A review by behindpaperbacks
Silver Under Nightfall, by Rin Chupeco
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, Sexual assault, Gore, and Religious bigotry