Review - Awake at Dawn

by C.C. Hunter
publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
date of publication: October 11, 2011
format: paperback
pages: 383
source: gift from a friend
read it in: 3 days

From Goodreads:

Step into the world of Shadow Falls, a camp that helps teens tap into their special…talents. Once you visit, you’ll never forget it—and you’ll never, ever be the same.

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.

Kylie and the gang are back with a whole new set of challenges to face as a mysterious threat menaces Kylie from the shadows.  As if that weren't enough, Kylie is receiving cryptic warnings from a ghostly woman covered in blood.  What's a girl to do when she's in danger, worried about an endangered loved one yet unknown, and has the biggest mess of a love life ever?  It's up to Kylie to figure it all out before it's too late.  Prepare to follow along as Kylie takes on an increasingly dangerous supernatural world.

Since not much time has passed between Born at Midnight and Awake at Dawn, Kylie hasn't really changed all that much yet.  As she begins to learn more about her characteristics, however, that won't be the case for long.  In many ways, Kylie is still the same stubborn girl that we saw before.  However, her approach to some very unusual occurrences is a clue that she is coming into her own at a rapid rate.  She develops some truly kick-ass characteristics that left me shocked and scrambling to come up with an explanation that fits, which is not as easy as it may seem, at first.  Where I liked the changes in Kylie, however, I found myself increasingly annoyed by Derek.  He becomes much more insecure and jealous in Awake at Dawn, which is just not becoming at all.  I came to prefer Lucas much more this time around and am definitely leaning toward that particular pairing at the moment.  He was a much more appealing male counterpart for Kylie this time.  I guess we shall see if that remains true in Taken at Dusk.

I really enjoyed the direction the plot took with Awake at Dawn.  It had every bit as much mystery and tension as Born at Midnight, all the while developing in its own unique way.  There was no repetition here, which I was very glad of.  Instead, the storyline is so fresh that there was no way for me to completely guess what would happen based upon the last book.  The pacing was wonderfully rendered and I was, once again, picked up and carried away along with the characters the plot revolves around.

Awake at Dawn is an excellent continuation to what promises to be a truly fun series.  Though I lost my patience with a couple of the characters, I still enjoyed the interaction between the varying members of the entire cast of characters, as well as the descriptions provided of both their physical appearances and their personalities.  I was fascinated enough with the story that I promptly bought book 3 in the series, Taken at Dusk, as well as preordered book 4.  This speaks volumes as to how much I've enjoyed this series, so far.  I hope for more great things to come. 

Buy Awake at Dawn at the Following Locations:

Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository