"The Midnight Lie" by Marie Rutkoski

"The Midnight Lie" by Marie Rutkoski

Published by Hodder & Stoughton

☆☆☆☆

"The Midnight Lie" is a difficult book to put a rating on, it had it's moments that I absolutely loved and it also had its moments where I felt like it was dragging and I just wanted finish it already. It sat somewhere between 3.5 stars and 4, but for the purpose of reviewing I feel like 4 stars expresses my feelings more.

I will add that I went into "The Midnight Lie" blind, and I am really thankful that I did as it was not what I was expecting at all. I would probably recommend that you do as well. Nonetheless, I will include the summary in case you are interested in seeing what the book is about.

Summary:

Where Nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules, and society’s pleasures are reserved for the High Kith. Life in the Ward is grim and punishing. People of her low status are forbidden from sampling sweets or wearing colors. You either follow the rules, or pay a tithe and suffer the consequences.

Nirrim keeps her head down and a dangerous secret close to her chest.

But then she encounters Sid, a rakish traveler from far away who whispers rumors that the High Caste possesses magic. Sid tempts Nirrim to seek that magic for herself. But to do that, Nirrim must surrender her old life. She must place her trust in this sly stranger who asks, above all, not to be trusted.

Review:

“It’s a midnight lie... a kind of lie told for someone else’s sake, a lie that sits between goodness and wrong, just as midnight is the moment between night and morning.”
—Marie Rutkoski, "The Midnight Lie"—

 I want to start by saying that the prose in this book was absolutely gorgeous. It was poetic and immersive and completely atmospheric. I have not yet read anything else by Rutkoski, but I definitely will in the future.

This story featured a really interesting world, that I don't think I've seen quite like this before. It reminded me a bit of "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" but only barely. It was quite unique, and had a bit of the same dreamlike-flare as "Alice in Wonderland" which I really enjoyed, this coupled with the dazzling prose, made it quite an enjoyable read. 

However I did feel like the world-building could have been pushed a bit further, it was a bit too safe and I wish the author took more risks expanding the world. We are never quite sure just how much world is out there, because it feels like we are sitting in a sandbox with the world-building.

“I was lonely for her even though she was right in front of me.”

—Marie Rutkoski, "The Midnight Lie"— 

The characters were fairly interesting, some more complex than others. I have to say that I really liked Sid, and that Nirrim's character arc was both massive and seamless. She was constantly pushing the boundaries of her society and the people she knew, while very slowly becoming a completely different character than she was in the beginning. I really enjoyed her character arc, as in the beginning she is all too accepting of the world around her, but she eventually sheds some of her naïveté and learns to test society rather than allow society to test her.

She can be manipulative, and she can lie to get what she wants. She can be at times a bit of a grey character, but in the end she does everything for the right reasons. I'm not a fan of first person narratives, but I find them very effective when we are given unreliable narrators. And this was a perfect example of this. Another book where I enjoyed first person would be "The Folk of the Air" series by Holly Black. I thought that perspective was the most clear in why it was used in that series, as well as it being very effective in portraying the protagonist as being unreliable and an anti-hero.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. My only complaints are that in the middle of "The Midnight Lie" it begins to drag a lot, and just begins to repeat itself quite a bit. And I would have liked to see more world-building, I feel like the lack of world-building from where Sid came from left her character not being as "grounded" as she could have been. Luckily, the romance element of the book took the front seat during this time, and I have to admit while I am not a fan of romance in books. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the two characters, and thought it was tastefully done. I loved them. So yeah, I really enjoyed this one. It actually surprised me how much I enjoyed it, as I went in to it not expecting to like it. I am really looking forward to the next one!

"The Death of Mrs. Westaway" by Ruth Ware

☆☆☆.5 Stars 

Summary:

On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money.

Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the centre of it.

Review:

This was probably my favourite Ruth Ware so far. It was such a solid mystery. It had its twists and turns, and the characters were fairly interesting. Hal was especially, because in theory she is quite a morally grey character. She deceived so many people and by trade, her occupation is as a fortune-teller. When she, herself, doesn't actually believe in fortune telling. 

At the same time I found myself sympathising with her situation, and she is made to look more like a victim of her circumstances rather than a con artist. There are so many facets to her narrative that I found really intriguing, and I did like her as a character. I thought she was fairly realistic, save for the few impulsive moments she has that you see in most thrillers.

Something I found really interesting about the writing itself is that as the character's develop the narrative would change and new elements of the mystery would surface. It was quite different to most mysteries where the plot propels the characters' development. Instead, we see that as the characters grow, and they had a bit more control over the plot.

The prose was really different in this one, compared to other Ruth Ware I've read, "The Woman in Cabin 10" which was really simple and direct. "The Death of Mrs. Westaway" had a stronger focus on style and voice, as well as being extremely atmospheric. What was really cool too, is that while reading there are some diary entries that are mixed into the story, which offers a different perspective in a different timeline. 

The setting was really well done. If you've read "Rebecca" you will probably draw some parallels between Trepassen (the house in Mrs. Westaway) and Manderley (the house in "Rebecca). The parallels don't stop there though, the house keeper Mrs. Warren is a foil of Mrs. Danvers in "Rebecca". I was actually quite the fan of Mrs. Danvers in the end though, so I happily welcomed seeing her in this story as well. The coastal settings of Brighton and Cornwall, were so much fun to read about as we are nearing the spring (despite the book taking place in late autumn/winter.

The mystery itself was a bit predictable, I'm not going to lie. However, the means by which Hal gets to this conclusion are full of little twists and turns, and I did enjoy the little things that I wasn't able to predict. Some of the other characters were a bit too flat, as well which wasn't ideal. The ending was summed up a little too easily and quickly too, which was a problem I found with "The Woman in Cabin 10" as well. Those are really the only faults I found in it. It was a fairly solid book, and I would recommend it to people who like family legacy mysteries. As a murder is not at the centre of this mystery.

This books leisurely pace, mixed with the atmospheric writing made it a very cosy mystery read. I am excited to read "Turn of the Key" as my next Ruth Ware novel.