Nocturne

A dancer in Depression-era Chicago slowly becomes aware of dark secrets surrounding her ballet company’s newest patron in Wees’s enchanting if slow-burning adult debut (after YA The Waking Forest). Grace Dragotta, 20, has spent the last seven years focused solely on her dancing with the Near North Ballet. When she is promoted to prima ballerina, she believes her hard work and perseverance through family tragedies have finally paid off—until she learns that her promotion came at the behest of Near North’s mysterious new patron, Master La Rosa. Grace is increasingly unsettled by the Master’s behavior, especially when he uses his influence to compel her to move into his house with him. When he finally reveals his mystical secret, Grace learns there’s much more at stake in this performance season than just the success of the ballet. Wees cleverly evokes Beauty and the Beast folklore, drawing especially on the eerie beauty of Jean Cocteau’s 1946 film adaptation. Despite the elegant prose, however, it takes so long to reach the Master’s home that readers less interested in the more mundane dramas of Grace’s life may lose interest. Luckily, the magical elements, once they are revealed, are enthralling. Patient readers will be rewarded with a lush, impressive fantasy from a promising new voice. Agent: Penelope Burns, Gelfman Schneider Literary. (Feb.)