The Kiss of the Nightingale by Adi Denner is a beautifully written tale that intertwines romance with historical intrigue. Denner’s evocative prose and richly drawn characters create a captivating and immersive experience. The novel's engaging plot and emotional depth make it a memorable read for fans of historical fiction.

The Kiss of the Nightingale
Author: Adi Denner
⭐️ Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

First off, a big thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to have an ARC for this book.

The Good, The Bad and The Yes Please:

I was thrilled to have a refreshingly different era for the story to be set in, with it being based in historical, albeit magical 1890s Paris instead of the more medieval style fantasy books that have been my go to lately and with a phantom of the opera feel I was a sucker immediately.

It’s a quick read, and a nice break from some of the longer series that definitely take up most of my reading space.

The magic concept is unique and intriguing and my interest was definitely peaked, although I did find myself wishing for more on the background and information of how it all worked then what we are given as readers and I absolutely would have read something more in depth. I enjoyed the descriptions of the ballrooms, the dancing and the abundance of different gowns and outfits.

Overall it was a refreshing change of pace for myself to go back to reading a more historical set book while holding onto the fantasy aspect and I think the author did a good job in bringing me into the Opera World of magical 1890s France. And Although I didn’t fall for the love interest right off the bat, that doesn’t mean you won’t - I can be rather picky.

The book world is flooded with “romantasy” novels, but I have to give the author credit for finding a unique take on special powers in her debut novel. The further I got into this book, the faster I read.

“The Kiss of the Nightingale” weaves together the atmosphere of “Phantom of the Opera” with the YA readability of “Red Queen” by Victoria Aveyard. The novel follows Cleodora Finley, whose father has died before passing along his magically enhanced “Talent” which would allow Cleo to provide for her and her sickly sister. Cleo is offered a deal at her lowest to gain another Talent and have her sister cured, but she must become an undercover thief in the midst of essentially fantasy France’s high society. A black and white assignment quickly devolves into shades of morally gray.

In the beginning of the book, I felt like I could predict how it would all play out. The more I read however, the more I enjoyed seeing the characters’ personalities play out. Sometimes I wanted to yell at the characters to make different decisions, but that did not detract from my captivation with them. Each character has their motives, and I enjoyed peeling back the layers with each page. Whether you like them or hate them, Denner succeeds in bringing realistic characters to life in an opulent fantasy world.

In short, will this novel revolutionize literature? No, but it promises to be a fun ride that’s a little different in a market flooded with books of YA special power protagonists. A little fantasy. A little romance. A little bit of fun heist. Would I recommend the book? Yes.

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so wonderful and unique! I absolutely love the idea of Talents and it being imbued into gemstones. To which the Talents are the main plot of this book. With Cleo not having any Talent of her own due to her father dying unexpectedly. she seeks to find some purpose in her life and provide for her and her sister. This causes her to don a mask of deception to society to create connections and steal Talents to keep this life full of richness and safeness for her and her sister. But along the way she doubts herself. I enjoy her questioning herself along the way if becoming a thief is the right way to keep up this wonderful life she had created, but even with the questions, there wasn't any other way for her to keep such life. It isn't until her own sister, Anaella, truly questioned Cleo that she finally hesitates on following Lady Sibille's order. It took a while until Cleo comes to the realization, but I am glad to see the Cleo didn't turn instantly into a criminal over the time period. You can see how much she still love fashion despite not having her father's talent. Just having her father's book around her makes her reminiscence her life back with her father and wishing she had his Talent. In addition, whenever she's around outfits from Josephine, there's the designer part of her thinking of ways to improve the design.

I absolutely love all the characters in this book. They are so well written and there is so much depth to them. It isn't solely focused on the main character. She makes many connections on the way and when she uses such connections throughout the book, it doesn't feel out of the blue. There was one relationship I particularly hated and didn't truly understand, but I believe it was due to their Talent that made Cleo fall in love and pleased them so quickly. I really wished to see more interactions between her and Nuriel, but I think this book did a great job of making the reader believe that there will be so much more to their relationship in the future.

Overall, the plot was magnificent and every chapter it made me want to read more. It may not always end with a cliffhanger, but there was always the urge to find out how far Cleo was willing to go to achieve the goal of making a perfect life for her and her sister. Plus, the allure of being around other characters was always enticing.

This book had so many layers to its story it was hard to not love it. At its surface it was a very Phantom of the Opera-esque fantasy. Once you peeled back it's layers there was romance, heartache, mystery, and so very many twists. Such a great book!

I feel really torn about this book.

There were parts that I really enjoyed such as the setting in an almost historic Paris-esque city, the concept of Talents being imbued in jewels that can be passed down (and a brief look into what happens when there are more children then there are talents, and the jewel mines have run dry).
I’ve never been to an opera but the story made me feel as if I should go, it seems like such magic. It also did a great job getting across the in depth knowledge Cleo has of fashion and dressmaking she’s been learning since birth.
I also really enjoyed some of the secondary characters who were charming in their imperfection and ability to overcome their circumstances.

