Nocturna (Forgery of Magic, #1)

by Maya Motayne

Fates collide and darkness is unleashed in this lush, own-voices Latin-inspired fantasy, perfect for fans of Tomi Adeyemi, Leigh Bardugo and V. E. Schwab.

Magia Para Todos; Magic for all.

To Finnian Voy, magic is two things: a knife to hold under the throat 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 she 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.

To Prince Alfehr magic is an escape, but one that comes with a price. First in line for the throne after the disappearance of his older brother, Alfie is desperate to find him and bring him home, even if it means dabbling in forbidden magic.

And when Finn and Alfie's fates collide, they realise magic can be other things too, and the type they accidentally release into the world is something neither expects, or understands.

It's hungry.

• ISBN10: 147367591X
• ISBN13: 9781473675919
• Publish Date: 2 May 2019
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 3 February 2021
• Publish Country: GB
• Imprint: Hodder & Stoughton
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 480
• Language: English

Reviews

[tweetybugshouse]

A face shifting thief, a prince with a magical doorknob that leads him where he wants meet up as the prince is desperate to find out what happened when his brother was sucked into a void. Add in bathtub boy as our thief love to calls him and you have the makings of a very interesting story. This story boasts that it is Latinx-inspired which is a first i think for me or at least a first where the blurb points it out. In this book the magic system is all bout your propio which can develop apparently at anytime in your life but usually around age 11.

Our thief has the ability to mold her face into any face and also to mold others, our prince can change his magic to mimic others magic. Our prince is on a quest to find his brother who was sucked into a whole by a dark propio of darkness. Also their something with your shadow as well that tells about your propio but i not quite sure i got what that was.

Our trio are thrown together in an impossible task not by choice but by circumstances i so glad i choose to read this now so it be fresh when book two comes out later this year. This is a unique magical story that will hook into your heart and will have you begging for more. Excellent story

[thepunktheory]

Full review on my blog!


Oh, this was delightful!
First of all, the setting was really cool and the world-building spot on. It's nice to have a Latin-inspired kingdom for a change. Motayne also peppers in some Spanish words, which was super beneficial for me as I started learning Spanish last year.
The magic-concept introduced in Nocturna is also pretty interesting and different enough from other books that I was super intrigued. I'd like to know more about it, so I hope there'll be another book!
I enjoyed that Maya Motayne managed to get to the point rather quickly without first introducing her world for 300 pages. She still managed to get her idea across wonderfully so the world-building wasn't comprised in the least.
Nocturna is the kind of book you don't want to put down and you'll finish in within three days max. It features lots of interesting plot twists and the story is smart enough to keep you on your toes.
Although there are little hints at a love story I really appreciate that she didn't actually go there. Honestly, there is nothing that I find more annoying than those unnecessary yet inevitable love stories (or even worse: love triangles) you usually find in this kind of book. So, big thumbs up to Motayne for being different!

My first Fairyloot book!

EDIT: Comments about Latinx inspired problems are deleted.

Next problem, the story is very similar to A Darker Shade of Magic by VE Schwab. Finn reminded me of Lila after a few chapters, and as the story progressed, more similarities came up. I am not that sure anymore if the magic system is similar, but the story itself is. I still liked it, but I understand why people are complaining about it, because it is way to similar and not as good.

The story is interesting, the world is pretty well developed compared to some YA novels, and the magic system actually has limitations, yay! The last books I have read, did not bother with a proper magic system unfortunately, it just existed. I couldn’t bring myself to care about Alfie that much, but that might be just me. I never really care about the main character of any series. I loved Finn and Luka! They felt better developed than Alfie and had more interesting backstories, especially Finn. I was also quite surprised about the darkness and grotesque things that were suddenly displayed in this book. I wished our main characters had been more shocked after finding the bar in that state. It would have been more realistic to see some actual shock on them afterwards as well, but in true YA fashion they went on with their lives, focussing on love yet again. This book might not have a romance in it, it is hinted at annoyingly often.