Nocturnelle Grande Lined Hardcover Journal, 240pg, 120GSM by Paperblanks (Nocturnelle) Diary – July 1, 2012

The media could not be loaded. I’m going to give you the ultimate review of this journal. It’s absolutely incredible, glamorous, elegant, and impressive. I will touch on what other commenters wrote as well which I found to be untrue. It came in perfect condition, sent in a soft pouch surrounded by bubble wrap in a box. Good delivery. It looks ancient, dark, masculine, divine, important, captivating, and above all bewitching.Size: some were “surprised” by the size of this journal. It says “Grande” in the title. Please look up what that means in Spanish. And then look up the word “Grand” in English. Then reference the measurements literally given in the description… ok. This journal is large. Big. Huge! Like a textbook. It’s the exact size it says it is. Nothing to be surprised about. I wasn’t.Color: some low star reviews say this journal is green. Not at all. In regular light or dim light the journal presents as black. In full light or sunlight like my video you will see undertones of darkest forest green. It honestly looks like an ancient black door that’s weathered over the centuries and certain parts of the metal have oxidized like the Statue of Liberty. It’s black, dark grey, and dark green. It has an ancient look which I adore. It has much more dimension than solid jet black, but if you’re expecting pure black then think again.Embossing: the commenters saying it’s just a flat printed image are wrong. And possibly blind. The entire front and back are raised all over the carvings. It’s subtle. You can feel it. It’s done expertly. Every single groove you see in the picture is stamped or whatever into the actual cover and back, so in no way is this flat.Gold details: the gold trim all along this book is exquisite. It shines! And when you put it in light? It sparkles with all kinds of colors. It’s very enchanting.Cover design: the design is absolutely beautiful but what you can only know by holding it in light is that this cover is sprinkled with what looks like diamond dust. Teeny tiny particles of light are all over it. They twinkle and shimmer but only in direct light. Expertly done, not gaudy like glitter. It seems the book itself is infused with magic bursting out.The clasps: mine were perfectly sturdy. The clasps are actually little magnets that latch on. Easy to open and close. They have an aged bronze look which is really nice.The Gilding: I think I would’ve liked gold edges on all the pages… but I do like shiny. Instead, they’ve gilded the pages with a print that makes the edges of the paper a dull yellow color which mimics an ancient tome’s pages that have been hidden in a sorcerer's lair for centuries. I like it.Pages: The pages are high quality and wonderful. Who writes in a journal with a sharpie? Odd. Not me. I use a pen like normal adults. And its good enough for me. Haven’t tried a fountain pen yet. Some commentor said the lines weren’t dark enough… oh brother. They’re just fine. Check your glasses perhaps? They’re perfect for anyone with proper vision.Extra: this grimoire comes with 2 silk ribbon bookmarks. One red one gold. Nice touch. It also has a beautiful hidden pocket on the back cover for storing any number of artifacts. Clever.All in all… this magnificent tome, glamorous grimoire, and sacred keeper of ineffable secrets is absolutely perfect… for me, at least.

I purchased this notebook to write some of my memoirs. From the moment I opened the package I loved it. It's beautiful, sturdy and surprisingly heavy. I loved how it was large. I specifically wanted a large book. I have many 8.5 by 5 books and always felt "cramped" when I wrote in them. I also liked the two ribbons as well. I have one marking an incredibly special memory and the gold one is now used to mark my place within the book. The pages inside are thick and lined which I love. Ink does not bleed through. So you can use liquid ink, fountain pens, gel ink pens or any kind of saturated ink and not have to worry about it bleeding through. They are also an ivory color which suits the the over all design of the book. The texture on the cover is raised and I love the feel of it beneath my fingers. The only thing I had an issue with were the little "lock latches" on the side. They can be annoying when you are writing on a small space but it is not a deal breaker. Would I recommend this product? Yes. I just hope that they get more in stock because I want to buy another one!

I really like this journal even though it does have its flaws, so I’ll just get straight into them cuz that’s what you’re here for. The decorative spine of this book is eventually going to come off after a lot of use. It’s not as well made as the front and back cover and lacks sturdiness. And as others have complained, the design is just an image that has just been printed on top of the journal, it is not actually embossed although it does have some texture. I personally don’t mind, only because I had prior knowledge that embossing of any sort on leather/hide is very expensive, we’re talkin $100+. So $30 for a cheaper alternative is a steal, you don’t get the real deal on Amazon, lower your expectations XD.Now into the things I like about this journal. The size is great if you plan on doing a lot of writing, and the lines on the pages are lightly colored. Too much contract between the lines and the color of the page in other journals have given me headaches and eye strain under bright lights. The claps are great, I waved and shook this journal around trying to get them to unhook and they didn’t. Other reviews have stated that theirs were missing the bookmarks, my was not, they were both securely wedge between the pages. One last thing I like about this book is it gives you a brief history note on the art style and design of the journal. So if you want to learn about it or buy more things under this same style you’ll know what to search for. I’m gonna look it up myself because I’m curious.In all, I think the book is worth it. It’s esthetically pleasing, it’s not too cheaply made and it’s not too expensive.

I discovered this product at a high end writing shop at a boutique writing store in Carmel-by-the-Sea.I use them for my writing journals and love them. When the one I bought in Carmel was filled and I would not be back there for a while, I looked, found, purchased and continued writing.

This is simply beautiful. I got it a year ago for something, but when it arrived, it was just too lovely to be used for its original purpose. Lately I've gotten into D&D and I decided to write my spells in it (Wizard class) for easy reference. It makes me feel like I have a real spell book for the RPG. I use thick pens and nothing bleeds through. The binding isn't tight so the pages lay nearly flat throughout. The clasps have little magnets on them which is a great feature making them close tightly and the raised pattern with gold just gives that extra *mwuah* (chef's kiss).I am really in love with this book, especially for the price and am excited to fill all it's pages with well-worn and oft-read content.

Hardback cover came with wrinkles from mishandling during packing so I couldn't give it 5 stars but otherwise paper is nice quality and it's lovely.