When people have asked me what I’ve been reading the past few weeks, I’ve described In Nightfall as “if Twilight was written by someone who grew up on Tumblr instead of by a Mormon.” 

Unlike Twilight, In Nightfall has decent diversity for both main and side characters. Those characters are fun, with strong motivations and interesting antagonists. There’s also some really interesting use of vampire folklore, especially in homages to Dracula. 

Going in, I did not know what flavor of paranormal it was going to be. I originally assumed werewolves (not sure why), but it quickly became obvious I was way off the mark. 

Gorgeous characters make weird comments about how much they hate sunlight, say things like “Thank you for inviting me into your home” (wink wink), charm everyone around them, and lick strawberry sauce (that probably isn’t strawberry sauce) off their fingers.

The narrative isn’t being coy, not obfuscating what these girls are or trying to do any misdirection. It puts up a big flashing sign from the get-go that reads THESE GIRLS ARE VAMPIRES!!! THEY DO NOT DRINK…. sambuca.

So. Painfully. Obviously. Vampires. 

Despite this, the word vampire is first used seventy percent in. 

The narrative doesn’t bother to clue the protagonist in on what’s going on until 200 pages in. Two hundred. This made the pace drag hard. As a reader, it’s frustrating to know pretty quickly Here Be Vampires, but have to wait another hundred pages for the main character to get the memo.

As a result, the narrative takes ages to get interesting. It was only in the last third—when Theo is finally clued in on the whole vampire thing—that I was genuinely engaged.

One of the main problems I had with In Nightfall is that most of the interesting things happen to or around Theo. She does a bit of surface level investigation here and there (such as talking to a pair of visiting podcasters and doing a little surface-level googling), but overall, Theo was incredibly passive for most of the narrative. 

I found myself wondering why Theo is the point of view character. Other characters—such as the pair of podcasters, the love interest Parrish, and the three vampire girls—have far more interesting motivations and character arcs. They’re also the ones actually pulling their weight in the plot, up until Theo finally decides to pitch in and goes ham.

Speaking of Theo going ham, I was disappointed in the final vampire confrontation. 

Up to that point, the sense of danger with these girls was palpable. They’re incredibly clever, manipulative, charismatic, and oh, yeah, undead blood-sucking monsters that can fly and have super strength. They’ve killed several people, including the sheriff and other vampires. They’re predators, through and through, and the narrative does an excellent job making how dangerous they are very, very clear.

After all that build up, you’re telling me that two podcasters and a high school student armed with nothing more than chair legs and a kitchen knife fended off four, killing three, with nary a single human team casualty? That Theo punching one’s face did nothing to her, but a kick to one’s thigh will send a vampire capable of throwing a grown man through the air sprawling? 

Sure, it’s a YA book. Theo has to win in the end. But after forcing the reader to wait 200 pages for the climax, the execution is just disappointing. Honestly, I’m a little mad on their behalf. The girls deserved more of a fight.

Did I like In Nightfall? No, not really. Did I dislike it? Also no.

In Nightfall isn’t a bad book. It’s also certainly not a must-read for vampire lovers or horror readers in general.

In Nightfall is a book great for those who loved the YA vampire trend but did not enjoy the trend’s issues with racism, misogyny, and romanticization of abuse. In Nightfall does not directly engage with these negative tropes but does avoid them. I probably would have enjoyed the book far more when I was in high school and really into paranormal YA.

Would I recommend it? Yes, but only if you’re a part of the above niche, with a strong caveat that the pacing is slow and the climax disappointing. The book appeals to a certain audience. If you’re not part of that audience, you will probably not enjoy In Nightfall, and that’s okay.