Silver Under Nightfall

I’m not going to lie, Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco was a complete cover but for me. When I saw it on the shelves at Barnes and Noble I couldn’t resist the vibrant red and blue color scheme and knew it just had to be on my shelves. Luckily for me, the contents inside the book were just as good as the cover, though where can you go wrong with vampires?

Synopsis

Remy Pendergast is a social outcast, a vampire hunter rumored to be half vampire himself. It doesn’t bother Remy much seeing as he hates the courts just as much as they hate him. Though it can get frustrating when the guild of vampire hunters keeps Remy out of the loop, especially when children start to go missing and people are found ripped to shreds. Through sheer coincidence, or maybe fate, Remy meets the mysterious 4th court heiress and her fiancé, the king of the 3rd court, who may be just the connection Remy needs to solve this mystery.

Again, this book was a total blind buy for me, I barely even read the back before I bought it. So, I was quite surprised when it turned out to be heavily centered on romance, a genre I don’t usually go for. I was even more surprised when I found myself really enjoying it. I usually stay away from romances because I feel a lot of tropes can portray unhealthy relationship dynamics.

The one in Silver Under Nightfall made me nervous because it was polyamorous and had the potential for a toxic power dynamic. The author’s handling of it made all those worries disappear. The dynamics between all three characters were dealt with in a very thoughtful way that made the romance feel fun but maintained healthy boundaries. This book also contains a fair bit of spice, so it may not be for everyone, but if that is up your alley, I would think about picking this up.

Blending

This book has a mixture of fantasy and romance, and while I did really enjoy both aspects, I feel like there was a slight blending issue. I would get super invested in the romance portion and then when the fantasy elements came back in, I would want to skim past it to get back to the romance and vice versa. Sometimes it even felt like I was reading two separate books. I will say though that both of those elements were written very well. I just wish that it was more blended so that I could enjoy them together instead of getting slightly annoyed when the tone suddenly shifted.

The Ending (Spoiler Warning)

The ending of Silver Under Nightfall really caught me off guard, and not in the best way. As a book that is so focused on the romance element, ending it on such a rough note for the main couple was jarring. Not to mention that I don’t know if this issue is something that the characters could get over in just one book.

(Spoiler territory ahead) In the last battle scene, Remy kills one of the main characters brother-figure while under the influence of hypnosis. While I obviously do not blame Remy for what happened, as an older sibling myself I could not imagine a scenario where I would be able to stay with a partner who murdered my sibling. I really cannot see how the author will be able to fix this gaping hole in the once healthy dynamic. It was so quick too that it honestly felt like unnecessary conflict to make the reader want to read the second book. It honestly had the opposite effect for me though. I really enjoyed this book and the romance it created, and I feel that if I read the sequel that would be ruined.

Final Thoughts

I did have some major criticisms for this book, but it comes from a place of love. This book was a major help in getting me out of a reading slump and was really a fun experience. Most of my worry is placed onto the sequel. I am afraid that if these patterns continue into the next book, it will also diminish the fun I had with this one. That is the tricky thing with romance in a series format, if a later book messes it up then every book before it loses a little bit of its value. Overall, I enjoyed this one enough that I am going to be checking out the sequel. The optimistic part of me has faith that this author will be able to pull it all together in the end and I look forward to the sequel later this spring.