Sunday 25 November 2012

Born at Midnight Series by C.C. Hunter

Title: Born at Midnight, Awake at Dawn, Taken at Dusk, Whispers at Moonrise
Author: C. C. Hunter
Series: Born at Midnight #1, #2, #3, #4
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Fantasy, Magic, Werewolves, Vampires, Witches, Mystery
Source: Kindle
Rating: 4 stars

Available at:

My Review:

Because I am reviewing 4 books in 1 post, I am going to switch things up and post my review first, then the blurbs for each book underneath.

This book had been on a 'Maybe' list for a long time, so I decided to take a chance and read it. It was a pretty easy read, if not frustrating at points. I think my biggest beef with the series thus far (because there is one more book coming out in April 2013) was the fact that with every book, the main character, Kylie, bounces back and forth between two guys. It would have been better if the author had made it a suspense thing where there was the obvious attraction between Kylie and ONE guy, but for what ever reason they couldn't be together until near the forth book or something. It would have drawn my attention more than the ping pong act that is currently going on.

Another pet peeve of mine with book was the fact that I waited three books to find out what Kylie was, and it wasn't really this big moment at all. It was at the end of the third book, in the last paragraph, and a ghost comes and tells her, "Hey, by the way, you're a ______" (I wont ruin the surprise for you ;p you have to read it yourselves) I just felt that there should have been more of an adventure finding out who she was rather than it being given to her on a silver platter in the last paragraph of the book. That's not to say that she hasn't gone to huge lengths to find out what she is, but the revelation was extremely anti climatic and disappointing.


Although the first three books I found rather tedious to get though, the fourth book really made it better for me. She now knew WHAT she was, but she doesn't know what that what was. (did that make sense?) So now she has to discover what being a _______ is. We also had the new aspect of the school growing in session, although I would have liked to see more of that in the book, it was kind of a footnote three quarters of the way in. And there was no buildup with the 'bad guy' so to speak. He was just kind of thrown in there.

The last thing I want to say is that I am really excited for the last book of the series. The first three books I mainly read because I was dying to know what the hell she was and I was willing to follow the author in how Kylie got there, and the fourth book I actually really enjoyed, but this last book, that I am psyched for. We get to learn more about the abilities Kylie has and the culture around her species (is that a good word for it?) I'm excited to see how she interacts with her 'people'. And, of course, she finally chooses a guy (although the fourth book kind of implies who she is going to choose).

Now the rating for this book is a bit tricky... Overall, as a series, the book gets 4 stars, loosing points for the confusing relationship status between her and Lucas and Derek and the way the author dealt with what species Kylie was and the revelation of it. 


Blurbs: (via Goodreads)

Book 1- Born at Midnight-
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…


Book 2- Awake at Dawn-
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.


Book 3- Taken at Dusk-
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.


Book 4- Whispers at Moonrise-
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.

Tuesday 20 November 2012

Book covers?

So I have always wondered about book covers. Do publishers reuse certain models? When I was looking for a new book on Amazon the other day (I found two by the way. I just finished one and I am about to start on the other), I noticed something odd:

Does the model look familiar? I dont know if these were self published authors maybe, and they just created their covers via photoshop with a random image they found on the internet... but, I found it weird. Especially because when looking at one of them, the other was advertised lower down. Completely different authors, different titles... but same picture. Weird, huh?

Thursday 15 November 2012

Steel by Carrie Vaughn

Title: Steel
Author: Carrie Vaughn
Genre: Young adult, Adventure, Romance, Swords, Time Travel
Source: Kindle
Pages: 309 pages
Rating: 2.5/ 3 stars

Available at:

Blurb: (via Goodreads)
Sixteen-year-old Jill has fought in dozens of fencing tournaments, but she has never held a sharpened blade. When she finds a corroded sword piece on a Caribbean beach, she is instantly intrigued and pockets it as her own personal treasure.

The broken tip holds secrets, though, and it transports Jill through time to the deck of a pirate ship. Stranded in the past and surrounded by strangers, she is forced to sign on as crew. But a pirate's life is bloody and brief, and as Jill learns about the dark magic that brought her there, she forms a desperate scheme to get home—one that risks everything in a duel to the death with a villainous pirate captain.

My Review:
WARNING! Some spoilers ahead. I tried to keep it to a minimum, but, well, judge for yourself. 

So, I ventured a little outside my norm and took a chance on this book, and I wasn't extremely pleased with it. I picked up (or rather pick out, considering it was once again via amazon) this book when I saw the authors name on it. Carrie Vaughn, while not one of my favorite novelists, has written another series I had read (other than the last in the series which is on a To-Do List somewhere), the Kitty Norville series. (For those who are curious, and interested in Werewolf novels, you can check out this series. Not the best, but a 7/10 overall)

Anyways, because I had known who the author was, I decided to take a chance on another book she wrote. Steel, however, was nothing like her other series other than the actual style of writing, which is very hard to change in any author. I found that the overall plot of the story was very simplistic, but well thought out. The main character was annoying at times, always complaining to go home, back in the future, and I felt that the only times that I was really into her as a character was when she was in a duel or fighting with a sword.The relationship between her and other characters was lacking in development as well. I thought that the mother figure/ daughter figure aspect between her and Captain Marjory Cooper should have been developed more and that Vaughn could have done alot more with it. It was only mentioned briefly in certain aspects throughout the story. In addition, i would have loved to see the romantic relationship between her an Henry develop more. Especially in the end of the story. I felt that there was one major instance in the relationship (if you'd call it 'major') and one brief mention of it after word and, poof, that's it.

