Book 855: The Midnight Lie (Forgotten Gods #1) – Marie Rutkoski

When the publicist reached out to me about The Hollow Heart, coming out in mid-September, I was interested  enough in it to ask if they could provide a copy of this, the first book, in the duology and they did!* So extra thank yous for that!

I’m not sure if it was the Sapphic love story—how the publicist presented it, and I’ve read a few here and there and already acknowledged I need to expand my LGBT Romances—or if it was more the mystery of what was or wasn’t real when it came to Nirrim (the protagonist)  and her homeland. Honestly, it was a little bit of both, but more so the latter fantasy and magic aspect, the LGBT romance was just an added bonus.

When I got around to reading the book, I’m not going to lie it was a bit of a struggle. It definitely took a conscious effort to get through the first few chapters (thankfully, they’re all short so it moves quickly). For some reason the way Rutkoski started the book and introduced the various characters it was very clunky and hard to read.

I get that she was trying to follow the writing adage of “show, don’t tell,” but honestly, I really could’ve used a primer of Nirrim’s world on what the hell a Kith or half-Kith was and what the Ward was. I spent so much time trying to figure it out and honestly assumed Nirrim was some sort of elf or faerie type creature (still not convinced she isn’t) because I had to make up my own definition of Kith. As I read it became a little clearer who was who and what was what, but it definitely took a bit longer than I liked.

This being said, I’m glad I persevered. In a lot of ways, the story reminded me a bit of Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series. Not the epic fantasy or anything, but the restraint with which both authors introduce the idea of magic and the implications of magic being real into the stories. It takes Martin three-ish books to really get into it, but Rutkoski shows the same restraint through Nirrim’s eyes and reveals it more and more as the book continues.

It is a midnight lie, she said.
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. (22)

All of the characters were well written and I adored and despised who I was supposed to. I was 100% on board with Sid, the traveler and main love interest, and Morah’s distrust/dislike of Raven. Seriously, I wanted to shake Nirrim and just scream wake up at her. No one is that naïve and innocent. I think rather than seeing the world as it was, Nirrim was using her own abilities to see what she wanted to see. There was no way the illegal activity they were doing was being done for the good of people. And I was glad when she finally woke up and the confrontation scene was so well done I would’ve stood up and applauded Nirrim if it hadn’t taken her so damn long!

The novel is built around a few big reveals:

• Who is Sid and why is she here?
• Why is the Ward and the Half-Kith the way they are?
• Why does no one remember anything before and why are there no history books?
• Does magic exist?

A couple of these I saw coming from a mile out (first and last), the second was confusing AF for a good part of the novel and wasn’t really answered until the very end, and the third was similarly only answered in the last few pages. But at least they were all answered and there wasn’t really cliff hanger other than what will Nirrim do now that she has all the power?

The love story part was delicately and beautifully written. It was less on-the-page than some of the MM Young Adult Romances I’ve read and it worked well to fade to curtains than to be explicit. For the most part it just added to the fleetingness of Nirrim and Sid’s relationship, but for some small portion of the story it ratcheted up the intensity of the inevitable.

Recommendation: It’s a very slow start, but if you can stick with it long enough there are magical moments (ha pun intended) throughout the book. I was impressed with Rutkoski’s slow reveal of the magic in the world while simultaneously being frustrated with how oblivious Nirrim remained. The ending definitely left me wanting to know more, because of Nirrim’s choice and final action of the novel. I cannot wait to read The Hollow Heart.

*I received a copy of The Midnight Lie from the publisher in return for my honest opinion. No goods or money were exchanged.

Opening Line: “There were warning signs in the Ward that day that anyone could have seen.”

Closing Line: “I say it loud enough for all to hear: ‘I am a god,’ I tell them, ‘and I am your queen.'” (Whited out to avoid spoilers, highlight to read.)