Unfortunately there were also parts that didn’t resonate with me.
Some of the characters felt a little one note and I wish we could have learned more about but instead they flitted in and out of the story (Anaella, Dahlia, Pauline, Madame to name a few). I also really did not like Dahlia at all, I would be interested if others did?
There were also some pretty serious scenes that had little to no consequences, and an ending that in some ways tied things up except for one frustrating gaping hole (perhaps leaving way for a sequel?)

In the end, as I said at the beginning I’m torn. A really interesting concept and plot that I wish had gone more in depth regarding its characters and some of the plot lines.

Thank you NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Kiss of the Nightingale was a story I was initially very excited about from reading the synopsis when applying for the ARC. Unfortunately, this one fell flat for me. The magic system that Adi created is unique and one that I would have loved to dive deeper into, but that's one of the flaws for me. There isn't enough world-building depth for my preferences and I felt like the pacing was a bit off as the book went on.

I also was not sold on the characters' relationships as they developed. I felt like we got forced into this love triangle, but neither relationship felt like it was genuine or even made sense. I love a well written love triangle, however this one really disappointed me in the end. Which was even more disappointing because I'm always looking out for more sapphic romances and I am sad that this won't be making my list of favorites. I think there will be people who enjoy this story, but I am not one of them.

Thank you to Adi Denner and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for granting me an access to this book!
I feel conflicted with this one. On one part - I liked the parallel with the phantom of the opera.
On the other - I did feel like the MC was a bit… incompetent and thus made the plot unimaginable.
The pacing of this book was a bit off in between chapters.
The relationships between the characters felt very bland.
Overall, this book had an interesting premise but needs editing/working through the execution.

Will Cleodora do anything to obtain a Talent to save her sister's life? She finds out the hard way that fame and prestige aren't the only avenues to save someone's life. It's possible to go down a more morally satisfying path to make that happen. I really enjoyed the premise of this book, I felt that it was very unique. I have to say the only thing that I didn't enjoy was the intro of the sapphic romance between Dahlia and Cleo. I felt that it was contrived and not really necessary for the whole of the book. Overall, great book. I gave it 4 stars.

What a wonderfully written book. The magic system is simply spectaular and the characters are regal and elegant. I found the story to be incredibly enchanting and what enthralled by the story from start to finish.

The Kiss of the Nighingale was a solid debut by Adi Denner. The story takes place in an alternative Paris, Lutèce, that I longed Denner to share more of as a fan of visiting the real version of a city with equal parts morbid grit and glamour.

The main character, Cleodora, finds herself in a seemingly impossible situation of struggling to care for her ill sister without a stable income. This is not due to her actual capabilities, but to the biases and perceptions held by the society of Lutèce who consider people without a "talent" less capable at their trade. The "talents," are a unique magic system (although the backstory of how they city finds itself in a position of new magic holders gaining their abilities only due to "heritage" was lacking). Cleodora was in line to inherit a tailoring talent from her father, but, due to tragedy, did not. However, she "stumbles" into a situation in which she makes a deal with an enticing woman to receive a "talent" of her own, a singing talent, so long as she works to steal talents from others in the city. Her target is a man she finds entrancing but entitled and infuriating. So, of course, she accepts. What follows is a saga in which Cleodora struggles with her new identity, the lies she weaves to protect herself and her sister, and the tension between herself and both the dangerous woman she must steal for and the surprising and attractive man she must steal a "talent" from. It is not her fate alone on the line -- every choice matters.

The parts of the book where changes would elevate the story are some of the character development and pacing.

I did not fully connect with the FMC, but I could picture her beautifully through Denner's prose. This lack of connection, for me, is a result of being tossed into the story without enough time to buy-in to the dire situation Cleodora finds herself in at the start of the book and without needed backstory about the magic system of "talents" and how alternative 18th-century Paris the story takes place in did or did not change during her and her family's lives. That said, I understood her actions for most of the book. Some of the characterizations/actions of secondary characters also caused me to pause and be ripped from the world Denner created in order to rationalize their actions. For example, a main secondary character described as a "child" behaves far too adult like for me to believe the accomplishments, strength, and rather eloquent language ascribed to them. It was jarring to read these actions and struggle to rationalize how/why this character was a -child-.

Pacing, For the most part, I was able to stay engaged with the story (the above character-related aspects non-withstanding). However, the world building setting the foundation for the plot felt somewhat underdeveloped and I started to struggle with what felt like a drawn out plot climax at ~68%.

All said, I did enjoy this book and would recommend to fans of lush and sometimes lustful YA romatancies with the right amount of "spice."

3.75 rounded up :)

P.S. I hope that someone else figured out what really happened with her dad and the alcohol in his system. I think it was a both are true situation but it was fuzzy for me and I focused more on this part of the book than the actual ending (which I enjoyed, but would have loved to have been drawn out a bit more/any major ramifications for changes in the city discussed ... besides the new tailor).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Unfortunately this was a big nope for me. The premise was super cool specifically the unique magic system but even that wasn’t really developed as well as it could have been. And the rest of the book was just a miss. The heroine spends most of the book being an idiot, and the plot has so many holes it may as well be Swiss cheese. Cool Parisian vibes I guess but not enough here at all to keep me engaged.

