Oculta by Maya Motayne continues the journey with even higher stakes and deeper character development. The plot picks up with more political intrigue and shifting alliances, keeping the tension high. The world expands in exciting ways, and familiar characters face new challenges that test their loyalty and resilience. While the pacing can be uneven at times, the emotional stakes and rich cultural backdrop keep the story compelling. It's a strong sequel that builds on the foundation of Nocturna, offering both surprises and satisfying moments for fans of the series.

Oooops! Didn;t realise I hadn't updated my review for this one! It was one of my most anticipate releases at the time and luckily it didn't let me down!I really enjoyed Nocturna but this was even better than book one!

THAT ENDING WAS EVERYTHING!

I love this book so much, the writing is fantastic, the depth is amazing and it has such a great vibe surrounding it.

After having really enjoyed Nocturna, I've been highly anticipating the sequel. } was excited to finally read it, but unfortunately, I really struggled to get into it and I didn't find it quite as engaging as the first book. This is very much a personal issue I often have with SFF sequels, so I thought it best to put the book down and not continue it.

I was so excited to get a copy of Occultation . I think this series has some of the best worldbuilding I’ve ever read , it just feels so real. The writing is amazing and so atmospheric, the characters are brilliant, quick witted and complex. I loved returning to this world, Maya knows how to get into your emotions I didn’t realise until reading this that there was a next book coming and I’m so happy, that ending was so so much and I can’t wait for the next. Thoroughly recommend this series!

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

I remember really liking the first book in this series. I also liked this one but i felt a bit lost. This is on me as i didn't try to refresh my memory before going into book 2 and i'd forgotten most of what happened in book one. I still think Maya Motayne can write good stories and i'd like to keep reading what she comes out with in the future.

Oculta by Maya Motayne is the second book in the Forgery of Magic Trilogy. Following up on 2019’s Nocturna, this continues the story of Alfie and Finn as they grapple with the consequences of what happened in the first book. Finn finds herself reluctantly leading a gang of thieves as she is thrust into the position of thief lord, while Alfie has to thread his way through court politics and diplomacy as the Englassen royals come to visit the Castellan court for peace negotiations. Together they are once again drawn into a huge conspiracy… I didn’t enjoy this sequel quite as much as I did the first book, I found it dragged at times and I struggled to keep myself focussed. There are parts that I loved – the introduction of tattoo magic was brilliant, but others that were a bit too on the nose for my taste – some new characters were introduced only to betray the main characters in ways that were rather predictable. It also felt like the twists the book took were either entirely forseeable or not foreshadowed at all. I prefer revelations that are unexpected but make sense in retrospect, and I felt like that wasn’t the case with this. I’ll probably still pick up the last book in the trilogy, even if Oculta suffered from middle-book-syndrome.

This book starts a few months after the events of Nocturna and we see that Finn has left and travelled while also committing a whole host of high end robberies and Alfie is now the crown prince and has accepted this role and is committed to serving his people. They are both leading their own paths and yet their minds wander back to each other and I was LIVING for it.

This book is unapologetically Latinx and I loved it! The culture, the clothes the food the language, just everything was so wonderfully Latinx. We also see the royals from Englassen in this book who are colonisers and while Castallan is now free from their enslavement we can still see the generational trauma and how much of their history was lost because of it. The people of Englassen are still enslaved by the white people there so it isn’t even something that is a distant past. It is something Alfie and his people can still see happening. It was so painfully real to read at times but Maya dealt with it so well and called out the micro aggressions that people of colour still have to deal with even now. It reminded me of a lot of the things I would have to smile and tolerate at my previous work place and the white privilege people benefitted from but refused to acknowledge.

When Luka calls a white woman’s skin mayonnaise colour after they are spoken to in the same way I just had to stop for a minute because it was a lot to see it being called out so clearly in the book. I really appreciate how these discusiions happen in the book and we see how Alfie, Luka and the others have to tolerate a lot of it because they are trying to build a peace treaty with them. We also see those who are opposed to this because they do not want anything to do with the colonisers in their home country. Both sides have valid arguments and Maya leaves it up to us to decide what our own opinions are.

I loved seeing Finn and Alfie work together again and how much they cared for each other but refused to acknowledge it because of who they are. The tension and angst is built so wonderfully through the book and by the end I was literally screaming at them to accept it already! They both had such great character growth too, individually and together. We see Finn battle with her own demons and finally overcome them and Alfie becomes the leader he needs to be for his people.

I also loved seeing more of Luka and how much he has had to endure and how he changed because of the events of Nocturna and the guilt he feels but also his relationship with Alfie felt so real. They fight they disagree yet when they need to they are there for each other. I also loved that the King and Queen are present and a part of Alfie’s life. They are great parents and deeply in love and it was such a nice change to see that in the book.

The last 100 pages and the ending left me a MESS. I am still not over all the revelations and plot twists some of which I did not see coming at all even though when I think back the foreshadowing was there and I was shook. The way this story ends left me with the worst book hangover and I absolutely need the next book asap because the wait is going to kill me.

Everyone go read Nocturna and Oculta!

