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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
slow-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
fast-paced
I just couldn't connect with any of the characters, so I decided to stop reading.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
* Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for the advanced copy of the book! *
This book drew me in with its beautiful cover and interesting synopsis, but unfortunately left me wanting more from it.
Nocturne is beautifully written, with very lush imagery. However, I feel like all the time spent writing beautiful scenery could have been better spent developing the main character a bit more.
Our heroine, Grace Dragotta, is a young woman chosen to be the next Prima for her dance company as their former one retires to get married. Shortly after being promoted, she learns that she has caught the eye of a very mysterious patron. In order to keep the company running, her teacher basically sells Grace to this man that she's never actually met. She is to live in his mansion with him and dance with him once a week.
I wanted to like Grace as a main character so badly. But I feel like she was written as a very frail main character, and she doesn't really take any action to change circumstances that upset her. Even in her backstory, she just wandered into the ballet studio and stood there, and the teacher decided, "Why not? Let's adopt her!"
The story was also a little dull at times. The writing was so beautiful, and I was intrigued enough to continue reading, but I read it at a horribly slow pace, which is abnormal for me. I didn't find myself getting super invested until about 65% of the way through, which isn't very ideal.
I loved the parts of the story that felt inspired by Beauty and the Beast. Fairy tale inspired books are some of my favorites. I also enjoyed the relationship between the Master and Grace. However, it began to feel repetitive after their 3rd meeting together. It would have been nice to have some variety in their meetings.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, just not as much as I'd originally anticipated. I feel like it is a fun book to read if you want to sit down and enjoy something at a slower pace. But it definitely isn't a fast-paced story. Maybe someday I'll give it a reread and see if my thoughts change. The final quarter of the book did make the slow beginning worth it, in my opinion.
3 stars
This book drew me in with its beautiful cover and interesting synopsis, but unfortunately left me wanting more from it.
Nocturne is beautifully written, with very lush imagery. However, I feel like all the time spent writing beautiful scenery could have been better spent developing the main character a bit more.
Our heroine, Grace Dragotta, is a young woman chosen to be the next Prima for her dance company as their former one retires to get married. Shortly after being promoted, she learns that she has caught the eye of a very mysterious patron. In order to keep the company running, her teacher basically sells Grace to this man that she's never actually met. She is to live in his mansion with him and dance with him once a week.
I wanted to like Grace as a main character so badly. But I feel like she was written as a very frail main character, and she doesn't really take any action to change circumstances that upset her. Even in her backstory, she just wandered into the ballet studio and stood there, and the teacher decided, "Why not? Let's adopt her!"
The story was also a little dull at times. The writing was so beautiful, and I was intrigued enough to continue reading, but I read it at a horribly slow pace, which is abnormal for me. I didn't find myself getting super invested until about 65% of the way through, which isn't very ideal.
I loved the parts of the story that felt inspired by Beauty and the Beast. Fairy tale inspired books are some of my favorites. I also enjoyed the relationship between the Master and Grace. However, it began to feel repetitive after their 3rd meeting together. It would have been nice to have some variety in their meetings.
Overall, I did enjoy this book, just not as much as I'd originally anticipated. I feel like it is a fun book to read if you want to sit down and enjoy something at a slower pace. But it definitely isn't a fast-paced story. Maybe someday I'll give it a reread and see if my thoughts change. The final quarter of the book did make the slow beginning worth it, in my opinion.
3 stars
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Thank you so much to Net Galley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a free copy of “Nocturne” by Alyssa Weez in exchange for an honest review. All of the following opinions are formulated on my own. Any quotes in this review should be cross-referenced with the final copy for any possible edits.
Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars
My review: This is my first book to read by Alyssa Wees. I was drawn in by the book cover aorund Christmas time and I read it over the holiday. This is an odd, in the best way, retelling of Beauty and the Beast in 1930s Chicago. Grace believes she has been chosen as the prima ballerina based on her talent but has actually been selected by a prince who saved the ballet from bankruptcy. She now must go live with him and take what he provides. I really love how fun and whismy this boook was! I just really wish the publisher had released it in November because I think this would have been a great holiday read.
Overall rating: 4 out of 5 stars
My review: This is my first book to read by Alyssa Wees. I was drawn in by the book cover aorund Christmas time and I read it over the holiday. This is an odd, in the best way, retelling of Beauty and the Beast in 1930s Chicago. Grace believes she has been chosen as the prima ballerina based on her talent but has actually been selected by a prince who saved the ballet from bankruptcy. She now must go live with him and take what he provides. I really love how fun and whismy this boook was! I just really wish the publisher had released it in November because I think this would have been a great holiday read.
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Thanks to NetGalley & Del Rey for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I lost interest in the book at 60% of the way through.
I really enjoyed the first half and then it just got really confusing. The prose was blurring the lines between fantasy and reality and I really had no idea what was going on at that point. It's set in the 1930s but the time period didn't make much of a difference, it could've been set in the 1980s, 1750s, and it would have been the same. It's a shame, because I ended up enjoying the first half of the book with all the ballerina stuff but it just got bizarre.
I really enjoyed the first half and then it just got really confusing. The prose was blurring the lines between fantasy and reality and I really had no idea what was going on at that point. It's set in the 1930s but the time period didn't make much of a difference, it could've been set in the 1980s, 1750s, and it would have been the same. It's a shame, because I ended up enjoying the first half of the book with all the ballerina stuff but it just got bizarre.