I did not finish this book. I really struggled with the dual narration of the first book, and didn't fully enjoy book 1. So, going into book 2 I was hoping for it to hook me and drag me in. The dual narration continued to bother me. I like when there are dual perspectives in differing chapters, but going back and forth between two voices withing ever chapter just caused confusion for me.

Narration: 4
Story: 4
World: 4

I was very excited to receive the audiobook version of this book. I really enjoyed book 1 and book 2 was just as good. The storyline is perhaps not very original at its core (we have yet another MMC with shadow powers and wings, for example). But even with an overused romantasy formula, I think this book and the Nytefall series are better than a lot of the mediocre series like it on the market. However, if you’re already burnt out on these ACOTAR-type books, probably skip this.

Looking forward to continuing on to book 3! I will be grabbing the audiobook version again. The narration was great! Corvin King is excellent.

**I received an ALC from NetGalley and Macmillan Audio in exchange for my honest review**

This is an excellent and absolutely thrilling second installment the The Stars Are Dying series. I've had the pleasure of being to listen to all three of the books and they are immpeccably narrated and action-packed.

I love all things romantasy and vampires so I was excited for the second nook in this series! The characters immediately drew me in and kept me into the audiobook. I loved the twists and turns throughout the audiobook. The has strong characters to bring you through the story. The narration by Corvin King and Jacci Prior were amazing again sucking you into the world. The changes in POV where well defined drawing me directly back into the new POV. I'm so excited for the next book in the series! Thank you for this ARC!

We have stopped reading Romantasy for the most part since this. No issues with this book itself, we’re just not as into the genre anymore

Great second installment in the series. I really enjoyed the first book and was looking forward to the next. I was not disappointed at all. Lots of surprises/twists throughout as well. Looking forward to book 3 now!

This is a breathtaking sequel that had me completely captivated. Astraea’s journey to reclaim her lost memories is filled with tension, heartbreak, and impossible choices. Nyte’s struggle to maintain control while his brother plots against him adds even more depth to the story. Their love is intense and beautiful, yet dangerous as they battle fate itself. The emotional weight of this book is stunning, featuring rich world-building and morally grey characters that kept me hooked. Nyte’s devotion melted my heart, and the star-crossed romance was everything I hoped for. While some moments felt repetitive, the high stakes and gripping plot twists made up for it. I need the next book now!

The Night Is Defying is a stronger and entirely engaging than its predecessor. Astraea grows in agency as her memory returns but can become grating, Nyte needs therapy. But isnt that why we read romance? I love the enemies to lovers and dark fantasy. The pacing is good, but occasionally slows. Four stars.

This second book was so action packed. The plot was never boring. The narrators were incredible. The cliffhanger was awful 😅 I’ll definitely continue to the next book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️- 4.5 Star Rating
🌶️🌶️🌶️- Spice Rating
🔥🔥🔥 - Plot
Age Range : 16+

🖤𝓻𝓮𝓿𝓲𝓮𝔀🖤
This was an action-packed second installment of the NYTEFALL series and takes off exactly where THE STARS ARE DYING ends. The first one was more world building, but this one is full of the tropes you would love in a romantasy with vampires. I absolutely loved the second book over the first, but I am so SEATED for the next book in the series if it keeps it up like this! Plus the cover for both books is absolutely divine. The spice was 🔥🔥🔥 because the chemistry between the two was chefs kiss.

🖤𝓹𝓵𝓸𝓽🖤
Astraea is trying to unlock her forgotten memories. THE STARS ARE DYING gave us a lot of world building and character development, but there were a lot of mysteries unsolved by the end. But thankfully a lot of those enigmas can be answered through backstories and traumatic events from Astraea and Nyte. This was a deeply emotional hell ride for our characters we adapted to love from the first book as we really got a chance to connect with them.

🖤𝓬𝓱𝓪𝓻𝓪𝓬𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓼🖤
Astraea was so much better in this book. She is strong. She is triumphant. But don’t even get me started on my boy Nyte. The more backstory we got for him, the more I simply adored him. The way he treated her and let her choose to be free. It really had you feeling all sorts of emotions for the one who was labeled rhetorical villain from the previous book. The spice was 🔥🔥🔥 and you will absolutely love how much these two connect with each other.

🖤𝓽𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮𝓼🖤
🖤 forbidden love
🖤 enemies to lovers
🖤 dark romantasy
🖤 found family
🖤 spice!!

🖤𝓬𝓸𝓷𝓬𝓵𝓾𝓼𝓲𝓸𝓷🖤
Why did it have to end right there?? Like no! I need to know how she gets her revenge but I guess I can wait for the next book. The cliffhanger has me needing more. This is an absolute banger and a must read for 2025… the NYTEFALL series!

4 ⭐ / 2 🌶️

First and foremost, the narrators of this series are top notch. Second, I love this story and these characters. I am on pins and needles waiting to find out what happens next with Astraea and Nyte. There were so many reveals at the end of the book that I am just blown away and need The Dark Is Descending, like yesterday. If you enjoy a dark, fantasy romance then I definitely recommend you picking up the Nytefall series!

The sequel to this series raises the stakes to a new level, and establishes this universe as one complete with anti-heroes who each crave something that they’ll stop at nothing to gain. Astraea begins this book with new memories and knowledge of her own power and reality in the world, yet as she unlocks more and more of her own memories she struggles to reconcile the past she remembers with the present she’s living. Nyte is as cold and cruel as ever with his sights set on Astraea, and is willing to do anything to protect her from the outside world, and herself.

This book has one of my favorite tropes of fated mates who are destined to be together but cannot be for whatever universal reason. The push and pull of Astraea and Nyte being drawn together and simultaneously pushed away by forces outside of their control is dynamic and entrancing. I also loved the ending where the truth of Astraea’s past and untimely death was revealed, and her entire world was rocked.

