This book is a cross between Beauty and the Beast and Phantom of the Opera. I found this story confusing. I really wanted to like it, but I found Grace to be a weak character in a somewhat heavy story. The imagery was decently written, but overall, I did not love this book. I didn't hate it, but I would not re-read it.

An interesting premise but the first part feels way too much like the Phantom of the Opera morphing into Beauty and the Beast. The prose is overdone and overwrought, hard to read at points. And the actual climax happened so quickly I had to reread it as I kinda missed it the first time. Pacing was just off.

Nocturne initially caught my attention based off the description. Dark romantic fantasy, gothic, and set in 1930s Chicago sounds like my type of book. What made this such a hard book to read is not too far off from what other have said. I am a fan of lyrical writing but there's a big difference between lyrical writing (Naomi Novik, Ava Reid, Katherine Arden) and overly sweet purple prose without substance. Lyrical writing allows you to breathe, to understand the world, the tone, and the emotional complexity of the characters. But purple prose is so sweetly dense that it's hard to ground yourself. I could not understand what the author was saying most of the time. This is why lyrical writing has balance and books like this do not. It's too hard to understand their feelings and the beauty of the world when there's no way to tell what room I was in or what was happening one thing from the next. There is some very serious editing issues in this book. I think the publisher could have thought a little harder about the editorial process and considering this book, as I'm usually very impressed with Del Rey's books. This was disappointing to read from their list.

Nocturne

A Novel

By: Alyssa Wees

Publish Date: 21 February 2023

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Del Rey

Sci-Fi, Fantasy

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

In this haunting, lyrical fantasy set in 1930s Chicago, a talented ballerina finds herself torn between her dreams and her desires when she’s pursued by a secretive patron who may be more than he seems.

Growing up in Chicago’s Little Sicily in the years following the Great War, Grace Dragotta has always wanted to be a ballerina, ever since she first peered through the windows of the Near North Ballet Company. So when Grace is orphaned, she chooses the ballet as her home, imagining herself forever ensconced in a transcendent world of light and beauty so different from her poor, immigrant upbringing.

Years later, with the Great Depression in full swing, Grace has become the company’s new prima ballerina—though achieving her long-held dream is not the triumph she once envisioned. Time and familiarity have tarnished that shining vision, and her new position means the loss of her best friend in the world. Then she attracts the attention of the enigmatic Master La Rosa as her personal patron, and realizes the world is not as small or constricted as she had come to fear.

Who is her mysterious patron, and what does he want from her? As Grace begins to unlock the Master’s secrets, she discovers that there is beauty in darkness as well as light, finds that true friendship cannot be broken by time or distance, and realizes there may be another way entirely to achieve the transcendence she has always sought.

Book Review:

I wish I could say that I loved this book but I only barely gave it 3 stars. I t started out great with her back story and how to overcame a lot to get where she is now. Then the story turned into something I just had a hard time wrapping my mind around. I’m not saying it was bad but it wasn’t for me.

She has a lot of talent not only for dancing but for the violin. She plays the violin to earn money to get her first pair of ballet slippers and then she gives up the violin. When she joins the Ballet Scholl she has never taken classes and the mistress takes her under her wing and teaches her not only with the class but alone.
She has one friend who also teaches her after hours to help her. She has come a long way and she has earned her spot of prima ballerina when her friend leaves to get married. Then the story starts to turn weird in my mind.

I won’t go into too much detail because it will ruin the story. If you like weird and maybe unbelievable stuff you will like this story.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC & PRH Audio for the audiobook of Nocturne!

So, the idea of Nocturne sounded great; it's a Beauty and the Beast retelling that takes place in '30s Chicago. This is all I need to hear to know that I needed the book.

.. Unfortunately, it didn't work out as well as I thought it would & I just couldn't wait to get it over with. The writing is too much & it's the writing that kinda drowned out the entire plot, leaving me to not care at all about what was happening.

thank you Netgalley for this arc.

