I love this cover. Being a former dancer I was attracted to the book description as it is about a ballerina. It veered into a wierd fantasy. Sort of Phantom of the Opera but creepier.

The words that come to mind while reading Nocturne by Alyssa Wees are lush, lyrical, and magical. The story flows like a river, slowly winding at times, and then the tension amps up as rapids approach. I found myself marking lovely turns of phrase and metaphorical imagery on page after page. I highly recommend the gothic. surreal romance that is sure to appeal to heart and mind.

Lyrical in this book's case unfortunately was a way to mean overly descriptive. I found myself lost in the writing at times wondering what was going on and not in a fun way.

The cover is what caught my eye first for this book. It is absolutely beautiful! Chicago, during the great depression, we meet a ballerina named Grace. She has always dreamed of dancing in the corps, and after years, is finally becoming the Prima. Turns out this dream may not have been as earned as she thought. Her benefactor has in a sense "bought" her. This then leads her to a fairytale of a story where Death and Sleep are at war and she is the determining factor for the outcome. This was a beautiful story and the author writes in amazing detail, if not somewhat overdone at points. The beginning, however was slow and hard to get through, but the story is worth it.

The gorgeous cover is what initially drew me to this book. I was drawn in even more upon reading the synopsis; a historical fantasy set in Great Depression era Chicago with Phantom of the Opera and Beauty and the Beast vibes.

This story follows Grace Dragotta, an orphan with a tragic backstory trying to make her way in the harsh world of Ballet. The descriptive imagery is beautiful, but a little overdone for me. It felt like a chore to get halfway, where the story starts to pick up a bit. It’s then that we start to see our Phantom of the Opera influence, and we even start to feel a little influence from Beauty and the Beast, as well as Hades and Persephone.

All of these stories separately, I love! But woven together felt a little cumbersome at times. I feel that the book had a lot of potential, and I love the inspiration, but this book fell a little flat for me. I wanted more fantasy, more whimsy… just more.

I rated this three stars (although I would’ve given 2.5 if I could) because I really thought the author did a wonderful job with imagery and weaving a hauntingly tragic, and semi-eerie tale. But I did find that the story got lost in the description, and I felt myself losing interest at multiple points along the way. This also didn’t really bring any fantasy into the picture until halfway through the book, so overall, it didn’t feel “fantastical”. I probably wouldn’t recommend this to someone looking for a true fantasy, but instead someone who finds more enjoyment in historical fiction.

Book Summary:

Grace Dragotta has always wanted to be a ballerina. That isn't all that uncommon of a dream, all things considered. While most of us move on to different dreams, Grace chased the one she had, which took her straight to the Near North Ballet Company.

When the Great Depression hits, Grace is the prima ballerina for the company, finally achieving one of her biggest goals. Only things aren't as she imagined, and an interesting new character is in her life. What do they want? Is she safe?

My Review:

I'm not ashamed to admit that Nocturne's stunning cover initially caught my eye. However, Grace's story and the promise within were enough to hold my attention. All things considered, I would say that this is a solid read – full of fantasy elements and a few surprise twists.

It's set in the 1930s, which is one heck of a foundation for this tale. It has solid vibes and aesthetics, which I know certain readers will adore. Conversely, I'm not sure all readers will enjoy the heavily descriptive nature of Nocturne. So do keep that in mind before diving in.

If you're looking for a lyrical read merged with historical fiction and fantasy, you've got to give Nocturne. It'll be right up your alley.

Highlights:
Historical Fiction
Ballet
Fantasy Elements

Nocturne is a lyrical fantasy about an orphaned ballerina in Depression-era Chicago. This story is reminiscent of Beauty and the Beast or Phantom of the Opera.

Grace has risen through the ranks of her ballet company, seemingly through her own talent and determination. When her best friend, Emilia, is set to retire from her position as prima, Grace is selected to take her place, and a specific role is set for her by a mysterious benefactor.

Soon Grace realizes that things are not as simple as they seem, and she becomes obsessed with discovering the identity of her patron, Master La Rosa. Once the show run ends, Grace is taken to live with La Rosa—an exchange that seems to have been made between her Mistress and her patron to secure the future of the ballet company. Grace is cut off from all she has known, isolated from her friends, and spends all her time either alone, dancing with La Rosa, or driving with La Rosa’s assistant Mr. Russo.

The first half of this novel is slow and took me quite a while to get into. Grace has a tragic backstory, filled with the deaths of those she loved most. But she has also been given so much as she was taken in by the Mistress and allowed to train in ballet. Once she joins La Rosa, she must decide if she is to give herself wholly to him or not (though it’s never made clear what will happen if she refuses). The relationship between Grace and La Rosa was supposed to be a romance, but it felt more like abusive grooming to me, especially at first.

Eventually, a plot is uncovered that makes Grace question everything once again. Ultimately, the book ends with Grace having redeemed herself and resumed her rightful position. But the reader is left wondering if she ever really had any choice.

I found the author’s description to be beautiful, but sometimes overdone. There were details within the story that I kept expecting to find were important later on. Some were, but others weren’t. I felt Wees’s strength lies more in describing settings than it does in building complex characters and relationships.

I gave this book 3 stars because I felt that the premise was a good one, though it could have been executed more cleanly. The plot was slow to progress through the first half, then seemed scattered through the second half. Grace is the most well-developed character, though I found myself feeling sorry for her more than I was rooting for her. I would have loved to see more of Lorenzo, Emilia, Beatrice, and a more fully developed relationship between Grace and the Mistress.

Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

"All vibes no plot" girlies rejoice! Nocturne is just the book for you. This was so lovely and atmospheric and evocative that I adored it even though I had no idea what was going on in the 2nd half of the book. I didn't even care that nothing made sense because all I knew was how it was making me feel, and I love books that can just sweep me away like that.

Purple prose haters, this is NOT the book for you... while you could definitely call the writing overly descriptive/flowery, I thought it worked super well in this story and made everything feel so lush and romantic. I also really liked Grace as a character and thought the story's focus on her friendship with Emilia was beautiful. This book was like... the plot of Beauty and the Beast with the vibes of Hades and Persephone and the style of The Night Circus... but set in cold and dark 1930s Chicago with a fairytale flair. I ate it the hell up.

I requested this novel because of the absolutely gorgeous cover and the ballet angle. I had no idea it was actually a really inspired re-telling of Beauty and the Beast. Not only is Grace Dragotta a prima ballerina, but she is also a violin virtuoso. An orphan who was raised in the Near North Ballet in 1938, Grace has struggled to rise among the corps to become prima. She soon discovers that a patron, Master La Rosa, has made it possible for her to rise and soar. I'm not going to give anything away, but do yourself a favor and read this sweet, haunting novel. It's almost as perfect a fairy tale as could be.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Del Ray Books for this e-arc.*

I hate to do this, but I'm DNFing this at 50%. The premise - a phantom of the opera inspired tale - was intriguing, but halfway through and we've still made little progress or exploration of this. It's very character and prose focused, but I just don't care enough about the MC for that to carry it. And in the beginning the writing was beautiful and atmospheric, but as we get further on, the writing doesn't stay 100% consistent so it can't fully carry me either. When it comes out I might try it on audio since I know it will be short, but it really just could not hold me attention and after soft DNFing it in December, I never was interested enough to pick it back up again. 2.5 stars

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

wow well where to start...i found it very descriptive on everything....and that was a lot to read through for a simple explanation, it didnt bode well....

sorry to say though that this book wasnt for me....and though i can see most people enjoyed it, i wasnt one of them...

I wasn’t super impressed with this book. You know those movies that are really pretty to watch but have bad/no plot and flat characters? This is the book form of that. It’s beautiful to read, but the plot is substandard and the characters are bland. I did enjoy the first part of the book that is more about Grace and Emilia mainly focused on the ballet itself. But once Master La Rosa becomes more than just a shadowy benefactor, it takes a turn for the worse. I wouldn’t recommend this one unless you like lyrical stories

This was a beautifully lyrical novel that was somehow also overly descriptive and a mix between several different retellings at once. While I enjoyed the premise, the story felt very weighed down by the descriptions and the main points of the story. It felt like there was a lot going on but nothing was really articulated in a clear and concise way.

I want to thank the publisher for allowing me to receive an arc for this book, which I was super excited about at first....you can see where this is going. I had really high hopes because it had all the proper ingredients for a home run. However, it became extremely apparent this story was a mess by chapter 12.

At first, I thought this book was attempting to do a twist on Black Swan, then it had a slightly intriguing Phantom of the Opera homage (I thought it was a little TOO on the nose, but I pressed on), then it became apparent this was a Beauty and the Beast retelling, or so I thought. Do you see the issue here? She just cherry-picked the best parts of things that already existed then said "let’s mix it all together and it’ll be a hit." No, because soon you think you have the tone of this book figured out the plot disappears. I was LOST. The lore, the character motivations, it was all so DEEPLY uninteresting even though the ideas by themselves are interesting.

