Nocturne by Alyssa Wees – Book Review
In this gorgeous and haunting 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.
Grace has always wanted to be a ballerina, ever since she first peered through the windows of the Near North Ballet company. The elegance of the dance seemed transcendent to an immigrant child of the working poor, and so, when she is orphaned, it is to the ballet that she flees.
Years later, Grace is on the verge of becoming the company’s new prima ballerina – though she is beginning to realise that achieving her long-held dream may not be the triumph she once envisioned. Then Grace attracts the attention of the enigmatic Master La Rosa, and realises that the world may not be as small or constricted as she had come to fear.
But 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 may be another way entirely to achieve the transcendence she has always sought.
Nocture is a beautifully written novel, that at one point genuinely made me put it down in shock. There is a twist that made me reevaluate the entire story to that point, and it added a whole new level of enjoyment to the book for me.
Etendre
The relationships we see in Nocturne are complex and engaging, there is a level of realism within them – despite the fantastic setting – that gives them added depth. They make me feel more for Grace, the narrator, than I would have otherwise. She can be highly unlikable at times, self-centered and vain, but essentially she is human. A single human girl trying her best in a world that isn’t always easy for her to traverse. She is young and headstrong and at times a fool, but written sympathetically for that, and I certainly warmed to her as the novel progressed.
Nocturne relies heavily on Grace, as the other characters, outside of her main relationships, can seem at times incidental. This is not a criticism though, as these characters as shown to us a Grace herself sees them – in the way of her ambition, or fuelling it. The glimpses we get of Chicago are similar, in that the city is both a backdrop to Grace’s life choices and the reason for many of them.
Glisser
Without giving away too much here, this is a fantastical and magically spin on Beauty and the Beast, playing with the ideas of what makes men beasts, and beasts men. At times whimsical and others gripping, Nocturne is a slow burn that turns into a conflagration.
Nocturne is released by Del Rey on 21st February
