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Interested in Nocte, but not sure if it’s worth reading? Say no more! The following review about dark YA book Nocte is honest and should help you decide.
Title: Nocte
Author: Courtney Cole
Pages: 319 (paperback)
Point of View: 1st person (predominantly Calla)
Genre(s): Young Adult
Instalment: Book 1 in The Nocte Trilogy
Calla, an eighteen-year-old girl, lives with her twin brother, Finn, and their parents in a Victorian-style house on a mountain. A little creepy? Maybe. Only that her father also works as a mortician in the funeral home just below their bedrooms. Growing up around the dead, both twins suffered from bullying in school and ended up with only each other as friends. Calla and Finn are two halves of a whole and the prospect of one of them leaving the other is terrifying for both. Calla can’t let Finn attend a different college than her, because she knows he needs her. After all Finn has been suffering from a schizoaffective disorder since he was in kindergarten and still screams for her whenever he’s afraid. Finn can’t drag Calla down with him, he needs her but he wants her to live a normal, fulfilled life (especially after their mother’s death).
Only when Dare DuBray, dark, mysterious, and sexy, appears and Calla seems to have a special connection with him does Finn regret his decision to let his sister go. Finn needs to save her before she can save him.
You’re going to cry ugly tears
Nocte is dark and creepy and something I’ve never read before. It starts with the foreword of the writer where you are warned that this book is dark and she’s confident you’re ‘capable of putting [yourself] back together again when it’s all over’. That note sets you right into the mood of Nocte. You’re suspicious of every scene, almost to the point where you are holding your breath because you know that something big is coming, something that will reveal all the secrets, mysteries, and questions you ask yourself throughout it. And when that time comes you won’t be prepared for it. Even though I’ve read a book with a similar twist before, I did not see it coming at all. You are going to cry ugly tears throughout this heart-wrenching climax. And honestly, I had to take a moment when it was all over to just sit and process.
Dark and twisted
Admittedly, it felt a little like they skipped the last round of edits, because there are a few sentences where a word is missing or Cole inserted the wrong one. However, despite the occasional typo you still understand what the sentences are supposed to be. Cole also seems to be a writer that likes telling more than showing when it comes to the obvious.
Nocte is written mostly in Calla’s viewpoint, but we get the occasional glimpse into Finn’s mind as well and those are quite dark and twisted. This novel gives insight into how fragile and protective our minds can be when threatened. It also had such a strong supernatural feeling to it somehow that I wouldn’t have been surprised had Dare turned out to possess some sort of power.
“By night, I am free. No one hears my monsters but me. My freedom is fragile, though, because every morning, over and over, the night is broken by the sun. It’s a good way to die.”
Delightful chemistry
The chemistry between Calla and Dare is sizzling. I actually struggled with categorizing Nocte, because there are some steamy bits in here, but settled for Young Adult, because of Calla’s age and the vibe it gives off. So, be warned if you are not looking for some sizzling romance. For everyone else: enjoy! 😉
If this review of Nocte whetted your interest buy the audiobook here: Thalia | Amazon USA
