Nocte Paperback – November 3, 2014

When I finally sat down to write this review, I kept thinking back to the letter Courtney Cole wrote to her readers, a "warning" of what to expect in Nocte.Is this story dark? Yes, she said.I say...Eerie. Chilling. Instantly foreboding. Courtney Cole's words had the power to make the real world fade away and easily transport me to Nocte's version of Astoria, Oregon. Gray. Somber. Where waves break on menacing cliffs. Where a strange house stands isolated at the end of a winding, coastal road. The imagery often gave the novel a mystical, dream-like feel, then it would turn downright disturbing and spooky in a quick second. A gothic-like touch I wasn't expecting, but was fascinated by.Is it twisted? At times, she admitted.The two narrators in this novel, twins Calla and Finn, captured my attention immediately. Their world has been fractured by tragedy, by death. They are two voices portraying that emotional struggle, two sides of the same troubled coin. The way this author was able to bring that inner torment to life--the psychological twists--was incredibly riveting. What spilled out from certain chapters was darkly poetic. Ominous. And I never wanted to put this book down! The writing pulled me in completely and consumed me!Will it have you flipping the pages, trying to figure it out, trying to get to the climax, trying to breathe?God I hope so, Courtney Cole confessed.Yes. All of the above, yes. Suspicion festers from page one, and it doesn't go away. I was anxious while reading! Nocte was cryptic--so, so cryptic--and I loved how the author built up the anticipation, then carried that tension through every reveal, one after the other, methodically. Because things have to happen in order...With books like these, you can give yourself a headache trying to connect all of the dots, but Nocte had such a rhythm to it! Yes, it messed with my head. Yes, it made me constantly brace myself and wonder WHAT is going to happen next. But also, that tight grip on my heart and my mind would release at just the right moments, only to surprise and grip me all over again a few page turns later. It all came together with a beautiful flow and pulse!This was such an enthralling read! Tangled in the mystery and darkness surrounding Calla and Finn, there's also a tale of young, can't-resist-this love. Dare DuBray is a character in the story that Calla can relate to, someone to lean on. A seemingly ideal "escape" from her problems. Dare is a very thoughtful and enlightening character. Every scene or conversation was intriguing. The chemistry between Dare and Calla sparked instantly, but the relationship began as a slow burn. You could practically feel that current of electricity humming from the pages, the burn building. It was so hypnotic! He was something different and unexpected in Calla's life, but by the end of the book, you will realize that not all things are exactly as they seem...Will it slap you in the face?Absolutely, the author declared.It's like fire finding more oxygen to spread. It escalates until chaos erupts. The flame--while fascinating--is ultimately destructive. The writing was so evocative and so compelling throughout. There was even a moment when I actually flinched while reading. The truth? The secret we were teased with from the beginning? Wow. It turned my heart and my head upside down. I was stunned speechless by how Courtney Cole pulled it off flawlessly. That's what this book does to you. It happens to you. The emotions. The environment. The actions. You're experiencing everything.After all of the hype and buildup, there needed to be a spectacular bomb that finally goes off, and this author did not disappoint! The revelation is explosive. Shocking and heartbreaking, yet fulfilling, making so many pieces of the story come full circle. It's also an ending that left me begging for more! Since this is the first book in the trilogy, there is a cliffhanger, but I loved how it wrapped up one storyline and set up the next one perfectly. (Those last lines!!!) Book two, Verum, can't get here fast enough!!!This was outstanding storytelling, from cover to cover. Perfect setting. Captivating characters. Distinct voice. A romance as enticing as the mystery. All of the things I love about suspense were well-executed--the anticipation, the mind-blowing feeling after it's all said and done. When I finished that last page, I was shaking my head, awestruck. Then, I couldn't sit still for hours. I had been on edge, so wrapped up in Nocte's pages, that winding down was not an easy thing to do! I wanted to go back and read this again immediately, and I've only said that about a limited handful of books! This is on my Best Reads of 2014 list. No question. Nocte is a hauntingly atmospheric and cunningly crafted tale, a highly engrossing read from start to finish!

I absolutely loved the first novel. It was innovative,It was exciting, There was mystery, intrigue and action! book 2 and 3 were basically a retelling of this book over and over with absolutely no resolve, no conclusion. This book was great 2&3 left as click hangers very disheartened.