Thank you netgalley for the arc!
I enjoyed this book but it did fall a bit flat for me in some areas. The magic system felt unique and original, and I appreciated the emotions and decisions that the main character has to deal with.
I'm very curious to see what the general public response will be to this book! I will recommend to people I think would enjoy it.

This is the perfect young adult sci-fi fantasy book! It had everything you expected and everything you could have never guessed! It was hard for me to put this book down because I just didn’t want it to end. I read this book in one sitting because I was so wrapped up in the story. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a great adventure with a ton of tension!

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=2.5 | 😘=3 | 🤬=2 | ⚔️=4 | 14/15+

summary: so this girl and her sister are flopping trying to keep their dead dad’s tailor shop open and the older sister gets like magic singing powers from this toxic lesbian lady who wants her to steal other rich people’s magic powers so the girl is sent to steal the magic powers of this rich hot viscount and it ends up being a sort of love triangle w an obviously not-healthy sapphic couple and a boring straight couple. bisexuals, man.

thoughts: this protagonist is pretty stupid!! I’m not going to victim blame her for getting drawn into a toxic relationship, but I CAN blame her for being an idiot!! it’s one of those classic Devil Wears Prada/Mean Girls plots where the heroine gets progressively drawn into a higher-class situation and then has to realize all the mistakes she’s made by the end and come back down to earth. but like… this MC was just extra dumb about it all and putting the physical safety of other people in jeopardy?? and also there’s no reason for the straight boy to like her????? girl!

also there’s some plot issues imo!! how was she ever expected to steal something sans how-to-be-a-thief training montage? the most fun part of fantasy books with thieves (The Thief, Six of Crows, Little Thieves) is seeing how they pull it off and what tricks are up their sleeves, but this heroine is so incompetent that she ends up not even stealing anything at all technically!! and that’s so boring and lame!!!!!! the only thing remotely resembling a training montage is where the heroine learns to read music, but she sucks at it so that’s not fun either because she isn’t making any progress bc her magic gem does literally all the work for her!! also there’s some twists at the end that were dumb and I saw coming and also some anachronistic vocabulary that made me giggle (derogatory); like I get that it’s a YA fantasy book, but I don’t think ppl were saying “sketchy” in 1880s aristocratic France. basically I didn’t like most of this. so.

I didn’t really enjoy this story. The world building is just lacking so much that it killed the story for me. Overall this book was very poorly developed and lack luster. I was pretty bored with it and not impressed.

This is a YA fantasy romance standalone. The story takes place in the town of Lutèce, which could be called the 19th century version of Paris. The way this book is written, makes it feel so grand and luxurious. The masquerade balls, opera shows and big estates. Everything is explained with vivid detailed descriptions. The book is pretty fast paced and plot twists are engaging making this a good entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC!

When I first read the premise, I was very excited, it sounded like the type of book I would enjoy but unfortunately it just didn't hit the mark for me.
I will say this book has a very interesting and unique magic system which I enjoyed reading about, it was a really cool concept!
The pacing at times felt a little off for me at times and made it seem like there was a bit of a disconnect between chapters, almost as if I was missing something.
Unfortunately, my one of biggest issue was the characters' relationships. I didn't feel like there was a real connection between them (with both the male and female love interests); Cleo didn't have any chemistry with either of them, in my opinion. Also, I'm not a fan of love triangles, it's very hard for me to enjoy them - that's a personal preference/issue though.
I know there will be a lot of people who'll enjoy the book, it just wasn't for me.

tl;dr
A sexy book packed with romance, opera drama, organized crime, and an interesting (albeit only somewhat fleshed out) magic system.

Thoughts
This is a very seductive book. Sexy, even? There's a lot going on in here, but the passages most tenderly and delicately written are dedicated to two very attractive humans and Cleo's feelings about them. The narrative is extremely clear about the differences between physical attraction and romantic attraction. Dahlia is alluring and seductive. She's fire and ice, power and danger, all wrapped in shadows. Cleo's yearning for her is instantaneous, a pulsing in her very body. Nuriel in contrast is withdrawn, standoffish, and it takes a lot longer for the two of them to warm up to each other as they crack through each other's outer defenses. Outside of that, we have a story that takes place largely in an opera house. It's an interesting gamble since the author clearly cares a lot about the opera, but the MC truly does not. This is baked into the plot and the character, not an oversight, and it pays off, but there are definitely spaces where I found myself wondering why I should care if Cleo didn't. The world building is done in broad strokes, with just enough detail to explain the magic system, but very little history beyond that. It was enough for me, but I could see lore lovers wanting some extra detail. This book is also a standalone, with a crack in the door juuuuust in case, but as a whole it wraps up everything very well.

I like to read fantasy books where the writer gives you a backstory of the characters throughout the book, it gives me an idea of how they got to where they are since the beginning. I really loved that it was set in modern times, and the fact that it was a complete story about romance, betrayal and magic made it even better ! I couldn’t ask for more in one book!