A review by bellebookcorner
Midnight Is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead

dark mysterious medium-paced
  • 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? Yes

3.0

I’ve seen a lot of 5 stars review regarding this book so I went in with quite a high expectation. The premise also sounds promising with a small town setting, creepy woods and dark secrets. 
 
At first, it wasn’t so bad and it started off with a strong opening as well. I’m genuinely interested with the plot, the world building and getting to know the main characters. 
The story is told from dual timeline – the past and the present, it would switch every few chapters between those timeline. 
 
As for the main character, Ruth (the FMC) supposed to be in her 20s, she's also smart and I enjoy following her digging out those dark and ugly secrets around her town.  But at times, Ruth can be too naive and doesn't sound like her age. 
 
It started out as a mystery thriller but somewhere in the middle, it started to appear like a mystery drama instead.  The pacing felt slightly odd - it can be quick and interesting then turn into slow and dragging at some points. 
I started to lose interest and would get confuse with the timeline sometimes and listening to the audiobook wasn't really a huge help.   
 
Although I have to admit, the last few chapters are quite intense. 
The ending was totally unexpected, I had to listen twice to convince myself that it actually ends with the BIGGEST CLIFF-HANGER EVER….. 
I felt slightly disappointed with how it ends, I actually want to see what happen to the main characters after all the hardships they went through in that town. 
 
I was a huge fan of In My Dreams I Hold a Knife written by the same author but unfortunately, I didn’t fully enjoy this book as much as that one. 
I would still check out other books by this author, heard The Last Housewife was also really good so I’ll definitely give it another try in the future. 
 
I received an advanced audiobook copy for free through Netgalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Huge thank you to the author and publisher!
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