Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls, #2) by C.C. Hunter

• Title: Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls)
• Classification: Young Adult (Ages 12 and up)
• Genre: Paranormal
• Format: Paperback, 400 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; First Edition edition (October 11, 2011)
• ISBN-10: 0312624689
• ISBN-13: 978-0312624682
• Author's Website:  http://www.cchunterbooks.com/

“Whatever you are, whatever gifts you end up getting, you’ll find that time will make those changes less scary as well.”

Kylie Galen isn't the first teen to go through an identity crisis. Her situation, however, is unique. She's discovered she's not a hundred percent human. She's something more...something supernatural. She just doesn't know what type of supernatural being she is. She's slowly coming into her powers, and with every new gift she displays, she's hoping she's that much closer to discovering just what she is. She recently discovered the man she thought was her father wasn't, and the ghost that had been haunting her was the spirit of her true father--a man who'd died before she was born. She thought he'd have the answers she sought, but he himself died before he'd found out what he--they are.

Now Kylie will attempt to contact her father's adoptive parents to see if they can help her find the answers she seeks. Plus, Kylie is now being haunted by another ghost with an ominous message, "You have to stop it. You have to stop it or someone you love will die." As if the normal problems associated with being a teenager weren't enough, she now has to figure a way to hone her ghost whispering skills so she can try to find out what the ghosts means before it's too late.

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This is the second book of the Shadow Falls series. In the first book Kylie discovered she was part supernatural. Nobody, however, knows exactly what type of supernatural being she is, and in this book, not knowing seems to be taking it's toll on her. She's acquiring powers left and right making it anyone's guess at what she might be. There are some beings she wouldn't mind discovering she is, while others, like vampires, are something she'd be a little apprehensive about. With each new power, new possibilities arise as to what she could potentially be. I'm actually a little surprised no one is taking bets as to what she might be.

On the home front, her relationship with her mother is on the mend, but she's not speaking to her dad. In Born at Midnight she discovered her father was having an affair with a younger woman. When parents divorce it can be hard because you quickly learn your parents aren't perfect. They're like everyone else with flaws. When one parent up and leaves for another person you can't help but feel a bit betrayed and abandoned yourself, even if you know it's not truly about you. It effects you nonetheless. I must say I can truly sympathize with Kylie on this one. My father left us for another woman, and when next I saw him, he wasn't sporting highlights in his hair as Kylie's dad did, but he got a ridiculous perm instead. I'm thinking midlife crises must really mess with a man's mind. 

Kylie's friendship with her roommates seems to be getting stronger. She's beginning to feel like she fits in and has found where she belongs. Della is a vampire who still seems to have issues with people accepting her, and Miranda is a witch who has dyslexia which sometimes causes her spells to go awry. Both lend Kylie much needed moral support. They along with Holiday, the camp counselor, help her stay grounded. While her relationship with her new friends seems to be thriving, however, her friendship with Sara seems to have fallen to the wayside. They hardly ever talk, and Kylie's not sure if the friendship can be salvaged.

Why is the book called Awake at Dawn? I believe it has to do with this verse, "While every morning she woke up right at dawn to a blast of icy temperature, the spirit left without any visual or verbal contact."  


Overall, I gave this one 4 1/2 out of 5 roses. I thought it was a great book with a lot of things going on. It kept my attention and had me wondering what would happen next.  Luckily, I heard we find out what exactly Kylie is in the next book. Yay!

Order of Series:

Coming October 2nd: