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Sunday, August 2, 2015

BOOK REVIEW: "Midnight Burning" by Karissa Laurel

















Midnight Burning
By Karissa Laurel
Genre: Urban Fantasy

Book Description

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. Drivento 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.


Author Bio

Karissa Laurel always dabbled in writing, but she also wanted to be a chef when she grew up. So she did. After years of working nights, weekends, and holidays, she burnt out and said, “Now what do I do?” She tried a bunch of other things, the most steady of those being a paralegal for state government, but nothing makes her as happy as writing. She has published several short stories and reads “slush” for a couple of short-story markets.



Karissa lives in North Carolina with her kid, her husband, the occasional in-law, and a very hairy husky. She loves to read and has a sweet tooth for speculative fiction. Sometimes her husband convinces her to put down the books and take the motorcycles out for a spin. When it snows, you’ll find her on the slopes.

Karissa also paints and draws and harbors a grand delusion that she might finish a graphic novel someday.

Follow Karissa Online:



Twitter: @karissalaurel




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BOOK REVIEW:

As much as I love urban fantasy, I still struggle to find something different to read at times. Despite the myriad of authors and books out there, I still search for something new and different. While Midnight Burning isn't different, it's unique. Does that make sense?
We have a woman who has a precognitive dream about her brother's death, and when it comes true she uproots her comfortable life to go and get answers. The first thing I'd like to note is the great descriptive nature of the author. I have never visited Alaska, but I can see the place in my mind. Ms. Laurel really makes you feel as if you're there.
And while the violence that does show up is extremely well-written, it is not overdone in a way that fans will be turned off. It's visual, but not graphic.
I love the Norse mythology inserted into the book (there's a character named Thorin!), and while it has been used before, it has never been used quite in this context.
There are secrets, twists, turns and many gasps as you read this book. It's not just paranormal. There is so much going on, you want to savor every page.

4/5--a really great book!

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