Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Nocturne is a beautifully haunting, dark fairytale that is part Phantom of the Opera and part Hades and Persephone. The story was a little darker than I normally care for, but it drew me in and made me feel immersed in the world.
*I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley
*I received a review copy from the publisher through Netgalley
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow wow wow. This book was really something. Nocturne was beautifully written, magical, chilling, and unlike anything I’ve ever read before. The plot was so unique and interesting to read. While it was a little difficult for me to get through at first I’m glad I pushed through because I really ended up enjoying this.
As I said the author’s writing was absolutely beautiful. Every line felt like a poem. All though at some points it could be too descriptive or to poem like, I really loved reading it. I’ve never read a novel with this sort of writing and it really helped add to the magical vibe of the book.
I enjoyed how the author would easily foreshadow the future of the book. I not only felt like I was truly reading from Grace’s perspective but almost like she was recalling a story to me. As if it was already years following the end of the book but I went back to the beginning to relive her story and how she got to the point she was at when the book finished.
Grace and Emilia’s friendship was so powerful and true during the whole book. Both characters were written well. However, I do think that it took Grace a little too long to figure out certain twists as I had them figured out king before. That, the slow start, and the sometimes surplus of description is why this book was 4 stars for me.
But overall I really enjoyed this book. If anyone is looking for a magical, mysterious, slightly romantic, and unique read, I definitely recommend this book.
Thank you NetGalley for the E-ARC! I’m deeply sorry it took me so long to read this.
As I said the author’s writing was absolutely beautiful. Every line felt like a poem. All though at some points it could be too descriptive or to poem like, I really loved reading it. I’ve never read a novel with this sort of writing and it really helped add to the magical vibe of the book.
I enjoyed how the author would easily foreshadow the future of the book. I not only felt like I was truly reading from Grace’s perspective but almost like she was recalling a story to me. As if it was already years following the end of the book but I went back to the beginning to relive her story and how she got to the point she was at when the book finished.
Grace and Emilia’s friendship was so powerful and true during the whole book. Both characters were written well. However, I do think that it took Grace a little too long to figure out certain twists as I had them figured out king before. That, the slow start, and the sometimes surplus of description is why this book was 4 stars for me.
But overall I really enjoyed this book. If anyone is looking for a magical, mysterious, slightly romantic, and unique read, I definitely recommend this book.
Thank you NetGalley for the E-ARC! I’m deeply sorry it took me so long to read this.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Drug abuse, Death of parent
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow! This was absolutely beautiful. I'm obsessed with Phantom of the Opera and this did brilliant. It's like phantom of the opera but ballet x Hades and Persephone/ beauty and the beast set in old Chicago. The cover beautiful. The writing beautiful. Did I mention it's beautiful? I need to buy a physical copy to keep. Brava, brava, bravissima!
It took until I was 60% through the book before it started to grab me, however, I wish it went deeper. I didn’t care enough about the characters and I think I just needed more from them. The writing was absolutely beautiful, though. I could picture every scene in my head and I could even sense the grayness portrayed. I enjoyed it enough but it left me wanting more from it. Also, I was not a fan of the end. It felt like it was missing something. It wasn’t enough of a conclusion.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you Random House for the free book: The Firebird meets The Amber Spyglass meets Black Swan, for people who think vampires could only be sexier if they were even *more* dead.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
‘twas an enjoyable but forgettable read.
The plot reads like the author put a bunch of stories she likes (Beauty and the Beast, The Phantom of the Opera, Hades & Persephone…) in a blender without adding any agent to give it a pleasant texture, and it ended up lacking substance and sense. it’s riding on fairy tale and ballet vibes (which, luckily, I was in the mood for). Some prose shines from between all the purple, so i look forward to what she writes next.
The plot reads like the author put a bunch of stories she likes (Beauty and the Beast, The Phantom of the Opera, Hades & Persephone…) in a blender without adding any agent to give it a pleasant texture, and it ended up lacking substance and sense. it’s riding on fairy tale and ballet vibes (which, luckily, I was in the mood for). Some prose shines from between all the purple, so i look forward to what she writes next.
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for granting me access to this eARC.
Nocturne is at times beautifully written and, at other times, overwrought with metaphors, imagery and superfluous adjectives. As a reader who had admittedly enjoyed 'purple prose' more often than not, even I have to admit that it was a little too heavy handed for me in this one. Certain metaphors or ways of describing things were used very repetitively, which did irritate me. If you don't like this style of writing at all, then I would not recommend this book for you. Just find something else to read. On the other hand, some of you might love this book because of the writing style - it's all personal preference.
Writing style aside, I didn't dislike Nocturne, per se; I read it in its entirety and I was more interested to find out what was happening and what would occur next than I wasn't - but it wasn't an easy, free-flowing, un-put-downable read for me. I liked the concept at the heart of it, this retelling of Beauty and the Beast with different folklore and an interesting story of Death and and his brother at its heart, but ultimately, the outcome was a bit confused, and not least due to the at times difficult to comprehend writing.
Mostly, I didn't find that there was enough plot here to make this one a winner, for me. It had a nice idea and it was executed just fine - but that's mostly all I can say about it. It took me a while to get through because of the prose, and because I just didn't care enough about the characters for the most part. I didn't see enough character or plot development to really win me over - but I will say the end was somewhat satisfactory for me.
A shame that I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped, but not a terrible book by any means.
Nocturne is at times beautifully written and, at other times, overwrought with metaphors, imagery and superfluous adjectives. As a reader who had admittedly enjoyed 'purple prose' more often than not, even I have to admit that it was a little too heavy handed for me in this one. Certain metaphors or ways of describing things were used very repetitively, which did irritate me. If you don't like this style of writing at all, then I would not recommend this book for you. Just find something else to read. On the other hand, some of you might love this book because of the writing style - it's all personal preference.
Writing style aside, I didn't dislike Nocturne, per se; I read it in its entirety and I was more interested to find out what was happening and what would occur next than I wasn't - but it wasn't an easy, free-flowing, un-put-downable read for me. I liked the concept at the heart of it, this retelling of Beauty and the Beast with different folklore and an interesting story of Death and and his brother at its heart, but ultimately, the outcome was a bit confused, and not least due to the at times difficult to comprehend writing.
Mostly, I didn't find that there was enough plot here to make this one a winner, for me. It had a nice idea and it was executed just fine - but that's mostly all I can say about it. It took me a while to get through because of the prose, and because I just didn't care enough about the characters for the most part. I didn't see enough character or plot development to really win me over - but I will say the end was somewhat satisfactory for me.
A shame that I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped, but not a terrible book by any means.