Midnight Sky

Dark Sky #2

by Amy Braun

There are secrets, there are betrayals, and there are sacrifices…

The Behemoth has been destroyed, and the bloodthirsty Hellions seem to have left Westraven. But Claire Abernathy’s mind is not at ease. A terrible disease plagues her sister, appearing to have been brought on the Vesper, the leader of the Hellions beyond the tear between worlds– the Breach.

To save Abby and stop the Hellions for good, Claire must find the machine her parents built before the attacks, and fix it before the monsters return. To do so, she needs the help of her crew, and must ignore the secrets and rivalries between her captain and the man she saved.

Because the Hellions are not the only dangers following Claire. Twisted humans and old enemies surface to stop her and destroy all she loves. While she is determined to endure the trials, a single betrayal could shatter the hope of a better world, and force Claire to make a choice that will cost her dearly…

Genres: Steampunk, Young Adult, Fiction, Science Fiction, Dystopia, Urban Fantasy

338 pages, Paperback

First published May 27, 2016

About the author

Amy is a Canadian urban fantasy and horror author. Her work revolves around monsters, magic, mythology, and mayhem. She started writing in her early teens, and never stopped. She loves building unique worlds filled with fun characters and intense action.

When she isn’t writing, she’s reading, watching movies, taking photos, gaming, struggling with chocoholism and ice cream addiction, and diving headfirst into danger in Dungeons & Dragons campaigns. Amy can be found online on Facebook (www.facebook.com/amybraunauthor/) Twitter (@amybraunauthor) and Instagram (@amybraunauthor)

Reviews

[Dianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plan on needing a cooldown period after reading Amy Braun’s Midnight Sky. Non-stop, as in no slowing down, action, tension and a touch of denied romance highlight each page as Claire seeks to recover her mother’s message from the grave that could mean the difference between the life and death of Earth’s population. Blood has become Earth’s most precious natural resource for the monster/vampires race that has come from beyond the gateway of a world that makes Hell look like a tropical paradise. A terrified world is being devoured, brutalized and drained at the hands of evil. Two brothers will fight each other to the death if necessary, one to redeem his family name and the other to please his blood-thirsty master. But the fate of the world is in the hands of Claire, a young engineer who must try to stop the carnage her parents accidentally let loose.

Alliances will be formed, but can everyone be trusted? When Claire’s young sister, now freed from the clutches of evil begins to transform into a blood-sucking monster, time is running out of Claire to keep the one promise she made to her mother, to keep her sister safe. Claire is brilliant, feisty and running out of time to do what couldn’t be done, her own life or death version of Mission Impossible, all she needs is just a little more time but the hordes are coming and she has only the Marauders to hold them off. As this ragtag band of space pirates stand alone against the forces of the ultimate evil, the rest of the world cowers in fear. Will they be able to give Claire the time she needs or will all be lost to the Midnight Sky?

Best cardio workout in a while and all from the comfort of my chair! Amy Braun takes no prisoners, no shortcuts and spares no sensitive constitutions as blood is spilled, death is delivered and even the smells of battle will fill your senses. Steampunk meets Science Fiction meets Dark Fantasy and the results are explosive!

I received an ARC edition from Amy Braun in exchange for my honest review.

Series: Dark Sky - Book 2
Publisher: Amy Braun (August 2, 2016)
Publication Date: August 2, 2016
Genre: Steampunk | Science Fiction YA
Print Length: 223 pages
Available from: Amazon |  Barnes & Noble
For Reviews & More: http://tometender.blogspot.com

[Cassandra (Thebookishcrypt) · Rating 4 out of 5]