However, one thing that I feel could’ve been expanded upon were the glimpses into Astraea’s past with Nyte, as a major part of her character arc in this book was reconciling her past self with her present, and coming to terms with the fact that her past moral compass seemed to be vastly different from her present. This was an interesting thought process to follow and I wish it was expanded upon through flashbacks. I also had the exact same issue with this book as the first one, which is that it is simply TOO LONG. There was so much fluff and repetition in the middle that could’ve been cut out as to avoid stagnation. This length becomes even more frustrating as the beginning and ending of the book are so capturing, but the pure, unnecessary length of the book lost my interest partway through.

I will definitely be continuing this series which is full of magic, connection, and a love that can survive all odds, I just hope it’s shorter than the first two…

Action packed sequel to the stars are dying i love this book , I loved the narrator . I picked up exactly where the stars are dying left off I felt like I just continued on listening . I loved learning and the continued world building in this book !!

The story ended up feeling very derivative for me and I just wasn’t enjoying it very much so it’s a DNF for me and I won’t be returning to the series. The narrators did the best with what they had but it wasn’t enough to keep me invested.

The plot was nonstop and I was truly never bored. Some of the plot twists had my jaw on the FLOOR. That cliffhanger was ass though but I can’t wait for the next book!!!

I was generously granted the opportunity to listen to this incredible ALC by NetGalley, Macmillan, and Chloe C. Peñaranda, and I’m so grateful to have experienced it in audio format. The narrators brought the story to life with such energy and emotion—making an already captivating fantasy romance even more immersive.

This is the second installment in a series I truly enjoy, and it absolutely delivered. One line from the blurb really stayed with me: “No monster is heartless, and no angel is without sin.” It perfectly captures the emotional complexity and morally gray beauty of this world.

I loved this book as a read—but as an audiobook? Phenomenal. Highly recommend to fans of fantasy romance and anyone who enjoys rich narration with heart.

Huge thanks to Chloe C. Peñaranda and Macmillan Audio for the ALC!

I'll admit I’ve been a fan of Chloe’s for a while. I love her Heir Comes to Rise series, so when The Stars are Dying was coming out I was pumped and it was one of my most anticipated reads of 2024. Then I read it. And sadly I wasn’t the biggest fan. If I remember correctly I believe I only have it 3 stars. But I had hope that the series would get better and to trust Chloe on this process. However, I’m sad to report that The Night is Defying did not in fact get better. And I actually found it to be worse that its predecessor.

Now I feel that I should disclose that I listened to this as an arc audiobook. I think if I had read a physical copy first my star rating may have been a bit higher. I say this because I’m the narration there is not separation between the two timelines. I wish the audiobook version would’ve done a better job of signifying which was the past/present at the start of each chapter. But it didn’t which made the reading journey overly confusing and way more complicated than it needed to be.

My next problem is one that I also had with book one. And that’s the romance. The romance journey between Astraea & Nyte felt pretty underwhelming. And at some points it felt like a straight rip off of ACOTAR. Plus The addition of the love triangle had me wanting to literally break things. Y’all know if you’ve been with me for awhile how much I hate love triangle’s. Now if they are executed well I’ll let it go. But for the Night is Defying that was not the case. The whole love triangle felt forced. The “spicy” scenes weren’t hitting and at some points real boring.

Overall, I’m sad to report that I will not be continuing on with the series. And I regretfully will not be recommending. If you take anything away from this review read Chloe’s An Heir Comes to Rise series instead. Lastly big Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review!

The Night is Defying was an incredible read—one I actually enjoyed more than book one! This time around, we unlock so much more of Astrea’s tragic history with Nyte, and the puzzle pieces that felt confusing in book one finally start to fall into place. The dual POV and well-placed flashbacks slowly peeled back the layers, keeping me fully invested from start to finish.

I listened to this one on audio, and wow, it was so worth it. The narrators were phenomenal—especially Corvin King, whose voice I already love from The Artefacts of Ouranos and The Forbidden Heir Trilogy. His range is unreal, and I could listen to him all day. Jacci Prior also did an amazing job bringing Astrea to life. The narration was a solid 5/5 stars and added so much to the experience.

As someone who loves all things celestial, I was drawn to the expanded worldbuilding around Astrea’s home planet and the corruption in its past. I also loved seeing more of Nyte and Astrea’s beginnings before her memory loss—it added so much emotional depth to their bond. And the twists? Completely caught me off guard in the best way.

Astrea’s struggle to understand who she is—without being instantly overpowered—made her arc feel grounded and relatable. Watching her slowly grow into herself while navigating the weight of expectations made me appreciate her more in this book.

Nyte’s POV was another standout. His devotion to Astrea, his tragic past, and his internal conflict made him such a compelling character. Sure, some of his actions toe the morally grey line (but honestly, what romantasy MMC doesn’t?), and I still love him for it.

The book ends on a cliffhanger, and I’m desperate for the next one. If you love celestial worlds, layered characters, and slow-burning revelations, this series belongs on your TBR.

Thank you, NETGALLEY, for the ARC of this audiobook. Beautifully narrated and I found myself sitting in my car in the driveway because I didn’t want to turn it off. Excellent!

This eventful continuing story of Nyte and Astraea throws them Union survival mode after Astraea had learned who she is and who created her. As they struggle against being enemies, Astraea works to gain knowledge of the past life she’s forgotten. Friends become enemies and once enemies may turn out to be allies all along. As they maneuver through devastation of worlds and alliances, can they find a way to be together and not destroy everything around them? This was a great dive into deeper character and world building, though at many times very difficult to follow. Overall, I did enjoy it very much. Many thanks to NetGalley and publisher for an ALC in exchange for my honest opinion.