ARC review-

I enjoyed this book so much. It was a really beautiful blend of adapted history, romance, fantasy and so much drama. It was such a unique concept and not like anything I’ve read before. It was super fun to read and I recommend it to anyone that likes the romance of Paris and balls and the opera, and wants a fun fantasy book with drama and secret criminals and deception.

I really enjoyed this book it took a refreshing outlook on a criminal mastermind book. With the setting being placed in a historical contemporary Paris it was an original read which followed a well derived storyline.

I wanted to love this book as the underlying concept is clever .In this alternative world there is a mixture of magic and reality people where inherit specific skills which are held in the form of the gem. There are multiple different potential skills that a person could inherit. These include the ability to be a good designer a singer or an actor or more straightforward such as a good organiser. The gems were originally found in mines underground and generally held by wealthy members of the population who passed them down to their children after they die. The story focuses on a young girl Cleodora who lives with her sister in the family dress making business her sister has inherited the ability to design clothes but the main character Cleodora has not inherited any skill and the business has fallen on hard times

When her sister becomes unwell Cleodora falls under the influence of a criminal group run by Ruthless older women. She gives Clora a gem carrying the skill of being able to sing beautifully but in order to keep this she must steal skills from other people.
Where I found the underlying concept interesting and potentially there were lots of different places that the story could go I nevertheless had some difficulty understanding the main characters motivations and found their interactions with other people inconsistent and confusing.

I did feel that the story was inherently very cinematic and might work very well as a film or TV series
I read an early copy of the novel on NetGalley UK. The book is published in the UK on the 10th of October 2024 by dialogue books/Renegade books.
This review will appear on NetGalley UK, Goodreads and my book blog bionicsarahsbooks.wordpress.com. After publication review will appear on Amazon UK.

The setting, an alternative Paris in the 19th century, was what I loved the most. The story is interesting but I missed more depth in everything like the plot, the characters, the romance. The Opera thing was good tho.

Oh my god, I ADORED this book.

It had me hooked from the first page; I couldn't put it down and ended up reading it in it's entirety in a day.

For me, it read like a happy fusion of A Fragile Enchantment and The Crimson Moth (which I am NOT complaining about, as I loved both of those stories. So this one is like an even happier medium for me). I liked this alternative take on magic in a YA fantasy; I thought the concept of magic , or "Talents", being fused into stones was really creative and fun. I also thought it worked really well. Yes, the magic wasn't fully conceptualised, but I would forgive that as it's: a YA romantasy novel, and is also not an epic fantasy. Therefore, I think it can be excused for the magic system not being fully fleshed out. It didn't hold me back from enjoying the story; I understood enough for the story to sweep me along.

I also, to my utter surprise, enjoyed the love triangle aspect. I am usually not one for love triangles; my delicate heart can't take all of the split romantic focus, I need ONE person to root for - I can't take any more! But, I really enjoyed it in this book. I liked that she fell for both the mark and the marker (is that a word, in this sense?); I do like, sometimes, when the protagonist falls for the villain. It just makes it exciting.

Something that I very much enjoyed about this book is that there is a lot going on. That might sound silly, but the story doesn't just stick to one theme; there's romance book, a heist, regency/manners, action and adventure, magic, opera. There are a lot of different elements that work really well together to create a magical story.

This book also underlines for me the fact that I really enjoy heist books - who knew?!

I really, really hope that this develops into a series, I would truly love for the story to continue!

Set in a French city in the late 19th century, this magical world revolves around talents bound to a person through blood and a gem. We follow Cleodora, a talentless, orphaned girl who gets an offer too good to be true: medical help for her sister, a gem and a singing talent but in return she has to do anything asked. Even if it means she needs to betray, steal and lose the ones she loves with everything she values.

I really enjoyed this magical world. It’s easy to understand the rules and makes for great opportunities in the story. I loved the opera, singing and sewing details which shows research/genuine interest from the writer! The writing is fluid and fast paced, maybe a little too fast for my liking. The characters were likable but I would have like to see much more of them, thus felt shallow from time to time. It made it harder for me to bond with them.

The romance, in this case the love triangle, was hard for me to get into. Dahlia gave me the creeps with her manipulative ways. It was never a love triangle for me. The romance is lightly spiced and exactly right for a YA book!

Please take in consideration that this is a bi love triangle. It’s not really clear when reading the blurb. I don’t mind but there might be people that do mind.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I had no idea where we were going for a long time (I’m a ‘here for the ride’ reader) though there might have been some hints. When I hit the 80% mark the finale was there and everything fell into place. I love it when that happens! High stakes, betrayal, intrigue, fashion, balls, opera, all there!

