Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls #1)

Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls #1) by C. C. Hunter

Rating: 3 stars

Quite a few of my friends had read this book and some even owned it. So after feeling left-out in their discussion and not wanting let them spoil a book for me, I picked it up and see what the big fuss was really about. 

I felt a little strange about this book right from the beginning. I couldn't exactly pin point what or how is it strange. There wasn't a particular factor, but I think it's more of the tone of the main character and the atmosphere of the book. It was written in first person perspective of the main character Kylie. At the start, I was unsure of how old the main character was because of the childish tone of her language. She was supposed to be sixteen but she sounded like she was barely nine years old. She gradually sounded older as the book went and to Kylie's credit, she matured throughout the course of the book. She was still a bit too weak for my taste of heroines. I thought she lacked the self-confidence and strength for her role in this book. She wasn't as pathetic as some main girl characters, but she wasn't a character I would like either. She was easily freaked out. 

The plot immediately reminded me of The Summoning and the rest of the Darkest Powers Trilogy by Kelly Armstrong. I'm not comparing them or anything, it's just that their plots and even characters were alarmingly similar. They both had a Derek in the book, although they had a massively different role in each book. The tone of the books were also rather similar, while reading this book, it triggered my laughter from other books I've read. The plot was somewhat predictable and slightly on the slow side. The main character tend to be in denial quite a lot and remained powerless most of the time. However, she was protrayed as the peace-keeper and the one who could control even the wildest people/powers. Typical isn't it?

I didn't like the guy characters much. There wasn't much to like about either of them, or it could have been the opposite: there was a few things to like about both of them, and you don't really lean on either side. If you told me to pick between Lucas and Derek, I would've said "I don't know". I couldn't connect with any of the characters much and distrusted probably all of them. The writing was average and it didn't pull me in to enjoy the story. 

To its credit, I did feel interested enough to finish it and still have an interest to read the next book. I don't see why my friends liked it that much, I didn't think it was a book worthy of much discussion, though it is a light relief that one could pick up to entertain themselves when they are bored. 

Synopsis

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…