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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Set in Chicago and narrated by Grace Dragotta, when she promoted to Prima ballerina, Grace attracts the attention of Madter La Rosa, a mysterious patron.
The story has elements similar to: Phantom of the Opera and Hans Christian Andersen’s: The Red Shoes
The story has elements similar to: Phantom of the Opera and Hans Christian Andersen’s: The Red Shoes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This review was originally posted at The Fantasy Review
Take The Phantom of the Opera, smash it into Beauty and the Beast, strain it through a gothic romance, and sprinkle a little bit of Hades and Persephone on top, and you get Nocturne, a lyrical novel that is fascinating in its imagery, but just a bit too plodding in its pacing to achieve its potentially great heights.
Nocturne centers on Grace, a twenty-something ballerina dancing in a failing ballet company in 1930s Chicago. Failing, that is, until Grace becomes the prima donna after receiving the sponsorship of a mysterious patron. It isn’t long until Grace is swept into the patron’s mysterious clutches, and she finds out that not everything as it seems.
What ultimately results is a book that is rather weak in its pacing and plotting, but absolutely nails the atmosphere and overall experience as it careens into its second half. This book won’t work for everyone (especially those who need strongly developed plot or characters) but for people who like to be swept up in the vibes and feelings of a book, definitely consider checking this one out. It is not a five-star read, but it was an experience I personally enjoyed, even with some of its major flaws.
The biggest issue with the book is its plot. Despite being only 250 pages, this book feels just a tad long for the amount of character and plot contained within it. While reading, I could only imagine how much stronger it would be as a novella and I wonder if the author felt the pressure to flesh out the story a bit to reach a “publishable” novel length. The book spins in circles a bit during the first 40% or so until we actually enter the home of the mysterious patron, The Master. This first chunk of the book is not bad by any means, but the world of ballet that Wees introduces to us is too small to take on that much of the book’s initial weight. This is a small story about a single young woman; very few of the other characters are named or meaningfully developed. While it was interesting to explore Grace’s psyche and dive into her emotional core both past and present, there are a lot of repetitive scenes, dialogue, and exposition in the first half of the book. As the reader you can feel the story trying to rip past this part of the plot, to get to the dark, gothic underbelly that the story has to offer, as the author tries to keep the plot caged and contained for far too long.
But if you are able to make it past the first part of Nocturne, you will be rewarded with an absolutely gorgeous look at the intersecting abuses of gender, class, and the arts, and the sense of loss that comes with unnecessary human suffering and death. Wees is a wonder with the pen, and she is able to deftly and cleverly lean into some of the Beauty and the Beast tropes while completely turning them on their head and creating something that is so uncanny (in the best way) because as the reader you feel like to recognize the pieces but the story also feels wholly new and original.
Having said that, however, this is still a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and there are going to be some inherent problems with that. All Beauty and the Beast retellings have a bit (or more than a bit) of a problem with issues of agency and consent of the “Belle” figure. Wees is able to subvert some of that by having Grace take a more active role in her own story (and by quickly moving through the “girl enslaved by the Beast” part of the plot), but there are still some uncomfortable elements of the romance part of the book. If you are a reader who is immediately turned off by the Beauty and the Beast romance premise, then I would not even bother with this book. No matter what, I did think the romance angle was relatively weak because of some of the issues of having the dark, brooding, mysterious love interest.
At the end of the day, the plot (including the romance) is not the main attraction for Nocturne. There are twists and turns in the second half of the story, but don’t be surprised if you see them coming from a mile away. Luckily, the story doesn’t overly rely on these twists. While some readers might be disappointed that The Master is not too much more than he appears (it is fairly obvious after he is introduced who he really is), the book is really a more thematic examination of the arts, power, classism, and the human experience of loss and mourning. Wees doesn’t revel in pulling the rug out from under the reader, but instead carefully examines the human condition in all its ills and foibles. As Grace gets pulled in deeper and deeper by her new mysterious patron, the plot really becomes secondary to the whirling atmosphere.