*ARC provided by author in exchange for an honest review*
I forgot what number book this was that I've read by Amy but I've said this before and will do so again: One thing, out of the many, that I can count on to be in Amy's books is absolute brutality. She doesn't make her characters take the easy way out and it's something that doesn't fail to impress me. This book starts right in the middle of the action and the roller coaster doesn't let up.
This is the second book in the Dark Sky series and we follow another strong heroine. It's something Amy is no stranger to. Our heroine is trying to amend her parent's mistakes while also trying to save herself and her sister from demise. I swear, my respect for our heroine, Claire, just keeps growing, especially in this installment. She is badass, smart, headstrong, and will go through great lengths in order to ensure her loved one's safety.
As amazing as our main character is, I am seriously falling for our side characters too. I mean, I fell for Sawyer the minute I met him but that's beside the point. I just really love how Gemma and Nash's dynamic is something I can always count on. They found love, each other, and have stuck together through thick and thin. Well, mostly thick, considering the gruesome chaos Earth is in. Their relationship is the rock in the story, at least for me.
I really, really, want to talk about Sawyer and all my thoughts that went through while witnessing his actions but I can't without giving away spoilers. So I'll just mention that I am so proud of him for doing what he did almost at the end. AHHH!! It made me shed tears and it made me cheer out loud for him. After that, I want the third book in my hands already!!! I only ever wanted him to be happy and he needs to cut it out and listen to me- I mean Claire.
At certain points the story was slightly predictable but it was still interesting to see the plot line play out. BUT, there was a certain part of the story that I thought I had pegged from the very beginning but it turned out that yes, I was right, but I was also very wrong. And because of that, I grew to pity a character I was never a fan of. It makes my heart hurt just thinking about it.
I can't wait to see what other situations Claire gets into and engineers her way out of. (Pun intended) Also, I NEED those short stories like yesterday!!! Especially Sawyer's.

[Betwixt the Pages · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are secrets, there are betrayals, and there are sacrifices…

The Behemoth has been destroyed, and the bloodthirsty Hellions seem to have left Westraven. But Claire Abernathy’s mind is not at ease. A terrible disease plagues her sister, appearing to have been brought on the Vesper, the leader of the Hellions beyond the tear between worlds– the Breach.

To save Abby and stop the Hellions for good, Claire must find the machine her parents built before the attacks, and fix it before the monsters return. To do so, she needs the help of her crew, and must ignore the secrets and rivalries between her captain and the man she saved.

Because the Hellions are not the only dangers following Claire. Twisted humans and old enemies surface to stop her and destroy all she loves. While she is determined to endure the trials, a single betrayal could shatter the hope of a better world, and force Claire to make a choice that will cost her dearly…

Rating: 4.75/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: OW, MY HEART! No, seriously, I'm pretty sure it just snapped into a trillion tiny pieces; once again, vampires versus pirates!; annoying love triangle used for plot; creeptastic characters and situation; THAT ENDING SHATTERED ME!; the idiot character stops being an idiot only to have the entire world fall to pieces

HUGE thanks to Amy Braun and Xpresso Book Tours for granting me early access to this title in exchange for an honest review! This in no way altered my opinions of or read on this book.

"You really didn't think you would come back here?" Sawyer asked softly. "Ever?"

I shook my head. "After my mother told me to take Abby and run, I never looked back. I never thought I would have to." I looked down, clutching my knees tighter to my chest. "Guess the past catches up to you."

"It never really leaves," he agreed quietly. "We just blind ourselves to it."

AND I SWEAR, THAT ENDING! I might look calm and collected on the outside, but guys, I am screeeeeeching so loud on the inside right now. I can't even. I don't want to. I just... NO. No, give me these cinnamon roll characters and let me hug them close and love them for the rest of forever and tell them everything will be juuuuust fine. Let me do that, won't you?! Because I cannot even with that cliffhanger ending. I just can't, and you can't make me. I refuse.

Seriously though--this series? You NEED this series in your life. Let me just word-vomit a few things here to tell you why you need this series in your life, yes? Okay. Let's see. Vampires. Pirates. Steampunk. Alternate worlds. Aliens. Vampire aliens. Steampunk pirates. The sweetest love of EVARRRRRR. Strong family connections. SO. MUCH. DRAMA. Action/adventure. ...Is that good enough for you yet? No? Well then.

"It's not your fault, Claire. It never was."

"Then why does it hurt?" Why did my heart feel like lead?

He turned me so I was facing him, staring into kind blue eyes and a smile that warmed every inch of me.

"Because you care. You want to do the right thing." His smile wavered. "But the right thing is never easy, and sometimes it doesn't take the form you think it will."

These characters are sassy, stubborn, and strong-willed. They breathe life across every page. They seep beneath your skin and wrap themselves around your veins. You will be rooting for them before you even realize what's happening--trust me, this is a thing! These characters are, in my opinion, EVERYTHING I could ever ask for in a book--and more. Of course, there was one character I was very disgruntled with at the end of book one...and for pretty much the entirety of this book...who FINALLY, FINALLY! saw the light and took his head out of his butt, only to have the entire world fall apart around him. Because booooooo, that happens. But YAY for other things that happened before the world blew up! (I know, I know, this literally makes no sense but...SPOILERS!)

