I do believe this is Adi's debut novel (I have found some anthology/short story work).

I have been so looking forward to this one, and I love the beautiful cover.

This was a book of two parts really; there were good bits and some not-so-good bits. But first, the positive.

She has created such a vivid setting that you can practically feel yourself walking streets. You get such a sense of space. I can't say I got a huge sense of time, but in terms of setting, it was perfect.

It reminded me slightly of Anne Corlett's The Theatre of Glass and Shadows, which I read earlier this year and was utterly fabulous. This had that same type of beginning, it drew me in and I struggled to tear myself away.

It's historical, fantasy, romance, and adventure, and there's most definitely a sense of Phantom of the Opera about it.

Now for the slightly more critical parts.

I must say I enjoyed the characters more than the plot. That's not to say that the plot is all bad, but at times the characters well and truly took over. The plot at times seemed lacking. It was an interesting premise, but it didn't go into much depth and so sometimes - I know it's a fantasy book and so doesn't necessarily need to be realistic but it still needs to be realistic in its own context - it felt a bit too farfetched.

I would say on the whole the pacing is right. Some bits are faster and some are slower than others, but I think it balances out eventually.

Cleo is our main protagonist. The breadwinner, "head" of the household, trying to keep a roof over their heads, help her sick sister, run her family shop., and she'll do anything to manage that. But soon "anything" becomes dangerous. Sure its a life of riches, bespoke gowns, diamonds, servants, carriages; but when it's at the expense of your family, freedom, and independence, it can be a burden. There's many other characters, her sister, her equals, her servants, strangers, love interests, and curious souls. They're all interesting and work well off of her.

The romance parts of it probably felt the weakest for me. Instead of being inspired by Phantom of the Opera, at times it felt more like a fanfiction, because there wasn't much depth. I wasn't rooting for the romance much, and I felt that these supposedly grown-up, mature characters had reverted back to being a bit naïve and childish and so I wasn't taken in by their love stories.

Overall, I would say I enjoyed it but I wasn't wowed. A beautiful cover and an interesting premise. A conflicted protagonist who I really got absorbed in, and well written settings. But it needed a bit more finesse and depth and a bit of tidying up. Having said that, I'd say for me it's a solid 3 stars (I've seen reviews frrom 2-5 stars so it's definitely personal taste), and I would recommend it particularly to those new to the romantasy genre.

I have to be in the mood to read fantasy books. This one certainly got me in the mood and kept me there, in fact "The Kiss of the Nightingale" by Adi Denner has certainly become a guilty pleasure to me. I found it similar in style to Stephanie Garber's "Caraval" series and thought the concept of Talent was very clever.

I got totally immersed into this book full of magic, romance and history - a very similar story to Phantom of the Opera though. But there was plenty to grab my attention and it ended up being a very quick read. Thoroughly enjoyable.
Many thanks to the publisher for an early copy.

A refreshingly difl. I lovferent fantasy loved the idea of talents and how they worked. I also liked how the class system was portrayed. Lots of twists and turns to pull you in. Loved it

Overall, I found the book to be a very interesting read. The magic system and how talents work intrigued me at the beginning, but I felt that the story was slow and became boring at times. As a result, I couldn't fully engage with the world building.

Overall, I did enjoy this book, I just found it a bit confusing at times. It is full of twisty turns, plus phantom of the opera vibes.

Thank you to the author Adi Denner, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book.

I was asked to review this interesting book by NetGalley.

Interesting with the connection with the Phatom of The Operas story I really enjoyed this and read in one sitting - I was captivated with Cleodora and the romance element.

Recommended read.

I was immediately intrigued by this book from it's cover and the blurb.

I liked the idea of the talents and how they work - I found it to be a unique system that I haven't seen before, which made it really interesting. Despite finding it hard to get into the story at first, I persevered and ended up enjoying it, although I found the pacing difficult at times.

Overall, I would recommend this book.

This gave me phantom of the opera vibes … the poor girl with “ talent “ something passed through generations mixed with bridgerton at times it was just a bit “ dull “ but all the same a good solid story

The concept of this book was an intriguing one and initially I thought this was going to be a great book. However, throughout the book I just wanted more. I think the author has a tremendous talent (no pun intended) on storytelling, however, the plot was so similar to that of Phantom of the Opera, I was a little confused as to why it wasn't described as a Phantom of the Opera retelling? I love a good retelling of an existing story so I think that would've made all the difference for me. However, it kind of felt like it was ripping it off without giving the proper acknowledgments? I did like the magic system but I think it needed more detail and history to really round out the world-building. All that being said, I did enjoy this novel and I think lots of other people will too. Denner does an incredible job of creating a wonderful atmosphere and the story is immersive, I was just left with a feeling of wanting more. I would say give this book a chance to see what you think of it.

The kiss Of The Knightingale is a YA Fantasy Romance written by Adi Denner

Synopsis: This book follows Cleo a nineteen-year-old who was believed to inherit her father’s tailoring talent, however when he passed the magic went with him. Set in a world where talents are detrimental and are gifted from generation to generation through blood magic. Magic, love and betrayal hold more than one knows.

