Initial Impressions 2/23/16: 3.5 - 3.75 stars | Well, I will agree that was a "crazy and surprising climax"! Was it what I wanted it to be? No. Not at all. But it wrapped up the book with plenty of fast-paced action. 
 This is a weird rating for me because I actually really enjoyed the book the whole time. (Or until the ending?) I LOVED the idea of the spheres, the different colors, and the abilities they gave people. Anything with colors and/or powers and very specific rules and I am there. I was really curious the whole time why they were there and I liked that it was held until the end of the book. 
 I was actually disappointed in the ending though. I was really kind of hoping it wouldn't go there because it was kind of cheesy an obvious sort of twist. It was really one of my only guesses and I was hoping it was going to be something more obscure and science-based. 
 It was a fun read and I don't want to rate it less than four stars because I really did enjoy reading it but I'd be hard pressed to recommend it based on my disappointment in the ending. 
 Full review as originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 2/26/16: Young adult sci-fi? Crazy ending? A world full of colorful sphere that enhance people's abilities? Yep, I was totally hooked by the pitch for BURNING MIDNIGHT! I'm such a sucker for all of these things and I'm always interested to see where sci-fi will head next, especially since I'm still discovering so many different types of science-fiction. I will definitely agree that BURNING MIDNIGHT was a fun read and had a crazy ending but it was also a bit of a mixed bag for me. 
 I actually had a really great time reading this book. It was easy to read and the concept of the spheres/marbles/whatever you want to call them was really neat! They're hidden all over the world in hundreds of different colors. Find two of the same color and you can "burn" the pair to enhance an ability, from a better singing voice or ability to fall asleep easier to better memory or enhanced speed. Each color endows a different gift and now that the spheres have been around for a while, there's a whole market based off of the value of each color and how valuable that trait is. I love concepts like this. Specific rules, special abilities, and a specific way to identify them all have me hooked so I really enjoyed the whole first half of BURNING MIDNIGHT! I loved learning what each color did and the hunt for the different colors was exciting! 
 The characters made for a fun cast as well. I liked Sully (David Sullivan) and his friends a lot and they always seemed really down-to-earth and realistic. The friendship dynamic was a lot of fun and I especially loved Dom, who has been Sully's best friend for a long time, and new-comer to the group Mandy. They had a great working dynamic and it was a great balance of serious and fun. Sully also ends up working with and falling for mysterious girl Hunter (who hunts spheres) and although I did enjoy their relationship, I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been more platonic than romantic. 
 I was really enjoying the book right up until the end and then things started to get... weird. I was hooked by the concept of a crazy, twisty ending so naturally I was hypothesizing what the spheres could possible be and where they came from and this is in fact revealed in the end. Did I like the answer? Frankly, no. The answer to the twist was one of my only real guesses and I was just hoping the book really wasn't going to to there. It seemed like an easy and obvious twist and also made the book that much more unrealistic instead of having some possible technological, political, or other science-fiction answer. I was fairly disappointed and it really sort of cheapened the book for me. I was just hoping for so much more. 
 BURNING MIDNIGHT was an exciting and fun read but unfortunately the ending wasn't a hit for me. I had a really good time reading it but my experience with the ending makes me wary to recommend it to others. If you're ready for just about anything, I say take a chance but if you're picky with your sci-fi, maybe peek at some reviews before you pick this one up!