***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato

I don’t even know how to react to this book. It takes you on a twisty, surreal journey and leaves your brain scrambled. So what actually happened? That is a good question. DON’T ASK ME. I might be lying and you would never know. Oops.

Likes

Creepiness: While this book may sound like a mystery/contemporary, it is also deliciously creepy. There is so much that readers are in the dark about but it’s done in a way that isn’t frustrating. It’s exciting, engaging and FITTING with the characters and the vibe the book has going.

Unreliable narrators: I love me some unreliable narrators and this book definitely delivered on that end. I had a hard time deciding who I wanted to trust because even though there was one character that was horrible, the other two had hidden depths to them that made me wary of them. Basically, don’t trust anybody when reading this book. ALL THE CHARACTERS ARE GOING TO FUCK WITH YOUR MIND.

MIND FUCKERY: The caps lock is necessary when talking about the mind fuckery in the book. This ties back into my previous point about unreliable narrators. It’s hard to keep up with all the twists happening in the book because it get’s so twisty. My brain felt like a pretzel after I had finished the book.

Writing Style: I thought the division of the different point of views in this book worked very well. The characters did sound similar sometimes but I thought it was intentional because it helped confuse me even more about what the characters were doing/thinking/plotting.

My shippy feels: Of course I had shippy feels. I AM TRASH (this does not mean you are trash if you have shippy feels. I’ve just taken to referring myself as trash because I think the word trash describes me perfectly). Mind you, not all the relationships in this book were healthy and weren't meant to be.

Dislikes

My only dislike is that I wasn’t satisfied with the big revelation. I felt like there were things that didn’t add up. I love my twists but if I cannot trace back to places where I should have seen it coming or trace the story-line, the reveal won't work for me. And this reveal unfortunately didn't. The reveal also somewhat spoiled my reading experience because I went from being on a 'book high' to being annoyed.

But if you like psychological thrillers, or books that turn your mind into a pretzel, Wink Poppy Midnight is for you.

Note that I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

     Well that was one hell of a ride! Nocte was quite the experience. I really liked the alternating points of view between Calla and Finn! I thought that really ended up accentuating the major plot twist and made it that much more mind boggling. I think there was a lot of thought and care put into each element of this story, the subtle hints that something was off, the beautiful and haunting setting, the careful words that each character said and thought, it all cumulated to make one big stereogram like image that you had to uncover with laser like focus.

    I thought the setting was outstanding. I loved the feeling of seclusion, and being surrounded by such gorgeous yet dangerous things. Add in the extra bonus of it being a funeral home that they lived in, so you had that unnerving, constant submersion in quite literally living with death. It was almost as powerful as the fact that the characters were also dealing with the crushing loss factor of having death strike in their own family.

   Calla and Finn were so intriguing. Twins, I think, are so interesting in that they seem to have such an extra special connection, and you're not quite sure how deep that connection can actually go. I enjoyed the contrast between the two, with Finn's struggle with his sanity and guarding his secrets, and Calla's inner turmoil over wanting to live while being so heavily burdened by death, guilt, and wanting to uncover the truth and help her ailing brother. Dare was a curious addition to the story that I was initially weary of. The first meetings between Dare and Calla felt kind of insta-love and that's not really my jam. But ultimately their relationship developed slowly and by the end I understood everything and think it all was done perfectly.

   That ending was explosive! Everything was leading to this ending and it rocks your world! I have to say that I did end up having a good inclination as to what the huge revelation would be, but I really don't fell like it lessened the blow anymore when it came. I still teared up a little at the sheer devastation. But man, oh man, those last few paragraphs! I knew that there would be a little more to the story with Dare and Calla's relationship, but I really didn't expect to be left dangling off the edge, over powered by my NEED to know what the hell is going on with them now!

It was definitely something BIG but we are left with nothing but pressing questions that need to be answered. I was already planning on reading the second book, but that killer ending just made it so I will be getting to it sooner rather than later!  

    I received a copy of this book from Badass Marketing in exchange for an honest review