This fairytale is so beautifully written. It’s a haunting story that mixes Beauty and the Beast and the Persephone legend together for a very atmospheric book. I found parts of the book engaging and other parts — especially the romance — fell very flat. I do think that a YA audience might be a good fit for the book since the romance seems somewhat superficial.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise of this book is what originally caught my eye, but the minute I started reading, I was immediately captivated. I read the entire book in nearly one sitting and can honestly say I would read Alyssa Wees' grocery lists! Her writing is beautiful and this story is one that is going to stick with me! I highly recommend!

Richly imagined and heartbreakingly told, Nocturne is a lush gothic romance that will sweep you away with its captivating story. From its vivid characters to its enchanting setting, this novel will leave you dizzy with delight.

The whole time I read this, I was reminded of Phantom of the Opera lol. Couldn't help it. This novel is very descriptive and a little dark. The author, I think, did a nice of job of setting up the scenery and the mood of the book. Gave it an otherworldly feel. Not a bad read at all and the cover art is GORGEOUS

This is such a surreal, beautifully written story. Not a book to fly through quickly but a story and words to be savored.

The first half especially I was entranced by, the story has such a bleak, aching sadness to it that really pulls at your heart. Midway everything goes through a kind of hazy but significant shift and it took me a minute to settle into it. The biggest thing that bothered me throughout is the Chicago setting…I would have really preferred an unnamed place/world. The real world-ness felt like too stark a contrast to the surreal otherness of the story. Maybe that was intentional but I found it jarring in a way that kept taking me out of the story instead of being able to fully lose myself in the beautiful writing.

If you prefer fast paced, plot driven books and want to be able to analyze and make sense of everything that happens while you’re reading - this book may not be for you. If you like slipping into beautiful, lyrical writing and slowly falling through, like a surreal dream of beautiful words and feelings without needing everything to make perfect sense - then this is something you may like. I personally really enjoyed it and have added the author’s previous book to my tbr so I can read that too!

An adult fantasy (although I’d argue it’s more YA), this one took place in 1930s Chicago and centered around Grace Dragotta, a young ballerina who is elevated to prima ballerina as her best friend, Emilia, retires to marry.

She is taken up by a mysterious benefactor/patron, Master La Rosa, and comes to realize that all is not what it seems (both of La Rosa and her dream position). As she is basically “sold” by her dancing Mistress, she is forced to live in La Rosa’s house, a shrouded Gothic-style relic where she is essentially under house arrest, with only La Rosa and his enigmatic “assistant” Mr. Russo as her companions. She is allowed to perform a new ballet, commissioned by her Master which begins to eerily reflect her own life situation. At home, La Rosa asks only that she dance with him at midnight every Sunday. As he begins to explain some of his circumstances/responsibilities, Grace begins to soften toward him. However, each time he asks her to marry him and live with him in his world, she says no. And as his and Russo’s association builds into volitivity, she must make a life-changing decision or risk losing herself.

I enjoyed the lyrical and sometimes poetic nature of the prose although at times it was too over-the-top and dense. The Gothic-like atmosphere was well-done, and the story had a heavy, dark overlay throughout. But this one was difficult for me in a couple of ways. First, while yes, this was a fantasy with elements of Beauty and the Beast, The Phantom of the Opera and Hades/Persephone, it was darker and harder to follow than those stories. The characters, especially La Rosa and Russo, felt underdeveloped and stereotyped and also too easily dispatched considering their power over Grace. And while yes, Grace does ultimately grow into her own power (at a steep price), I was left with only sadness and just plain mental exhaustion getting to that point.

While I wanted to wholeheartedly love this book, I found myself ambivalent and just plain confused by a lot of the plot and actions of the characters. I think lots of folks will enjoy this, but for me, it was just an OK read.

My thanks to the author, Del Rey, and NetGalley for providing the free early arc of Nocturne for review. The opinions are strictly my own.

Nocturne is a very slow moving novel following one ballerina's promotion to prima of her company. As a former dancer/lifelong dance enthusiast I was really looking forward to a fantastical take on ballet. I appreciated that this novel is broken down into 3 parts each very distinct which I found closely resembling the acts of a ballet.

Unfortunately this book was not for me. I felt the first part dragged on a lot longer than was really necessary. I felt that it was mainly getting to know our main character. By the end of the first part I did not care for our main character at all. I felt she was acting very immature and overdramatic for her age. I also feel the author did her a disservice by not making the true gravity of her situation as obvious or dire as it was portrayed later.

The second part (over 50% through the book) is where we finally get to the fantastical elements of the novel. If you like hard magic systems and clearly defined world building this book is definitely not for you. The second part takes us on a rushed journey through our .main character's exploration/possible acceptance of the new fantastical elements of her life. At this point I still couldn't tell you the point of the journey.

