Review: Nightfall by Ellen Connor

Nightfall
Book 1 of the Dark Age Dawning series

Author: Ellen Connor
Publisher:  Berkley Trade
Genre:  Paranormal Romance
ISBN:  9780425241691
Release date:  June 7, 2011
Author's website:
 Ellen Connor
Available to buy: Amazon

Growing up with an unstable, often absent father who preached about the end of the world, Jenna never thought in her wildest nightmares that his predictions would come true. Or that he would have a plan in place to save her-one that includes the strong, stoic man who kidnaps and takes her to a remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest.

The mysterious ex-Marine named Mason owes a life-debt to Jenna's father. Skilled and steadfast, he's ready for the prophesied Change, but Jenna proves tough to convince. Until the power grid collapses and mutant dogs attack-vicious things that reek of nature gone wrong.

When five strangers appear, desperate to escape the bloodthirsty packs, Jenna defies her protector and rescues them. As technology fails and the old world falls away, Jenna changes too, forever altered by supernatural forces. To fight for their future, she and Mason must learn to trust their instinctive passion-a flame that will see them through the bitter winter, the endless nights, and the violence of a new Dark Age.

For as long as she can remember, Jenna's father had been warning her that something bad was going to happen.  He tried his best to prepare her for the day when the world would change and that time has come.  Mason is aware of the changes that are about to happen and made a promise to Jenna's father that when things started looking bad, he would find Jenna and protect her.  He manages to track her down and fakes a kidnapping in order to get her to safety.  He feels that if he told her the truth she would not believe what is happening and needs her to see it with her own eyes.  Once she does, she realizes that her father was right all along and the survival instincts that he taught her kick in.  Soon there are others that need their help and they all have to band together if they want to survive the hard days that are ahead of them.

I didn't really know how to feel about Jenna's character.  I can't say that I didn't like her, but at the same time didn't really love her.  She was just there while I was reading the story and that was it.  I did like Mason's character because he had to struggle throughout his life and learned so much from Jenna's father.  He also had a warrior feeling to him that I thought was appealing.

I'm giving Nightfall a rating of:

I did enjoy the dystopian feel of Nightfall and thought that it was a little scary. Just thinking about that happening this day in age was enough to freak me out.  The creatures in the story scared me a little whenever they showed up in the story.  Unfortunately, I was expecting a little more from the story and was a little disappointed that some questions in the book were left unanswered.  There were moments of excitement and action that made me feel as if I was right there with the characters. I am curious to see how this storyline continues and will read the next book in the series.