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Nytefall #3
The Dark is Descending
'The blood that binds them, may become the weapon to end them'
Reeling from shocking betrayal, the Star Maiden Astraea must now race against time to break the curse imprisoning her lover, Nyte. She will have to decide if the hand of darkness, or that of her enemy, is an alliance that could bring him back.
But with the loss of daylight and the realm on the brink of ruin, Astraea and her companions must set off on their quests to retrieve the Maiden's broken key, the only weapon that can kill the wrathful gods determined to rule the mortal world.
Dragons will fly and their bonds may choose friend or foe. Gods will face gods, fathers will face sons, and all will face the end of the world. Because when the blood that binds them becomes a weapon to end them, two star-crossed lovers must yield to fate or pay their greatest sacrifice yet.
Reeling from shocking betrayal, the Star Maiden Astraea must now race against time to break the curse imprisoning her lover, Nyte. She will have to decide if the hand of darkness, or that of her enemy, is an alliance that could bring him back.
But with the loss of daylight and the realm on the brink of ruin, Astraea and her companions must set off on their quests to retrieve the Maiden's broken key, the only weapon that can kill the wrathful gods determined to rule the mortal world.
Dragons will fly and their bonds may choose friend or foe. Gods will face gods, fathers will face sons, and all will face the end of the world. Because when the blood that binds them becomes a weapon to end them, two star-crossed lovers must yield to fate or pay their greatest sacrifice yet.
417 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 2, 2025
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December 1, 2025
I genuinely cannot understand how this book has five-star reviews. The Dark Is Descending is 400 pages of disconnected scenes, nonsensical character decisions, zero foreshadowing, and new plot elements introduced only to be instantly resolved or forgotten. It reads like the author made everything up on the spot—and not in a fun, chaotic way, but in a “did anyone proofread this?” way.
This book isn’t a story; it’s a grab-bag of random scenes thrown together with no structure or payoff. Every chapter drops a new “evil,” “twist,” or contrived conflict that gets resolved comically fast or contradicts something from earlier books. Nothing connects. Nothing builds. Nothing makes sense. The “plot”—and I’m using that term with the generosity of a saint—feels like the author took every single idea she’s ever had since childhood, taped them into a single document, and said “Yes. That’s cohesive.” Meanwhile, characters are running around like caffeinated squirrels with trauma, murdering gods between snack breaks, and having emotional arcs that last approximately as long as a TikTok. Every time I thought, “Okay, we’re finally going somewhere,” a new villain or prophecy or cosmic entity crawled out of a portal like “SURPRISE!” and then died two chapters later like “okay bye.”
Let’s talk about that “epic final battle.” You know, the one that starts with the brothers confronting their deranged father, then ends with the crew killing Dusk and Dawn. Except nothing is epic, nothing is emotional, everything is convenient, and the whole sequence lands with the majestic power of a deflated balloon. I genuinely laughed. Cackled. Because how do you hype up big cosmic forces only to defeat them like they’re minor inconveniences? It’s like fighting God with a pool noodle and winning.
And speaking of winning with pool noodles—let’s talk lore. If someone can explain the Nyte/Nightsdeath/Lightsdeath situation to me without getting a headache, good for them, but I personally would rather try to swallow a brick. Nightsdeath apparently wants Nyte’s heart so he can feel (emo), but also claims he is Nyte (doppelgänger emo), while also being a fully separate corporeal being (???) who can fully fight, stab, kill, and monologue. Pick one. PICK ONE. You cannot be “part of Nyte,” “not part of Nyte,” “is Nyte,” and “wants to kill Nyte,” all at once unless you are a Tumblr identity crisis that gained sentience. I felt like I was reading the world’s most confusing Venn diagram.
And Astraea? My god. My sweet summer child. The way she interacts with Nightsdeath makes me believe she accidentally ate lead paint as a child and never recovered. I think a few screws rolled out in the editing phase and nobody picked them up. She’s trying to kill him in one memory, then talking to him like he’s a sad feral cat she wants to rehabilitate in the next. If one more evil man told her “you and I are the same,” I would have reached into the book myself to shake her. She’s propositioning him like "if you aligned yourself with me…" Girl??? He captured you. He wants to kill your boyfriend. He wants your boyfriend’s heart. This is not a negotiation; this is fanfiction written with fever.
Speaking of men telling her nonsense—AUSTER. The walking red flag. The original death dealer. The man who LITERALLY MURDERED HER in the past, tried to kill her again in the present. Manipulated her. Tortured her. Whipped her. Forced Nyte to bond with her by stabbing her. Mutilated Nyte. But Astraea? She has conflicting feelings because “they were close as children.” BABE. CHILDHOOD IS OVER. TRAUMA IS NOW. GET A GRIP.
The way she stands there, slack-jawed, while he parades her around declaring he’ll marry her like she’s a prize goat at a market auction?? I almost threw the book. The “marriage parade” moment is peak stupidity. Auster publicly declares he’ll marry her, and she walks beside him like a guest-of-honor mascot. She has nothing to gain from compliance and everything to lose, and yet she calmly acquiesces. The author apparently mistook narrative shorthand for psychological realism. Astraea’s rationale: “People believe he could make me agree, so I’ll… stand there and hold his hand.” That is not a response. That is someone failing a basic survival skills class.
He spent YEARS plotting to dismember her bonded. And yet Astraea is out here like, “omg childhood memories, we used to be close.” GIRL. CLOSE TO WHAT? THE GRIM REAPER?
Her emotional economy is bankrupt; she makes decisions that defy survival instincts and personal history. While she’s captured, she portals dramatically across rooms to show off her great power, when she could have portaled to SAFETY? To ESCAPE? To NOT get drugged, shackled, puppeted, and enemies-to-lifestyled for the fifth time? Suddenly she forgets her powers like a Sims character who wandered behind a couch and got stuck. She literally lets herself get re-imprisoned after demonstrating she can yeet herself across space. Why escape when you can suffer decoratively, I guess.
The shackles. The shackles deserve their own novella of rage. One chapter she says, “I’m immune, the poison doesn’t affect me.” Next chapter she’s face-down on the floor. Then we learn Lightsdeath could have broken the shackles at any time. But instead of asking of doing that, she waits. And waits. And WAITSSSS... Because apparently, she wants Nyte to wake up from his endless dream or whatever and come and get her so Nightsdeath can kill him. Such a brilliant plan, truly. Meanwhile everyone around her is like “wow we should sedate her more,” and honestly? Correct.
Then we have the infamous crowd scene when she’s with Auster and they get seperated, where she’s drugged, staggering, can barely stand, and her mission-critical thought is “I must find Auster, I can’t let him retreat.” Bestie, you can’t even walk. Retreat from WHAT? The only thing you’re going to do is face-plant into the dirt.
Auster, Auster, Auster… MAKE IT STOP! Why is this character haunting the entire book like a ghost nobody asked for? He’s dead early on, yet the narrative drags him back constantly—flashbacks, mentions, emotional beats, random scenes meant to make readers “sympathize” with him. Everyone keeps acting as if he was misunderstood instead of a manipulative, abusive nightmare. It’s exhausting. We get a weird chapter where he reads to orphaned children — children he orphaned by exiling their parents — and the book apparently wants us to feel sympathy for him. This is character rehabilitation through forced sentimentality. Delightful. And there is a scene in these flashbacks (which were the most pointless thing ever) where Astraea holds a baby like she’s doing a cursed Simba ritual while Auster says she’d be a “great mother”—SIR, SHE IS HOLDING THAT CHILD LIKE IT’S RADIOACTIVE. In what universe is this woman mother material based on THAT performance? She was two seconds away from yeeting it.
Tarren is another logic casualty. Astraea killed his bonded. She betrayed him. And yet she expects his loyalty because they grew up together? Relationships in this book are governed by feel-good nostalgia rather than cause-and-effect. If you were wronged, forgive your wrongdoer because the reader is too lazy to watch a believable betrayal arc — that’s the guiding principle.
But the real moment Astraea hit rock bottom for me was when she said, with a straight face, “They haven’t even begun to search for the key pieces.” EXCUSE ME??? YOU SCATTERED THEM. YOU told Nyte where you put them. And you don’t know what temples you used??? Did you throw them like confetti and say “good luck lol” and black out?
Speaking of the keys—why can ANYONE touch her “bonded only” magical weapon? Drystan tosses it around like a football. Astraea hands it to Zephyr like “hold my purse.” I thought touching it was supposed to vaporize people or something, but apparently it’s just… a very sharp communal baton now. he “rules” of the magic system bend like burnt taffy to whatever the plot requires in the moment. Is it too much to ask for consistent magical rules? Apparently yes.
Astraea acting like freezing to death in the key-finding arc would be an irreversible tragedy despite having been killed at least three times in this book alone. Nightsdeath literally murdered her for sport earlier yet now everyone panics like hypothermia is the REAL danger.
AND LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW WE GET ZERO FORESHADOWING. NONE. NADA. ZIP. Astraea has secret plans she doesn't tell the reader. Characters betray the group out of absolutely nowhere. People pop in with new powers at 80% because the plot demanded it. Drystan apparently could use FIRE the whole time. Fire! And this man just… didn’t mention it?? Drystan, who was freezing to death earlier in the book, had FIRE magic the whole time and forgot to mention it??? This man really said, “Oh yeah… I can fix that,” like he suddenly found a coupon in his pocket. Astraea slipping power-dulling poison into Auster’s sleeping potion? Sure.
Nadia’s betrayal was another joke. Disappears for the whole novel, then she popped in for betrayal then UNbetray herself, because “surprise! It was all part of a plan we never told the reader about!” At this point the plot twists were giving me whiplash.
Nadir’s betrayal — or non-betrayal — is the pinnacle of this. We’re told Nadir is a helpful ally. Then he’s a shocking traitor whom we should never have trusted. Then he turns out to be part of a “great plan” to trick everyone into killing Dawn. Except none of the groundwork for this “great plan” exists on the page. It’s “gotcha” theater sans the “got.” It’s the author playing three-dimensional chess while the reader watches a two-dimensional flipbook.
The novel betrays its characters more than the characters betray one another. The reader is told things happen rather than shown anything. If you, the author, are going to betray us with plot-turn betrayals, at least give the setup. A betrayal with zero scaffolding is not a shock — it’s the author saying “surprise!” and hoping we clap.
The Dora caravan/circus arc had me wheezing. They joined a circus. A CIRCUS. Nyte, literal shadow lord of death, in circus gear. Pink circus pants. Nothing in my life prepared me for that visual. He is supposed to be intimidating, terrifying, darkly ethereal—and suddenly I’m reading about him juggling inflated daggers or whatever while wearing glitter. This is character assassination. This man is supposed to be darkness incarnate, feared by gods, but apparently also can trapeze in party leggings. He’ll rip out someone’s soul at 3 PM and do a jaunty juggling act at 5. If the goal was to humanize him, congratulations—you made him look ridiculous.
They go on a whole Odyssey-style side quest to get a trident for the nymph so they can access the underwater trial. They don’t find it. They give up. They wander off. The entire quest concludes with a collective “oops lol,” and they simply swim off to God-knows-where, as if the plotline decided it no longer wanted to exist.
Then, out of absolutely nowhere, we are informed that Auster raided that exact temple for a key piece. This key piece was one that he did not even know was there, in a temple that he did not know contained it. The convenience of this revelation is not merely aggressive; it is practically violent.
But wait—plot twist! It turns out that it was not even Auster at all. It was Nyte’s father, who now possesses the true key piece.
Drystan somehow brings all the other key pieces that he found entirely on his own, despite it being repeated literally ten times throughout the book that no one should attempt the key trials alone. Apparently, he ignored every warning, wandered off, and single-handedly collected all four other true key pieces in only one section of the continent. He never checks in with the rest of the crew to collect key pieces they’ve collected; he never reunites with anyone to coordinate. He just does it all on his own, completely undermining the narrative tension and the very rules the story established. The other crew members’ efforts are completely irrelevant, and the plot simply hand-delivers the keys to the protagonists as if they were conveniently placed there by fate itself.
