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***Work previously published as Midnight Fire of the Rise of the Dark Angel Series***
Have you planned for the end of the world as you’ve always known it? Do you have everything you will need for not only you to survive, but those you love to make it too? Or do you just stumble along blindly, thinking that all the modern conveniences we are so used to and rely upon will always be there? We never expect the worst. But that’s what’s about to happen …
Larry Light knows an attack is immanent but his family has no clue what’s about to come down upon them.
Phoenix is in school, laughing about boys, playing with friends, and living a normal life until suddenly her world collapses as her father gives her minutes to pack one bag with her favorite possessions.
Packing up, the television blares in their home they are being forced to leave as war ravages the streets all around them. They are under attack.
Moving through the fire and smoke, they travel into the woods where a vast cave has been built to house them and any others they can save. But there is so much more going on around them than anyone could ever possibly imagine.
People want them dead, including Jayden, who Phoenix will meet in the darkness of night. Will she be able to turn his cold heart before he destroys them all? Or has her fate already been decided?
Enjoy the new, exciting young adult series “Midnight Fire” by New York Time best-selling author, Melody Anne
Have you planned for the end of the world as you’ve always known it? Do you have everything you will need for not only you to survive, but those you love to make it too? Or do you just stumble along blindly, thinking that all the modern conveniences we are so used to and rely upon will always be there? We never expect the worst. But that’s what’s about to happen …
Larry Light knows an attack is immanent but his family has no clue what’s about to come down upon them.
Phoenix is in school, laughing about boys, playing with friends, and living a normal life until suddenly her world collapses as her father gives her minutes to pack one bag with her favorite possessions.
Packing up, the television blares in their home they are being forced to leave as war ravages the streets all around them. They are under attack.
Moving through the fire and smoke, they travel into the woods where a vast cave has been built to house them and any others they can save. But there is so much more going on around them than anyone could ever possibly imagine.
People want them dead, including Jayden, who Phoenix will meet in the darkness of night. Will she be able to turn his cold heart before he destroys them all? Or has her fate already been decided?
Enjoy the new, exciting young adult series “Midnight Fire” by New York Time best-selling author, Melody Anne
301 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2012
325 people are currently reading
2864 people want to read
About the author
Melody Anne
143 books5,040 followersNobody likes sexy men, sassy heroines, and emotionally charged books, right? WRONG! We all want to feel extraordinary when we read, and that's exactly what you'll get when you pick up a Melody Anne book. She has the feel-good stories of a damsel in distress with prince charming riding in to save the day . . . and she also has emotionally charged books that take you through a journey of emotion as you try to figure out if you love or hate the characters as they find themselves. What you get at the end of every Melody Anne book is a resolution that has you begging for more.
Melody Anne is a NYT best selling author of more than 70 books about strong women, strong families, and sexy strong men. Each series has its own theme, and each is different. Melody touches subjects others might not want to touch and you won't get away from reading one of her series without laughing, crying, and thinking about the journey you've just gone on even months later.
See her website and subscribe to her newsletter or text messaging service at: www.melodyanne.com. She makes it a point to respond to her fans. You can also join her on facebook at: www.facebook.com/authormelodyanne, or on Instagram and TikTok @authormelodyanne. Also, follow her blog at authormelodyanne.blogspot.com. Come say hello and peek beneath the covers of her books to go to a whole new world.
Melody Anne is a NYT best selling author of more than 70 books about strong women, strong families, and sexy strong men. Each series has its own theme, and each is different. Melody touches subjects others might not want to touch and you won't get away from reading one of her series without laughing, crying, and thinking about the journey you've just gone on even months later.
See her website and subscribe to her newsletter or text messaging service at: www.melodyanne.com. She makes it a point to respond to her fans. You can also join her on facebook at: www.facebook.com/authormelodyanne, or on Instagram and TikTok @authormelodyanne. Also, follow her blog at authormelodyanne.blogspot.com. Come say hello and peek beneath the covers of her books to go to a whole new world.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
January 31, 2014
This is the first time I have ever given up on a book at 10%. But yup. DNF at 10%. I couldn't go a page farther.
The Characters:
The main girl's name is Phoenix Light. No, I'm not making that up. She's a regular girl from regular suburbia, but her parents named her Phoenix effing Light. She spaces out frequently, writes a ton in a notebook and has some sort of knack for finding herbs in the woods. Whatever.
We also have Josiah, which is God. And Vyco, which is Satan. Neither of these guys, although in several scenes, are ever given a description. We have pages and pages of them speaking to one another, leaning on heir hips, nodding. All kinds of crap. But never once are we told what they look like. Dafuq?
The only person who is ever described, (because not even Phoenix gets a little detail) is some guy named Brian. And here's what we're treated to as his introduction:
"All the girls were in love with Brian and he seemed to eat up the attention. Brian was eighteen, a few inches above six feet tall, with a thick, athletic build that most guys his age couldn't possibly achieve. His dark brown hair had a natural wave to it, and his smoky blue eyes completed his look of perfection like the cherry on top of a delicious milk shake. He was devastatingly handsome."
*vomits on Kindle*
We have absolutely NO idea what anyone looks like except this Adonis! WTF? How can I possibly picture any of this without some sort of hint. At least a hair color! Eye color! Something!
The Plot:
Fuck if I know. I couldn't get far enough into it to find out. From what I gathered in the many vague, detail-less convos between Josiah and Vyco, Josiah made Earth from different races all over the planet to prove they could all coexist. Well, that worked out well, didn't it?
Vyco points out how humans will always choose darkness over light, and that without Josiah's constant intervention, Earth would fall into ruin and humans would kill each other off. The Devil says that by interfering, Josiah is actually messing with his own law of Free Will. So somehow, God agrees to give the Devil ten years of keeping his hands off Earth to prove his precious humans will be good little lambs and not turn evil. If Josiah's people stay good, Vyco has to leave and go to some other world. If Earth erupts evil flames (which we can all figure it will) Vyco wins, Josiah leaves and Vyco gets to do his happy dance all over his new ruined planet.
God agrees to this shit, people!
As far as anything past that, the plot picks up 3 years later. People are living in a cave in the mountains because there are "enemies" out there killing and shooting and being generally poor neighbors. That's as much as I got. Phoenix is one of those cave-dwellers, and her parents are part of the elders that built this haven. From what little she talks about them, they sound like crazy Montana Survivalists with a "Second Coming" fetish.
