4.5 STARS

OMG you guys what an a amazing debut! I loved this book, I was gripped from the start and loved the energy and pacing of the story. I really enjoyed the chemistry between the two main characters and their love/hate relationship. I normally struggle to get humour in books but there was alot of "banter" between the characters that I enjoyed, especially finn's blunt sense of humour. I do wish there had been more world building as I struggled envisioning the surroundings within the story but this book was highly enjoyable and I cant wait to read more from the author.
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Also I know there have been alot of comments in other reviews in regards to the author copying the story from other authors books (mainly V.E.Schwabs darker shade of magic trilogy) but I haven't read that series yet so my review is based on my enjoyment of this book alone.

Same review also published on Amazon and goodreads

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of Nocturna by Maya Motayne. I've voluntarily read and reviewed this copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Magia Para Todos: Magic for all.

Nocturna is a story about a prince and a thief.
After the disappearance of his brother, Prince Alfie is the remaining heir to the throne. In his belief that his brother is still alive, Alfie continues searching for him with the use of forbidden magic. Finn is a thief and a talented faceshifter when she gets captured by a mobster and her magic gets blocked, she has to infiltrate the palace and steal a magical object in order to get her magic back. When Alfie and Finn's paths cross and they accidentally release a dark magic into the world, they must work together to stop it.

I was very excited to read a Latinx inspired world and Nocturna delivers it beautifully. The writing is captivating and the characters of Alfie and Finn are characters full of dept. I was immediately drawn to them and their banter. One of my favorite parts is when Alfie explains the color of his and Finn's magic.

The magic system and the storylines were interesting but felt very familiar and too similar to A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab which made for a predictive and not-so-original- story. That's why I give Nocturna by Maya Motayne 3.5 stars. I hope that a sequel will bring something unique and different to the world of Nocturna.

Nocturna is a YA fantasy filled with lyrical prose, a beautifully-crafted latinx-inspired world, and strong characters. The magical system is really interesting and clearly explained. There is plenty of action keeping the story fast-paced throughout. Highly recommended to readers looking for a fun YA fantasy with a unique story.

At first, it was refreshing to see a fantasy book set in a latinx world which have such a vibrant culture to being with. But as I continue reading, the negatives began to pile up and outweigh the positives. Nocturna has glaringly obvious similarities with Shades of Magic series, that hits too close to home and made me uncomfortable to read it. The characters aren’t enjoyable to read either due to their immature behavior and hurtful banter. The story itself felt too long; without any originality, it’s hard for me to stay invested with the story. Ultimately, Nocturna has a lot of potential but it failed to live up to any of it- except the world building.

DNF at 53%

Thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for the Advance Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

I am going to admit to being shamelessly shallow here and say that the main reason I requested this book is because the cover is gorgeous. It's touted as an #ownvoices YA novel with a Latinx inspired world. Sounds pretty cool huh?

This book has two main character points of view, a thief called Finn, and a Prince called Alfie. Straight away I couldn't get over the main character being called Alfie. ALFIE. It doesn't help that he's a bit of a drip. Finn is slightly better but rather too similar to another female thief from another series that shall remain nameless.

The glimpses we saw of the world were quite interesting, but I felt more could have been made of the world building. There were clear nods to Latinx cultural markers that I'm sure those from those cultural backgrounds will appreciate. There were also some themes explored around colonialism and the magic system was quite cool.

Overall this book was ok I guess, but there wasn't really anything new or different here.  The story didn't really grip me and I didn't care about the love story at all. The author probably achieved what she wanted to, and the target audience will probably really appreciate it, but the plot and characterisation weren't enough to hold my attention and reading it felt like a bit of a chore to be perfectly honest. It also suffers from being very, very similar to a similar series and suffers for it as unfortunately, it is not nearly as good.

I honestly, truly enjoyed reading this book. The writing was refreshing and the whit shown by Finn was everything this book needed. The plot was continuous and never eased up from the page 1 to the end. The characters were so unique of one another but needed each other to be truly complete, they worked in perfect unison.
The ending was truly precious and I love that it didn’t fold to conventional expectations of boy meets girl and saves the world then lives happily every after. The relationship within this book was more then simple enemy turn lovers, it was about understanding how another person can not only complete your heart but give you a place that feels like home. It was about developing a deeper level of respect for one another.
My only let down we’re a few ‘saw that coming’ moments and I felt the reason for releasing Sombra’s magic a little weak.
On this premise I have the book 4.5 stars. It was a great read from start to finish with characters that I fell in love with and as I closed the book I couldn’t help but hug it to my chest and smile.

Thank you to Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book, there are some intense moments and great characters which kept me reading well into the night!

Once I started this book I could not put it down! The story was intense and fast paced and action packed! The characters were all great too and I especially loved Finn! The magic system was really interesting too.

The only thing I wish there was more of was the Latinx culture. One of the reasons I was so interested to read it was because it was a Latinx inspired world but I didn’t feel it was included as much as I would have liked.

The magic system where each characters propio is different depending on what they needed it to be and how a significate event triggers their power. It really shows how different each of the characters are.

Finn is my favourite character in this book. She has such a great character arc and seeing how much she grows and learns to believe in herself and become more than what she has been constantly told she is was so great to see. She has had a difficult life and has been told she is a monster her whole so much so that she thinks she is. She is so complex and morally grey and I really loved that.

I really loved how Alfie believed in her even when she didn’t believe in herself and how she helped Alfie through his grief. It was really great to see characters supporting each other.

Alfie is has made some selfish decisions while grieving for his brother but he does accept that he needs to move on be the king that his people need. I did find him annoying at times when he wouldn’t go to the people who could have helped him instead trying to fix it himself.

I also really liked Luka, who is Alfie’s cousin, he is adorable and I wish we got to see more of him. It was so nice seeing how much Alfie loves him so much that he puts his life above the kingdom. I am also interested in seeing what Luka’s new abilities will mean for him the next book.

The villain in this book was actually pretty terrifying and we get to see a lot of his backstory through Finn and Alfie and it just made me hate him even more. The way he tried manipulating Finn and Alfie by showing them their worst fears, it was horrible to watch them go through it. But I did love how both of them started to work through them and overcome them.

I know this book is the first in a series but this book has a complete arc so I’m interested to see what will happen in the next book.

I was inspired by the note from Motayne at the beginning of the book, talking about how she didn't feel represented in this genre when she was reading it, which led to her writing a story for people like her to find themselves in. I think that's a sentiment echoed by a number of writers, in particular, diverse writers who have been so underrepresented in publishing in general but in particular in genre fiction. Thankfully YA fantasy is one of the places where, at least from my perspective, moves are being made - readers are demanding these books from the publishers and then supporting them when they come out. It's wonderful to see books like Nocturna being championed (and featured in Fairyloot boxes). 

With that in mind, the plot of this book didn't feel particularly new, at least to me, it very much felt like a Latinx-inspired YA fantasy novel that would sit quite comfortably along with books like Ash Princess. I actually felt a lot of similarities between this book and VE Schwab's Shades of Magic books. In some cases these kinds of books can feel quite stale, as though you're just reading a clone of another YA novel, but Nocturna is an example of writing that story from another cultural perspective, and writing it in such a way that people who have been sorely misrepresented and underrepresented in this genre have a chance to be the heroes of such stories. While this book has a lot in common with other YA fantasy it certainly holds its own and would be a great addition to any fantasy reader's shelf. 

This book, while it is just shy of 500 pages in the hardback, has a plot that takes place over just a few days - certainly the events that escalate what's happening occur incredibly quickly. It was a 'blink and you'll miss it' kind of a pace which, honestly, I didn't mind. I've got quite used to books like this containing lengthy journeys and months of plots and plans coming together so it was actually quite refreshing to read something where the characters had to act then and there and didn't have time to ponder the consequences. That's not to say that the plot doesn't have a huge amount in it - you get a number of heists and break-ins (and outs), disguises, near-death experiences, and a villain who made me truly uncomfortable - this isn't your average villain - he's VERY nasty (and that's such a profound understatement). 

I was also impressed that a romance that builds across such a short period of time could still feel like a slow burn. Motayne manages to pace that extremely well so that it doesn't feel instantaneous but instead feels pretty believable. Rarely do I want more romance between characters after a book is done but I was pretty set on needing to know what happens next with these two. 

While we're on the subject of relationships, I thought that this book portrayed some really nice (if not always totally healthy) friendships between boys - something that I rarely see done well in YA fantasy. Alfie and his childhood friend, Alfie and his brother - it all felt realistic and non-toxic (for the most part) and I was pleased. 

Overall, I think this is a book that YA fantasy readers are going to love. It's a great setting, a great magic system, great characters - it's great. I think this is a smashing success of a first novel and I can't wait to see what's next for Maya Motayne.

My rating: 4/5 stars

I received a free digital advanced review copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I requested Nocturna for review because it’s a fantasy with a thief and a prince accidentally unleashing an evil power, set in a Latinx inspired world – it just sounds amazing.

In reality, it’s ok. Not brilliant but it’s not trash either. It’s lacking in world building and the story and characters are kind childishly done but the writing is ok and there’s a lot of fun ideas. My attention drifted though, I couldn’t focus on it and I put it down about halfway through and read about 6 other books before I found my way back to it.

I liked the idea of the clock tower prison but when it came down to it the intimidation factor it should have had, it wasn’t there. Finn and Alfie got in and out with no issues and the prison feel just wasn’t there. I couldn’t picture it at all.

