Nocturne by L. D. Harkradar
Hardcover: 256 pages
Publisher: Mirrorstone (June 8, 2010)
Book summary: Flanders Lane is tired of being protected by her Uncle Anatole. After years of studying magic in the back of his bookshop, she's ready for an adventure of her own. Then one day, strange things start happening. A burglar breaks into the butcher's shop, stealing nothing, but leaving the floors sparkling clean. Soon the seamstress's apprentice vanishes on her way home, leaving behind only a shoe still laced at the top. And then worst of all, Uncle Anatole disappears. That night, a young vampire hunter named Pascoe knocks urgently on the bookshop door. Pascoe insists there is a vampire lurking in nearby Blakely Hall. Flanders looks deep into Pascoe's gorgeous eyes and finds herself agreeing to help him. As Flanders tracks the vampire, her feelings for Pascoe grow until she stumbles upon a secret that turns everything she thought she knew about Pascoe--and herself--upside down.
My review: Nocturne was a lovely surprise. Harkrader has written an old fashioned and utterly charming fantasy. Flan, 15, lives with her Uncle Anatole, a man who took her in when she was left abandoned on his doorstep as an infant. Flan's a wizard but her Uncle doesn't want her practicing her craft. He is worried her magic--which he says is the most powerful he's seen--will only alert evil. Flan is sweet and works on her skills secretly. Bad things begin to happen in her town and her neighbors don't have faith in her Uncle's abilities--until an evil force walks amongst them, grabbing cats and young girls off their streets.
When her Uncle takes sick from being cursed, Flan knows she has to practice magic in order to help him and her ex-best friend, Gwen, who has gone missing. While she chooses the right spells, Flan learns there are times to break the rules. When a mysterious and nice looking young man enters her bookstore searching for a talisman, Flan steps into her Uncle's role and discovers it's a place she likes, despites its hurdles. This stranger and an abandoned manor hold not only mystery and danger, but quite possibly the key to Flan's past and her future.
I liked Flan, she had just the right amount of sensitivity, was quick thinking and defiant, and she wasn't afraid to speak up when she had to. The book was a fast read and had interesting characters and a predictable but nevertheless enjoyable storyline. I wonder if Harkrader will continue on with Flan and if she does will we see more of Pascoe and his fiddle? Any fantasy fan looking for a quick and sweet read will enjoy Nocturne.
Rating: +++
Favorite excerpt: (From page 170)
"Heard . . . what?"
"The violin. The music was sweet, haunting, sort of drifting over the city. It was lovely. It felt like a lullaby."
Pascoe nodded. "A nocturne."
Flan frowned. "A what?"
"A nocturne." He gave a quick shrug. "At least, I assume that's what you heard. A romantic, lyrical sort of lullaby meant for the nighttime." A slight smile curled the corners of his lips, and he gazed out the bookshop window, seemingly lost in thought. "As if one's soul, yearning to reclaim what it had lost, has been set free to soar through the shadows and moonlight."
"Yes. Soaring through shadows and moonlight. That's exactly how it sounded." Flan nodded. "You know, Gwen thought it saved her. The music. She thought it saved her from the vampire."
Cover comment: It's quirky with the swirls but I think it's okay.
Book source: Traveling ARC Tours
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