Early Review - Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

Title: Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls #1)

Author: C.C. Hunter

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Publication Date: March 29, 2011

Format: ARC

Genre: YA, Paranormal Romance

Other Books in the Series:

Turned at Dark, book #0.5 - to be released on March 14, 2011

Awake at Dawn, book #2 - to be released October 2011
Shadow Falls book #3 - to be released 2012

How I Got It: ARC provided by LibraryThing

Summary from back of book:

Kylie Galen's about to spend the next three months trapped with a bunch of freaks. After getting caught at a party with alcohol, she's shipped off to Shadow Falls Camp - a camp for troubled teens. And these kids aren't normal freaks, either. As Kylie discovers, they're freaky freaks - witches, vampires, werewolves, fairies and shapeshifters - and the camp is a training ground where they're taught to harness their powers.

All Kylie wants to do is finish out her sentence at the camp... but everything changes when she meets Derek and Lucas. Derek is a smoking' hot guy with magical powers who's making it painfully clear that he wants to be more than just friends. And Lucas is a werewolf pack leader with whom she shares a secret past. Lucas has always made Kylie's insides melt - unfortunately he wants nothing to do with her.

Now Kylie's got two boys playing tug of war with her heart - and a sneaking suspicion that she has magical powers of her won. After Shadow Falls Camp, how will she ever be able to go back to her normal life again?

Review:

Kylie's world is falling apart. Her parents are getting a divorce and her father won't let her come live with him. Her mother is emotionally cold and distant and Kylie is pretty sure that her mom doesn't want her. Her boyfriend also broke up with her because she wasn't ready for sex, she's being stalked by a guy she's dubbed "Soldier Dude", and the cops were called on a party she was at. It didn't matter that she wasn't drinking, taking drugs, or having sex, her mother still feels that she can't handle Kylie and sends her daughter to a summer camp for troubled teens.

Filled with anger and hurt, Kylie boards the bus to Shadow Falls Camp with little patience for her colorful camp mates. Labeling them all "freaks" she hopes to survive the summer. Her world instantly flips upside down when she learns that the camp is filled with vampires, witches, fae, and werewolves. The camp counselors believe that Kylie is also a supernatural, they just can't tell what kind. Kylie struggles to prove that she's human, despite the fact that Soldier Dude is actually a ghost and only she can see him. She also wrestles with her feelings for two boys: Derek who is sweet and really likes her, and Lucas who's hot but also scares her. Running in the background of the story is a mystery that Kylie only hears bits and pieces about, but she doesn't care, she's got her own problems to deal with - like proving she's human and getting out of Shadow Falls Camp.

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My ARC was labeled an uncorrected proof, so hopefully some of the things that bothered me about the writing will be corrected in the published version. There were two instances where Kylie referred to a past event but I had no idea what she was talking about. I looked and looked but could find nothing. One event was mentioned quite a few times and it drove me crazy that I couldn't find it. I hate it when authors just throw things into the story like that, so I'm really hoping that it will be corrected.

There was no info dump with the world building, we learn about it along with Kylie. Sometimes though, just like her, I wished for a bit more information and a little less of the it's-important-to-figure-out-on-your-own approach the counselors take. There was also a neat mix of science and fantasy. These are all modern supernaturals in the story, and the way they describe their abilities use scientific-esque explanations. At first it seemed a bit strange, but it makes sense.

Normally love triangles make me roll my eyes. Seriously, they are just so over done. Sometimes they are handled well (Julie Kagawa and Andrea Cremer come to mind) and sometimes they NEVER END. Hunter's love triangle is one that is handled well - it was realistic and made sense (as much as a fae-werewolf-unknown supernatural love triangle can). You completely understand why Kylie is attracted and torn between the two, yet holding back. In fact, it's actually really smart of her to try to figure things out. I don't normally get into "teams", but it's so tempting with Born At Midnight. I know who I'd like Kylie to end up with, but picking one makes me I feel bad for the guy left out. Lucas and Derek are both different but likable characters (and they're hot).

Kylie was a very honest character and I enjoyed that. She was honest with herself and others, and tried to be a good friend even though just about everything at camp was freakin' her out. She didn't give into pressure to have sex, she wanted to wait for it to be "right" and she stuck to her guns. She didn't jump into the "mystery" that might shut down the camp because it wasn't important to her. She was trying to get rid of a ghost, get back home, and figure out her life. She kind of stumbled into solving the mystery, mostly because something had to be done to save the camp for the kids who needed it (like her roommate Della). That part of the story reminded me of a "camp" movie, where all the new friends plan an elaborate practical joke or some other scheme to fix a problem. It was a fun read, not one that will haunt you, but definitely one where you'll look forward to the sequel.

Verdict:

I enjoyed the story, liked the characters, and I want to know what happens next but I think I want to get it from the library before purchasing. I smile when I see it, but I'm not so attached to it that I must own it. At least I don't feel that way yet. If book #2, Awake at Dawn, is as enjoyable as Born at Midnight, then this series might just be one of those fun re-readable books that I will have to have.

Related Links:

Turned at Midnight will be released as an e-book the on March 29, 2011.