Maya Motayne

Nocturna

Fates collide and darkness is unleashed in this lush, own-voices Latin-inspired fantasy, perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi, Leigh Bardugo and V. E. Schwab. Magia Para Todos; Magic for all. To Finnian Voy, magic is two things: a knife to hold under the throat of anyone who crosses her, and a disguise she shrugs on as easily as others pull on cloaks. As a talented faceshifter, it's been years since Finn has seen her own face, and that's exactly how she likes it. But when she gets caught by a powerful mobster, she's forced into an impossible mission: steal a legendary treasure from Castallan's royal palace or be stripped of her magic forever. To Prince Alfehr magic is an escape, but one that comes with a price. First in line for the throne after the disappearance of his older brother, Alfie is desperate to find him and bring him home, even if it means dabbling in forbidden magic. And when Finn and Alfie's fates collide, they realise magic can be other things too, and the type they accidentally release into the world is something neither expects, or understands. It's hungry.

kelsey

he only loved what he owned, and he never would own her again.

Samantha Chavez 

Fans of A Darker Shade of Magic will love this, mainly because there are a lot of similarities. 
However, there are some vital differences between the two that make them amazing books in their own way. 
My favorite part of this book was the dynamics between the characters. It was very fun and made the sweet parts even sweeter. 
I also loved how the culture played a part in the novel. It was relatable and I especially loved it as a Hispanic woman. 
The adventure, magic, and friendship were amazing and drew the reader into the book. 
Once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop.
The romance was subtle until the end, but it wasn’t my favorite part of this book.
Overall, the book was fantastic and everyone should read it.

Alexa Jade

actual rating either 3.5 or 3.75 stars. as a latinx woman I loved the latinx parts of this book. I loved seeing coño or maldito every other page and I loved the characters eating classic latinx meals. my issue with this book, however, is that it was essentially another book i’ve read but with bits of spanish sprinkled in. i’m not usually the type to compare books and i’m especially not the type to fault a book for being similar to another one. it’s kind of unavoidable with this book though. this was a darker shade of magic through and through. with finn even saying 300ish pages in how she wants to see everything the way lila said it in ADSOM. 

upon finishing the read I don’t find myself feeling like I just wasted my time or find myself wanting to unhaul my copy but I also am not dying to add the next book to my want to read list either. this is a very in between book for me.

The first in a sweeping and epic own voices debut fantasy trilogy—set in a stunning Latinx-inspired world—about a face-changing thief and a risk-taking prince who must team up to defeat a powerful evil they accidentally unleashed. Perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi, Leigh Bardugo, and V. E. Schwab. To Finn Voy, magic is two things: a knife to hold under the chin of anyone who crosses her…and a disguise she shrugs on as easily as others pull on cloaks. As a talented faceshifter, it’s been years since Finn has seen her own face, and that’s exactly how she likes it. But when Finn gets caught by a powerful mobster, she’s forced into an impossible mission: steal a legendary treasure from Castallan’s royal palace or be stripped of her magic forever. After the murder of his older brother, Prince Alfehr is first in line for the Castallan throne. But Alfie can’t help but feel that he will never live up to his brother’s legacy. Riddled with grief, Alfie is obsessed with finding a way to bring his brother back, even if it means dabbling in forbidden magic. But when Finn and Alfie’s fates collide, they accidentally unlock a terrible, ancient power—which, if not contained, will devour the world. And with Castallan’s fate in their hands, Alfie and Finn must race to vanquish what they have unleashed, even if it means facing the deepest darkness in their pasts.

Sheila

Beautiful cover, but the story is boring and derivative. It always feels like such a betrayal when a good cover lets you down with its contents...

Katharina Hoffmann

A story of wild and powerful magic, a faceless thief, a prince who has lost his self-belief and all of that set in a lush, vivid and Latinx inspired world?
Sadly, this whole story seemed more exciting than it turned out to be.
The thing is: this story was still fun and I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the "race against time" theme, the magic of it all (oh, imagine you could model your face and entire body on random people? Sooo rad). I also enjoyed its diversity. The protagonists and almost all of the side characters were non-white which was such a welcome change. The author also made sure to include bits of the characters' mother tongue which I remember being Spanish (???, don't sue me over this, I'd have to get back and fact check this), but hey, such a welcome change in a world of YA were English is still the most widespread language!

Two things that bothered me immensely:
First, the story seemed incredibly similar to A Darker Shade of Magic. A prince who doesn't really believe in himself meets a female thief who is slightly younger than he is. A dark magic about to destroy the city makes the two of them work together and get closer to each other. This dark magic is also able to possess and control people and has one master slave which it uses as a host to carry out its evil plans. Rings a bell? Eventually, I got a bit tired of the story because I knew I had read this before. Whether the author deliberately took some inspiration from ADSOM or not, I thought it was sad that this story wasn't more different. There's more similarities but I don't want to spoil anything.
Second, ahhh, how often will I have to write about this but okay: the fact that there's a) one male person who meets b) a female person and both kinda want to kill each other but also realize that there's something between them which in the middle of the book makes you realize that these two are the destined couple and bound to get together at the end of the series...



