Molten Dusk (The Norse Chronicles #3)

While recovering from a devastating betrayal, Solina becomes increasingly drawn to Thorin as he helps her hunt down Skoll, the mythical wolf who vowed to kill her. If she can find and destroy the beast, she’ll bring a swift and brutal end to her enemies’ schemes. But nothing ever goes as planned in Solina’s strange new world.

During her search for Skoll, Solina uncovers a plot to unleash a battalion of legendary soldiers and launch an apocalyptic war. Before she and her allies can locate the fabled army, several ghosts from her past return to haunt her. Solina must fight for life and the fate of the world, or her hopes for love and a peaceful future will go up in flames.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Molten Dusk by Karissa Laurel has arrived and it does not disappoint fans of The Norse Chronicles series. All of our favorite characters are back and ready for the showdown between the evil Helen Locke and Skoll who want to recreate Ragnarok and Solina, Thorin, and Baldur who want the world as we know it to continue. 

Solina, the incarnation of the Norse sun goddess, is even more stubborn in this installment and her personality adds both humor and lightness to an otherwise dark storyline. As Solina and the son of Thor prepare for the final battle, they must overcome various obstacles that threaten to give Helen the upper hand. But the stakes from the previous books are raised as Thorin and Solina move closer emotionally, and physically, as many readers undoubtedly wanted and expected. With that much more to lose, they are both extremely motivated to defeat Helen and her army of stone golems. It's entertaining and interesting to see how the tough and sharp-tongued Solina begins to let her feelings for Thorin show as the danger threatening her life accumulates. 

As this is probably the final book in The Norse Chronicles, not that I would mind another one, the character development is a little static. For the most part, all of the main characters have reached their peak and are prepared and fully represented. The main thing that is different is that Solina really seems to embrace her powers in this book. It's obvious that she understands them more and she doesn't hesitate to use them. As for the supporting characters, there is more about Skyla's heritage that gets revealed, further expanding a side plot introduced in book two. Also, since readers learned that loveable Val was actually out for revenge in book two, readers get even more closure with that facet of the story... and it's a little sad. 

Another interesting part of the book involves betrayal from the Valkyries. Solina and Thorin have thought that there was a traitor in the midst of the women warriors for a while, and they turn out to be right. This brings Solina's vision from earlier in the series to fruition. My favorite part of the book also included Solina's vision as she finds a woman who can help her make sense of them. Laurel really dives into this ability and it's fascinating, creative, and adds to the fantasy of the book. 

Throughout the series, the main story line involves Helen Locke wanting the wolf, Skoll, to kill Solina so that Ragnorak can be repeated on Earth. Readers obviously don't want this to happen as we've grown to connect with Solina, Thorin, and Baldur over the course of the series. Yet, it's nice that the hunting is coming to a close. Though there are still a few traps that Solina falls into, the final battle is here with Molten Dusk and as I'm pretty picky about climactic endings... I think readers will feel satisfied at the balance Laurel strikes in the final chapters. 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

Read the reviews of books one and two:

     

Teaser Tuesday (280)

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.




Molten Dusk (Kindle 73%)
    - Karissa Laurel

Logically, a night of solid rest would hasten my recuperation, but Val's ghost haunted the quiet moments, and I feared facing his memory more than facing the wolf. 

What's Next, Wednesday (68)

•  To play along share a book you've been looking forward to reading, whether it's new or has been on your reading list for a while.

I'm looking forward to...

Molten Dusk by Karissa Laurel! This is the third book in the Norse Chronicles series and I've been waiting so so patiently for this installment. I cannot wait to see what happens between Solina, the reincarnation of the sun goddess, Thorin, and the wolf trying to kill them. 

Valentine's Day Giveaway

Want to win a free digital Amazon copy of Midnight Burning 
by Karissa Laurel?! 

Here's your chance!

Enter the giveaway and Karissa Laurel could be personally sending you a copy of her amazing fantasy novel, Midnight Burning, the contemporary story of Norse Mythology!





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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Arctic Dawn (Norse Chronicles #2)

Alone and exhausted after her month-long sojourn as a shooting star, Solina Mundy flees to southern California to lie low, recuperate, and plot a survival strategy. The one person she trusts to watch her back is her best friend, Skyla Ramirez. But Skyla has been missing for weeks.

The arrival of a dangerous stranger and the discovery of a legendary weapon of mass destruction forces Solina out of hiding and back into the fight for her life. Solina knows she won’t last long on her own. She must find out what happened to Skyla and unite her contentious allies if she hopes to track down this devastating weapon before her enemies use it to burn the world to ash.

*May Contain Spoilers*

The wait between books was worth it! I love when that happens. Karissa Laurel dives right in to the contemporary continuation of the Norse legends in this sequel, Arctic Dawn. Solina has returned to reality after being something equal to a shooting star for a month, but Skyla is still missing, Helen still wants her dead, Skoll still wants to be the one to kill her, and Solina doesn't know who she can truly trust. 

In this installment, readers will gain an even deeper understanding of Solina as well as the other main players in this life-or-death game. Solina maintains her sharp tongue laced with witty comebacks and sarcastic remarks, while trying to become a stronger opponent. Her intelligence comes into play when she's forced to do more research on the history that threatens her life. Solina's loyalty is one of her biggest strengths, though it's also where she'll be tested the most in this book. Readers will undoubtedly enjoy her stubborn nature paired with her no-one-left-behind mantra. One of the best aspects about Solina's character is that she can be terrified, admit it, and then still focus on what needs to be done. Such a respectable quality that makes her more down to earth as a descendant of the sun goddess. Readers will also enjoy being able to watch as Solina discovers more of her powers, what they let her do, and how she explores them as a part of her self. 

