The Nocturnals (original 2022; edition 2022)

I thought this was a promising novel. The premise was great, but at times it felt a bit strung together. I guess this is Montoya's first novel and so maybe she's still learning the tricks of pacing and plotting. Also her style seems heavily influenced by YA writers, but the tone perhaps not. Despite this her work is original, her characterisation pretty decent, and I would definitely give her another chance because there was enough in this to show that she has a lot of potential. ( )

Very fast read. Suspenseful plot and interesting characters kept me turning pages. I would love to have more stories from this world. ( )

LibraryThing Early Reviewer copy.

I went back and forth, back and forth in my head about whether this should get three or four stars. If I could I would have settled on 3.5 but I think it did enough to warrant 4 stars.

I don’t have a lot of experience reading science fiction. Truthfully with my less-than-stellar memory for basically anything I read, I find it hard for science fiction to hook me in because of all the new words and characters being created. However, I really like this concept of long drawn-out days and nights and the different creatures that can and cannot live within them.

This book would have gotten a firm four stars from me if the setting would have stayed in a natural setting for the entire book. I really like the idea of a world that is very similar to ours yet completely different because of this interesting rotation of day/night. The ending felt a bit abrupt.

Although the characters didn’t have the depth to them where I felt as though they are my acquaintances, I liked how all the characters’ backgrounds wound together like an invasive vine.

The writing felt a bit clumsy for me at the beginning of the book but as the story unfolded, it read a lot smoother.

Although my review doesn’t seem like I am raving about this book, I did feel like I wanted to be reading it when I was doing other activities, a requirement for four-star reviews! It would make a fantastic movie.

The ‘About the Story’ at the end of the book was also lovely. ( )

I received a review copy from Library Thing. This author is new to me. But, WOW, just wow. I read this fast. I shall reread it.
It is, to me, a dystopian and apocalyptic mix. The characters are well developed. Most are likable. There are ones you will hate. That is a perfect storyline to me.
Imagine a planet that rotates different than ours. And days and nights last 30 years. That is the premise.
I highly recommend this story to all. I truly want everyone to read it. ( )

While I found the synopsis intriguing, I kind of expected this book to fall short. Thankfully, it did not. The world-building was great and the storyline kept my interest. I didn’t always love the characters’ choices nor the budding romance between them but those are complaints I have about a lot of books, especially non-romance books that make the hero and heroine fall in love - it always feels shoehorned in, like the relationship happens because of lack of options. I did like/appreciate the little twist this one was given though. I felt that the book could have been extended a little more if only because it was hard for me to really feel the seemingly decent passage of time during the events. And I was irrationally annoyed by everyone calling the vehicles “steeds”. But those are all just personal niggles. Overall, the book was engaging, interesting, and unique. I enjoyed it. ( )