Review: The Midnight Lie – Marie Rutkoski

Posted March 9, 2020 by Andi in Books, Review / 0 Comments

Review: The Midnight Lie – Marie RutkoskiThe Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski
Series: The Midnight Lie #1
Published: March 3, 2020
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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.

In 2014 I fell in love with Marie Rutkoski and The Winner’s Trilogy. The world and characters Marie created was a work of art on each and every page.  The books were all consuming and I have been waiting a lot time for something new from Rutkoski and then I heard about The Midnight Lie, a book that takes place in the world created in The Winner’s Trilogy. I was so excited to be a part of that world again even if it isn’t a continuation. But I was terrified too because I loved the other 3 books so much. But in the end I didn’t need to worry because I got just what I expected, a masterfully crafted story of love and lies and sacrifice to find out the truth.

The Midnight Lie is a fantastical LGBTQ story that takes place in a part of the world The Winner’s Trilogy didn’t visit. It is the story of Nirrim, girl that is part of one of the lower castes. Being a part of this status requires Nirrim to live by certain rules. If she breaks these rules she is forced to be a tithe and could be jailed. After an unfortunate incident Nirrim finds herself jailed. And while locked up she meets a mysterious traveler named Sid. Soon Sid has Nirrim questioning everything she thought she knew and accepted and starts looking at why things are the way they are? As Nirrim gets closer to the truth and also starts to realize that she is starting to have feelings for Sid, but Sid is keeping secrets of her own.

Honestly I think the magic of The Midnight Lie comes from Marie’s writing. She has the way about how she sets stories and her characters that instantly make you fall in love. Her characters are never perfect. Nirrim for instance was so frustrating to me because she assumed many things were kindness and really she was being taken advantage of. But you also understood her need to want everything to be kindness based on how she was forced to live. That right there is the beauty of Marie Rutkoski storytelling. And Sid was this huge mystery (even though I did have my suspicions) but she was a likely mystery. She pushed Nirrim to not see things so black and white even though she wouldn’t tell her things about herself. That right there was what I loved about this book.

I’m not going to lie, the end was a mixed bag for me and the reason this isn’t 5 stars. But, what a fabulous start to a new duology by Rutkoski. She brought me back to a world I loved without actually being in that world. She added on a new layer to The Winner’s Trilogy and I for one can’t wait to see how it ends. Definitely pick this one up.

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