The final part of the book is short, the most action packed part of the novel and still left me wondering what was the point?

Overall, I did not hate this book nor did I love it. I found a lot of it overly descriptive and a bit boring. I would recommend this to people who like slow books and those who prefer a limited fantasy within the real world. I imagine a literary fiction reader who occasionally reads fantasy would enjoy this book.

Thank you to net galley for providing an ARC of this book for me to review.

Alyssa Wees' Nocturne (with the gorgeous cover art) is a fascinating fantasy story, one that I think might work really well for many readers who like the blend of fantasy and reality and for readers who like heavy prose writing. It really is an interesting story and I wanted to like it more than I did. I think this is a case of me as a reader just not getting absorbed into the story they way others may, fantasy admittedly is not my usual genre and not my favorite; I did find the plot intriguing and thoughtful and the mysterious nature of the second part of the story was effectively written.
So do I recommend this? yes because I think a lot of fantasy/historical fiction readers will connect with this and I think the story really honors those themes and is the perfect read for genre fans. 4 stars (the writing was a little much for me at times so that did impact my enjoyment as well)

In music, a nocturne is a short work evocative of night, and that’s exactly what the reader gets with this fantasy. Grace Dragotta lives in a boardinghouse in Chicago during the Great Depression and spends nearly every waking hour dancing in the Near North Ballet company. Her best friend Emilia, soon to be married, is the ballet’s prima ballerina, and Grace is chosen to be her replacement. But she soon finds out that this choice may not have been due to the ballet mistress’s appreciation of her talents, but rather the intervention of a mysterious patron named Master La Rosa, who is keeping the struggling company afloat. As Grace’s life becomes more entwined with La Rosa’s, the gothic fantasy elements of the book blossom darkly.

Likes: Nocturne contains many gothic and fairytale elements that are sure to please fans of those genres: a mysterious missing girl, a haunted house full of mirrors that only show the dead, a dancer who must perform endlessly despite her bleeding feet, a man who may be a beast, doorways to other realms. The fantasy world that Grace enters is beautifully rendered and creative. I enjoyed getting bits and pieces of Grace’s backstory, which tied in nicely to the rest of the plot. And Grace and Emilia, the friends at the heart of the book, are strong, independent women, who know that love should enhance and not erase their individuality.

Dislikes: the middle section of the book was a bit slow for me, as well as heavy on the romantic elements (not my cup of tea but may be yours!). At times (particularly at the end) the story seemed to cross over from fantasy to allegory, which I didn’t mind, but which may feel awkward or heavy-handed to some readers. The writing style is highly descriptive − I mostly found it quite enjoyable but occasionally thought it weighed down the narrative.

FYI: death of family members, death of friend, murder, chronic illness, fantasy monsters.

2.5 Stars rounded up to 3

Though not written specifically for a YA audience, teens are going to be drawn to Nocturne. The book’s cover alone is enough to draw them in, then add in a young ballerina and a mysterious patron, and they’ll be scrounging to open the cover. And, as far as content goes (some romance, but mostly death), there’s nothing in Nocturne that strays very far from YA. In fact, I read it assuming it was YA.

The problem is, YA or not, Nocturne is just sort of so, so.

While author Alyssa Wees does a good job of setting the tone — sort of dark and moody — her writing is languid and heavy handed. And for a story about a ballerina, I expected to get a sense of the dancing, but was instead handed a mashup of flowery, overly descriptive words.

Grace isn’t a particularly strong main character — she gets pushed around a lot and just kind of goes along with it. Although if you do stick with her, she grows immensely by the end of the book.

Nocturne isn’t horrible — I don’t feel any worse for finishing it. But tighter editing could have created broader appeal. Still, it will appeal to readers who enjoy melodramatic nods to Phantom of the Opera or the Hades and Persephone myth.

Reading Nocturne feels like being lost in a fever dream. Surreal. If you’re looking for a coherent story told in a straightforward manner and you’re annoyed by purple prose, this is not the book for you. If you love myths and fairy tales and poetry and immersive dream-like experiences, then you might enjoy this.

I enjoy description and metaphor, but it felt a bit excessive here. I enjoy myths and fairy tales, including mash-ups, but I also like narratives that make sense. This felt like the author took bits of Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, Hades and Persephone, and a few other stories and ran them through a blender. Lovely ingredients, but the final product didn’t quite gel.

There were so many elements that I thought were cool: the setting in 1930s Chicago, the life of ballet dancers, the friendship between Grace and Emilia, the bits of myth and magic. But I couldn’t connect with the characters as deeply as I wanted to, and it was exhausting trying to make sense of what was happening. I don’t regret reading Nocturne, but I’m also not sure I would recommend it.

