Jenn's Review: Reborn

Author: C.C. Hunter
Series: Shadow Falls: After Dark #1, (Shadow Falls #6)
Publication Date: May 20, 2014
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Pages: 400
Obtained: purchased
Genre:  YA Paranormal
Rating: 4.5
Bottom Line: Fantastic to revisit beloved characters with a new point of view
Grab, Just get it at the library, or Remove from your TBR list? Grab

Blurb:  Return to the beloved world of Shadow Falls, a camp that teaches supernatural teens to harness their powers—and where a vampire named Della will discover who she’s meant to be.

For Della Tsang, Shadow Falls isn't just a camp: it's home. As a vampire who's never fit in with her human family, it's the one place she can truly be herself. But when a mysterious new guy arrives at camp, Della’s whole world is thrown into turmoil. Chase is a vampire with secrets, who knows more than he’s telling. But the more time she spends with him, the more she begins to trust this attractive stranger—and feel drawn to him. But romance is the last thing she wants—as she keeps telling Steve, the hunky shapeshifter who won’t stop trying to win her heart. And if Della isn't careful, he just might succeed.　 When a new case puts everyone she cares about in danger, Della’s determined to do everything she can to save them . . . even if it means teaming up with Steve and Chase, who leave her more confused than ever. With their lives on the line, will Della and her friends survive—with their hearts intact?

Review: I adored C.C. Hunter's Shadow Falls series so I was thrilled to discover she was writing a spinoff series featuring Della. She was always one of my favorite secondary characters in the novel so it's nice to see Della in the spotlight, however reluctant she may be to be there. 

It was wonderful to revisit with the entire Shadow Falls gang. From the outset, I had a pretty good idea of what was going on but that didn't make the story any less enjoyable. Although if Della would learn to share her burdens with her friends, many things would have been resolved faster.  It is nice to see some of Della's barriers break down, however.  I loved visiting familiar characters through Della's eyes.  It is nice to see Kylie is still doing well.  It was also wonderful to revisit Burnett and Holliday.  The newcomer Chase is a bit of an enigma and I had no idea what angle he was playing.  I'm still not sure how I feel about him.  

Although most of the storyline is resolved, there are still enough loose ends to weave into another exciting advenure.  I have no idea where  things are headed, but I'm along for the ride.  Honestly, I'm routing for Della to be happy no matter what path she chooses in life.

 

FacebookTwitterGoogle+PinterestLinkedInEmailStumbleUponRedditWordPressTumblrDeliciousDiggGoogle BookmarksYahoo BookmarksWhatsAppEvernoteLineWaneloApp.netBufferXINGBeboOrkutMixiVKPocketGoogle GmailMendeleyYahoo MailPinboardOutlook.comBox.netAOL MailInstapaperHacker NewsSpringpadMySpaceFlipboardArtoAIMYahoo MessengerMail.RuPlurkDiasporaFarkBlogger PostTypePad PostKindle ItSina WeiboBaiduNetlogCiteULikeJumptagsFunPPhoneFavsXerpiNetvouzDiigoBibSonomyBlogMarksStartAidKhabbrMeneameYoolinkBookmarks.frTechnotizieNewsVineFriendFeedProtopage BookmarksBlinklistWebnewsSegnaloPushaYouMobSlashdotAllvoicesJamespotTwiddlaLinkaGoGoNowPublicLiveJournalLinkatopiaBuddyMarksViadeoWistsSiteJotDZoneCare2 NewsBitty BrowserOdnoklassnikiSymbaloo FeedsFolkdNewsTrustAmazon Wish ListPrintFriendlyTuentiRediff MyPage

AddToAny

FacebookTwitterGoogle+PinterestLinkedInEmailStumbleUponRedditWordPressTumblr

Google GmailYahoo MailOutlook.comAOL MailAny emailEmail app

More…

Google+

FacebookTwitterGoogle+PinterestLinkedInEmailStumbleUponRedditWordPressTumblrDeliciousDiggGoogle BookmarksYahoo BookmarksWhatsAppEvernoteLineWaneloApp.netBufferXINGBeboOrkutMixiVKPocketGoogle GmailMendeleyYahoo MailPinboardOutlook.comBox.netAOL MailInstapaperHacker NewsSpringpadMySpaceFlipboardArtoAIMYahoo MessengerMail.RuPlurkDiasporaFarkBlogger PostTypePad PostKindle ItSina WeiboBaiduNetlogCiteULikeJumptagsFunPPhoneFavsXerpiNetvouzDiigoBibSonomyBlogMarksStartAidKhabbrMeneameYoolinkBookmarks.frTechnotizieNewsVineFriendFeedProtopage BookmarksBlinklistWebnewsSegnaloPushaYouMobSlashdotAllvoicesJamespotTwiddlaLinkaGoGoNowPublicLiveJournalLinkatopiaBuddyMarksViadeoWistsSiteJotDZoneCare2 NewsBitty BrowserOdnoklassnikiSymbaloo FeedsFolkdNewsTrustAmazon Wish ListPrintFriendlyTuentiRediff MyPage

