A review by love_and_lilacs
Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco

medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.5

Silver Under Nightfall was actually already on my TBR list. I even wrote it down with actual ink in a notebook I use as a book journal, so needless to say, I was excited to see it pop up on NetGalley, particularly as my very first title to review. The cover is gorgeous, there's vampires, and a description of politic intrigue melded with an interesting sci-fi premise. 

Unfortunately, this was not for me. I found the execution of every part of this novel lacking, from the world building to the romance. I believe there was a compelling idea here, but what came out was a sort of pseudo-fanfiction that seemed to expect me to already be aware of the ins and outs of the fandom. 

One of the main draws of the book is its romance which centers on Remy, a vampire hunter, and two vampires, Xiaodan and Malekh, who are already an engaged couple. And for some reason they're in love with Remy. I mean, literally that's the explanation. Why Remy? Why not? It hardly creates a romance that I feel invested in, let alone one that makes me feel anything at all. 

The book is also full of random cursing, which is also fine, but it mostly comes across as corny. A lot of it is meant to sound like some, I don't know, made-up England time period despite not being set in our world. It's all arses and cockwombles (?) and then F-words every other sentence. 

I wanted an epic gothic romance between vampires and a vampire hunter. I wanted intriguing and thorough world-building. I wanted a full exploration of the sci-fi premise of the mutant vampires. I got none of the above. 

In general, I found that the female characters were much more compelling. Xiaodan and Elke drew my attention far more than any other characters in the book. Malekh is a predictable cardboard trope and Remy is the kind of dumb that is typically reserved exclusively for shonen protagonists. 

This wasn't for me. But maybe it's for you if you're really into Castlevania, anything to do with vampires at all, or hey, maybe what's a problem for me is a selling point for you. 

ARC provided by NetGalley
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