Tuesday, October 25, 2016

#Tuesday Review - Midnight Hour by C.C. Hunter (#YALit, Paranormal, Romance) @CCHunterBooks @StMartinsPress

Series: Shadow Falls: After Dark # 4
Release Date: Paperback, 416 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Source: Author
Genre: YA, Paranormal Romance

Being a dyslexic witch is a curse in itself, but Miranda Kane’s time at Shadow Falls has helped her harness her magical powers. Now, just as she’s finally mastered them and is preparing to graduate with her friends, a near-death experience threatens to ruin it all.

Miranda awakens in the hospital with a mysterious tattoo that no one can explain. As she struggles to make sense of it – and questions her feelings for a certain irresistible shape-shifter and a hot new guy – the strange markings begin to spread all over her body, leaving her desperate to find answers. But before she can solve that problem, a new one arises: her sister is missing.

Has her sister been kidnapped? Miranda will risk her life to find out. Will she live to share the day she’s worked so hard for with her friends? When the clock strikes midnight, will Miranda make it to her graduation at Shadow Falls?

C.C. Hunter brings The Shadow Falls saga to a spectacular conclusion in this thrilling finale: Midnight Hour!





Midnight Hour is the fourth and final installment in C.C Hunter's Shadow Falls: After Dark series. In what may be the most ironic move on the author's part, dyslexic witch Miranda Kane gets to close out the series. As readers of this series know, Miranda is the roommate of Chameleon Kylie Galen, and Vampire Della Tsang. But, what's even more curious, is that Hunter adds the perspectives of shape-shifter Perry Gomez, (Miranda's Ex) and warlock Shawn Hanson, who is Miranda's current love interest. 

I could argue that the intentional use of a love triangle is nothing new for this series. Kylie and Miranda had similar issues to disentangle before they settled on the one's they were meant to be with. Midnight Hour starts out with Miranda and her half-sister Tabitha going to a supposed palm reader. When things go sideways, Miranda and Tabitha end in the Hospital. Meanwhile, a mysterious tattoo spreads on Miranda's body and nobody knows it's origin or cause. Miranda's learning mode kicks up to a whole new level of curiosity, and in some ways, makes her a badass like Kylie and Della.

For Perry's part of the story, he has gone off on his own in an attempt to find his parents who abandoned him when he was a child. Perry's adventures with his parent's, leads to a reunion with Miranda. It is Miranda that Perry hears in his head calling for his help. Even though Perry left Miranda behind nearly a year ago, he's never really found another love interest. This, of course, makes things strange when Perry and Shawn have to work together. 

Shawn is a member of the FRU, working closely with Chase and Lucas. Shawn's storyline is one that made me scratch my head. There were subtle hints that Hunter intended to give Shawn a twisted storyline, and she did just that. Not sure if it was intentional on Hunter's part to do what she did, but in the end, things end up as I expected. I'm thankful that the strangeness between Perry and Shawn don't ruin the story. I am thankful that the choice Miranda has to make between the two isn't dragged on until the very end.

One could say that Midnight Hour is a nice way to say good-bye to the characters we've come to love. We see that Burnett and Holiday really do consider each of these characters family, and would do anything to ensure that they are taken care of. Sometimes Burnett can be a misogynistic
ass, but he means well when it comes to Miranda, Della, Kylie, and the rest of the students at Shadow Falls.  The next thing that I loved was the author not covering up how terrible dyslexia can be. Miranda struggles mightily in comparison to her roommates. She struggles with passing the SAT so that she can go to college with her friends. She struggles in remembering things. But, Hunter doesn't try to cover up her struggles. She embraces them, and shows how Miranda grew up right before our eyes thanks to those surrounding her.

I'm happy that Miranda got to close out the series. I am sad that she didn't get more than one book and a novella considering that Kylie got 5 books, and Della got her own storyline. In the end, the series closes on a warm and cuddly moment, and not an ending that readers are forced to do their own thinking of what happens next for these characters.  




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