AddToAny

FacebookTwitterGoogle+PinterestLinkedInEmailStumbleUponRedditWordPressTumblr

Google GmailYahoo MailOutlook.comAOL MailAny emailEmail app

More…

Jenn's Review: Chosen at Nightfall

 Blurb:  When Kylie Galen entered Shadow Falls Camp, she left her old life behind forever and discovered a world more magical than she ever imagined. A place where you’re two best friends can be a witch and a vampire…and where love doesn’t happen the way you’d expect.

When Kylie’s most powerful enemy returns to destroy her once and for all, there’s only one way to stop him—to step into her full powers and make a stunning transformation that will amaze everyone around her.  But her journey won’t be complete until she makes one final choice…which guy to love.  Should she choose to the werewolf who broke her heart but will give anything to win her back, or the half-fae who ran from their attraction before they had a chance?  Everything she’s learned at Shadow Falls has been preparing her for this moment—when her fate will be revealed and her heart claimed forever.

Review:  This was a bittersweet read for me because I adore this series.  I was anxious to find out how things would work out, but also sad to see it's conclusion.    Thankfully, C. C. Hunter has a spin off series in the works....

I'm actually not overly fond of love triangles in books, that is, unless they are written really well, and this one is.  It helped that it wasn't the focus of the series until this final novel, but it is mostly because C. C. Hunter  writes intriguing characters that can't help but draw you into the story.  I adore Kylie.  I love the way she thinks things through and understands people.  She's emotionally mature for her age ...and mature enough to know she's not ready to have an adult relationship yet.  I will say that I was routing for the other guy, but Kylie went through things in such a rational way that I found myself okay with how things worked out.  (That in and of it self says a lot for Ms. Hunter's writing.)

I did wish that there had been more focus on the other aspects of the story, but I don't think I'll ever get enough of Shadow Falls, so I think I'd find myself wishing that even if Ms. Hunter had written volumes.  I want to know more about Kylie's kind, and the FRU, and the whole family of people I've encountered through C. C. Hunter's writing.  That's why I'm thrilled that Ms. Hunter plans on continuing Kylie's best friend Della's story.  I've wanted more of her story since the first book in the series.  She deserves to have her story play out.That and, I'm just not ready to say goodbye to these characters.  I will re-read and revisit them all again in the near future and I can't wait to share the Shadow Falls series with my daughter when she's older.

Final Take:  4.75

 

Jenn's Review: Whispers at Moonrise

 Summary:  Shadow Falls Camp is back in session with the most explosive installment yet.  A shocking new threat will rock Shadow Falls—changing it forever and altering Kylie’s journey in ways she never imagined.

 Even at a camp for supernatural teens, Kylie Galen has never been normal. Not only can she see ghosts, but she doesn’t seem to belong to any one species—she exhibits traits from them all. As Kylie struggles to unlock the secrets of her identity, she begins to worry that Lucas will never be able to accept her for what she is, and what she isn’t…a werewolf.  With his pack standing in their way, Kylie finds herself turning more and more to Derek, the only person in her life who’s willing to accept the impossible.

As if life isn’t hard enough, she starts getting visits from the ghost of Holiday, her closest confidante.  Trouble is, Holiday isn’t dead…not yet anyway.  Now Kylie must race to save one of her own from an unseen danger before it’s too late—all while trying to stop her relationship with Lucas from slipping away forever.   In a world of constant confusion, there’s only one thing Kylie knows for sure.  Change is inevitable and all things must come to an end…maybe even her time at Shadow Falls.

Review:  Oh, how I love this series!  And now that I've read Whispers at Moonrise in a day, I'm incredibly sorry that I'll have to wait until the spring for the fifth and final installment.

Things are spinning out of control for Kylie, and that doesn't even include the rogue vampires that are hunting her.  At the end of Taken at Dusk, C.C. Hunter had a lot of loose ends and she does not pick up all the threads in Whispers at Moonrise.  I'm glad she didn't because things are complicated enough for Kylie, and adding anymore would have been too overwhelming to the plot.