I was drawn to this book because of the ballet aspect and also because there are also musical instruments?!?! This screams a book just for me!
This also has the making of a gothic type of novel which is really again, something that is just for me.
But the book got kind of messy and then there became too many tropes and things happening. I got distracted and confused.
I liked it but I think a little finessing would be good.

Dear Nocturne,
You had all of the things that I thought I would love. Ballet, music, mystery, you had all the parts of a beautiful story. Unfortunately, you really fell down on the writing for me. There were so many similes that it was distracting. Grace was also a bit dense when it came to putting together what was happening around her. It was painfully obvious to me who Mr. Russo was, but Grace simply could not see it. I often found myself rolling my eyes or yelling at her, because it was so apparent to me. You really tried to be mysterious and lyrically written, but missed the mark.

I really hate doing negative reviews, but I can't give an honest review on this book if I tried to rate it higher than 2 stars. I started out interested for the first few pages, then as the character repeated herself over the next couple hundred pages and even the fantasy aspect of the story felt confusing enough to almost be boring, I just had to throw my hands in the air. I finished the book but I didn't enjoy it. I think the language the author uses was nice and she has potential. This one just didn't do it for me. I didn't care about the characters or motives.

~3.5~
I was very excited for this book, and the 1920's aesthetic. The roaring 20s especially in Chicago in something I love reading and watching about, but I am not to knowledgeable when it comes to ballet. This book was very wordy and descriptive, so I did get a little confused while reading it. That aside though, the book was a very pretty concept that was trying to be made. I was a little lost about the whole relationship, I was expecting a Phantom of the Opera-esque type of story. Grace ended up being very annoying and frustrating to me, no matter how much the storyline went prettily.

“But if you must burn, Colombina, why not burn the brightest?”

I really enjoyed the first half of this book. it had a lot of intrigue and mystery, particularly surrounding the sponsor. I enjoyed the back story and learning about all of Grace's prior relationships. Her story was incredibly sad but also inspiring. I would have really enjoyed seeing Grace and Emilia's relationship blossom. The story was beautifully written during part one.

Parts two and three, however, were confusing and I often found myself having to go back and re-read large portions. The language for parts 2 and 3 was much too flowery. It was very forced and I felt as if the author was trying to write the next great American novel, but fell incredibly flat as the book became increasingly hard to follow with too much description and comparative language. Furthermore, the world building was sub-par. I enjoy a good fantasy novel, but in Nocturne things got so unbelievable so fast that it was hard to allow myself to fall into the suspension of disbelief.

Also - we don't hear enough about "the master” to have him be a true love interest. With minimal interaction Grace fell for him. They barely even talked and she wanted to jump his bones.

Overall this book had so much potential but turned into a complete chore to read. 2.5 out of 5 stars… rounded down.

I loved the first half of this book with its lyrical writing and tense build-up of suspense. Unfortunately, for me, it then gradually went downhill in the last half into a mess of fantasy that really didn't make sense. So disappointed. The author has a beautiful way of writing and scene setting, too bad the final chapters got repetitive and too unbelievable for even fantasy. 31/2 stars, rounded down.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A lovely mashup of fairy tales and 19th-century Gothic storytelling, NOCTURNE is an otherwordly fantasy that explores the lengths that we will go to for our art, our passion, and for love. Wees' writing really sings when she is describing dance with lyrical and evocative precision, like the ballet dancing at this story's center.

This one failed to be written in a way that the reader wasn't going to be overwhelmed with all of the descriptions. It was so over powering that I just had to stop and put it down.

Grace Dragotta,, an impoverished orphan, longs to be a ballerina. She is miraculously given a place in a ballet school by a respected ballet mistress. Through hard work she is chosen to be the prima ballerina in the production of FIREBIRD, which is a story of a Firebird helping Prince Ivan save enslaved princesses in an enchanted forest. When Grace discovers she has a mysterious patron who has paid for her ballet expenses, her life begins to mimic the ballet. As she falls in love with him, her life becomes a labyrinth of mysteries and heart wrenching choices, which combine to create a stunning climax to this engrossing tale.

