The Midnight Feast: A Novel

The Manor is a historical home that has been renovated into a hotel by the granddaughter of the original owners. Francesca Meadows has turned the Manor into a massive wellness boutique hotel, where the price tag is hefty and the clientele are well to do. Of course the locals aren't too happy about the hotels existence. They feel that their sleepy town of Woodland Hutches should not be invaded. Strange things start happening around the location, some are reminiscent of an old wives tale the locals call "the Birds". "Beware of the Birds" many locals have warned, believing in the superstition. But surely "the Birds" are not responsible for a murder?

The story follows different POVs so the reader never get bored. It also jumps timelines as a woman from Francesca's past appears at the Manor's opening weekend. She is intent on exposing all of Francesca's dirty and morbid secrets. In addition, there's DI Walker, the detective that is investigating what seems to be arson and murder. But is it the mysterious woman from Francesca's past that's causing these horrible tragedies or is it really the work of a superstitious myth?

I give this book 3.5 stars. While I absolutely loved how the story unraveled, I did struggle in the beginning with the slow burn. One of my favorite thing about this book is I NEVER, at any point, knew who the culprit was until the end when it started to unravel. A great summer thriller for sure.

And she does it again!

Like how her tales always twist around with surprises.

Listening was confusing because of all the different narrators and the jumping back and forth in time but it was really interesting and hard to put down

I read this hoping to give the author another chance after hearing how many people are enchanted with her multiple POV and thrilling reads. I wasn't only disappointed but annoyed. The book has no momentum until the last quarter and even then, you have given up on the inconsistencies of the previous character introductions and copied/mimic/inspired plot twists, you are just glad it's over. This book took me through rounds of boredom, irritation, and a defeatist attitude to just finish it and move on.