REVIEW: Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls #5)

Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls #5), by C. C. Hunter
Published April 23, 2013
Publisher:  St. Martin's Press
Format: paperback - I own
Genre:  YA paranormal romance
To Buy:  Amazon  * Barnes & Noble

Rating:  4 STARS

(From Goodreads) Kylie Galen's life hasn't been the same since her world was turned upside-down in Born at Midnight, Shadow Falls #1, and now an epic conclusion to her journey—not to mention a tough choice between two guys!—is brewing in Chosen at Nightfall:

When Kylie Galen left Shadow Falls, she thought it was the hardest decision of her life. Heartbroken and separated from everyone she loves, she has to embrace her abilities and what it means to be a chameleon. But as Kylie's journey comes to a close, she must return to the camp that started it all...and she must finally chose between the two boys who love her. The werewolf who broke her heart when he chose his pack over her, and the half-fae who ran from their intense attraction before they ever really had a chance. For Kylie, everything will finally be revealed and nothing will ever be the same.

The curtain has finally closed on Kylie Galen and her time at Shadow Falls. Chosen at Nightfall is the final book in the Shadow Falls series, and in it we finally get answers to a lot of the questions we've had since the beginning. Which is awesome, because that had been my only misgiving with this series up until now - the lack of answers and forward progress. Chosen at Nightfall was like a big answer dump - they all came out, and while some didn't go entirely the way I thought or wanted them to, the answers were all satisfying. 

One of the big questions had been, what kind of supernatural being is Kylie? That had kind of been answered at the end of Whispers at Moonrise, but we got a lot more explanation here after Kylie spends some time with family and others who are the same kind of being that she is. The expounding on her powers was needed - I'm glad it finally came. 

The other big question - probably  the biggest - was which boy would Kylie choose to be with - Derek, the hot and sensitive fae or Lucas, the hot and volatile werewolf? C. C. Hunter played this love triangle so well. She made me love BOTH these guys! In the first book, I was all for Team Derek. After the second book, I was on team Lucas. After the fourth book, I was back on Team Derek. It's craziness! 

Kylie DOES make a choice, and she actually makes it early on in the book. Earlier than I thought she would, anyway. Since I loved both boys, I was happy with her pick and thought the ensuing romantic encounters were sweet. (As a side note, what 16-year-old girl who has attended public school for any length of time has absolutely no clue what blue balls is? *scratches head*)

Despite all the wonderful parts to this series ending book, there was one big issue I had with it. Up until this point, besides the love triangle, the main story has surrounded baddie Mario and his obsession with Kylie. They've had several altercations, he's tried to kill her a few times, and for the first 90% of Chosen at Nightfall, Kylie dedicates herself to learning swordplay and self-defense so that she can fight him when the time comes. 

Through all this build-up - FIVE BOOKS worth - the final showdown lasts about five pages in the last 5% of the book. That's it. It was so anticlimactic, and a little random. I wanted to see Kylie kidnapped and whisked away to Mario's lair where she is tortured for a little while and forced to use her powers to try and free herself, only to be saved by Derek, Lucas, Burnett, Miranda and Della. But, needless to say, it doesn't go down like that. With a conflict that has been building for so long, I really expected and wanted much more than what I got. 

Despite that, the final pages were really cute and left me flying high. Then, there was the news that, although this is the end of Kylie's story, Shadow Falls will live on through the experiences of Della, Kylie's roommate and best friend. I can't wait!