And this ultimately what Wees does best, and what makes her an author that I will be keeping an eye on moving forward. While the front half of the book can be a bit bland, the second half of the book becomes a gothic fever dream. As the reader I was transported in the Master’s mysterious home full of magical mirrors, mysterious rooms, and ultimately a whole new world to explore. Wees recreates in the reader the sense of instability, foreignness, and weightlessness that Grace feels as she explores her new surroundings. Sometimes confusing but never boring, the second half of the book is a lush fantasy setting reminiscent of the darkest of fairy tales. As the plot finally accelerates as it moves towards its conclusion, the reader continues to be kept off-kilter and Wees only puts us on our feet again in the final concluding moments.
Ultimately this book is more of a vibe than a “traditional” plot experience. This is what makes the first half relatively weak (where the vibes are bland) but what ultimately builds to a strong, atmospheric, and transportive second half.
Concluding Thoughts: A lush and lyrical Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, and Hades/Persephone mashup, Nocturne tells the story of a young ballerina who gets swept up into a dark and gothic world by a mysterious patron. While a plodding first half keeps this book from being an all-time favorite, the gothic atmosphere and beautiful prose in the second half make up for it. Readers who like to get swept up in the vibes of the book and don’t mind a thin plot and some weak character arcs (outside of the main character, Grace) will find a lot to love here. This is not an all-time great book, but it does set up the author as one to keep an eye on in the future.
Take The Phantom of the Opera, smash it into Beauty and the Beast, strain it through a gothic romance, and sprinkle a little bit of Hades and Persephone on top, and you get Nocturne, a lyrical novel that is fascinating in its imagery, but just a bit too plodding in its pacing to achieve its potentially great heights.
Nocturne centers on Grace, a twenty-something ballerina dancing in a failing ballet company in 1930s Chicago. Failing, that is, until Grace becomes the prima donna after receiving the sponsorship of a mysterious patron. It isn’t long until Grace is swept into the patron’s mysterious clutches, and she finds out that not everything as it seems.
What ultimately results is a book that is rather weak in its pacing and plotting, but absolutely nails the atmosphere and overall experience as it careens into its second half. This book won’t work for everyone (especially those who need strongly developed plot or characters) but for people who like to be swept up in the vibes and feelings of a book, definitely consider checking this one out. It is not a five-star read, but it was an experience I personally enjoyed, even with some of its major flaws.
The biggest issue with the book is its plot. Despite being only 250 pages, this book feels just a tad long for the amount of character and plot contained within it. While reading, I could only imagine how much stronger it would be as a novella and I wonder if the author felt the pressure to flesh out the story a bit to reach a “publishable” novel length. The book spins in circles a bit during the first 40% or so until we actually enter the home of the mysterious patron, The Master. This first chunk of the book is not bad by any means, but the world of ballet that Wees introduces to us is too small to take on that much of the book’s initial weight. This is a small story about a single young woman; very few of the other characters are named or meaningfully developed. While it was interesting to explore Grace’s psyche and dive into her emotional core both past and present, there are a lot of repetitive scenes, dialogue, and exposition in the first half of the book. As the reader you can feel the story trying to rip past this part of the plot, to get to the dark, gothic underbelly that the story has to offer, as the author tries to keep the plot caged and contained for far too long.
But if you are able to make it past the first part of Nocturne, you will be rewarded with an absolutely gorgeous look at the intersecting abuses of gender, class, and the arts, and the sense of loss that comes with unnecessary human suffering and death. Wees is a wonder with the pen, and she is able to deftly and cleverly lean into some of the Beauty and the Beast tropes while completely turning them on their head and creating something that is so uncanny (in the best way) because as the reader you feel like to recognize the pieces but the story also feels wholly new and original.
Having said that, however, this is still a Beauty and the Beast retelling, and there are going to be some inherent problems with that. All Beauty and the Beast retellings have a bit (or more than a bit) of a problem with issues of agency and consent of the “Belle” figure. Wees is able to subvert some of that by having Grace take a more active role in her own story (and by quickly moving through the “girl enslaved by the Beast” part of the plot), but there are still some uncomfortable elements of the romance part of the book. If you are a reader who is immediately turned off by the Beauty and the Beast romance premise, then I would not even bother with this book. No matter what, I did think the romance angle was relatively weak because of some of the issues of having the dark, brooding, mysterious love interest.
