Thank you to Netgalley and the Publishing Company for this Advanced Readers Copy of The Night is Defying by Chloe C. Penaranda!

what the actual heck. this book ate and left no crumbs. I was completely enthralled in the story and I absolutely love Astraea and Nyte. I love that shes a strong FMC and just get stronger. The yearning is incredible and I just love their love story. Its a beautiful and tragic tale and the ending had my jaw on the floor. The last 100 pages stressed me out more than my literal thesis, everything was happening so fast! Need part 3 immediately omg.

I received this book as an ARC read from Netgalley 💜 I devoured book 1. book 2 (this book) I did struggle with a bit but by the end I was holding onto my seat 😭💜 so ready for book 3👀👀

I read this book way too fast but I had to sit with it for a couple of weeks & I couldn’t get it out of my mind. The more I sat with it, the more I absolutely loved it.
This book had it all for me from yearning, dual pov to the heart wrenching romance. It gave everything & more.

Whilst it gave me answers, it also gave us more questions which I’m surprisingly not mad about.

The action packed plot & the spice was well balanced & I was invested the whole time.

I have recommended the Nytefall trilogy to everyone who will listen.

Cannot wait for book 3 to be released at the end of the year!!!

I love everything and this fantasy series! Not to mention how gorgeous the physical copies are! I would highly recommend this series for any one who is a fan of the Romantasy Genre!

Before I dive into my review, let me just say that I’m a huge fan of stories. I don’t like giving out bad reviews or low ratings for minor things. If your story is entertaining and well-written, you’ll definitely get my thumbs up. But if it’s riddled with grammar, spelling, and continuity errors, it’s going to be a struggle for me.

I read the first book when it came out and really enjoyed it. When I started reading this ARC, I was shocked by the grammar mistakes. So, I switched to the finished copy through Kindle Unlimited. But that didn’t seem to make much of a difference.

The story is awesome, but the plot could use some work. It’s a bit confusing at times, and I think it’s because of some continuity issues, repetition, and just plain weird dialogue. The run-on sentences on almost every page make some paragraphs really hard to follow.

I almost gave up, but I pushed through. I’m not sure if I’ll read the third book yet. I really hope the author gets a better editor! Her stories are amazing, but they need a lot of work.

Read This Book If…you need to know what happens with Astraea and Nyte!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5
The Night is Defying by Chloe C. Peñaranda

Genre: romantasy
Series: Nytefall # 2
Spice Level: 4/5🌶, 3-4 explicit scenes
Setting: fantasy world
POV: dual, 1st person, present tense
Tropes: shadow daddy, star-crossed lovers, “good girl”

My Thoughts:
This was a great continuation of the series! These two are so obsessed with each other, they’d let the world burn down around them. I can’t wait for the third and final book later this year!

Memorable Quote: “There is no star in the sky that shines as bright as you.” “There is no darkness that defies the night like you.”

Thank you to the publisher for my advance copy!

Many thanks to Netgalley and Tor Publishing Group | Bramble for gifting me this ARC for an honest review.

This is the 2nd book in the Nytefall series and I am so glad I read the first book because they must be read in order. This is the sequel to The Stars Are Dying.

This is pretty action packed. This is the story of Astraea and Nyte, star-crossed lovers. Astraea is the daughter of dusk and dawn, the star maiden, who is just now getting her memories back from her prior life. Nyte, also known as Night's Death, is a fae-turned vampire, son of the evil king, and from another world. Even though they should not be together they can't stay away from each other.

I have mixed feelings on this book. It's probably terrible to say that the author could have cut out a portion of the book and it would have been fine. It felt repetitive at times and I could get lost on where I even was in the story. Possibly a flow issue? One thing that redeems it for me is my love for Nyte and Astraea. I love them and can see why they continue to be drawn to each other. Praying in the 3rd book that they can find the answers they need to finally just be together.

DNF @25%

I really enjoyed the first book and was excited to continue the story. I don't know exactly what the plot is or what is happening other than shes trying to learn her magic, there's a rebellion, and they are star-crossed lovers who hate/love each other. Astraea is getting glipses of her memories, but it just feels futile and I can't get myself motivated to pick it up. I may try to read again at a later date and update accordingly. Thank you Netgalley for the eARC.