I enjoyed this dark fairy tale set in a 1930s Chicago ballet company. Grace has lost most of the people she’s ever loved and although her life has been changed that trauma, she remains resilient. I liked her unlikely friendship with Emilia and the ways they supported each other. Beatrice was an interesting foil to them both.

Although the story borrows heavily from fairy tale, myth, and folk stories, especially Beauty and the Beast and Hades and Persephone, it is very much its own creature. I like the idea of sleep and death as brothers, especially brothers who often do not get along.

Reading this book gave me a lot of mixed feelings, and truthfully, I am not upset about it. Wees is extremely descriptive – from characters to settings – the narrative itself is definitely immersive at certain points. I do still find myself thinking about certain lines, as they have stuck with me. The writing style takes some getting used to, but that’s not a bad thing in my opinion. The lyrical prose is somewhat captivating, but it can quickly feel overwhelming if you are not expecting that type of prose. Wees’ main character Grace has a heartbreaking past and audiences want to root for her from the first time we meet her. Unfortunately, the actual character development is not as significant as I would hope. The plot was fairly complex, and the book’s existence as both fantasy and historical fiction can make things feel more confusing. The slow-burn, gothic, fairytale elements were very clear, which I did enjoy, even if it was not the most traditional presentation. The inspiration provided by stories and myths like Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast, or Hades and Persephone is evident, but not overbearing, which is definitely a positive for this story. I saw some readers draw comparisons to The Little Princess and The Secret Garden, by sharing that Nocturne felt like reading these classics but as an adult, I definitely can see both what they meant and how it’s applicable to this novel. If you’re looking for a book that is more atmospheric and descriptive, then this is definitely the choice for you. Sending a huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed the haunting, almost gothic atmosphere, richly imagined world, and 1930s Chicago ballet company setting. The lyrical writing draws readers in, and while the story has a sense of darkness and mystery from the beginning, the fantasy element doesn’t become apparent until around 30% into the book, if I remember correctly, seeming to draw inspiration from The Phantom of the Opera, Beauty & the Beast, and Greek mythology, such as the tale of Hades and Persephone.

The romance was not it. The Master manipulates Grace and enamors her with his magic. Total ick that she calls him “the Master” the entire time. And what is with “little bird” being used by similar character types in different YA fantasies? I do think the romance was resolved appropriately.

This book has a lot of elements I normally love, but they didn’t work for me altogether. While I admired a lot about the writing, I just couldn’t get behind the characters and their choices. Grace was hard to root for, and we disagreed about who the heroes and villains of the story are. However, I loved her friendship with Emilia, and I thought it was the most powerful relationship in the book.

This had a lot of pretty prose but unfortunately that could not make up for the rambling, incoherent nature of the story. I understood the general premise of Death and Sleep but overall I just think the story needed to be fleshed out a bit more. Maybe it was my head space but I just didn’t follow this much at all

This was beautifully written, but I found myself wanting more from it. It didn't feel like it was specific to 1930s Chicago outside of the first two chapters. But it definitely fit the "just vibes" mood just right!

2.5 stars rounded up. This was a surprise for me. I was not expecting the fantasy aspect of this book to pop in!

1930's Chicago, Grace was a poor girl who decided she wanted to be a ballerina after watching a class through a window one day. She was already a very talented violinist, having been taught by her neighbor growing up. When she finally reaches that coveted roll of prima ballerina, she disovers there is a sinister catch to this role- she must live with her patron, Master La Rosa.

This story for me was really bazaar. Death, Sleep, dreams, nightmares, friendships are all found in this story. Probably not my favorite book I've read, but not the worst. At times I did find myself interested in where it would lead, but overall I was left wanting.

Thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.