The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski Pages: 358
Published by Farrar on March 3, 2020
Series: The Midnight Lie #1
Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy & Magic
Source: ARC from Publisher
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.
Set in the world of the New York Times–bestselling Winner’s Trilogy, beloved author Marie Rutkoski returns with an epic LGBTQ romantic fantasy about learning to free ourselves from the lies others tell us—and the lies we tell ourselves.
The Midnight Lie is the first book in the young adult fantasy series, The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski. It is one of my 2020 reading goals to read The Winner’s Trilogy this year, and now that I have read The Midnight Lie I am kicking myself even harder that I have not read the Winner’s Trilogy yet. It is a problem I hope to be rectifying very soon. Because if it is anything like The Midnight Lie, I am going to LOVE IT!
In the Midnight Lie, we enter the world of Herrath, which features a very structure caste society. Our main character Nirrim is Half Kith, which is at the bottom of the totem pole, and she resides in the Ward district. Nirrim is a very hard worker, but in her society Half Kith’s are punished for even the slightest suggestion of anything. When Nirrim is acused of a crime, she decides she has had enough and she is done with Herrath, which sets off a series of events and puts our series into motion. I loved learning about the world that Marie Rutkoski created. Honestly, her writing was my favorite aspect of the story. She had such a lyrical way with words that even reading about horrible, horrible things seems almost magical. She made every person, place and event come to life. I believe The Midnight Lie is connected in some way to the Winner’s Trilogy. I am not sure if it is set in a neighboring world, but I do know that there is not a ton of story overlap, and I think can read either series first.
I feel like lately the fantasy books I have been picking up have been a bit dull on the romance aspect, which is always a bummer for me. Not so with The Midnight Lie. I loved the romance and the writing in this book. The romance was integral to the plot of the story and was very much front and center, just the way I like it! The Midnight Lie was harrowing at times, but was a riveting read for me. I loved the characters and the romance. If you are a fan of character driven fantasies that are heavy on the romance (which happens to be LGBTQ), then this will be a book that you do not want to miss. I will warn you though- the ending is pretty killer. I need the next book ASAP because I am dying a little inside after finishing The Midnight Lie. I loved this book!
To enter, fill out the rafflecopter below to win a copy of The Midnight Lie (US only)
Note: Book Briefs Contest Policy applies. All of the prizes, terms and conditions of the giveaway should be contained in the rafflecopter below. No Purchase necessary to enter. Void where prohibited by law.
About Marie Rutkoski
Marie Rutkoski is the New York Times bestselling author of The Winner’s Trilogy, which begins with The Winner’s Curse. She also wrote the YA novel The Shadow Society and the children’s fantasy series The Kronos Chronicles, including The Cabinet of Wonders. Her next project is a YA duology set in the same world as The Winner’s Curse. The first in this duology is called The Midnight Lie and will be published in March 2020.
Marie grew up in Bolingbrook, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), as the oldest of four children. She holds a BA from the University of Iowa and a PhD from Harvard University. Marie is currently a professor at Brooklyn College, where she teaches Renaissance Drama, children’s literature and fiction writing. She lives in Brooklyn with her two sons.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2020 New Release Challenge
- Flights of Fantasy Reading Challenge 2020
Jenea’s Book Obsession
This definitely sounds like my kinda read!
Danielle Hammelef
I recommend The Kingdom of Back by Marie Lu.
sherry fundin
it’s great, when i find an author that has lots of books i want to read. easy to get lost on a binge. happy reading
sherry @ fundinmental
Amanda
Anything by Leigh Bardugo
NANCY
Great cover
Candice Gigous
Thanks for the review. I liked the author’s Winner’s Curse series and this one sounds just as great. For a fantasy book recommendations, Shatter the Sky and Between the Blade and the Heart were awesome.
Lily M.
Check out Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier 🙂
Nikki
Read Daughter of the Pirate King!
Debra Branigan
Check out The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller.
Autumn
Daughter of Smoke and Bone series