This book was exactly what I needed to read to get me out of my Onyx Storm post read spiral. I was blessed with an E-ARC by NetGalley and am thrilled because I have two special editions of The Stars Are Falling and immediately became obsessed with the story. The true deep love between the main characters was mind blowing and beautiful. I found myself hi-lighting a bunch of sentences and moments. Every emotion possible was felt so strongly. I really connected with the FMC and MMC as well as some of the side characters. Bonus points for this book to have fae and vampires and dragons and soooo many celestial mentions. The wait for book three is already agonizing!

Audience: Adult
Plot: 4 out of 5
Characters: 4 out of 5
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️.5 out of 5
Keywords: Romantasy, Fantasy, Romance, Vampires, Magic, Amnesia, Memories, Friendship, Betrayal, Love Triangle, Dragons
Tea Pairing: Dragonfruit Desire Herbal by Plum Deluxe

Favorite Quotes:
“Trust yourself, always. Don’t fear the darkest path for it will always lead to the brightest light.” — Chapter 39
“We are stars colliding and night defying.” — Chapter 41

I received copies of this book through NetGalley from Bramble/Tor Publishing Group and Macmillan Audio. Thank you! All opinions are my own.

The Night is Defying is the continuation of the Nytefall trilogy, following the events of The Stars are Dying. Defying is a romantasy that focuses on the newly found Star-Maiden Astraea, who is determined to discover her memories, keep her freedom, and help those who have been awaiting her prophesied return. Meanwhile, Nyte is determined to stop his brother Drystan from raising a vampire army to conquer the world. Are these star-crossed lovers destined to destroy the world or save it?

Defying is told through dual-POV between Astraea and Nyte, which is denoted by the chapter headings. I thought the overall pacing of the novel was very well done – there was action, adventure, romance, and intrigue. Readers are piecing together Astraea’s lost memories along with her, with the hopes of discovering who had betrayed her and caused her death from before. Readers are left wondering who to trust, and who may have ulterior motives.

I have enjoyed this novel immensely! Readers who enjoy spicy romantasy should consider adding the Nytefall series to their TBR. I would recommend this series to fans of Carissa Broadbent (Crowns of Nyaxia series) and Jennifer L. Armentrout (Flesh and Fire series). I look forward to the conclusion of the series with The Dark is Descending at the end of 2025.

*The Night is Defying* is an absolutely incredible sequel! I adored every page of this book! I’m really trying to avoid giving away spoilers from the first book. One thing I can say—dragons make an appearance, and it’s awesome!

Astraea’s journey in this book was so satisfying. Watching her piece together her memories and fully embrace who she is made her even more of a badass in my eyes. I love how she refuses to let others dictate her choices or her identity. Her loyalty to Nyte is unwavering, and I admire how she doesn’t let other people’s opinions of him sway her feelings. Plus, the chemistry between them is *off the charts*! The spice factor is definitely turned up in this one.

We also get to experience Nyte’s perspective in this book, and I’m here for it! His love for Astraea is so deep, he’s willing to risk the fate of entire worlds just to be with her. Swoon-worthy, for sure. I also enjoyed seeing him open up a bit—though he won’t admit it, he’s got some friends now, and it’s nice to see him happy. Plus, he’s that perfect mix of morally gray and dangerously charming. Shadow daddy vibes all the way.

There are plenty of familiar faces, but also new characters who bring fresh dynamics to the story. Some I absolutely loved, and others… not so much. The new characters really expand on the world-building, making this dark and magical world feel even richer. My theory about one particular character turned out to be right, and let me just say, the reveal in the middle of the final battle was both devastating and thrilling. I’m still justified in my dislike for a certain character, though!

The ending left me gasping, “WHY?” I can’t believe I have to wait for the final book to see how this all wraps up! But at least it’s releasing in December, so not too long of a wait. The anticipation is killing me!

I sadly could not finish this book. I got 29% into this book which is 130 pages. The plot was boring and the Main characters were annoying IMO. I also didn’t like how much unneeded spice was in this book. I don’t typically like books with spice but can skip it if there is not too much. Also Nyte didn't really have much of a personality either. It seemed like he was just there to please and obsess over Astraea and do nothing else. I want the characters to have some depth.

