Ignite, the Midnight Fire series book 1, by Kaitlyn Davis, has me a little mixed. The storyline is a mix of unique and overdone elements, but somehow the two come together well. The plot was well thought out, but maybe a little predictable, but the characters are funny, bright, and well written. If you make me fall in love with the characters, then you have a fan. Luke was the stand out in this story and I suspect he will continue to hold up this motley crew of characters as the series goes on with his wit and light no pun intended conduits (you’ll get that joke after you read the book). I was not a huge fan of Twilight because it painted Bella as a whiny protagonist and a little weak until the end when she has no choice but to be strong. I can honestly say this book had more substance and soul than Twilight and Kira while a little unfocused on reality is strong, driven, and confident. Which is what you want in a female lead.

The story: After spending the last few years away from home Kira Dawson finds herself back at home in South Carolina. The new kid in the local high school, she is ready to get day one over with. On her first day she is helped out by her new knight in shining armor Luke, who quickly befriends her and shares her with his little group of misfits. Luke quickly becomes her best friend, but thoughts of him becoming something more are squashed when the resident bad boy catches her eye. Kira can’t understand the pull she feels toward Tristan, but in the moments they share she has a hard time reconciling the gentle, tortured artist and the man who lusts for blood. Almost killing Tristan is the moment Kira’s own unrealized path comes to light and Luke is at its center, so are the secrets kept by her mother and the community and ancestry from which her new powers come. Her powers and her new responsibilities make her realize she may have to choose between love or the friendship and community she belongs to.

To add to her troubles, loving Tristan means making enemies with his kind and she soon finds herself in the crosshairs of a very pissed off vampire who wants her blood, literally. The path then becomes learning to use her powers, controlling them before they consume her, not hurting Luke along the way, all while loving Tristan. Luke forever a light even when his heart is breaking is a true hero in the making and it is not hard to see this role blossoming in books to come.

Final Thoughts: What I didn’t like about these book was a certain level of predictability that maybe is just a product of my own reading adventures allowing me to understand how the story will unfold. More than that though and the biggest reason I had to give it only three stars is readability. There are a lot of mistakes in this book, ones that jerk you out of the story because you have to reread lines missing words or whole phrases. A few time, I could only shake my head and guess at what was supposed to be written. That being said I enjoyed the story, I especially enjoyed the characters, some more than others. I am looking forward to the next installment, Simmer.