Taken at Dusk: A Shadow Falls Novel [Paperback]

First Impressions: The Shadow Falls series is one of my favorites and I was beyond excited when a copy of Taken at Dusk landed on my doorstep. I just feel like the author has an amazing amount of talent and her books never bore me. Each of the covers on the three books that are currently out right now is gorgeous too, so they look great sitting on my shelves. If you haven't read the first two books in this series, you are definitely missing out on some good stuff, especially if you are into paranormal themes!

First 50 Pages: I flew through this entire book in one sitting, like I have with the previous titles. I also believe that each of the books get better and better as they go, because I really loved this one! It is full of twists that I didn't see coming and it has a lot of action in it, too. That is one thing that I really love about these books, that they are unpredictable which is a rare find recently.

Characters & Plot: When I first read the first book, Born at Midnight, I was instantly drawn into the plot line and each of the characters. We are introduced to Kylie, a girl who doesn't have very good luck who is sent to a camp for teenagers who are "troubled." When Kylie arrives at Shadow Falls, she realizes that there is more than meets the eye since the camp is full of teens with supernatural abilities, with some not knowing the exact extent of their powers, including Kylie. Then in Awake at Dawn, the second book in the Shadow Falls series, Kylie knows for sure that she has some kind of special powers and she continues on the path of self-discovery. There is also the introduction of a love triangle between Kylie, Lucas and Derek, as well as other supernatural beings on the hunt for Kylie, but she has no idea why they want her.

In this book, Taken at Dusk, Kylie is still searching for what she is and she is willing to go to extreme measures to figure it out, putting herself and others in danger. Kylie is still trying to process the crazy events that happened in Awake at Dawn and everything seems to be back to normal, but not for long. A strange woman who doesn't know who she is begins to stalk Kylie and brings an ominous message to her, which sets off the action in the story and odd things begin to occur. Kylie is still torn between Lucas an Derek, but she does try to make a decision but things are standing in her way. As the book synopsis says, Kylie does FINALLY figure out what she is.....and I totally did not expect it at all and neither did she or the other people in Shadow Falls.

The characters are wonderful as usual in Taken at Dusk. We have an introduction of a new character named Ellie, who I didn't care for at first, but she grew on me towards the end of the book. The boys are still great and I still have no idea which one I want Kylie to end up with because C.C. Hunter made each of them so likable in their own way. Perry and Della are good characters that bring some humor and comic relief to the story and none of the characters seemed to fall flat, which is a huge plus.

Final Thoughts: C.C. Hunter never disappoints me with the books in this series. I'm dying to know what will happen next with Kylie and her friends. I'm hoping it isn't going to be a terribly long wait! If you are into paranormal stories with fresh ideas, great characters, and a fun plot line, I would highly recommend checking out the Shadow Falls series!

I've been reading this series and find the books total page turners. The main character Kylie is very interesting and the story keeps you wondering what's going on and just what kind of supernatural Kylie will turn out to be (although the author is really stretching this out). Spoiler coming, so stop here.

The one complaint I HAVE to mention that I'm noticing about Kylie however is she always seems to want the boy she doesn't have. Here she has two boys madly panting after her--Derek and Lucas, and she always seems to be dreaming the most about the one she doesn't have. When she was with Derek, it was Lucas that she wanted, and now that she has Lucas and Derek is on the sidelines as a "friend," she is fantasizing about being with Derek. So this is very annoying because at this rate, she'll lose them both. Maybe she deserves to.

I rated this high because I like the series and this book entertained me. I read it quickly like all of the others. I've even read the Novella. I loved the relationship between Holiday and Kylie in this book. The love triangle got more intense. I don't even know who I'm rooting for anymore. Both Derek and Lucas are so different and CC Hunter writes one up in one book and then the other in the next. You just don't know who to love.

Miranda and Perry are finally working it out in this one which made me happy. There's a new character named Ellie. There isn't much more to add, Lucas and Derek, Holiday, Burnett, even Red and Mario make appearances. There was a few twists with the "bad guys" and I liked that.

Here's what I didn't like, I mean really hated, I almost rated it a 3... The ending. Here it is, I had no idea this wasn't the last book. I'm thrilled that it's not I love the kids at Shadow Falls but seriously, the ending was like Deja Vu to the ending of the last book in this series. That really had me disappointed, I would've liked an original ending.

Yes Kylie got some answers, but the ending still, besides that, is an exact replica of the ending of the last book. Meeting her grandparents, questioning her identity, etc...