Auster’s dead dragon? The one we all watch die? Randomly retconned into being alive enough to re-bond in the next chapter. Does death matter? No. Consistency? Also no.
Eltanin’s tears can apparently wake dragons and heal them, which is dropped into the book like “also, dragons cry healing tears now,” and then never explained. Why do dragons cry? How do tears heal? We get no mythology, no demonstration, just gratitude-based deus ex machina.
Also the travel inconsistencies. Why are they traveling by boat, dragon, caravan, cursed Uber and whatever else when they can teleport via void portals??? The plot was allergic to efficiency. They can apparently teleport through the void at any time, yet they spend a week mingling in a random town and travel by ship for no startling reason. There is zero urgency because the plot is allergic to efficient solutions. Why teleport when you can take a boat and meet three NPCs who will exist only to be mentioned in a later recap? Plot meanders for the sake of padding.
Health and healing inconsistent? You’d better believe it. Nyte is supposedly so injured during the trial that Astraea’s blood—his magical soulmate mate-bonded lifeline—does nothing. But then some random village humans are like: “Oh he’s dying? Pass me the herbal tea and a damp cloth, babes,” and suddenly he’s FINE in HOURS. HOURS. So Astraea’s blood: useless. Random human nurse with a bandage roll: GOD.
Astraea gets stabbed with a dagger coated in Nyte’s blood and it’s apparently mortal when it shouldn’t be. Astraea gets poked—literally just poked—with a dagger that barely scratches her, and suddenly she is teetering on the edge of death. Which is the stupidest logic jump in the entire book. I understand that injuries should be dramatic if they are truly fatal, like a stab to the heart or a decapitation, but these were barely scratches. In any sane universe, these would have been inconvenient at most. But apparently, Nyte’s blood, the same magical miracle juice that has healed Astraea every time she so much as stubbed her toe in the past—is suddenly going to… speed up the poison from a teeny tiny stab wound and kill her faster?? EXCUSE ME?? How does that make sense in ANY universe? This man’s blood has literally resurrected her. His blood is the reason she’s alive half the time. His blood is basically the immortal equivalent of a full-coverage insurance policy. And now the author expects us to believe that if he gives her a sip—JUST A SIP—of his blood, it will EXPEDITE the murder-stab that was only dangerous because it was coated in HIS blood?? How does the SAME substance heal her AND accelerate her death depending on which side of the knife it’s on? Is it sentient? Does it choose violence when applied externally but compassion internally? Did it unionize??? The logic is: “Nyte’s blood heals… except when plot says no, then it kills… except when plot says yes, then it heals again.” Pick a lane, Chloe.
Because if Nyte’s blood is THAT deadly when it enters her bloodstream, then WHY is the solution to 90% of her injuries... What if she cut her lip while drinking it? Would THAT kill her too? “Well the blade was coated in his blood, so now adding more Nyte-jugo will accelerate it!” then riddle me THIS: Why didn’t Nyte die immediately from the ARROWS coated in HER blood? He was shot/stabbed/sliced way more times than she was... Why didn’t HER blood “accelerate”? Why is only HIS blood fast? Why is only HER bloodstream a racetrack??
Even if we accept that Nyte’s or Astraea’s blood cannot magically heal them in this particular situation, the solution is obvious: simply state that the injuries will take a long time to heal. That is tense, believable, and keeps the stakes high without turning minor scratches into instant near-death emergencies. Instead, what we get is Astraea poked once and unconscious for chapters, Nyte sliced on the hand and suddenly on death’s doorstep, and both of them flopping around like rag dolls from superficial wounds.
Medical logic is sacrificial at the altar of convenience. Nyte has been stabbed, sliced, shredded, and arrowed with Astraea’s blood MULTIPLE times, and somehow he’s more fine than Astraea who gets poked with an equivalent of a push pin coated with Nyte’s blood and drops dead like a fainting goat. The math isn’t mathing. It does not create tension or excitement. It creates frustration. It turns minor injuries into unnecessary, illogical drama and makes every “dying from a scratch” moment entirely ridiculous, and the narrative treats them as if a paper cut could end their lives. The author could have easily maintained suspense by having the injuries impair them without turning them into exaggerated death spirals, but instead, the story chooses to inflate minor scratches into near-fatal threats for the sake of convenience and drama.
Nyte forging the key BEFORE collecting the final piece is peak “no thoughts, head empty” energy. Of course Daddy Dearest then slices him with a blade coated in Astraea’s blood—again, why is a slice deadly now??—and steals the half-forged key. Literally every character in this book needs a babysitter.
Dawn literally says Katerina is ALIVE the first time she appears possessing the poor girl like a demonic Airbnb. Then next time we see her, Astraea keeps saying “Katerina is dead” like we hallucinated the previous scene. SHE IS NOT DEAD. Unless the author decided to rewrite her fate between sips of coffee and forgot to edit the earlier chapter. Which, yeah, seems on par...
Then there’s the two-page speedrun death of Dusk. Dawn is dead and there’s no emotional fallout, no narrative breath, just boom new villain ready immediately like this is a video game level select. Astraea figures out his true name from a poem because why not? Everything else has been convenience-driven nonsense, why stop now?
(continued in the comments because I ran out of space and need to rant...)
This book isn’t a story; it’s a grab-bag of random scenes thrown together with no structure or payoff. Every chapter drops a new “evil,” “twist,” or contrived conflict that gets resolved comically fast or contradicts something from earlier books. Nothing connects. Nothing builds. Nothing makes sense. The “plot”—and I’m using that term with the generosity of a saint—feels like the author took every single idea she’s ever had since childhood, taped them into a single document, and said “Yes. That’s cohesive.” Meanwhile, characters are running around like caffeinated squirrels with trauma, murdering gods between snack breaks, and having emotional arcs that last approximately as long as a TikTok. Every time I thought, “Okay, we’re finally going somewhere,” a new villain or prophecy or cosmic entity crawled out of a portal like “SURPRISE!” and then died two chapters later like “okay bye.”
Let’s talk about that “epic final battle.” You know, the one that starts with the brothers confronting their deranged father, then ends with the crew killing Dusk and Dawn. Except nothing is epic, nothing is emotional, everything is convenient, and the whole sequence lands with the majestic power of a deflated balloon. I genuinely laughed. Cackled. Because how do you hype up big cosmic forces only to defeat them like they’re minor inconveniences? It’s like fighting God with a pool noodle and winning.
And speaking of winning with pool noodles—let’s talk lore. If someone can explain the Nyte/Nightsdeath/Lightsdeath situation to me without getting a headache, good for them, but I personally would rather try to swallow a brick. Nightsdeath apparently wants Nyte’s heart so he can feel (emo), but also claims he is Nyte (doppelgänger emo), while also being a fully separate corporeal being (???) who can fully fight, stab, kill, and monologue. Pick one. PICK ONE. You cannot be “part of Nyte,” “not part of Nyte,” “is Nyte,” and “wants to kill Nyte,” all at once unless you are a Tumblr identity crisis that gained sentience. I felt like I was reading the world’s most confusing Venn diagram.
And Astraea? My god. My sweet summer child. The way she interacts with Nightsdeath makes me believe she accidentally ate lead paint as a child and never recovered. I think a few screws rolled out in the editing phase and nobody picked them up. She’s trying to kill him in one memory, then talking to him like he’s a sad feral cat she wants to rehabilitate in the next. If one more evil man told her “you and I are the same,” I would have reached into the book myself to shake her. She’s propositioning him like "if you aligned yourself with me…" Girl??? He captured you. He wants to kill your boyfriend. He wants your boyfriend’s heart. This is not a negotiation; this is fanfiction written with fever.
Speaking of men telling her nonsense—AUSTER. The walking red flag. The original death dealer. The man who LITERALLY MURDERED HER in the past, tried to kill her again in the present. Manipulated her. Tortured her. Whipped her. Forced Nyte to bond with her by stabbing her. Mutilated Nyte. But Astraea? She has conflicting feelings because “they were close as children.” BABE. CHILDHOOD IS OVER. TRAUMA IS NOW. GET A GRIP.
The way she stands there, slack-jawed, while he parades her around declaring he’ll marry her like she’s a prize goat at a market auction?? I almost threw the book. The “marriage parade” moment is peak stupidity. Auster publicly declares he’ll marry her, and she walks beside him like a guest-of-honor mascot. She has nothing to gain from compliance and everything to lose, and yet she calmly acquiesces. The author apparently mistook narrative shorthand for psychological realism. Astraea’s rationale: “People believe he could make me agree, so I’ll… stand there and hold his hand.” That is not a response. That is someone failing a basic survival skills class.
He spent YEARS plotting to dismember her bonded. And yet Astraea is out here like, “omg childhood memories, we used to be close.” GIRL. CLOSE TO WHAT? THE GRIM REAPER?
Her emotional economy is bankrupt; she makes decisions that defy survival instincts and personal history. While she’s captured, she portals dramatically across rooms to show off her great power, when she could have portaled to SAFETY? To ESCAPE? To NOT get drugged, shackled, puppeted, and enemies-to-lifestyled for the fifth time? Suddenly she forgets her powers like a Sims character who wandered behind a couch and got stuck. She literally lets herself get re-imprisoned after demonstrating she can yeet herself across space. Why escape when you can suffer decoratively, I guess.
The shackles. The shackles deserve their own novella of rage. One chapter she says, “I’m immune, the poison doesn’t affect me.” Next chapter she’s face-down on the floor. Then we learn Lightsdeath could have broken the shackles at any time. But instead of asking of doing that, she waits. And waits. And WAITSSSS... Because apparently, she wants Nyte to wake up from his endless dream or whatever and come and get her so Nightsdeath can kill him. Such a brilliant plan, truly. Meanwhile everyone around her is like “wow we should sedate her more,” and honestly? Correct.
Then we have the infamous crowd scene when she’s with Auster and they get seperated, where she’s drugged, staggering, can barely stand, and her mission-critical thought is “I must find Auster, I can’t let him retreat.” Bestie, you can’t even walk. Retreat from WHAT? The only thing you’re going to do is face-plant into the dirt.
Auster, Auster, Auster… MAKE IT STOP! Why is this character haunting the entire book like a ghost nobody asked for? He’s dead early on, yet the narrative drags him back constantly—flashbacks, mentions, emotional beats, random scenes meant to make readers “sympathize” with him. Everyone keeps acting as if he was misunderstood instead of a manipulative, abusive nightmare. It’s exhausting. We get a weird chapter where he reads to orphaned children — children he orphaned by exiling their parents — and the book apparently wants us to feel sympathy for him. This is character rehabilitation through forced sentimentality. Delightful. And there is a scene in these flashbacks (which were the most pointless thing ever) where Astraea holds a baby like she’s doing a cursed Simba ritual while Auster says she’d be a “great mother”—SIR, SHE IS HOLDING THAT CHILD LIKE IT’S RADIOACTIVE. In what universe is this woman mother material based on THAT performance? She was two seconds away from yeeting it.
Tarren is another logic casualty. Astraea killed his bonded. She betrayed him. And yet she expects his loyalty because they grew up together? Relationships in this book are governed by feel-good nostalgia rather than cause-and-effect. If you were wronged, forgive your wrongdoer because the reader is too lazy to watch a believable betrayal arc — that’s the guiding principle.
But the real moment Astraea hit rock bottom for me was when she said, with a straight face, “They haven’t even begun to search for the key pieces.” EXCUSE ME??? YOU SCATTERED THEM. YOU told Nyte where you put them. And you don’t know what temples you used??? Did you throw them like confetti and say “good luck lol” and black out?
Speaking of the keys—why can ANYONE touch her “bonded only” magical weapon? Drystan tosses it around like a football. Astraea hands it to Zephyr like “hold my purse.” I thought touching it was supposed to vaporize people or something, but apparently it’s just… a very sharp communal baton now. he “rules” of the magic system bend like burnt taffy to whatever the plot requires in the moment. Is it too much to ask for consistent magical rules? Apparently yes.
