3 ⭐️

Intriguing plot, fun cover, but the writing style was not cohesive and plot points were messy. The themes are repetitive, the romance was sub-par, and overall it just could have gone DEEPER into so many things. I was disappointed and felt it had much more potential.

I wanted to like this book, but honestly, the story just wasn’t for me. It just didn’t catch me and I can’t put my finger on why. The writing wasn’t bad, but the story wasn’t for me, it didn’t interest me. I will keep Alyssa Wees on my radar as the writing was well done.

Oh my word. The writing in this book was absolutely beautiful. And the character development was amazing. When I got to the second half of the book, I could not stop reading.

Interesting take on how our mind works and can in some ways control our bodies. It's a story of a young girl in the 1930's who suffers enormous loses and never really recovers from her grief. She yearns to be a beautiful and successful ballerina only to get lost in a world of greed and deception. Unable to determine reality from fantasy she succumbs to the fantasy in her dream world and loses her life in search of what she believes will bring her happiness. This is a powerful read and a definite purchase for my library.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the ARC of this novel. I went into this novel thinking it is Phantom of the Opera but with ballet and maybe throw in a bit of Beauty and the Beast. This is not that. The language is very lyrical but it felt like nothing was happening or that the language was so dense that I missed events. The mysterious patron did not show until about 30% in and by that point., I had lost interest. I will say the ending was unexpected and there was a twist closer to the end that I may have seen coming if I was still invested by that point. For me, this is a 2.

- thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an arc to review!

- unfortunately, i had to dnf. the writing was clogged with purple prose, and though I’m usually fine with purple prose, the author used it too much, suffocating the reader with millions of words that only sounded pretty and lacking true substance.

The early story captured my attention with ballet, an orphan's struggles, and Depression-era Chicago, but once Nocturne shifted into dark fantasy I didn't feel connected.

In Alyssa Wees's slim (it's 240 pages) fantasy novel Nocturne, set in the Little Italy of 1930s Chicago, promising young dancer Grace dreams of becoming a prima ballerina.

As the Depression rages, orphaned Italian immigrant Grace rises through the ranks of the Near North Ballet Company--losing friends, becoming more jaded, and ultimately gaining a valuable, secretive benefactor who may be the key to her job security--but he may not be what he seems.

Grace is faced with compromises and tradeoffs, and she must decide where her own loyalties lie and determine how far she's willing to go to keep hold of her long-held dream.

I felt connected to Wees's story through Grace's early struggles, her sole real connection, to friend Emilia, and her ballet training and performances. The understated dark undercurrents felt powerful and mysterious.

But once the fantasy elements became the focus, the story felt more like a series of ethereal concepts to me. The predator-prey, death-and-life, constricting-and-controlled scenario is orchestrated by an evasive, sinister, and, I felt, annoying man (every Sunday night Grace is forced into a dance and some evasive conversation, and meanwhile she must wait around all week for this?). The story began to feel more juvenile in tone to me as it progressed.

Grace's benefactor, who barely speaks, seeks to control her, and has professed his romantic interest in her, has been watching and fixating on her since her childhood (ugh), yet this predatorial scenario is made out to feel more romantic than a horror.

As Nocturne became less anchored in emotions and motivations that I could grasp, I lost my connection to Grace. There are twists, and I enjoyed Grace's strong stand at the end, but by that point I had lost my feeling of investment in her story.

I received a prepublication edition of this book courtesy of NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballantine.

Nocturne by Alyssa Wees

I picked this book to read because of the ballet aspects but ended up being more interested in the magical aspects. Not to mention it’s a Beauty and the Beast retelling!!

Up and comer Grace finds herself as the new prima ballerina and with that comes a mysterious benefactor, Master La Rosa. A new ballet is being created for her in which the heroine finds herself pulled between Death and Sleep. Grace quickly realizes that it is a reflection of her current life and must determine how to set herself free.

A super neat read, Nocturne released last week 2/21, make sure you add it to your TBR!

Thanks @netgalley and @delreybooks for this advanced reader!

#BookReview #Bookstagram #AlyssaWees #Nocturne #DelReyBooks #BookishLife #Reading #Bibliophile #BookPhotography #BookRecommendations #Instabooks #BookNerd #Retelling #HistoricalFiction #Fiction #FictionBooks

I went into Nocturne expecting a retelling of The Phantom of the Opera. There are aspects of that story, and there are also aspects of “Beauty and the Beast” and “Death and the Maiden.” However, Wees has created an entirely unique story that surpassed my expectations and even managed to surprise me. When Grace Dragotta is chosen as the new prima ballerina of the Near North Ballet Company, she believes it is because of her skill and hard work. In truth, she has been specifically chosen by a mysterious patron, Master La Rosa, who insists she come live at his mirror-filled house and dance with him every Sunday at midnight. As time passes, she begins to learn the Master’s secrets and is introduced to the city of Noctem, where the souls of the dead gather. Grace is left with a choice: marry the Master and become the queen of Noctem or continue on with her life that has brought mostly hardship and sorrow. As I said, Wees managed to surprise me with the ending. I’m not going to give anything away, of course, but just know that this doesn’t go how you think it will.

