Awake at Dawn

Please tell me if there's some rule that all paranormal series must include a love triangle? I know I keep complaining about this, but it keeps coming up again! And it's getting old :-/

That annoyance aside, I really liked this book. I loved the first book in the series, and fortunately the sequel lived up to my expectations. I had started to think Kylie was a terrible Mary Sue the way she suddenly got good at everything, but it turns out there may be a logical explanation, so I'm willing to withhold judgement for now.

I really liked the various relationships depicted in the book and Kylie's interactions with both her cabin mates, Holiday and her parents. Didn't care much for neither Lucas nor Derek at all though. She could do better than show more either!

Next book in the series is out in March/April 2012 - can't wait! show less

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 show more 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...

http://girlsjustreading.blogspot.com/2011/10/jenns-review-awake-at-dawn.html show less

Though a few of the details were fuzzy, it did not take me long to dive back into Kylie's world and character. I love her voice, the sarcasm, the emotion and the kindness and loyalty to her friends. She wants and needs answers, and she takes the avoidance tactic, which I am so familiar with. I really connected with her in the feeling like an outcast at times though. That is a theme in this book and it feels like a theme in my own life. But I really like how she deals with it, and it is so well written how she makes friendships and slowly builds them.
And oh the drama in here, there are scenes I totally loved, and could imagine so clearly. Shifter fight anyone? Make out session? Oh yes, please. C.C.'s style is great and she draws me show more right into the world of Shadow Falls. The range of supernatural all in one place, working together is awesome, as well as the set-up with the tension and the antagonists.
It's awesome to watch Kylie come into herself and figure out exactly what she is, and it leaves me with questions and speculations. I also liked how she made better decisions for herself instead of being weak, even when it was hard.
I love this series and can't wait to make time in my schedule to read the rest! show less

I'm not ashamed to admit that I am completely intrigued by this series. I just love reading from Kylie's point of view and I just love the setting. Also, one of the most important things to me is that I love the characters. (Not just the main ones either) I will enjoy reading just about anything if I like the characters (even if the story sucks.) Fortunately, the story here definitely does not suck. I think I'm just as anxious as Kylie is to finally find out exactly what she is and what's really brewing in this new world of hers. I'm also really enjoying the side-stories of the ghosts that Kylie has to deal with. It really makes me laugh when she has to ignore the crazy (more often totally creepy) things the ghosts do while she's in the show more presence of others. I get more and more excited every time she finds another ability, and more and more sympathetic every time she discovers that she just doesn't fit perfectly anywhere.

As far as the romance triangle goes, I found myself kinda changing who I was rooting for. (this is HIGHLY unusual for me!) In book one, I was all about Lucas, whereas this time around, I just couldn't help but love Derek. There were some pretty awesome scenes between Kylie & Derek in Awake at Dawn. Also, I just kinda felt like the author changed Lucas' character a bit. Something felt slightly off if that makes any sense.

Anyway, there was some pretty awesome stuff in Shadow Falls, book 2; and I've definitely added C.C. Hunter to my must-read author's list. I can't wait to read Turned at Dusk! show less

I was completely captivated by the first book in this series and I am happy to report that "Awake At Dawn" was at least as good. This book is very much a continuation of the first book and probably wouldn't be enjoyable as an entry point to the series. Kylie is still trying to discover what supernatural she is. She is trying to convince her mom to let her stay at Shadow Falls when it goes from a camp to a year round school. And she is trying to forget Lucas and forge a relationship with Derek. Kylie is suddenly coming into more powers. And someone is murdering girls in town and it maybe somehow be connected to Kylie.

The characters make this series. What a fun concept! A supernatural camp, where there are vampires, werewolves, shifters show more and more. This leads to all types of jinx and amusing interactions. Kylie's two roomates are wonderful additions to the series. There is witchy Miranda and vampire Della who are always at odds but care for each other very much. Being a group of teenage girls ensures plenty of romantic drama. Several reviewers think this book is slow to start but I enjoy the day to day lives of the characters enough to be fully entertained at all times. There are some laugh aloud scenes as well.

Kylie and her friends feel like realistic teenager. I like that the kids always have consequences to face for their actions. And I am on team Derek even though I think I may have chosen the losing side. He just seems like a good guy and he doesn't want to play games. Lucas seems to thrive on games but he comes through for Kylie each time. Holiday and her kinda romance is also an intriguing side plot.

The story leaves us hanging quite a bit. I was not all the way satisfied with the ending of the story. This can turn a lot of readers off but I know I am hooked enough that I will grab up the next installment. show less

I do understand some of the issues with this series, the love triangle is a tired trope at this stage and needs to die in a fire. Kylie is powerful and seems to be gaining a lot of power, but her uncertainty and wish to be more normal (though as a teenager myself I remember the idea of supernatual powers were more of a "yes please" concept) seems to be keeping her from abuse of her abilities.

I'm enjoying this series, even if her friend at home is being punished for no reason, other than perhaps she's the only major character Kylie cares for back home. I'm curious to know what's going on and CC Hunter is keeping me following the story. I just hope things keep being interesting and don't betray the characters.

The Good: Kylie still doesn't know what she is, so that still annoys the hell out of me. But, she's getting there. She's dealt. She's accepted. Most of the time, she still has a ghost issue. She's figuring it all out and it's extremely interesting. I love her getting closer with Miranda and Della. They have a very authentic teen girls at camp getting becoming friends thing going on, with all the insecurity and vulnerability that goes with that. Add in the varied types of paranormal they are and they're different personalities and it makes for some great interactions.I had my suspicions about what was going on so I wasn't completely shocked, but it was a great experience regardless.

The Bad: At this point, the love triangle is show more unnecessary. Maybe it becomes important down the line, but right now it seems as though it's just one more thing distracting Kylie from figuring out what she is and what that means for her. show less