A lot of the things written into the plot felt like they were there for convenience instead of world building. The duenos in the clock tower for example, they had no real role or place in the story – the rules around their existence weren’t solid enough to be able to understand them. I feel like the author only added them so that Alfie had someone to impersonate.

I love some of the ideas around how the magic works and the way Alfie can see magic as coloured auras. But again, these things didn’t seem consistent. What the characters could do and the way their magic worked changed as the story needed it to.

For what is actually a very dark story a lot of the plot and the characters felt quite childish. The story just wasn’t exciting or real enough and the banter was cringey instead of funny with Alfie, Finn and Luka often sounding like they were all 12 instead of older teenagers.

I appreciate having main characters in the story that aren’t perfect, both of them here are a long way from being the sort of saintly saviours I can’t relate to, but I just can’t stand Finn. She’s not nearly as funny and not half as smart as she thinks she is. Wisecracking smartarses I can deal with but they have to be amusing to read and Finn’s not, she comes across as childish and irritating and for an amazing thief everything she did was a disaster. If I’m supposed to believe she’s a master thief I need to see her being awesome, her character doesn’t work if she has to suddenly start being crap at everything for plot reasons.

Another thing that really annoyed me was the way everyone in it was either full of darkness or full of light. People aren’t that basic; there are shades of grey in everyone and more of that ambivalence would have made this book feel less flat than it does. The dark magician doesn’t seem to have any motivations either, he is just full of darkness and that’s it, he does bad things. I like books where you can get right into the minds of the villains and if not sympathise then at least understand them. They are often more interesting than the good guys and can bring a book like this to life.

There is a lot of good stuff here but it wasn’t enough to hold my attention. I found that I didn’t want to keep reading it and I was picking up other books instead of going back to this one. Altogether it feels rushed like the characters haven’t been fully worked out and the setting isn’t rich and lush or developed enough. It has potential though because the ideas are good and the writing is decent I feel it just needs more time spent on the basics.

I waited a while before I wrote this review so I could make sure of how I felt about it. First up, the synopsis had me super excited for this story! The idea of face-shifting alone was intriguing, even without the Latin-inspired elements.

I’m gonna get my one big gripe with this story out of the way with first though – the world didn’t feel all that different? Other than a lot of Spanish phrases it felt like it could have easily been your run-of-the-mill fantasy. But at the same time I can’t exactly penalise the book over that, because I love fantasy regardless of the inspirations behind it. It would have been nice to have a stronger Latin influence over it though.

The story itself is pretty much a light vs. dark, good vs. evil one with a couple of strong characters along the way. The three main ones are Finn (the face-shifter), Alfie (the prince/king-to-be) and Luka (the bff of Alfie). I really liked Finn’s character because she’s quite a morally grey type, and Luka was basically an adorable sweet thing I couldn’t get enough of reading about!

Alfie though… I know they’re teenagers, I get that… but he whinged quite a lot. I love how Motayne portrays him dealing with grief and I think she really handled that side of his character well, but when he royally messes up I just found myself rolling my eyes whenever he insisted on not going to the person who could have helped from the beginning and probably saved a lot of hurt along the way. He basically came across as way too proud to admit his fault and although it gave an interesting story I just found myself really struggling to like him the further along the story got, I wish we saw more of Luka.

I did really like the villain in this story too, he was pretty terrifying but in a built up way where he was given a rich back story that made you hate him all the more. He’s a little too much a particular Marvel villain but then if you liked that villain you’d like this one so it’s not the worst of things!

The ending confused me a little because it’s wrapped up in a way that feels final, but at the same time I’d love to see more of the world so I’m happy to read further books in the series. Overall, this is a pretty strong debut.

I really enjoyed this YA fantasy book. It has a Latin setting, and I never read a book with that setting before. It was rich with history and this culture, which I loved.
I also loved the magic system, characters and the villain dynamic.
It was a bit slower at times, but overall very enjoyable read.
I'd recommend to YA fantasy readers for sure.

This was a beautifully written tale, full of magic and adventure that had me enthralled from the first page. I loved Finn and Alfie,the two main characters, and became quickly invested in their stories. I particularly like Luka as a character as he had some hilarious dialogue that transforms otherwise serious scenes into something more light-hearted and I would love to see more of him in the rest of the series. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoyed A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E Schwab as there are some elements of the plot that are similar. This book was also a Latinx inspired fantasy, which I had never read previously and really enjoyed.


Thank you to Hodder & Stoughton and NetGalley for providing an advance copy for review.

I love VE Schwab and Leigh Bardugo so was really looking forward to this read. It has elements of ADSoM in a character very similar to Lila, as well as themes from Six of Crows (such as a break-in/break-out scene - my fav!). It's not quite as good as either of those books, but it's still a fun read. The story is fast-paced and full of magic. I felt the world-building of magic wasn't quite as clear as it could have been (there seem to be two strands of magic, one integral, one additional and I wasn't sure in what way each was different). But I'd definitely read others in the series.

