Nocturna

By: Maya Motayne

Narrated by: Kyla Garcia

The first in a sweeping and epic debut fantasy trilogy—set in a stunning Latinx-inspired world—about a face-changing thief and a risk-taking prince who must team up to defeat a powerful evil they accidentally unleashed. Perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi, Leigh Bardugo, and V. E. Schwab.

To Finn Voy, magic is two things: a knife to hold under the chin of anyone who crosses her…and a disguise she shrugs on as easily as others pull on cloaks.

As a talented faceshifter, it’s been years since Finn has seen her own face, and that’s exactly how she likes it. But when Finn gets caught by a powerful mobster, she’s forced into an impossible mission: steal a legendary treasure from Castallan’s royal palace or be stripped of her magic forever.

After the murder of his older brother, Prince Alfehr is first in line for the Castallan throne. But Alfie can’t help but feel that he will never live up to his brother’s legacy. Riddled with grief, Alfie is obsessed with finding a way to bring his brother back, even if it means dabbling in forbidden magic.

But when Finn and Alfie’s fates collide, they accidentally unlock a terrible, ancient power—which, if not contained, will devour the world. And with Castallan’s fate in their hands, Alfie and Finn must race to vanquish what they have unleashed, even if it means facing the deepest darkness in their pasts.

Enthralling

Once you are hooked, you can’t escape! Love the plot twists and surprises. Can’t wait to start Oculta.

Loved it!

I’m loving all of the new fantasy stories set in Mexico/Latin American inspired worlds that have been coming out lately! This one was another winner released on 05/07/2019 that I’m very grateful I saved a credit on Audible for! I won’t be doing a longer review for this one but for a short & sweet version: a prince meets a thief & they go on an adventure where they find freedom, and true loyalty and love in each other.
5/5 stars for both story by Maya Motayne & narrating by Kyla Garcia!

Not for me

The narration is what helped me finish the book. The magic system and world are fine. I didn’t feel any real sense of urgency even though it was constantly being said how dire the situation was. Things just happened to work out so I never found myself wondering, “How will they get out of this?” The romantic interest also just happened. It wasn’t long before the two were borderline angsty with no real set up.
It would have been cool to see a truly morally gray character as well. The gray characters were just good people with bad things in their past they atoned for without much of an arc; we as the reader met them after they’d witnessed or done bad things and were already trying to be better people. There was one character I was interested in learning what would happen and her conclusion was disappointing/ an easy way to just be rid of something that no one wanted to try to make sense of or understand.
If you’re looking for an easy listen with minimal stakes, this is it. Not bad, not great, just ok. Maybe it’s also better for younger audiences. Will not be reading Oculta.

Thrilling Story

This story was filled with magical storytelling and real life emotion. I personally enjoyed the incorporated Spanish terms that made room for connections to my Latino heritage.

A rare treasure

Nocturna is an amazing book and performance. I would summarize it as "inventive, beautiful, and surprising." The setting, the magic, the people are all so well-described and well thought out. I look forward to experiencing more from Maya Montayne.