Taken at Dusk by C. C. Hunter

Rating: Clear Eyed - 3/5

Release Date: April 10th 2012

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 380
Series: Shadow Falls #3

***This will contain spoilers for books 1 & 2***

First, a quick summary from Goodreads:

"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."

 From Awake at Dawn, Kylie learned that she is a protector. Yet, that still doesn't FULLY answer her question as to what she is... And boy, would I like to know. Unfortunately, with all of the jumpy writing, that is, Kylie would be attempting - or more likely being forced - to solve one problem, an interruption would occur half way through and then Kylie would be attempting to solve another problem only to be interrupted again or by simply pushing it away because she doesn't want to deal with it, or because she feels like she deserves a break. You've had a break for the past three books now, woman! Get cracking!


Again, Kylie's inability to deal with her problems gnawed at me this whole book. In fact, they gnawed at me so much that I almost had to put it down. Seriously. A lot of the problems were with boys, and these problems did nothing to forward the plot. I wouldn't have minded it so much if there had been some steamy kissing moments - but they ALWAYS got interrupted! Always! GAH! 


So. The plot moved at a somewhat unbearable pace until the very end, which now has me eager for book 4, Whispers at Moonlight. How do you do it, Hunter?! How do you make me hate a book so much and yet make me want to go out and buy the next one?! Tell me your secrets!

All in all, the beginning was good, the ending was edge-of-your-seat-awesome... But the middle stuff? Not so much. I still think you should read this series! I did like this book as a whole! Just... Get it from your public library or something, and if you end up loving it more than I did, then go out and buy it!

The Selection by Kiera Cass

Rating: Wide Eyed - 4/5
Release Date: April 24th, 2012
Publisher: HarperTeen
Pages: 327

First, a quick summary from Goodreads:

" For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined."

America is a girl who lives in the Fifth caste - a caste full of musicians - and is more than happy with the way her life is. However, when the announcement of the Selection is given - the chance of 35 lucky girls to win over the heart of Prince Maxon, and therefore the crown - her whole life is turned upside down. Pushed by her family, and her secret boyfriend Aspen, America enters the contest reluctantly, but postitive that she's not going to be picked. What are the odds, right?

But of course, she's picked. How else would there be a story if she wasn't?

I really, really liked the way that Cass wrote the scene of America being picked for the Selection. She wasn't even watching the TV when it happened! It only reinforced her belief that she wasn't going to be picked. And the names of all of the characters? America, Aspen, Kota, and a bunch of other names that were just AWESOME. Loved the names of the characters!

America was a strong main character for this book, and I absolutely loved her. Her inexperience of the world outside of her town was brilliant, and even though she was unsure of what was going to happen next, she had a very strong head on her shoulders and always did what she thought was right without even considering the conciquences.

Her and Aspens relationship was hot and... Brief. But between her and Maxon? Ohboy! I really want more of that. I give Cass a million and one kudos for not making it insta-love between the two of them, I absolutely hate when that happens between characters. Because their love for each other was gradual, and down-right hilarious, the love-triangle in the book actually worked! It wasn't one of those annoying things that just pop out of nowhere, and you actually understand America's indecision between Aspen and Maxon (Although the choice is obvious, Team Maxon!).

And although the ending didn't go out with a bang... It still felt very fitting. I was easily satisfied with the ending, and I can say that without a doubt I am SO eager to get my hands on the next book!

Ps; Thanks for acknowledging the late-night readers, Kiera! I happened to be one of those!

Awake at Dawn by C. C. Hunter

Rating: Wide Eyed - 4/5

Release Date: October 11th, 2011
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Pages: 383

***Warning: This will contain spoilers from the first book***

First, a quick summary from Goodreads:

"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."

 Reading over my notes on this book.... One thing seems to come up a LOT, and that would be Kylie's problems. Or rather, her lack of wanting to deal with her problems. Now, I understand that there may be a lot of them and that she just wants a break, but I want to read about a character who's got a back bone, who will stand up and face her fears! Unfortunately... Kylie failed to do that. She only dealt with her problems when she absolutely HAD to. And yet...

And yet... This book was still SO. GOOD. I have no idea how, or even why it was so good. And it's because of her reluctance to deal with her issues that I knocked it down a star, but... Wow. Hunter has managed to rope me in again without me even realizing that she had done it.

**The rest of this review will contain spoilers**





I was so glad that Kylie talked with her ghostly father right off the bat! I was dying to find out if he knew anything about her identity... Which he unfortunately didn't... But still!

Also... It really annoyed me how Della didn't agree to go with Kylie to the falls right off the bat... Especially when Della wanted Kylie to get over the whole blood-issue that she had with Della.

