Midnight Burning (Norse Chronicles, #1)

by Karissa Laurel

When the police notify Solina Mundy that her twin brother, Mani, is dead, she heads for Alaska. 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.

• ISBN10: 1940215501
• ISBN13: 9781940215501
• Publish Date: 30 May 2016 (first published 7 July 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Red Adept Publishing
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 278
• Language: English

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

Vikings and Norse mythology.  Almost enough 'said.   Unfortunately there's a love triangle and it's one of the super annoying kind, with a self-centred ass with puppy dog eyes (Val) as one point of the triangle.  The bull-in-a-china-shop kind of alpha.  The other point of the triangle was Thorin - Thor's son, so we all know whose side I was on.   It's a good story; once I started I was loathe to put it down, but watching Val bluster about, trying to boss and bully Solina, got old long before the book was half-way over.  Thorin wasn't much better but at least he improved, while Val just become worse.   This is book 1 and it's not meant to work as a stand-alone.  There isn't a cliffhanger but there isn't any resolution either and the ending left me annoyed and feeling like another over worn trope was going to be the center of book 2.  Fake death anyone?   Not sure if I'll get the next book or not; I'm invested in the characters, but I'm not sure I trust the author not to screw with them beyond my (personal) definition of reading entertainment.

[Baroness Book Trove]

Wow. Midnight Burning was just wow. It was so wonderfully written and each time I had to leave that world to do my chores, tend to my cat, or even just to do normal things I was wishing I was back in the book learning more about what is happening to poor Solina.

The whole book is written in Solina’s point-of-view which is really cool as it gives us insight into her character and allows us to see the world through a baker’s eyes as she is thrust into doing things that she normally never does and leaves that to her twin brother who unfortunately has died about four months prior to the book starting. There was so much stuff going on in this book that I felt bad for poor Solina as she was basically pushed into this world because of her brother’s death and the whole thing that she was the one that lead him to Alaska from a dream that she had of him using powers that Mani probably thought he could learn about there in Alaska. The whole reason with why Solina wanted to go to Alaska, or at least the reason she told her parents, was so that she could pack up his things and send them home, closure. She never really told them that she wanted to do something about her brother’s murder.

We met a whole lot of different characters and sees each of them showing more of their personality throughout the whole book and when they interact with Solina. The one that we truly see a transformation in for personality is Solina. She goes from this timid goodie goodie girl to one that will keep the ones that she loves at arm’s length to not let them get hurt after she figures out who she is and what that means for her to do. I was happy and glad to see her transformation throughout the book as it made her a better person for this whole new world that she was just dumped into unwillingly.

Another person that took a 360 to me was Val Wotan. He was first shown as both Mani’s best friend and co-worker who cared for Solina and Mani. After that though he started to show that he was jealous of the time she spent with Thorin but that he was possessive of her as well. My first impression of this guy was wow this guy is hot and I don’t blame Solina for liking him and then we started to see more of his personality that seemed to lean toward this jealousy and possessiveness of him that no one would ever think was in him. I liked him but then I wasn’t sure what to think of Val. I was thinking that maybe Val did love Solina and doesn’t want to lose her like he did Mani but why would he be jealous of Thorin then? I just don’t know what to think of Val and I hope in the next book that Val isn’t so possessive of Solina but then who knows especially with what happened at the end of this book.

The person that Mani and Val worked for is M. Aleksander Thorin who is the owner of Thorin’s Adventure Outfitter’s in Siniqui, Alaska. Of course Thorin kept Solina at arm’s length throughout the whole book but at certain times he would show his true self. That is a caring person that wanted to be with Solina but didn’t want his feelings get in the way and take a hold of him if something did happen to Solina. My first impression of Thorin was that he didn’t like Solina, as he tried many times to get her to go back to North Carolina before what happened to her brother happened to her, but with Solina being stubborn it never happened and Thorin just never really lets down his guard around her. Well that is until she learns the truth of him and Val then he kind of does but not really. Now I’m starting to think that maybe Solina might end up with Thorin one day once this threat over Solina’s life is done.

