Gale Reads: Chosen at Nightfall by CC Hunter (Shadow Falls Series #5)

Happy Tuesday! It's been raining again these last few days and I think a typhoon will come again soon. Since I can't go out, I stayed at home and read a book from my To-Read List.

The last installment for the Shadow Falls Series by CC Hunter has already been released last April 2013. I have reviewed the first 4 books so you can read those first if you're new to the story :)

Book 1-3

Book 4

Chosen At Nightfall is the end about the story of Kylie Galen, a chameleon teenager who had struggled in learning who she really is. Kylie thought she was just a normal teenager dealing with a broken family and psychiatric problems (she sees ghosts) until she got enrolled at Shadow Falls Academy and learned about her supernatural capabilities. After accepting the fact that she is a supernatural being, she then struggled in finding out which specie she belongs to because her brain pattern is very unique and it changes frequently. Book 4, Whispers at Moonrise, solved her identity question and it ended with a big question mark about her decision to stay with her clan and also who she really wants between Derek and Lucas.

My thoughts:
I loved Chosen At Nightfall! It's the perfect ending for this series because it solved all the conflicts of Kylie and had a happy ending. CC Hunter proved true that she can really write Young Adult stories that involves different kinds of love and relationships while still incorporating lessons for teenagers. She was also able to insert the importance of self preservation and safe sex throughout the series. I didn't like her initial approach of "sex is bad and gross" because I thought it's over the top, but after reading book 5, I get to understand that she wants to show a more realistic view about the topic. She wants her readers to see how Kylie and the gang developed and mature not only physically but also on their beliefs and actions. For me, the way CC Hunter ended the story is commendable because she created a balance between the different species and also between family and friends. She also showed how teens can become independent and decide for their own while still respecting their family especially their parents. 

RATING: 4.5/5

Chosen At Nightfall is a great final installment for a good series. I have seen a lot of series that ended badly but CC Hunter were able to keep the quality until the last book which made me really happy and content. I gave this 4.5/5 rating because the author could have made this story a little longer or more detailed. The last 1/3 of the story felt a little rushed and she could have placed some more details and importance about the problem solving process instead of just saying this is what we did and this is the result, everyone is happy. But aside from that, I am glad it does have a happy ending for everyone :)



OVER-ALL RATING FOR THE SHADOW FALLS SERIES: 5/5

I am so in love with this series! It has a fresh approach wherein the author incorporated the popular groups of supernaturals and created a boarding school for them to interact with each other like in Xmen. If you love paranormal stories, you will definitely love this because it have vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, faeries, witches and warlocks, and even chameleons who have a little of everything, all in one story. This also have a lot of lessons that will benefit teenagers because a lot of the conflicts involved were the problems encountered by teens like divorce/infidelity, long distance relationship between friends and family, unsupportive parents, breakups, jealousy, friendship, being the odd man/unique in class, and dealing with authority figures like teachers and family. I recommend this to anyone and I believe even kids can read it as it doesn't have romance involved so parents can relax.

FYI: According to CC Hunter, she will start a spinoff series where the vampire friend of Kylie, Della Tsang, would be the main character! I will definitely read that because I would still be able to see the rest of the gang even if they are just glimpses. Also Della is really fun and seeing the Shadow Falls Academy through her eyes would be amazing!


Thank you for dropping by and I hope you all have a great week ahead!

Best Reads of 2012

I am now officially starting my 2012 lists with my BEST READS of the year. I will include all books I've read starting January 2012 even though some are released years ago. I hope you can share yours too so I can check them out :)

*In order*
**CLICK on the title to view my in depth review of the book


10. Sweet Talk by Julie Garwood

READ ON: August 2012

Julie Garwood is always on my auto-buy list since time immemorial. I have loved her since I was in High School and I have re-read all her books countless of times. I especially love her historical romances and even her contemporary ones like Heartbreaker and Shadow Dance. I just don't know what happened to her latest releases starting from Shadow Music. They are still good but I felt, like, her writing style changed or something. I still enjoyed reading them but the depth and captivating story that I loved were kind of short. So, even though I liked reading Sweet Talk, I can't put it on my top 5. BUT This is still a good read. I just miss seeing her old style. Still waiting for her 2013 release :)


