My Ramblings on Shadow Falls 1 & 2 by CC Hunter

I'm posting on both of these books together because I read them back to back (in one day) so I figured one post would work too!

Born at Midnight

By: CC Hunter

Release Date: March 29, 2011

Author Website

Summary:

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

Awake at Dawn

Release Date: October 11, 2011

Summary:

Now that she’s settled in at Shadow Falls Camp, Kylie Galen’s determined to discover the extent of her supernatural abilities. But with a ghost insisting someone Kylie loves is about die, a rogue vampire on a murdering rampage, and her sixth sense telling her someone is watching her, Kylie’s quest for answers is quickly put on hold.

To make matters worse, just when she’s about to give her heart to Derek, a half-fairy, he starts pulling away. When Lucas, a werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past, returns, Kylie’s feels more conflicted than ever. Her weekend with her mom should have been the just the break Kylie needs, but it turns out to be her breaking point. Someone from the dark side of the supernatural world has plans for Kylie--and it'll take all her resources to get back to Shadow Falls alive...

My Ramblings:

So here's the deal on these books. They are addicting. I had never heard of them before and then 2 days ago a friend posted a link on facebook letting everyone know that the first book was only $2.99 for Nook or Kindle (that's still the price, so get on it). I'm always looking for a new series to read, so I figured I'd give it a try. I devoured it in just about 2 hours. Then I went right back online and grabbed the sequel (a little more expensive at $9.99, but still worth it). I blew through that one in about the same amount of time. Then I had a pity party for myself b/c the 3rd book, Taken at Dusk, isn't out yet. Then I realized it was okay, because it comes out April 10th and that's only a month away. Thank goodness I don't have to wait that long! So basically this series monopolized my entire day. And it was awesome. 

So, about the books. I'm going to mush the reviews together her because the second book really is a seamless continuation of the first. At the heart of the story is Kylie, a girl who is pretty much having the worst few months of her life. Her boyfriend dumps her because she won't put out, her Grandmother dies and then her parents divorce. On top of that she seeing ghosts. Her parents think she's lost her mind and she is promptly shipped off to Shadow Falls, a camp for delinquent kids. Only Shadow Falls isn't all it seems. In fact  Shadow Falls is a camp for supernatural kids of all types. Which is the things I loved the most about this series. You have a bit of everything here, vampires, werewolves, shifters and Fae, all trying to navigate the joys of summer camp. For Kylie she has to add in the fact that she doesn't even know what kind of supe she is (or if she really is one). 

In each book Kylie has to solve a mystery surrounding the ghost that has attached itself to her. In the first book the ghost has a very personal message for her. In the second the message pertains to someone she loves. In both cases Kylie must figure it out in order to find out something more about herself and her abilities. Both mysteries are written very well. In the first I had no idea who the ghost, named Daniel, was or what he was trying to tell her. In the second book I had an idea of who the ghost was and I was pretty sure I knew what the message was, but in the end I was only partially right. In both cases Hunter kept me guessing right to the end, which is always fun!

Lastly I want to mention all the secondary characters. They are awesome. Each one has a place. Kylie's roommates Della (vampire) and Miranda (witch) provide a lot of the comic relief with their constant bickering. Despite their catty attitudes they are also extremely loyal, and that's always good to see. Perry (shifter) is also hysterical, especially when he uses his abilities to get close (in more ways then one) to the girls. The camp leaders are perfect as well, they are great role models and you can tell they are really there for the campers. They also aren't one dimensional, which I appreciate. They have their own lives and we get glimpses into their personal lives and relationships, which makes it easier to relate to them. Kylie's parents are, well, parents. They mess up. A lot. Kylie doesn't get why they are acting the way they are, which is pretty standard when it comes to kids and divorce. As their relationships shift, we get glimpses into why their marriage fell apart and what that means for Kylie. 

In other words this is a great series. If you like paranormal stories, this is a great one!

Ps. I want this series to be a tv show very, very badly. The way it's written would make for a very fun tv show. All those supes, all that mystery and that romance, action and humor. It's basically everything I love mushed into one and I think it would work great week to week.