I love that Kylie is a chameleon, even if it does make her feel like a freak in a sea of supernaturals.  And yes, it's one more damn thing for her to deal with, but this storyline is so much better than an oversimplified explanation.  Her family?  Even cooler.  As for her love life, I am on team Derek one-hundred percent.  Lucas may be trying to do the right thing, but at what cost, or more accurately who's expense?  As noble as his intentions are it's a simple matter of opportunity cost; sometimes you can't have everything.

Kylie's ghost problem was intriguing.  And though I picked the whodunnit of it all early on, I enjoyed watching everyone else get there and the red herrings explained away.  I thought Burnett's explanation of the FRU to Kylie was a good one, and I'm eager to see who's, if any ones, trust is misplaced.  The climax of the novel was swift and intense but a little brief and perhaps could have used a tad more exposition. However, I can see how that might have detracted momentum from the final chapters.

This is one of those series I love to read and hate to put down.  Who'd have thought I'd find a bunch of misfit teen supernaturals at camp so intriguing?  The publisher, that's who.  Thanks to St. Martin's for sending me the first book in the series, Born at Midnight, last year.

Final Take:  4.75/5

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations to Gail for winning our copy of Taken at Dusk by C. C. Hunter!

You should have an email waiting for you.

As always GJR used Random.org to generate the winner.

Thanks to all for entering!

Giveaway: Taken at Dusk

We are thrilled to be able to giveaway a copy of the latest book in the C.C. Hunter Shadow Fall's series, Taken at Dusk.  (Jenn's review)


To enter, fill out the form below by midnight EST, April 23, 2012.  You must be over 18 and a resident of the US or Canada.  One entry per person.

Girls Just Reading Blogspot uses Random.org to select our winners.  Please visit our Giveaway Policy for more information.

Good luck!!!

Jenn's Review: Taken at Dusk

Summary:  Kylie Galen wants the truth so badly she can taste it. The truth about who her real family is, the truth about which boy she's meant to be with-and the truth about what her emerging powers mean. But she's about to discover that some secrets can change your life forever ~and not always for the better.

Just when she and Lucas are finally getting close, she learns that his pack has forbidden them from being together. Was it a mistake to pick him over Derek? And it's not just romance troubling Kylie. An amnesia-stricken ghost is haunting her, delivering the frightful warning, someone lives and someone dies. As Kylie races to unravel the mystery and protect those she loves, she finally unlocks the truth about her supernatural identity, which is far different-and more astonishing-than she ever could have imagined.

Review:  The Shadow Falls books from C.C. Hunter make up one of my favorite YA series.  I don't think it gets the recognition it deserves either. C.C. Hunter has created a fascinating world where all paranormals coexist, but not always peacefully.

Shadow Falls is a camp for supernaturals where they can learn to harness their abilities and break down prejudices towards each other. It's about to enter its fledgling year as a year-round school, if they can just keep things from falling apart. The story is fast paced and full of constant developments but not to the point where it's overly intense. It's not so fast that the reader feels rushed either; it's taken us three books to cover one summer's worth of time but it's worth every page. I find Ms. Hunter's Shadow Falls books hard to put down once I've started them.  Given the opportunity I could devour them in a sitting.  I reach then end and I'm craving more.

Taken at Dusk is the no exception.  Awake at Dawn left Kylie in a rather precarious place and Taken at Dusk picks up right where we left off.  Someone is out to get Kylie and she is having a hard time figuring out who to trust, not to mention her new ghost visitor isnt much of a talker.  I love the way the characters are developing and growing. Kylie's roommates are still bickering, but they are also friends who have each others back no matter what.  They are still mystified by boys (who isn't?), but they have learned how to recognize a friend in need. There are love triangles that aren't whiney and heroines that are strong.   The only thing that I find slightly aggravating is the lengths Hunter's characters go to to avoid swearing.  And really, how minor is that?

If you're looking for an engaging, fast-paced paranormal YA series, this is for you.  Every time I start one of her books, I wish it would just keep going.  Personally, I can hardly wait until October for Whispers at Moonrise.

Final Take:  5/5

Jenn's Top Books of 2011

My goal for 2011 was to get back to reading about 60 books a year, the way I had before my daughter was born.  I accomplished 60 plus (still reading or I'd give you an exact count), partly thanks to owning an e-reader, I think.  I'm amazed by the number of really fantastic reads I've had this year.