As a minor note, I wish we would have gotten more of a story about the surgeon (prisoner) on board. A back story of why he is a prisoner or how he became one. What happened to him afterward... something. He is just conveniently thrown in to hack off limbs and stitch up wounds without a story of his own. I briefly thought that maybe he and Jill were going to escape together or something would have happened on that dynamic, but, nope, nada. 

Lastly, the ending. I felt that the ending was a major disappointment. She comes back to the future were she left, being pulled out of the water, no time lost, carrying the sword and a scar to prove that everything she went through wasn't just a dream or hallucination. That was basically it. The epilogue was ridiculous and I found that it gave me no closer to the story. The ending felt very abrupt and fast paced to me.

Now, I've said what I found lacking in the story in great detail, but don't let me misguide you. The fight scenes were well written and frequent and the plot of the story, while simple, was well put together. It is a short and simple read and something that I would read while waiting in line for opening night of a popular movie or on a decently long car ride. Overall, the book only took me a little under three hours to read. If you like pirates and fencing and time travel, this is a book to try out. Hey, maybe you'll like it more than I did! I'd rate the book 2.5/ 3 stars, but I didn't think that book was worth the $7 I spent on it. I have read $0.99 books on amazon that were better.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

Update!

     Hey guys! So just a quick update on whats been happening and whats going to be happening...

     If you don't know, I am a college student studying to get my BA in English and eventually become a publisher (hopefully). The reason i am telling you this now is because school= tests and tests=studying and studying= no life what-so-ever. And thus, has been my life (or lack-thereof) for the past week and a bit. I have been reading between classes, during study breaks and late at night curled into my bed with my cat, so I have lots of material to review, I just haven't gotten around to it as of yet. I am thinking about starting a weekly youtube/video segment as well, is that something people would be interested in?

     Anyways, now that my midterms are all complete and with only two weeks of the semester left before finals, I will have loads of time to read and catch up on my reviews! I am currently on Amazon desperately trying to find a new book that interests me. This is a common theme in my life. I just might have to give a book that doesn't sound awesome a chance... it's worked out well enough in the past. Anyone have any book suggestions? Y'all know what I like ;)

     Alright then, back to the search! I will start reviewing again tomorrow! See you then!

Vanessa

Friday 2 November 2012

No Peace For the Damned by Megan Powell

Title: No Peace for the Damned
Author: Megan Powell
Series: Magnolia Kelch #1
Genre: Adult, Romance, Magic, Fantasy, Mystery
Source: Kindle
Pages:  259 pages
Rating: 3 stars

Available at:

Blurb: (via Goodreads)
Magnolia Kelch is no stranger to pain. Beautiful and powerful, she’s spent her entire life at the mercy of her sadistic father and the rest of the Kelch clan, who have tortured her and tested the limits of her powers. After one particularly heinous night that leaves Magnolia nearly dead, she finally sees her chance for escape…

But this first taste of freedom is short-lived when she collides with Thirteen, head of the Network—a secret organization dedicated to fighting supernatural criminals—who recruits her into the group. Even as she’s coming to grips with this new life and the horrific memories that still haunt her, she’s conflicted by her growing attraction to fellow team member Theo and the emergence of new, untested abilities. After months of grueling training, her loyalty to the team is tested when she learns her target is the Network’s most wanted: the Kelch family.

Revenge may course through her veins, but so does the blood of the Kelches. And opposing her family may cost her the thing she treasures most. After all, Magnolia is still a Kelch. And the Kelch are damned.

My Review:
So if you don't know this by now, let me just tell you. I am a huge cliche lover... well, when it is done right. I like strong female main characters that have lots of super powers, fall in love with the guy they shouldn't, and end up saving the world. Of course, that isn't always the case with every book I read, and that's okay because everyone needs diversity. However,  No Peace for the Damned is one of those books. So, if you are not a cliche lover, than stop reading now... you wont like the book.

Like I said, this book is the embodiment of cliche, almost to a fault. The main character Magnolia (what kind of name is that anyways?) is the daughter of an abusive family who all hate her and try and kill her everyday...literally. Good thing she cant be killed, huh? Because Magnolia's family isn't normal... they're paranormal. Why, of course they are! They also happen to be, what the author refers to as, 'paranormal terrorists'. And, with any terrorist there is a section of the government that is souley devoted to stopping them... in this case, the Network.

Now I don't let my sarcasm fool you. I actually liked this book and I thought it was decently written. It was a nice short read that I read in between my classes on Wednesday and in an overall time of about 2.5 hours. Like I said, a short and easy read. It wasn't very original, but it embraced fantasy novel cliches and that's what made it good, you get what I mean? I loved how the main character is sassy and her powers are strong and unpredictable. I also thought that the relationship between the main character and the love interest could have been a little bit more subtle. Megan Powell literally wrote it so the first time she sees him, BAM that's it. The author knows whats going to happen, you know whats going to happen, Hell... even the CHARACTERS know whats going to happen. I like a little angst and subtly in a forming relationships.

So, as like all the books I review, I suggest you read it. If for nothing else than to tell me what you thought of it or to broaden your horizon and discover what you do or don't like in a fantasy novel. Over all, I'd give the book 1 star for originality but 3 stars for the overall material.