It begins subtly and slowly builds in a way that makes it a useful example of how insidious the abuse is and how much her abuser is controlling her understanding of reality, beginning when she was a much younger kid. Her protests of this person's goodness and faithfulness become smaller and smaller until she finally has to decide what to do with the information she has been given.

One thing this does very well is show what gaslighting can look like in a way that gently and persistently provides a series of outside voices to counter the narrative being fed to the main character by her abuser. It's a heartbreakingly relatable portrayal of trauma bonding, abuse, and betrayal, piling small cruelties atop systemic injustices in a setting where escape isn't enough. It's about loving small joys and good things for their transience, not in spite of it. Firstly, what this book is: THE MIDNIGHT LIE is a sapphic story of moments of happiness amid oppression and abuse in a fantasy setting. I loved this while I was reading it, and now that I've put it down I'm torn between wanting the sequel, and not trusting that the sequel will be satisfying given how this book ended and some other issues which I'll discuss.

Queer Rep Summary: Lesbian/Sapphic Main Character(s), Gay/Achillean Minor Character(s), Bi/Pan Minor Character(s), Genderqueer/Nonbinary Minor Character(s). 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. She must place her trust in this sly stranger who asks, above all, not to be trusted. But to do that, Nirrim must surrender her old life. Sid tempts Nirrim to seek that magic for herself. Nirrim keeps her head down and a dangerous secret close to her chest.īut then she encounters Sid, a rakish traveler from far away who whispers rumors that the High Caste possesses magic. You either follow the rules, or pay a tithe and suffer the consequences. People of her low status are forbidden from sampling sweets or wearing colors. Where Nirrim lives, crime abounds, a harsh tribunal rules, and society’s pleasures are reserved for the High Kith.

The midnight lie series