Thanks to Del Rey for providing me with an ARC through NetGalley, which I volunteered to review.

Book review time! This month, I felt like reading something in the fantasy vein, so after some searching, I decided to try out Nocturne by Alyssa Wees. It was released by Del Rey Books yesterday (February 21st). As usual, I must thank them and NetGalley for granting me access to an ARC in exchange for an honest and unbiased review. Let’s get to it!

Nocturne follows Grace Dragotta as she rises to the challenges of becoming prima ballerina at a small Chicago company during the Great Depression. It’s been her dream since she was little, her escape from a hard life, but when she finds herself practically sold to a mysterious patron, she realizes the world is much bigger than she ever dared to dream. But is it a dream or just another nightmare that she’s entered?

The plot. It’s basically a Beauty and the Beast retelling, but with throwbacks as far as Hades and Persephone. Grace is sold to the Beast (Master) who whisks her off to the land of the dead in a bizarre attempt to woo her. Things go wrong when Sleep starts meddling for his own foolish and selfish reasons. It gets a little complicated, but that’s okay. My biggest complaint with the plot is how easily Grace is persuaded to do what she does to Death. The whole time, she’s cautious and wary and does her best not to fall for any bullshit, but a two second conversation with a dude she knows is sus makes her act like an idiot. I found that a little annoying.

Characters. They were all a little flat. Not even Grace grew or changed very much. Death and Sleep didn’t have enough page time to really be explored. The bestie and the Mistress were static as well, but interesting in their own ways. But, if I’m being honest, I didn’t really expect much from them from the very beginning. Have you ever started a book and just known the characters weren’t going to learn anything? This is one of those books.

I usually save the writing for last, but it’s really the whole reason I picked up this book. The description and cover make it seem like it’s going to be poetic and lyrical and pretty. It is after a while, but it takes a few chapters to get into a groove. It’s not exactly what I was hoping for, but there are some nice phrases and musical bits. I admit that I looked at other reviews before I wrote this and one of the big complaints people have is that the prose is too purple. It’s overwritten. Well, it’s supposed to be. And for the most part, it’s lovely.

Last, the pacing is off. The beginning is super slow and a bit too firmly rooted in the real world, so when the fantasy elements enter into things, it’s jarring. But once I got past the real world and settled into the fantasy, I found that my desire to keep reading finally kicked in. From then on, I found it to be enjoyable despite the things it was lacking.

Ultimately, I enjoyed Nocturne for what it was. I was compelled to keep reading after things got interesting. But it’s not something I will ever read or think about again and that’s okay. Some books are just like that.

Overall, I gave it 3 out of 5 stars. My initial rating was 4, but the more I thought about it, the more issues I had with it. It’s an okay book and if you’re into fairytales, it’s worth checking out. I don’t recommend it with zeal, but I don’t think it’s something to avoid either.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Del Rey for the Advanced Reader Copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

"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."

Wow, first of all, I just want share that the cover is simply breathtaking with nice little Easter eggs from the story illustrated within it. Now, onto the story! The lyrical prose is so eloquently written and I know that may not be everyone’s cup of tea but I thoroughly enjoyed it as it gave the story a breath of descriptive, fresh air. It transports the reader’s senses (all 5 of them) along with the reader throughout the book. This gives the story and its characters atmospheric texture.

The first half of the book lays the foundation of the plot with the real-world side of things then in the second half, the reader is transported into the magical. I can greatly appreciate the author’s background in ballet (as I have none.) I love myths and fantasy and stories of the seemingly ordinary become extraordinary and finding their strength within. This story fit the bill for that especially with a female lead character. I would highly recommend for fantasy / mythology lovers, as well as, those with backgrounds in dance and performance arts that love a little plot twist and magic mixed in. The romance in the book is very mild and suitable for younger readers.

I loved the strong female connection between Grace and Emilia and how the lean into each other during difficult and joyous times. Remember, sometimes family is the people you choose! I also love the themes of how darkness can be beautiful and feel like home as well as light and how the duality can exist in all of us.

Overall, this book was beautifully written and I enjoyed the premise and the author did a wonderful job of portraying the mythic themes of love, loss, friendship, dance, music and finding one’s true strength within.

From the beginning of the book, the author paints a dark atmosphere that matches the underlying theme of mortality and the afterlife. As I read through, it felt like a black-and-white movie playing through my head. I can certainly see elements from Phantom of the Opera, Beauty and the Beast, and Hades and Persephone stories, but this book is not just a retelling or combination of those. I found it quite sad because the romantic plot didn't quite work out.