9. Of Poseidon by Anna Banks

READ ON: June 2012

"Of Poseidon" is Anna Banks debut book as a writer and I'm glad I was able to read it. This is my first "adult" mermaid book...my last was Disney's Little Mermaid haha. Anyway, this is the only mermaid book I have read  since I became an adult so it's quite entertaining for me. I loved her writing style and her world building. I can't wait for book 2 of this series. Definitely a must-read book for those people who love fairytale-type of book and loves mermaids as much as I do :)


8. Shadow Falls Series by C.C. Hunter

Book 1-3

Book 4

READ ON: July 2012

This is a surprisingly good book for me. I didn't expect to like it as much as I did while reading the series. What I loved about this story is that it has a really good fluidity and it felt like I'm reading a Japanese manga wherein each book means just another chapter and you need to pick it up asap to know what's next. It really is a page turner for me and I can't wait to read the finale of this 5-part series..This series felt like X-men because it consists of all supernatural beings studying in one school and trying to live civilly with each other. I really love the concept and I'm so glad it was well executioned too  :)

7. Iron Fey Series by Julie Kagawa

READ ON: March 2012

Now, this is a faery book. I really enjoyed Julie Kagawa's writing skills and her character building. She was able to create a beautiful but dangerous land, Nevernever, to serve as the perfect backdrop for her characters. I enjoyed reading about Megan, Ash, Puck and Grim's adventures and character development. I also liked reading the short stories for this series, they are that entertaining. I definitely recommend this series for those people looking for an adventure fantasy book :) 

6. Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlainne Harris

(aka True Blood Series)

READ ON: April 2012

After reading a lot of Young Adult books about vampires and shapeshifters, I really was quite happy to have found a good adult version through this series by Charlainne Harris. Book 13, the finale, will get released on May 2013 and I am looking forward on how she will end this very long series about Sookie Stackhouse. If you loved watching True Blood on HBO, you should definitely read this coz this is way better! The TV Series sucks big time since it's so R-18 but these books are great and it really was told in a way that it seems realistic even though it's fictional :)

5. Bloodlines Series by Richelle Mead

READ ON: April 2012

This is a spin-off from the popular Vampire Academy Series. This is still ongoing and is following Sydney, the alchemist who if a friend of Rose. I just love reading these books coz the way Richelle Mead created another side for the same world as with Vampire Academy is superb. I can also see glimpses of what happened to the characters  I loved like Dimitri and Rose through this as the setting for Bloodlines happened right after the events in VA ended. I can't wait to read Book 3 and 4 next year coz there's a rumor that 2 books will be released consequently. Yay! :)

4. Vampire Academy Series by Richelle Mead

READ ON: February 2012

As I have said, this is what started my love for Bloodlines. This series made me cry, laugh and feel every emotions that a book could give you while reading. Richelle Mead is a fantastic writer and I love her female characters because they are strong willed and knows what they want. Rose and Dimitri's love story is epic and I really enjoyed the way how her character evolved from being an immature teenager to a mature woman. Love it so much! :)

3. Gunmetal Magic by Ilona Andrews

READ ON: September 2012

This is one of those books that I can't wait for it to arrive. I actually ordered a hard copy instead of an ebook for this one the moment it became available in the US. I really was so happy with Raphael and Andrea's story because it is full of sparks and action. This is also the best cover for all the books in the Kate Daniel's series! I really love having this on hand coz I can re-read it anytime and I didn't regret the long wait because it's worth it :)

2. Guild Hunter Series by Nalini Singh

Book 1-3

Book 5

READ ON: January 2012

This is the best angel book out there in the market because this does not have any religious stuff integrated. It is sort of like a dystopian genre because Nalini Singh created a world wherein Earth is ruled by Archangels with Vampires as workers and humans are just there like "pets". I specifically love  the stories about Raphael and Elena so this being in 2nd place is because of the first 3 books. I just love Elena's character because she is full of spunk and she is a warrior through and through. I can't wait for book 6 because the author said the story will go back to Elena and Raphael instead of one of the Seven (Raphael's elite guard unit). I can't wait!

1. Kate Daniel's Series by Ilona Andrews

READ ON: June 2012

I have been contemplating whether my top 1 will be this series or the Guild Hunter one because I love both and I have re-read them over and over again since I got them...I just can't decide but I nitpicked my criteria and Kate Daniel wins! This won because I loved each and every book in this series even the novellas (Jim and Dali, Raphael and Andrea, and even Curran's POVs) and I can't get enough of them even though I have re-read them countless of times already. While I only am in love with Raphael and Elena's books in the Guild Hunter Series. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed reading book 4 and 5 too but they are not on my top 10. 