This book was a difficult one to get into. I was curious following Nocturna - it had so much promise but didn't smash it out of the park for me, so i went into Oculta wanting answers.

I got these answers but I think the writing isn't for me - it felt too familiar to other books for me to truly appreciate it. A good place to start for those new to YA

Another absolutely incredible novel by Motayne. I loved returning to this world, as it has one of the coolest magical systems I have ever read about. The characters are so easy to adore, and they know how to get your emotions going. The ending of this book leaves so much to get excited for in the next book, and I'm terribly upset I can't devour it immediately. I highly recommend this series!

I enjoyed Nocturna but Oculta was such an improvement. I think it might be to do with the fact we saw the characters interacting with other characters and it wasn't just centralised on Finn and Alfie. But whatever it was I loved it!

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes YA, a very fun and action-packed book. Makes you want to keep turning the page!

An epic & worthy follow up to Nocturna. This series deserves far more praise. Perfect for fans of Zoraida Cordova and Adrienne Young

I stupidly requested this one as a way to urge myself to read Nocturna that has been on my shelves since it first came out.

However, I'm finding myself struggling to read Nocturna and don't think I will be getting to Oculta any time soon.

I will update this when I finally get around to reading it!

Thank you for the opportunity and sorry!

If I liked the first volume, Nocturna, even though it didn't blow me away, I didn't like this second volume at all!

Alfie and Finn haven't seen each other in months.
Alfie is preparing to become heir, while Finn enjoys his freedom from Ignacio traveling.
However, a new leader is set to take over and Alfie and Finn are once again forced to work together to preserve the peace of Castallan.

My question is a simple one...did we need all these pages, when the whole thing could have been solved with half the words written?
Did we need Italian or Spanish words thrown in here and there at random?
I'm Italian and it's like I'm now "scrivessi qualcosa in italiano così a caso."
In the first book, I had found the writing style to be very slow, almost making it hard to get going. Same thing here.
Especially when it's a lot of pages and the story isn't grabbing you, getting to the end seems like an unreachable goal.

Just as in the first one, I didn't empathize with the main characters. It's like they're missing something.
By the way, I just learned that there will also be a third book, I will read it to conclude the series, but I think I will wait quite a while after the release before starting it.

2.75

TWs: PTSD, hallucinations, mentions of past childhood and domestic abuse, blood, mild gore, panic attacks, suicidal ideation(like, in a roundabout way), depression, mentions of alcohol abuse.

Oculta is the second book of the A Forgery of Magic series by Maya Motayne, and it picks up almost immediately after the events of Nocturna. Sombra, the shadow-God, is defeated (for now, *wink wink*), Alfie is officially the crown prince and he’s not fighting this position anymore! He wants to do good for his people, and fill his brother’s shoes, sure, but as himself!! MY BOY EXPERIENCED GROWTH, Y’ALL! And, Finn, of course, is just off galavanting, messing rich people’s lives up (communism, but also not, you know?), freaking out over a new development in her proprio (yes remember those peter pan shadow thingies? Insane right?) and missing Alfie and denying it very very very adamantly (idiots in love>>>>>> Every Other Trope).

Everything is not sunshine and rainbows, however. Alfie is trying to mend the relationship between his kingdom and the colonizers, and this upsets his people. Understandably, so. But he has good intentions and no one is truly willing to listen. Also, remember the bull-tattoo thing we kept seeing in the last book? Turns out they’re a group called Los Toros (yes, on the nose, i know) and they’re back to fucking shit up for the royal family, and they start by murdering people on the council in favour of this peace summit with the Englass. They also show up where Finn is and steal the Cloak of Invisibility from her, and now she’s back on her way to the Capital to warn Alfie.

Basically, the white people are coming back, there are assassin murderers roaming free in San Cristobal, Finn is a thief leader now (OH YEAH THAT HAPPENS BTW), and the gang has to band together for another week of shenanigans so that chaos does not descend on their very recently saved world again.

As with the previous book, this one is also just...so unapologetically Latine. The world is still just as colourful and bright, and coming back to it just felt so amazing! We are still talking about colonization - even more so in this book what with the peace summit being a very central plotline - and we are condemning it while acknowledging the generational trauma it wrought and it’s just..call it a bias, but, MAN, when Luka called that white woman’s skin mayonnaise coloured, I had to set my kindle aside to For A Moment, you know?

I’m just a big fan of Maya Motayne’s writing at this point, to be honest. I love her world-building and love her writing style! It balances the intricacy of atmospheric writing, with the sharp, quick-wittedness of her characters so well and I just always get lost in her stories and stop thinking about things completely! Which is great for me as a reader, but horrid as a reviewer, because I have to vague it like a wild woman but OH WELL! Anyway, yes, the writing style is not overly flowery, but it’s also so perfectly atmospheric and immersive and you’re lost in this very classical fantasy vibe of it all and it’s just a very fun, enjoyable time all around the table!

In addition to the colonization aspect of it all, this book also explores the themes of grief and guilt, identity and how prolonged abuse can mess with that so much. Finn’s entire arc is her overcoming this influence her adoptive father has on her, and doing it while understanding how to define herself as an individual outside of him and his years of abuse. I know it’s not easy, in real life, to just be able to do that, but her journey is still really impactful, in my opinion, because it kind of shows you that it can happen. Even if it’s not That Easy.