... may not be the worst trope in YA literature but it's not one of its best either.

This book is a welcome change in terms of diversity and world building but in my opinion to similar to ADSOM and therefore only gets three stars.

Aleena Korell

Okay. So everyone is talking about how this book is a ripoff of A Darker Shade of Magic. The plot is remarkably similar, in a kids-in-dress-up-recreating-a-movie-scene sort of way. But it's not the end of the world for one thing to resemble another. That's not ultimately its problem. I just... didn't enjoy it. Characters, writing, tone, not my thing. Too much non-compelling immaturity from its characters and not-quite-witty banter, not enough focus on what ultimately drives each character. Cool premise, but not for me.

Marlena Lang

What an amazing debut. Not only did you grab my attention from beginning to end, you made characters come to life. You made me love them all so much I cannot wait to continue this story. You made me feel like I knew these characters. The love they all share is unbelievable. I will also probably have nightmares now of black eyed creatures.

Fates collide and darkness is unleashed in this lush, own-voices Latin-inspired fantasy, perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi, Leigh Bardugo and V. E. Schwab. Magic is everywhere, and in everything. To Finnian Voy, magic is two things: a knife to hold under the throat of anyone who crosses her, and a disguise she shrugs on as easily as others pull on cloaks. As a talented faceshifter, it's been years since Finn has seen her own face, and that's exactly how she likes it. But when she gets caught by a powerful mobster, she's forced into an impossible mission: steal a legendary treasure from Castallan's royal palace or be stripped of her magic forever. To Prince Alfehr magic is an escape, but one that comes with a price. First in line for the throne after the disappearance of his older brother, Alfie is desperate to find him and bring him home, even if it means dabbling in forbidden magic. And when Finn and Alfie's fates collide, they realise magic can be other things too, and the type they accidentally release into the world is something neither expects, or understands. It's hungry.

Leni Bulat

Lauren

3.5*

This book has a lot of charisma and addictive writing but the pacing dragged a little too much for me throughout the middle of the book. These characters were so lovable, I’m curious to see where the story will go next...

Alice

sara louise

"but if you could die in a moment, then maybe you could live in one too." 

oh boy i wanted to love this, i really did, but in the end it was way too similar to shades of magic (at least adsom and acol), and i'm kind of upset about it. maybe i'll give the second one a go once it's released, because i am still interested in seeing where the story will go next, and the mystery surrounding dez and the englassen lore and culture is definitely still intriguing. 

it was a fun read, and the latinx influences were a welcome break from the usual fantasy setting, so if that's what you're looking for: go for it!

Anastaciya

Narah Quinn

*****Possible - MINOR - spoilers*****

I read the first chapter of this when I first got it from Fairyloot (image from them) and I really enjoyed what I was reading...but something else arrived (I think it was The Near Witch) that I had to read immediately, and I forgot to go back to it. I am mad it took me this long. 

The world we step into has magic, (elemental, which most people have to some degree, and propio, individual to the few that have it and identifiable as being present by their shadow - love this!) a rich history filled with invading forces and rebellion and three characters you will love :) It is beautifully described, the characters are developed and whole and they grow so much as you read that it is easy to forget the whole thing takes place in less than a week. 

We have Alfie. Kind, generous, empathetic, heir to the throne. Having spent the last 3 months at sea, drinking, gambling, and generally ignoring his family, best friend (Luka - love 'Bathtub Boy') and the grief that threatens to consume him, his brother, Dez, having been lost - assumed dead - to a magical void. 

When he returns home (1st chapter) you get the feeling that it is only because he has heard of an opportunity to get his hands on something that may help him find his brother (Alfie believes he is still alive), but he is forced to reconcile with his parents, and face his cousin/best friend whom he just left without so much as a goodbye, selfishly ignoring the grief he shared over the loss of Dez.  

Alfie quickly meets Finn. Sarcastic, wily, faceshifter, thief. Having escaped the God's awful Ignacio, she has been essentially on the run, but when she meets Alfie at a card game, trouble ensues. They fight for the prize and Finn ends up knocked out, picked up by mob boss Kol and stripped of her propio until she does the impossible and retrieves an item from the palace vault. 

The story brings them together, along with Luka, and this is where it all starts to go wrong. I could say so much more, but it would give far too much away so all you really need to know is that this book is a fast paced, fantasy thrill ride with characters you despise, characters you love and a desire to read more about them. Even though the ending does not require there to be any more, you want it, you want to go on another adventure, and there are segments of Nocturna that hint at a much bigger and deeper story, but you are so caught up in the on-going disaster that you almost forget how the whole thing started, and that is where the next book takes us, to the main story.

Alejandra Bran

Not a fan of the insta love, but I liked the world building. 