Excuse me while I go stare into the abyss for the foreseeable future, or at least until book 3 comes out… Chloe really did that to us. Damn.

Another action packed book from this author. I didn’t think I could love Nyte any more than I already did from book 1, I was wrong. Nyte is like a mix of Xaden, Hunt and Casteel, but he’s also his own character with swoon worthy quotes. Another example of women writing for women. There were a few plot twists I saw coming a mile away and then some smacked me dead in the face and I had no clue. I was thoroughly entertained.

I still have so many questions!!

4 stars!

From a purely aesthetic standpoint, the covers and edges on this book are absolutely worth it. That alone has me itching to buy the shelf trophy despite having an online ARC from Netgalley. If that wasn't enough, the story certainly is. I love these characters so much. I love the growth Astraea keeps going through. I love poor Nyte and all his edges. I love their little found family. I resent being left on another cliffhanger but I will wait for bated breath for the next in the series and I'm certain it will be worth it.

ARC Review 4.5/5
This book was stunning. I took WAY too long reading it, and at some points I thought it was because I was frustrated with the story, but I’m looking back and realizing it wasn’t in a negative way. It wasn’t boredom or frustration with the story, it was with the characters because I wanted them to see what I did and choose a different path. That’s how you know you are invested, and I was.
I love Nyte and his endless support and obsessive love throughout Astraea’s journey to discovering herself again. He was lowkey so funny in this book and watching Astraea come to throw quirks back at him was delightful. Any lying by omission or deception was left in book one and I appreciated that just as much as Astraea did. She needed someone to trust and I’m so so so glad it was him. With the twist that book two ended with, I was extremely scared of what might occur in this next portion of their story, but I am holding out hope that our Nyte gets to not only be her villain, but her salvation for eternity.
The story may feel a little choppy, I felt it too, but I believe it’s set up that way to account for the process of her memories returning. So stick with it, I promise their love is worth the war.

“There is no star in the sky that shines as bright as you.” I combed fingers through the locks tipping over his eyes. “There is no darkness that defies the night like you.”

The Night is defying will have you feeling all of the emotions. There is a lot of character growth, with new friends we meet along the way. The betrayal at the end will leave you wanting to scream. The ending will leave you heartbroken and counting the minutes until we get the final book in the trilogy to see how it ends.. I liked the first book in the series and am happy I continued the series with this one and will be waiting for the next book to come out.

This was a very good sequel to The Stars Are Dying. The vampire romance and star crossed lovers trope reminded me of the Crowns of Nyaxia mashed with Zodiac Academy. With the added cliffhanger I just can't wait to read the next book!

First, thank you to Tor Publishing Group for this digital early copy!

Now for the review..

HOLY F-ING SH!T

The emotional rollercoaster I went on with this book..I’m still crying. Book 2 gives us so many answers to questions we were wondering in book 1 which I love. As we see the past unfolding, discoveries are made that I was not expecting at all. Also got to connect more with the characters and made me fall in love with them even more. I decided to purchase the audio and WOW! The narrators, Corvin King and Jacci Prior, did a phenomenal job with their performance. The audiobook is in duet style which is my favorite and truly brought the story to life. The way they were both able to voice multiple characters and voices had me in awe. Chloe please expect my therapy bill for this beautiful piece!

Overall rating:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I wanted to enjoy this so deeply but I found myself reading page after page and not feeling satisfied. I struggled to get through the last half of the first book but was really hoping that it was a me problem. I find that I’m not attached to the characters and for a character driven plot I feel that it’s necessary to at least enjoy one of the main characters.
Nyte is so hot and cold and delivers some great one-liners, but I wasn’t enamored with him as an MMC as I usually am two books into a series,
I’ve noticed that with both books in this series I found myself having to re-read pages because a chapter ended and I wasn’t sure if I missed something or not. I’m hoping that I feel different about this series with time, especially considering I love this authors Heir Come To Rose series.
All in all, not my cup of tea but I have no doubt that lovers of the first book will enjoy this second installment.