Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
This book completely reads like a Wattpad story and I guarantee my 14 year old self would have loved this. Really the only thing making this a step up from 2000’s fanfiction is the story isn’t told from a first person perspective. We don’t receive long descriptions of clothing, hair and makeup routines, or cringy details about people’s appearances (mainly abs, jaw lines, and eyes). We do however have many tropes:
Teenage girl, freshly broken up with her boyfriend (but still a virgin) ☑️
Parents in crisis mode ☑️
Something supernatural happening ☑️
Love triangle ☑️
Kylie is special. She goes to a magical camp in the Texas summer (because that sounds like a good idea) and she’s introduced to a world filled with supernatural minors. No one knows exactly what Kylie is, just that she’s special and can see the dead. Her roommates are Della the vampire and Miranda the witch. Lucas Parker, a former neighbor and kitten killer, is a werewolf and there’s a boy named Derek who reminds Kylie of her ex.
The characters are all very flat and while the plot did have some good ideas, the subplot of the animals was really weak and I didn’t enjoy it much. I’m sure if I read this book 12 years ago I would have fawned over it and been so excited for the love triangle and the idea of a supernatural camp. However, I’m past that time in my life where I want to read about high school age angst. The types of books that were coming out in 2008 don’t appeal to me in the same way they once did.
Teenage girl, freshly broken up with her boyfriend (but still a virgin) ☑️
Parents in crisis mode ☑️
Something supernatural happening ☑️
Love triangle ☑️
Kylie is special. She goes to a magical camp in the Texas summer (because that sounds like a good idea) and she’s introduced to a world filled with supernatural minors. No one knows exactly what Kylie is, just that she’s special and can see the dead. Her roommates are Della the vampire and Miranda the witch. Lucas Parker, a former neighbor and kitten killer, is a werewolf and there’s a boy named Derek who reminds Kylie of her ex.
The characters are all very flat and while the plot did have some good ideas, the subplot of the animals was really weak and I didn’t enjoy it much. I’m sure if I read this book 12 years ago I would have fawned over it and been so excited for the love triangle and the idea of a supernatural camp. However, I’m past that time in my life where I want to read about high school age angst. The types of books that were coming out in 2008 don’t appeal to me in the same way they once did.
DNF almost immediately. Can't really get behind an MC who thinks she's better than everyone else cause she's a non-drinking virgin and then refers to a stranger as 'slutty' and a 'screw toy' just because the stranger is dating the MC's ex. Not about that misogynistic life.
adventurous
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Not much happened until the end of the book. It kinda dragged on repetitively. The main character is kind of annoying
adventurous
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book kept me hooked all of the way through. The main character, Kylie, is in her late teens — and you can tell. While I don’t typically like young main characters, she was written well and written consistently. Her personality, reactions, speech, it all made sense. And I can say the same about the other characters, too... mostly. Since the story is written with Kylie’s point of view, her view of adults like one of the camp leaders didn’t make them seem to adult-like. But it felt more like a pov limitation and not a poorly written character.
This book has no cliffhangers, no explicit scenes, little violence, and a little swearing. They mention sexual assault, but briefly and never in too much detail. It’s never focused on as a main point of the story, and without spoiling anything, how it’s brought up is respectable. I normally can’t even tolerate scenes that even hint at stuff like that, but this book handled it with care and taste.
My only complaints are the small grammatical errors, which were far and few between, and some oddly worded things. It didn’t take away from the story, but the way some things were worded and how some topics of relationships were handled.. the author felt old. That feeling with such a young main character was jarring at times, which was the only slip of immersion I really had.
This book has no cliffhangers, no explicit scenes, little violence, and a little swearing. They mention sexual assault, but briefly and never in too much detail. It’s never focused on as a main point of the story, and without spoiling anything, how it’s brought up is respectable. I normally can’t even tolerate scenes that even hint at stuff like that, but this book handled it with care and taste.
My only complaints are the small grammatical errors, which were far and few between, and some oddly worded things. It didn’t take away from the story, but the way some things were worded and how some topics of relationships were handled.. the author felt old. That feeling with such a young main character was jarring at times, which was the only slip of immersion I really had.
This book was a fun, light, supernatural, YA read. The main character, Kylie, goes to a party and ends up being sent to a camp for what she thinks is for delinquents. She also has many other problems in her life-her parents are getting divorced, her boyfriend just broke up with her, and she might be seeing things. There is also an element of mystery to this book. Overall I really enjoyed reading it. The one thing I didn't like as much, was some of the writing. It felt like the author was writing for what they thought teenagers would like to read or what she thought they would sound like. It came off as unrealistic and cutesie at times. If you do not like YA books you will probably not like this one-since I can guess the target audience is probably 14 to 16. Still-I found this book fun, entertaining, and low-stress. Enjoy! :D
Born at Midnight was an okay book. I wouldn't go as far as to say it was bad or that it was great. It was okay. The book had some things in it that I wish would have changed. Kylie's personality just seemed way beyond too judgemental for me. I liked the plot but I could have done without the three boy love square going on. But it was an alright book though I'm not sure I would read the sequel.
I was pleasantly surprised by this book! When I first read the summary, I thought, camp? But it's actually not just any camp! I actually can't wait to get my hands on the next book and see what lays ahead for Kylie and her friends.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Omg have totally loved this book. If you are of the generation 30+ it will completely take you back to your teenage years of how life was like back then. Such an easy to read true to life coming of age story and finding who you are and where you fit in the world.... just add supernatural beings to it and its perfect.... read in a day and couldn't put it down. The worldbuilding and plotline are so easy to follow and clear to picture. Such a brilliant read. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Only reason I'm taking a break is because I have to adult but once done the next book will be back in my hands.
I thought this book was pretty good. It wasn't the best supernatural book out there, but I'll definitely read the next one. I thought the ending could have been done a little better. It seemed a little Scooby-doo-esque. The ending kind of came out of nowhere and wasn't really explained very well. Hopefully the second one will do better with explanations. Overall, a good book, but not the best.