Luka and Alfie, on the other hand, have to deal with grief and survivor’s guilt, and losing their sense of self amongst it all. Again, their arcs are a little compact for them to be “realistic”, but, I still think they were really well done, and they had a very positive impact on me, and that’s all I can say about it, really. Also, Luka has a more prominent role in this book, and I honestly just enjoy him so much! He’s just a fun character to have around and he’ll do insane shit and it’s just SO NICE!!

As with the last book, Finn and Alfie were again, so goddamn adorable! They’re really just, like, absolutely moronic about their feelings for each other which just makes the book 100x funnier and angstier all at once, and it was such a fun ride! Seriously, Idiots In Love>>>>>>>>>Any Other Trope!! TRUST ME!!

Plotwise, this book has a lot going on, but also it doesn’t really feel like it. It’s not all that unpredictable, but all this information is very interestingly placed so it’s kind of fun to see how the characters approach the problem that they have in front of them. I loved Finn’s Madre of the streets plotline A LOT, and would’ve loved more of that. Here’s hoping there’s more of the whole thief gang thing in book three! Also Alfie keeps having these weird nightmares and magic operating problems throughout the book and they are not addressed because of Reasons That Will Shock You (Or Not)((Not Clickbait)).

My only complaint with the book is that, I DID NOT KNOW THAT THERE WAS A THIRD ONE COMING WHEN I STARTED READING IT HELLO???? So imagine my surprise when I got to about 80% of the book and realized there was just A Lot Going On, and then I looked the series up on Goodreads just to reassure myself, but GUESS WHAT? THIS IS A TRILOGY AND IT ENDS ON A CLIFFHANGER SO???? HELLO???????

Jokes aside, this book was one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it did not disappoint! It was a delight to read, and I cannot wait for the third book!! It felt so so great to be back in Castellan with Alfie, Finn and Luka and I’m so happily looking forward to more!!!

Just as amazing as the first. I loved every second I spent reading this book. It was exciting, fast paced and an amazing sequel.

I got an ARC from netgalley if the book Oculta by Maya Motayne for a honest review.

I liked the first book of this series, but second book didn't really catch my attention as much as I had hoped it would.
It's a fun story, with a romance story that is some what classic in stories the prince and and thief.

The story in it self is entertaining, light and at times fun. But it's just not enough for me at this point. I like the magic idea and the story setting bit it just wasn't enough. So there for my rating.

In all honesty, Oculta suffered a little bit from two things: just how much I remember enjoying Nocturna and my changing feelings towards YA fantasy since then. While I still really enjoyed the book — and the ending had me on the edge of my seat — I had to force myself to pick it up at times (although I did really enjoy reading it once I’d done that).

Oculta opens a few months after the end of Nocturna, with Alfie and Finn back in their respective lives. The events of the book centre on a peace conference, between Castallan and Englass. But not everyone wants the conference to go ahead, and a series of murders force Alfie and Finn back together to investigate.

What can I say about this book that I haven’t already said somewhere about Nocturna? Firstly, I think this series has some of the most immersive worldbuilding I’ve read in YA fantasy. Everything feels real, and tangible, in a way that I don’t often feel I get in YA SFF. And it does so without too many periods of infodumping. (Although, to be fair, I have a tendency to skim those anyway these days.)

And then there’s the characters. I loved Alfie and Finn in the first book, and I adored them just as much here. We also get to see from Luka’s POV, finally, in this one, and I really enjoyed that extra dimension to it all. That being said, I’ve never seen Alfie and Finn as romance potential (personally, of course), so when it started getting romantic between them, I was a little bit bored. Like, I love them individually and as friends, but I don’t love them together. I’m aware that’s likely just me, though.

The best part of this book, however, was the ending. It was the perfect ending to stop you short and make you maybe swear out loud. The kind of ending that makes you wish desperately that you weren’t reading the series as it released, but already had the next book on hand.

So this review is a big, massive hint that you should read these books. Right now, preferably.

An excellent sequel to Nocturna.
Loved the storytelling, the characters and the world building.
I found it entertaining and gripping, highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I am in pain.

I went into Oculta curious but nothing else. I enjoyed Nocturna, especially its magic and characters, but found the plot to drag a bit at times. But from the get-go, I knew Oculta was different. I was hooked from the first chapters and finished the last 75% in one sitting.

I loved it. The story is fast-paced, intriguing and kept me on my toes the whole book although my theories about the ending came to be true. Moreover, just as the first book did, I fell in love with Motayne’s characters all over again and got literal heart palpitations reading about Finn and Alfie and seeing the way their relationship evolved. I loved it so, so much.

Finally, I have to say that Motayne is a magician. Her world and magic are genius and she managed to avoid the fearful curse of the second book, which tends to be the weakest in a trilogy, more of a filler than anything else, and made Oculta a masterpiece that delves deeper into this world and characters while supporting its own plot. It’s brilliant.

I cannot wait for the third book and have no idea what Motayne has in store which makes me even more excited about it all.