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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Book Summary:
Grace Dragotta has always wanted to be a ballerina. That isn't all that uncommon of a dream, all things considered. While most of us move on to different dreams, Grace chased the one she had, which took her straight to the Near North Ballet Company.
When the Great Depression hits, Grace is the prima ballerina for the company, finally achieving one of her biggest goals. Only things aren't as she imagined, and an interesting new character is in her life. What do they want? Is she safe?
My Review:
I'm not ashamed to admit that Nocturne's stunning cover initially caught my eye. However, Grace's story and the promise within were enough to hold my attention. All things considered, I would say that this is a solid read – full of fantasy elements and a few surprise twists.
It's set in the 1930s, which is one heck of a foundation for this tale. It has solid vibes and aesthetics, which I know certain readers will adore. Conversely, I'm not sure all readers will enjoy the heavily descriptive nature of Nocturne. So do keep that in mind before diving in.
If you're looking for a lyrical read merged with historical fiction and fantasy, you've got to give Nocturne. It'll be right up your alley.
Highlights:
Historical Fiction
Ballet
Fantasy Elements
Thanks to Del Rey Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
Grace Dragotta has always wanted to be a ballerina. That isn't all that uncommon of a dream, all things considered. While most of us move on to different dreams, Grace chased the one she had, which took her straight to the Near North Ballet Company.
When the Great Depression hits, Grace is the prima ballerina for the company, finally achieving one of her biggest goals. Only things aren't as she imagined, and an interesting new character is in her life. What do they want? Is she safe?
My Review:
I'm not ashamed to admit that Nocturne's stunning cover initially caught my eye. However, Grace's story and the promise within were enough to hold my attention. All things considered, I would say that this is a solid read – full of fantasy elements and a few surprise twists.
It's set in the 1930s, which is one heck of a foundation for this tale. It has solid vibes and aesthetics, which I know certain readers will adore. Conversely, I'm not sure all readers will enjoy the heavily descriptive nature of Nocturne. So do keep that in mind before diving in.
If you're looking for a lyrical read merged with historical fiction and fantasy, you've got to give Nocturne. It'll be right up your alley.
Highlights:
Historical Fiction
Ballet
Fantasy Elements
Thanks to Del Rey Books and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I hate to do this, but I'm DNFing this at 50%. The premise - a phantom of the opera inspired tale - was intriguing, but halfway through and we've still made little progress or exploration of this. It's very character and prose focused, but I just don't care enough about the MC for that to carry it. And in the beginning the writing was beautiful and atmospheric, but as we get further on, the writing doesn't stay 100% consistent so it can't fully carry me either. When it comes out I might try it on audio since I know it will be short, but it really just could not hold me attention and after soft DNFing it in December, I never was interested enough to pick it back up again. 2.5 stars
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Thank you Penguin Random House & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This was ONLY 240 pages? This was the LONGEST 240 page book I’ve ever read.
“We played until there was nothing but music, and the music warmed us, like light”
Having been born in the midst of the Spanish Influenza, growing up during the Great Depression, losing all her family to violence and death, Grace has always known Death.
“Mobsters were thieves and murderers, violent and corrupt; Lorenzo was neither, never had been, but desperation scraped away his goodness like paint from a wall, chips and cracks over time until he was nothing but bones and teeth, raw and irascible beneath.”
I was both blown away and entirely over the lyricism of this book. There were moments where I was enamored by the writing. And then other times where I was skipping over pages because there was nothing valuable being said.
“But no-destiny is not destiny if it is not yours from the start, and so maybe I was always a little burning beast in my heart.”
The first quarter of the book was great for background & really set the stage. After that, it wasn’t until about 3/4 through the book, that something started to make sense. Or something was happening. I’m giving this 2 stars for the moments where the writing felt truly moving and beautiful.
This was ONLY 240 pages? This was the LONGEST 240 page book I’ve ever read.
“We played until there was nothing but music, and the music warmed us, like light”
Having been born in the midst of the Spanish Influenza, growing up during the Great Depression, losing all her family to violence and death, Grace has always known Death.
“Mobsters were thieves and murderers, violent and corrupt; Lorenzo was neither, never had been, but desperation scraped away his goodness like paint from a wall, chips and cracks over time until he was nothing but bones and teeth, raw and irascible beneath.”
I was both blown away and entirely over the lyricism of this book. There were moments where I was enamored by the writing. And then other times where I was skipping over pages because there was nothing valuable being said.
“But no-destiny is not destiny if it is not yours from the start, and so maybe I was always a little burning beast in my heart.”
The first quarter of the book was great for background & really set the stage. After that, it wasn’t until about 3/4 through the book, that something started to make sense. Or something was happening. I’m giving this 2 stars for the moments where the writing felt truly moving and beautiful.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Death, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Grief, Death of parent
Minor: Bullying, Chronic illness, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Stalking
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I received this ebook ARC from NetGalley to write an honest review.
I enjoyed reading Nocturne and took my time reading it. The writing was enjoyable and felt lyrical at times.
The MC Grace was developed well and I really liked the other characters.
I have seen this marketed as a Beauty and the Beast re-telling, but it felt more like it was a story inspired by the fairy tale.
Overall it was a good read and kept me entertained, but I was not wowed.
I enjoyed reading Nocturne and took my time reading it. The writing was enjoyable and felt lyrical at times.
The MC Grace was developed well and I really liked the other characters.
I have seen this marketed as a Beauty and the Beast re-telling, but it felt more like it was a story inspired by the fairy tale.
Overall it was a good read and kept me entertained, but I was not wowed.
dark
mysterious
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:
No
Liked
*The ballet
*The mystery of her patron
*The first part of the story
*Historical fantasy
Disliked
*The overdone metaphors
*No chemistry between the characters
*Felt like the author was trying to achieve a word count because she couldn't just say something simple, she had to over emphasize so many little details
*This turned into a Hades and Persephone story which I don't enjoy
*The ballet
*The mystery of her patron
*The first part of the story
*Historical fantasy
Disliked
*The overdone metaphors
*No chemistry between the characters
*Felt like the author was trying to achieve a word count because she couldn't just say something simple, she had to over emphasize so many little details
*This turned into a Hades and Persephone story which I don't enjoy
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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