Born at Midnight
by C.C. Hunter (aka Christie Craig)


Reviewed by
Lauren Abrams 

 

             Kylie Galen has always been a "normal good girl", but her life is starting to be torn to shreds.  With her parents in the midst of a divorce, her mother’s childish antics against Kylie's father, and the breakup between her and her boyfriend, everything is just falling apart. The passing of her beloved grandmother only adds to the drama. The icing on the cake of morbid feelings is that she has been having night terrors again, an old habit from the past. She once thought that the childish fears had disappeared as she grew, but they're back now and stronger than ever. She's seeing a ghost everywhere she looks. 

 

          Her mom decides that it would be best for Kylie to attend a summer camp for "troubled kids". With no other choice but to go, Kylie begrudgingly sulks off to the mysterious Shadow Falls, just to find it full of Supernatural beings. The ominous aura of Shadow Falls shows Kylie the world of Supernatural beings, and according to everyone at camp, Kylie is one of them. Even if Kylie profusely denies it. The camp was specially made for the Supernaturals, so that means there are vampires, werewolves, witches, fairies, and shape shifters roaming around camp like it’s nothing, and it’s kind of freaking Kylie out. As a Supernatural, you can read other Supernaturals’ wave length, to understand what they're thinking or feeling, but for some reason Kylie is unreadable. Not keeping your wavelength public is like ignoring people when they try to talk to you, and the Supernaturals are offended.

 

           After finally coming to terms with  being a Supernatural, she's thrown another curve when she finds that the norm for a Supernatural is having a power (this designates the type of Supernatural you are). Kylie has no idea what she is but she does know that she can see ghosts (which is very rare), and it’s the reason why several people are scared of her. Her goal for the end of the summer: to figure out what she is and what her ghost stalker wants from her, and to find a way to get rid of everything. She wants nothing to do with this- she just wants to go home and have summer like normal kids. 

 

      The story is told from Kylie’s point of view and she is a great character but she is so frustrating, she has made me throw my book a time or two! Sometimes she makes me go crazy because of her inability to decide on one thing and stick to it, but she has a fun personality with lots of "magic." She doesn’t believe she is a Supernatural.  It is usually hereditary and she knows that her parents are "normal".  But she can’t help feeling that she belongs at the camp with the people there.

 

      As we all know, paranormal books rarely come without some kind of weird triangle of crushes and heart strings, but this one is special. On one hand, you have a guy who is so sweet and would do anything for Kylie. On the other, there’s the boy that has always held her heart in his hands but she never realized it. Lucas never wants to leave her side because he is worried she might be hurt by all the evil in this crazy world they live in. (Personally, I’m team Lucas).  Kylie is in one tough situation. She is confused by what she is, everyday going through new things. Then she has two cute boys fighting over her. 

 

         The boys are a little complicated though. Derek is part Fae (aka: fairy) and he can sense people’s emotions.  He is a super sweet guy, and very good looking.  For some reason when Kylie meets him she is reminded of her ex-boyfriend (in my own opinion that’s kinda weird) which makes her feelings for him very...awkward.  He also happens to be able to manipulate your emotions if he is touching you.  So she never knows if her feelings for him are real or if he is making her feel the way she does.  She thinks she likes him but (welcome to friend zone 101) but with everything going on she wants to try to just be friends.

 

        Then there is Lucas.  He is a werewolf and Kylie recognizes him from the beginning.  They were neighbors when she was little; she always thought that he was a little... "different".  Seeing him now brings back memories of how he was always really sweet to her, but she is pretty sure he also killed her cat. The chemistry between them is pretty intense, but Kylie doesn’t know if she can trust him (not because he killed her cat but because he is dangerous!). 

 

        I would recommend this book to anyone who is into paranormal subjects, likes paranormal romance, or a likes book that you can't put down and when you finish it you will kick yourself for finishing it so quickly. (WARNING: THIS BOOK IS NOT FOR THE FAINT OF HEART! The authors writing of the ghost gives a deep ominous feel and will be scary at some points.) But in total I give this book a thumbs up!

Anna Dressed In Blood

by Kendare Blake

Reviewed by

Elizabeth Mosolovich

It's a creepy title, but it's a creepy book. The narrator and protagonist, Theseus Cassio "Cas" Lowood has inherited an odd profession after his father passed away: he kills the dead. Their ghosts, anyway, and usually only the violent ones. He and his mother travel all over, following ghost stories and rooting out the evil at the source. Their latest home is in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, where the locals report of a ghost that, if anyone steps inside her home, will kill them. She's killed so many that their blood is soaked through her white dress, and that is why they call her 'Anna Dressed In Blood.'

Cas has to ask around and make some friends to get what he wants, and when some of his new buddies decide to step inside Anna's house, Cas gets a taste of her frightening power. But...she lets him live, and Cas also sees something else in her: a scared, trapped girl struggling against her bloodthirsty nature. So as Cas starts gaining friends and then trains them to help him kill Anna, he finds himself falling in love with her.

This was an amazing book, with such an original idea. The doomed love story of Anna and Cas is sweet and pure, and the twisted tale of how Anna came to be is shocking and horrifying enough to befit a ghost story. It's wonderful seeing Cas start opening himself up to his friends Thomas and Carmel, and the imagery and figurative language is beautiful. There is also a sequel, called Girl of Nightmares. Anna Dressed In Blood is probably one of the best books I've ever read, and so I highly encourage you to read it!

Clarity

by Kim Harrington

Reviewed by

Elizabeth Mosolovich

Clarity "Clare" Fern has a curse. Or a gift, if one looks at it like her mother does. Clare, her mother, and her brother Perry are all psychic — their mother can read minds, Perry can sometimes talk to the dead, and Clare has visions of the past by touching objects associated with them.

Because of her powers, and the shop her family runs using those powers, Clare is an outcast at school and wishes nothing more than to not have this curse. But when a young girl is killed in a hotel near where they live, Clare steps in to help solve the case. She is greeted with suspicion from the new police detective, and even hostility from his attractive, teenage son, Gabriel. Despite his attitude, she needs to work with him, and feels drawn to him, even as she tries to get over her ex-boyfriend who cheated on her and is desperate to get her back.

Of course, with every killing, there is a murderer, and this one is no different in wanting to keep his crime unsolved. Even if it means killing again.

This book was very riveting. The nature of Clare's family's gifts were very interesting, and her struggles were understandable. It moved at a decent pace, and while most things were wrapped up nicely, there was a little dangler left concerning Clare and Perry's father, who left them long ago. There is a sequel to Clarity, called Perception, which was just as wonderful. Go and give them a try!

Beautiful Lies
by Jessica Warman

Reviewed by
Anna Caracciolo

Alice and Rachel have a certain connection. They are a rare form of identical twins, so rare that nothing compares to their relationship. When one sister starts experiencing pain, the other will feel the same exact thing. When Alice goes missing, everyone just thinks she has run away like she has done many times before, but Rachel knows better. She senses something wrong, especially when mysterious bruises and marks show up on her body out of nowhere. She now has to look for her sister on her own, but during that time she uncovers many secrets that she never knew were kept from her.

I love a good mystery book. This book kept my eyes glued to the pages the whole time. There were so many unexpected plot twists that my head was spinning. I was not sure where this book was going, and by the end I was stunned. I am not going to give anything away, but the ending definitely shocked me. I am still confused as to what happened. Besides the ending, I really enjoyed this book. It was very well written, and it kept me guessing the whole time. I can definitely say this story was very unique. I recommend this book for anyone who loves murder mysteries with a hint of paranormal.