Review: Turned at Dark by C.C. Hunter

I knew I had to have Born at Midnight the moment I read the summary. A camp for supernatural creatures? A lot of people (including me) are raving about Werewolves, Vampires and Faeries, but what if all of them are in one place? Now that would be a dream come true for paranormal fans (again, like me). I wonder what kind of chaos they would bring?

Title: Turned at Dark (Shadow Falls 0.5) by C.C. Hunter
Pages: 32
Release Date: March 14th 2011
Published by: Macmillan
Source: publisher's website

Summary:

Independent and strong-willed Della Tsang hadn’t believed in ghosts until she saw her dead cousin darting into the shadows of an alley. She hadn’t believed in vampires until in the dark of that same night she is turned into one. Introduced to a strange world of supernaturals, she struggles to accept this new reality. Unfortunately, the boy she loves senses something different about her and can’t accept her. Should she follow her vampire cousin’s lead–walk away from everything she’s knows and loves—and fake her own death? Or should she set her pride aside and ask for help from the camp leader of Shadow Falls—a camp where supernaturals go to learn how to cope with their powers. Either way, her life as she knows it, will never be the same.

Turned at Dark is a short novella that serves as a prequel to Born At Midnight. No reader who has read this 32 paged short story will dive into Born At Midnight blind and unaware of what's in store for them.

Reading Turned At Dark reminds me of watching X-Men Origins. Della WAS a human. And one unfortunate night turned her life upside down, and suddenly she was thrust into a world that is unfamiliar, scary and new to her. She had to learn how to do things, how to live as a creature of the night through her cousin Chan.

The ability to see one's brain is like a disgusting yet fascinating power. Would the characters at Born At Midnight possess the same kind of ability? The very cliche Vampires hating Werewolves and vice versa angle of the story is brought out in the prequel as some sort of preparation for the conflicts that readers would encounter eventually. I'm very excited to know what Shadow Falls Camp looks like. I can't help but think of X Xavier's school for the gifted!

Della's very human and conflict filled life was evident in the story, and somehow even with a limited amount of pages, managed to shape a character, however abrupt and short it is.

My rating

Content (plot, story flow, character):

. 5
Okay: Liked, but The Goddess demands more!

Book Cover:

Yes - The Goddess Approves!