And her daddy problems! My goodness! I understand that you might hate him, and I really did sympathize with Kylie in the beginning! But once we got past the half way point in the book and she was still avoiding her father issues PLUS every single freaking other problem she had, I was about fed up with it. JUST DEAL WITH IT, WOMAN!

And the whole Frederika thing? SHE left to run off with Lucas. Lucas didn't ASK her to come with him, it just HAPPENED. Honestly? What was he going to do about it? You SAW how horribly stubborn Frederika could be!!! Get over yourself, Kylie. Honestly.

And we still don't know what Kylie is! The suspence is KILLING me! It's killing! I want to know already! If I don't know by the end of the third book... I swear.

Born at Midnight by C. C. Hunter

Rating: Starry Eyed - 5/5

Release Date: March 29th, 2011

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Pages: 398

First, a quick summary from Goodreads:

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…

Wow. Just - Just wow. I have to admit that I absolutely loved this book. Kylie was caught at the wrong place at the wrong time, and as a result, she was shipped off to Shadow Falls Camp, a camp for troubled teens. But at the camp, not everyone is as they seem...


Within the camps grounds, we come across Shape-Shifters, Werewolves, Vampires, Witches and even Fairies. At first, I thought that Shadow Falls was going to be a species over-load. But Hunter made it work out surprisingly well. During the book, we got a good dose of each of the species. With Kylie's two best friends - a vampire and a witch -, her two irresistible crushes, Lucas - a werewolf - and Derek - a half-fae - we got the full supernatural dose. 


Can I tell you again how surprised I was by how much I loved this book? First, Kylie was a totally relateable character for me. I can completely understand her need to be normal throughout the book, and I definitely didn't blame her for wanting it to be that way. Her attraction to Lucas did kind of annoy me, cause it kind of sprang out of nowhere, where as her attraction to Derek had at least had been built up on something. But I do have to admit, both of those guys are amazing characters. Just when I thought I preferred Derek over Lucas, Lucas would swoop in and do something to make me reconsider, and when I started favouring Lucas, Derek would swoop in and do the exact same thing.


Another thing that annoyed me was how long it took Kylie to finally deal with the ghost that kept plaguing her. The curiosity of what he wanted was killing me! And I thank that ghost a million times for being forceful of having his voice heard! But I hardly regestered this annoyance with everything else that seemed to be going on at Shadow Falls.


Over all, this book was just absolutely awesome. If you asked me why I loved this book so much, I honestly wouldn't be able to give you a straight up answer. I think it's because I was able to connect with Kylie so much. Or maybe it was because of how dedicated her, Della and Miranda were as friends to one another. Or maybe it was the fact that the twist with the ghost I didn't see coming at all. 


I could go one listing thing after thing, but all I'm going to be doing is wasting your time. I would easily read this book again in a pinch, and I really think you should give this book a shot. I went in with skepticism because I had heard very bad things about it - but also a few good things - but, oh my god, am I ever glad I took the time to read this book.

The Girl in the Steel Corset by Kady Cross

Rating: Clear Eyed - 2/5
Release Date: May 24th, 2011
Publisher: Harlequin Teen
Pages: 473
Source: Bought

First, a quick summary from Goodreads:

"In 1897 England, 16-year-old Finley Jayne is convinced she's a freak. No normal Victorian girl has a darker side that makes her capable of knocking out a full-grown man with one punch. Only Griffin King sees the magical darkness inside her that says she's special . . . that she's one of "them."

Finley Jayne is not your average girl. Finley has a dark side - a side that enables her to throw grown men like a mere sack of potatoes. And quite frankly, I liked that about her. Finley's dark side intrigued me a hell of a lot more than her other side. The darker side to Miss Jayne was extremely bad-ass, and I have to admit, I love that in my characters. But it was really awesome how completely different the two sides of Finley were. However, I kept forgetting that Finley was supposed to have blonde hair in brown hair. The girl on the cover kept confusing me. I really wish that when the publisher, or author or whoever decides the cover art for the book that if they were going to show the characters, they at least resemble the description given to them in the book. Is that so hard to do?

Throughout the book, there were plenty of references to Dr. Jekyll and My. Hyde references, which I totally understand from Finley's personality. It kind of makes me wonder if this book was inspired by the old classic. I also got a strong reminder of a CSI episode during this book, and I was oddly reminded of Scooby-Doo during the ending. I can't really say that I liked these resemblances, though. In fact, they kind of annoyed me and felt out of place considering the time frame the book is set in. It's supposed to be the 1800s, I don't want to be reminded of current-day things.