I appreciate to the point reviews so I will get to the point first.Is this a series? YES. HOWEVER...this book is so well written it's one that will stay with me a long time and one that I absolutely will not mind reading again before the next book in the series comes out.Is there a cliffhanger? YES and NO. Courtney Cole answers a lot of questions and leaves this in a good place. I don't feel like I was hung out to dry while waiting for the next installment. It's important to note here that I usually am "that girl" that waits for the second book to come out in any series before I read the fist. SO. NOT. THE. CASE. HERE. You will NOT be disappointed.Ok...with that being said, here goes...This book came out of nowhere for me. I follow several different bloggers and have read several of Ms. Cole's books before. What got me to read this was all of my fellow "Book Junkies" from Natasha's Book Junkie Club wouldn't stop talking about it. I asked the questions above and then dove in.Nocte is not something you will want to put down. I read it in my down time yesterday and found myself sneaking paragraphs here and there. I will most likely read this again when I have a larger block of time so that I can pick up anything I missed. This book has a lot of layers and even with those layers and clues, I don't think I would have gotten to the end on my own conclusions.Calla Price is an 18 year old girl that lives with her twin brother and her parents in their funeral home. Unconventional, right? Her twin brother Finn, has some serious mental health issues that Ms. Cole addressed perfectly. Calla is doing everything she can to help her brother survive. She loves him unconditionally and with everything she has. She is always there for him, trying to keep him on track. As she tries to save him from himself, we see their relationship and how deeply intertwined their lives are.Not too far into the book, Calla meets Adair DuBray (also known as Dare). He's a few years older than Calla and is mysterious and very much the gentleman. He's very careful with Calla. You can tell from the start that he has good intentions with her. Dare's character is amazingly complex and beautiful.The dynamic between Calla and Dare is sweet, confusing and beautiful. Ms. Cole does a great job of building this relationship between the two of them. She takes her time and the result is one that is jaw dropping.What happens in this book is nothing short of literary genius. I have read a lot of books in my time and this one by far is one of my favorites. It's the kind of book that hands down I will savor again and again.From the beautiful descriptions of the setting to the complete pictures that the characters are painted in, this book is perfection. I always felt like I was right there with the characters, in the small Oregon town. The setting is perfect for this subject matter.I cannot recommend this book enough. It's hauntingly beautiful and will leave you with the biggest book hangover. The hangover is well worth it and is total perfection.

Così l'autrice ci accoglie all'inizio del libro. Un'accoglienza così schietta e brutale che ho pensato: "Woah, qui ci rimetto la salute mentale". E tanto è stato.Oggi mi trovo in seria difficoltà, perché non so come parlare di questa storia senza farvi intuire qualcosa di fondamentale. Ci proverò, ma in realtà non vi dirò assolutamente niente perché NON POSSO.Vorrei raccontarvi di uno dei tre personaggi che mi ha destabilizzato maggiormente.F I N NÈ il gemello di Calla, la protagonista, ed è affetto da schizofrenia. He's crazy. Sente delle voci. Voci che sibilano e urlano nella sua mente.Voci che gli sussurrano cose terribili. Lo spronano a fare cose cattive.F*****iNonPuoiFareNiente. FeriscimiFiglioDiP*****a. NonPuoiFareNiente. SeiCosìF*****o. Feriscimi. Feriscimi. Feriscila. NonPossoFareNiente. UccidimiAdesso.Finn è inquietante, terribilmente. Eppure, c'era qualcosa che mi spingeva verso di lui. Pensiero dopo pensiero, cercavo di capire.Di capirlo.Ma sono stata così stupida, così cieca. Guardavo con occhi sbagliati qualcosa di sbagliato. Credevo che la mia mente fosse legata alla sua, ma non era così. La mia mente è stata raggirata.Lei non ti merita. Uccidila f*****a femminuccia uccidila adesso. Spingila giù dalle scogliere. Lecca le sue ossa. Lecca le sue ossa. Lecca le sue ossa.NonPuoiNonPuoiNonPuoiNonPuoi. Sei pazzopazzopazzopazzo. NonDirleIlTuoSegretoSegreto.Ho amato profondamente il suo rapporto con la gemella. È un legame così viscerale che ti si contorce lo stomaco. Perché lui sta mentendo.Perché è quasi giunto il momento,ma le cose devono avvenire in ordine.Solo perché non riusciamo a vedere qualcosa non significa che non ci sia.Ricordatelo. Ricordatelo. Ricordatelo. RICORDATELO.Mia sorella è miaQuesto è un romanzo in cui la tensione regna sovrana. È a ogni angolo, a ogni virgola. Potete sforzarvi quanto vi pare, NON CAPIRETE.O forse sì, ma non potrete fare niente.Più procedevo con la lettura, più l'angoscia era come un cappio attorno al collo che si stringeva sempre di più. Volevo sapere. DOVEVO SAPERE. Tutto. Ma in realtà non sapevo niente.Perché non stavo guardando bene.Perché non ho guardato bene quello che c'era intorno.E allora fallo.Ma c'è una cosa che non vi ho detto.C'è qualcuno che non ho citato.Perché tutto iniziae finiscecon lui.