The Writing:
Here is where I take issue, people! O-M-G.....
"They'd been living in a cave deep in the recesses of the forest for three years and sometimes the only thing that gave Phoenix a mediocre of sanity was her books and writing her own story."
I don't think that means what you think it means, honey. I even had my Kindle give me the full definition just to be sure.
"Phoenix absolutely hated Jessica Smith, who was always so perfect and delicate. She literally hung on Brian like he held the moon in his hands."
I hate people who can't use that word properly! I think my head will literally explode if people don't get their shit together.
"Their camp had grown over the years as more people wandered through the forest looking for sanctuary, stumbling upon one of the guards who'd escort them to our cave once they were determined not to be a threat."
Do I need to continue? Really. It's full of missing commas, poor poor editing, and such a lack of world-building it might have been happening on the fucking moon for all I know! Rooms, people, clothing, NOTHING is described.
Except our dear beautiful Narcissus, Brian, that is. He got quite a description.
I love stories of angels and demons. Of Heaven and Hell. I always have. Being born in the Bible Belt, I've never questioned the existence of my Maker, and I love to read other interpretations of God and Satan. But they have to be decent interpretations. For all I know, this story could be amazing. But I can't get past the horrible LACK of everything that it takes to actually make a novel. When they say they're "fixing a leaking pipe", they seriously say "John came over and finished his task". Er....What was he doing? When they ran to the herb garden, where were they running? Uphill? Downhill? For ten effing miles? WHERE?! And when they picked those herbs, we got nothing about what they were picking, why or even HOW they picked them. They just "went about their chore".
I guess I shouldn't expect much from a freebie, but seriously, this was on the top downloads for weeks. Geez, people, wake up! Stop shoveling down this horribly written fodder and demand more quality in your reading. At least hire fucking editors if you can't do the shit yourself.
And take a writing class!
The Characters:
The main girl's name is Phoenix Light. No, I'm not making that up. She's a regular girl from regular suburbia, but her parents named her Phoenix effing Light. She spaces out frequently, writes a ton in a notebook and has some sort of knack for finding herbs in the woods. Whatever.
We also have Josiah, which is God. And Vyco, which is Satan. Neither of these guys, although in several scenes, are ever given a description. We have pages and pages of them speaking to one another, leaning on heir hips, nodding. All kinds of crap. But never once are we told what they look like. Dafuq?
The only person who is ever described, (because not even Phoenix gets a little detail) is some guy named Brian. And here's what we're treated to as his introduction:
"All the girls were in love with Brian and he seemed to eat up the attention. Brian was eighteen, a few inches above six feet tall, with a thick, athletic build that most guys his age couldn't possibly achieve. His dark brown hair had a natural wave to it, and his smoky blue eyes completed his look of perfection like the cherry on top of a delicious milk shake. He was devastatingly handsome."
*vomits on Kindle*
We have absolutely NO idea what anyone looks like except this Adonis! WTF? How can I possibly picture any of this without some sort of hint. At least a hair color! Eye color! Something!
The Plot:
Fuck if I know. I couldn't get far enough into it to find out. From what I gathered in the many vague, detail-less convos between Josiah and Vyco, Josiah made Earth from different races all over the planet to prove they could all coexist. Well, that worked out well, didn't it?
Vyco points out how humans will always choose darkness over light, and that without Josiah's constant intervention, Earth would fall into ruin and humans would kill each other off. The Devil says that by interfering, Josiah is actually messing with his own law of Free Will. So somehow, God agrees to give the Devil ten years of keeping his hands off Earth to prove his precious humans will be good little lambs and not turn evil. If Josiah's people stay good, Vyco has to leave and go to some other world. If Earth erupts evil flames (which we can all figure it will) Vyco wins, Josiah leaves and Vyco gets to do his happy dance all over his new ruined planet.
God agrees to this shit, people!
As far as anything past that, the plot picks up 3 years later. People are living in a cave in the mountains because there are "enemies" out there killing and shooting and being generally poor neighbors. That's as much as I got. Phoenix is one of those cave-dwellers, and her parents are part of the elders that built this haven. From what little she talks about them, they sound like crazy Montana Survivalists with a "Second Coming" fetish.
The Writing:
Here is where I take issue, people! O-M-G.....
"They'd been living in a cave deep in the recesses of the forest for three years and sometimes the only thing that gave Phoenix a mediocre of sanity was her books and writing her own story."
I don't think that means what you think it means, honey. I even had my Kindle give me the full definition just to be sure.
"Phoenix absolutely hated Jessica Smith, who was always so perfect and delicate. She literally hung on Brian like he held the moon in his hands."
I hate people who can't use that word properly! I think my head will literally explode if people don't get their shit together.
"Their camp had grown over the years as more people wandered through the forest looking for sanctuary, stumbling upon one of the guards who'd escort them to our cave once they were determined not to be a threat."
Do I need to continue? Really. It's full of missing commas, poor poor editing, and such a lack of world-building it might have been happening on the fucking moon for all I know! Rooms, people, clothing, NOTHING is described.
Except our dear beautiful Narcissus, Brian, that is. He got quite a description.
I love stories of angels and demons. Of Heaven and Hell. I always have. Being born in the Bible Belt, I've never questioned the existence of my Maker, and I love to read other interpretations of God and Satan. But they have to be decent interpretations. For all I know, this story could be amazing. But I can't get past the horrible LACK of everything that it takes to actually make a novel. When they say they're "fixing a leaking pipe", they seriously say "John came over and finished his task". Er....What was he doing? When they ran to the herb garden, where were they running? Uphill? Downhill? For ten effing miles? WHERE?! And when they picked those herbs, we got nothing about what they were picking, why or even HOW they picked them. They just "went about their chore".
I guess I shouldn't expect much from a freebie, but seriously, this was on the top downloads for weeks. Geez, people, wake up! Stop shoveling down this horribly written fodder and demand more quality in your reading. At least hire fucking editors if you can't do the shit yourself.
And take a writing class!
June 7, 2012
I've never yawned during an apocalypse before. The creator of earth is named Josiah and his opposite number is called Vyco. They make an agreement to let free will reign, then watch humanity destroy itself for the most part. The writing is unsophisticated and lacks cohesion. And in my mind, if you are going to present a struggle between the archetypes of good and evil, you should put it in terms that will resonate with people. Anything else makes the suspension of disbelief difficult.
