Born at Midnight

Born at Midnight
By C. C. Hunter

It’s series time! The timing of blogging for series are going to be different.  I will be posting about each book every two weeks; giving you guys the opportunity to read the book before I blog about the next one. The first series I will be reviewing is a Shadow Falls Series. The first book is Born at Midnight followed by Awake at Dawn, Taken at Dusk, Whispers at Moonrise, and Chosen at Nightfall. Unfortunately, Chosen at Nightfall doesn't come out until April 2013. However, I’ll be here  to entertain you until it is released. Let’s start!

All supernatural and/or romance lovers come settle down because Born at Midnight is a book for you! The protagonist of the story is sixteen-year-old Kylie Galen, a girl who is going through some rough things: her parents divorcing, her grandmother’s death, and her boyfriend, Trey, dumping her. To top it all off, a man who no one sees but Kylie is stalking her. To make things worse Kylie is caught at a party with underage drinking and drugs. Therefore, her mother  sends her to a summer camp for troubled teens that Kylie’s psychologist recommended. Kylie argues against her mother but like always the daughter loses the fight; next thing she knows she has her suitcase waiting for the bus to be “shipped off” to Shadow Falls Camp. From the minute she gets on a bus she assumes she will be having a terrible summer with FREAKS!

Few of the weirdos are Miranda, whose hair is three colors,  Della, a goth chick, and Perry a dirty-minded boy. Derek is the only one who looks normal but reminds her of Trey. When she gets to the campus – more freaks. She even sees a boy named Lucas, who was once her neighbor, but because of a memory she has of him she thinks he is a freak too.  The two camp leaders named Holiday and Sky enter the hall where all the kids are gathered and asks the campers who came before to leave. Then they asks the new comers to split into two groups: those who know why they are here and those who do not why they are here. Holiday took Kylie and the group of those who don’t to her office; she started to explain to them that they are here because they are supernatural. As Kylie looked at Holiday as if she was nuts, other campers looked relieved, many started saying they always knew they were different. Holiday started telling them what they were: werewolves, vampires, fairies, etc. As she was telling them what they were Kylie still denied that fact supernaturals existed and wanted proof. Holiday did as Kylie pleased and asked Perry, a shape-shifter, to come in and demonstrate his supernatural abilities. Within seconds Perry transformed himself into a unicorn. When Kylie finally believes in supernatural beings she asks Holiday what she is. Holiday explains that she has the talent of ghost whispering – meaning the man who follows her is a ghost – but is unsure of what she is.

Kylie, hearing this thinks that she is not supernatural, but Holiday isn’t convinced. The fact she can see ghosts, doesn't have the same brain patterns as a human, and was born at midnight all signals she is supernatural. Holiday tells her that her psychologist sent here for a reason and it’s Kylie’s quest to figure out why. As the summer goes by she becomes good friends with her roommates Della and Miranda. The more she gets to know Derek, half Fae(fairy), she starts to like him but claims it’s because he looks like Trey. One day as they have to spend one hour with each other because of their assignments, she realizes how much she likes him and comes close to kissing him, but thinking she only likes him for looking like Trey she brings out the old cliché line of “we can only be friends.”  That same day two men in black suits from the government, FRU, comes to the campus and interrogates Kylie, but it’s unknown why. After the interrogation Lucas asks her why were they questioning her, she lies telling him they were trying to figure her out, thinking he is what the government is after.

One night while Kylie was in her room, she finds Trey sneaking onto campus claiming he wants her back but in reality just wants to toy with her. While she yells at him, she accidentally calls him Derek; Trey looks hurt and begs for her back. Kylie says she’ll think about it and asks him to leave. Things get even crazier in the romance part the book; one day Kylie is paired up to spend an hour with Lucas, and in their little hike she falls for Lucas and ends up kissing him. Surprisingly, Trey happened to be walking in the same path. That’s it for today, tune in two weeks to find out what happens next. 

My Rating:

                                                                                                                              ~A.BW

Payback Time

Payback Time
By Carl Deuker
(Warning: Spoiler Alerts)

As I've I said before, I am willing to read any book, so to prove that I walked into my school’s library and picked up the first book I saw: Payback Time by Carl Deuker. I scanned the back of the book and then checked it out, to emphasize again I am willing to read ANYTHING! I also want to tell those who are fans of football, mystery, or romance, this a book for you. Am I the only one who thinks that this a weird yet unique combination of fans?