And the love triangles! UGH! Okay. So I understand the one between Jack and Griff and Finely, but the one between what's-his-face, Sam and Emily? Totally not necessary. Not every main character in the book has to be in love with somebody. It's really not necessary. Anyways.

Other than Finley's bad-ass self, I couldn't really bring myself to really care for anyone, and I didn't really find the plot all that engaging. It was very predictable for me. In fact, it was so predictable that I can say that I could have easily stopped reading this book and I would have known what happened in the end without needing to read it.

The pace of the book was moderate. I wasn't bored with it, but I wasn't exactly on the edge of my seat either. This might have been due to the fact that the book was predictable and I wasn't really invested in it's characters. Which brings me to my disappointment in this book. Trust me when I say that I wanted to like it. I really did. But I just couldn't do it. I mean, it was an okay read, but definitely not something that I would consider picking up and reading again.



***SPOILER ALERT***
Now. If you haven't read this book and plan on it, I wouldn't suggest reading this next little bit unless you want to know the ending. So scram! You have been warned!


First, I would like to pose a question. WHY THE HELL DID SAM GO AND CONFRONT LEON ON HIS OWN?!?! That was such a stupid thing to do. You have no idea how much it annoyed me. When they finally figured out Leon was The Mechanist was, I remember repeating over and over in my head, "Sam better not go and confront him on his own. He better not. DON'T DO IT SAM."

But what does he do? Exactly what he shouldn't have. *sigh* I'm sorry. I know characters have there faults and whatever, but this really annoyed me, you have no idea.

Also! At the end when they took what's-his-face away (I can't even remember his name anymore)! What the hell was that?! I understand that there was build up towards that, but barely. I mean, the guy didn't even seem like a killer. Not in the, he-hid-it-so-well kind of way, but in the he's-not-capable-of-doing-something-like-that-EVER kind of way. And honestly? When they took him away I can't say I really cared at all. And have you read the description for the second book?! Who the heck is this new chick? I thought he liked Emily. This also erked me. I can't say why, it just really did.

Butyeah. That's my rant and I'm sorry you had to hear it, but I just needed to get that out of my system.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Rating: Starry Eyed - 5/5
Release Date: June 29th, 2010
Publishers: MTV Books & Pocket Books
Pages: 213
Source: Borrowed

First, a quick summary from goodreads:

"Standing on the fringes of life offers a unique perspective. But there comes a time to see what it looks like from the dance floor.This haunting novel about the dilemma of passivity vs. passion marks the stunning debut of a provocative voice in contemporary fiction: The Perks of Being a Wallflower. This is the story of what it’s like to grow up in high school. More intimate than a diary, Charlie's letters are singular and unique, hilarious and devastating. We may not know where he lives. We may not know to whom he is writing. All we know is the world he shares. Caught between trying to live his life and trying to run from it puts him on a strange course through uncharted territory. The world of first dates and mixed tapes, family dramas and new friends. The world of sex, drugs, andThe Rocky Horror Picture Show, when all one requires is that perfect song on that perfect drive to feel infinite. Through Charlie, Stephen Chbosky has created a deeply affecting coming-of-age story, a powerful novel that will spirit you back to those wild and poignant roller coaster days known as growing up."

The Perks of Being a Wallflower is pretty much about a boy named Charlie, and his experiences in high school - to put it simply.

The first thing that struck me with this book was how utterly simplistic it was... Yet incredibly deep at the same time. What Charlie was saying was simple enough, and very straight forward, but it really made you sit there and think. Think about how others are fairing, what happened to get them there, why people act the way they do, amongst a million other things. In Charlie's case, the perks of being a wallflower is the ability to sit there and merely observe and take in all of this amazing detail about everyone surrounding him.

The only thing is, while Charlie is meant to be 15-16 in the book, I didn't quite feel like he was nearly anywhere that old. He felt more like a 10 or 11 year old boy experiencing everything for the first time. Yet, this didn't really bother me. Considering that everyone was telling him that Charlie didn't really participate in anything, he probably was experience many of these things for the first time.

I was also oddly jealous of all of the literature Charlie was plowing through during his school year... I mean, I would never have the tolerance for all those books. When I saw that his teacher gave him a copy of The Great Gatsby, I cringed. God, I really thought that book was boring.

Chbosky's novel also has the ability to read really easily. And even though you don't really get to hear much from the characters that Charlie surrounds himself with, you still get a really good feel for who they are and what they stand for, which I think is really amazing.

Even though there isn't much plot structure to Chbosy's book, I really didn't care. It was such an easy read and it flowed really nicely and I just loved the writing style. The Perks of Being a Wallflower is one awesome, insightful book that I would recommend to anyone who's looking for a read that just sticks with them.