Another person that I loved from the first moment she was introduced would be Skyla Ramirez. Skyla has this tough girl exterior which is really true as she has tattoos and piercings. However, once she and Solina gets a friendship going Skyla is more than that. Sure she still acts all tough but she is also sarcastic and stubborn and would fight for someone that she loves which is always a good thing. Especially since it is the “fight for someone that she loves” which is what drove her and Solina, two unlikely friends, to become best friends while trying to figure out who murdered Mani since the police isn’t doing anything. Skyla is also the one that connected everything that is happening to Norse mythology as it so happens that a lot of those gods are kind of still around.

While Solina and Skyla where being detectives, like Holmes and Dr Watson or Nancy Drew and Stephanie Plum, they find out a lot of interesting things and the two of them have come up with two likely culprits for Solina’s brother’s murder. Harold Hati and Adam Skoll. Adam Skoll because of what Skyla saw Adam do in the parking lot at some bar. Harold Hati because no one liked him when he was working at Thorin’s business. Harold got what was coming for him when he and Adam tried to make their move on Solina, Skyla, and two Valkyries that were helping Solina out. Adam and Harold didn’t do this on their own and with the help of Thorin, and a little bit of Val, Solina finds out that it was by someone else.

Another character that I didn’t like would be Helen Locke. Just her name makes me dislike her. She is someone that knows Thorin because of some business interactions that they had with each other. Helen looks like a sexier Cruella de Vil according to Solina but unlike Cruella she has two different eye colors one blue and one brown. She is also someone that can act sweet for one person while acting like a bitch to another at the same time. Helen also doesn’t like Solina and I hope that in furture books that Solina is able to do something to Helen.

Everything about this book was so good and I am happy that I was asked to read it. I can’t wait to see what Solina does in the next books. I give this book five butterflies and totally would tell anyone that ask me which book I loved the most this year (so far anyway) would be this one and I would recommend it to them to read.

Anyways until the next time enjoy this book review brought to you by

Baroness’ Book Trove.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE AUTHOR ASKED ME TO READ AND GIVE AN HONEST REVIEW FOR THIS BOOK!

To read other reviews like this one please visit my blog: baronessbooktrove.com

[brokentune]

"I inventoried my attire: one huge T-shirt bearing the logo of Thorin Adventure Outfitters. The T-shirt was the entirety of my wardrobe. Inventory concluded.
“After you help me to the couch, your mission is to find me some pants,” I said. “I don’t even want to know how I got in this state.”
“Thorin—” Skyla began, but I signaled for her to hush.
“Like I said, I don’t want to know.” "

I admit that I bought this book purely because I love the cover. Yes, I am that fickle. This isn't even a genre I normally read, and to date is probably the only paranormal urban fantasy book I have read.
What is even more surprising is that I really liked this story of a young girl travelling to Alaska to pack up the belongings of her brother who recently died under strange circumstances.
Once she arrives, Solina is drawn into the wild world that her brother was part of and decides to find out more about his death. This comes at a high cost as Solina's own life is threatened by forces beyond her expectations.
Seriously, this storyline would have had me running for the hills. In the book's own words:

"It was about as believable as a lion wearing bunny ears."

However, the story was written in such a funny and charming way that I found it really engaging - the book did not try to be literary fiction and instead embraced being a fun read:

"She unlocked a door and towed out a silver and neon-green kayak. “This is Molly.” “Your kayak has a name?”
“It’s good luck.”
“I thought that was only for ships.”
“Shhh,” Skyla said, patting her boat. “She thinks she is a ship.” "

And just when I thought the story would turn into your middle of the road werewolf legend, Midnight Burning hooked me Norse mythology that was detailed enough to make want to research further legends of the same origin. Norse mythology - who'd have thought it could work even though the setting of Alaska was a bit odd in this context?

The only disappointment I felt was the end, which was not satisfying my need for closure and obviously is supposed to open the story to a sequel. I am not a reader of series and had I known that this story was going to spill over into a sequel or series, I would have passed on reading this - the lovely cover notwithstanding.

So, 1 star taken off for a rubbish ending.

"I had put my foot down and bent three ancient heroes to my will. Thorin even condescended to make a pot of coffee. Suck on that, Wonder Woman."