December 31, 2012
What did I just read?
I won't lie, this is a pretty easy read, considering it didn't take me too long to get through it; however what did I just read?
The basics of this story is that God and Satan (the author has given them different names, perhaps to be quirky or to make it more of an AU) have agreed that the human's of earth will have free-will, the winner (as in if the human's all turn towards being nasty and evil to each other, or be good and morale to each other) will have control over earth and the human's while the other one will have to leave and start over on another planet of their choice. That part of the story was fine to me, I thought it worked well. We even see God having a chat to his favourite Angel called Chasity and he cried when she fell to earth to do his bidding, which is to look after the human's and aid them.
So far, so good.
Then we come to the first chapter of the book and meet Phoenix, at the time a 17 year old girl - however this annoy's me, because the author changes from 17 year old Phoenix to 11 year old Phoenix, when she is writing in her note book without any real warning, no note at the top of the page to inform the reading that it's Phoenix's diary they were now reading, the reader is just expected to get it. Granted I did get it over a time, but it still irritated me.
The plot in general was fine, it was decent and rather different to most stories since it had god and satan, angels and demon's, the end of the world... But something appeared to be missing from it. There was no real spark, nothing that made the story pop for me.
Character's -
Phoenix; am going out on a limb here to say that she is a special little snow flake, no idea why, sure she gets the love of a dark angel, Jayden, but there is no real reason why. There are moments when she seems an all right person and then she just seems to be a spoilt brat, before becoming this really overly morale person. And the eye rolling! With her BFF Sadie... I like the romantic areas with Jayden but there is something so wrong about Phoenix as a character. Also why is she named Phoenix? Her brother is called John and her dad is called Larry, at this moment in time I can't remember her mum's name but am pretty sure it's not so out there as Pheonix is. And yes I know it's only a name, but this name seems to mark her out as being special; Jayden is a dark angel and he has a relatively normal name! I think we can safely say Phoenix irritates me.
John; Phoenix's older brother, they have a cute relationship, although am trying to figure out why a 22 year old would still ruffle his sister's hair? He's protective of her with is nice and a stickler for the rules. Can't really say too much about him because we don't get to know him that well.
Sadie; Phoenix's BFF. She seems as flat as a pancake, there is no real character in her at all, nothing to mark her out as interesting or different in any respect to Phoenix, she could almost be a clone. I get the feeling that not much effort was put into these side characters as the main characters were. Which is really telling you something with my rant about one of the main characters.
Jayden; He interests me, more due to why he choose to follow satan and then why he feel out of his reasoning to follow him. I liked him at the start, he caught my eye and made me want to learn more about him and then he met up with the human's and everything feel apart, he essentially became like another human male, he was generic when he is a dark angel; surely there should have been more focus on him not being completely pure? Surely there should have been some kind of trouble considering he doesn't have a lot of patience (as we were told at the beginning) nor does he have a good ability to hold his temper (although it was stated that he tried to keep that under control) yet neither of these two things came out in the rest of the book.
Chasity; Jayden's sister angel. Essentially a pure angel and yet she is rather bland as well. A secondary character who is used to have John fall in love with her.
Which brings me neatly to my next point; Sadie, Phoenix and Chasity all fall in love with three guy's, Brain (who Phoenix had a huge crush on at the start of the book), Jayden and John; by the time the book is nearing the end these three couples are all dating and something just didn't seem right about it too me, it was like the author was just using them to pair them up; like they can't simply be friends with each other.
There is another character called Jessica, but she is barely important to the plot; at least not in the first book, she is just there to cause drama with Phoenix although I would think the author would have use of her in the next book.
Would I read this book again? No. The general plot is good but the character's are just too bland and there is no real excitement in it for me, I am not at the edge of my seat when reading it, I was simply reading it to get to the end of the book.
I won't lie, this is a pretty easy read, considering it didn't take me too long to get through it; however what did I just read?
The basics of this story is that God and Satan (the author has given them different names, perhaps to be quirky or to make it more of an AU) have agreed that the human's of earth will have free-will, the winner (as in if the human's all turn towards being nasty and evil to each other, or be good and morale to each other) will have control over earth and the human's while the other one will have to leave and start over on another planet of their choice. That part of the story was fine to me, I thought it worked well. We even see God having a chat to his favourite Angel called Chasity and he cried when she fell to earth to do his bidding, which is to look after the human's and aid them.
So far, so good.
Then we come to the first chapter of the book and meet Phoenix, at the time a 17 year old girl - however this annoy's me, because the author changes from 17 year old Phoenix to 11 year old Phoenix, when she is writing in her note book without any real warning, no note at the top of the page to inform the reading that it's Phoenix's diary they were now reading, the reader is just expected to get it. Granted I did get it over a time, but it still irritated me.
The plot in general was fine, it was decent and rather different to most stories since it had god and satan, angels and demon's, the end of the world... But something appeared to be missing from it. There was no real spark, nothing that made the story pop for me.
Character's -
Phoenix; am going out on a limb here to say that she is a special little snow flake, no idea why, sure she gets the love of a dark angel, Jayden, but there is no real reason why. There are moments when she seems an all right person and then she just seems to be a spoilt brat, before becoming this really overly morale person. And the eye rolling! With her BFF Sadie... I like the romantic areas with Jayden but there is something so wrong about Phoenix as a character. Also why is she named Phoenix? Her brother is called John and her dad is called Larry, at this moment in time I can't remember her mum's name but am pretty sure it's not so out there as Pheonix is. And yes I know it's only a name, but this name seems to mark her out as being special; Jayden is a dark angel and he has a relatively normal name! I think we can safely say Phoenix irritates me.
John; Phoenix's older brother, they have a cute relationship, although am trying to figure out why a 22 year old would still ruffle his sister's hair? He's protective of her with is nice and a stickler for the rules. Can't really say too much about him because we don't get to know him that well.
Sadie; Phoenix's BFF. She seems as flat as a pancake, there is no real character in her at all, nothing to mark her out as interesting or different in any respect to Phoenix, she could almost be a clone. I get the feeling that not much effort was put into these side characters as the main characters were. Which is really telling you something with my rant about one of the main characters.
