Shadow Falls Street Team - Whispers at Moonrise Out Tomorrow!

Attention all you Shadow Falls fans out there!  Tomorrow is the big day, so get ready to head out to your local book store to pick up your copy of Whispers at Moonrise!  I've had a blast fulfilling my street team duties and am so glad to have the chance to share this awesomely fun series with others.  As the last part of my pre-publication day promotional work, I'm going to share a special top 10 list from C.C. Hunter, as well as the book trailer for Whispers at Moonrise.  Don't forget to add Whispers at Moonrise (and/or the rest of the series) to your Goodreads shelves.  It's a fun series that you won't want to miss!

Ten Things You’ll Learn from Whispers at Moonrise  

1. Kicking your boyfriend’s father’s butt might not be good for the relationship. 
2. Sometimes following your heart means breaking some rules. 
3. Getting trapped in a grave with three dead girls is not a walk in the park. 
4. Your parents breaking up sucks. Your mom having a boyfriend, and kissing him in front of you, sucks BIG TIME. 
5. When your boyfriend says one thing, but does another, what do you believe? His actions or his words? 
6. You can’t always protect the ones you love. Sometimes the only way to protect them is to tell them the truth—even if it hurts. 
7. When you are in love, you usually want to talk a lot more about your boyfriend than your girlfriends care to hear. 
8. You shouldn’t mess with magic if you don’t know what you’re doing. Especially when someone could end up sterile. 
9. Sometimes it is the little choices we make, and not the big ones, that define who we are. 
10. Be careful what you wish for or you might end up turning a bright shade of red in the boys’ bathroom.

Click to Add to GR

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.

The breathtaking fourth installment of the New York Times bestselling Shadow Falls series from author C. C. Hunter...Whispers at Moonrise.

Review - Taken at Dusk

by C.C. Hunter
publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
date of publication: April 10, 2012
format: paperback
pages: 380
source: purchased

From Goodreads:

Step into Shadow Falls, a camp for teens with supernatural powers.  Here friendship thrives, love takes you by surprise, and our hearts possess the greatest magic of all.

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 imagined.

I really liked the first two books in this series, Born at Midnight and Awake at Dawn, but Taken at Dusk hit all the right chords. I absolutely loved it and would have picked up the next book immediately if I had had it on hand. Alas, I must wait, but while I do, I'm going to tell you about all the things that made Taken at Dusk such a great read. This series just keeps getting better and better. I'm looking forward to seeing where it will go next.

Kylie continues to intrigue me as she discovers more and more about herself. I especially admire her determination to do right by the ghosts who seek her help. Her interactions with Miranda and Della run the gamut from easy jokes to heartfelt conversations, all of which provide hilarity and touching moments. Her moments with Lucas are, as always, quite intense, though I would love if she would just pick one guy already. I'm a wee bit impatient, you see. Also, as I learn more about Kylie's past, I feel for her. I am not afraid to admit that I was in tears by the end of the book. That's right. I cried.

Since the book takes place in the same setting as the first two books in the series, there's not much I can say to build upon that aspect. However, I will say that the writing in Taken at Dusk was, simply put, awesome. The story built up very well and contained just the right amount of twists and turns. I've already mentioned the ending that made me cry. It is but one of several poignant moments throughout the book.

I'm very much at risk of going all fangirly over this series. I can barely imagine how it can get any better than Taken at Dusk, but I am definitely open to surprises. As Kylie's story progresses, I am looking forward to finding out the entirety of her past. C.C. Hunter hasn't left me wanting yet when it comes to her stories. What I am waiting for is the next book, Whispers at Moonrise, but I have the feeling that it's well worth it.

Buy Taken at Dusk at the Following Locations:

Amazon /  IndieBound  /  B&N  /  The Book Depository

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

Review - Born at Midnight

by C.C. Hunter
publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
date of publication: March 29, 2011
format: paperback
pages: 398
source: purchased
read it in: 2 days

From Goodreads:

Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams, Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…

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…

Kylie is in a tough situation.  Stuck in the middle of warring parents and caught in the wrong place at the wrong time, she is sent away for the summer to what she is told is a camp for troubled teens.  What she finds, however, is that these teens aren't troubled in the typical sense of the word... and neither is Kylie.  Born at Midnight is the story of one girl's discovery of who (and what) she really is, all set in the lush world of Shadow Falls.  Prepare yourself for an adventure.

What can I say about Kylie?  She's a strong-willed character dealing with several problems that any girl would be stressed out by.  She's sassy, bright and, most of all, STUBBORN.  Her state of denial is a bit hard to deal with, at times, but her point of view is at least understandable.  Watching her learn about and interact with her new world made for a very interesting story and I enjoyed her interactions with her peers very much from a reader's stand-point.  Over all, she was a fun heroine to get to know and I can already tell that she's in for a lot of growth as the series progresses.

I had so much fun with the plot of Born at Midnight.  Not only does it include so many of my favorite fantasy characters, it has scads of romance and mystery, as well.  There is witty banter galore, which is always appreciated, and the interaction between characters was riveting.  The story's progression was at times bogged down by Kylie's excessive stubbornness, but when all is said and done, I had so much fun reading this book.  I loved the story and couldn't wait to move on to the next book in the series.

I have had Born at Midnight sitting on my shelf for quite some time now and, thanks to much encouragement from a dear friend, I finally worked it into my reading pile.  I have no qualms whatsoever against saying she was absolutely right.  Born at Midnight is a vastly entertaining story with some of my favorite figures from the fantasy genre.  In addition to that, there is a measure of mystery that piques your curiosity from the start.  This is an exceedingly fun book that just begs to become your latest summer read. 

Buy Born at Midnight at the Following Locations:

Amazon / IndieBound / B&N / The Book Depository