Review: Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

March 29, 2011
St. Martin's Griffin

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, 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…

My Review:
I absolutely loved Born at Midnight! While at first I was afraid that the third-person narrative wouldn't work for this book, C.C. Hunter proved me wrong! The descriptions were so clear and I could easily picture Kylie's friends and her surroundings in my head. The boys vying for Kylie's attention were oh-so yummy and hot! I am dying to get my hands on the next book in the series, Awake at Dawn, so I can find out what else life has in store for Kylie and her friends.

Kylie is going through some hard times at the beginning of the book. Her parents are divorcing, her Nana just died, and her boyfriend Trey just broke up with her because she wouldn't put out. On top of all that, Kylie is forced to go to a camp where she can "reform" herself because she was caught at a party where there were drugs. Kylie comes to find out that it is really a camp for supernaturals and that apparently, she is one of them! Sure she can see ghosts and has night terrors that cause her to scream bloody murder, but there must be an explanation for that, right? She can't be a supernatural. Or so she thinks...

Throughout the novel as Kylie tries to come to terms with the fact that she is a supernatural, she makes some amazing friends and has two hot guys wanting her. While I did feel for Kylie's situation, I was annoyed at how she kept denying that she was a supernatural and was so unaccepting of them. Even when it seems there can be no other possible reason for her unnatural brain waves and her seeing ghosts, she still won't accept it. She is also really rude to her friends, namely Della, who is a vampire. She is constantly acting weirded and grossed out by her drinking blood even when she knows Della has to do it. I think a friend would have gotten over that quickly, or tried to hide their disgust, if they really cared for the person. Other than those problems, I did enjoy Kylie as a person. She has had a horrible few months and in the end, Shadow Falls makes her a better person.

Derek and Lucas are the two sexy and sultry boys who have a bit of a thing for Kylie. Derek is a half-fae and such a sweetie towards Kylie. He truly cares about her and would really love to have something special with Kylie, not just friendship. Kylie tries to convince herself that all she wants is friendship from Derek, but he is just so yummy that she can't help but want something more. Then there is Lucas, my personal favorite of the two. He is a werewolf, smokin' hot and such a bad boy. He and Kylie have a bit of a past together that causes Kylie to have mixed feelings about him. You can practically feel the sparks coming from the page whenever they are together! They have some serious chemistry and I really hope that they can explore it more in Awake at Dawn.

Born at Midnight was a unique and gratifying debut that left me wanting more! I loved learning more about the lore of the supernaturals and how they interact with one another. Kylie's friends were amazing and stuck by her through the hard times, which I really appreciated. Every heroine needs a friend or two who truly care about them. The ending to Born at Midnight is pure torture! I really, really, really need Awake at Dawn right now!! Pick this one up if you haven't tried it yet!

My Rating: