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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
Whoa. So I really didn’t expect the ending but after sitting with it a few days, I don’t hate it.
I really enjoyed this book. It gives Phantom of the Opera meets Beauty and the Beast with some supernatural elements. I wasn’t expecting that so I was confused for a little bit (which is why it’s a four not a five star). While some twists I saw coming the final one had me truly surprised. Gracie is clearly dealing with grief and lost in a very real way so it’s interesting to see how her relationship with the Master grows. I kinda wish we got to see a little more of her and the Masters relationship. It is a little heavier of a read and there were a few times I had to slow down and reread to get the whole picture. Which for me I don’t mind doing. Being forced to slow down makes me enjoy a book more because I can’t just skim past things. This is a slow and enjoyable read.
DNF - made it to approx 22% and gave up…felt like I was missing something..
I might come back to this book at some point, but at least for now it’s not the right time for me to read this book. At around 30% it still feels like the story is trying to get started. There are several intriguing ideas— the mysterious patron, the friendship between Grace and Emilia, the ballet setting— and for these reasons I might return to this story later. However, I’ve found that the lyrical writing (that can sometimes border on purple prose) sometimes gets in the way of and slows down the pacing of the story.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for providing me with an advanced copy. What follows is my honest review.
In 1930s Chicago, Grace rises to the position of prima ballerina at the behest of a mysterious patron, only to be whisked away into his kingdom.
I’m trying very hard not to DNF any more arcs, but the problem with this is that I end up resenting books more than I otherwise would—so this rating might go up to 2* at some point. But for now…. wow was that a painful experience.
I see a lot of reviews criticizing the purple prose, and they’re definitely right—if you don’t like purple prose, this book is not for you. Sometimes, though, I feel that the vibes of a story fit well with some purple prose, and at least at first this is the case for Nocturne. A lush mix of Nutcracker, Black Swan, Beauty and the Beast, and Phantom of the Opera vibes, I appreciated the otherworldly feeling that the prose provides. But there’s a fine line between lyrical and tedious when it comes to purple prose, and especially when combined with the other aspects of the story, Nocturne definitely crosses that line for me, to the point where reading it was nearly unbearable.
The plot is simple and, again, more vibes than actual complexity, but that being said it’s an interesting concept. Several plot points seem to be forgotten quickly, though, almost as if they’re thrown in for the purple prose and immediately forgotten for… more purple prose. It’s often hard to tell what’s actually going on and what’s just imagery. Given all this, the characters are shallow and inconsistent; I don’t have a strong grip on anyone’s personality or drive.
All in all, though, Nocturne was fine—until a plot twist in the middle brings it into Wattpad/One Direction Bought Me territory. Up until then, my problems were primarily with the overuse of purple prose, any issues with the plot pretty easy to overlook, but the setting was just so not fitting for the plot twist that it felt ridiculous. It really only got worse from there, too; it’s a somewhat original concept (lost girl falls in love with death, who’s actually NOT the bad guy! so maybe not that original), but it’s all so shallow that nothing felt developed.
In 1930s Chicago, Grace rises to the position of prima ballerina at the behest of a mysterious patron, only to be whisked away into his kingdom.
I’m trying very hard not to DNF any more arcs, but the problem with this is that I end up resenting books more than I otherwise would—so this rating might go up to 2* at some point. But for now…. wow was that a painful experience.
I see a lot of reviews criticizing the purple prose, and they’re definitely right—if you don’t like purple prose, this book is not for you. Sometimes, though, I feel that the vibes of a story fit well with some purple prose, and at least at first this is the case for Nocturne. A lush mix of Nutcracker, Black Swan, Beauty and the Beast, and Phantom of the Opera vibes, I appreciated the otherworldly feeling that the prose provides. But there’s a fine line between lyrical and tedious when it comes to purple prose, and especially when combined with the other aspects of the story, Nocturne definitely crosses that line for me, to the point where reading it was nearly unbearable.
The plot is simple and, again, more vibes than actual complexity, but that being said it’s an interesting concept. Several plot points seem to be forgotten quickly, though, almost as if they’re thrown in for the purple prose and immediately forgotten for… more purple prose. It’s often hard to tell what’s actually going on and what’s just imagery. Given all this, the characters are shallow and inconsistent; I don’t have a strong grip on anyone’s personality or drive.
All in all, though, Nocturne was fine—until a plot twist in the middle brings it into Wattpad/One Direction Bought Me territory. Up until then, my problems were primarily with the overuse of purple prose, any issues with the plot pretty easy to overlook, but the setting was just so not fitting for the plot twist that it felt ridiculous. It really only got worse from there, too; it’s a somewhat original concept (lost girl falls in love with death, who’s actually NOT the bad guy! so maybe not that original), but it’s all so shallow that nothing felt developed.
I have mixed feelings about this book. It took me a few chapters to find the fantasy aspects of the book which was ok. But then I felt things were being hurried along. And the ending left me wanting a little more.
I thought the overall concept was unique. I got some Beauty and the Beast vibes, some Hades/Persephone mythology vibes, and even some dark Pan’s Labyrinth vibes. I was all for that. I also like the battle of two non corporal concepts being represented in an art form like dance. Sleep and Death vying for the heart of a mortal. And prima ballerina Grace being drawn in.
I definitely felt loose ends in this book. References are made to things not being over but it’s only hints and vague statements. If this is the beginning of a new series then that changes my opinion. If this is a standalone book, then I still feel more disappointed than I thought I would.
The book feels young adult fantasy or new adult fantasy rather than a truly fantasy novel. I could also see this as a mythical retelling of a legend about death. I think the glimmers of similarities between this and other stories might be what left me feeling like something was missing.
I thought the overall concept was unique. I got some Beauty and the Beast vibes, some Hades/Persephone mythology vibes, and even some dark Pan’s Labyrinth vibes. I was all for that. I also like the battle of two non corporal concepts being represented in an art form like dance. Sleep and Death vying for the heart of a mortal. And prima ballerina Grace being drawn in.
I definitely felt loose ends in this book. References are made to things not being over but it’s only hints and vague statements. If this is the beginning of a new series then that changes my opinion. If this is a standalone book, then I still feel more disappointed than I thought I would.
The book feels young adult fantasy or new adult fantasy rather than a truly fantasy novel. I could also see this as a mythical retelling of a legend about death. I think the glimmers of similarities between this and other stories might be what left me feeling like something was missing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Ballantine for providing me with an advanced copy. What follows is my honest review.
In 1930s Chicago, Grace rises to the position of prima ballerina at the behest of a mysterious patron, only to be whisked away into his kingdom.
I’m trying very hard not to DNF any more arcs, but the problem with this is that I end up resenting books more than I otherwise would—so this rating might go up to 2* at some point. But for now…. wow was that a painful experience.
I see a lot of reviews criticizing the purple prose, and they’re definitely right—if you don’t like purple prose, this book is not for you. Sometimes, though, I feel that the vibes of a story fit well with some purple prose, and at least at first this is the case for Nocturne. A lush mix of Nutcracker, Black Swan, Beauty and the Beast, and Phantom of the Opera vibes, I appreciated the otherworldly feeling that the prose provides. But there’s a fine line between lyrical and tedious when it comes to purple prose, and especially when combined with the other aspects of the story, Nocturne definitely crosses that line for me, to the point where reading it was nearly unbearable.
The plot is simple and, again, more vibes than actual complexity, but that being said it’s an interesting concept. Several plot points seem to be forgotten quickly, though, almost as if they’re thrown in for the purple prose and immediately forgotten for… more purple prose. It’s often hard to tell what’s actually going on and what’s just imagery. Given all this, the characters are shallow and inconsistent; I don’t have a strong grip on anyone’s personality or drive.
All in all, though, Nocturne was fine—until a plot twist in the middle brings it into Wattpad/One Direction Bought Me territory. Up until then, my problems were primarily with the overuse of purple prose, any issues with the plot pretty easy to overlook, but the setting was just so not fitting for the plot twist that it felt ridiculous. It really only got worse from there, too; it’s a somewhat original concept (lost girl falls in love with death, who’s actually NOT the bad guy! so maybe not that original), but it’s all so shallow that nothing felt developed.
In 1930s Chicago, Grace rises to the position of prima ballerina at the behest of a mysterious patron, only to be whisked away into his kingdom.
I’m trying very hard not to DNF any more arcs, but the problem with this is that I end up resenting books more than I otherwise would—so this rating might go up to 2* at some point. But for now…. wow was that a painful experience.
I see a lot of reviews criticizing the purple prose, and they’re definitely right—if you don’t like purple prose, this book is not for you. Sometimes, though, I feel that the vibes of a story fit well with some purple prose, and at least at first this is the case for Nocturne. A lush mix of Nutcracker, Black Swan, Beauty and the Beast, and Phantom of the Opera vibes, I appreciated the otherworldly feeling that the prose provides. But there’s a fine line between lyrical and tedious when it comes to purple prose, and especially when combined with the other aspects of the story, Nocturne definitely crosses that line for me, to the point where reading it was nearly unbearable.
The plot is simple and, again, more vibes than actual complexity, but that being said it’s an interesting concept. Several plot points seem to be forgotten quickly, though, almost as if they’re thrown in for the purple prose and immediately forgotten for… more purple prose. It’s often hard to tell what’s actually going on and what’s just imagery. Given all this, the characters are shallow and inconsistent; I don’t have a strong grip on anyone’s personality or drive.
All in all, though, Nocturne was fine—until a plot twist in the middle brings it into Wattpad/One Direction Bought Me territory. Up until then, my problems were primarily with the overuse of purple prose, any issues with the plot pretty easy to overlook, but the setting was just so not fitting for the plot twist that it felt ridiculous. It really only got worse from there, too; it’s a somewhat original concept (lost girl falls in love with death, who’s actually NOT the bad guy! so maybe not that original), but it’s all so shallow that nothing felt developed.
mysterious
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
I think the best way to describe the book is unbalanced. I love a good fairy tale, and the concept of a ballerina who's courted by death in 1930s Chicago is so intriguing, but the end result fell flat.
The protagonist herself was just kind of... there. At first she's depicted as someone who is super driven by her desire to be seen and noticed, what with her buying her own pair of shoes and walking right into the dance school, then being super noticeable in the corps so she's promoted to prima. But after that, she just seems to drift along and let things happen to her. Shelets the Mistress sell her, lets the Master dance with her, she lets Russo lie to and manipulate her, and the only real protesting from her is she sometimes slumps over in the snow. It's not until the end that she finally makes a decision (but only after the Master had already told her what to do) and then she also becomes death somehow. It didn't feel earned, in my opinion.
Again, I love fairy tale logic! But Nocturne felt odd, I'm not sure what it was. Maybe it was the long start which placed us in a very real world with no fantasy elements, so the second part felt unconnected. Maybe it was Grace not doing much of anything.
I did like a lot of the bits and pieces, though. The dancing, the depictions of death, the lyrical prose.
The protagonist herself was just kind of... there. At first she's depicted as someone who is super driven by her desire to be seen and noticed, what with her buying her own pair of shoes and walking right into the dance school, then being super noticeable in the corps so she's promoted to prima. But after that, she just seems to drift along and let things happen to her. She
Again, I love fairy tale logic! But Nocturne felt odd, I'm not sure what it was. Maybe it was the long start which placed us in a very real world with no fantasy elements, so the second part felt unconnected. Maybe it was Grace not doing much of anything.
I did like a lot of the bits and pieces, though. The dancing, the depictions of death, the lyrical prose.
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I’m a sucker for a fairy tale style fantasy and this one checked that box. Lyrical prose and a slightly dreamy quality to the scenes, especially in the latter half of the book, both solidified it as a lovely read. My only complaint is that is was short and so it felt like it could have been a little more fleshed out.