Solina Mundy lives a quiet life, running the family bakery in her small North Carolina hometown. But one night, she suffers a vivid nightmare in which a wolfish beast is devouring her twin brother, who lives in Alaska. The next morning, police notify her that Mani is dead. Driven to learn the truth, Solina heads for the Land of the Midnight Sun. Once there, she begins to suspect Mani’s friends … know more about his death than they’ve let on. Skyla, an ex-Marine, is the only one willing to help her.
As Solina and Skyla delve into the mystery surrounding Mani’s death, Solina is stunned to learn that her own life is tied to Mani’s friends, his death, and the fate of the entire world. If she can’t learn to control her newfound gifts and keep her friends safe, a long-lost dominion over mortals will rise again, and everything she knows will fall into darkness.
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I remember doing a cover reveal a while back for this book and thought it sounded really interesting. So I followed the book for a while and saw some really great reviews so went ahead and requested a copy of Netgalley. I’m glad that I did, this book is suck a great read and I loved it. It is well written and easy to follow. The characters are very likable and real.
The story keeps you guessing and keeps on the edge of your seat. I loved every minute of this book and wish I could read the next one right now.
I liked that it eases you into the fantasy part, not just throws you in. You slowly discover more and more just as Solina does. I loved Solina, she was such a lovable and relatable character, and she was strong but still had her flaws. What I really liked that she wanted to be independent and not have to depend on someone to safe her. She wanted to learn how to protect herself even with all those strong males around and not just let them handle it. She seemed to be a quick learner even when she didn’t think so at times.
I also enjoyed that we get more than one strong female character in this story without taking away from Solina.
There are some hints at romance and maybe even a triangle. BUT I don’t mind it at all. I loved it. Most know, that I’m not a fan of love triangles but here, it didn’t bother me. Maybe that was because it was subtle and I, myself could not pick a guy. I kept going back and forward between the two.
I did enjoy both Val and Thorin, both had their good and bad sides and I think they balance each other out. Like I said I still have not picked my favorite yet.
We also get some humor and that was also a plus.
The end OH. MY. GOD. All I wanted is the next book, I need to know what will happens next.
Overall, this was a great first book of a new series and I can’t wait to see it continue, I have high hope for the next book or books.
I rate it at 4 ½
This review will be a challenge to write. There were so many things I loved about this story, and so many of them I cannot say because I don’t want to ruin the surprises for potential readers. I have so many comments in the book file, many of which are of me laughing, or saying how much I loved her wording, her characters, her flare, her descriptions.
Over and over again, I made notations about how much I loved her descriptions. They are fun and vivid, making one smile even at the most inappropriate parts of the story, bringing them to life in a way that gives the character so much more depth. Some of the details she thinks to put into the story, like how a towel she had wrapped around her head kept falling over her eyes, though mundane, had a certain power to them because they are so true, the simple truths we all can relate to, and commiserate with. There was only one instance where I felt the description was subpar, and that was when the author initially introduced one of the character’s cars, a CJ-7. I’d never heard of one, and didn’t know it was the precursor to the Wrangler, so had no frame of reference to picture it in my head.
The characterization, like everything else in the story, was vivid, clear and deep. There was a certain irreverent humor, snark, that oozed from the writing, probably part of the reason I found myself smiling so often. I really enjoyed when she made a reference to Stephanie Plum, as I have almost all of Janet Evanovich’s books, and have read them all repeatedly. I liked Thorin, a feeling that great by leaps and bounds through the story as we got to get impressions of what might lie beneath that gruff, even rude exterior. Val, not so much. He’s far too eager, and as the story progressed, I felt frustrated with his repeated advances at the main character. But then, that was the intent. Skyla is sneaky and devious, and yet a great friend, which endeared me to her immensely. She’s kickass awesome.
There was pervasive theme throughout the story: a coming of age. The main character, Solina, has recurring conflicts with her parents, all revolving around her need to leave the nest, and their determination, however well meant, to keep her tied at their apron strings. Throughout the story, she tries to be more like her brother, who managed to break off and start his own life. She tries to find herself, tries to stand up for herself, both literally and metaphorically. This is one of the most fully felt conflicts in the story, even above the threat to her life and to the fate of the world, and what gives the ending so much finality.
Though, I got to say, the idea that much of anyone from North Carolina would care who wins the Super Bowl… is flat out ridiculous. Anyone from NC knows that the only championships that matter are the ACC and NCAA. I think in the twenty years I lived there, I never heard a single person mention a professional sports team. Duke, UNC, State, Wake Forest? Sure, but a professional football team? Get real!
Back to the topic at hand, I want to say something of the parallels I drew with familiar stories, not of other authors, but of much, much older tales. I won’t say which, because really, I don’t want to ruin the surprise. I loved trying to piece it all together, trying to figure out how it all fits from the information that’s presented by the author, and I got very excited every time a new clue arose, every time I figured out a little more of the details.
A word of warning, there’s a small amount of cursing in the story, if that would bother you, but I felt like it was just enough to make it feel more real, give it more life. And speaking of word usage, good God, she used apropos. I could kiss her. It’s probably my single favorite word… and I have no idea why.
I liked the ending, even if certain things were left in the air. The author does a very good job of making it feel like an ending of sorts, but also leaving room open for a sequel. It is not a cliffhanger. There’s a sense of determination, pragmatic hope at the end which grants the book a sense of finality.
I’ve got to say, I had a blast reading this book, and if my work schedule hadn’t had me only half conscious 100% of the time, I would have finished it in a fraction of the time. I looked forward to each opportunity I had to pick the book up again, and felt frustrated when I didn’t have the time or brain power to do so. This would have been a great weekend read, one of those where you eat a nice breakfast, sit down with a good book, and then wonder where the sunlight went.
Source: Free copy from author
Format: Kindle
Midnight Burning had a good and intriguing start, an interesting plot and unique idea behind it. In some ways that was enough for me to enjoy it. However it wasn’t quite there for me. Not enough for me to fall in love with it anyway.
I liked Solina from page one. She was a fun and loving character and it was easy to feel for her, with the pain from the loss of her brother. Like her, Val was too a very loving and enjoyable character. Their friendship felt very natural and it made sense that there were a spark between them considering their compatible personalities. Then there was the mysterious and formal Thorin that ran both hot and cold towards Solina making me ship the hell out of those two. Both Val and Thorin and their growing and complicated relationship with Solina made it very easy to get into the story, to want more. However, it kind of simmered out there. I wouldn’t say the book turned slow paced per say, because a lot of stuff and unanswered questions and mysteries kept coming and twisting the story. That on its own was compelling. But the characters relationships and strained drama was sort of put on the back burner and only touched again later on and way too little for my taste. I don’t know, I guess I’m just a sucker for romance and drama.
Still, I did enjoy the Norse mythology woven into the story. It was new to me since I have never really read a book with that theme. It was cleverly written and spun together with every mayor character playing a part in the mythology aspect. What really drew me in was the secrecy behind Val and Thorin’s origins and power. Even Solina is still of a mystery to both me and herself especially after such a climatic cliffhanger. Having finished the book there still is a lot of unanswered questions and secrets that makes me excited for the next book. I also hope that the romance will be amped up a bit in Arctic Dawn