Not So Well Read | Midnight Rooms: A Novel
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Midnight Rooms: A Novel
Donyae Coles
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Set in a foreboding Gothic mansion and infused with the heightened paranoia and creeping horror of novels like Catherine House and Crimson Peak, a spine-chilling debut historical thriller from a fresh voice in the genre that will leave you questioning who, or what, you can trust . . . including your own sanity.
England, 1840. Orabella Mumthrope spies an unexpected visitor in her uncle’s parlor. Scruffy in appearance yet claiming to be the scion of a fabulously wealthy family, Elias Blakersby declares a deep desire to make Orabella his wife. The orphaned daughter of a white man and a Black woman—an outsider with no fortune or connections—Orabella never expected to marry. But her uncle has many debts, and Orabella, curious about the seeming devotion Elias bestows upon her, agrees.
The new bride is quickly whisked away to Korringhill Manor, the Blakersby family estate, and far from everything she knows. Expecting splendor, Orabella is shocked to find decay, skittish servants, and curt elders. But her kind new husband’s loving touch, promises of a happy life together, and his assurances she’ll never want for anything soothe her concerns.
Yet there is a darkness deep within this house. Rooms are locked or hidden away, and the walls seem to thrum with secrets. Orabella can never venture outside unattended; she spends her days having tea with a catatonic sister-in-law and evenings at Elias’s side, dutifully hosting lavish dinners. The darkness soon begins to engulf her, too. Becoming dizzy and drowsy after dinner, she falls into a fitful sleep filled with macabre dreams, and is awakened by blood-curdling screams in the night. In the morning she rises from her bed covered in mysterious bruises. Confused and terrified, she begins to question where her dreams end and reality begins. The longer Orabella stays in this place, the more she loses parts of herself . . . how long until she no longer exists?
Midnight Rooms is a sweeping saga with supernatural undertones set in Victorian England. Vibrating with tension, richly atmospheric—haunted by ghosts, guilt, and familial bonds—it is an electrifying story that will linger in your dreams.
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Posts about this title from Not So Well Read
Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Oct 27 2024
Recommending my most-recent 5-star reads ✨
These 5 books are my most recent 5-star reads across a variety of genres from gothic fiction to middle grade to fantasy and romance.
What does 5-stars mean to me? These are books that stood out to me because of their atmosphere, writing style, or sometimes, just because I had so much dang fun reading them. I don’t really over think it–I just go with my gut at the time of rating.
Books mentioned:
- Midnight Rooms by Donyae Coles - The Darkness Within Us by Tricia Levenseller - The Nightmare Before Kissmas by Sara Raasch - Safiyaah’s War by Hiba Noor Khan - Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid
What was your last 5 star read?
#bookrecommendations #booktoker #vlog #bookvlogger #readingvlog #5starbook #5starbooks #bookreviews
5 books
Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Jul 2 2024
Happy pub date to two of my favorite 2024 releases!!
🐉 The Night Ends With Fire is a reimagining of Mulan full of magic, romance, and adventure. It’s a quick read with all the makings of an epic fantasy series!
🦊 Midnight Rooms is a gothic masterpiece that hits all the makers of the genre while bringing something entirely new. Reading this book feels like entering a sinister fairyland.
2 books
Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Jul 1 2024
Here's all the books I read in June!!
10 books
2
Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Jun 19 2024
🕯️G I V E A W A Y 🕯️
We’re having a Gothic Grey Gardens summer and I’m gifting TWO people a copy of my must read book of the summer over on @bindery_books!!
Midnight Rooms by Donyae Coles is a gothic fever dream that has quickly turned into my current obsession. Many books have claimed to be reminiscent of “Crimson Peak” but no book has ever truly hit that mark as hard as this one. It’s a victorian gothic that paces the border between historical thriller and dark fantasy. This one feels like a trip to the goblin market or a dark plummet into Pan’s Labyrinth. If you love dark, slow-building, sinister tales full of blood and teeth, this one is for you.
RULES: - Closes Sunday, 6/23 at 12pm CST - Follow me on insta - Tag a friend you want to share this book with - Create a free bindery account (link in bio) - Bonus entry for joining the discord
This giveaway is only open to US residents. This giveaway is not associated with Instagram. I WILL NEVER contact a winner using a different username or account. Verify you’re chatting with me before providing any personal details. Stay safe out there friends.
1 book
Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Jun 15 2024
Most Anticipated Summer Releases
New books I think you should pick up this summer...
