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adventurous
dark
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:
Complicated
Nocturne is a beautifully told, gothic not-quite-fairy tale following orphaned ballerina Grace Dragotta as she longs to make principle of her dance company and is suddenly elevated to her dream role by a mysterious benefactor who is not what he seems.
Although I’d heard in recommendations that this was reminiscent of Phantom of the Opera I don’t feel that’s the case at all, despite the presence of a ballet company and a mysterious benefactor that commissioned his own ballet at the end. It definitely felt like it took a bit of inspiration from Beauty and the Beast, had a fleeting mention of Hades/Persephone, and then was mixed with the dark vibe of Black Swan towards the end. It didn’t take a clear direction, but there seemed to be so many threads to this that it couldn’t stand concisely as it’s own cohesive thing either.
Nocturne to me read more overall more YA, despite it being the authors first foray into adult fantasy. At times the flowery language outshined the plot, and the middle lagged for me as Grace begins to unpack what her benefactor is and what he wants. I felt confused at points, and I think a lack of characterization is why I felt things unraveled a bit abruptly. Without spoiling it, that lack of development for a certain pair of main “villains” is probably why I could not feel invested and couldn’t grip onto the real story happening here.
I will say it did not end how I first thought, but I love how it wrapped up (and because of this I think Grace’s love and command over the violin was so much more tangible than her dancing). Although not fantasy and more akin to historical fiction, I feel like some of the strongest writing and characterization happens in the first third while we’re learning about Grace’s struggles and backstory. Also, side note, I wish we had more time with Emilia’s character who was the real mvp throughout.
I give this 3.5 stars because I just couldn’t get fully transported into her story and it took a while to get through. Thank you to NetGalley & Random House for the ARC.