Another thing I didn’t like was the event were bad thing after bad thing after another bad things, that was very frustrating. I do wonder what will the other books be about

Katharine Lumley

Georgiana.aysha

I looove it !!! 
A little predictable but amazing nonetheless!
The prince annoyed me at the beginning but I grew to like him. 
And I liked that their relationship wasn’t insta- love. You can tell when they started to care for each other and I loved that!

Lisa van der Heijden 

Nocturna promises to be an original LatinX inspired fantasy story. Although I really enjoyed listening to the audiobook, I must admit I feel a little bit disappointed with this book. Nocturna starts strong. I was immediately absorbed into the world and invested in the characters. The first few chapters gave me strong Caraval-esque vibes. After the collision of the two main characters: Finn and Alfie the plot unfolds. The story is fast paced, intense and sometimes gruesome. However, it never blew me away. There is a lot of build up but it never reached its potential. Most of the action sequences ended to be anticlimactic with Alfie and Finn escaping before a real confrontation with the villain was established. Furthermore, the power equality between the heroes and the villain is so big; it is ridiculous that two minors decided they could face this ancient dark magic. 

 I did really enjoy the characters. Their characterisation was accurate for their position in life. Finn as a thief was sassy, witty and a survivor, while Alfie as a prince was polite, demure and kind. Personally, I enjoyed Finn more because she has more life in her. Although Alfie has a hard time after the death of his brother, I wish he could feel more emotions than shame, anger, and guilt. Luca (aka bathtub boy) as Alfie’s best friend was my favourite character. The way the narrator brought him alive was amazing! He was hilarious. The villain in the story, in the body of Finn’s adoptive father, is extremely creepy and cruel. I have to give the author credits for that. The other characters were just figures on the background. I think this is a missed opportunity because I love reading about familial relationships. Lastly, the characterisation of the main characters was inconsistent sometimes. Their motivations changed without logical reasons and came back again. This made their actions sometimes hard to understand. 

Since I listen to the audiobook it is hard to comment on the writing style. However, I really enjoyed listening to it. This is mostly told from Alfie’s and Finn’s perspective and each change in perspective was really obvious. The narrator’s pronunciation of the Spanish words really added to the story and the way she said it made me understand the meaning of them. Besides, the anti-climax moments, I thought the story flowed well. The author definitely kept me engaged in the story and made me root for Finn and Alfie. 

The world building starts strong. The beginning of the book is very rich and atmospheric. However, when the main plotline of the story is revealed, the LatinX influence is reduced to tequila shots and sangria sipping. It felt like a generic fantasy world with occasionally the use of Spanish worlds. I really loved the magic system. It was quite interesting and well thought out. It combines elemental magic, spell work and people can be gifted with individual magic called propio. People with propio’s have moving shadows. Is that not interesting? However, I think the author could have added more LatinX into the world by describing it more. For example, there is a festival going on. So the reason behind the festival, the festivity activities and the festive clothes could have been described. Since I am not very familiar with LatinX culture I cannot imagine how this would look like. 

In conclusion, I thought this was an interesting story. I loved the characters and the magic system. Although it did not blow me away, I was invested enough to care for the characters. This book has potential. Since this is a series, I hope the author adds more LatinX into the second book.

Roos Kuijper 

3,5 star

I feel a little conflicted about this book

Manon van Heumen

I'm not quite sure about this book. It didn't grip my attention, but in the end I sort of enjoyed it? So this is rated an uncertain 3 stars, but I do want to give this a reread.

Mekhala Rogers

So let me just start by saying that I was incredibly excited for this book. Latino based books are hard to find as it is and I was excited for this to become the breakthrough for Latino stories to become more popular in ya or even in general. So when I say I was disappointed and did not like this book I say it with a heavy heart. 

This book had me wanting to finish the story just so I didn’t have to read the horrible dialogue and be with these characters anymore. The plot is also something odd but I will get into that without being too spoilery. So let me just get right into what issues I had with this book. 

So in this world the magic system is based upon the words spoken and everyone’s unique specialty and blah blah blah. The author was able to incorporate Spanish in the book by making the words spoken for magic Spanish words. Very clever. Good job. However the dialogue for the characters was like English/Spanish. More so English with some Spanish words here and there to kind of give them a Spanglish feel. And yet for whatever choice the author made when coming up with the dialogue the work maldito was in every single freaking sentence that came out of every freaking characters mouth. It was so unnecessary and ugly. Spanish is beautiful and surely can be better spoken then that , come on.

And I’m putting this out there for people to agree or disagree with me but this book is very similar to another magic, prince , thief story that we all know and love......... did anyone else get A Darker Shade is Magic vibes from the book.? Like without spoilers , the characters are similar, the plot and even the ending... just putting that out there. 

So to conclude this rant/review if you are like me a young Latino adult who was hoping to have some representation with fantasy characters in the book.... I don’t think this is our time yet. Words like WEPA and speaking Spanish is not enough. I needed my culture as a whole to be here. Dancing , food , family, pride and love. If I had to put on my label on me and my Latino brothers and sisters that would be it and I didn’t get any of that here.

Nocturna

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