Shadow Falls: The Beginning (Shadow Falls #1-2) by C. C. Hunter

Cover design by Elsie Lyons Cover photographs: girl ©Radius Images/maXx Images; trees ©Suzanne Tucker/ Shutterstock.com; decorative branches ©aramaT/ Shutterstock.com

​Kylie Galen is having a tough year. It started when her nana passed away, then her boyfriend dumped her, her parents split and her dad moved out. To celebrate the end of the school year, she went with her best friend to a party that ended up getting busted by the police. So, her mother decides to send her to Shadow Falls - a camp for troubled teens - for the summer.
But the other kids at Shadow Falls aren’t delinquents, they’re supernaturals, and they believe that Kylie is too. While the rest of the kids are there to learn to live with and embrace their powers, Kylie doesn’t feel like she is one of them.
If the whole supernatural business wasn’t enough, there also happened to be two really attractive boys at the camp, Lucas and Derek. Lucas is a werewolf whom Kylie knew when they were younger, and Derek is a super-hot fairy. Both of them have caught Kylie’s eye, and she theirs. Just as Kylie begins to except that she may actually be a supernatural herself, an enemy threatens the camp and everyone inside. Can Kylie make sense of her abilities in time to help save everything she has come to love at Shadow Falls?
This is an interesting read. I highly enjoyed being propelled through this new supernatural adventure. Watching all of the different supernatural races mingle in a teenage, high school like setting was equally interesting.
The character of Kylie Galen is very well written. Her personality is realistic, filled with internal turmoil and strength. Her being a teenager just discovering who she really is, a supernatural, also allows us to see her personality as it is molded and shaped by all that she is experiencing and learning.
Lucas, the werewolf from her past, I found to have less personality to work with. As if his personality were already set in stone. Of course, we are not allowed to see too much of him in the beginning. Derek, on the other hand, has a strong, somewhat stubborn personality that fits his character and compliments the character of Kylie Galen.
The plot line is unique in the fact that these teens are supernaturals all living together and some of their parents are unaware of their gifts and abilities. In the first book, there is a lot of background and character and setting development and less action. In fact, it focuses more on friendship, love, and self-discovery than any external threat. However, it is still a very interesting read.
I would recommend this book, or both books separately, to teens and young adult readers who enjoy supernatural mysteries and or anyone who enjoyed the “Ghost Whisperer” television series.
I bought my copy of this novel from bookoutlet.com and have been granted permission from the publishers at St. Martin’s Press, to use the cover artwork image featured above.

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