Wees is a very lyrical writer, which will work for some people and not for others. For me personally, it worked quite well. Lush descriptions and metaphors always pair well with stories about music and dance in my opinion. It contributes to the fairy tale feel Wees is clearly going for and just creates a rich and beautiful reading experience. There were some times I got a bit lost in her language and lost the thread of what as actually happening, but those were few and far between.

My only complaint is that Grace doesn’t have much of a personality. She definitely has a history, which is one part of a fascinating character. I enjoyed learning about her life before the ballet company, and the tragic backstory certainly made me feel for her. Her backstory also suggests a personality that I ultimately felt we didn’t get to see in the main story. This girl survived by herself on the streets, playing her violin for money. She forced herself into a ballet company and trained hard to become just as good as girls who had been dancing their whole lives. All of this suggests she’s a fighter, but that isn’t reflected in her interactions with the Master. She gives in to everything so easily, and I would have liked to see more of the strength and will suggested by her backstory. It does come out at the very end, but that didn’t feel like enough for me.

Overall, Nocturne is a lyrical fantasy that blends music and fairy tales to create a beautiful story. While I wanted a little more from the main character, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would highly recommend it for fans of S. Jae-Jones’s Wintersong.

MY REVIEW: 2 Stars

The audio narration was quite good. Unfortunately, the book itself was not for me. I have seen a lot of great reviews and I’m sure there will be many more.

Nocturne is a whimsical little book.

*Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Randomhouse for a digital copy of this book.

This was like a cross between ACOTAR, Phantom of the Opera, and Beauty and the Beast. It had a very strong storyline but unfortunately the author seemed to have had a quota to fill when it came to descriptive words. It became so distracting while reading that I eventually had to DNF.

This book was not for me. I likely would have not finished it but I pushed through because it was an ARC. I was initially interested because the book was a fantasy and about ballet. However, the introduction was so incredibly slow that I thought I had misread the synopsis and that this was historical fiction instead. It wasn't until 1/3 of the way in that some of the plot points, conflicts, and magical elements are revealed. At that point, I was already feeling a bit bogged down with the writing. The pacing for the rest of the story seemed off too with much plot repetition. I wasn't a fan of the writing style either. I love lyrical writing in some instances, but the author here tended to recap everything in lists that we had just gone over, and I found it irritating. Overwritten and underplotted.

My likes: I do love a ballet setting, and that felt so realistic.

Dislikes: Writing style, pacing, plot predictability so sheer that when the author made it out to be a big reveal it felt insulting.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy. 1.5/5 stars overall.

I won’t lie, they did not have me in the first half. The writing is rich with beautiful, sprawling descriptions and analogies, like trying to read a ballet. It’s gorgeous, but it takes a bit longer than I would like. Because of this, it took me a while to get into the book. However, once Grace is essentially sold to her patron, Master La Rosa, the book finally gripped me.

I must say, when this book turns, it goes in a direction I never expect. The deeper Grace got into Master La Rosa’s world, (and the further she got from the ballet company) the more I enjoyed her journey. The exploration of her childhood feels like obligatory character-fleshing in the beginning, but when Grace encounters her mother’s wondering spirit in essentially the underworld, everything made sense and I was full crying. Not only was I fully invested in Grace’s feelings and values at that point, but it’s also such a heart-wrenching spot to put yourself in. We’ve all experienced painful loss at some point, but being able to see that person again, only to have to send them on their way for the good of both of you, that kicked my ass.

I won’t give everything away, but I loved the reveal of Master La Rosa’s brother while being simultaneously very pissed off about the ending of this story. I got so attached to where I thought the Master and Grace’s relationship was going, that when his brother tricks her into what she ultimately does, I had myself fully convinced that it was a dream because WHAT THE FUCK, GRACE!

I’m still mad and it’s been weeks since I finished the book. But definitely read it - it’s definitely worth it.

I also want to shout out Alyssa Wees’s concept of the underworld, it was so unique and terrifying and gorgeous and just felt so perfect. I would honestly love to read more about this world, and love to see a visual depiction of this story.

Even though for a few days I felt robbed of the ending I thought should have happened, that’s simply a testament to how good this book really is. Any book that keeps you feeling for days after is a great read in my book. Lol.

Nocturne was not what I expected in a fairy tale. story. It was a long winded book I really didn't expect all the dying and feelin the cold as much as I felt it. I felt so sad for Grace.c

The cover is gorgeous and yet haunting and when I heard this was like beauty and the beast and phantom of the opera, I knew I had to read it.

While the twisty, dark, and magical storyline had me intrigued in the beginning, I felt such lackluster in getting to the meat of the story that it made some of the book difficult to enjoy. However, mid-Act Two I finally started to get momentum and excitement. I think there was a lot that needed to be set-up in the beginning to have the proper outcome in the end so that redeems much of my initial grumblings.

Grace is an interesting lead character, her performance on the stage sounded like it would be truly mesmerizing to watch and I love how Wees went into the details of the ballet. Those were probably my favorite parts of the book! Add in the Master and all his mystery, as well as Mr. Russo who's character you can never quite pin down and you've got an intriguing read!