This is definitely the top book series of 2012 and I can't wait for book 6 to read more about Kate and Curran and also the other member of the pack :)

You can follow me on GOODREADS if you wanted to see a more regular update on my reading. It's more updated than on my blog because I don't review all of the books here in detail especially those that I have read a long time ago before I started Gale Reads. 

Thank you for dropping by!

Gale Reads: Whisphers at Moonrise (Shadow Falls #4) by C.C. Hunter

Finally! I was able to get my hands on a copy of Whispers At Moonrise-- the fourth book in the Shadow Falls Series by C.C. Hunter. 

I have waited a long time for this book because the cliff hanger in Book 3 was so bad haha. If you want to read my book review on the first 3 books in the series, click here.

TITLE: Whispers at Moonrise
AUTHOR: C.C. Hunter
GENRE: Young Adult, Love Story, Paranormal (Werewolves, Vampires, Shapeshifters, Witches, Fae)
SERIES: Shadow Falls Series
SYNOPSIS: (from Goodreads)
Even at a camp for supernatural teens, Kylie Galen has never been normal. Not only can she see ghosts, but she doesn’t seem to belong to any one species—she exhibits traits from them all. As Kylie struggles to unlock the secrets of her identity, she begins to worry that Lucas will never be able to accept her for what she is, and what she isn’t…a werewolf.  With his pack standing in their way, Kylie finds herself turning more and more to Derek, the only person in her life who’s willing to accept the impossible.

As if life isn’t hard enough, she starts getting visits from the ghost of Holiday, her closest confidante.  Trouble is, Holiday isn’t dead…not yet anyway.  Now Kylie must race to save one of her own from an unseen danger before it’s too late—all while trying to stop her relationship with Lucas from slipping away forever.   In a world of constant confusion, there’s only one thing Kylie knows for sure.  Change is inevitable and all things must come to an end…maybe even her time at Shadow Falls.


COVER TALK:
The cover is still good but I liked the first ones better. This cover shows Kylie inside the gates of the cemetery and it signifies a lot about the troubles Kylie is experiencing at her life. The colors and tones of the book cover is so dark and mysterious that it reflects her feelings perfectly.

On the side note, I believe this series will consist of 5 books and the conclusion will be Chosen At Nightfall  that will go out next year April 2013. So long... Well at least there's already a book cover for it and it's gorgeous! :)

MY REVIEW:
I am in love with this series! C.C. Hunter is a really great story teller. The smooth flow of her stories from one book to the next in this series is awesome. I liked that this series feels like it's one whole book just divided into 5 and the ending of each feels like it's just a chapter ending. I can't believe I'll get so frustrated in waiting for this 4th installment because the cliffhanger of book 3, Taken at Dusk, that I've read last July is kinda out there and it really made me reach for the next one haha. Luckily, this series comes out every 6 months and not once a year like the others, if not, I don't know how I will handle the suspense of waiting to know what happens next in Kylie Galen's life and Shadow Falls Camp :)

Whispers at Moonrise is a little different from the previous 3 because this one feels like it is complete even though I know there is another one coming. Complete, meaning, all the raised conflicts from all 4 are handled already except for the 2 which will be talked about in the last installment, Chosen at Nightfall. This did not end with an irritating cliff hanger so I am quite happy although I still can't wait for April to come so I can read the next one.

There's a lot of surprising revelations in this book and it answered a lot of questions. It also has a lot of twists especially in the love triangle department between Kylie, Lucas and Derek. Personally, I'm a Lucas Team just because theirs is a long term love affair wherein they have known each other since they were kids and they both are in love...and they have a lot of conflicts too. Derek is a good match too but I guess he will be the boring choice and I think they are better of as friends who understand each other a lot. I would hate to see Kylie and Derek ending up as a couple because I believe their good relationship will change once that happens.

I also enjoyed reading about Kylie's friends who have found their partners already and are really happy. Socks is also happy now because of what Kylie did accidentally. I always enjoy the girl bonding scenes because their thoughts and dialogues really reflected how teenagers think. I really salute C.C. Hunter for making everything realistic.

[Spoiler alert]

The conflicts I'm talking about are 1) Who will Kylie choose between Derek and Lucas once she gets back, 2) Will she be able to master her traits as a Chameleon so she can go back to Shadow Falls and lastly 3) What will the FRU do next to get Kylie. 

