After Midnight

by Lynn Viehl

Overview

Ever since the death of their parents, Catlyn Youngblood and her two older brothers have shared a nomadic existence, always moving from place to place. When they at last settle for good in the sleepy backwoods town of Lost Lake, Florida, Cat thinks she might finally have a normal life. While riding her horse late one night, Cat meets an enigmatic boy named Jesse Raven. Even more strange than her overpowering attraction to him is Jesse's apparent aversion to daylight. Only under the cover of darkness can they meet. As Cat and Jesse's bond grows stronger, Cat discovers an incredible secret about the Ravens' and her own family's pasts—a secret that could destroy their love. Their families, knowing the truth, conspire to keep them apart. But Cat and Jesse will risk everything to be together . . . including death.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738727929
Publisher:	North Star Editions
Publication date:	07/08/2011
Series:	Youngbloods , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	360
File size:	3 MB
Age Range:	12 - 18 Years

About the Author

Lynn Viehl is the author of the New York Times bestselling Darkyn series and the Youngbloods series. She has published over forty novels in five genres with major houses including Penguin and Simon & Schuster. Viehl lives outside of Orlando, Florida, and is the host of Paperback Writer, a popular publishing industry blog.

Read an Excerpt

https://books.google.com/books?id=l3NY71n1F4IC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Editorial Reviews

Gr 8–10—Since her parents' deaths when she was young, Catlyn Youngblood, a sophomore, has never stayed in one place long enough to call it home. She dreams of the day when she can settle down with her adult brothers and live a normal teenage life. She gets her wish when the family moves to Lost Lake, FL, but things quickly become complicated. Not only does she have a difficult time fitting in at school, but she also senses that something in not quite right in her new surroundings. Horseback riding late one night, Catlyn meets Jesse Raven, a good-looking but mysterious boy to whom she is immediately drawn. She learns that his family is surrounded by secrets and that these secrets are rooted in the history of Lost Lake. Between their nightly rendezvous and Catlyn's investigation, she discovers that her family and the Ravens are linked in ways she never expected. After Midnight is an engaging read that is full of suspense, intrigue, and romance. Viehl addresses issues such as loyalty to family while being true to oneself, all woven in with a paranormal setting. However, while certain parts are intense, the pacing is a bit off and at points seems to drag. The ending is also a bit rushed with so much happening that readers will be left wanting more. Fans will have to wait for the next installment.—Donna Rosenblum, Floral Park Memorial High School, NY

School Library Journal

"Twilight crossed with Romeo and Juliet, this YA debut for Viehl has a lot of appeal and some genuinely surprising twists."—REALMS OF FANTASY

From the Publisher

Viehl (Dreamveil, 2010) marks her debut for teens with this, the first in a trilogy. Trick Youngblood aims to settle with his younger siblings, Cat and Gray, in Lost Lake, Fla. Cat is glad, especially after she learns, no thanks to her brothers, that the farm is an inheritance from her late parents, about whom she knows little. This is one of many secrets her brothers are keeping. Cat has one, too: Jesse Raven. Inexplicably drawn together, they meet nightly, with Jesse braving the garlic-laden, iron barb wire surrounding the farm ("pest control" according to Trick). Predictably, when their families uncover the bond, they conspire to keep Cat and Jesse apart. Readers will identify with never-been-kissed Cat, who narrates the story. Jesse, while romantic, is strangely lifeless, as are many of the characters. An eternity passes before Cat realizes that Jesse is a vampire, and the revelation of Cat's lineage (part Van Helsing–part vampire) is anticlimactic. Instead, the action depends on a bullying episode at school, which spins on an anachronistic portrayal of a mentally ill classmate. Several threads are left unexplored, such as the inbred abilities of the siblings and the bad blood between the clans—all, no doubt, to be revealed in future books. The youngest Twilight fans with a taste for chaste romance will devour this; others will find their hunger unsated. (Paranormal romance. 12 & up)

Kirkus Reviews