Astraea acting like freezing to death in the key-finding arc would be an irreversible tragedy despite having been killed at least three times in this book alone. Nightsdeath literally murdered her for sport earlier yet now everyone panics like hypothermia is the REAL danger.
AND LET’S TALK ABOUT HOW WE GET ZERO FORESHADOWING. NONE. NADA. ZIP. Astraea has secret plans she doesn't tell the reader. Characters betray the group out of absolutely nowhere. People pop in with new powers at 80% because the plot demanded it. Drystan apparently could use FIRE the whole time. Fire! And this man just… didn’t mention it?? Drystan, who was freezing to death earlier in the book, had FIRE magic the whole time and forgot to mention it??? This man really said, “Oh yeah… I can fix that,” like he suddenly found a coupon in his pocket. Astraea slipping power-dulling poison into Auster’s sleeping potion? Sure.
Nadia’s betrayal was another joke. Disappears for the whole novel, then she popped in for betrayal then UNbetray herself, because “surprise! It was all part of a plan we never told the reader about!” At this point the plot twists were giving me whiplash.
Nadir’s betrayal — or non-betrayal — is the pinnacle of this. We’re told Nadir is a helpful ally. Then he’s a shocking traitor whom we should never have trusted. Then he turns out to be part of a “great plan” to trick everyone into killing Dawn. Except none of the groundwork for this “great plan” exists on the page. It’s “gotcha” theater sans the “got.” It’s the author playing three-dimensional chess while the reader watches a two-dimensional flipbook.
The novel betrays its characters more than the characters betray one another. The reader is told things happen rather than shown anything. If you, the author, are going to betray us with plot-turn betrayals, at least give the setup. A betrayal with zero scaffolding is not a shock — it’s the author saying “surprise!” and hoping we clap.
The Dora caravan/circus arc had me wheezing. They joined a circus. A CIRCUS. Nyte, literal shadow lord of death, in circus gear. Pink circus pants. Nothing in my life prepared me for that visual. He is supposed to be intimidating, terrifying, darkly ethereal—and suddenly I’m reading about him juggling inflated daggers or whatever while wearing glitter. This is character assassination. This man is supposed to be darkness incarnate, feared by gods, but apparently also can trapeze in party leggings. He’ll rip out someone’s soul at 3 PM and do a jaunty juggling act at 5. If the goal was to humanize him, congratulations—you made him look ridiculous.
They go on a whole Odyssey-style side quest to get a trident for the nymph so they can access the underwater trial. They don’t find it. They give up. They wander off. The entire quest concludes with a collective “oops lol,” and they simply swim off to God-knows-where, as if the plotline decided it no longer wanted to exist.
Then, out of absolutely nowhere, we are informed that Auster raided that exact temple for a key piece. This key piece was one that he did not even know was there, in a temple that he did not know contained it. The convenience of this revelation is not merely aggressive; it is practically violent.
But wait—plot twist! It turns out that it was not even Auster at all. It was Nyte’s father, who now possesses the true key piece.
Drystan somehow brings all the other key pieces that he found entirely on his own, despite it being repeated literally ten times throughout the book that no one should attempt the key trials alone. Apparently, he ignored every warning, wandered off, and single-handedly collected all four other true key pieces in only one section of the continent. He never checks in with the rest of the crew to collect key pieces they’ve collected; he never reunites with anyone to coordinate. He just does it all on his own, completely undermining the narrative tension and the very rules the story established. The other crew members’ efforts are completely irrelevant, and the plot simply hand-delivers the keys to the protagonists as if they were conveniently placed there by fate itself.
Auster’s dead dragon? The one we all watch die? Randomly retconned into being alive enough to re-bond in the next chapter. Does death matter? No. Consistency? Also no.
Eltanin’s tears can apparently wake dragons and heal them, which is dropped into the book like “also, dragons cry healing tears now,” and then never explained. Why do dragons cry? How do tears heal? We get no mythology, no demonstration, just gratitude-based deus ex machina.
Also the travel inconsistencies. Why are they traveling by boat, dragon, caravan, cursed Uber and whatever else when they can teleport via void portals??? The plot was allergic to efficiency. They can apparently teleport through the void at any time, yet they spend a week mingling in a random town and travel by ship for no startling reason. There is zero urgency because the plot is allergic to efficient solutions. Why teleport when you can take a boat and meet three NPCs who will exist only to be mentioned in a later recap? Plot meanders for the sake of padding.
Health and healing inconsistent? You’d better believe it. Nyte is supposedly so injured during the trial that Astraea’s blood—his magical soulmate mate-bonded lifeline—does nothing. But then some random village humans are like: “Oh he’s dying? Pass me the herbal tea and a damp cloth, babes,” and suddenly he’s FINE in HOURS. HOURS. So Astraea’s blood: useless. Random human nurse with a bandage roll: GOD.
Astraea gets stabbed with a dagger coated in Nyte’s blood and it’s apparently mortal when it shouldn’t be. Astraea gets poked—literally just poked—with a dagger that barely scratches her, and suddenly she is teetering on the edge of death. Which is the stupidest logic jump in the entire book. I understand that injuries should be dramatic if they are truly fatal, like a stab to the heart or a decapitation, but these were barely scratches. In any sane universe, these would have been inconvenient at most. But apparently, Nyte’s blood, the same magical miracle juice that has healed Astraea every time she so much as stubbed her toe in the past—is suddenly going to… speed up the poison from a teeny tiny stab wound and kill her faster?? EXCUSE ME?? How does that make sense in ANY universe? This man’s blood has literally resurrected her. His blood is the reason she’s alive half the time. His blood is basically the immortal equivalent of a full-coverage insurance policy. And now the author expects us to believe that if he gives her a sip—JUST A SIP—of his blood, it will EXPEDITE the murder-stab that was only dangerous because it was coated in HIS blood?? How does the SAME substance heal her AND accelerate her death depending on which side of the knife it’s on? Is it sentient? Does it choose violence when applied externally but compassion internally? Did it unionize??? The logic is: “Nyte’s blood heals… except when plot says no, then it kills… except when plot says yes, then it heals again.” Pick a lane, Chloe.
Because if Nyte’s blood is THAT deadly when it enters her bloodstream, then WHY is the solution to 90% of her injuries... What if she cut her lip while drinking it? Would THAT kill her too? “Well the blade was coated in his blood, so now adding more Nyte-jugo will accelerate it!” then riddle me THIS: Why didn’t Nyte die immediately from the ARROWS coated in HER blood? He was shot/stabbed/sliced way more times than she was... Why didn’t HER blood “accelerate”? Why is only HIS blood fast? Why is only HER bloodstream a racetrack??
Even if we accept that Nyte’s or Astraea’s blood cannot magically heal them in this particular situation, the solution is obvious: simply state that the injuries will take a long time to heal. That is tense, believable, and keeps the stakes high without turning minor scratches into instant near-death emergencies. Instead, what we get is Astraea poked once and unconscious for chapters, Nyte sliced on the hand and suddenly on death’s doorstep, and both of them flopping around like rag dolls from superficial wounds.
Medical logic is sacrificial at the altar of convenience. Nyte has been stabbed, sliced, shredded, and arrowed with Astraea’s blood MULTIPLE times, and somehow he’s more fine than Astraea who gets poked with an equivalent of a push pin coated with Nyte’s blood and drops dead like a fainting goat. The math isn’t mathing. It does not create tension or excitement. It creates frustration. It turns minor injuries into unnecessary, illogical drama and makes every “dying from a scratch” moment entirely ridiculous, and the narrative treats them as if a paper cut could end their lives. The author could have easily maintained suspense by having the injuries impair them without turning them into exaggerated death spirals, but instead, the story chooses to inflate minor scratches into near-fatal threats for the sake of convenience and drama.
Nyte forging the key BEFORE collecting the final piece is peak “no thoughts, head empty” energy. Of course Daddy Dearest then slices him with a blade coated in Astraea’s blood—again, why is a slice deadly now??—and steals the half-forged key. Literally every character in this book needs a babysitter.
Dawn literally says Katerina is ALIVE the first time she appears possessing the poor girl like a demonic Airbnb. Then next time we see her, Astraea keeps saying “Katerina is dead” like we hallucinated the previous scene. SHE IS NOT DEAD. Unless the author decided to rewrite her fate between sips of coffee and forgot to edit the earlier chapter. Which, yeah, seems on par...
Then there’s the two-page speedrun death of Dusk. Dawn is dead and there’s no emotional fallout, no narrative breath, just boom new villain ready immediately like this is a video game level select. Astraea figures out his true name from a poem because why not? Everything else has been convenience-driven nonsense, why stop now?
(continued in the comments because I ran out of space and need to rant...)
October 9, 2025
Thank you to the publisher Wildfire for providing this book for review purposes via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Time for some honesty, I discovered this series at the start of the year but I was waiting until the release of the third book to read the books. So when I was approved for the Arc of book three, I went on a reading binge over the last 5 days devouring the trilogy in one go. At the end of the last book Nyte is in some kind of cursed sleep and Astraea has been betrayed by Auster, she also has some new powers from Death. Astraea, Nyte and their friends have to find all the pieces of Astraea’s missing key, stop Auster, stop Nyte’s father and defeat Dawn and Dusk so they can restore peace and balance to the land. A mammoth task but will they accomplish it all? Or will they fail?
This series was epic and I regret that I didn’t discover it sooner, this book was very action packed from the start and yes we do lose beloved characters. Drystan and Nadia I loved their double act, Davina and Lilith loved those two and even Nadir I warmed up to them. Astraea and Nyte are mightily tested and put through the wringer in this book, they had so much thrown at them and they barely had anytime to take a breath. Auster I didn’t think he truly loved Astraea but I think he loved the idea of her and her power, I don’t think he could have done what he did to her if he truly cared as I think she hurt his pride when she chose Nyte. Astraea and Nyte I loved these two, the star crossed lovers and opposites doomed never to be together without destroying the world. The ending was everything I hoped for them and more, I really enjoyed this book and will be checking out more of the authors books. Overall this was a highly satisfying ending to the trilogy, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it and I hope fellow fans of the series loved it as much as I did. I would give this more than 5 stars if I could.
Time for some honesty, I discovered this series at the start of the year but I was waiting until the release of the third book to read the books. So when I was approved for the Arc of book three, I went on a reading binge over the last 5 days devouring the trilogy in one go. At the end of the last book Nyte is in some kind of cursed sleep and Astraea has been betrayed by Auster, she also has some new powers from Death. Astraea, Nyte and their friends have to find all the pieces of Astraea’s missing key, stop Auster, stop Nyte’s father and defeat Dawn and Dusk so they can restore peace and balance to the land. A mammoth task but will they accomplish it all? Or will they fail?
This series was epic and I regret that I didn’t discover it sooner, this book was very action packed from the start and yes we do lose beloved characters. Drystan and Nadia I loved their double act, Davina and Lilith loved those two and even Nadir I warmed up to them. Astraea and Nyte are mightily tested and put through the wringer in this book, they had so much thrown at them and they barely had anytime to take a breath. Auster I didn’t think he truly loved Astraea but I think he loved the idea of her and her power, I don’t think he could have done what he did to her if he truly cared as I think she hurt his pride when she chose Nyte. Astraea and Nyte I loved these two, the star crossed lovers and opposites doomed never to be together without destroying the world. The ending was everything I hoped for them and more, I really enjoyed this book and will be checking out more of the authors books. Overall this was a highly satisfying ending to the trilogy, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it and I hope fellow fans of the series loved it as much as I did. I would give this more than 5 stars if I could.
January 16, 2026
This trilogy was just everything. After the devastation of the middle book, this 3rd installment effectively and contently closed out the series. There were so treachery and loss of beloved characters. At some points, it was hard to see the good. Will stay in my list of top series for eternity.
December 7, 2025
˖⁺‧₊♡ pre-read review ⋙
feeling so ecstatic, more than words can describe. wildfire reached out to me with an offer of exclusive early access to read the dark is descending, the conclusion to one of my favourite romantasy series! i’m forever grateful for these opportunities.
a massive thank you to chloe c penaranda and wildfire/hachette uk for the gifted e-arc.
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feeling so ecstatic, more than words can describe. wildfire reached out to me with an offer of exclusive early access to read the dark is descending, the conclusion to one of my favourite romantasy series! i’m forever grateful for these opportunities.
a massive thank you to chloe c penaranda and wildfire/hachette uk for the gifted e-arc.
follow me on: instagram
December 9, 2025
The conclusion to Chloe C. Peñaranda's Nytefall trilogy arrives not with a whisper but with the cosmic force of colliding celestial bodies. The Dark Is Descending weaves together the intertwined fates of Astraea Lightborne, the star-maiden created by gods, and Rainyte "Nyte" Azreal Ashfyre, the vampire prince cursed with an entity of pure darkness. This final installment delivers an emotionally devastating yet ultimately triumphant exploration of what it means to choose love over destiny, sacrifice over self-preservation, and hope over despair.
Following The Stars Are Dying and The Night Is Defying, Peñaranda's series has built a devoted readership captivated by the forbidden romance between light and dark. The concluding volume faces the monumental task of resolving cosmic-scale conflicts while honoring the intimate character journeys that have defined the trilogy. The result is a bittersweet symphony that succeeds more often than it stumbles, though not without significant pacing challenges that occasionally dim its brilliance.
A World Tearing at the Seams
Peñaranda constructs a dying realm with visceral urgency. The opening chapters paint a landscape in crisis—meteors rain from crimson skies, the land fractures with devastating chasms, and the very stars that once promised eternity now fall as harbingers of destruction. This apocalyptic backdrop serves as more than mere spectacle; it mirrors the internal fragmenting of Astraea herself as she grapples with the revelation that the celestial afterlife she believed in is a lie crafted by her godly creators.
The world-building shines in its exploration of complex power systems. The relationship between souls trapped in stars, the manipulation of starlight matter, and the cosmic balance maintained by primordial entities creates layers of intrigue. Peñaranda demonstrates particular skill in revealing how systems of belief can be weaponized for control—the celestials' mythology serves to consolidate power while perpetuating suffering. This thematic depth elevates the narrative beyond simple good-versus-evil dichotomies.
However, the scope sometimes overwhelms coherence. Multiple dragon awakenings, competing godly factions, vampire resistance movements, and interpersonal betrayals create a crowded canvas where certain elements receive insufficient development. The water dragon Fedora's attack feels rushed, and several supporting characters introduced in earlier books drift to the periphery when their arcs deserve resolution.
The Battle Between Self and Power
At its core, this novel examines the seductive nature of absolute power and the cost of wielding it. Astraea's struggle with Lightsdeath—an entity of pure destructive light—parallels Nyte's ongoing battle with Nightsdeath. Peñaranda crafts these internal conflicts with psychological nuance, showing how trauma, grief, and rage can manifest as something that feels separate from the self yet remains intrinsically connected.
The sequences where Astraea surrenders to Lightsdeath are simultaneously terrifying and mesmerizing. Peñaranda's prose transforms during these moments, becoming more lyrical and detached as Astraea sees the world through the lens of souls to be reaped rather than people to be saved. These passages capture the intoxicating appeal of letting go of moral complexity in favor of absolute judgment. The starlight wolf manifestation serves as striking visual metaphor for power that has grown beyond human scale.
Yet the resolution of this internal battle feels somewhat anticlimactic. After building tension around whether Astraea can maintain her humanity while channeling godlike power, the final confrontations rely more on plot mechanics than character transformation. The moments where she must choose restraint over destruction deserve more page time to fully explore the psychological weight of these decisions.
Love as Defiance and Anchor
The romance between Astraea and Nyte remains the trilogy's emotional foundation, and Peñaranda delivers on the promise of their bond being tested to breaking point. Their separation—with Nyte trapped in a curse-induced sleep while Nightsdeath walks free—creates genuine anguish. The scenes where Astraea must cooperate with Nightsdeath, seeing Nyte's face while confronting an entity that wants to destroy her, are masterfully executed exercises in emotional torment.
Peñaranda excels at intimate character moments even amid epic stakes. Nyte's desperate quest to find a way to save Astraea from the poisoned blade wound, his willingness to become gods themselves rather than lose each other, and his patient
understanding of her grief all demonstrate a love that has matured beyond initial attraction into genuine partnership. Their bond serves not as weakness but as the source of their greatest strength.
The secondary romance between Drystan and his dragon Athebyne, while not traditional, provides interesting contrast. The dragon bonds throughout the trilogy explore different forms of connection and loyalty, enriching the tapestry of relationships beyond the central romance.
Sacrifice, Loss, and the Price of Victory
Where this novel truly devastates is in its unflinching portrayal of loss. Zephyr's sacrifice—choosing to use the key despite knowing it will cost his life—ranks among the most heartbreaking moments in the series. His final words, asking Astraea to protect his children, and the image of him forced to look into his possessed wife's eyes as he dies, demonstrate Peñaranda's willingness to make her readers feel the weight of war.
The deaths of Cassia and Calix, the twins who choose to drink Dawn's blood to become the new dawn itself, offers a poignant meditation on sacrifice as an act of love rather than defeat. Their choice to become the sunrise so Astraea and Nyte can remain mortal transforms them from supporting characters into symbols of hope renewed. Peñaranda's decision to have them literally become every dawn creates a bittersweet immortality that honors their bond with Astraea.
However, Auster Nova's arc concludes with more ambiguity than satisfaction. His transformation from Astraea's childhood friend to her enemy driven by jealousy and betrayal receives adequate buildup, but his final confrontation lacks the emotional catharsis such a complex relationship deserves. The revelation of his deepening corruption and his bond with the dragon Edasich hints at layers of tragedy that remain somewhat unexplored.
Pacing: The Story's Greatest Adversary
The novel's most significant weakness lies in its uneven pacing. The middle section, focused on temple quests to retrieve key pieces, occasionally drags despite the presence of Nightsdeath as Astraea's reluctant companion. These sequences, while necessary for plot progression, interrupt narrative momentum when the apocalyptic stakes demand urgency.
Conversely, the final act rushes through revelations and confrontations that warrant more development. The defeats of both Dusk and Dawn, while spectacular in imagery, feel compressed. The mechanics of using their true names as weapons against them provides a clever payoff to earlier worldbuilding, but the execution in both instances prioritizes action over the psychological complexity of destroying one's creators.
The epilogue restores some balance, providing a satisfying glimpse of the peace Astraea and Nyte have fought to achieve. Their coronation as queen and king consort, the restoration of daylight to their realm, and the closing scene in a phoenix realm connected to Nyte's heritage offers hope for the future while acknowledging scars that remain.
The Dance of Light and Shadow
Peñaranda's prose oscillates between lyrical beauty and straightforward narrative, with the former emerging during emotionally heightened moments. Her descriptions of starlight, shadow, and the interplay between them create memorable imagery. Passages like Astraea's dance channeling magic—"my body was an instrument and my magick a song"—exemplify the author's ability to transform action into poetry.
The dual perspective structure, alternating between Astraea and Nyte's viewpoints, allows readers to experience both sides of their bond. Nyte's chapters provide essential context for his internal struggle with Nightsdeath and his desperate schemes to save Astraea, preventing him from becoming a passive damsel despite being cursed for much of the book.
The flashback chapters interspersed throughout, labeled "Past," offer crucial context for understanding how Astraea and Nyte's relationship developed. These glimpses into their early bond, the conflicts with Auster, and the gradual revelation of their feelings provide emotional grounding for the present-day stakes.
Thematic Resonance and Narrative Ambition
Beyond the romance and fantasy elements, the novel grapples with weighty themes. The revelation that souls aren't peacefully resting in stars but trapped as energy sources for magic speaks to how systems of oppression disguise themselves as benevolent beliefs. Astraea's role as Death's Maiden, tasked with freeing these trapped souls, transforms her from goddess of justice into agent of mercy and liberation.
The question of what makes someone worthy of redemption runs throughout. Nightsdeath, born from Nyte's centuries of suffering, embodies pain weaponized. Auster's villainy stems from wounded pride and jealousy. The gods themselves act not from malice but from an inability to understand mortal value. Peñaranda suggests that understanding motivation doesn't excuse harm, but it does complicate simple condemnation.
The decision to have Astraea and Nyte ultimately choose to remain mortal rather than become gods permanently, despite the cost, affirms the trilogy's central thesis: mortal life, with all its pain and brevity, holds more authentic meaning than eternal power detached from consequence.
Following The Stars Are Dying and The Night Is Defying, Peñaranda's series has built a devoted readership captivated by the forbidden romance between light and dark. The concluding volume faces the monumental task of resolving cosmic-scale conflicts while honoring the intimate character journeys that have defined the trilogy. The result is a bittersweet symphony that succeeds more often than it stumbles, though not without significant pacing challenges that occasionally dim its brilliance.
A World Tearing at the Seams
Peñaranda constructs a dying realm with visceral urgency. The opening chapters paint a landscape in crisis—meteors rain from crimson skies, the land fractures with devastating chasms, and the very stars that once promised eternity now fall as harbingers of destruction. This apocalyptic backdrop serves as more than mere spectacle; it mirrors the internal fragmenting of Astraea herself as she grapples with the revelation that the celestial afterlife she believed in is a lie crafted by her godly creators.
The world-building shines in its exploration of complex power systems. The relationship between souls trapped in stars, the manipulation of starlight matter, and the cosmic balance maintained by primordial entities creates layers of intrigue. Peñaranda demonstrates particular skill in revealing how systems of belief can be weaponized for control—the celestials' mythology serves to consolidate power while perpetuating suffering. This thematic depth elevates the narrative beyond simple good-versus-evil dichotomies.
However, the scope sometimes overwhelms coherence. Multiple dragon awakenings, competing godly factions, vampire resistance movements, and interpersonal betrayals create a crowded canvas where certain elements receive insufficient development. The water dragon Fedora's attack feels rushed, and several supporting characters introduced in earlier books drift to the periphery when their arcs deserve resolution.
The Battle Between Self and Power
At its core, this novel examines the seductive nature of absolute power and the cost of wielding it. Astraea's struggle with Lightsdeath—an entity of pure destructive light—parallels Nyte's ongoing battle with Nightsdeath. Peñaranda crafts these internal conflicts with psychological nuance, showing how trauma, grief, and rage can manifest as something that feels separate from the self yet remains intrinsically connected.
The sequences where Astraea surrenders to Lightsdeath are simultaneously terrifying and mesmerizing. Peñaranda's prose transforms during these moments, becoming more lyrical and detached as Astraea sees the world through the lens of souls to be reaped rather than people to be saved. These passages capture the intoxicating appeal of letting go of moral complexity in favor of absolute judgment. The starlight wolf manifestation serves as striking visual metaphor for power that has grown beyond human scale.
Yet the resolution of this internal battle feels somewhat anticlimactic. After building tension around whether Astraea can maintain her humanity while channeling godlike power, the final confrontations rely more on plot mechanics than character transformation. The moments where she must choose restraint over destruction deserve more page time to fully explore the psychological weight of these decisions.
Love as Defiance and Anchor
The romance between Astraea and Nyte remains the trilogy's emotional foundation, and Peñaranda delivers on the promise of their bond being tested to breaking point. Their separation—with Nyte trapped in a curse-induced sleep while Nightsdeath walks free—creates genuine anguish. The scenes where Astraea must cooperate with Nightsdeath, seeing Nyte's face while confronting an entity that wants to destroy her, are masterfully executed exercises in emotional torment.
Peñaranda excels at intimate character moments even amid epic stakes. Nyte's desperate quest to find a way to save Astraea from the poisoned blade wound, his willingness to become gods themselves rather than lose each other, and his patient
understanding of her grief all demonstrate a love that has matured beyond initial attraction into genuine partnership. Their bond serves not as weakness but as the source of their greatest strength.
The secondary romance between Drystan and his dragon Athebyne, while not traditional, provides interesting contrast. The dragon bonds throughout the trilogy explore different forms of connection and loyalty, enriching the tapestry of relationships beyond the central romance.
Sacrifice, Loss, and the Price of Victory
Where this novel truly devastates is in its unflinching portrayal of loss. Zephyr's sacrifice—choosing to use the key despite knowing it will cost his life—ranks among the most heartbreaking moments in the series. His final words, asking Astraea to protect his children, and the image of him forced to look into his possessed wife's eyes as he dies, demonstrate Peñaranda's willingness to make her readers feel the weight of war.
The deaths of Cassia and Calix, the twins who choose to drink Dawn's blood to become the new dawn itself, offers a poignant meditation on sacrifice as an act of love rather than defeat. Their choice to become the sunrise so Astraea and Nyte can remain mortal transforms them from supporting characters into symbols of hope renewed. Peñaranda's decision to have them literally become every dawn creates a bittersweet immortality that honors their bond with Astraea.
However, Auster Nova's arc concludes with more ambiguity than satisfaction. His transformation from Astraea's childhood friend to her enemy driven by jealousy and betrayal receives adequate buildup, but his final confrontation lacks the emotional catharsis such a complex relationship deserves. The revelation of his deepening corruption and his bond with the dragon Edasich hints at layers of tragedy that remain somewhat unexplored.
Pacing: The Story's Greatest Adversary
The novel's most significant weakness lies in its uneven pacing. The middle section, focused on temple quests to retrieve key pieces, occasionally drags despite the presence of Nightsdeath as Astraea's reluctant companion. These sequences, while necessary for plot progression, interrupt narrative momentum when the apocalyptic stakes demand urgency.
Conversely, the final act rushes through revelations and confrontations that warrant more development. The defeats of both Dusk and Dawn, while spectacular in imagery, feel compressed. The mechanics of using their true names as weapons against them provides a clever payoff to earlier worldbuilding, but the execution in both instances prioritizes action over the psychological complexity of destroying one's creators.
The epilogue restores some balance, providing a satisfying glimpse of the peace Astraea and Nyte have fought to achieve. Their coronation as queen and king consort, the restoration of daylight to their realm, and the closing scene in a phoenix realm connected to Nyte's heritage offers hope for the future while acknowledging scars that remain.
The Dance of Light and Shadow
Peñaranda's prose oscillates between lyrical beauty and straightforward narrative, with the former emerging during emotionally heightened moments. Her descriptions of starlight, shadow, and the interplay between them create memorable imagery. Passages like Astraea's dance channeling magic—"my body was an instrument and my magick a song"—exemplify the author's ability to transform action into poetry.
The dual perspective structure, alternating between Astraea and Nyte's viewpoints, allows readers to experience both sides of their bond. Nyte's chapters provide essential context for his internal struggle with Nightsdeath and his desperate schemes to save Astraea, preventing him from becoming a passive damsel despite being cursed for much of the book.
The flashback chapters interspersed throughout, labeled "Past," offer crucial context for understanding how Astraea and Nyte's relationship developed. These glimpses into their early bond, the conflicts with Auster, and the gradual revelation of their feelings provide emotional grounding for the present-day stakes.
Thematic Resonance and Narrative Ambition
Beyond the romance and fantasy elements, the novel grapples with weighty themes. The revelation that souls aren't peacefully resting in stars but trapped as energy sources for magic speaks to how systems of oppression disguise themselves as benevolent beliefs. Astraea's role as Death's Maiden, tasked with freeing these trapped souls, transforms her from goddess of justice into agent of mercy and liberation.
The question of what makes someone worthy of redemption runs throughout. Nightsdeath, born from Nyte's centuries of suffering, embodies pain weaponized. Auster's villainy stems from wounded pride and jealousy. The gods themselves act not from malice but from an inability to understand mortal value. Peñaranda suggests that understanding motivation doesn't excuse harm, but it does complicate simple condemnation.
The decision to have Astraea and Nyte ultimately choose to remain mortal rather than become gods permanently, despite the cost, affirms the trilogy's central thesis: mortal life, with all its pain and brevity, holds more authentic meaning than eternal power detached from consequence.
December 16, 2025
The Dark Is Descending by Chloe C. Peñaranda is a sweeping, emotionally charged conclusion to the Nytefall trilogy about Astraea, the Star Maiden, racing against time to break the curse that imprisons her beloved Nyte and to retrieve the broken key that is the only weapon capable of killing the wrathful gods threatening to destroy their world of Solanis, a realm now swallowed by eternal night and crumbling under apocalyptic chaos.
This fantastical tale weaves together high‑stakes fantasy, complex mythical factions (including dragons, celestials, and primordial gods), and deeply layered romance, asking what love, sacrifice, and identity truly mean when the fate of everything hangs by a thread of starlight and shadow. It is epic in scope, rich in worldbuilding, and rooted in a bond that refuses to yield even as gods fall and daylight dies.
Turning the final page left me awash with admiration for how Peñaranda balanced mythic peril with personal stakes, because what could have been merely a sprawling fantasy finale became something intimate and heart‑piercing through Astraea and Nyte’s connection. I felt the weight of their choices echoed long after finishing, especially in how love becomes not just a refuge but a force powerful enough to defy divine designs by choice rather than destiny.
The pacing hurtles between infectious momentum and moments that thoughtfully explore grief, resilience, and forgiveness, and I found myself especially drawn to the theme of embracing both light and darkness within oneself and in others. While the sheer breadth of plotlines and cast occasionally felt overwhelming, the emotional core never faltered; it made me care deeply about these characters and the world they fought to protect.
Because of its breathtaking romantic depth, propulsive narrative, and resonant themes about the power and cost of devotion, I would rate The Dark Is Descending a heartfelt 4 out of 5, acknowledging both its ambitious complexity and the raw emotional impact it delivered.
This fantastical tale weaves together high‑stakes fantasy, complex mythical factions (including dragons, celestials, and primordial gods), and deeply layered romance, asking what love, sacrifice, and identity truly mean when the fate of everything hangs by a thread of starlight and shadow. It is epic in scope, rich in worldbuilding, and rooted in a bond that refuses to yield even as gods fall and daylight dies.
Turning the final page left me awash with admiration for how Peñaranda balanced mythic peril with personal stakes, because what could have been merely a sprawling fantasy finale became something intimate and heart‑piercing through Astraea and Nyte’s connection. I felt the weight of their choices echoed long after finishing, especially in how love becomes not just a refuge but a force powerful enough to defy divine designs by choice rather than destiny.
The pacing hurtles between infectious momentum and moments that thoughtfully explore grief, resilience, and forgiveness, and I found myself especially drawn to the theme of embracing both light and darkness within oneself and in others. While the sheer breadth of plotlines and cast occasionally felt overwhelming, the emotional core never faltered; it made me care deeply about these characters and the world they fought to protect.
Because of its breathtaking romantic depth, propulsive narrative, and resonant themes about the power and cost of devotion, I would rate The Dark Is Descending a heartfelt 4 out of 5, acknowledging both its ambitious complexity and the raw emotional impact it delivered.
Want to read
July 21, 2025I think I will start this, this week. Loved book 2, and im excited to see how the story will end✨🤩🌌
November 19, 2025
What a precious yet action-packed conclusion, Chloe! ✨🥰 The Dark is Descending was the perfect ending to Astraea and Nyte’s wild, emotional adventure. This final installment is packed with trials, multiple battles, shifting alliances, prophecies, and the continued recovery of Astraea’s memories — all unfolding in a race against several ticking clocks.
We follow Astraea on her desperate journey to save Nyte from the curse, all while fighting enemies who were once her allies, danger lurking around every corner. The found family dynamic truly shines here, offering warmth and grounding amid the chaos. And the imagery? Stunning. The poetic, intimate moments between Astraea and Nyte were such a lovely contrast to the high stakes surrounding them.
As always, Chloe drew me in completely. I was invested, I grieved the losses, and I cautiously celebrated the victories. The pacing was perfect, the plot adjustments made so much sense, and the connections revealed in this book brought clarity to pieces I’d missed before. 😉
Honestly, I think this was the strongest book in the series — beautifully written, deeply engaging, and a truly satisfying conclusion. ✨📚
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC, the narrators were perfect to bring this story to life.
We follow Astraea on her desperate journey to save Nyte from the curse, all while fighting enemies who were once her allies, danger lurking around every corner. The found family dynamic truly shines here, offering warmth and grounding amid the chaos. And the imagery? Stunning. The poetic, intimate moments between Astraea and Nyte were such a lovely contrast to the high stakes surrounding them.
As always, Chloe drew me in completely. I was invested, I grieved the losses, and I cautiously celebrated the victories. The pacing was perfect, the plot adjustments made so much sense, and the connections revealed in this book brought clarity to pieces I’d missed before. 😉
Honestly, I think this was the strongest book in the series — beautifully written, deeply engaging, and a truly satisfying conclusion. ✨📚
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for this ALC, the narrators were perfect to bring this story to life.
December 20, 2025
I LOVE this series! This has been such a great read and I’m so happy I gave this book a chance.
This book was the last in the Nytefall series and although I’m sad to see Astraea and Nyte go it was such a wonderful ending that gave me the HEA they both deserved while not leaving me hanging or feeling rushed.
From the beginning I constantly said to myself! WHAT on EARTH is GOING to HAPPEN next?!?! I didn’t predict a single thing other than I knew that some time if HEA was going to happen.
The plotting was thick and twisty in the book! I loved the side characters as well growing emotional and feeling for all the side characters grief and pain as if they were main characters.
The spice in this book wasn’t as thick as book 2 I still think it was plenty to give the reader the emotions the main characters were experiencing in the book.
10/10 plot 5/5 ⭐️ 4/5 🌶️
This book was the last in the Nytefall series and although I’m sad to see Astraea and Nyte go it was such a wonderful ending that gave me the HEA they both deserved while not leaving me hanging or feeling rushed.
From the beginning I constantly said to myself! WHAT on EARTH is GOING to HAPPEN next?!?! I didn’t predict a single thing other than I knew that some time if HEA was going to happen.
The plotting was thick and twisty in the book! I loved the side characters as well growing emotional and feeling for all the side characters grief and pain as if they were main characters.
The spice in this book wasn’t as thick as book 2 I still think it was plenty to give the reader the emotions the main characters were experiencing in the book.
10/10 plot 5/5 ⭐️ 4/5 🌶️
December 8, 2025
3.75☆ what a whirlwind. this book is 99% chaos and pain and 1% peace. the amount of times I wanted to SCREAM!! omfg these poor characters could not catch a break.
did I enjoy this series simply for the vibes and daddy nyte? yes yes I did and I’m not embarrassed about it tysm.
ty to netgalley for sending me an alc!
did I enjoy this series simply for the vibes and daddy nyte? yes yes I did and I’m not embarrassed about it tysm.
ty to netgalley for sending me an alc!
December 16, 2025
3.5 🌟 I have a love-hate relationship with this author/series. I’ve had a couple glasses of wine so please bear with me while I explain. I truly love her writing style, but the final books have fallen a little flat (compared to previous books) for me for both of her series. I LOVE the middle book(s) and the first book(s) are okay. Like her other series, this last book felt rushed. I think it tried to do too much and needed another round of edits. I caught at least 5 typos—for a trad published book, I expect those to be polished out for the most part by the time I read a finished copy. I think more time could’ve been spent on scenes to build more of an emotional impact instead of trying to fit everything in this book.
Okay for the good—I do love the story in this. It’s unique, which I feel like can be hard for new romantasies. The chemistry between Nyte and Astraea is *chefs kiss*. The magic system and world are so interesting, and I LOVE interconnected series!! There were so many nods to an heir comes to rise, which I adored.
Overall, it’s a good trilogy, and this final boon was good. I think if it had been split into books 3 and 4 with more things (including the found family) fleshed out more, it could’ve been great.
Okay for the good—I do love the story in this. It’s unique, which I feel like can be hard for new romantasies. The chemistry between Nyte and Astraea is *chefs kiss*. The magic system and world are so interesting, and I LOVE interconnected series!! There were so many nods to an heir comes to rise, which I adored.
Overall, it’s a good trilogy, and this final boon was good. I think if it had been split into books 3 and 4 with more things (including the found family) fleshed out more, it could’ve been great.
December 31, 2025
3.5 Stars (Rounded up)
I am rounding up because while there were plenty of issues with The Dark Is Descending, I did end up enjoying it. I really like the vibe of this series. The night and the stars. I have such a weird love/hate relationship with Astraea. While I love the fact that she sees the best in people, and I understand that being like that to fault is a character flaw, I just couldn't get over how she regarded Auster. He did awful things like literally killing her. But she's like "oh we used to be best friends." Girl please.
Another thing that lowered the rating for me was there were some errors that were kind of jarring. Like, this novel switches between different first person PoVs, and then at the start of each part a third person PoV. But sometimes during a first person PoV there would be a couple sentences in a third person PoV. While I am no English or writing expert, it did pull me out of the story.
I am rounding up because while there were plenty of issues with The Dark Is Descending, I did end up enjoying it. I really like the vibe of this series. The night and the stars. I have such a weird love/hate relationship with Astraea. While I love the fact that she sees the best in people, and I understand that being like that to fault is a character flaw, I just couldn't get over how she regarded Auster. He did awful things like literally killing her. But she's like "oh we used to be best friends." Girl please.
Another thing that lowered the rating for me was there were some errors that were kind of jarring. Like, this novel switches between different first person PoVs, and then at the start of each part a third person PoV. But sometimes during a first person PoV there would be a couple sentences in a third person PoV. While I am no English or writing expert, it did pull me out of the story.
July 27, 2025
My favorite of the series!
October 24, 2025
Crying at parts of that ending, iykyk. What an incredible end to the trilogy. The duet narration helped a lot. I loved the other two books and this wrapped everything up so well. I truly have no critiques. This was fast paced, we get alllll the characters, found family, and so much action. Nyte is a top tier MMC and I know Nightsdeath is supposed to be intimidating but you can’t convince me he isn’t just a cinnamon roll instead. We even get bonded dragons!! If you haven’t started this trilogy, you’re missing out. I can’t wait to get my hands on a physical copy of this book!
~ I received this audio eARC free from NetGalley. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Chloe C Penaranda. My opinions are my own and voluntarily given ~
~ I received this audio eARC free from NetGalley. Thank you to Macmillan Audio and Chloe C Penaranda. My opinions are my own and voluntarily given ~
January 8, 2026
I could not stop reading this book. It was so good. The love Nyte had for Astraea had me in a chokehold. I was a little weary about where the story was going near the end of the second book but this book didn't disappoint. I didn't see a few of the plot twists coming and the plot was so good. This book had my in tears more times than I'd like to admit but it was worth it. It was the story and ending this trilogy needed. This is a series I will definitely read again.
November 1, 2025
I enjoyed this one! I’ll have to read the first two now 🫡
December 11, 2025
I was told that if I don’t have anything nice to say, to not say anything at all…. So I will try to keep my comments respectful, but honest.
From book 1, this series has been all over the place. The scene structures, world building, character development, and even character introductions were all over the place. There wasn’t any real structure to the story. There were holes and other times aspects that were completely stolen from other well-known fantasy series.
I finished the series because I wanted to know if it got any better (I love a good redemption book where the author takes feedback!) but unfortunately, not much improvement here. I will say there were aspects that I liked. The way chapter 57 ended was one of them. But really other than that the author needs some extra help in developing her stories in a way that will flow seamlessly, all the while keeping the reader intrigued enough with the Easter eggs to keep reading.
This book was lackluster at best and copied at worst. Very disappointing. Especially since this will probably be a best seller. I wish people would use their brains a little more and didn’t get off on bad fast fantasy as much. Don’t get me wrong. I have been known to enjoy a well written, fast fantasy many times. Emphasis on the “well written”.
I do believe this author has potential, but she needs to learn when to cut a scene short, and when it needs more detail. I felt as though we got details we didn’t need and were missing details we should have been given. The “epic battle” scenes were a disappointment. If a battle scene lasts only a few lines, I do not consider it an epic battle.
Blah.
This book wasn’t it….
From book 1, this series has been all over the place. The scene structures, world building, character development, and even character introductions were all over the place. There wasn’t any real structure to the story. There were holes and other times aspects that were completely stolen from other well-known fantasy series.
I finished the series because I wanted to know if it got any better (I love a good redemption book where the author takes feedback!) but unfortunately, not much improvement here. I will say there were aspects that I liked. The way chapter 57 ended was one of them. But really other than that the author needs some extra help in developing her stories in a way that will flow seamlessly, all the while keeping the reader intrigued enough with the Easter eggs to keep reading.
This book was lackluster at best and copied at worst. Very disappointing. Especially since this will probably be a best seller. I wish people would use their brains a little more and didn’t get off on bad fast fantasy as much. Don’t get me wrong. I have been known to enjoy a well written, fast fantasy many times. Emphasis on the “well written”.
I do believe this author has potential, but she needs to learn when to cut a scene short, and when it needs more detail. I felt as though we got details we didn’t need and were missing details we should have been given. The “epic battle” scenes were a disappointment. If a battle scene lasts only a few lines, I do not consider it an epic battle.
Blah.
This book wasn’t it….
July 28, 2025
Firstly I need to give the BIGGEST thank you to Hannah at Headline Books for sending me an early eARC of The Dark is Descending, I think I screamed a little when I got the email. A huge thank you to Chloe and NetGalley also for providing me with the opportunity to read early.
The Dark is Descending was absolute PERFECTION. No notes. None. Chloe, take a bow please, because THIS is how you finish an incredible trilogy. Wow.
I've been obsessed with the Nytefall series since I first discovered Chloe and The Stars are Dying in 2023, when it was originally Indie published. I've been privileged enough to be an ARC reader for The Night is Defying and now the final book, The Dark is Descending and I'm so grateful.
It's one of my favourite romantasy series ever and will be one I reread time and time again. The character growth and development over the course of the 3 books is incredible, especially from Astraea. To follow her transition from a vulnerable and naïve pawn, controlled by the men in her life in book 1, to a confident woman, who has taken back her power and embraced her identity in book 3, was such a powerful journey. Throughout everything, she still retains her humanity and her compassion which is what makes her Astraea and I love that about her.
Nyte has always been a complex male lead. Nytesdeath is his armour, borne of a life of cruelty and I have never championed a villain so hard in my life. He deserved better. There are scenes between Nyte and Astraea throughout the book where Nyte is so exposed and raw that I sobbed. He's a victim as much as he is a villain and though there are some difficult topics, Chloe doesn't shy away from them, instead she handles them with great care and sensitivity. She writes her characters so beautifully, weaving in their emotions and experiences so well, that we as the reader are easily able to empathise and resonate with them.
The plot, as always, was phenomenal. The pacing is flawless; we get plenty of world building and time to process everything that is going on, but we don't ever feel like the story is dragging. I adore the world Chloe has created in the Nytefall series - magic, vampires, celestial dragons, ancient gods, old feuds and new ones, human politics and epic power battles. All woven in around the most extraordinary bonds of family and friendship, complete with a story of love so powerful it transcends realms.
Chloe is an artist. Every emotion just comes through so vividly on the page, that I felt like I was watching the story unfold right in front of me. I sobbed, I laughed out loud, my heart broke and was healed anew, I'm devastated the series has reached its end, but ecstatic because it was everything I wanted it to be and more. Nyte and Astraea will always have a piece of my heart and their love story will be forever etched on my soul.
The Dark is Descending was absolute PERFECTION. No notes. None. Chloe, take a bow please, because THIS is how you finish an incredible trilogy. Wow.
I've been obsessed with the Nytefall series since I first discovered Chloe and The Stars are Dying in 2023, when it was originally Indie published. I've been privileged enough to be an ARC reader for The Night is Defying and now the final book, The Dark is Descending and I'm so grateful.
It's one of my favourite romantasy series ever and will be one I reread time and time again. The character growth and development over the course of the 3 books is incredible, especially from Astraea. To follow her transition from a vulnerable and naïve pawn, controlled by the men in her life in book 1, to a confident woman, who has taken back her power and embraced her identity in book 3, was such a powerful journey. Throughout everything, she still retains her humanity and her compassion which is what makes her Astraea and I love that about her.
Nyte has always been a complex male lead. Nytesdeath is his armour, borne of a life of cruelty and I have never championed a villain so hard in my life. He deserved better. There are scenes between Nyte and Astraea throughout the book where Nyte is so exposed and raw that I sobbed. He's a victim as much as he is a villain and though there are some difficult topics, Chloe doesn't shy away from them, instead she handles them with great care and sensitivity. She writes her characters so beautifully, weaving in their emotions and experiences so well, that we as the reader are easily able to empathise and resonate with them.
The plot, as always, was phenomenal. The pacing is flawless; we get plenty of world building and time to process everything that is going on, but we don't ever feel like the story is dragging. I adore the world Chloe has created in the Nytefall series - magic, vampires, celestial dragons, ancient gods, old feuds and new ones, human politics and epic power battles. All woven in around the most extraordinary bonds of family and friendship, complete with a story of love so powerful it transcends realms.
Chloe is an artist. Every emotion just comes through so vividly on the page, that I felt like I was watching the story unfold right in front of me. I sobbed, I laughed out loud, my heart broke and was healed anew, I'm devastated the series has reached its end, but ecstatic because it was everything I wanted it to be and more. Nyte and Astraea will always have a piece of my heart and their love story will be forever etched on my soul.
December 15, 2025
It’s rare when the finale is the worst book in the series. In this case, it was exceptionally disappointing since I hoped the author would grow with experience. I was wrong. The only reason I rated it 2 stars is for the jacket and cover design being exceptionally cool. Everything else was an absolute slog to get through.
***SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT***
I can start with the fact that whoever edited this book needs to be fired YESTERDAY. On page 329, we’re told a dragon character is dead. There’s a body, and mourning, and sadness. THEN on page 341, she is MAGICALLY alive again and completely fine, and we’re told she’ll “be able to bond again eventually”. WHAT. There were lots of small, annoying things I could deal with in this book, but that one was absolutely ridiculous. I can excuse a death of a minor character being forgotten across multiple books, but for a death to be forgotten LESS than 20 pages later is completely egregious and honestly unacceptable.
Secondly, the pacing of this book is beyond abysmal. The fight where Nightsdeath is killed came out of NOWHERE, was extremely poorly written, and overall just confusing. Then to kill Auster less than 5 pages later was a horrific choice. After that, we jump all across the map doing random side quests interrupted by some of the worst smut I’ve seen outside of Wattpad circa 2013, before jumping straight into the fight with Nyte’s father with absolutely zero preamble. After that, the climax of the book comes on entirely too fast, makes little to no sense, and ends incredibly predictably after a brief fake-out.
I get a little more nit-picky here, but it just goes back to the fact that whoever edited this book needs to seriously rethink their career. There were MULTIPLE TIMES where the sentence structure was so screwed up that I couldn’t tell what was actually going on. Characters pronouns were switched (the nonbinary elf was referred to as “he”), Drystan was referred to as his fathers younger brother (during the start of the trial scene in part 3), and I’m sure they’re are other examples but I just finished the book and I’m so beyond annoyed that I can’t be bothered to go back and check.
One other thing that this book did worse than either other installment of the series is that major plot developments happen OFF THE PAGE. Whatever went on with Nadia switching sides, Drystan and the fire magic, Nyte’s dad suddenly having a dragon that only woke up like 3 hours ago, Nadir being a traitor working with Dusk and Dawn and Auster (because WHY? Money! Naturally!) and then also suddenly switching sides AGAIN to help Astraea but then ACTUALLY they (he? She? I can’t tell if it’s a mistake or not at this point, since randomly they’re using all kinds of pronouns in this book) were helping Astraea all along because there was a plan that happened OFF SCREEN, the blue dragon showing up to save the day (and then dying, and then magically somehow being fine a few pages later), Lilith (I can’t remember who she is or why I should care about her, because she doesn’t directly interact with Astraea AT ALL during the entire book) getting a dragon, Nyte somehow managing to steal blood from Dawn and Dusk, randomly coming up with Dusk’s name out of absolutely nowhere, so so SO many things were dredged up out of NOWHERE and with NO warning, just so the author can go “look at how clever! You never saw that coming did you!?” NO! Because it doesn’t make any sense. There’s no build up, there’s no narrative hints, it’s just random deus ex machinas that provide no relief or excitement. Just frustration, annoyance, and a desire to get the book over with as fast as possible.
