the twilight references, the dual timelines + the atmosphere, but it wasn't a favorite for a few reasons. I felt like the plot became a bit repetitive + I easily predicted all the "plot twists." I will always love Ashley Winstead's writing this one just wasn't my favorite by her.

Absolutely OBSESSED with this one. Perfect for anybody with religious trauma and grown-up Twilight girlies.

This book came highly recommended by a blogger I follow. I was really excited to dig into it as it was sold as a horror that was perfect for spooky season. I was extremely disappointed by the end of this. It started off ok, and the writing and story wasn't bad...but where was the horror? Where is the thriller? The MC was annoying, her relationship with "Ever" (I hated this nickname so much) was ridiculous, and the stupid choices were just never-ending by them both. For friends, they sure did keep a lot of secrets from each other. And that end was not great - a bit rushed and just blah.

Thank you so much to Netgalley for the ARC. I loved this book and would highly recommend. Perfect for this spooky season upon us. Small town, religious zealots, mysterious deaths, This is my first Ashley Winstead book but it definitely won't be my last and I'm looking forward to read some of her previous books. Read this Book!!

Ruth is the daughter of a preacher…the preacher of the biggest church in Bottom Springs. When a skull is found in the swamp, Ruth seeks out her friend Everett in fear of something that had happened years before. This story is told from both current day and flashbacks to the time when Ruth and Ever first became friends…and why their bond is unbreakable.

Ashley Winstead always amazes me with what she squeezes into her books. This book is some romance, some thriller, some mystery, all woven together seamlessly. There were so many things that surprised me, all the way until the last line. I am definitely a fan of her writing and she is an auto buy for me for sure!

Ruth Cornier grew up in the Deep South in a community ruled by her preacher father. Her best friend is the "bad boy" from the other side of the tracks. When bodies start showing up in the swamp, all eyes are on him! Ashley Winstead weaves a dark, disturbing tale that the reader can't put down.

Ruth Cornier is a naïve small-town preacher's daughter entangled in a web of unsolved murders. The only things the townspeople fear more than the God and the Devil are the myths that haunt the area, like the story of the Low Man, a vampiric figure said to steal into sinners' bedrooms and kill them on moonless nights. Then a skull is found in the nearby swamp. The story alternates between the present and various points in Ruth's childhood and teenage years. This is a dark tale that attempts to tale several big topics such as religious zealotry, abuse, and corruption, and perhaps the author was overly ambitious in her attempt to incorporate so much into a short novel. There are many morally gray characters and several downright evil ones, and I didn't connect with a single character. The author is rather heavy-handed in her attempts to hammer home the moral message of the novel, which detracted from the flow to the story. There is some closed-door romance. I absolutely hated the ending of the book. This is the first Winstead novel I have read so I can't compare it to her other works.

Disclaimer: I received an Advanced Reader's Copy of from Sourcebooks via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Ashley Winstead can do no wrong in my eyes at this point. This book was wonderful! Kept my attention and I would definitely recommend to others.

This was sooooo boring. The story was all over the place. Was I read a religious book, a drug dealer book, or a small town romance?

WOW, all i can say is WOW. ashley winstead is the queen of page turners that leave you guessing until the very end and keep you thinking for a long time afterwards. this book felt like season one of true detective had a baby with twilight and i couldn’t get enough.

Enjoyed but didn't love. Dark mysterious and somewhat disturbing, it was interesting enough to keep me reading but wasn't all that suspenseful or thrilling. Would I recommend it to anyone? Mmmmmm probably not, just wasn't a favorite for me. My thanks to the publisher for providing a copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Great characters and unique story. It hooked me early and didn't let up. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Ashley Winstead has stepped it UP! The writing in this was so good, I reread so many lines purely because of the writing. I went into this book blind and let me just say, I LOVED the vibes. It’s gothic, it’s mysterious, it’s downright infuriating at times. The conversation around religion, especially the extreme religion in this town, was so well handled I loved it. And let’s be honest, the Twilight love was great! There were parts I didn’t feel as connected to and the ending took me by surprise in a way I didn’t really enjoy but overall I enjoyed the story!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for early access!

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!

I’m really happy to see others enjoying this so much. I just could not get into it. I’m not sure if the whole preachers daughter trope wasn’t for me or if it was just too slow. This is not my first work by this author and I’m thinking it’s just not for me.

In the little town of Bottom Springs Louisiana, fear spreads among the God Fearing residents. A vampiric figure known as The Low Man, is killing sinners on moonless nights, or is it really a flesh and blood neighbour of Bottom Springs?

Librarian, Ruth Cornier, daughter of the local fire and brimstone preacher, Pastor James Cormier, of the Holy Fire Baptist church, finds herself at the centre of this mystery when a battered skull is discovered in Starry Swamp, surrounded by mysterious carved symbols.

Ruth has become involved with Everett, a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. Everett has a dark past, and Ruth’s daddy warns her to stay away from him, but it’s not going to happen, because these two have found in each other, their true soulmate.

Ruth and Everett delve deep into the town’s many secrets to attempt to solve the crime, but it will set them against some surprisingly evil townsfolk and put their lives at risk.

This novel is so atmospheric, and has a feel of Bonnie and Clyde, mixed with a touch of horror. On the surface, Bottom Springs appears to be a pious, God Fearing community, but dig a little deeper and you’ll find that evil reigns supreme. You’ll never know who to trust or what’s coming next but I doubt you’ll be bored. The ending is something you’ll either love or hate! I thought it fit the storyline perfectly. Recommended.

3 stars

Not great.
I wanted to love this, I loved Winstead’s other books, but struggled with this one quite a bit. I felt no connection to any of the characters. Another issue I had was the pacing was inconsistent. One minute I was really into it, the next I didn’t want to pick it back up. I’m ok with a nice slow burn or a fast paced thriller, but this just didn’t work for me.

This might be my most devastatingly disappointing books of all time. I honestly DNF'd at 40% because I felt no attachment to the characters and the plot was dry. The audiobook didn't even help either.