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ariana3's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Sexism, Violence, Religious bigotry, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Confinement, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Gaslighting
Minor: Bullying and Abortion
bukworm345's review against another edition
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, and Pregnancy
morethanmylupus's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
The plot pacing is weird. Dragging with unnecessary details at times and skipping too fast to tell the full story in others. I found the MC, Ruth, to be incredibly naive - more than she should be given how much she reads. Her clunk love story with Ever was too angsty for adults and dragged down the plot. This is especially true in some scenes that showcase things like weirdly erotic first aid (why?).
And, as a final point, the story is entirely too reliant on the Twilight saga in lieu of writing new metaphors.
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Pedophilia, Sexual violence, Violence, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, and Colonisation
jmusil44's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Pedophilia, Forced institutionalization, and Abortion
kerrygetsliterary's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, and Gaslighting
samisreading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Sexism, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Drug use, Medical content, Abortion, and Injury/Injury detail
lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"Midnight Is the Darkest Hour" follows Ruth Collier, a young woman who has spent her entire life trying to overcome her struggles as the preacher's daughter. In Ruth's small, southern town of Bottom Springs, there is only one thing the citizens fear more than God, and that is the Low Man. When a skull is found in the swamp, the town believes the Low Man is back, and their prime suspect is Ruth's best friend, Everett. Everett has always been an outsider, and never been accepted by the town because of his father, but the townspeople are all the more suspicious of him because of secrets from his past that he is trying to keep hidden.
I was really engaged with this story from the beginning. I am normally not a fan of stories set in the deep south, but this one really hooked me. I was fascinated by the hypocrisy of the townspeople because they seem to preach being good, God-fearing people, but then they are so quick to turn on someone who is different than themselves. Ruth's father is a tyrant and has used his position as a church leader to break Ruth into submission for her entire life. Ruth has spent her adult years trying to discern who she is outside of church, and if she is a good person. This book exemplifies religious trauma.
I really enjoyed and appreciated Ruth's and Everett's friendship. They were both such misfits, and I think they really complement each other well. Through all of their hardships, they have remained close, and I really loved seeing their story arch.
One of my few gripes with this story is the reference to "Twilight". When Ruth is young, she steals and hides a copy of "Twilight" from the library. She finds such comfort in the story and the characters, and she dreams of having a romance like the one depicted between Bella and Edward. I think this was a nice touch, and really helps to highlight this idea that teenaged girls are often ridiculed for their "immature" interests. People are often so quick to dismiss things, like an interest in "Twilight" as dumb, because a teenaged girl loves it. My critique is the other used this as a plot point continually, and at one point a character tells Ruth that life can be like "Twilight", and I laughed out loud. Perhaps that was part of the point the author was trying to make, but it completely took me out of the story.
The greater mystery of what was going on, and who the Low Man really was, was captivating, and I did not see it coming. I felt like the mystery had layers, and I really enjoyed seeing all of the reveals come through.
This is probably my least favorite of Ashley Winstead's thrillers, but I still very much enjoyed it, and I would recommend!
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Bullying, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Religious bigotry, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Sexual content
meeklovestoread's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Misogyny, Torture, Violence, Religious bigotry, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Drug abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Blood, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Gun violence, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Medical content, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Abortion, Pregnancy, Alcohol, and Classism
ncoletti's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Graphic: Death, Rape, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Religious bigotry and Abortion
cuddlygryphon's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Minor: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Animal death, Child abuse, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Car accident, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism