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A review by sierrachenee
Nightfall by Penelope Douglas
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I’m so happy the series ended with Wills story. I adore him and Emory. The first half of the book was very lord of the flies vibes going on which was weird but it worked and the second half was wrapping up the horsemens storyline. It’s a long book and some might be bothered by the slowness of it but wrapping up this series was a feat and I think Penelope Douglas did a good job.
Emory’s story really got to me and I related to her in ways I wish I did not and I could easily give this book five stars based on her story alone. The high school flashbacks were my favorites. Each one was just heartbreaking, beautiful and sweet. It was interesting to see how Emory was there all along in all of the books and how she connected in her own way. This book really highlighted the change that the characters had from high school to present day more than the others especially with Will. It was hard to read sometimes. I liked that this series in general, but this book especially challenged the ideas of what’s right and wrong and explore more grey areas. These characters can be seen as both the bad and good guys all at the same time.
After reading the series (minus the last novella) I have come to the conclusion that Damon is the main character of the series even though he isn’t meant to be. I knew going in that I’d love any scene with him and Will because their connection is so strong (and that locker room scene 🥵) but I didn’t expect to love Emorys relationship with Damon or for it to even exist but they were so similar in they ways they’ve been shaped in life that while they may be extremely different people, their core is so alike and so it makes sense that she ended up with Will. He always makes a scene better and is one of the more complex characters I’ve ever read.
There was a lot that I wish didn’t happen however. Alex honestly should have just had minimal lines in the series as a whole. I never felt like she brought a lot to the table and her storyline took away from Will and Emorys which I think needed more present day tenderness. Aydin was another character that I really didn’t like being introduced. There wasn’t enough there to make me like him. Same with Misha and Rory. There was just a lot of characters introduced too late and were made too important.
Also I love the characters in this book but they need to stop healing their traumatic moments with group sex and go to therapy instead. It happened 4 times in this book alone. The shower scene especially was awful and didn’t make a ton of sense to me for Emory and Will.
Overall a beautiful end to the series and it’ll be one thats on my mind for awhile. I loved the wedding and the epilogue.
Emory’s story really got to me and I related to her in ways I wish I did not and I could easily give this book five stars based on her story alone. The high school flashbacks were my favorites. Each one was just heartbreaking, beautiful and sweet. It was interesting to see how Emory was there all along in all of the books and how she connected in her own way. This book really highlighted the change that the characters had from high school to present day more than the others especially with Will. It was hard to read sometimes. I liked that this series in general, but this book especially challenged the ideas of what’s right and wrong and explore more grey areas. These characters can be seen as both the bad and good guys all at the same time.
After reading the series (minus the last novella) I have come to the conclusion that Damon is the main character of the series even though he isn’t meant to be. I knew going in that I’d love any scene with him and Will because their connection is so strong (and that locker room scene 🥵) but I didn’t expect to love Emorys relationship with Damon or for it to even exist but they were so similar in they ways they’ve been shaped in life that while they may be extremely different people, their core is so alike and so it makes sense that she ended up with Will. He always makes a scene better and is one of the more complex characters I’ve ever read.
There was a lot that I wish didn’t happen however. Alex honestly should have just had minimal lines in the series as a whole. I never felt like she brought a lot to the table and her storyline took away from Will and Emorys which I think needed more present day tenderness. Aydin was another character that I really didn’t like being introduced. There wasn’t enough there to make me like him. Same with Misha and Rory. There was just a lot of characters introduced too late and were made too important.
Also I love the characters in this book but they need to stop healing their traumatic moments with group sex and go to therapy instead. It happened 4 times in this book alone. The shower scene especially was awful and didn’t make a ton of sense to me for Emory and Will.
Overall a beautiful end to the series and it’ll be one thats on my mind for awhile. I loved the wedding and the epilogue.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Sexual content