12 books
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Posts about this book from across Bindery
Chanterelle Solace\ \ Sabie\ \ • Jun 19
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Do you celebrate things outside of their seasons, like Summerween?👀
12 books
1
Chanterelle Solace\ \ Sabie\ \ • Apr 27
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Let's help Afrori Books, an Indie Bookshop in the UK that sells books by Black Authors!
Do you have a favourite Indie Bookshop?🤎
I’ve visited a few in here in the UK and have a lot more that I want to visit! One of them is Afrori Books, which is located in Brighton and is the largest suppliers for books by Black authors in the UK. Afrori Books always gets praised and rightfully so in the book community in the UK and this month, they have set a goal of selling 1000 books to prevent their store from closing. Since last week, they’ve sold 600 and have 300 books left so let’s get them there!
They ship to the UK, EU and Canada but definitely double check to see if you can purchase from them in their website. You can also purchase eBooks through bookshop.org by choosing them as your bookstore or audiobooks through Libro.FM 🤎
Here are some of the books they’ve got stocked up that I recommend: 🍄 Love from the Cosmos by Mowa Badmos 🍄 Lore of the Wilds by Analeigh Sbrana 🍄 A Song of Legends Lost by M.H. Ayinde 🍄 Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma 🍄 Midnight Rooms by Donyae Coles 🍄 A Girl like her by Talia Hibbert 🍄 Struck Speechless by Tati Richardson 🍄 When Javi dumped Mari by Mia Sosa 🍄 Four Eids and a Funeral by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé and Adiba Jaigirdar
And here are 4 I purchased: 🍄 What a Match by Mimi Grace 🍄 Real Men Knit by Kwana Jackson 🍄 A Song of Salvation by Alechia Dow 🍄 Womb City by Tlotlo Tsamaase
#indiebookshops #ukbookshops #afroribooks #booksbyblackauthors
9 books
5
Chanterelle Solace\ \ Sabie\ \ • Jan 6
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[Poll:\ \ Are you joining as for any gaming or reading this month?\ \ \ \ January Spotlights for book clubs: \ \ This year, we have an ongoing Storygraph challenges for both of our book clubs and we will spotlighting certain books to help those of you who hate, well, picking!😂 For January, I have chosen what to spotlight and going forward, all our paid members can help us choose our spotlights \ \ Cottagecore Gaming Club: \ \ For January, the focus is to play a free game because well we're post holidays and I'd like to always be mindful of this from everyone's side! As a result, we're playing Palia! As a reminder, we are a text based club and chat primarily through discord about our game of the month\ \ Ifrits & Ink: SWANA Book Club Spotlight: \ \ Here is the link to our storygraph Challenge!\ \ \ \ January: Fantasy, Horror & Poetry\ \
- Fantasy: The Book of Heartbreak by Ova Ceren \ \
- Horror: A Guide to the Dark \ \
- Poetry: Forest of Noise by Mosab Abu Toha\ \ \ Cottagecore & Co Spotlights: \ \ Here is the link to this specific storygraph challenge\ \ \ \ Here are our Cottagecore & Co spotlights friends! As we have 6 prompts on storygraph, we are focusing on three sub-genres and one of them ticks three boxes in one go \ \ Here are the picks: \ \
- Mushroomcore: Mexican Gothic by SIlvia Moreno-Garcia\ \
- Cottagecore, Witchycore and Cozy: The Cottage around the Corner by D.L. Soria \ \
- Botanical Horror: Midnight Rooms by Donyae Coles\
\
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I hope you guys decide to join us and read some of the picks or play Palia with us! Dont forget to join discord where the discussions tend to occur with our community \
\
Don't forget to subscribe or upgrade for $5/£3.5 (its the cost of a cup of coffee or if you live in a city in this crazy economy, less than that) OR $12/£8-9 to get access to exclusive perks & help us build become a bindery imprint](https://cozysabie.binderybooks.com/item/RYI9xC73GPpWell6VPOJ/)
January Spotlights: Gaming Club & Book Storygraph Challenges
6 books
Chanterelle Solace\ \ Sabie\ \ • Oct 8 2025
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12 botanical horror books recs to become one with the moss this season👀
Do you read any botanical horror or spooky books for autumn? This is a range from pure botanical horror, to Mushroomcore, and horromance👀
Join my bindery through the 🔗 in my bio for more content like this🤎
Here are most of the botanical horror I’ve read in the past year or so! I am currently also reading Mexican Gothic and Girl in the Creek (both of which I’m enjoying): 🍄 Don’t Let the Forest in 🍄 Graveyard Shift 🍄 Predatory Natures 🍄 Human Scars on Planet Skin 🍄 What Moves the dead (and book 2) 🍄 Eat the ones you Love 🍄 Greenteeth 🍄 Midnight Rooms 🍄 They Bloom at Night 🍄 Swallowed 🍄 My Throat An Open Grave 🍄 Nettle and Bone
Here are the two I am currently reading: 🍄 Mexican Gothic 🍄 Girl in The Creek
Have you read any of them?