Continuing from there, one of the other things that happened entirely off page was any relationship building of any kind outside of Astraea, Nyte, and Drystan. The reason I say it happened off page was because it DIDNT HAPPEN AT ALL. The author had to keep reminding us that Astraea was supposed to care about these people by repeatedly having Astraea call them her “friends” repeatedly. But at no point during the story did I care about these characters or what their relationships to Astraea supposedly meant. Devastating, to be honest, since the supporting cast seemed to be really interesting! It’s a shame we didn’t see anything about them outside of them randomly appearing in battle scenes and talking about their relationships with each other that, again, happened COMPLETELY off screen.
Also, not every series needs dragons. I adore dragons, they’re my favorite part of any fantasy series. Except this one. They serve no purpose, and to be completely honest the series would have been BETTER without them. It reads like a middle school fan fiction: “yeah so this guy is sooooo hot, he’s so hot because he’s a vampire but ALSO an angel! And he has shadow powers! And he’s also got an evil dark side that only the heroine can tame!!! ALSO HE HAS A DRAGON AND ITS BLACK AND PURPLE AND SHOOTS STARS!!!”. The dragons are cool, sure. But, WHY. Why are they in the story, except to add more pointless side quests and side characters who do absolutely nothing except stand around and listen to Nyte and Astraea have obnoxiously loud, bad sex. What’s the point of introducing intelligent dragons if you only use them in place of horses. Why do the dragons colors matter, anyways? Dragons are dragons, not every book with dragons in them needs to do what fourth wing did and make Harry Potter houses out of dragon colors.
On that note: not every series needs to be a multiverse. I am begging you. Adding the fact that Nyte and Drystan had a half brother in that other universe did absolutely NOTHING for this book. It was a shallow and incredibly obvious attempt to tie in another other series where it very obviously didn’t fit and wasn’t needed. Just because Sarah J. Maas did it doesn’t mean it’s now gospel, and honestly I didn’t like when she did it either, but at least there was a POINT to the crossover. This was just… pathetic, actually. Prior to this I’d been considering downloading the other series to check it out, but now I refuse to purely out of spite.
Finally, what pissed me off the absolute MOST about this book was that it had potential. I’ve said it in every review of this series: it could have been so good. The concept is so good. The general beats of the story could be an amazing fantasy series, but where this series falls flat on its face is the execution. The dialogue is clunky, the character interactions feel stiff and unrealistic, and not every chapter needs to end with a witty one-liner or a dramatic prose. Entirely too much time is spent on characters internally monologuing while the plot sails past their oblivious selves. It’s an overly heavy handed attempt at making incredibly flat characters seem intelligent and brooding, or to give emotional weight to scenes that the author can’t do with descriptions or making us actually CARE about the characters and their relationships. This book is the antithesis to the saying “Show, don’t tell”. It’s almost like the author purposefully went out of her way to explain everything via obnoxious internal monologues instead of showing us ANY kind of character actions to back up those monologues.
Overall, this book made me irrationally angry, and it’s one of the few books I’ve ever read that I can say was a complete and total waste of time.
***SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT***
I can start with the fact that whoever edited this book needs to be fired YESTERDAY. On page 329, we’re told a dragon character is dead. There’s a body, and mourning, and sadness. THEN on page 341, she is MAGICALLY alive again and completely fine, and we’re told she’ll “be able to bond again eventually”. WHAT. There were lots of small, annoying things I could deal with in this book, but that one was absolutely ridiculous. I can excuse a death of a minor character being forgotten across multiple books, but for a death to be forgotten LESS than 20 pages later is completely egregious and honestly unacceptable.
Secondly, the pacing of this book is beyond abysmal. The fight where Nightsdeath is killed came out of NOWHERE, was extremely poorly written, and overall just confusing. Then to kill Auster less than 5 pages later was a horrific choice. After that, we jump all across the map doing random side quests interrupted by some of the worst smut I’ve seen outside of Wattpad circa 2013, before jumping straight into the fight with Nyte’s father with absolutely zero preamble. After that, the climax of the book comes on entirely too fast, makes little to no sense, and ends incredibly predictably after a brief fake-out.
I get a little more nit-picky here, but it just goes back to the fact that whoever edited this book needs to seriously rethink their career. There were MULTIPLE TIMES where the sentence structure was so screwed up that I couldn’t tell what was actually going on. Characters pronouns were switched (the nonbinary elf was referred to as “he”), Drystan was referred to as his fathers younger brother (during the start of the trial scene in part 3), and I’m sure they’re are other examples but I just finished the book and I’m so beyond annoyed that I can’t be bothered to go back and check.
One other thing that this book did worse than either other installment of the series is that major plot developments happen OFF THE PAGE. Whatever went on with Nadia switching sides, Drystan and the fire magic, Nyte’s dad suddenly having a dragon that only woke up like 3 hours ago, Nadir being a traitor working with Dusk and Dawn and Auster (because WHY? Money! Naturally!) and then also suddenly switching sides AGAIN to help Astraea but then ACTUALLY they (he? She? I can’t tell if it’s a mistake or not at this point, since randomly they’re using all kinds of pronouns in this book) were helping Astraea all along because there was a plan that happened OFF SCREEN, the blue dragon showing up to save the day (and then dying, and then magically somehow being fine a few pages later), Lilith (I can’t remember who she is or why I should care about her, because she doesn’t directly interact with Astraea AT ALL during the entire book) getting a dragon, Nyte somehow managing to steal blood from Dawn and Dusk, randomly coming up with Dusk’s name out of absolutely nowhere, so so SO many things were dredged up out of NOWHERE and with NO warning, just so the author can go “look at how clever! You never saw that coming did you!?” NO! Because it doesn’t make any sense. There’s no build up, there’s no narrative hints, it’s just random deus ex machinas that provide no relief or excitement. Just frustration, annoyance, and a desire to get the book over with as fast as possible.
Continuing from there, one of the other things that happened entirely off page was any relationship building of any kind outside of Astraea, Nyte, and Drystan. The reason I say it happened off page was because it DIDNT HAPPEN AT ALL. The author had to keep reminding us that Astraea was supposed to care about these people by repeatedly having Astraea call them her “friends” repeatedly. But at no point during the story did I care about these characters or what their relationships to Astraea supposedly meant. Devastating, to be honest, since the supporting cast seemed to be really interesting! It’s a shame we didn’t see anything about them outside of them randomly appearing in battle scenes and talking about their relationships with each other that, again, happened COMPLETELY off screen.
Also, not every series needs dragons. I adore dragons, they’re my favorite part of any fantasy series. Except this one. They serve no purpose, and to be completely honest the series would have been BETTER without them. It reads like a middle school fan fiction: “yeah so this guy is sooooo hot, he’s so hot because he’s a vampire but ALSO an angel! And he has shadow powers! And he’s also got an evil dark side that only the heroine can tame!!! ALSO HE HAS A DRAGON AND ITS BLACK AND PURPLE AND SHOOTS STARS!!!”. The dragons are cool, sure. But, WHY. Why are they in the story, except to add more pointless side quests and side characters who do absolutely nothing except stand around and listen to Nyte and Astraea have obnoxiously loud, bad sex. What’s the point of introducing intelligent dragons if you only use them in place of horses. Why do the dragons colors matter, anyways? Dragons are dragons, not every book with dragons in them needs to do what fourth wing did and make Harry Potter houses out of dragon colors.
On that note: not every series needs to be a multiverse. I am begging you. Adding the fact that Nyte and Drystan had a half brother in that other universe did absolutely NOTHING for this book. It was a shallow and incredibly obvious attempt to tie in another other series where it very obviously didn’t fit and wasn’t needed. Just because Sarah J. Maas did it doesn’t mean it’s now gospel, and honestly I didn’t like when she did it either, but at least there was a POINT to the crossover. This was just… pathetic, actually. Prior to this I’d been considering downloading the other series to check it out, but now I refuse to purely out of spite.
Finally, what pissed me off the absolute MOST about this book was that it had potential. I’ve said it in every review of this series: it could have been so good. The concept is so good. The general beats of the story could be an amazing fantasy series, but where this series falls flat on its face is the execution. The dialogue is clunky, the character interactions feel stiff and unrealistic, and not every chapter needs to end with a witty one-liner or a dramatic prose. Entirely too much time is spent on characters internally monologuing while the plot sails past their oblivious selves. It’s an overly heavy handed attempt at making incredibly flat characters seem intelligent and brooding, or to give emotional weight to scenes that the author can’t do with descriptions or making us actually CARE about the characters and their relationships. This book is the antithesis to the saying “Show, don’t tell”. It’s almost like the author purposefully went out of her way to explain everything via obnoxious internal monologues instead of showing us ANY kind of character actions to back up those monologues.
Overall, this book made me irrationally angry, and it’s one of the few books I’ve ever read that I can say was a complete and total waste of time.
November 16, 2025
Read This Book If…you need to know how it all ends!
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
The Dark is Descending by Chloe C. Peñaranda
Genre: romantasy
Series: Nytefall # 3
Setting: fantasy world
POV: dual, 1st person, past tense
Spice Level: 4r/5🌶, 3-4 explicit scenes
Tropes: shadow daddy, found family, “good girl”
Audiobook Thoughts: I really enjoyed this duet-narrated audiobook! Both narrators did a fantastic job and added a lot to the story.
My Thoughts:
This series remains one of my most highlighted and annotated! The writing is simply beautiful and I adore our main characters.
I do wish I had reread book 2 before diving into this grand finale. There is SO much worldbuilding in this series and you really get dropped right back into the action. There was a lot of bouncing around, both in the timeline and the world, as well as new characters to meet.
Personally, I found this to be a satisfying ending, but felt like there was too much going on for one book.
Memorable Quote: “We are inevitable, Astraea. Will you be infinite with me?”
Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy! This book will be available December 2!
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5
The Dark is Descending by Chloe C. Peñaranda
Genre: romantasy
Series: Nytefall # 3
Setting: fantasy world
POV: dual, 1st person, past tense
Spice Level: 4r/5🌶, 3-4 explicit scenes
Tropes: shadow daddy, found family, “good girl”
Audiobook Thoughts: I really enjoyed this duet-narrated audiobook! Both narrators did a fantastic job and added a lot to the story.
My Thoughts:
This series remains one of my most highlighted and annotated! The writing is simply beautiful and I adore our main characters.
I do wish I had reread book 2 before diving into this grand finale. There is SO much worldbuilding in this series and you really get dropped right back into the action. There was a lot of bouncing around, both in the timeline and the world, as well as new characters to meet.
Personally, I found this to be a satisfying ending, but felt like there was too much going on for one book.
Memorable Quote: “We are inevitable, Astraea. Will you be infinite with me?”
Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy! This book will be available December 2!
December 23, 2025
I really should have reread bks 1 and 2 because while I rmmbrd the fmc/mmc, I had no idea who anyone else was or what was going on. This lack of recall really put a damper on my grasp of the stakes and the whole mission, like was it really worth all that? I thought it ended well, and I dfntly plan on doing a full series reread back to back sometime next year. 3 stars for now, but that's more a judgment of me and my inability to rmmbr anything important than of the story.
January 1, 2026
on my way to personally draft the longest email to this author thanking her for the existence of this series. wow. so unexpected, so enthralling, so everything I love. the love between these two main characters is truly unmatched across anything I’ve ever read, and I felt it in every single page. I’ll be purchasing the hardcovers of each book in this series as it belongs permanently in my collection.