I was going to do a top 10 list, but quite a few of these are series that deserve to be mentioned in their entirety.  So here goes, in no particular order:

• The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen - she writes amazing books full of food and magical realism; if any of the above sounds good, and you haven't read any of her novels, put one on your 'To be read' list for this year.  You won't be disappointed.
• The Trylle Trilogy by Amanda Hocking - if you're a fan of YA paranormal and you have yet to read anything by this self-publishing queen, check out this series.  Ms. Hocking recently signed with our friends at St. Martin's Press and these are all being re-released with new, gorgeous covers.   I might just have to re-purchase the set just for the fabulous cover art!
• The Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson - if you can get past the first 80 pages of plot exposition in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, you won't be able to put this Swedish Noir series down for long.
• The Iron Fey series by Julie Kagawa - Now that I have the perspective of having finished the series, I will be re-reading these in their entirety the very first chance I get. Ms. Kagawa's fantasy world is fantastic and I will revisit it many times for years to come.
• The Book Thief by Markus Zusak - I don't usually like historical fiction but this book grabbed me and wouldn't let go.  It's a heart-breaking read that brings life in Nazi Germany to life for YA or adults.
• Flash and Bones by Kathy Reichs - This is the 14th book in the Temperance Brennan series and I really felt that it was a return to everything I love about Ms. Reichs' work -even though there was barely a mention about Tempe's love life, which I am seriously invested in...
• Lucy Valentine series by Heather Webber - so far there are three books in this series and I can't bring myself to read the last one because I don't want to come to the end of it. A little paranormal realism, a little romance, and a little mystery make these perfect warm, fuzzy reads.
• Shadow Falls series by C.C. Hunter - I think this YA paranormal series doesn't get the recognition it deserves.  I rarely find a book where I want to know more about every single character, but such is the case with this series.  
• The Love Goddess' Cooking School by Melissa Senate - one of those rare books where you can relate to every character.  I wanted to move into this marvelous food-lit book with it's touch of magical realism.
• Kill Chain by Meg Gardiner - Seriously, you have to read her books!  There are two series, and they really do need to be read in order so either start with China Lake (Evan Delaney) or The Dirty Secrets Club (Jo Beckett) -but start somewhere!

I'm looking at my towering To Be Read pile and I see a few more books from the authors above along with many new ones.  I'm excited for a new year of reading - aren't you?

Jenn's Review: Awake at Dawn

Summary:  From the moment Kylie Galen arrived at Shadow Falls Camp, she’s had one burning question:  What am I?  Surrounded by vampires, werewolves, shape-shifters, fairies and witches, Kylie longs to figure out her own supernatural identity…and what her burgeoning powers mean.  And now she’ll need them more than ever, because she’s being haunted by a new spirit who insists that someone Kylie knows—and loves—will die before the end of the summer. If only she only knew who she was supposed to save.  And how…


But giving Kylie the most trouble is her aching heart.   Gorgeous werewolf Lucas left camp with another girl, but he’s still visiting Kylie in her dreams.  And Derek, a sexy half Fae who’s always been there for her when she needed him, is pushing to get more serious—and growing impatient, especially when Lucas returns.  Kylie knows she needs to decide between the boys, and it’s tearing her up inside. 


Yet romance will have to wait, because something from the dark side of the supernatural world is hiding in Shadow Falls.  It’s about to threaten everything she holds dear…and bring her closer to her destiny. ~product description

Review:  I absolutely adore this series!  I am very grateful to our friends at St. Martin's Press for turning me on to it by sending me the first book of the Shadow Falls series to review as an ARC last year, because it's one I may not have come across on my own ...and, oh, do I love these books!

I was glad to see the story picked up shortly after things left off in Born at Midnight.  I was afraid that C.C. Hunter might jump ahead to the fall,  when the camp was promised to turn into a boarding school.   It would have been easy to gloss over the rest of the summer, and I'm glad the author did not choose this route.   There we're many loose ends in Born at Midnight and Awake at Dawn spends some time wrapping those up, while unraveling some others.

I'm not a huge fan of angst-y love triangles and this one isn't.  It's one of the many things Hunter does so beautifully.  Yes, Kylie is interested in two boys, but she knows she needs to sort herself out first before she makes any big decisions, not to mention the boys need to figure some some things out for themselves as well.  

Hunter's characters are all flawed but likable.  Kylie is hard on herself, but not as down on herself as she used to be. She's making great strides at being comfortable with who she is, even though what she truly is seems to be more elusive than ever before.  Kylie's vampire friend and roommate Della's story is becoming more interesting too, and I hope we will be spending more time with her in the future.  I love Derek and I love who he and Kylie become when they are around with each other, but I'm worried that his ever growing powers will be more than he can handle. I still don't quite trust Lucas, but I look forward to him proving himself. ...And here I am talking about the characters as if they're real people, again.  A sure sign that the author has hooked me.

