This! This and this! Midnight Rooms almost feels like a deconstruction of the Gothic genre and I for one lovvvved it! As we all know, I adore horror and all things creepy. The blurb for MIdnight Rooms grabbed me by the neck. From the first few lines I knew I’d devour this novel, and I did just that. Eleven hours, with a full-time work schedule. I tore it up!

Midnight Rooms follows Orebella, a young woman who is married and whisked away by a rich gentleman named Elias Blakersby. She is tossed into a world of mold, ruin, and the unwell. We witness Orebella spiral as she takes to her new life as wife and Lady of Korringhill Manor.

This is a dark gothic romance, and heavy on the DARK. Some have stated they’d consider some aspects extreme horror. I would not because I have read EH a few times. If I had to rate the horror in this book I’d give it two skulls for unsettling depictions of gore, blood, and one scene of grotesque violence. I loved Midnight Rooms for its supernatural atmosphere, creepy family ties, and secrets. Are all those secrets exposed? No, But I think the most important ones are given enough airtime. This mystique adds to the world Donyae crafted and expands it.

She put her foot in it! As black folks would say, mainly about food, but hear me out, it works here too. Thanks to the author’s attention to detail, I was fully immersed and invested. Midnight Rooms had me smacking my lips, glaring, and cussing.

As I have said this is a dark romance, if you aren’t acquainted with said genre, i do not read this book, please. Midnight Rooms deserves more than, “not my cup of tea”. Dark romance is just that. Elias and Orebella are rough, tumble, sharp, and a subplot. But, as a romance girlie too, I enjoyed it. As with most things in this lovely, horrifying fairy tale show. I felt mildew and mold on my skin, I inhaled tallow and was scared for poor Orebella most of the time.

If you like your Gothic read rotting from the inside out, by all means, give Midnight Rooms a chance. Please, this book deserves more readers. It is incredibly important to support Black authors who write horror, as our piece is so very small in this world. We need more support for scifi, paranormal, and horror writers to be honest. Our voices belong in every genre.

CW: Blood, gore, dubious consent, assault by others than the MMC, violence, possible incest, murder, drugging, and cannibalism