I’m not going to keep rehashing what people said about the very over-descriptive language that was used (which added no real value to the overall story) because they said it all. I will say that I noticed the word “thing” being used over and over again, which gave me Lightlark war flashbacks. It just felt like the author was trying way too hard to sound smart with the way she strung words together.

It took at least 7 chapters to get to anything remotely exciting. The main character was deeply uninteresting and the best part about her was her best friend who just disappears halfway through the story. I thought ya'll were sisters? Why didn't she call the police soon as she realized you were trapped in that house?

The King of Death/love interest character was bland. The author tried her best to make him “swoony,” but you can’t do that with a piece of cardboard. This was nothing more than two Gods picking a random mortal to play with because one was proud and one was bitter. Grace “holding her death in her heart” was not a compelling enough reason for her to be chosen. Death never gave other reasons for “loving her'' so I didn’t feel like the stakes were raised at all.

Speaking of Grace—and I should’ve mentioned this earlier—her backstory was so surface-level. At first, I thought the parts about her brother were about a dead boyfriend because of the way it was described. The author never went deeper than surface level of what it's like to be and feel alone after your entire family dies. She scratched the surface of grief and orphanhood, but never went beyond. And I LOATHE...DESPISE when authors don't give their female characters any agency over their own lives. Make it make sense because if I was her I would be raising hell because no one “sells me” or tells me what to do. She's supposed to be this stubborn, motivated, determined person who made it against all odds and she essentially gives in.

There were no other elements that kept me reading other than trying to figure out what the end game was for our “little bird.” Everything was extremely heavy-handed/explained through the premise of the ballet Grace was dancing so it wasn’t hard to figure out where this was going. I more so wanted to know “why” and what the point was.

Phew…I stopped reading 80% of the way through and skimmed to the end. The ending was predictable and yet made me so angry.

I was hoping for more out of this book, but overall I would give it about 3.5 stars. I loved the premise of the book and the story line itself, I just felt I wasn't connecting with the characters.

Title: Nocturne
Author: Alyssa Wees
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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.

This wasn’t consistent read for me. What I mean by that: solid writing and descriptions, and I love the ballet parts. But….Grace and the other characters felt very one-dimensional and cliched, like the author tried to cobble them---and the story---together from a handful of other stories and myths, but didn’t make them unique enough to be believable. Grace was more of a puppet than anything else, barely taking any of her own initiative to do anything. As a whole, this just didn’t work for me, despite the dreamy ballet sequences.

Alyssa Wees lines in the Chicago area. Nocturne is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Ballantine/Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.)

What a beautifully written book. I really enjoyed the writing and the different fantasy aspect of this book.

Wees' lush sophomore novel leaps but stumbles, landing gracefully.

Grace has dreamt of becoming a star on the stage with her pointe shoes and strong command of ballet, but Chicago's Little Sicily is short of miracles. Left orphaned, raised by the ballet company, and now her best friend on the verge of leaving, Grace's dreams feel as substantial as shadows. Until she gets the part of the prima ballerina and catches the eye of the mysterious patron, Master La Rosa. Then under his generous patronage, Grace starts her adventure, following the sound of violin music and the beauty in the dark.

Wees draws on the similar prose that she used for her debut, almost overly descriptive, that distracts readers from the plot. While it works better in her dark romance than her genre-twisting portal fantasy, creating a fairytale atmosphere, the same problems remain. I struggled following Grace's plotline. I couldn't help but compare it to other Death and The Maiden stories – The Bear and the Nightingale, Keturah, And Lord Death, etc. It felt like Nocturne brought nothing new to the genre. However, the strengths would be the realistic and immersive scenery. I could almost imagine walking on the slick cobble steps during The Great Depression, hoping to catch a hint of tulle skirts and silk ballet shoes.

NetGalley Provided a copy. All opinions are my own.

Nocturne sounded like everything I would love in a book - 1930s Chicago, ballet, Italian heritage, romance - but unfortunately this story fell short for me. Although the writing itself and the word choices did give the air of darkness and magic, it was too heavy for me and I felt like I was dragging myself to read it. Some friends told me to DNF the book, but I needed to see it all play out, hoping that it would eventually redeem itself, but in the end, I felt just as cold and lonely as Grace.

The premise of this book is interesting - a fantasy set in the 1930s with a prima ballerina. The writing is beautifully descriptive, but at times it can be a bit much and takes you out of the story. I had difficulty connecting with the MC and wish there was more dialogue/interaction between the characters. I felt like the story didn’t really progress until about 150 pages in and it still felt somewhat confusing. If you’re a fan of lyrical writing, ballet, Phantom of the Opera, and mythology, then you will probably enjoy thus. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine for the arc.