Blog Tour {Review & Giveaway}—The Midnight Fire series by Kaitlyn Davis

Welcome to one of the last stops in The Midnight Fire  series blog tour, organized by Bewitching Tours.
I got the pleasure to read and review this YA Paranormal Romance series. Click on the individual bookcovers to get the respective book's info and mini-review, or read the series review to avoid spoilers. Be sure to enter the giveaway for the entire Midnight Fire  series in eBook format. Three winners, and it's the last day to enter!

The Midnight Fire series

by Kaitlyn Davis

Genre: Young Adult Paranormal Romance

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Ignite is free! Get your copy now on:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Smashwords

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With her parents unable to continue to pay for boarding school, Kira Dawson must move back to South Carolina and attend public school. Her hometown no longer feels like home, but when she befriends people who are neither part of the "in" crowd nor the outcasts, she discovers not only who she is but also what she is, as well as her rightful place in the world.

The Midnight Fire series started out a little rough for me. Along with needing better editing, it was too reminiscent of Twilight—centuries-old vampires posing as teens and being the high school's foreboding outcasts; the female protagonist moving to a new school, becoming the "shiny, new toy," and loving to cook; the forbidden love with the brooding vampire, as well as a best friend who despises the vampire love interest and whom she needs and can't let go.

But that's where the similarities ended, and while the editing didn't get much better with each book, I still found myself devouring each and picking up the next installment as soon as I finished one. The premise of government-sanctioned, super-power humans protecting others from vampires, as well as the vampires themselves, was unique. Although the young, sweet romance started out too much, too fast, and played a heavy part in the story, it wasn't the purpose or the plot, and it became more realistic with each consecutive book.

Kira Dawson was also a surprisingly strong character and protagonist. I loved how she made her own decisions and that they were what drove the plot. Instead of things happening to her, it was her actions and mistakes that led to every event. She was on a mission, and she wouldn't be deterred, for or by anyone. She payed a lot of consequences, but she picked herself back up immediately.

I adored the love interests, though more Luke, the best friend with his own agenda, than the vampire Tristan—at least, in the beginning. Tristan and Kira together was fun and light, their interaction so easy and heart-warming. Their likeness, as well as mutual respect and fondness for each other, made it clear why they were best friends. But their differences also complemented one another, smoothing out the opposite's rough edges and imperfections. And soon enough, that warm tenderness between the two burned into something HOT. It took me a while to warm up to Tristan and Kira. Part of it was the insta-love; the other part is because I'm more of a non-canon, underdog-kind of girl. But eventually, their relationship had me aching—in good way.

What I appreciated most about these two boys, though, was their respect for Kira. There was no underhanded decisions to do "what's best for her." They gave her time. They gave her space. They let her lead them, as well as her own life, but they also fought. The secrets they kept were not for her own good but because of personal shame or higher duty, because of their own qualms or priorities. I liked what they offered her, what they stood for in respect to Kira's needs, and how their place in Kira's life shifted with all three of their own growths. By the end of the series, the relationships were so much more maturely handled than I had expected that I almost wished otherwise. :) But like I've said before, my favorite flavor is bittersweet.

If you're looking for a quick YA Paranormal read that's a good balance between romance and plot, focusing on a strong female and with a good cast, you might want to check The Midnight Fire series. Despite its need of good editing, I lost myself in Kaitlyn Davis's world and my own nostalgia—an old love for a light, maybe now "traditional" YA vampire story.

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Ignite

Book #1 of Midnight Fire  series

Publication: October 9th 2011 by Kaitlyn Davis

Amazon B & N Smashwords Goodreads

"With one last look, one final search of the lines of his face for some sign, Kira turned and ran away from the sound of the man she loved laughing in the face of her death."

When Kira Dawson moves to South Carolina, she meets Luke, a blond goofball who quickly becomes her best friend, and Tristan, a mysterious bad boy who sends shivers down her spine. Kira knows they're keeping secrets, but when she discovers Tristan's lust for blood and her own dormant mystical powers, Kira is forced to fight for her life and make the heartbreaking decision between the familiar comfort of friendship and the fiery passion of love.

Ignite started as the average YA vampire story for me, with the new girl falling for the mysterious boy who's a vampire. She makes great friends, finds out she's different, and then her life is turned upside down. Despite that her first love is a forbidden one, she defies logic, brushes off reason, and wants to bring her two worlds together. And, there's a love triangle, with the boys being mortal enemies.

But as soon as the author introduced the idea of Conduits, who are humans with Protector or Punisher powers, I was intrigued. The new spin on humans being able to protect themselves, with the power of the sun in their hands, was fun. While the editing needed work, I easily overlooked it because I wanted to know what Kira was, how she would transform, and what happened to her parents.

I would've liked more depth, though. Less insta-love, less predictability and cookie-cutter characters, less quick resolution and told details of the Conduit world. We never get to see or dive into it.