All of the other main characters did survive the first onslaught of the evil Helen. Thorin, descendant of Thor, is still a little mind-rattling, but he's warming up. The little spats between Thorin and Solina are very entertaining even though it's obvious something more is going on between them, under the surface. After they find Thor's hammer, Thorin entrusts it to Solina, showing how much he trusts her and respects her, even if she never agrees with him or follows his instructions. I do wish Skyla played a bigger role in this book as she is one of my favorite characters, though she is missing for most of it. Even though she's absent for quite a bit, more about Skyla's heritage is revealed which makes for interesting genealogical charts. 

The main focus in this book is Surtologi's sword and the fact that everyone wants it. Solina has a vision that this sword will be used by someone, at some random time. The sword, as dangerous as it is, cannot fall into Helen's grasp, as this would help her recreate Ragnarök, which is still her main goal. Solina decides that she needs to be more proactive and decides to hunt down Skoll, hopefully killing him before he kills her. However, a lot of things get in the way and though the formula (battle - run away - regroup - new plan) often repeats itself, it's so entertaining. Especially with the ever evolving character relationships. The only down side to this book is that I think you do need to read the first one to understand what's going on. I think most people would be able to understand the story without the foundation laid in Midnight Burning, but it definitely helps in character connection and overall understanding. 

Now the wait for book three begins...

Rating: 4/5 Cups

Read the review of Midnight Burning

Teaser Tuesday (250)

Welcome to Teaser Tuesday, the weekly Meme that wants you to add books to your TBR, or just share what you are currently reading. It is very easy to play along:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers! Everyone loves Teaser Tuesday.




Arctic Dawn (The Norse Chronicles #2) (Kindle 39%)
   - Karissa Laurel

"Thorin!" I shrieked. 
He spun, bringing Mjolnir around in an arc that connected with the gray wolf. At the same time, a fourth wolf sprinted forward, appearing like a ghost from the darkness.

Synopsis 

Alone and exhausted after her month-long sojourn as a shooting star, Solina Mundy flees to southern California to lie low, recuperate, and plot a survival strategy. The one person she trusts to watch her back is her best friend, Skyla Ramirez. But Skyla has been missing for weeks.
The arrival of a dangerous stranger and the discovery of a legendary weapon of mass destruction forces Solina out of hiding and back into the fight for her life. Solina knows she won’t last long on her own. She must find out what happened to Skyla and unite her contentious allies if she hopes to track down this devastating weapon before her enemies use it to burn the world to ash.

Midnight Burning

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.

*May Contain Spoilers*

 

I'm officially fan-girling over the characters in Karissa Laurel's Midnight Burning. Norse mythology has laid a familial foundation for Laurel's characters and it looks like someone wants history to repeat itself. Specifically... the Ragnarök. Solina Mundy may seem like an innocent bystander, but she refuses to actually be one.

 

Solina Mundy's twin brother was murdered in an Alaskan city and the police investigation has gone cold. She goes against everything she believes herself to be in order to discover what really happened by flying to Alaska. Solina is a simple girl with a knack for witty comebacks. She enjoys baking and living vicariously through her brother, Mani. But she also has horrible nightmares and the one she had about Mani came true. Readers will enjoy Solina's go-get-'em attitude and her dedication to her twin.

 

The supporting cast of characters will also excite readers as the rowdy bunch tries to protect Solina while finding out what's exactly going on. Thorin, Val, and Skyla all worked with Mani before he died at Thorin Adventures, which specialized in outdoor guided trips. Skyla is a total badass. She's a former Marine who doesn't shy away from anything. Thorin is the boss who doesn't warm up quickly but has something going on under that tough exterior. And Val... he's the charmer who has his sights set on Solina. Mix all these different personalities up with deadly werewolves and an evil goddess of the underworld and well, there will be fireworks.

 

The death of Mani is the beginning of this story but not the beginning of the story. Norse mythology and exactly what happened at the first apocalypse has that honor. Solina and her brother are special descendants/reincarnations of Norse figures and had no idea. But someone knew and wanted to repeat history by killing them. To stop that, Thorin, Val, and Skyla (with the help of others) must keep Solina safe. The writing style of this book modernizes the Norse mythology and makes it (pretty) easy to understand. Readers will like the action and adventure mixed with secrets and danger. And after a semi-unexpected ending, I cannot wait for the next book.

 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

Teaser Tuesday (213)



Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of A Daily Rhythm/Books and a Beat. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
• Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers


Midnight Burning (Kindle 26%)
   - Karissa Laurel

They knew something about Mani's murder and who was after me now. They knew something, and by God, I intended to know it, too. Keep your friends close, and your closed-mouth, secretive, and interfering friends even closer.

What's Next, Wednesday (5)

 

•  To play along share a book you've been looking forward to reading, whether it's new or has been on your reading list for a while.

 

 

I'm looking forward to...

 

Midnight Burning by Karissa Laurel. Solina's twin brother is killed and only one person will help her figure out what happened: Skyla. The synopsis hints at wolves and an unlocked power that Solina has. I'm definitely excited for this fantasy/supernatural novel. And it's the beginning of a series, so if it's good then there's more to look forward to.