Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Born At Midnight by C.C. Hunter

Title: Born at Midnight (Book 1)
Author: C.C. Hunter
Pages: 416
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: March 29, 2011

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, shapshifters, 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…

Rapt with distinctive characters derived from common beings that are encountered in paranormal YA, Born at Midnight creates a paranormal atmosphere of discovery and compassion. In real life, everybody faces a point in their life where they find who they really are, but in Born at Midnight, Kylie has to find out who she is, and what she really is. Hunter fearlessly delves into the inner psyche of a not-so-regular teenager and forges a tangible ambiance that effortlessly envelops the otherworldly environment.

At the beginning, Kylie starts out with a shy, quiet base for a character, but Kylie slowly transforms throughout the novel to a girl who can truly stand up for herself. She's rational and compassionate, but she's at the liminal age where she needs to deal with different coming-of-age issues; which includes finding out what she really is. Kylie is a strong, tenacious protagonist with a loyal and determined personality. Her journey to self discovery is filled with forged friendships and relationships that prove to be genuine and reliable. Hunter makes readers probe deeper into the emotional angst and actually feel it. The friendships and the unyielding love triangle lights the whole book up fire and passion.

Choices and decision-making is a concept very much explored throughout Born at Midnight. The pacing matches the constant flow of decisions and Kylie's gradual change. And the consistent mystery of what she really is, keeps the reader in suspense and anxious to read on. Born at Midnight is a great start to the Shadow Falls series and sets the characters and the atmosphere flawlessly to transition to the second book, where I'm sure more questions will be answered, and many more that will arise.

Born at Midnight is an evenly-paced, descriptive coming-of-age story that holds nothing back. Its otherworldly environment sustains a well-rounded cast of characters and well-developed bonds that emanate a sense of safety and at the same time holds an air of suspense. The intricate weaving of paranormal aspects and realism, is flawlessly executed by Hunter.

The Bottom Line: I loved the characters, especially Kylie. I'm in awe of C.C.'s writing style and character development. I can't wait to read the next one!

---Field Report---
Originality: 8/10
Ending: 9/10
Characters: 10/10
Plot: 10/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 9/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 9/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 10/10
Total Score: 95/100 (A+)

32 comments:

Maya March 30, 2011 at 9:04 PM  

This looks fantastic! Thanks so much for the review.

C.C. Hunter March 30, 2011 at 11:39 PM  

Hi Reggie,

Just stopping by and saying thanks again for posting me all week.

Ella Preuss March 31, 2011 at 1:31 AM  

Nice! You make it sound amazing, let's hope it is!

ReggieWrites March 31, 2011 at 3:45 AM  

No problem at all, C.C.! Author weeks are really fun to host and I'm glad to host you, especially on BAM's release week! =)))

Cait March 31, 2011 at 9:35 PM  

I love the way you rate books-it's really indepth. What a good idea! I cannot wait to read this book, it's not out over here till May and I've heard so many amazing things about it!

Ammy Belle March 31, 2011 at 10:49 PM  

Great review! Thanks for putting this book on my radar! :)

Teril March 31, 2011 at 11:38 PM  

ohh that review and insight into the book totally makes me want a copy asap.
Thank you.

Kulsuma March 31, 2011 at 11:56 PM  

This sounds so interesting! Great, detailed review! I love the cover, especially the purple and the font style.

suzi1811 April 1, 2011 at 12:08 AM  

I really want to read this book!

Becca Watson April 1, 2011 at 12:46 AM  

I have been hearing so much about this book.. I can't wait to read it!

Serena DeNardo April 1, 2011 at 12:55 AM  

Hmmm, I thought I left a comment? Its out in the internets somewhere! Anywhoo - great review, this sounds amazing! I think I need to get a hold of this book!

Rhianna April 1, 2011 at 1:04 AM  

I've been interested in this one for a while now so thanks tons for the review Reggie!

Jessica @ a GREAT read April 1, 2011 at 1:24 AM  

Awesome! Sooo can't wait to read this one! Already read the freebie read! And so wanting more!

Mona April 1, 2011 at 1:40 AM  

I really enjoy coming of age stories. Writing style is very important to me. I often will skim a little before I buy/check them out.

I am just getting into the paranormal genre so your comment that Hunter intricately weaves the paranormal with realism is a plus.

monagarg@yahoo.com

Bookish Fangirl April 1, 2011 at 4:08 AM  

That is a great review.It makes me want to read Born at Midnight even more!!

Anonymous,  April 1, 2011 at 4:45 AM  

Great review. I'm glad you liked this book because it look super good! I like coming of age stories and I've heard that she does a good job with that!

andrea b April 1, 2011 at 6:28 AM  

I just heard about this book a few days ago, but I read the short story about Della that was posted online and now I really want to read Born at Midnight! I'm not a big paranormal fan but this book sounds like more than just paranormal so I think it will be fun! thanks for the review :)
andrea b

Pokadots1121 April 1, 2011 at 6:54 AM  

This seems really interesting. Now I have to check it out.

donnas April 1, 2011 at 7:52 AM  

Great review. Really looking forward to reading this one. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Baggins April 1, 2011 at 9:03 AM  

Great review! I can't wait to read this one! :-)

Jenny N. April 1, 2011 at 9:46 AM  

Sounds like BAM has an array of paranormal creatures which makes me want to read it even more.

Holly April 1, 2011 at 10:52 AM  

It sounds amazing! I can't wait to read it :)

Vivien April 1, 2011 at 11:43 AM  

I'm terribly excited for this novel. Excellent review.

Elzahh April 1, 2011 at 12:30 PM  

Wonderful review! I so want to read this one now! :D

Darlyn April 1, 2011 at 12:32 PM  

Glad you like it. It's one of most anticipated read this year for me too ;p

Fashion Addict April 1, 2011 at 1:33 PM  

OMG. DYING to read this book! :D AHHHHHH!!!!

Aik April 1, 2011 at 10:24 PM  

Born At Midnight sounds fantastic! I'll add it to my wish list!

TheGirlOnFire April 2, 2011 at 2:18 PM  

Thanks for the review! I can't wait to read this.

Sara April 2, 2011 at 11:49 PM  

Sounds really good and mysterious! Great review!

Fi-chan April 3, 2011 at 3:35 PM  

I really want to read this book now. And I didn't know it's a series!

PinkStuff28 April 3, 2011 at 11:00 PM  

Great review...the story seems awesome...and i will definetly add it to my Wishlist , since you gave it an A+..

Stacy April 4, 2011 at 12:51 AM  

Thanks for the review. I am new to the world of YA, so I am just learning my way around. I will definitely add this to my "to read" list.

the imagine tree at aol dot com

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