3.5 stars

“We all carry good and bad within us, light and dark. That is what makes us human. And remember, no matter how far into the darkness we may fall, it is never too late to seek the light.”

Firstly, welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Nocturna by Maya Motayne. The wonderful people over at Hodder and Stoughton contacted me and asked whether I would like to take part in the blog tour for this book, they sent me an ARC of Nocturna in exchange for an honest review. I just want to say a huge thank you to those over at Hodder that gave me this fantastic opportunity.

The synopsis for this book instantly drew me in and I just knew that I had to get my hands on it. The premise of a shapeshifting thief is something I certainly haven’t come across before and automatically I was hooked. I find that lately a lot of fantasy series are very much the same, the magic system and the world is so similar and I have started to avoid picking up books due to this. Nocturna appeared to me to be completely different and something very unique which is why I jumped at the opportunity to be part of this blog tour.

If you have read my reviews before you will know that I love a strong, sassy, female protagonist. Finn was definitely one of those. I absolutely loved her character from start to finish, she made me laugh so much. I found that the character building surrounding Finn was fantastic and I really felt like I got to know her the further into the book that I got. I feel that the different POVs that the author portrays whilst telling the story really helps to build that relationship further. I don’t know how I feel about Alfie, I like him but I didn’t love him. There was something missing from him that didn’t draw me in, I found that in parts he frustrated me and I before I knew it I would be rolling my eyes at some of the decisions that he made. Thank the lord for Finn aye! This isn’t a criticism of the book in the slightest, it is just my personal opinion on the character. Whilst on the topic of characters, I would have loved to have seen more of Luca who was very much present but a secondary character. I’m intrigued to see how the plot in relation to Luca develops.

The world and the magic system was very unique and I love how Maya managed to move away from typical YA Fantasy elements and put her own spin into the world. I did really enjoy this and whilst reading I didn’t automatically think of another fantasy based book which is something I find myself doing often. The only real criticism I have about this is that it was a slow burner and at times I found myself wanting more action. I suppose with it being the first in a series you can’t really expect it to be full on action packed when there is a new world, magic system and character to introduce. Maybe I am just being impatient? The whole thing just really intrigues me which means I just felt like I wanted more and more. Perhaps, I should calm down and wait for the second book. Did you know I can be very impatient? I’m working on it. It was a really easy read for me to read, which is what I enjoy most, however at points it was a little to easy for me to put down which left me slightly disappointed.

I am sold on the next book in the series and I am looking forward to seeing how the story develops. I am very excited to read more from this world and watch the magic system and characters develop.

A big thank you again to Hodder and Stoughton for giving me this opportunity and sending me out an advanced copy of Nocturna to read.

So before I go, I suppose there is only one last thing left to say …

MAGIA PARA TODOS!