And this story! THIS. STORY! It is action/adventure taken to extremes. There is, obviously, a love story happening. There is a love triangle that, sadly, was used to propel the plot further. There is jealousy, and drama, and angst, and betrayal, and battles, and heartache, and.... Gah, pretty much every emotion you could imagine comes into play in these books in some way, and it's beautiful. Also, they're very quick reads--I finished both Crimson Sky and Midnight Sky in pretty much one short sitting, and didn't even realize I was speeding through them until I hit the 90% mark and blinked around like a lunatic.

When Davin opened his jaws, I saw death. It was a black cavern filled with swords and smelled like blood. The moment those jaws clamped onto my throat, I felt that death.

Basically, these books are gold, and everybody needs to read them. Because I said so. They're entertaining, quick to get through, and filled with snarky action scenes. You won't regret picking this series up, guys, so if you're into steampunk pirates, alien vampires, and emotionally-charged battles... Well, DO IT! Do it and don't look back--I certainly won't be! (But...now I am desperate for book three, and we all know how patient I am. Which is not at all. BOOK THREEEEE, I NEED YOU!)

[Elyzabeth Valey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As riveting as the first! Adventure, love, betrayal... it kept me hooked from beginning to end. Can't wait to read the conclusion to this trilogy. It's a must read!

[The Book Junkie Reads . . . · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire’s quest continues and it has grown and have become even more clouded with secrets, betrayals, sacrifices and a possible triangle that could change more than what should be changed. Here we are back at the fight to make a wrong right again or at least make it better. Young Claire has her hands full with all that must be done to put the world back on a path cleared for the human race.

I found more drama, more action, more deceit, more betrayals, more secrets, just more. I was pulled in and wanting to know what was next. I turned each page excited to find what was held within.

Claire continues to move forward in life and make the decisions that need to be made to move them on to the next big step. Along the way she has to contend with her sister and a promise to her mother. There are outside forces working against her and her rag-tag group of misfits.

This time around I focused in on all the secondary character that were there before and newly introduced. I found more to be held captive by. Claire was most certainly a strong-willed, abled body female. She did what it took to do what needed to be done. I am looking forward to where things go to next and how the overall plot connects, grow, and conclude.

[Penny lurkykitty · Rating 5 out of 5]

The non-stop adventure continues for Claire, her sister, and her Marauder friends in the strange apocalyptic steampunk world of Aon. I would recommend reading Crimson Sky first as it makes it much easier to understand what happens in Midnight Sky. In this novel we discover how the rift between Aon and the Hellion world was opened. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but got just a little irritated with how much time was spent on the Sawyer emotional unavailability angst. There's a good twist at the end a major cliffhanger which will leave you itching for the next book.
This series makes me want to check out other books by Amy Braun.
I received a copy of Midnight Sky from Xpresso Book Tours in return for an honest review. Thanks!

[Boundless Book Reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again, Amy Braun did not disappoint; a wonderful addition to Crimson Sky, the first book. This book is well written to allow for optimum suspense. My favorite characters were back and better than before. I loved how the drama and romance are thrown into the story at just the right time. Overall, the story was great. I should add that even though this is part of a series it reads alone excellently.  Another 4 Boundless stars book from Braun....Beth

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[Remi Hart · Rating 3 out of 5]

As before I really enjoyed reading this novel and am looking forward to reading the final part. My usual comments are as follows.

I am a bit confused about the timeline. If I remember correctly Amber Sky took place 8 years after the Storm and Crimson sky 2 years later (I think) and Midnight sky 3 years after that (5 years since Nash escaped the Dogs). So Midnight sky is set 13 years after the Storm, but in the book it's still written as 10 years after. It also seems a bit weird that so much time passed between the two novels and nothing really happened, especially given Abby's condition.

I also found it strange that they couldn't find the Meridian, which supposedly covered 1/4 of the Barren.

This might be expanded upon in the final book, but for now: the Vesper had a human bone crown. Are there humans in their dimension? If not what were they feeding on before the rift opened?

[Raven_Blake (dreamy addictions) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Same Review Also Posted In My Blog:Dreamy Addictions

I received an ARC from the publisher/author via Xpresso book tours in exchange for my honest review.