Jayden; He interests me, more due to why he choose to follow satan and then why he feel out of his reasoning to follow him. I liked him at the start, he caught my eye and made me want to learn more about him and then he met up with the human's and everything feel apart, he essentially became like another human male, he was generic when he is a dark angel; surely there should have been more focus on him not being completely pure? Surely there should have been some kind of trouble considering he doesn't have a lot of patience (as we were told at the beginning) nor does he have a good ability to hold his temper (although it was stated that he tried to keep that under control) yet neither of these two things came out in the rest of the book.
Chasity; Jayden's sister angel. Essentially a pure angel and yet she is rather bland as well. A secondary character who is used to have John fall in love with her.
Which brings me neatly to my next point; Sadie, Phoenix and Chasity all fall in love with three guy's, Brain (who Phoenix had a huge crush on at the start of the book), Jayden and John; by the time the book is nearing the end these three couples are all dating and something just didn't seem right about it too me, it was like the author was just using them to pair them up; like they can't simply be friends with each other.
There is another character called Jessica, but she is barely important to the plot; at least not in the first book, she is just there to cause drama with Phoenix although I would think the author would have use of her in the next book.
Would I read this book again? No. The general plot is good but the character's are just too bland and there is no real excitement in it for me, I am not at the edge of my seat when reading it, I was simply reading it to get to the end of the book.
January 13, 2016
Unfortunately this book was just not for me, my suspense of disbelief right from the end of chapter one was dubious and due to the continuity errors, overly simplified narrative and shallow depth of characters and world this only declined as I read on.
Its hard to say what I felt was the biggest problem with this book. To start the characters were shallow and at times insultingly one dimensional. It was difficult to understand Phoenix’s family motives especially concerning her, one minute they are overly babying her next she is allowed on a really dangerous rescue mission. Phoenixes own idealisms of her or the outside world seem to change at will. It was impossible to know where she was coming from. I definitely could not get on board with the idea of the thousand year old angel and demon running about acting like kids and being shocked at the way humans were now treating each other – surely they were aware of the world wars that have happened? The concentration camps for example were pretty much replicated in this book (though no-one else in the book seems to be aware of this–personally I found this insulting, especially as we are not advised that they are in a world any different to this one with any different history) Due to the overall lack of depth or character development the motives and actions of the characters were strange and often confusing and bizarrely I think the author knew this and it resulted in the almost hand-holding manor in which each piece of dialog was explained to the reader. This led for a frustrating and confusing read which had me eye-rolling almost as much as the protagonist.
The continuality was an issue as well, not just with the characters ‘personalities’ but early on the book changes and goes back in time portraying an extract from Phoenixes Diary, however there is no warning this will happen, no inclination that we have indeed gone back in time, it was really disorientating and confusion and frankly when I worked out this had happened I was simply annoyed. The capacity of the cave seemed to change as suited the story, as did the level of danger / perceived danger, abilities and social structure of the community within the cave. Again this was frustrating as I believe a lot of these issues would have been dealt with early on in the editing stage.
My suspension of disbelief was as I said dubious. The idea of this utopian community living in a cave and living off foraged berry’s and hunted game around the area was highly unbelievable especially as we are meant to believe over a thousand of people reside in this cave and there capacity for 5 time more, Also and more amusingly we are also expected to believe that the big bad mean girl Jessica also brought with her from home 6 years’ worth a nail varnish and make-up during a crisis situation when they were running for their lives. The structure of the community grows more and more ridiculous as the book progresses eventually ending up with the “Elders” (yes the word elders is used) allowing Jayden a recently new recruit and John out to perform the most dangerous task of a rescue mission for reasons completely unknown as the author did no once hint that they had the skills to do this? Not to mention they allowed the previously molly-coddled Phoenix join them going against everything the author has led us to believe about them and Phoenix for the simple reason she stamped her feet? I mean come on.
To top this off the pace of the book was so slow and ultimately resulted in a very underwhelming (I think) one or two paragraphs of action right at the end of the book which again suffered as the continuity problems and lack of character depth led to there being absolutely no tension at all built into it.
Overall I wouldn’t recommend this book, I appreciate it is very difficult to write a book and think if a bit more time and effort and editing had been put in it could have been a good read, there were certain aspects I thought could work but unfortunately it this case it just didn’t.
Its hard to say what I felt was the biggest problem with this book. To start the characters were shallow and at times insultingly one dimensional. It was difficult to understand Phoenix’s family motives especially concerning her, one minute they are overly babying her next she is allowed on a really dangerous rescue mission. Phoenixes own idealisms of her or the outside world seem to change at will. It was impossible to know where she was coming from. I definitely could not get on board with the idea of the thousand year old angel and demon running about acting like kids and being shocked at the way humans were now treating each other – surely they were aware of the world wars that have happened? The concentration camps for example were pretty much replicated in this book (though no-one else in the book seems to be aware of this–personally I found this insulting, especially as we are not advised that they are in a world any different to this one with any different history) Due to the overall lack of depth or character development the motives and actions of the characters were strange and often confusing and bizarrely I think the author knew this and it resulted in the almost hand-holding manor in which each piece of dialog was explained to the reader. This led for a frustrating and confusing read which had me eye-rolling almost as much as the protagonist.
The continuality was an issue as well, not just with the characters ‘personalities’ but early on the book changes and goes back in time portraying an extract from Phoenixes Diary, however there is no warning this will happen, no inclination that we have indeed gone back in time, it was really disorientating and confusion and frankly when I worked out this had happened I was simply annoyed. The capacity of the cave seemed to change as suited the story, as did the level of danger / perceived danger, abilities and social structure of the community within the cave. Again this was frustrating as I believe a lot of these issues would have been dealt with early on in the editing stage.
My suspension of disbelief was as I said dubious. The idea of this utopian community living in a cave and living off foraged berry’s and hunted game around the area was highly unbelievable especially as we are meant to believe over a thousand of people reside in this cave and there capacity for 5 time more, Also and more amusingly we are also expected to believe that the big bad mean girl Jessica also brought with her from home 6 years’ worth a nail varnish and make-up during a crisis situation when they were running for their lives. The structure of the community grows more and more ridiculous as the book progresses eventually ending up with the “Elders” (yes the word elders is used) allowing Jayden a recently new recruit and John out to perform the most dangerous task of a rescue mission for reasons completely unknown as the author did no once hint that they had the skills to do this? Not to mention they allowed the previously molly-coddled Phoenix join them going against everything the author has led us to believe about them and Phoenix for the simple reason she stamped her feet? I mean come on.
