(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

Della's secret powers always made her feel like an outsider in the human world. Now, just when she’s starting to feel like she belongs—at Shadow Falls, a camp for teens with paranormal powers—her life is turned upside down all over again. Attacked by a deadly virus, she must make the difficult choice to be reborn. It’s her only chance at survival, but it comes with a price: It irreparably bonds her to Chase, a tall, dark and mesmerizing vampire who makes her laugh one minute and infuriates her the next.
Chase already knows too many of Della’s secrets, and being eternally bonded to him is the last thing she wants. Even worse, she doesn’t fully understand what their bond means. Is the attraction she’s started feeling for Chase real—or does fate have something else in store? And what does that mean for Steve, the hot shapeshifter whose kisses make her weak in the knees?
Now Della’s battered heart is about to take another hit. While investigating her latest case, she discovers shocking evidence about her father’s dark past, making her question everything she believes to be true…and her place in the world she loves.

*2.5 stars*

This is the second book in this "Shadow Falls: After Dark" series.

I was tempted to give this book a lower score but it did have a few redeeming features...but I will get to those in a minute. What I want to start with is my two pet peeves, which only seem to occur in YA novels - the cliffhanger and the love triangle.

What is it about YA romances that feels the need to have a love triangle? Why can't they just tell a story? It has become such a trope now that it is absolutely boring. Not only that, it makes me care less about the characters cos we know the "will she, won't she?" thing will go on for the whole book (and maybe more) so there is no point investing in their stories.

And the cliffhanger idea? Again, just boring now. Sure, some people love that kind of thing - makes sure they buy the next book, I guess. But my cynical side says "Where's the closure? Where's the resolution?" I don't want to spend $15 and 400 pages, just for the author to go "Surprise!!! You have to wait til the next book to find out what happens...and pay me another $15 for the privilege..."

Told you I was cynical...

Now, I did say there was some positives to come out of this novel. What are they?

* I thought the concept of the overall story to be interesting. The storylines of Natasha and Liam were great, it was a shame we didn't get more of that.
* Although I didn't particularly like the characters, I found their interactions and dialogue to be pretty much authentic. Mostly...
* The writing is pretty good. It kept me flipping the pages and I did feel a rhythm to the book that was somewhat pleasing.

However, having said that, those two things - the love triangle and cliffhanger ending - are just such negatives for me that I couldn't really even rate this a 3 stars.


Paul
ARH