Nightfall, by Shannon Messenger

The tension continues to build (and so does the cast) as Sophie must retrieve her human parents from the Neverseen. Along the way, she encounters a deadly sleeping potion, Keefe’s mom, and . . . her various fluttery feelings in her escalating romances.

Sophie’s romances were some of my favorite parts in this book, especially . . . THE KISS. (If you know, you know.) The character development among those relationships is really well-crafted—and definitely appeals to the target demographic. 

In the main plot, tension between the immediate and the longterm, the micro and macro, set up conflicts that the Black Swan must navigate together. The need to cooperate with Keefe’s mom, the enemy who shares a common enemy, is also a conundrum—to what extent can you trust someone like her? Work with her without compromising . . . something? What cost are you willing to pay to try to gain ground toward your own goal? Great ethical and emotional questions.

Let the choice come from love. Not fear

Along the uphill path that Sophie and her friends must face, they gain some key victories that spur them on to achieve the goal in that quote, during the glum, monotonous process of making progress. A nod to real life, when the daily grind adds up to success over time and in unexpected ways. I loved the role of Sophie’s sister in this story and her choice at the end. Really satisfying, satisfying balm to Sophie’s world.

On some of the deeper levels, this series doesn’t do it for me, though. First, the goal of what the Black Swan is fighting FOR is buried under a lot of ephemeral ideas. I know they’re fighting AGAINST the Neverseen, but a good quest has its own goal to ACHIEVE. “Change in the elvin world” needs some more meat to it. And anger as the best fuel to achieve anything . . . just, no. Also, the growing cast creates some narrative problems—like having to list over a dozen names, every time there is some kind of gathering for the characters. Gets a little wordy. But—even with these observations, I’m still interested to see where the series is headed. It just doesn’t hold a candle to some of the really epic fantasy series.