To top this off the pace of the book was so slow and ultimately resulted in a very underwhelming (I think) one or two paragraphs of action right at the end of the book which again suffered as the continuity problems and lack of character depth led to there being absolutely no tension at all built into it.
Overall I wouldn’t recommend this book, I appreciate it is very difficult to write a book and think if a bit more time and effort and editing had been put in it could have been a good read, there were certain aspects I thought could work but unfortunately it this case it just didn’t.
February 7, 2013
I would have rated this book higher, but there was, for me, an unforgivable sin committed by both the author and her editor. The word "site" was used in place of the word "sight". "Role" was used in place of what should have been "roll". For a published author, a mistake of homophones is absolutely unaccepable.
While I enjoyed this book, I will not be reading any others by this author.
While I enjoyed this book, I will not be reading any others by this author.
April 15, 2017
wow, I'm really disappointed about this book and author. I've read other books by her and have loved them. reading this book was like pulling teeth. great idea, poor execution.
May 14, 2013
4*s
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Midnight Fire was a really good read, the synopsis says it all as we see humanity & Earth put through testing times in a battle between good & evil. A god and a demon have a discussion, a challenge is set and agreed upon, the battle lines are drawn and Earth/humanity is the target and each player can send one individual to interfere. For three years following the start of Earth’s demise, survivors have hidden in a cave system in remote mountains that some people had the foresight to create. Normal people, good people who have banded together and created a community, a safe haven in the hopes of waiting out the war. They survive, they get by whilst the world is taken over unlike others not so lucky who are put into prisoner of war camps, starved to the brink of death whilst being used & abused as slaves. The caves people are the minority and have no hope of creating a rebellion unless they gain some numbers, they readily take in refugees they find searching the forest which is how 17yr old Phoenix comes upon Jayden and brings him into the fold. Jayden, as mentioned is a dark angel and is sent by Vyco (Lucifer?) to infiltrate the camp and sow the seeds of their destruction but when Jayden & Phoenix both meet, they feel an instant connection. Jayden is unused to these feelings that Phoenix brings out in him, he is also unprepared for the protective instincts he has for her, he turned his back on Josiah (God?) a long time ago so why now? How can he stay true to his master when it means taking everything that means so much to Phoenix? When being with her goes against all his evil intentions & background.
So this was a good dystopian novel, it’s the start of a series so there is a lot of emphasis on building the scenario and getting to know the characters. There are some nice characters throughout the book and I like that the good virtues of people have survived along with them because too often in cases like this the people tend to turn primitive, whereas these survivors bring a sense of community, morality & goodness to the table. I always like it when love shines through in the darkness and that’s what we get with Jayden & Phoenix, it’s quite sweet how they feel about each other and I like that Jayden hasn’t felt this before, even though he’s ancient. I always believe the saying ‘Love will conquer all’ and it may be romanticism but I love it when it’s present in stories. The storyline is good, even though we join the survivors 3 yrs after the war had begun, we get to experience that time through Phoenix’s journal which fills in a few blanks and helps us to get to know her family and friends a bit better too. It was quite insular for a while, focussing on the caves and community for the most part but that expanded as more refugees arrived and rescue missions we initiated. Through these we get to some of the impact that the wars have created and some harrowing details of how prisoners are kept so it isn’t all sweetness and light. If you have read ‘The Host’ then it’s along those lines except with Angels & Demons as opposed to Aliens and the outside is not in any way peaceful. I would say that the paranormal element was only a minor part but I expect it to be more prevalant in the series from now on after the ending. Great start to the series though. 4*s
review posted here...
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Midnight Fire was a really good read, the synopsis says it all as we see humanity & Earth put through testing times in a battle between good & evil. A god and a demon have a discussion, a challenge is set and agreed upon, the battle lines are drawn and Earth/humanity is the target and each player can send one individual to interfere. For three years following the start of Earth’s demise, survivors have hidden in a cave system in remote mountains that some people had the foresight to create. Normal people, good people who have banded together and created a community, a safe haven in the hopes of waiting out the war. They survive, they get by whilst the world is taken over unlike others not so lucky who are put into prisoner of war camps, starved to the brink of death whilst being used & abused as slaves. The caves people are the minority and have no hope of creating a rebellion unless they gain some numbers, they readily take in refugees they find searching the forest which is how 17yr old Phoenix comes upon Jayden and brings him into the fold. Jayden, as mentioned is a dark angel and is sent by Vyco (Lucifer?) to infiltrate the camp and sow the seeds of their destruction but when Jayden & Phoenix both meet, they feel an instant connection. Jayden is unused to these feelings that Phoenix brings out in him, he is also unprepared for the protective instincts he has for her, he turned his back on Josiah (God?) a long time ago so why now? How can he stay true to his master when it means taking everything that means so much to Phoenix? When being with her goes against all his evil intentions & background.
So this was a good dystopian novel, it’s the start of a series so there is a lot of emphasis on building the scenario and getting to know the characters. There are some nice characters throughout the book and I like that the good virtues of people have survived along with them because too often in cases like this the people tend to turn primitive, whereas these survivors bring a sense of community, morality & goodness to the table. I always like it when love shines through in the darkness and that’s what we get with Jayden & Phoenix, it’s quite sweet how they feel about each other and I like that Jayden hasn’t felt this before, even though he’s ancient. I always believe the saying ‘Love will conquer all’ and it may be romanticism but I love it when it’s present in stories. The storyline is good, even though we join the survivors 3 yrs after the war had begun, we get to experience that time through Phoenix’s journal which fills in a few blanks and helps us to get to know her family and friends a bit better too. It was quite insular for a while, focussing on the caves and community for the most part but that expanded as more refugees arrived and rescue missions we initiated. Through these we get to some of the impact that the wars have created and some harrowing details of how prisoners are kept so it isn’t all sweetness and light. If you have read ‘The Host’ then it’s along those lines except with Angels & Demons as opposed to Aliens and the outside is not in any way peaceful. I would say that the paranormal element was only a minor part but I expect it to be more prevalant in the series from now on after the ending. Great start to the series though. 4*s
June 30, 2012
Can you imagine what the world would be like if there was war everywhere? If you had to hide in a cave/cavern just to stay safe? If there were prison camps being run by the rebel armies, where the prisoners were tortured, raped and starved? Can you imagine what life would be like?