This is set in Latin America, where in the 1st chapters the Prince Alfie participates in a card game to win a book that will help him create a spell to bring his brother back from the dead. It doesn't go according to plan and he ends up teaming up with a shape shifter called Finn who is also a thief to get rid of the evil he has unleashed.
An overall great read with good magic system that shows both dark and light aspects.
Felt slow at times and may b a bit much for younger readers but a must for fans of YA fantasy.

Nocturna by Maya Motayne is a book right up my street, when I read the description, I knew I had to read it. This Latinx inspired book really gave off a beautiful feel. It is rich in magic, and who doesn’t love magic? Dark and light. The two main characters are from different worlds, Finn a chameleon master thief, who is on the run from her past and Alfie a grieving prince, are brought together for a common purpose, to defeat an ancient power accidentally unleashed to save a life. I have to admit, this book had me hooked from the very beginning. I would say, it I is a very strong debut by Motayne, and I cannot wait to read the next in the series. If you like YA fantasy which includes a complex history between countries and magic, give it a go. You won’t be disappointed.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. With a fantastic and fresh magic system, and a story line that keeps you hooked until the last few pages.
There were parts of the book that I felt dragged slightly, however, the overall plot was enticing enough to keep me hooked. and I thoroughly enjoyed both the main characters.

A face-shifting thief, who steals more than just food and coin to survive but also the faces of those she meets, and a prince, with a magical doorknob to lead him directly to wherever he wants in the world, combine in an unprecedented interweaving of fates.

The former, Finn Voy, seeks to escape the dark shadow dominating her past but finds herself with a new foe to duel with, when she aligns her plight with the Prince's. Prince Alfehr is not concerned with ruling the kingdom but only in seeking the brother who was stolen from him and now considered dead. He disbelieves these rumours and searches for answers in dark and forgotten magic. But instead of finding a brother returned he unwittingly unleashes an ancient magic, which seeks to take the kingdom and his people for its own.

This magic system, in this, is the most inventive and unique I have experienced for such a long time. The initial portion was a little dense, because of this, but Motayne ensured her readers were provided a proper basis in which to understand this complex system, before the action truly started.

I also loved both central characters. They were disparate in personality but both were aligned in the instant adoration I felt for them. Finn is an unapologetic badass whilst Alfie is a precious little cinnamon roll, and seeing these polar opposites interact provided some hilarious incidents that nicely offset the surrounding tension. Their dialogue was sarcastic as they continually sought to test their wits against each other and both proved stubborn and spiteful, at first. These feelings slowly thawed, as the novel progressed, and this was one of the best instances of enemies to lovers I have seen documented.

The only slight mar in this otherwise stellar read was the slightly stodgy pace, I have already mentioned. However, the unique magic system, intriguing world, and authentic characters all made this undoubtedly one fantasy book to keep on your radar, for 2019, and ensured Maya Motayne a future auto-buy author for me, from now on.

I really enjoyed this , the characters were good, a really good mix of personalities and I really enjoyed the story, it diverted a bit at one point and then seemed to be resolved suddenly but on the whole it’s the only criticism I can make , not a major one. Well worth your time and lovely to read perspectives from a different culture we don’t get to see much , hopefully this is the start of much more.


Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

Lots of potential, but it went unrealised.

At first, this seemed like it'd be a 5* read. Then it dropped to 4. Then 3. By the end, it's hovering around a 2.5 for me. I found that after a strong start that drew me in, the story got weaker and weaker and more boring, too. A major plotline from the premise seemed forgotten and then poorly "resolved" at the end, and I felt distant from the characters. I enjoyed Luka's chapters the most, but they were few and far between. Also, this is marketed as being a rich Latinx-inspired fantasy, but aside from a handful of Spanish words, it felt no different from every other fantasy. I was also let down by the lack of depth. A lot of the time it felt purely descriptive and distant, which was disappointing, and it dragged on with the same things happening over and over with the most compelling concepts being forgotten.

Also, this is the first in a series but it works better as a standalone I think. The book doesn't need a sequel.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Synopsis: set in a fantasy Latinx kingdom the book focuses on the characters of Prince Alfie who never wanted to be in line for the throne but was forced into that position after his brother's murder, and Finn a face changing thief running from the man who's always pulled her strings. When the two collide they accidentally unleash a terrible dark power and hold the fate of the kingdom in their hands.

I started off liking the premise of this book, but overtime I just went off it. There was nothing in particular other than that I really disliked the character of Finn who reminded me so much of Lila from ADSOM. But it just basically got boring, from about half way through it just felt like a rehashing of the same plot over and over again and a lot of telling instead of showing. I didn't feel any creeping interest of what would happen in the end and I don't think I would be interested in reading the next books in the series.