Burning Midnight Book Review

Much like the rest of the book, the title Burning Midnight is in itself a double-edged sword. It refers to the actual burning of the Midnight Blue orb that occurs within the story. It also refers to the darkness and terror (midnight) unleashed by trying to become something you’re not. This, in fact, is a main theme of the book, along with the idea of trust: some of the characters, Hunter in particular, don’t enjoy trusting concepts they can’t control but learn to both accept and defy this within the novel. Speaking of Hunter, the characters within Burning Midnight are compelling and multi-dimensional. None of them are written as a ‘perfect’ person; instead, each have their own issues and shortcomings. This display of humanity creates relatable people within the story and results in a common plot. Though not many people will ever burn a pair of Mustard orbs to increase their IQ, all readers has experienced the precarious balance between morality and survival, even if the survival in question is just regarding comfort. The plot starts slow to develop the characters better, then quickly speeds up to accommodate for the richness of content crammed into three hundred and nine pages. All in all, a thoughtful yet invigorating read.

“Hunter screamed again--a full throated cry, as if something in the tank had its jaws around her leg and was pulling her down….She was clutching something. Something round, bright, and golden. It was a sphere, but too big, and not the right color, because there were no Golds. There were no Golds.”

Recommended for anyone who’s ever had to fight a war to take two steps forward.

-Grace Nask