Series Sunday: Shadow Falls Series by C.C. Hunter

I have to say, this is series might very well be the love of my life. It is everything someone could want in a book series. There's magic (lots of it), supernaturals (plenty of 'em), heartbreak (painfully so), love, forgiveness, life lessons, and most important, family. These books really push forgiveness and family. The characters, of all ages, make mistakes. More often than not, they own up to these mistakes. Many of the families in the story are pretty messed up. There's distrust, contempt, and misunderstanding, but there's also love, acceptance, and forgiveness. It's a story about magic, don't get me wrong, but it's also a story about real issues. That being said, there's something very special about these books. Unlike most, if you strip the books of the magic and the supernatural, you still have a story. A story about a girl who struggles with who she is, her family, and her friends. A story about a girl who can find the strength

in herself to overcome these things and be the best woman she can be.

Kylie Galen is the main protagonist. She is an amazing role model for young women. She is exemplary at many things, but struggles in others. In the beginning, she is caught at a party and is then sent to Shadow Falls camp for teens with 'issues'. Kylie's parents are getting divorced and she is not happy about this in the least, but as she learns new things about Shadow Falls and herself, she grows up. Kylie matures tremendously over the course of the book. She goes from regular, slightly outsider-ish, normal girl, to extremely strong, heroin of a woman. Her friends help her along the way. And she does not shy away from this help. The other characters are just as amazing as Kylie. Of course, there is a love triangle. One of the boys is Lucas. Readers meet him a
few chapters in, and get a big surprise. Kylie knew Lucas when they were children, he lived next door. Lucas is werewolf, and has obviously staked his claim on Kylie's heart. BUT! There's also Derek. He is half-fairy, and meets Kylie on the way to Shadow Falls. He is nice, and funny, and is very much the opposite of Lucas. While Lucas puts off the bad-boy vibe, Derek is good through and through. The role of my favorite character is a tie between Kylie's new friend at Shadow Falls Della and the head of the camp, Holiday. Della is a vampire and has spunk to spread around. She doesn't take anyone's attitude, but has plenty of her own, which will often get her in trouble with her and Kylie's roommate, Miranda. Miranda is a dyslexic witch. Her and Della are constantly arguing in the most hilarious ways. Miranda has multi-colored hair and plenty of ingenuity. For example, she has a toad following her around. It happens to be
her piano teacher who she cast a spell on that whenever her thinks, well interesting, thoughts about young girls, he is turned into a toad. Holiday is a fairy and is amazing. She is the voice of reason in the series, and helps all the characters tremendously. The head of security is Burnett. He's a vampire who won't admit it, but is in love with Holiday. He *might* get turned into a kangaroo at some point... Other characters include Perry, Steve, Fredrika (Kylie's arch-nemisis), Sara, and Kylie's mom (deemed the Ice Queen in book one), along with plenty of ghosts.

The series is well plotted and never has a dull moment. I'm able to read these books in a few hours flat, I love them so much. Each book, along with contributing to the overall story, has a story of its own. Kylie can see
ghosts,which makes for some interesting encounters. Readers can't help but love the characters and each of their stories. Everyone has a backstory, some crazier than others. There is a fairly obvious antagonist who has not-so-obvious evil schemes. Pacing is amazing and I can really feel the characters. Like I said earlier, strip the story of anything supernatural and you still have a story. These are some of the most phenomenal books I've read and I highly recommend them. Keep your eyes peeled, the author said that there will be a spin-off series about everyone's favorite vampire, Della. Excited doesn't even begin to cover the feelings I got when that was announced. These books are so good, I just can't let them go. I give them a full five stars.



Author Bio:
C.C. Hunter grew up in Alabama, where she caught lightning bugs, ran barefoot, and regularly rescued potential princes, in the form of Alabama bullfrogs, from her brothers. Today, she's still fascinated with lightning bugs, mostly wears shoes, but has turned her focus to rescuing mammals. She now lives in Texas with her four rescued cats, one dog, and a prince of a husband, who for the record, is so not a frog. When she's not writing, she's reading, spending time with her family, or is shooting things-with a camera, not a gun.

C.C. Hunter is a pseudonym. Her real name is Christie Craig and she also writes humorous romantic suspense romance novels for Grand Central.

You Can Find Her At:

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Synopsis:

Don't miss this spectacular new young adult fantasy series from C.C. Hunter! Born at Midnight 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…

Titles: Born at Midnight, Awake at Dawn, Taken at Dusk, Whispers at Moonrise, Chosen at Nightfall, novellas: Turned at Dark and Saved at Sunrise

Author: C.C. Hunter

Publisher: Griffin Teen

Number of Books: Five Books, two novellas, one volume