At the end of the day, the plot (including the romance) is not the main attraction for Nocturne. There are twists and turns in the second half of the story, but don’t be surprised if you see them coming from a mile away. Luckily, the story doesn’t overly rely on these twists. While some readers might be disappointed that The Master is not too much more than he appears (it is fairly obvious after he is introduced who he really is), the book is really a more thematic examination of the arts, power, classism, and the human experience of loss and mourning. Wees doesn’t revel in pulling the rug out from under the reader, but instead carefully examines the human condition in all its ills and foibles. As Grace gets pulled in deeper and deeper by her new mysterious patron, the plot really becomes secondary to the whirling atmosphere.
And this ultimately what Wees does best, and what makes her an author that I will be keeping an eye on moving forward. While the front half of the book can be a bit bland, the second half of the book becomes a gothic fever dream. As the reader I was transported in the Master’s mysterious home full of magical mirrors, mysterious rooms, and ultimately a whole new world to explore. Wees recreates in the reader the sense of instability, foreignness, and weightlessness that Grace feels as she explores her new surroundings. Sometimes confusing but never boring, the second half of the book is a lush fantasy setting reminiscent of the darkest of fairy tales. As the plot finally accelerates as it moves towards its conclusion, the reader continues to be kept off-kilter and Wees only puts us on our feet again in the final concluding moments.
Ultimately this book is more of a vibe than a “traditional” plot experience. This is what makes the first half relatively weak (where the vibes are bland) but what ultimately builds to a strong, atmospheric, and transportive second half.
Concluding Thoughts: A lush and lyrical Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, and Hades/Persephone mashup, Nocturne tells the story of a young ballerina who gets swept up into a dark and gothic world by a mysterious patron. While a plodding first half keeps this book from being an all-time favorite, the gothic atmosphere and beautiful prose in the second half make up for it. Readers who like to get swept up in the vibes of the book and don’t mind a thin plot and some weak character arcs (outside of the main character, Grace) will find a lot to love here. This is not an all-time great book, but it does set up the author as one to keep an eye on in the future.
I went on an emotional journey with this book. It started off slow, the prose is very flowery (so many metaphors holy moly everything is like something else that is infinitely more poetic than the actual thing) and took some getting used to. Then I was super invested in the MC’s backstory, then I was mad it was another beauty and the beast retelling, then it was also a hades/Persephone retelling? But also neither of those at the same time? But the ending really did surprise me. It was more nuanced than I expected it to be, and though I think I’ll forget about this book immediately, I would recommend it to people looking for books about ballet or something short and unique.
I DO think because of the nature of the prose, even though this book is short it is meant to be savoured. I binged it on a flight and found myself a little exhausted while reading but if I had read it over a few days, I don’t think I would have had the same problem.
I DO think because of the nature of the prose, even though this book is short it is meant to be savoured. I binged it on a flight and found myself a little exhausted while reading but if I had read it over a few days, I don’t think I would have had the same problem.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death of parent
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
fast-paced
Haunting, dramatic and dark. This was easy to love and quick to read. I really loved the mix of fantasy, ballet and fairy tales. If you enjoy The Phantom of the Opera, chances are you'll love this one too.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
I sincerely appreciate the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy. All opinions expressed are my own.
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
As someone who attended dance classes for 20 years, including ballet for 15, I was incredibly excited to pick this up. Fantasy and ballet? Sign me up immediately. And it absolutely did not disappoint.
From the get-go, this book had me hooked. The writing is so beautiful and poetic, it is as elegant and the ballet it is describing. It was also incredibly atmospheric, which is something I always adore in a book. Toward the beginning of the book I could feel the way the Grace was performing, and the way she felt when she was with Emilia. As the book continued, I could feel the darkness starting to seep in as the tension heightened.
I also thought the Beauty and the Beast retelling was done really well. It was enough like the well-known story to be recognisable, but different enough that it definitely stands as a story on its own. Although some of the twists were predictable, it didn't feel like that was because it was based on a story I already knew, and it certainly didn't detract from the story.
This book is dark, eerie, creepy and fantastical. It is incredibly atmospheric with beautiful descriptive writing that completely sucked me in and made the story feel so real. It is everything I look for in a book and I absolutely adored it.
From the get-go, this book had me hooked. The writing is so beautiful and poetic, it is as elegant and the ballet it is describing. It was also incredibly atmospheric, which is something I always adore in a book. Toward the beginning of the book I could feel the way the Grace was performing, and the way she felt when she was with Emilia. As the book continued, I could feel the darkness starting to seep in as the tension heightened.
I also thought the Beauty and the Beast retelling was done really well. It was enough like the well-known story to be recognisable, but different enough that it definitely stands as a story on its own. Although some of the twists were predictable, it didn't feel like that was because it was based on a story I already knew, and it certainly didn't detract from the story.
This book is dark, eerie, creepy and fantastical. It is incredibly atmospheric with beautiful descriptive writing that completely sucked me in and made the story feel so real. It is everything I look for in a book and I absolutely adored it.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Beautiful Cover. Lyrical prose. Dream-like.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
Nocturne follows an orphan named Grace Dragotta who is save from a life on the streets of Chicago by a woman who runs a ballet company. Now a distinguished ballerina, Grace has caught the eye of a mysterious patron who whisks her away from her home with the ballet company to a mysterious house in Hyde Park where she will dance for him on Sundays. Grace learns though spending time with Master La Rosa that monsters can be beautiful, there can be light in darkness and things are not always what they seem.
I had such high hopes for this book! It promised Beauty and the Beast and Phantom of the Opera vibes but had I not gone into reading this book with that in mind, I would not have gotten those vibes. It is like Phantom in the sense that there is a mysterious benefactor at the ballet, much as the Phantom is to the opera house. It may be Beauty and the Beast in the sense that Grace is a captive and he kind of resembles a monster. I don't know. Vibes aside, what readers go into stories wanting is compelling characters and an interesting plot that makes sense. The characters in this book are extremely flat and boring. The plot has pacing issues: I couldn't even tell you what this book was about until deep in Part 2 and even then, I would struggle to tell you.
What this book does well is prose. In the beginning I was very annoyed with all the purple prose. We don't need long descriptions of frost on windows and sacrificing character development for it should be a cardinal sin of writing. However, as I kept reading this story, I could appreciate the lyrical prose. Anyone who loves a more lyrical prose and who loves to annotate their books will probably love this book.
Overall, this book was not for me, but I can appreciate where someone else would like it. I personally prefer engaging characters and plot over prose.
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group-Ballentine for a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
Nocturne follows an orphan named Grace Dragotta who is save from a life on the streets of Chicago by a woman who runs a ballet company. Now a distinguished ballerina, Grace has caught the eye of a mysterious patron who whisks her away from her home with the ballet company to a mysterious house in Hyde Park where she will dance for him on Sundays. Grace learns though spending time with Master La Rosa that monsters can be beautiful, there can be light in darkness and things are not always what they seem.
I had such high hopes for this book! It promised Beauty and the Beast and Phantom of the Opera vibes but had I not gone into reading this book with that in mind, I would not have gotten those vibes. It is like Phantom in the sense that there is a mysterious benefactor at the ballet, much as the Phantom is to the opera house. It may be Beauty and the Beast in the sense that Grace is a captive and he kind of resembles a monster. I don't know. Vibes aside, what readers go into stories wanting is compelling characters and an interesting plot that makes sense. The characters in this book are extremely flat and boring. The plot has pacing issues: I couldn't even tell you what this book was about until deep in Part 2 and even then, I would struggle to tell you.
What this book does well is prose. In the beginning I was very annoyed with all the purple prose. We don't need long descriptions of frost on windows and sacrificing character development for it should be a cardinal sin of writing. However, as I kept reading this story, I could appreciate the lyrical prose. Anyone who loves a more lyrical prose and who loves to annotate their books will probably love this book.
Overall, this book was not for me, but I can appreciate where someone else would like it. I personally prefer engaging characters and plot over prose.