Payback Time takes place in Lincoln High School in Seattle, and all of the action occurs with senior Mitch True, reporter for Lincoln Light. Mitch pours his heart and soul into his reporting; when he receives the news that he has been moved to the sport section of the paper he is disappointed - Mitch doesn't really like sports since he has had bad experiences with them, mostly because he is overweight- but because of his passion for journalism he agrees. Football season is already in full swing, a month before school starts, and Mitch will be talking to Coach McNulty and interviewing the all-star player Horst. Mitch’s partner, photographer Kimi- a girl Mitch seems to have a crush on- joins him, she complains she is bored of all the sports articles being about Horst. Just then they spot a new student passing a football to another unknown man. With his physical appearance and skills they assume he is a professional football player. At first the coach resists their request to interview the new student. Eventually coach relents and calls him over. Coach asks for his name, “Angel”, says the player, he is then requested to toss the football. When Angel throws it was not all as good as he did before, coach laughs at Mitch and Kimi. As tryouts continue they see that Angel is not trying at all to be his best, what is he hiding?

Mitch and Kimi try to figure out what was going on with Angel. Why does he look a lot older than what he claims to be? Why does he look so sad? Why with great skills didn't try his best in tryouts? As the games go on they realize Coach McNulty is trying to hide him. Every time they have a football game the number on Angel’s shirt changes. He also notices that coach doesn't use Angel until the end of the games, but why, when Angel is amazing? When Mitch gets an opportunity to write for the Seattle Times about the football games, every time he mentions Angel it gets cut out. When Mitch asks the head of the Seattle Times why, he learns that the team roster McNulty gives the editor never includes Angel. Mitch and Kimi meet to try to solve this mystery; he also meets with her for “other” reasons, which may explain why he is always running to lose weight. Both Mitch and Kimi draw a conclusion: rumors have been going on that McNulty had lost his position as coach in a university and has been trying to regain it, so he got Angel, a boy who probably got kicked out of his old school for drugs or something, to win the State Championship.

Little by little the reporting team gain evidence to prove their theory, and if they are right they have a story that can open doors to their dream jobs, so they decide to confront Coach McNulty. McNulty laughs, saying they've got it all wrong. After McNulty tells them the truth that puts them in a life or death situation, they must choose between writing a story of a lifetime or protect Angel.

The book is great thrilling football story that I truly recommend for football fans. In my honest opinion I don’t really love the story because there was never part of the book that I felt like I couldn't put down the book. The ending is an odd twist of events, but I am not a fan of it. Most of the suspense takes place during the football games, and I am not a fan of football. Once again this is my personally opinion, don’t take my word for it because maybe you’ll like it. 

My Rating:

The Cay

The Cay
By Theodore Taylor (Warning: Many spoilers)

As I ride the train every morning and afternoon I look around me and see that none of the people surrounding me are the same. Each person has a different physical appearance, a different ethnic background, and a different personality, and although we are different we are not afraid to associate with one another. But it wasn't always like this; in the setting of The Cay, people don’t mix. 

The Cay takes place during World War II; the protagonist is a young boy named Phillip Enright who lives with his mother and father in Curacao. As the war advances their home is no longer safe, therefore his mother makes the decision that Phillip will move with her to Virginia, leaving behind her husband, until the war is over. His mother is extremely afraid of planes and thinks it’s safer to go on a boat, but, ironically, their boat is torpedoed by Germans. Phillip is knocked on the head, and when he wakes up he is floating on a raft with a black West Indian man named Timothy. Timothy was one of the crew members on the ship; with his strong capabilities he was able to save himself and Phillip. Growing up with a racist mother Phillip assumes Timothy is an idiotic black man who doesn't know what he is doing. Timothy and Phillip don’t get along; for example, while Timothy wants to ration the clean water Phillip wants to drink as much as he pleases. His head injury and exposure to the sun leave Phillip completely blind.

