Garden of the Midnights

My Review: 4.5 of 5 Stars

This is a book that echoed in my mind long after I finished the last page.

With many of the books that I read, they begin to fade after I mark them as “read”, but this one just kept lingering. Powerful seems too mild a word to describe it.

William and Isabella were characters who came to life and lived and breathed in my mind. After reading just a couple chapters, I was so worried for William that I couldn't focus on any of my work.

Their meeting was absolutely delightful. All the mysteries of their past mixed with the danger of the present kept me on the edge of my seat. Every time that I felt I was startling unravel the answers to the questions, another truth would bomb, sending me reeling right along with William.

And I have to mention that Hannah has such a way of writing. She used so many unique, but perfect words that the setting and the story took on a life of its own. The climax especially was a scene I'll never forget.

There was so much that I loved about this book, but I do need to mention two things that detracted from the story. One, there was a side character who used some British profanities (which, since I'm American, I didn't even realize it was a profanity until I looked it up later). And two, there was a moment at the end when the main character decided to “forgive God.” The scene came so close to giving the book a sweeping conclusion, but that gave it a “not quite” feel. God doesn't need to be forgiven. I believe the intention behind the scene was of the main character releasing his bitterness toward God, which was a good theme. It just had odd wording.

That said, this is a story that will probably rank toward the top of my favorite books I've read this year.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book, but was not required to leave a positive review. My thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.