The Midnight Lie

If you want lesbians and magic and beautifully written vivid imagery this one’s for you. The main character is so interesting but surprisingly realistic, her love interest is both extremely flirty and sincere in ways female characters often aren’t allowed to be, and the story is deep and layered.

This book, like many of the best ones, starts out almost too confusing. If you keep reading, however, you come to learn the world and the characters bit-by-bit, catching small pieces of foreshadowing interwoven throughout the story that pull you in more. That’s part of what makes this book so fun to re-read, too; you’ll always pick up in something you hadn’t before. 

There’s so much more than mystery in this book. The story explores guilt, regret, and complicated familial connections tinged with feelings of indebtedness. By showing this from Nirrim’s point of view, the book gives complex insight into experiences many people relate to but can’t put into words. 

It would be a lie to say the romance isn’t the best part of this book. There are so few lesbian books that combine compelling world-building, high stakes, sexuality and gender expression, and character development paralleled with gorgeous relationship development. 

Love is so many different things to different people. When you’re raised believing that it’s one thing - power imbalance, rejection, never being enough - it’s hard to change that mindset. You become vulnerable to the manipulation of others, stuck in a constant loop that doesn’t feel right, but it’s all you’ve ever known. Very rarely does someone come and tell you you’re worth so much more than that, instilling those unfamiliar words with actions that make you think maybe love could be something else, something better. 

Without giving any spoilers, sidnirrim deliver :)