Well, that’s the world that 17 year old Phoenix lives in. Through her journal, you see how she got to this safe haven she now calls home. How her parents, and others around the state, pooled their resources to create this cave of safety. You also see how she grows into a young woman.
Life is normal, or the norm of that time, until Jayden comes into her life. He is (of course) gorgeous and perfect in every way. Except, Jayden isn’t human.
Plot: There are a lot of angel/fallen angel books out right now, but I really enjoyed this book. Its not just the story of an angel falling in love with a human, it’s the story of a fallen angel coming back to the light, with war and anarchy all around. The story moved at a great pace and everything made sense, and went perfectly.
Characters: Each character had depth and emotion. This is the first book that has made me tear up in a long time, and it wasn’t because of something great or horrible, but because I could feel the love John (the older brother) had for Phoenix. My brother sucks… so I kinda have a soft spot for AWESOME older brothers.
You felt for Jayden, the fallen angel, despite being “the bad guy.” You cared about the supporting characters, Sadie, Brian, and you hated Jessica. None of them fell flat.
Romance: There is more than one romance story going on in this book. You have the MCs- Phoenix and Jayden. But then, Sadie (the best friend) may get her own man.
**SPOILER** John and Chastity fall in love also. I think this is one of the few things I didn’t like about this book. I knew right away that they would get together. And I rolled my eyes… why? Because it was too predictable. Then they fell in love much too quickly. With Jayden and Phoenix, sure they had instant attraction, but then you got to see and feel them fall in love. With Chastity and John-it just happened
**end SPOILER***
Overall:
This book was an amazing story. It left me wanting more, I have already purchased book 2 Midnight Moon. The wars and hidden compound ting going on made this different than all the other regular angel stories. I didn’t like the cover… but that’s ok.
If you might enjoy a fun, exciting romantic, YA angel book meets Dystopian novel , then this is the book for you!
review by MrsJones at theresamjones.blogspot.com
Well, that’s the world that 17 year old Phoenix lives in. Through her journal, you see how she got to this safe haven she now calls home. How her parents, and others around the state, pooled their resources to create this cave of safety. You also see how she grows into a young woman.
Life is normal, or the norm of that time, until Jayden comes into her life. He is (of course) gorgeous and perfect in every way. Except, Jayden isn’t human.
Plot: There are a lot of angel/fallen angel books out right now, but I really enjoyed this book. Its not just the story of an angel falling in love with a human, it’s the story of a fallen angel coming back to the light, with war and anarchy all around. The story moved at a great pace and everything made sense, and went perfectly.
Characters: Each character had depth and emotion. This is the first book that has made me tear up in a long time, and it wasn’t because of something great or horrible, but because I could feel the love John (the older brother) had for Phoenix. My brother sucks… so I kinda have a soft spot for AWESOME older brothers.
You felt for Jayden, the fallen angel, despite being “the bad guy.” You cared about the supporting characters, Sadie, Brian, and you hated Jessica. None of them fell flat.
Romance: There is more than one romance story going on in this book. You have the MCs- Phoenix and Jayden. But then, Sadie (the best friend) may get her own man.
**SPOILER** John and Chastity fall in love also. I think this is one of the few things I didn’t like about this book. I knew right away that they would get together. And I rolled my eyes… why? Because it was too predictable. Then they fell in love much too quickly. With Jayden and Phoenix, sure they had instant attraction, but then you got to see and feel them fall in love. With Chastity and John-it just happened
**end SPOILER***
Overall:
This book was an amazing story. It left me wanting more, I have already purchased book 2 Midnight Moon. The wars and hidden compound ting going on made this different than all the other regular angel stories. I didn’t like the cover… but that’s ok.
If you might enjoy a fun, exciting romantic, YA angel book meets Dystopian novel , then this is the book for you!
review by MrsJones at theresamjones.blogspot.com
March 14, 2012
An apocalyptic atmosphere, dark, hard where all hope seems lost... This is the atmosphere in which this serie begins.
Breathtaking in its blackness, I was attracted by the vision of the end of the world proposed by Melody Anne. A mix of history with similarities between the inhuman behavior during WWII or nowadays in Syria and certainly those same behaviours that can be seen in most wars. Atrocities, loss of human values, lack of solidarity, burnt corpse, tortures and the evil that welcomes the forfeiture in which humanity was diving with ease. Shocking and amazing !
Fortunately, a Noah's Ark that consists of a core of visionaries who planned the invasion of Earth, manages to keep the values and fight for a better world. A combat with unequal weapons which nevertheless still gives hope. Even in the darkest hours, the man continues to love and it is this feeling that he draws all his strength.
Gradually, I was taken by the story. This book gave me the material to reflect on my own selfishness and cowardice but it also brought me a breath of fresh air . Nothing is ever final. Everything can still change. Just believe in yourself or in the others.
A first episode for those who loved "Constantine" with Keanu Reeves, "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins or the atmosphere of the book written by Robert Merle "Malevil."
Personally, a grabbing book with surprising and touching characters to meet.
Read more about this book directly on my blog:http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.co...
Thanks,
Lucie
Breathtaking in its blackness, I was attracted by the vision of the end of the world proposed by Melody Anne. A mix of history with similarities between the inhuman behavior during WWII or nowadays in Syria and certainly those same behaviours that can be seen in most wars. Atrocities, loss of human values, lack of solidarity, burnt corpse, tortures and the evil that welcomes the forfeiture in which humanity was diving with ease. Shocking and amazing !
Fortunately, a Noah's Ark that consists of a core of visionaries who planned the invasion of Earth, manages to keep the values and fight for a better world. A combat with unequal weapons which nevertheless still gives hope. Even in the darkest hours, the man continues to love and it is this feeling that he draws all his strength.
Gradually, I was taken by the story. This book gave me the material to reflect on my own selfishness and cowardice but it also brought me a breath of fresh air . Nothing is ever final. Everything can still change. Just believe in yourself or in the others.