Overall, I liked this book. I don't know that I would recommend it to just anyone though.

Grace Dragotta is a ballerina who grew up under the ownership of the mistress of the ballet company. When a mysterious patron comes in, he selects Grace, and she’s forced to give up everything she knows and owns to live with him. Within Master La Rosa home secrets lurk and Grace really wonders where she belongs and who she can trust.

This story has a major undertone of dedication to Phantom of the Opera. A mysterious man who falls for a young woman and wants to keep her for himself. It was chilling, yet lyrical. It gave such a deep tone to the time period and characters. The writing had such magical realism, that I felt the dances come to life.

I really enjoyed this book and the characters. Grace was nothing short but the heroine I love to read.

This was my first book by Alyssa Wees. I’ll start out with what I like about it. I absolutely love the gorgeous cover, the atmosphere and the beautiful, descriptive writing. I really like the idea behind the story, it’s kind of a mashup of Beauty and the Beast, The Phantom of the Opera, and Hades and Persephone.

I didn’t like that the beginning of the story was very slow-paced, and a little too descriptive at times. Things don’t really pick up until about halfway through the book either. I felt that it read more like a YA, than an adult story as well.

The main character Grace Dragotta has had a tough past. Her brother is killed on the street by the mafia, her mother dies, and her friend and neighbor that taught her how to play the violin passes away as well. She had always wanted to be a ballerina, and so when she is orphaned, she chooses the ballet as her home.

Years later at the height of the Depression, Grace is chosen as the company’s new prima ballerina, though achieving her lifelong dream is not as triumphant as she one envisioned it. Time and familiarity have tarnished the vision, and it now means the loss of her best friend, that’s like a sister to her. She then attracts the attention of her personal patron, Master La Rosa. She begins to wonder who he is and works on unlocking his secrets. She sees that there’s also beauty and light in the darkness, and that there may be a way to achieve the transcendence she always sought.

I didn’t think there was much to the romance in this book, as we don’t get to know Grace’s love interest as much as I would have liked. There was potential that just wasn’t explored. I would have liked to have known more about his backstory especially. I didn’t really feel any real connection to him.

I felt dissatisfied when I reached the ending of the story, as I really was expecting more from it.

I would still recommend this book to those who are looking for something a little different and unusual.

It might be time for a moratorium on Young Adult “Dark Ballet” novels. Also Beauty and the Beast retellings. If that’s even what this is, because despite that description being used, it’s pretty tough to get there from wherever this book wandered.

I love ballet novels so I’m generally not that picky about them, especially the YA offerings, but this one was a really tough hang. The supernatural elements of the plot don’t play well at all. That part of the book is unfocused and undercooked yet somehow also overwritten.

The plot and the setting both suffered from the vague, um, romance with death (I don’t know what else to call it). It takes over the narrative yet never finds its way in any clear direction. There are lots of novels focused on a personification of death as a love interest, and most of them were far more successful at making it interesting than this was.

Setting is an issue here too. This is important for ballet novels, and it’s tough to justify setting one in Chicago. I guess sometimes an author picks a location because they just *want* to set a book there. Because ballet exists almost everywhere, it’s not impossible to make this work, but why you would skip over, I dunno, New York or Paris is quite a mystery to me. It’s not that one can’t set a ballet book in Chicago or create good atmosphere in a book set there. It’s just that this one didn’t, and there were easier paths that might have helped it out a bit by picking a more slam dunk setting for this subgenre to engage the reader.

Wees isn’t a bad writer. But the concept here was a big flop, and the story is hazily untethered and unengaging. Go read Phantom of the Opera instead. Or one of the many excellent ballet books that are out there.

Parts of this book's writing are magical, parts are laboured. I loved the concept of the plot but bit of the book were very hard to get through, while others were imminently quotable.

Nocturne by Alyssa Wees is a haunting story about one young woman and a mysterious benefactor which changes her life. Grace Dragotta grew up in Chicago’s Little Sicily and dreamed of becoming a ballerina. After losing her family, she finds herself orphaned and without a home. She chooses the North Ballet Company as her home and begins to imagine her life center stage. As the Great Depression is in full swing, Grace becomes the company’s new prima ballerina. Soon she attracts the attention of the mysterious and secretive Master La Rosa as her personal patron and she will learn the world is far greater than she ever realized. Who is Master La Rosa? What does he want from Grace? As she begins to learn about her patron, she discovers there is another way to find the excellence she desires.
I don’t know anything about ballet but Nocturne has it all. It has a mysterious patron a la The Phantom of the Opera, a deal a la Beauty and the Beast and a mix of legends and myths woven into a magical story. As I started the story, it was hard to get into it; however, once I truly sat down to read the story opened up and I couldn’t put it down. The story flowed from the pages and would not let me go. I needed to find out who Master La Rosa was, who his equally mysterious assistant, Mr. Russo was and what role did Grace play within the mystery. It was beautifully lyrical with hauntingly detailed imagery. The beautiful cover drew me in and the story kept me there until the very last page. I highly recommend Nocturne.

Nocturne is available in hardcover, eBook and audiobook