Awake at Dawn by C.C. Hunter

Release Date: 11th October, 2011

Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin

Pages: 400pgs

The Story

Now that she's settled in at Shadow Falls Camp, Kylie Galen's determined to discover the extent of her supernatural abilities. But with a ghost insisting someone Kylie loves is about to die, a rogue vampire on a murdering rampage, and her sixth sense telling her someone is watching her, Kylie's quest for answers is quickly put on hold.

To make matters worse, just when she's about to give her heart to Derek, a half-fairy, he starts to pull away. When Lucas, a werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past, returns, Kylie feels more conflicted than ever. Her weekend with her mom should have been the just the break Kylie needs, but it turns out to be her breaking point. Someone from the dark side of the supernatural world has plans for Kylie - and it'll take all her resources to get back to Shadow Falls alive . . .

The Review

If you haven't read my review of the first book you can read it here. Much like other fans of the Shadow Falls series, I've been waiting for what feels like ages for this sequel and you could imagine to my surprise when I saw it waiting on my doorstep. I immediately devoured it. Now ever since finishing Born at Midnight I couldn't wait to see what happens to the characters and what direction the author, C.C. Hunter, would lead us towards. While I believe AWAKE AT DAWN wasn't up to the high standards of its predecessor and didn't necessarily excite me as much as the first book, but believe me it was still worth the wait and it takes an interesting turn for the better.

AWAKE AT DAWN shortly picks up after the first book's events. Kylie is currently in a relationship with Derek, the hot Fae guy readers have grown to love, and she cares for him a great deal throughout the novel. But like all love triangles presented in young adult fiction nowadays, this young girl still hasn't made a true commitment to him because she has those complicated feelings for another guy in her life - that guy being Lucas, the hot werewolf readers can't help but swoon over and want more of. Kylie is frustrated at this point in the sequel (I know what she's going through) because Lucas left her behind and she continues to have him appear in her sexy dreams. Yes, there are sexy dreams in this installment and I love it. Then adding onto these complications, no one has any idea what supernatural "creature" Kylie is and when a ghost appears out of nowhere, they warn Kylie that someone will die without her help. So now it's up to Kylie herself to piece together the clues and determine who she is, who she should date, and who she needs to save before their untimely death.

Unlike in the first book, for me I felt AWAKE AT DAWN wasn't all about the supernatural elements and it was rather focused on relationships: Her relationship with her parents, her relationship with her two supernatural best friends Della and Miranda, and of course her relationship between the boys Derek and Lucas. On a whole each one of these relationships were well written and I'm glad Kylie's character remained likeable throughout the course of the book and despite her understandable reasons for being whiny at times . . . but damn talk about the teen angst and there's something I like to call the relationship 'yo-yo factor'.

The reason why I loved Born at Midnight more than this sequel is because there wasn't so much confusion in feelings (at least not to an overwhelming extent) but there was plenty of intensity in this book when it comes to the Lucas and Derek 'feelings'. Honestly, I don't know why Kylie is so conflicted with her feelings?! Clearly both guys care about her and it's even clearer to see whom she should be with without giving it too much thought. *whispers* Lucas. Don't get me wrong, I love Derek and the way he respects and takes into account of Kylie's feelings instead of his own, but I'm tired of him always forgiving her for her unstability. If you plan to keep a girl away from yourself for a little while and decide what's best for you for your sake, that means staying clear for good until the girl you have feelings for sorts out her own problems first. That's what Derek needed to do. As for Lucas, while we didn't get to see much of him in this book (insert saddy face) until the last half, but I love Lucas so much that words cannot describe how truly awesome he is. He's back and better than ever everyone! He's probably the only reason why I want to read this book so much, especially with the way things were left in the first book. I mean, who doesn't love a hot werewolf who won't give up until he gets the girl he wants. It's just so . . . dreamy. *smirks*

While I was a little disappointed in this novel, but I still enjoyed every single moment in AWAKE AT DAWN and now I have to do some more waiting to get my hands on the third installment of this great series. If you're one of those readers who has yet to read Born at Midnight, then I strongly suggest you pick up a copy at your local bookstore or buy online because it's the perfect read containing everything you love in a YA paranormal story - one that will continue to keep you entertained until you fall over with exhaustion. Literally.

The Rating 4/5 stars