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!