* Contains Minor Spoilers if you haven’t read the first book *

Midnight Sky is a nice continuation to the series. There were some ups and downs in this book but eventually I ended up liking it. The secrets and mysteries that are left unanswered in the first book are finally revealed in this sequel which definitely added an intrigue to the plot. One thing that I didn’t expected from this series is the typical triangle that was portrayed in it. I wouldn’t mind a triangle as long as it doesn’t bother my enjoyability of the story.

After they destroyed the hellions giant ship behemoth, the dauntless crew is now on the search for the mysterious machine that Claire’s parents has built to close the breach. Claire is now one more step close to fulfill her destiny but it seems her troubles are increasing with her sister being infected by a mysterious virus that is brought by Vesper, the leader of the hellions who holds a personal grudge towards her parents. To save her sister and all the people of Westraven from these blood thirsty monsters, Claire needs to find the machine before it’s too late.

Claire is a strong character who is brave, stubborn and loyal. Her relationship with her sister is quite admirable and I liked seeing her growing more strong with each turn of the page. Sawyer is another character that I liked in this book. His hot and cold personality definitely confused me but either way I liked him. Riley is the newest addition to the dauntless crew. He is saved from the behemoth during their rescue mission to save Claire’s sister. He is a mysterious character with so many secrets and very hard to connect to. The triangle between Claire, Sawyer and Riley might get on some people’s nerves but it was worth continuing. The relationship between Claire and sawyer is a bit complicated but you can definitely feel the tension that is hard to ignore. The Secondary characters Gemma and Nash are also great characters. Gemma is totally kickass in this book and I always liked her fiestiness. The romance is very light in this book but there is lots of drama and action to enjoy.

The plot is engaging and entertaining. It started a bit slow at the start but eventually the story turned interesting and I was hooked. The pacing is also great and I was never left bored especially with all the twists in the plot. The writing is good and easier to read. The world building is simply great and I’m craving to explore more of this world cause I’m total sucker for dystopian worlds.

Overall, it was a great read filled with adventure, action and light romance. Yep, I would definitely continue the series. The book finally concluded with a cliffhanger that was totally unpredictable and I’m dying to know what’s gonna happen next.

[Brooke Banks · Rating 2 out of 5]

After acclimating with Crimson Sky, I was much more hopeful going into Midnight Sky. Alas, it was revealed this is probably not the series for me though it's still recommendable to others.

It took a while to warm up to Claire and Sawyer in the first installment, Crimson Sky and all the progress I made evaporated with the general obtuseness of the characters amid an obvious plot and typical love triangle. I was exhausted with Claire not getting Sawyer despite it being crystal clear and how the whole crew blundered from problem to problem.

Even Claire’s sweet dedication to her sister Abigail was affected by this. I’m torn. Intellectually I forgive them for not understand what was happening because they didn’t know any better but my emotional reading experience is summed up with “omfg, come ON!”

I really wanted to enjoy Midnight Sky. There IS plenty to enjoy with the new world, its take on vampires and all the action. It explores it strong points, shores up the overarching plot, and the characters continue on evolving paths.

 No matter what was happening, I loved Claire’s plans and last minute save the day antics. I usually couldn’t figure out where her mind was going and enjoyed her work. I wish she was more like her crisis mode in the day-to-day. That’s when she’s decisive, committed, and doesn’t get in her own damn way.

I wish I could recommend Midnight Sky wholeheartedly but it’s not meant to be; this series isn’t for me. However, I think other people, especially Gaslamp and paranormal romance fans, will enjoy it more than me because it has so many popular elements. It’s not bad, but I couldn’t get past my own hang ups with foreseeing the plot and romance issues to sit back and enjoy the ride.

If you enjoyed Crimson Sky, you should continue the series. If you were in the middle of the pack like I when rating, it’s a 50-50 shot. If you have issues with typical love triangles dominating interactions and propelling the plot or can’t become absorbed in a formulaic plot, I wouldn’t recommend this book.

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here we go again! Claire is back in Midnight Sky, the second book in the Dark Sky series.

It seems the danger has resolved and now Claire can focus on her sister, Abby. But, there are consequences of her actions to save her sister and Riley. Vesper, the baddie, is telepathic and that means bad news. Claire is also facing some uncomfortable rivalries, secrets and must find a machine her parents created that could be the answer to defeating the Hellions.

This one ends on a cliff-hanger! I kind of yelled (or maybe growled) when I reached the end knowing I have to wait until the next book to find out what happens. However, that is a sure sign of a great book.

Grab this one! You won't regret it.