#botanicalhorror #horrorbooks #books
14 books
6
Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • Sep 19 2025
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\ \ Join for free or login](https://boozhoo.binderybooks.com/item/AKNY4takZBrImNdu2ivY/)
Ultimate Spooky Season Shopping List
Spooky season is truly all year in this house but I’ll be dropping recs extra extra for the next couple of month!
Let me know which ones you've read and loved? Let me know which ones are on your TBR.
18 books
7
Boozhoo Books\ \ Naomi\ \ • May 19 2025
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Women in Horror. Do our tastes align?
Women in Horror edition! Drop your score below! Did you know that my publishing imprint on Bindery has expanded? We are publishing books by Indigenous authors AND horror books written by women?! And you can help us, by showing up to support (even as a free follower!) I have almost 6,000 followers here and it would be everything if all of you would go and follow me right now! #womneinhorror #horrorbooks #bookrecs
30 books
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Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Oct 27 2024
Recommending my most-recent 5-star reads ✨
These 5 books are my most recent 5-star reads across a variety of genres from gothic fiction to middle grade to fantasy and romance.
Books mentioned:
What was your last 5 star read?
#bookrecommendations #booktoker #vlog #bookvlogger #readingvlog #5starbook #5starbooks #bookreviews
5 books
EGP\ \ Aubrei\ \ • Sep 26 2024
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Please rsvp if you plan to attend!\ \ \ \ https://calendar.app.google/sZgm7zR4ZPE4k8Re6
reminder: september book club meeting!
We are meeting via google meet monday night 9.30 8:00-8:45pm EST.
1 book
1
EGP\ \ Aubrei\ \ • Sep 14 2024
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video check-in time for Midnight Rooms chapters 6-10! We are almost halfway through.. what are your thoughts so far?
1 book
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watch for my spoilery thoughts and theories on chapters 1 through 5 of 'midnight rooms!' cannot wait to hear what you guys think of this book so far👀
1 book
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[september book club: reading schedule \ \ Please feel free to read as quickly/slowly as you wish, this is just for those of us that like to stick to a schedule to stay on track :)\ \ We are chatting away in the discord, if you'd like to join our chat server please connect your discord to bindery so you can share your thoughts with us throughout the month.\ \
- Ch 1-5 (57 pages): Thursday September 5th\
- Ch 6-12: (69 pages): Thursday September 12th\
- Ch 13- 18 (74 pages): Thursday September 19th\
- Ch 19 - 24 (78 pages): Thursday September 26th\
- Ch 25 - End (46 pages): Monday September 30th\ \ First Meeting = Monday September 30th , 8:00pm - 8:45pm EST\ \ Monday, September 30 · 8:00 – 8:45pm\ \ Time zone: America/New_York\ \ Google Meet joining info\ \ Video call link: https://meet.google.com/gdm-jzcc-mox](https://egp.binderybooks.com/item/xeqjNPfcLwJcmI4bxsPg/)
september book club announcement/info!
here is a soft guideline to help you plan your reading of our book club pick (midnight rooms) throughout the month! our first meeting date is live as well!
1 book
2
EGP\ \ Aubrei\ \ • Aug 30 2024
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september book club announcement!
our first pick is ‘midnight rooms’ by donyae coles!
1 book
8
EGP\ \ Aubrei\ \ • Aug 22 2024
Join for free
\ \ Join for free or login](https://egp.binderybooks.com/item/hsBoUKBXHrFeGdAYbpNF/)
september book club: exclusive voting!
one of your perks as an inner circle member is that you get a say in what we read for our book club! our first poll is below :)
3 books
1
Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Jul 2 2024
Happy pub date to two of my favorite 2024 releases!!
🐉 The Night Ends With Fire is a reimagining of Mulan full of magic, romance, and adventure. It’s a quick read with all the makings of an epic fantasy series!
2 books
Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Jul 1 2024
Here's all the books I read in June!!
10 books
2
Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Jun 19 2024
🕯️G I V E A W A Y 🕯️
We’re having a Gothic Grey Gardens summer and I’m gifting TWO people a copy of my must read book of the summer over on @bindery_books!!
1 book
Not So Well Read\ \ Courtney\ \ • Jun 15 2024
Most Anticipated Summer Releases
New books I think you should pick up this summer...
12 books
1