Last but not least, I want to thank the author Adi Denner, the publisher Dialogue Books | Renegade Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for a honest review. All opinions are my own.

I quite enjoyed this book. I seen the twists coming and the romance wasn't very deep but I still was invested enough to keep reading and find out how it ends.

I like that Cleo is a flawed main character. She initially gets caught up in Dahlia's plans to save her sister, but soon finds herself in over her head. The elite/nobles are mainly made up of people with Talents and I thought this magical system was quite interesting. Especially with it now being quite rare and passed on to family through inheritance most of the time..

Dahlia is easy to hate but I also quite like a villain and she was probably the most interesting character, I think there was potential to dig into her character a little more as I would have liked to see more of her. This is also true for Nuriel - The Vicomte - as I tend to quite like characters with his traits so would have liked a little bit more.

Overall though, I liked this book and I rooted for Cleo to get out from under Dahlia's clutches and have a HEA.

Thank you to Netgalley, Dialogue Books, Renegade Books and the author for the review copy, provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

Got to around 36% but wasn't struck by the plot or entertained by the characters even before that unfortunately. I tried and thought it might get better but I just couldn't get into it. The writing is done well though.

The Kiss of the Nightingale is a unique and richly crafted fantasy. In a world where only people with a Talent are respected, we follow talentless, orphaned Cleodora as she fights for her sick younger sister by doing a deal with the leader of an illicit market.

I loved the atmosphere and the idea of the magic system in this book, though I do feel we could have been given more world building and information around the Talents. I did also enjoy the high stakes and the drama. The romance was a little disappointing - I was expecting more tension and also for Cleodora to feel more conflicted between Dahlia and Nuriel.

Overall this was a good read, and something a little different! Thank you to NetGalley and Dialogue Books for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this book!

Cleodora live in 1890, Lutèce, a City famed for its Talents. People have talents passed down to them, through family lines, giving them generations of knowledge through magical gems they wear. And if you don't have a Talent, well, what kind of life can you have? Cleo is one of those Talentless in the city, living in a city that ignores her as what can she turn out when she has no talent. And as she is trying to provide for herself and her sick sister, she looks to desperate measures.

So when someone offers her a Talent for singing, to become the most famous opera singer in the city, how can Cleo turn it down? But she never really thought about the strings that will come with such a position, and what will be wanted in return.

This was a wonderful story, and I hope there will be more to come in this world.

I really enjoyed this book. The story was fast paced and kept me on my toes throughout.

The magic system was so interesting and unique. I liked that the magic came as gemstones, and that each colour/type represented a different skill. However, It would have been nice to have more insight into them, especially with the mines. How they came to be etc.

I usually take a liking to main characters, but in this book, I liked most of the side characters instead! Yes, Cleo did what she believed was right, but she was incredibly naive. And I gravitated more towards characters like Jose, Renee and Nuriel. They embraced the things they liked, and supported others around them.

The world building was absolutely wonderful. It really felt like it was set in a historical French setting. Especially with all the parties and theatre. But also with the lower class area, and with that physical representation of a river separating the two sides of the class structure. The theatre was everything I had envisioned a historical French theatre to be, and it really scratched my musical itch. It was refreshing to read a historical fantasy that wasn’t just about a shady heist. It was really fleshed out beautifully.

I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed this book, and would love to read more from this author in the future.

Thankyou to Netgalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Bridgerton fans and YA readers, this book is ideal for you.
Cleo, who is the MC, is given a talent in exchange for something wicked.
This is a world of talents, and this immediately creates tension.
Cleo has her own familial struggles too.
Here is the breakdown of my thoughts:
1. The mood, the opera references and the setting are cool.
2. The overall system did not appeal to me due to having many questions about the logic of it, but this is subjective and it might be appealing to others.
3. Unfortunately, the MC does not display much agency and its her POV.
4. 5 stars for the inclusive representation.
6. Some good themes.
7. The romance subplots did not get to me much.
8. The writing is mostly engaging.

The book was quite interesting. I liked that I encountered enough elements that reminded me of the Phantom from the opera and all the suspense hidden behind society. The worldbuilding was exceptional and the author has a special style of conquering the readers. Another special aspect was the love triangle. I really didn't expect something like that and it made me even more curious. The ending was the cherry on top of the cake, that kept me breathless. Thank You Netgalley for the chance of reading this book.

A unique, electric, fantasy romance. I loved Cleo and the various twists and turns with the plot. It is very reminiscent of Dangerous Liaisons, with a magical heart. Dahlia was so captivating and interesting and Nuriel was so noble. I hope to read more from this universe, because I greatly enjoyed it.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

The Kiss of the Nightingale was a surprisingly fun, fast-paced historical fantasy! I enjoyed the magical elements and thought it was an interesting play on the standard magic system.