There are a plethora of supernaturals at camp and that makes for a story that is deep with layers.  It's wonderful to watch all the side stories develop, and see which ones the author brings into center stage now, and which ones will simmer on the back burner for a later book in the series.  At the same time, Hunter keeps introducing new facets to keep things interesting.

The many dimensions pulls the reader in and makes it hard to put down.  I wanted to savor this one since  book three, Taken at Dusk, won't be released until April, but every time I tried to put it down, I found myself returning to it.   Luckily, there is a preview of Taken at Dusk at the end of Awake at Dawn, so I'll have something to tide me over until April...

Final Take:  5/5

And the Winner Is...

Congratulations to Jen @ At Random for winning the Born at Midnight prize pack!

Please email your information to Jenn so that she can send your book and swag out to you as soon as possible.

As always, Girls Just Reading uses Random.org to select our winners.  Thanks to everyone who participated.

Giveaway: Born at Midnight

Yesterday, I reviewed the beginning of the Shadow Falls series, Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter. Today, thanks to St. Martin's Press, we're offering a prize pack that consists of the following:

• My gently read ARC of Born at Midnight
• Two Born at Midnight bookmarks
• Two Born at Midnight pens
• Two Born at Midnight notebooks
• One compact/travel brush (that is really awesome, if I do say so myself!)

This giveaway is open internationally.  Please fill out the form below before Midnight EST on 4/29/11 to enter.

Good Luck!

As always, Girls Just Reading uses Random.org to pick winners.

Jenn's Review: Born at Midnight

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, 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…  ~product description

Review: You know a book is good when it ingrains itself in your thoughts for days afterwards, making you want to go back and re-read the good bits to savor them a little longer. Born at Midnight is one of those books -an amazing read- and probably one I wouldn't have picked up on my own, so a huge thank you to Brittney at St. Martin's Press for forwarding this one to me!

Often times when the teen protagonist is dealing with divorced parents in a book, the teen is so consumed by it that s/he loose sight of  her/his own life, but such is not the case here.  Kylie is concerned about her parent's divorce, but before she has time to dwell on it she is swept off to a camp for troubled teens where they keep telling her she's not human.  Now she's on a quest to discover who she really is and what she wants out of life.

Kylie is an incredibly likable heroine.  She accepts her situation and tries to deal with it as best as she can, though she is not sure she believes any of it.  Actually, she thinks she'd rather have a brain tumor than be only part human.  And while it becomes more and more obvious that she's in denial, you do want to shake her just a little, but you can at least understand her fear of the unknown.  She starts to realize that maybe she's made assumptions about her family, friends, and even herself and, above all, Shadow Falls Camp will challenge them.

Kylie's love life is a mess, and in true teen fashion she is attracted to more than one guy, but she knows herself well enough to know that she's confused and not ready for a relationship, let alone a serious one.  I love that she's not full of angst and completely self-absorbed about it, it's just another dimension of complication in the story.

C.C. Hunter's writing is approachable and unassuming -and her take on the supernatural is Medium with a whole lot of Buffy humor and sarcasm thrown in. I love reading YA's that are original and not full of obsessive angst, and The Shadow Falls series is the perfect example of that.  I love all of the characters and I am anxious to find out more about each of them as they grow into themselves as supernaturals, and as adults.  There are many stories still to be told about these teens, and I anticipate this being a fabulous series.

C.C. Hunter has created a refreshing and fascinating series. The second book in the series, Awake at Dawn, will hit stores October 11, 2011 and I'm headed to pre-order it right now.  If you love YA paranormal in the vein of Amanda Hocking, you're going to love this series.

Edited to add:  The criticism I've seen for this book is that the story is "all over the place", the protagonist is whiney, or that the mystery is resolved rather quickly at the end, and I feel like I should address these things.  The story is about Kylie finding herself and her way, so yes, it meanders around, but since when is discovering yourself a straight path?!?  I really didn't find Kylie to be whiney.  I'm always straightforward if I find a protagonist unlikeable, but she wasn't. She wasn't self-absorbed, but she did have a lot on her plate ...and she dealt with it. As for the mystery at the camp, it was a sub-plot and not the focus of the story.  

Want more to persuade you?  Check out the Shadow Falls free prequel short story, Turned at Dark.

Final Take:  5/5