A first episode for those who loved "Constantine" with Keanu Reeves, "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins or the atmosphere of the book written by Robert Merle "Malevil."
Personally, a grabbing book with surprising and touching characters to meet.
Read more about this book directly on my blog:http://newbooksonmyselves.blogspot.co...
Thanks,
Lucie
November 4, 2012
I don't know how I feel about his book. I like the angel vs demon story lines, but with this one it felt blah and meh. I didn't understand what made Phoenix special. I didn't understand why Jayden will go with the flow if he wasn't happy with it? Then again we humans can get comfortable and not make changes. I really enjoyed the mooshy scenes between them. I thought they were sweet and cute, but I couldn't believe that a over thousand year old angel would react that way. It sounded very immature for an angel. The war didn't convince me either. What were they fighting? Like just randomn acts war and cruelty? How convenient it was only in the US, but seriously what about the rest of the world? The war itself didn't make sense to me. Are we fighting evil humans versus good humans? But if good humans are killing doesn't that conflict with the morality if things? Why concentration camps? I felt like I didn't get the answers maybe I did, but I read over them or completely skip it. I'm starting to feel a bit blah with a lot of the YA. I think my preference is first person narrative because I like to feel I am in their heads rather than an outsider looking in. Do I recommend the book? I'll leave it to you to decide.
May 1, 2013
This is going to be a hard review for me because I wanted so badly to like this book. But as much as I tried it just didn't do it for me.
The action was rare and the romance was shallow. It seemed as if the writer wasted no time trying to deepen the character's relationships but got right to the point where they kissed and made up. Now I know that writing a book is hard and requires a lot of work and time but couldn't the author just take her time trying reveal some meaning into the characters' attraction and not just throw a bond , have them kiss from day 1 (that they meet) and expect everything to be okay.
Another thing that irked me in this book was the TOO intence emotions they feel about each other. the worst part of that was that i didnt get why.... I mean dont get me wrong there is a "bond" but how the hell can there be trust so easily ? the girls acted so silly about the boys and the worst part is .... they seemed to realise it!
All in all it was not a book i enjoyed and would read again so I do not recimmend it to anyone .
The action was rare and the romance was shallow. It seemed as if the writer wasted no time trying to deepen the character's relationships but got right to the point where they kissed and made up. Now I know that writing a book is hard and requires a lot of work and time but couldn't the author just take her time trying reveal some meaning into the characters' attraction and not just throw a bond , have them kiss from day 1 (that they meet) and expect everything to be okay.
Another thing that irked me in this book was the TOO intence emotions they feel about each other. the worst part of that was that i didnt get why.... I mean dont get me wrong there is a "bond" but how the hell can there be trust so easily ? the girls acted so silly about the boys and the worst part is .... they seemed to realise it!
All in all it was not a book i enjoyed and would read again so I do not recimmend it to anyone .
February 20, 2012
This book was a very great read. I love how the human characters had their own personalities. Jayden and Phoenix were fun to follow. Melody Anne definitely makes you visualize everything.I could see Jayden going against his grain, falling in love with and protecting a human, he initially wanted to destroy. This was a pretty unique story line and the ending will definitely cause you to pick the next book up in the series.Her descriptions of those with super powers were written very well. Some of the story will have you smiling while the other parts will have you on the edge of your seat. Jayden is definitely my favorite character. He is strong, sexy and powerful!
June 5, 2014
This was painfully bad. I tried so hard to give it the benefit of the doubt, but nope. Seriously John and Phoenix?! And stop babying Phoenix. She's naive because YOU keep sheltering her it's impairing her development! Anyhow, plot is completely predictable I had to roll my eyes multiple times. Narration alternates between 1st person diary entry from Phoenix and 3rd person omniscient POVs. I found Phoenix very annoying and I can't say I found any of the other characters likable or interesting. Painful to get through this read.
April 30, 2012
you never thought that the world you know it is about to end. a true battle of good vs bad, and one who is about to make a choice choosing good over evil after so long of being on the wrong side. I really enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read more. The characters and their struggles really pull you into the book and you may not was to set it down till you are done
July 18, 2012
I'm going to be honest...I have no idea how to review this. Part YA....dystopian....angels.....demons....fated mates....apocalyptic....moshpit of genres. The writing was...acceptable. Not much of a recommendation, huh? And it's not.
D- / 1.5 stars
D- / 1.5 stars
May 18, 2012
Loved it!
December 10, 2016
Utterly Awful
If you want to read a compelling book with a good plot and writing, don't go anywhere near this book, because it didn't have any of those, especially not good writing.
If you want to read a compelling book with a good plot and writing, don't go anywhere near this book, because it didn't have any of those, especially not good writing.
February 11, 2024
It’s a captivating easy page turner about the eternal fight between good and bad. Inspired by well known stories, fables and mythology and mainly the Bible. Food for thought though about what you would do when tomorrow the world as you know it stops. Now maybe more relevant than when to book first appeared.
August 31, 2019
So, God makes a bet with the devil...
And the war begins. Could you hide? Would you fight? What if you were only a child? The story involves family, values, and most important, love.
And the war begins. Could you hide? Would you fight? What if you were only a child? The story involves family, values, and most important, love.
November 8, 2020
DNF
Phoenix is childish and petty. For supposing to be the one to turn someone from dark to light I think its cause she's a child or at least acts like one. The group she lives with is more of a cult but I guess when the world is going to he'll it pays to be overly careful.
Phoenix is childish and petty. For supposing to be the one to turn someone from dark to light I think its cause she's a child or at least acts like one. The group she lives with is more of a cult but I guess when the world is going to he'll it pays to be overly careful.
April 5, 2024
This was a story of good and evil that had a few twists. It was not marked as young adult but the heroine is 17 I should be a giggling teenager when reading it lol. I don't want to put any spoilers but there are a few twists that you don't see coming and make you want to not put down the book.
May 27, 2024
So I get that this book is older and it's been in my nook library for a while. I'm guessing at one point it was a freebie. But I really liked it and now I CANNOT GET THE SECOND BOOK ANYWHERE!!! It is not available as an ebook. Paper book is out of print. WTH! So disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Read
May 31, 2020A so-so read. Probably will not go further into this series
November 1, 2021
An enjoyable story. New author for me.