The author used the third person point of view through the eyes of Grace, the main character. I could sense the environment and the scene's atmosphere, but I got easily distracted when Grace dwelled on the past. The sudden shift of timeline made me lose my focus instead of staying engaged with the event currently taking place. It interrupted the story's natural flow.

I had some respect for Grace due to her resilience despite the sorrows in her life. I would have definitely liked to know more about Master La Rosa, the assumed Beast/Patron/Death.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Del Rey Books for the ARC of Nocturne in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Set in 1930s Chicago, Nocturne follows a talented young ballerina who is being pursued by a secretive patron.

Nocturne, at its best, was a sweeping and haunting and occasionally dark fantasy. At its worst, it is often overwrought and shallow, with characters that have plenty of glitz and zero depth. Reading the summary, and being a lifelong Phantom fan, I was expecting something akin to those vibes, and Nocturne did sort of deliver, though in a relatively heavy-handed way as the narrative did directly refer to Hades and Persephone. It's probably for this reason alone -- the vibes lining up with what I was in the mood for -- that this book is getting a 3.5 stars from me. I can see the vision, and I love it, but the execution is off. Perhaps the book suffers from a lack of depth because of its shorter page count, but I personally would still read this book if it was a hundred pages longer to accommodate stronger character and worldbuilding.

Nocturne follows the story of Grace Dragotta, a young orphaned woman living in post WWII Chicago who dreams of being the next prima ballerina. Her dream is granted by a newly arrived patron known as The Master. But Grace is destined to be more than just a great ballerina on stage, and The Master wants to watch her perform on a stage not meant for mortal eyes…

One of my favorite reads at the end of 2022 was Alyssa Wees’ The Waking Forest. When I found she had another book coming out I was instantly interested. This book is a Beauty and the Beast/ Hades and Persephone retelling. And personally, there are too many of these out there and I’m pretty sick of the trope. Wees has a beautiful and lyrical writing style, but this book bored me.

The pacing was an issue. It wasn’t until the 50% point that she meets The Master, before that the story is focused on Grace’s truly tragic life, her journey into dancing, and her love of her best friend Emilia.

Emilia is the true hero of this story to me. I think she is Grace’s soul mate, but as a sister of her soul and not as lovers. I was way more compelled by their relationship than the one with The Master.

Once Grace goes to The Master’s home the plot somehow slows down, when it was already crawling. I had to skim a bit near the last 50 pages. Such a short book should not have felt like it took so long. There are more engaging Beauty and the Beast style stories out there, and I would only recommend this one if you are more interested in lyrical and poetic writing than in plot.

I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I decided to DNF this book at the halfway mark. At first, the writing was very beautiful and lyrical, but the over descriptiveness overshadows the plot. I feel like all of the author’s description felt like mud that we had to wade through to get to the actual point being made. I’m disappointed that I didn’t like this book because the premise was really interesting and the way the author describes the setting feels very tangible and easy to imagine. Also, I felt like the main character Grace was a very flat character. I feel like some of the other secondary characters had more personality than she did so I didn’t feel compelled to sympathize her when she was taken to the master’s house.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Ray for the advanced copy.

Eh…. I got to read an ARC of this book and all I can think is was I not the target audience? It’s not really a fantasy fantasy. More of a literary fiction book with a supernatural plot device thrown in. Times are hard and so the poor pretty orphaned ballerina must find a “patron” to support her studio. Sure, the pretty young dancers in that era, heck probably every era trade their youth and pretty figures for gifts from rich men. Can’t fault a girl for surviving. Only once the patron turns up I found myself a bit confused if this was supposed to be beauty and the beast retelling, or Hades or Death from the Sandman comics…. Maybe for the right reader this would work better.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Del Rey, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

As a former ballet dancer, I was looking forward to reading this book. I will say, the author was successful in conveying many aspects of ballet life - even with it's differences between the 1930's and now. However, that was the only portion of the book that I really enjoyed. I struggled to connect with the main character, the descriptions seem much too long and unnecessary, and all of the vague allusions frustrated me as I never seemed to get a clear picture of the world around Grace. However, perhaps that was an effect that the author was going for?

I read half of the book and then decided that I did not want to waste any more of my time, so I skipped to the back and read the ending. Knowing how the book ends, portions of the middle of the book made more sense, but the ending was not spectacular enough to justify slogging through the second half of the book.

I'm sure there are readers that will enjoy this book, but I was not one of them.

I really did enjoy this book except for the snail mail speed that is goes at. Like in ballet, the author slowly and with maximum precision, wrote every scene as if you were in ballet practice. Your instructor teaching you a ballet stance, they critique your foot placement, arched back, which angle to position your head, how to hold your arms, all while telling you your eyes should find a mark to center you back.

As a former ballerina I enjoyed that part of the story. But the pacing and thorough detailing became too unbearable.