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grets_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Cursing, Gore, Infidelity, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Child death, Slavery, Toxic relationship, Xenophobia, Trafficking, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Torture, Vomit, Grief, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
panbread's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.75
Starts off a little slow but it's absolutely worth it! I'm thoroughly attatched to these characters now, would fight the whole world for Remy, bye, I gotta go cry over them.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Hate crime, and Blood
Moderate: Child death, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Religious bigotry, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child abuse, Confinement, Vomit, Grief, Murder, and Pregnancy
Wasn't sure what tag to use for this, but there is a relationship where an adult takes advantage of a teenager sexually. Exchanging sex for intel. This continues for several years, going into adult hood. It's not exactly asault or rape since it's consensual but there's definitely something traumatic about it. There is only brief mentions of the actual acts but the book spends significant amount of time handling the psychological after effects.cheye13's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
An excellent series opener! A wonderful standalone story that still has me clawing for the next installment. This world is exciting and vibrant, and I find the politics enthralling. The characters and other moving pieces are fascinating. The romance was my perfect level of closed vs open door and still much steamier than I expected.
It's everything I loved from The Bone Witch trilogy, but stepped up just a little for an adult audience and it sure hits the spot. Can't wait to see what Chupeco does with this series.
It's everything I loved from The Bone Witch trilogy, but stepped up just a little for an adult audience and it sure hits the spot. Can't wait to see what Chupeco does with this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal death, Sexual content, Grief, Murder, and War
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Dementia, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
Also moderate warnings for mind control and loss of autonomy, and general warning for content that typically comes with both zombies (flesh) and vampires (blood). The most graphic child death occurs in the first chapter, and the parental grief is contained to early chapters. The emotional abuse is parental and more of a background element.pvbobrien's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Violence, and Blood
Moderate: Bullying, Child abuse, Death, Hate crime, Sexual content, Medical content, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Sexual violence, Dementia, Religious bigotry, and Pregnancy
behindpaperbacks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Did you watch Netflix's Castlevania and were kind of mad Trevor, Sypha and Alucard weren't a throuple? Then boy, do I have a book rec for you!
The kingdom of Aluria, ruled by different kingdom-states, is constantly at odds with the six vampire courts that feed on their population. Lord Remington Pendergast is a Reaper - a hunter of rogue vampires. Though the son of a renowned vampire hunter, suspicious circumstances of his birth make Remy an outcast at court. When the third and fourth vampire courts are bargaining for a strenuous alliance with Aluria, news of strange vampire killings at Aluria's borders reaches Remy. Though he wants to investigate alone, he soon meets the notorious - and alluring- couple of the lord of the third court, Zidan Malekh, and his fiancée, Xiaodan Song. Together, they travel to investigate the truth about the murders.
I had a great time reading this. It's full of action, and takes it back to the vampire classic Dracula, while also being reminiscent of newer takes on vampires. Elements that date back to Stoker were present throughout the story, from having an investigation at the forefront of the story, to vampire familiars, vampire vs. vampire hunter conflict and paranormal scientists like Van Helsing. Sadly, no one turned into a bat or was running up the walls. With that being said, Silver Under Nightfall also reminded me of newer, campy iterations of the classic such as Dracula (1992) and Van Helsing (2004).
Of course, we also have the parallels to Castlevania, particularly when it came to the action scenes and the dynamic between the three leads, though they're not carbon copies of Trevor, Sypha and Alucard by any means. Remy was a great protagonist to follow. Being trained from a very young age to hunt monsters, having to deal with his strict father's emotional abuse and having to perform sexual favors to the ladies of the court for information has left him with a lot of trauma. Chupeco portrayed all of this realistically, with a lot of empathy. Seeing male victims of abuse is still somewhat unheard of in Fantasy, particularly relating to the protagonist, so I was glad to see this impactful portrayal.
Remy mainly deals with his problems with self-deprecating humor, denial and swearing, and has problems with intimacy. Despite this, his relationship with Zidan and Xiaodan, was the highlight of the book. Their individual dynamics, as well as their dynamic as a trio, were equally enjoyable to read about and the tension between them was exquisite. The steamy and emotional scenes between them were well-done and I can't wait to see where their relationship goes in a possible sequel. More sexy, poly vampires, please!