Firstly the cover is very captivating, and certainly made me curious. The storyline has similarities to Phantom Of The Opera and Powerless. I really enjoyed the operatic side of this book, I have never read a book like this and it made the whole storyline even more compelling. The description of the characters costumes and outfits is incredibly deserving of all the praise, in my eyes Denner beautifully detailed the outfits within this book with elegance.

Main Characters:
Cleo - Strong willed and willing to do what is best for her sister.
Nuriel - Arrogant yet charming in his own way
Dahlia - Seductive temptress of darkness

One thing I will say is that I would have liked to have seen more interactions between Nuriel and Cleo and deepen their connection and seen their feelings develop further. There are elements of a love triangle which adds tension between characters.

I feel as though with the ending, there could be potential of another book. It leaves you feeling captivated and in awe of what could be, yearning for the story to continue.

Heavily influenced by opera and music, A Kiss Of A Nightingale takes you on a journey of passion, desperation, deceit and betrayal.

Thank you to the Publisher & NetGalley for allowing me to read this as my first ARC for an honest review.

Dnf at 36%. I tried twice with this book and the world building left me struggling on both occasions. Unfortunately it isn’t for me but can see the appeal it holds for others. Has a good idea just not the right execution for me to enjoy.

I really tried getting into it, but I guess it wasn't for me. Strange because I really do like the themes of this book. Maybe when it's published, I'll give it another try.

This book was interesting, not entirely my vibe when I got started as I wasn’t the biggest fan of our MC, overall I enjoyed the setting of this book and the fantastical elements

Thank you net gallery and Dialogue Books for the arc it was 3.5 stars read for I don’t love it or hate it was good it was interesting it’s about 19 century Paris had phantom of the opera vibes some suspense and mystery and bit of magic I just wish they was more character development

I really enjoyed the premise of the book, set in an alternative Paris rich in art, music and fashion.

While I found the MC, Cleo, a little brash and even bratty at times, the strength of her relationships with the other characters, both romantic and familial, were one of the strongest themes of the book.

I would recommend to anyone who enjoys romance and fantasy.

1890 Lutèce Talents are precious gems that give their owners skills beyond belief. The most elite talents however are claimed by the
aristocracy, passed down through generations by blood magic. Cleodora dreamed of inheriting her father's talent of tailoring but when he died, his magic died with him leaving her with a gem less ring and empty promises. The dress shop is going under and her younger sister, despite inheriting their mother’s talent, is ill and bedridden.

One day she meets Lady Dahlia Sibille. Dahlia offers Cleodora a singing talent and with it a chance to save her sister and rewrite their lives. Cleodora is sucked in but there's catch she needs to steal a talent from the Lenoir family. Cleodora however is entranced and annoyed by the handsome Vicomte Lenoir who is nothing like she expected. His teasing and smiles win Cleodora over but is she willing to give up everything that Dahlia gave her for freedom with Vicomte? Or is magic the only gift that counts?

This book from the off was enchanting, so beautifully written and has intriguing characters. There has been some people saying it has Bridgerton vibes but with underworld and magic thrown in but having never seen that show I cannot comment on that but what I can say is I have really enjoyed reading this book. It has sapphic romance, opera, fashion houses and magic. 4.5 star read and I look forward to reading more by the author.

1890 Lutece were Talents rule and give unparalleled skills to their owners. Cleo and her sister have been left orphaned - her sister received her talent as a designer from her mother but her father died in mysterious circumstances before passing on his talent as a tailor to Cleo. She is given the opportunity to receive a singing talent by Lady Dahlia Sibile in return for becoming one of her talent thieves.

Cleo is bewitched by Dahlia and her new life as a member of the elite even coping without contact with her sister. She becomes the Lutece Nightingale and is given her first task - to steal the mathematical talent from the Lenoir family.

Vicomte Lenoir is nothing like she expected and their growing attraction makes her task impossible to accomplish. Caught between Dahlia’s hold on her and him, Cleo is forced to decide what she believes in and how to honour the memory of her parents.

I found the book hard to get into. However I raced through the last third. Interesting characters and I liked the concept off ‘Talents’ but I was not riveted.

In a world where you worth is determined by your Talent, Cleo gets a chance to have one and save her sister at the same time. The opportunity is too good to pass up but is it worth it? She faces a world full of deceit and lies but her sister's health comes first and she quite likes the fame and fortune it brings her.

Cleo is an extremely likeable main character, one who is flawed but her heart seems to always be in the right place. She is fierce and strong and I couldn't help but root for her throughout the novel.

Adi Denner's writing style is wonderful; it flows amazingly and this fast-paced novel is packed with love, heartbreak, lies, hope and found family. I found myself completely enthralled in the story and I'm so glad I requested this novel to read.

The Kiss of the Nightingale is a fantasy period heist story revolving around Cleo, daughter of a tailor and inheritor of an ailing sister and a failing buisness. Her father died without leaving her his "Talent" - a magical cheat book to mastery in a particular subject. Out of desperation, Cleo attempts to steal from the wealthy to save her sister. Caught by the mysterious "Daliha", Cleo now has one chance to save her sister - take part in Daliha's scheme to steal a precious Talent.

I thought the writing style was detailed and thorough and really gave me a clear idea of what was happening. The characters are well-developed and the mysteries intriguing. Loved the romances presented! My main gripe was with the pacing in the story, it's a bit all over the place.