Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls, #5)

by C C Hunter

[bookishzelda]

I was both excited and sad to start this book, it was harder to say goodbye to this series than I thought it would be. I enjoyed being sucked into the world of Shadow Falls and even though I know things will continue with Della’s story it won’t be the same.
We start off about two weeks after where we left off in book 4. Kylie is now at her Grandfathers compound with not only him and her great aunt but other chameleons like her. Even though she is glad to be learning about what she is, she doesn’t feel like she fits in the way she did at Shadow Falls, oddly enough. With Mario on the loose it doesn’t take long for Burnett to drag Kylie back there. Not that she goes kicking and screaming.

I was worried about how the love triangle situation was going to play out in this book and was pleasantly surprised by it. After everything with Whispers at Moonrise, if Kylie was still ping ponging between the two boys, I was going to be ticked. She doesn’t however and that doesn’t mean she instantly get with Derek or Lucas. She has some personal issues to work out before she makes a final decision.

Derek was not annoying! I was so frustrated with him in the last book that I thought I would never like him again but he acted more like he did in the first book, which made me enjoy his character again. Being Team Derek has never been in the cards for me but at least now I don’t want him to disappear on a FRU mission.

I still love Lucas and even though he hasn’t been perfect through the series he always manages to redeem himself. He doesn’t give up on Kylie even if he thinks she will never talk to him again. He never stops trying to apologize or get through to her. He is still a hot head but you can see him trying to rein it in for her. He also does a lot better with the ghost this time around. It’s not that he is ever going to be comfortable with them but he finds a way to deal. He is more attentive in the book when Kylie lets him be too. I don’t know how to explain Lucas except that he definitely has book boyfriend status with me.

I love the ghost that Kylie has encountered in her journey. They have all had something do to with her “quest”, which Holiday reiterates that it’s common for the ghost to have a connection to the person they are contacting. The ghost in this book is by far my favorite, and is also the first hell bound spirit that we meet. She walks around swinging a sword and carrying severed heads in order to get Kylie’s attention. I can’t help laughing at it when she does it while standing behind Kylie’s grandfather at the dinner table. This ghost is not as confused as the other ones either, so she is not as frustrating.

There are definite side characters that I would love to see novellas or spin-offs for. Of course Della, which is already in the works and you can read her first story in Saved at Sunrise. I felt like I want to know more about Jenny and Clara though. Jenny is another teenager chameleon from the compound and Clara is Lucas’s half-sister. They are both characters that only get some minimal time in the book but in a way it makes them more appealing to me to learn about them. I still love Perry and Miranda; they win my award for Shadow Falls cutest quirkiest couple. With a new school year starting there is some rivalry for Perry’s affection and Miranda handles, well Miranda style. I’m a big fan of Hayden too; he is another character that is really interesting to me because he is so laid back and aloof. Ahh see I’m sad the series is ending I want more interaction with the characters!

Being the final book we do tie up the loose ends of Kylie’s adventures. All family members found and evil doers exposed. I was happy with the ending, although the battle at the end isn’t as all out as it could be but I was fine with it. I don’t really feel like the series was just about a villain, it was more about Kylie learning about herself. Dealing with the supernatural world prejudices. I was satisfied with the ending and like I keep saying sad to see Lucas’s story, I mean Kylie’s story come to an end. :o)