I also really liked the side-characters, such as Elke and Alegra. I n my opinion, the villain was somewhat weak regarding his motivation but his actions were still truly abhorrent and shocking.
You could tell Chupeco built her world meticulously. The politics in Aluria were fascinating, its court held intrigues, scandals and treachery with some satisfying plot twists. Moreover, there was some great representation in this book. All three leads are bisexual and of course, polyamorous, and the protagonist Remy is Filipino-coded as well as non-binary.
The final showdown was honestly amazing, I couldn't put the book down. Hints at a bigger player and some mystery around Remy's mother pointed toward a sequel, which I'm really hoping for. If that happens, I hope we also get to see more of the other vampire courts, which was an aspect I was missing in this book.
All in all, Silver Under Nightfall was an action-packed, sexy vampire fantasy that I recommend to fans of Castlevania and S. T. Gibson's A Dowry of Blood. 4/5 stars.
The kingdom of Aluria, ruled by different kingdom-states, is constantly at odds with the six vampire courts that feed on their population. Lord Remington Pendergast is a Reaper - a hunter of rogue vampires. Though the son of a renowned vampire hunter, suspicious circumstances of his birth make Remy an outcast at court. When the third and fourth vampire courts are bargaining for a strenuous alliance with Aluria, news of strange vampire killings at Aluria's borders reaches Remy. Though he wants to investigate alone, he soon meets the notorious - and alluring- couple of the lord of the third court, Zidan Malekh, and his fiancée, Xiaodan Song. Together, they travel to investigate the truth about the murders.
I had a great time reading this. It's full of action, and takes it back to the vampire classic Dracula, while also being reminiscent of newer takes on vampires. Elements that date back to Stoker were present throughout the story, from having an investigation at the forefront of the story, to vampire familiars, vampire vs. vampire hunter conflict and paranormal scientists like Van Helsing. Sadly, no one turned into a bat or was running up the walls. With that being said, Silver Under Nightfall also reminded me of newer, campy iterations of the classic such as Dracula (1992) and Van Helsing (2004).
Of course, we also have the parallels to Castlevania, particularly when it came to the action scenes and the dynamic between the three leads, though they're not carbon copies of Trevor, Sypha and Alucard by any means. Remy was a great protagonist to follow. Being trained from a very young age to hunt monsters, having to deal with his strict father's emotional abuse and having to perform sexual favors to the ladies of the court for information has left him with a lot of trauma. Chupeco portrayed all of this realistically, with a lot of empathy. Seeing male victims of abuse is still somewhat unheard of in Fantasy, particularly relating to the protagonist, so I was glad to see this impactful portrayal.
Remy mainly deals with his problems with self-deprecating humor, denial and swearing, and has problems with intimacy. Despite this, his relationship with Zidan and Xiaodan, was the highlight of the book. Their individual dynamics, as well as their dynamic as a trio, were equally enjoyable to read about and the tension between them was exquisite. The steamy and emotional scenes between them were well-done and I can't wait to see where their relationship goes in a possible sequel. More sexy, poly vampires, please!
I also really liked the side-characters, such as Elke and Alegra. I n my opinion, the villain was somewhat weak regarding his motivation but his actions were still truly abhorrent and shocking.
You could tell Chupeco built her world meticulously. The politics in Aluria were fascinating, its court held intrigues, scandals and treachery with some satisfying plot twists. Moreover, there was some great representation in this book. All three leads are bisexual and of course, polyamorous, and the protagonist Remy is Filipino-coded as well as non-binary.
The final showdown was honestly amazing, I couldn't put the book down. Hints at a bigger player and some mystery around Remy's mother pointed toward a sequel, which I'm really hoping for. If that happens, I hope we also get to see more of the other vampire courts, which was an aspect I was missing in this book.