And then I will be onto An Heir Comes to Rise series, by her as well ❤️
And then I will be onto An Heir Comes to Rise series, by her as well ❤️
December 18, 2025
Bit disappointed with the last quarter of the book. It felt rushed, like the author was forced to cut pages to remain under a word count. Sad because the story was thrilling up to that point and, with the rush at the end, the conclusion didnt hit as hard. I still enjoyed it and loved that there was a note of light in all the darkness for our main characters.
September 19, 2025
"I love you" "Now, then, and always." 🥹🫠
Nyte and Astraea are two of my favorite star crossed lovers. Loved this trilogy all the way through.
Jacci Prior and Corvin King have quickly become two of my favorite narrators and they brought these characters to life. Their tones suit this story so well and they remain consistent throughout. Both do a great job of differentiating between characters that made it easy for me to keep track of. I tend to read along with an audio because I can get a little distracted, but this book kept me tuned in completely.
Nyte and Astraea are two of my favorite star crossed lovers. Loved this trilogy all the way through.
Jacci Prior and Corvin King have quickly become two of my favorite narrators and they brought these characters to life. Their tones suit this story so well and they remain consistent throughout. Both do a great job of differentiating between characters that made it easy for me to keep track of. I tend to read along with an audio because I can get a little distracted, but this book kept me tuned in completely.
January 17, 2026
well. I didn’t hate it but I’m glad it’s over, does that make sense?
November 5, 2025
“The stars were dying and we were the brightest of the them”. The ultimate star-crossed lovers trilogy.
This final book finally cleared up some of the confusion I had in the first two books, but also really expanded on ALL the characters, which I appreciated. We learned so much more about past relationships, especially family, and that was huge.
However, there were a lot of editing errors, and if you’re going to make a character have they/them pronouns, you REALLY need to get it right. You can’t just randomly call them “he/him” a few times and expect it to be ok. There were quite a few other editing errors in the back half, but since this is my first ARC, I’m not sure if that’s the norm or not.
Regardless of editing, I still give this book in the trilogy a 4, and the overall trilogy a 3.5. The series is a rare example of actual star-crossed lovers, and quote-able romance.
Thank you to Netgally and Tor Publishing Group for this ARC edition book in exchange for an honest review.
This final book finally cleared up some of the confusion I had in the first two books, but also really expanded on ALL the characters, which I appreciated. We learned so much more about past relationships, especially family, and that was huge.
However, there were a lot of editing errors, and if you’re going to make a character have they/them pronouns, you REALLY need to get it right. You can’t just randomly call them “he/him” a few times and expect it to be ok. There were quite a few other editing errors in the back half, but since this is my first ARC, I’m not sure if that’s the norm or not.
Regardless of editing, I still give this book in the trilogy a 4, and the overall trilogy a 3.5. The series is a rare example of actual star-crossed lovers, and quote-able romance.
Thank you to Netgally and Tor Publishing Group for this ARC edition book in exchange for an honest review.
October 3, 2025
I can honestly say this book was the one that wrecked me the most. The parallels between Lightsdeath and Nightsdeath, the friendships from her previous life. It was an amazing end to a beautiful story about fate, love, and the stars. I will always recommend this series and am grateful I got a chance to listen to the final book before it came out!
November 25, 2025
ALC Review - SPOILER FREE
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Themes:
💫Touch her and die
💫War of Gods
💫High stakes
💫Found family
For fans of this series, this will be your favourite book yet.
Nightfall has finally found the balance between story and romance. The plot was engaging, captivating and much easier to follow and keep track of what was happening. A huge part of that was the pacing of the book - the time dedicated to each major plot point was perfect, and gave enough time to dig into each one so it felt complete by the time we moved on.
We started with Astraea trying to wake Nyte from his curse, face Nightsdeath, battle with whether to side with or fight Auster, and the discovery of Lightsdeath. This whole segment felt like it’s own book, but actually left me excited to keep reading. For the first time in this series, I was hooked.
As we proceed, Astraea and gang finally take the battle against Nyte and Drystan’s father - and might I just add that Drystan is definitely a top tier character in this book. He goes through such an incredible and relatable character arc, I loved every moment with him in it.
In fact, all the characters - even the villains - were so much more fleshed out. Where I’ve had trouble picking good versus bad in this series, this one finally laid out all the cards, cleared up my confusion, and painted a clear picture. It was so wonderful to learn more about our long-time favourite, Zathrien, and develop a more recent fave in Zephyr.
If I’m being honest, I had no idea how Chloe was going to continue with this series going into this book, but I was surprised with how much ground there was to cover, and how quickly she did it. Not that it was any shorter than its predecessors, but the time was spent so much better and there were so many more major points to get through. I also appreciated a considerably improved balance between the plot and the smut. I know lots of people enjoy that, and I don’t mind it, but I liked going back to the roots of book one and focusing on the fantasy world and everything happening in it, with a little bit of love to guide the way.
Ultimately, while I wasn’t completely enthralled in the book, I enjoyed it fine enough, and I think dedicated fans of the series will love the way this rounded out the story of these beloved characters.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Netgalley and Chloe C Peñaranda for the review copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest thoughts.
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Themes:
💫Touch her and die
💫War of Gods
💫High stakes
💫Found family
For fans of this series, this will be your favourite book yet.
Nightfall has finally found the balance between story and romance. The plot was engaging, captivating and much easier to follow and keep track of what was happening. A huge part of that was the pacing of the book - the time dedicated to each major plot point was perfect, and gave enough time to dig into each one so it felt complete by the time we moved on.
We started with Astraea trying to wake Nyte from his curse, face Nightsdeath, battle with whether to side with or fight Auster, and the discovery of Lightsdeath. This whole segment felt like it’s own book, but actually left me excited to keep reading. For the first time in this series, I was hooked.
As we proceed, Astraea and gang finally take the battle against Nyte and Drystan’s father - and might I just add that Drystan is definitely a top tier character in this book. He goes through such an incredible and relatable character arc, I loved every moment with him in it.
In fact, all the characters - even the villains - were so much more fleshed out. Where I’ve had trouble picking good versus bad in this series, this one finally laid out all the cards, cleared up my confusion, and painted a clear picture. It was so wonderful to learn more about our long-time favourite, Zathrien, and develop a more recent fave in Zephyr.
If I’m being honest, I had no idea how Chloe was going to continue with this series going into this book, but I was surprised with how much ground there was to cover, and how quickly she did it. Not that it was any shorter than its predecessors, but the time was spent so much better and there were so many more major points to get through. I also appreciated a considerably improved balance between the plot and the smut. I know lots of people enjoy that, and I don’t mind it, but I liked going back to the roots of book one and focusing on the fantasy world and everything happening in it, with a little bit of love to guide the way.
Ultimately, while I wasn’t completely enthralled in the book, I enjoyed it fine enough, and I think dedicated fans of the series will love the way this rounded out the story of these beloved characters.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio, Netgalley and Chloe C Peñaranda for the review copy of this audiobook in exchange for my honest thoughts.
December 17, 2025
Book:The Dark Is Descending
Author: Chloe C. Peñaranda
Series: Nytefall Trilogy, Book 3
Publisher: Bramble
Length: 416
Rating: 6 stars
This is the third a book and last book in the Nytefall trilogy. Star Maiden Astraea is feel betrayed and is running out as she races to free Nyte, facing gods and darkness to save their world! As she must save the man who owns her heart Nyte. She must break the curse that is holding him before it’s too late!
Furthermore the only way she can accomplish this is by forming an alliance with an enemy. As she is between a rock and a hard place but has no real choice in this matter. She will do anything to save her lover. Yet with the depletion of daylight where the realm will be soon deserted.
Astraea and her friends have little choice in this matter. They must locate the Maiden’s key! It is the only power they have to arm themselves that can destroy the gods that want to rule the human world! However can this be accomplished?
Dragons appear in the Sky, but will they bond with a friend or an enemy? Soon the only weapon will be blood, but is it strong enough? Will Astraea and Nyte have enough power or surrender and lose everything that is near and dear to them? Will they lose everything and yield? Find out and discover their fate in this series finale.
I have loved every book in this series and the audio makes it even better! Both narrators Jacci Prior and Corvin King are phenomenal. Absolute perfection! I am an immersive reader as I read digitally while listening to audio. I also have the physical books which is the most beautiful sprayed edges and foiling that I ever saw. All three books in this trilogy is absolutely stunning. Whoever is the designer I would hire them again for future books. I read The Stars are Dying book 1 and The Night is Defying, book 2. I have loved every book in this amazing series! I am sad it has ended but it ended perfectly with a neat little bow. look forward to the next book Chloe C, Peñaranda releases!
Disclaimer: I received an advanced readers copy from the Bramble through Netgalley. I voluntarily agreed to do a fair review and blog through netgalley. All thoughts, ideas and words are my own.
World Building*
Character Development*
Fated Mates*
New Found Family*
Betrayal*
Dragons*
Sacrifice*
Love*
War*
Suffering*
Prison*
Savior*
Suspense and Mystery.
December 8, 2025
Rating: 5/5
I received the audio for my honest opinion.
The final installment of this trilogy was nothing short of extraordinary. Book three picks up seamlessly where book two left off, and from the very first chapter, the pace refuses to slow. The action scenes are thrilling, the hunt for the missing key parts is gripping, and every adventure this found family embarks on feels high-stakes and heartfelt. With trust still fragile among the group and countless obstacles standing in their way, the emotional journey hits hard—I cried more than once—and the character development throughout is beautifully crafted. I’m genuinely sad to see this world come to an end, but what an unforgettable journey it has been.
In this conclusion, we follow Astraea and Nyte as they fight to break Nyte’s curse and stand against those determined to keep them apart. Their path is filled with danger, betrayal, and heartbreak—often coming from those who once stood beside them. Yet through every threat and every loss, they refuse to give up on their happily ever after. Penaranda flawlessly weaves together beloved tropes such as found family, enemies to lovers, and the iconic “touch her and die,” all while building a world that thrives in both chaos and beauty. I felt completely immersed, as though I were traveling beside the characters, experiencing each devastating blow and triumphant moment right alongside them.
The pacing is consistently strong—fast, but never rushed—and the dual POV with shifting timelines is handled with clarity and care. Not once did I feel lost or confused; instead, the structure elevated the emotional weight of the story. Whether you’re turning pages at lightning speed or listening breathlessly to the audio, this finale keeps you fully invested from start to finish.
Speaking of the audio, Corvin King and Jacci Prior deliver exceptional performances. Their narration truly brings Astraea, Nyte, and the entire cast to life, capturing every emotional nuance and heightening the intensity of the story.
I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to review this book.
I received the audio for my honest opinion.
The final installment of this trilogy was nothing short of extraordinary. Book three picks up seamlessly where book two left off, and from the very first chapter, the pace refuses to slow. The action scenes are thrilling, the hunt for the missing key parts is gripping, and every adventure this found family embarks on feels high-stakes and heartfelt. With trust still fragile among the group and countless obstacles standing in their way, the emotional journey hits hard—I cried more than once—and the character development throughout is beautifully crafted. I’m genuinely sad to see this world come to an end, but what an unforgettable journey it has been.
In this conclusion, we follow Astraea and Nyte as they fight to break Nyte’s curse and stand against those determined to keep them apart. Their path is filled with danger, betrayal, and heartbreak—often coming from those who once stood beside them. Yet through every threat and every loss, they refuse to give up on their happily ever after. Penaranda flawlessly weaves together beloved tropes such as found family, enemies to lovers, and the iconic “touch her and die,” all while building a world that thrives in both chaos and beauty. I felt completely immersed, as though I were traveling beside the characters, experiencing each devastating blow and triumphant moment right alongside them.
The pacing is consistently strong—fast, but never rushed—and the dual POV with shifting timelines is handled with clarity and care. Not once did I feel lost or confused; instead, the structure elevated the emotional weight of the story. Whether you’re turning pages at lightning speed or listening breathlessly to the audio, this finale keeps you fully invested from start to finish.
Speaking of the audio, Corvin King and Jacci Prior deliver exceptional performances. Their narration truly brings Astraea, Nyte, and the entire cast to life, capturing every emotional nuance and heightening the intensity of the story.
I want to thank NetGalley and Macmillan audio for the opportunity to review this book.
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