April 16, 2024
The plot and the concept are interesting but the dialogue is too simple and the romance was very one dimensional
July 29, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
March 11, 2017
Good series
This is my second time reading book 1. I have found some things I missed the first time through. I absolutely adore Hayden, he may doubt himself, but Josiah and I have faith in him. Phoenix is definitely naive, not sure how she and Sadie stayed so sheltered in this world they live in. The cave setting is interesting.......The war , I have to agree with Phoenix on this one, how can people treat others in that way.
This is my second time reading book 1. I have found some things I missed the first time through. I absolutely adore Hayden, he may doubt himself, but Josiah and I have faith in him. Phoenix is definitely naive, not sure how she and Sadie stayed so sheltered in this world they live in. The cave setting is interesting.......The war , I have to agree with Phoenix on this one, how can people treat others in that way.
February 20, 2014
GAH!! This book was so frustrating! I hate not finishing a book, I always feel I have no right judging it but I'm 70% done and I honestly can't get any further. It became a chore trying to read this.
The storyline - I'll admit, at the start I loved it. I thought it was brilliant, the idea of a community living and hiding together, trying to survive while the rest of the world fell apart with greed. Unfortunately, with so few details and poor writing it lost its spark. Let's start with the fact that whenever they find someone who has escaped from an enemy camp they barely even question them. Straight away they are let into the community and that's it. Yes, I understand the author wanted to have perfect, selfless characters, but let's be realistic. Anybody that had been through what these characters had would be suspicious, they would have major trust issues. Apparently not. And that's how the bad guy/good guy joins the story.
The characters - So the main character is a girl named Phoenix. Yes, her name is Phoenix. I get that authors want to give their characters different and memorable names, but come on! That name would suit the dark angel in the story but no. Although he's been around for thousands of years he gets the ultra modern name of Jayden. Both these characters are dull and boring.
As are the rest of them. Phoenix has a brother named John and as far as I can tell he's only there to baby her and constantly tell her he loves her. Who does that?! Yeah, okay, they've been through a lot but to say it every time they talk is weird. Then there's her best friend Sadie. She is as dull and childish as Phoenix. There's a scene where the two of them are literally running around and playing hide and seek. It's weird. They're 17 years old. People need to let of steam and have fun, yes. But I think if you went through the trauma and everything these girls went though you wouldn't be acting so childish. They should be mature for their age not juvenile. Then there's also the typical guy every girl is in love with, and bitchy girl everybody hates. Yawn!
The romance - I think the only word to describe this is "eww." They fall in love the day they meet. No joke. And there's no explanation for it. Except that apparently he's good looking but there's no description of what he looks like. Or her for that matter. She's the main character and the reader doesn't get told what she looks like. Anyway, back to the romance... So awkward. So, Phoenix has never kissed anyone apparently, but on her first kiss she starts moaning and sticking her tongue in Jayden's mouth. SLUT!! First kisses are meant to be nervous and exciting, and yes maybe even a little awkward. Not, I-want-to-take-all-your-clothes-off-right-now-even-though-I've-only-known-you-for-less-than-12-hours!
The writing - Not the best but if I'm being honest it's a lot better than a lot of other self published authors. Although I hated how she kept calling livestock animals. Yes I know they are animals but to me it felt like a child was writing this. I mean they weren't pets, they were there for a source of food and production, they are livestock. Also, what did bug me was how she kept repeating herself. She continuously made reference to the fact that women in the enemy camps were mishandled and raped by their captors. It's sad yes, but when it's mentioned anytime someone thinks or speaks about the camps I couldn't care less anymore. I heard you the first time, please spend more time writing a better book then repeating yourself!!
Sorry if I sound mean, but this is my opinion.
The storyline - I'll admit, at the start I loved it. I thought it was brilliant, the idea of a community living and hiding together, trying to survive while the rest of the world fell apart with greed. Unfortunately, with so few details and poor writing it lost its spark. Let's start with the fact that whenever they find someone who has escaped from an enemy camp they barely even question them. Straight away they are let into the community and that's it. Yes, I understand the author wanted to have perfect, selfless characters, but let's be realistic. Anybody that had been through what these characters had would be suspicious, they would have major trust issues. Apparently not. And that's how the bad guy/good guy joins the story.
The characters - So the main character is a girl named Phoenix. Yes, her name is Phoenix. I get that authors want to give their characters different and memorable names, but come on! That name would suit the dark angel in the story but no. Although he's been around for thousands of years he gets the ultra modern name of Jayden. Both these characters are dull and boring.
As are the rest of them. Phoenix has a brother named John and as far as I can tell he's only there to baby her and constantly tell her he loves her. Who does that?! Yeah, okay, they've been through a lot but to say it every time they talk is weird. Then there's her best friend Sadie. She is as dull and childish as Phoenix. There's a scene where the two of them are literally running around and playing hide and seek. It's weird. They're 17 years old. People need to let of steam and have fun, yes. But I think if you went through the trauma and everything these girls went though you wouldn't be acting so childish. They should be mature for their age not juvenile. Then there's also the typical guy every girl is in love with, and bitchy girl everybody hates. Yawn!
The romance - I think the only word to describe this is "eww." They fall in love the day they meet. No joke. And there's no explanation for it. Except that apparently he's good looking but there's no description of what he looks like. Or her for that matter. She's the main character and the reader doesn't get told what she looks like. Anyway, back to the romance... So awkward. So, Phoenix has never kissed anyone apparently, but on her first kiss she starts moaning and sticking her tongue in Jayden's mouth. SLUT!! First kisses are meant to be nervous and exciting, and yes maybe even a little awkward. Not, I-want-to-take-all-your-clothes-off-right-now-even-though-I've-only-known-you-for-less-than-12-hours!
The writing - Not the best but if I'm being honest it's a lot better than a lot of other self published authors. Although I hated how she kept calling livestock animals. Yes I know they are animals but to me it felt like a child was writing this. I mean they weren't pets, they were there for a source of food and production, they are livestock. Also, what did bug me was how she kept repeating herself. She continuously made reference to the fact that women in the enemy camps were mishandled and raped by their captors. It's sad yes, but when it's mentioned anytime someone thinks or speaks about the camps I couldn't care less anymore. I heard you the first time, please spend more time writing a better book then repeating yourself!!
Sorry if I sound mean, but this is my opinion.
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