All in all, Silver Under Nightfall was an action-packed, sexy vampire fantasy that I recommend to fans of Castlevania and S. T. Gibson's A Dowry of Blood. 4/5 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse and Violence
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Gore, Sexual assault, and Religious bigotry
takarakei's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-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? Yes
4.5
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this book!
Remy Pendergast comes from a long line of prominent vampire hunters, but doesn't fit in with the other Reapers. He discovers a new mutation of vampire/monster and becomes involved in a plot to discover their origin and how to put a stop before they overrun the humans. Remy encounters the vampire heiress Xiaodan Song, and her arrogant fiancé vampire lord Zidan Malekh, who unfortunately hold the key to the Rot causing these mutations. Remy begrudgingly agrees to return to their land to further the investigation, and he slowly begins to develop complicated feelings for them. He must decide whom he can trust, and whether he wants to open his heart to the vampires he's been told his whole life are the true monsters.
As someone who doesn't read a lot of horror, I'm not sure if this book is very indicative of the genre or not. Personally I didn't find it to be very "scary," although there is a lot of gore/blood (full TW included below). I thought it fell in line with a lot of general fantasy books with vampires/monsters etc. Silver Under Nightfall does a great job of blending fantasy with court politics, mystery, and romance. The worldbuilding is extremely lush and descriptive (my only critique was it was a bit hard to keep track of each vampire court and what their deal was towards the beginning). I honestly wasn't expecting the romance going into this book, but I really enjoyed the throuple dynamics. There is great tension build up with the romance between Remy and Xiaodan, and even more so between Remy and Zidan (I would call theirs enemies to lovers for sure). I do think those roles are written as fairly gender typical, and I look forward to seeing the men really break down those masculinity barriers in future books.
Every time Remy, Xiodan and Zidan face off against these armies of mutated vampires or their enemy throughout the book, it seems to end a little too easily. I mean literally at once point the Vasiilik guy just literally walks away and I was like "what?". So I think in that way it made the main storyline drag a bit. I was surprised by the twist towards the endRemy's mom .
Overall this was a really fun, steamy, adventurous read and I definitely look forward to the continuation of this series!
Spice: 4/5 🌶️
Remy Pendergast comes from a long line of prominent vampire hunters, but doesn't fit in with the other Reapers. He discovers a new mutation of vampire/monster and becomes involved in a plot to discover their origin and how to put a stop before they overrun the humans. Remy encounters the vampire heiress Xiaodan Song, and her arrogant fiancé vampire lord Zidan Malekh, who unfortunately hold the key to the Rot causing these mutations. Remy begrudgingly agrees to return to their land to further the investigation, and he slowly begins to develop complicated feelings for them. He must decide whom he can trust, and whether he wants to open his heart to the vampires he's been told his whole life are the true monsters.
As someone who doesn't read a lot of horror, I'm not sure if this book is very indicative of the genre or not. Personally I didn't find it to be very "scary," although there is a lot of gore/blood (full TW included below). I thought it fell in line with a lot of general fantasy books with vampires/monsters etc. Silver Under Nightfall does a great job of blending fantasy with court politics, mystery, and romance. The worldbuilding is extremely lush and descriptive (my only critique was it was a bit hard to keep track of each vampire court and what their deal was towards the beginning). I honestly wasn't expecting the romance going into this book, but I really enjoyed the throuple dynamics. There is great tension build up with the romance between Remy and Xiaodan, and even more so between Remy and Zidan (I would call theirs enemies to lovers for sure). I do think those roles are written as fairly gender typical, and I look forward to seeing the men really break down those masculinity barriers in future books.
Every time Remy, Xiodan and Zidan face off against these armies of mutated vampires or their enemy throughout the book, it seems to end a little too easily. I mean literally at once point the Vasiilik guy just literally walks away and I was like "what?". So I think in that way it made the main storyline drag a bit. I was surprised by the twist towards the end
Overall this was a really fun, steamy, adventurous read and I definitely look forward to the continuation of this series!
Spice: 4/5 🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Sexual content, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, and War
Minor: Religious bigotry and Pregnancy
Emotional Abuse: Abusive parent (MC's father) Adult/minor relationship: MC is involved with an older woman at age 15 (told as flashbacks)
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