The synopsis of In Nightfall by Suzanne Young touts it as Lost Boys meets Buffy. I would add Twilight to that mix, as there are pieces of all three in Ms. Young’s latest. Did that prevent me from loving the hell out of In Nightfall? Absolutely not!
In fact, In Nightfall snuck up on me. One minute, I considered not finishing it because I could see the plot progression from a mile away. The next minute, I was swept away by Minnow’s attempts to save her brother. The ending and the fate of at least one of the characters continue to haunt me.
Sure, In Nightfall is predictable to some extent. And the number of teenage vampire tropes in the novel is embarrassingly large. However, Ms. Young does enough to keep you guessing to make it feel like a refreshing new story. Some of this is due to Minnow and Theo. Their sibling relationship is fun yet relatable. Minnow’s devotion to saving her brother takes the story to a new level. Her willingness to not just see the truth but confront it and face the odds in an attempt to save one person is every bit as impressive as it sounds.
In Nightfall is not the stuff of awards. There is nothing earth-shattering about it. The prose is decent, and the world-building is adequate. The plot is familiar enough to be comforting but different enough to make things exciting. There is the snappy, snarky dialog I expect from a novel by Ms. Young. Most importantly, it has vampires. To me, it’s an easy sell.
