#Review - Oculta (A Forgery of Magic #2) by Maya Motayne #YA #Fantasy

Series: Nocturna # 2
Format: Hardcover, 544 pages
Release Date: April 6, 2021
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: Library
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic

After joining forces to save Castallan from an ancient magical evil, Alfie and Finn haven’t seen each other in months. Alfie is finally ready to take on the mantle of crown prince. His first task: preparing for the peace talks with Castallan’s former colonizers, the nation of Englass.

But when the summit coincides with the reemergence of Los Toros, the mysterious syndicate of assassins responsible for Alfie’s brother’s death, and Finn’s unexpected installation as one of the four Thief Lords of Castallan, the two must reunite to discover the hidden link between these events—before it’s too late. 

Oculta is the second installment in author Maya Montayne's A Forgery of Magic series. Set in a Latinx-inspired world, a face-changing thief (Finn Voy) and a risk-taking prince (Prince Alfehr aka Alfie) must once again team up to save Castallano from dual threats to the country. Alfie released an evil's magic killing hundreds of his people. His actions have come at a great cost. Nobody trusts him, and they especially don't appreciate that he intends to go forward with a peace conference with the hated English who once controlled every aspect of Castallano life to honor his brother Dez's wish. 

Meanwhile, Finn is back to wearing her own face for the first time in a long time. As a face shifter, she is able to take on the appearance of anyone, and she discovers an even more deadlier ability that may be a game changer. Finn gets back to what she does best; causing trouble. But when she walks into a trap by a person wearing a bull mask, she not only loses the invisibility cloak she was given by Alfie, but she must return to Castallano where she will quickly find out that she's the newest thief lord which comes with more responsibility than she cares for.

As the new heir to the crown, Alfie is trying to mend the relationship between his kingdom and their once colonizers, and this upsets his people. But he has good intentions and no one is truly willing to listen. But thanks to a group called Los Toros, the peace summit may quickly become a disaster. So, we've pretty much established that the Castallano's are Latino's, while the Englassen people are white people are still preventing ordinary people from using magic. After saving Castallan from an ancient evil, Alfie and Finn haven’t spoken in months. 

Now they have to figure out a way to once again work together along with Luka to find out who is responsible for all the murders, and who the Los Toros really are. Plot wise, this book has a lot going on, but it doesn’t really feel like it. It’s not all that unpredictable, in fact, it has many twists and turns and shocking surprises, especially the ending. Oculta is a slow boil full of court politics and political intrigue, underscored by political unrest and a slew of crimes stemming from the underworld.

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#Review - Nocturna (Nocturna #1) by Maya Motayne #YALIT #Fantasy

Series: Nocturna # 1
Format: Hardcover, 480 pages
Release Date: May 7, 2019
Publisher: Balzer + Brey
Source: Publisher
Genre: Young Adult / Fantasy / Epic

The first in a sweeping and epic Own Voices debut fantasy trilogy about a face-changing thief and a risk-taking prince who have to team up to defeat a powerful evil they accidentally unleashed—set in a world inspired by the author’s Dominican heritage. 

To Finn Voy, magic is two things: a knife to hold under the chin 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 Finn 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.

After the murder of his older brother, Prince Alfehr is first in line for the Castallan throne. But Alfie can’t help but feel that he will never live up to his brother’s legacy. Riddled with grief, Alfie is obsessed with finding a way to bring his brother back, even if it means dabbling in forbidden magic.

But when Finn’s and Alfie’s fates collide, they accidentally unlock a terrible, ancient power—which, if not contained, will devour the world. And with Castallan’s fate in their hands, Alfie and Finn must race to vanquish what they have unleashed, even if it means facing the deepest darknesses in their pasts

 

Nocturna is author Maya Motayne's debut novel. It is the first in what the publisher is claiming will be a fantasy trilogy. Goodreads has this listed as part of the A Forgery of Magic trilogy, but the publisher's mailer states the trilogy is called Nocturna. I'll go with the publisher. This story features two prominent characters in Prince Alfehr (Alfie) Reyes, and Finn Voy, a thief who is able to shift her fact to become anyone she's ever met. The story kicks off with Alfie returning home to Castallan after failing to discover a way to find out what happened to his brother Dez, who just happened to be the Crown Prince.

Alfie and Finn first meet while he is trying to win several illegal books on forbidden magic hoping to find a way to bring his brother back after a near coup sent him into a void where there's no escape. Alfie also has the ability to open a door to anywhere he needs to be while also having an affinity for water elemental. Bad things start when a dark figure from Finn's past decides to stalk her to Castallan where he finds a new calling as the vessel for an evil called Sombria, and Alfie is forced into working for a crime boss in order to regain her magic.

The idea of the prince and the thief teaming up to defeat an evil magic was a wonderful premise but the story was a bit too long. I admit that I had difficulty paying attention and not drifting off to do other things. The villain in this story is absolutely relentless to the point of being comical. It seems that every time Finn and Alfie get one step ahead in trying to defeat him, he leap frogs over their plans and they end up in a cat and mouse game that leads to a twisted ending. I am glad that Alfie's cousin Luka was able to play a part in this story. He's got some issues, but he's also loyal.

I took points off for world building because the author pretty much ignores a large parts of Castallan history while being occupied by what I supposed is the English (Englass). I liked the idea behind propios (people's own magic). It is fair to say that Alfie is an intelligent character who makes plenty of dumb mistakes. Finn is on the snarky side and it is her past that is truly emotional knowing what she has had to do to even survive against near ridiculous odds. Her relationship with the creepy villain had my skin crawling.   

I say it's a twisted ending, because the book really wraps up fairly well. I don't believe there is a need for a sequel in this series. I think that if the author uses other characters, like Luka for instance, it might be an interesting book to read. After the way things were left with Alfie and Finn, how do you reconcile bringing them back for another story? It is fair to say I had no issues with the diversity in this book, or the setting. I don't care what color skin a character is, or what religion they are. I only care if the story is entertaining, has plenty of action, and adventure, and makes me want to care about the characters who the author has spent time writing about.

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