Simmer

Book #2 of Midnight Fire  series

Publication: April 3rd 2012 by Kaitlyn Davis

Goodreads Smashwords B & N Amazon

"Slowly, like a whisper almost blown away in the wind, two words streaked across her mind: 'Kiss me.'"

Kira may have survived the eclipse, but her troubles are far from over. She's headed to Sonnyville with one goal in mind: to learn more about her parents. But with Luke and Tristan competing for her heart and Diana gunning for her head, time is running out on the search for her mother. And the closer Kira gets to answers, the more terrified she becomes. The conduits fear her, the vampires fear her, and Kira is starting to wonder if maybe they're right ...

** WARNING: Spoilers of book one **

Simmer picks up a few months after Ignite, and we get the Protector Conduit community! Kira flies down to Sonnyville with Luke to learn how to control her power and to learn more about her parents. But she doesn't know how the community will take her half-breed status, even though they're Protectors—the segment of the Conduits who vied for her life when the other segment, the Punishers, wanted to kill her, and still might. And Diana is still on the loose. On top of that, Kira has to look for her mother, figure out what it means to be a half-breed, and sort through her feelings for Luke.

I really liked this installment. Though the editing still hasn't improved, the flow and execution has. The plot was much deeper, the tension thicker and the stakes higher. While there's still the love triangle, it didn't dominate the story, and I actually felt for all the characters. The character development was better and, though the book was short, so was the pacing. The action really picked up. We get some answers on Kira's ability, but more questions too.

Blaze

Book #3 of Midnight Fire  series

Publication: September 26th 2012 by Kaitlyn Davis

Amazon B & N Smashwords Goodreads

“Kira gulped, unable to stop the growing sense that everything in her world was about to change.”

With Aldrich’s note burning a hole in her pocket, Kira is off to England to finally reunite with her birth mother. But what begins as a dream quickly turns to a nightmare and Kira is left questioning everything she has ever known. Can she be the conduit Luke wants her to be? Can she be the rebel Tristan needs her to be? Or is she something else? Something no one, not even Aldrich, ever saw coming ...

** WARNING: Spoilers of book one and two **

Blaze is my favorite book in the series so far. The writing was much smoother, the action more intense, the emotions higher, and the plot even deeper than the previous books. Kira's powers have grown, and she's scared, not only of them but what it could mean for her future with Tristan as well. She has to make a choice, but first, she needs to find her mother.

When she goes to England to meet her, she's in for a lot of shocking surprises, and the twists and turns are fabulous! I had my suspicions, but sometimes I really wondered if I was wrong. I wanted to believe the villainous Aldrich and that he could change. I expected the predictable and got anything but. I gasped at the ending, completely floored by the turn of events.

The love-triangle continues but was fantastic. Though I was previously a big supporter of Luke, I found myself leaning toward Tristan. He was humanized, made more real and believable. The connection between him and Kira was as apparent as her and Luke's—finally. If I'm getting another love triangle in YA fiction, I want to be gut-wrenchingly torn, and I was in Blaze. The ending ... gah!

Scorch

Book #4 of Midnight Fire series

Publication: April 5th 2013 by Kaitlyn Davis

Goodreads Smashwords B & N Amazon

"All it did was remind Kira that time was running out. That she needed to choose. Or a lot more than a forest would burn. The whole world would crumble."

Aldrich escaped ... again. Tristan forgot ... everything. And Luke, well, Luke was getting more than a little impatient. But those were the least of Kira’s concerns, because something else happened in England—something she was trying desperately to forget. A wedge of evil had lodged itself in her heart, a little black hole had nestled into her flames, and it wasn’t going away—not anytime soon ... and maybe not ever.

Scorch, like Blaze, was fantastic. I don't want to spoil any of it, so I'm just going to say:

The plot and emotional tension was amped on high. I really felt the war within Kira. The author did a superb job describing the inner turmoil of the light battling the darkness. Not only could I envision it, but I could feel it too. The action was well paced, with great description. Previous characters make appearances, and we get our answers. And talk about major FEELS ... *flails* I wanted to hug Tristan, to run my hands all over him to make sure he was real and because he was so darn endearing. I wanted to hold Kira's hand when she made the biggest decisions of her life, as well as scream her to not give up. Luke ... well, he was Luke—Kira's rock, her light. While he didn't change or grow in some astounding way, I still adored him.

What a great ending to a series! *throws HEA-confetti, showering it all over the place*

eARC provided by Kaitlyn Davis via Bewitching Books Tours.
Thank you!

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Kaitlyn Davis

Her Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Kaitlyn Davis graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Writing Seminars. She's been writing ever since she picked up her first crayon and is overjoyed to finally share her work with the world. She currently lives in New York City and dreams of having a cockapoo puppy of her own.

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