I'm also curious how she will adapt in her new world full of people like her and also how her relationship with her grandfather will develop. I really believe it would be really interesting to know how she will try to learn everything as fast as she could just so she can go back to her friends and family at Shadow Falls.

Book 5 will definitely be an interesting read and I'm hoping it would be a a great conclusion to the series.


OVER-ALL RATING: 5/5

I love this book! Everything is detailed and there's no hanging conflicts that can give problems to the next book. I really can't find any fault with this one. Definitely a good read.


Thanks for dropping by!

Gale Reads: Shadow Falls Series #1-3

Happy Friday everyone! I'm back with another book review for my fellow bookworms. I am on a reading roll and I can't stop so I was able to finish another set of books (well, e-books to be exact). For my readers who prefer reading beauty finds and product reviews, I'll be back this weekend, so don't worry. I have a few items on my stash that I haven't reviewed yet. I have been testing them for months now so I know it's time to give my verdict on them. But for now, I'll be reviewing the first 3 books of C.C. Hunter's Shadow Falls Series ^_^

Genre: Paranormal, Love story, Young Adult, Adventure?

Author: C. C. Hunter

Books in the series: 5 titles (#1-3 are out, #4 will be out on October 2012, #5 on 2013)

Synopsis:

Kylie Galen is a 16-year-old girl who was sent by her mom to the Shadow Falls Camp because of her "attention-seeking" actions. 

To the outside world, Shadow Falls Camp is just an ordinary camp for troubled teens but you can't be so wrong. It is an institution that caters and gives guidance to all supernaturals like vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters, fairies and witches. 

This series follows how Kylie's world changed during that summer inside the camp where she tries to find her heritage, learns her powers and how to deal with all the supernatural things happening in her life.

COVER TALK: 

I just realized that I forgot to do a cover talk in my last Gale Reads so I'll just edit that post and you can come check it out again here (Violet Eden) if you are interested.

The cover of these 3 books are great in my opinion.They really fit the plot of the story because it has that mysterious feel to it. I really liked the mix of black, gray, blue, red and purple. It makes an illusion of creepiness and magic at the same time.

I also love the fact that you can't really see the face of the girl on the picture...It's really a pet-peeve of mine coz I hate it when books have faces of real people as book covers coz it destroys the image of the character created by my mind.

I am giving these 3 books 4.5/5 for the covers ^_^

MY REVIEW:

Let's now go for the actual book. I was actually intrigued on the plot of this series when I saw it at Goodreads so I decided to get myself a copy of the first book, Born at Midnight, in e-book form so I can check it out. I had this e-book for 2 months now before I started reading it early this week. And I was really so happy and hooked on what I read that I downloaded the other 2 books that night before I slept coz I really wanted to follow the story.

C. C. Hunter really made a good job in this series. I can't believe this is her debut book coz it is so good. The idea of creating a world that caters to all supernatural is not totally unique but what made it special is because it is set in a teaching institution and it's full of teenage supernaturals. I really enjoyed reading about vampires drinking blood on a glass, werewolves turning into wolves during full moon, faeries having magical powers, shapeshifters changing to any form and witches casting spells everywhere. She really created a good balance of each character and it made me feel like it is inside an Xmen school ^_^

The story is really catching and a page turner. When I finished the 3rd book, Taken at Dusk, I got a little irritated coz I won't be able to read the next on anytime soon. I hope October arrives fast so I can read what happened to Kylie after the appearance of her dad.

The only gripe I have with this series is that there are times when the story becomes slow and then fast. The books are also connected, like, whatever happened on the last page of Born At Midnight (#1) is where Awake At Dawn (#2) will start and so on.. And it is bad because I hate cliff hangers -- it made me want to reach for the next book haha.. it means less sleep for me.

OVER-ALL RATING: 4.5/5

I really love this series and I will definitely get myself a hard copy when it get available locally. I haven't seen these books yet at Powerbooks (just like a lot of the books I've reviewed before) but I hope they just don't have it in stock and I can just walk in and buy it when I already have storage for new books.

RECOMMENDED TO:

- This is perfect for all ages especially for teenagers coz it shows morals and guidance without being preachy. I love the bits of advices it has throughout the books for young adults regarding the things that goes on in their lives like love, sex, friends, etc.

- For those who love reading about paranormals

- For those who want to feel young again ^_^

I'll end this with a sneak peek on the cover of Whispers at Moonrise book #4 of Shadow Falls Series.

Thanks for dropping by! See you this weekend for my product review ^_^