Finally, Timothy spots an island, but Phillip doesn't want to settle there because he believes they have better chances at sea. Timothy, a very good sailor, figures that they are on Devil’s Mouth, an island barely accessible to boats. Here, they’ll have to wait for an airplane.The relationship between Timothy and Phillip doesn't get any better. Phillip feels superior when he learns that Timothy cannot read or write, and Timothy sees Phillip as a lazy, spoiled brat when he won’t help him build a shelter or hunt. One day both lose it and exchange insults and slaps, which actually opens their eyes that they just trying to help each other. They soon start working together; with the help of Timothy, despite his blindness, Phillip becomes independent as he learns to hunt and build. As if being stranded on a deserted island isn't bad enough, a hurricane is heading their way. Timothy does all he can to prepare for the hurricane but it isn't enough, and everything is blown away. Timothy ties himself and Phillip to the biggest tree on the island, and throughout the entire storm Timothy uses his body to protect Phillip. After the hurricane is finally over, Phillip is somewhat hurt but not as bad Timothy is, and  moments later he dies. Phillip is now alone on the island, blind and depressed about losing his friend, can he survive? 

The Cay is a beautiful and touching story of friendship and survival. The Cay is a really short book that took the author three weeks to write, and even though it can be considered a children’s book I think everyone should read it. The first time I read it I cried. The second time I read it I cried even more.  What I love most about this book is that other than it being a touching story that teaches us not to judge by appearances, it’s also an adventure story that keeps you on your toes wondering what will  happen next.  

My Rating: 4.5
                                                                                                       
                                                                                                ~A.BW

Hide Yourself Away

Hide Yourself Away by Mary Jane Clark

As I’ve told you before I wasn’t always a bookworm; there was a long period in life that I despised books. That all changed thanks to a brilliant teacher who recommended me a wonderful and mysterious book: Hide Yourself Away. In the sensational New York TImes bestseller a mysterious disappearance of Charlotte in Newport, Rhode Island has everyone thinking where she went on such a big night for her. Years go by without news about her; some believe she left with a lover abandoning her children while others think her husband killed her. It isn’t until fourteen years later they find bones, in a tunnel, which was once part of the underground railroad, Charlotte’s family owns. The finding of the bones of Charlotte became the gossip everyone in town talks about; ironically that is the time period Key News decides to visit Rhode island.  

Grace Callahan is a thirty-two year old single mother who is following her dream of becoming a journalist by entering an internship at Key News; if she impresses her bosses she will earn a staff position, giving her an opportunity of a lifetime. Obtaining that position will not be easy due to her ambitious and far younger competitors who also want that staff position. Grace is also dealing with some personal problems, like dealing with her ex-husband who is accusing her of not paying enough attention to their daughter. Grace is a very clever person who little by little starts finding pieces of the puzzle that can put herself and loved ones in danger. 

After Charlotte's bones are found it brings back memories to her daughter, Madeleine, the night of Charlotte’s death. Soon Grace and Madeline become friends; during a party Madeline tells her of the memories she’s been remembering and so close to figuring who killer of her mother is. The next day Grace receives news that Madeline has been killed the night before, many believing it’s the same murder as her mother. As Madeline was being killed, one of the interns named Sam had one too many cups to drink and was throwing up behind the tree witnessing everything. Desperately trying to impress his boss he tells him he has exclusive information of Madeleine's death but will not speak until tomorrow morning’s broadcast. Key News promotes several times that they have an eye witness, intern Sam Watkins, who may know who the killer is; that same day Sam disappears. Another intern, Zoe, is killed by an unexplained car accident after reading the first three letters of the license plate of the killer’s car. Once a person finds a clue they are automatically killed; Grace has been finding little bits and pieces of this mystery. Who do you think is the killer's next victim?

Hide Yourself Away is a page turner that cannot be put down! As a curious person I like figuring out who are the killers are before being told, I create “suspects”, and usually I am right. In Hide Yourself Away it was very difficult creating suspects because the author challenges us with some much information that can make you change your mind of the killer is in an instant. I wasn't able to create any suspects until I read three fourths of the book, and they all turn out to be wrong. When Mary Clark Jane finally relieves the killer I couldn't believe it; you never see it coming!   

~A.BW