I just finished this book last night and WOW. If you can look past some incorrect use of words, this is a must read. I have never had a book affect me the way this one did. It's difficult to explain this book without giving away the ending but it is different than any book I have read. I'm hesitant to read the second only because it will be awhile before book 3 is out. The four star rating (tried to do 4.5) is for the obvious editing errors.

Read this review along with others on my blog by following this link: https://bibliomad.wordpress.com/This book has given me more feeling than any I’ve read in a long time. I loved everything about it! The writing, the plot, the plot twist. Amazing.Portraying the story of Calla – who calls herself “one half of a whole” due to being a twin – Nocte is a fast-past, engaging story about love, loss, and the ultimate lengths our subconscious will go to to save us.The first thing I noticed about this novel is the beautiful writing. Each moment is written uniquely in stunning detail, submersing you into this world after the first paragraph. I was hooked after the first page, and couldn’t stop reading after that, simply because of how captivating the writing was.Personally, I love creative writing like Courtney Cole’s, because it helps to paint such a vivid picture in my mind, much more so than simplistic descriptions can. Furthermore, Cole was consistent with the beauty of her writing, not simply interjecting special moments where she saw it fit, but constantly writing in this style. This really interested me, and ensured I wanted to keep reading, explaining as to why I couldn’t put this book down!As well as this, the plot for Nocte is very original (from what I’ve experienced, anyway). Frankly, I’ve never seen anything like it! I highly recommend you listen to the synopsis – “A secret I’m so busy trying to figure out, that I never see it coming. You won’t either.” – because I really didn’t, and I’m usually good at predicting endings! Cole was extremely clever when crafting this novel, for – once I knew the secret – everything feel into place, and a previously confusing book was brought into a beaming light of clarity. Looking back, I can shuffle the pieces back together, yes, but I’m definitely not surprised I didn’t predict it.Another great thing about this book is the fact that it addresses mental illness. I find it very difficult to find books that discuss this theme well, but Cole definitely succeeded with Nocte.In terms of characters, I found Calla very likeable. Reading from her perspective was really interesting – because not everything made sense – but also really nice, because I felt like I could relate to her a lot. Her development was also really great.Dare was a little cliché, but he suited the story perfectly. He is so good to Calla, and it’s great to read about a relationship wherein the guy wants to take it slow, not the girl.Finn was probably the best character, in my opinion, in terms of development, and general character building. At first, I found him quite loveable, and felt for him with his mental health status. However, this soon progressed into chilling moments from Finn, and he – by the latter half – really began to scare me.This book is told primarily from the perspective of Calla, with a few interjections from Finn every few chapters. Finn’s chapters were always really short, but so captivating at the same time, for they were coming from an unreliable mind. Cole did really well to portray this, because it felt extremely real to me, and made me feel so many different emotions.Overall, this book is beguilingly dark and a real page turner, captivating me from page one, and not even releasing me at the last page. (I’m starting book 2 tonight!)I highly recommend this book to everyone looking for a unique page-turner that is deliciously dark and thrilling. 5/5 stars.

Wow loved this book! Love the story line, love how captivating it was. I just couldn't stop reading. Can't wait to read the second book. I love the way it was written as well.

Calla ha diciotto anni e da qualche mese sta accettando la morte di sua madre, avvenuta in un incidente stradale. Finn è il suo fratello gemello, che soffre di schizofrenia e deve essere costantemente monitorato. Suo padre gestisce una casa funerale. Durante l'estate incontra Dare, misterioso ragazzo inglese che inizia un po'a corteggiarla. Lei si sente attratta dai suoi occhi magnetici, ma contemporaneamente deve seguire Finn, onde evitare scenate di gelosia. Storia accattivante scritta tramite i punti di vista dei due gemelli. Finale esplosivo e commovente. Trama geniale.