A review by berrytown
Silver Under Nightfall by Rin Chupeco

adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

really wanted to love this! it’s very clearly netflix castlevania fanfic that’s been re-outfitted for publishing, but i was still wiling to give it a shot because… i love castlevania. unfortunately, the main trio lacks the chemistry necessary to carry this plot. i believe in xiaodan and zidan’s relationship but their interest in remy is confounding and comes too out of left field for me. it felt like they just saw a hot guy and wanted and a third, which i would be down for, if not for the fact that they were throwing around the word “love” only a few weeks in.

the lore is a highlight here but as much as i enjoyed it i can’t say it was anything particularly groundbreaking. again, it borrows a lot of the political conflicts from the show. while the asian rep in the book is refreshing i wish the world felt unique enough that it didn’t feel like a watered down version of another piece of media. 

it was a fun romp! overall the comedy was appreciated though overblown at times. the balance between drama and laughs wasn’t quite struck but i think i’ll still read the sequel!