I really liked Cleo as a main character and the queer twist was unexpected joy! The romance between Cleo and Dahlia kept me hooked and I always enjoy the drama of a good love triangle! I do wish we could have had more from the romance and been able to develop a deeper connection to the main love interests. I feel like that was a missing link, but I still liked the wider cast of characters and seeing Cleo navigate this new world.

The resolution was very quick and wasn’t as intense as I would have wanted. However, it still had a satisfying conclusion. Overall, I feel this story didn’t quite reach its full potential, but I still enjoyed this quick and easy read!

The plot;

Cleo lives a seemingly lonely and struggled life. Bound to her sister who is painfully unwell whilst struggling to afford food and medicine, she will do almost anything to find a way to cure her. When an attempted theft goes sour, Cleo is thrown into a world of Opera and power. Learning to navigate a lie whilst singing for people all over, she must decide whether love or wealth is more important.

Essentially, certain families have gems in the form of jewellery that allows the wearer to possess power which they can use to their benefit. I loved that!! It seems so original and really gave a magical element.

I didn’t love Cleo, I found her quite boring and timid with a lot of self doubt.

I wanted to love this ARC and truly, I did love the first few chapters but I wasn’t excited by the ending. I suppose it was the cover and blurb that truly enticed me and I don’t mind the odd YA from time to time either.

3.75 ⭐

“The Kiss of the Nightingale” is a ya fantasy romance standalone written by Adi Denner. An intriguing and dark book, embellished with bewitching, elegant and evocative prose. A novel that captivated me from the very premise (and also because of the gorgeous cover!) and in the end I enjoyed it a lot.

The story takes place in the seemingly glittering town of Lutèce, an alternative version of 19th-century Paris. A place dominated by the possession of magical gems, which bestow on their owners enchanted talents that include a huge variety of skills, such as sewing, singing, cooking, and more. These gems are passed from one generation to the next by the families who possess them, through blood magic, and are of enormous value since no new gems have been discovered in years. Those who possess a gem belong to the aristocracy, while those who do not possess them are called Talentless and destined for a more difficult life. I found this world building, the concept of gems and talents extremely interesting! Sure, I felt numerous gaps in the explanations, some things left me puzzled, but overall I found it really intriguing! The luxurious atmosphere between masquerade balls, opera performances, lavish estates and much more, won me over with its vivid and detailed descriptions!

The narration proceeds fast and briskly, amid deceptions, subterfuges, lies, secrets, manipulations, alliances, betrayals, attempted thefts, and much more. A captivating story that absorbed me completely, without moments of boredom or heaviness. I admit that I sensed several convenient situations, various plot holes and a general haste, besides having guessed the various plot twists in advance. In the end, however, it entertained me very much, so I am happy. 

The characters are perhaps the element that convinced me the least. I don't know, with the exception of Cleodora, the main character, they seemed a bit superficial, a bit detached, and this prevented me from fully bonding with them. The romance as a result suffered negatively and the love triangle didn't help. Basically, I'm not a fan of the love triangle, at least not unless it's really well developed, and in this case, unfortunately didn't satisfy me.

All in all, “The Kiss of the Nightingale” is a ya romantasy that, despite its flaws, I enjoyed a lot!

Thank you to the Publisher and NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Overall I really liked this book. You get into the fast paced story very quick and all the plot twists and drama basically force you to not put the book away because all we really need is answers haha. The romance was done quite well and enemies to lovers is one of my favourite plots out there so it was a win! I wish it was a bit spicier but that's really just personal preference.

This book is classy and gives such a Bridgerton vibe. I really liked the unique magic system and how easy it was to get into. The characters are likeable and their challenges drive the story. It has so many interesting twists to the story that it keeps you reading and I am hoping that it is the start of a series! There were a few formatting issues with the kindle download, sentences were shifted down to the next line in the middle of a sentence but those are hopefully easy fixes which didn't detract from the story. I would have prefered a spicer scene to round out the enemies to lovers trope, but I will be recommending this book! 4.5 stars.

Oh my goodness. Have I found the new book of my heart? This had everything I love, all combined in one beautifully written book. I found this absolutely captivating from start to finish and had such a hard time putting it down - one morning, I nearly missed my train stop because I was so engrossed in the story! The Kiss of the Nightingale has the most delicious drama, yearning, and scheming. And a bisexual love triangle? An unexpected and so very welcome treat to this bi reviewer. The Kiss of the Nightingale made me nostalgic for my days studying classical voice - it reminded me of the most fun parts of opera. Cannot recommend this book enough - a far more detailed review is in the works for my blog. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this in advance!