Name: Dance of Shadows
Author: Yelena Black
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Date published: 14th February 2013
Pages: 389, Paperback ARC
Source: For review (from publisher)
Rating: 3 teacups
Vanessa doesn’t believe that her sister is a runaway. She wouldn’t leave her family behind without saying a word. The only way Vanessa can discover the truth behind her mysterious disappearance is to follow in Margaret’s footsteps, but to do so she risks her sanity and maybe even her life . . .
Vanessa Adler is one of the talented few to get a place at the acclaimed New York Ballet Academy. Between backbreaking rehearsals for the school’s production of The Firebird she desperately tries to find out what happened to her sister before she vanished. There are rumors that the pressure of performing the lead role, the same role Vanessa is now rehearsing for, drove her mad. Other girls have gone missing too. Can the role be cursed? Vanessa’s new relationship with leading-man Zep only seems to complicate things further. What is he hiding from her and can she really trust him?
[summary taken from Goodreads]
My Review
Dance of Shadows has left me in a rather conflicted mood. Stunning cover art aside, the book was not without flaws and unfortunately fell short of my expectations.
I was instantly drawn by the concept of ballet and mystery combined in a world of supernatural. The dance aspects of the book were simply stunning: each step described in intricate detail. I was completely engrossed as Vanessa - the protagonist - pirouetted and releved across the pages. Unfortunately, the supernatural elements did not appear until later on.
Which brings me nicely on to the pacing of the mystery. It was dragged out far too much, to the point that the tediousness of it made me ask myself if I wanted to carry on, and it doesn't really pick up until the last third of the book. I found this rather frustrating as I was led to believe by its marketing that it was 'deliciously dark' but there were only supernatural hints here and there before that mind-blowing finale.
Before I tell you my thoughts on the ending, I must mention the characters. I didn't instantly like Vanessa. There's nothing about her that makes you really connect with her. She was a little... flat. And also quite stupid. There were moments where I wanted to shake her in disbelief and shout at her how obvious some things were. And that love triangle... Some I can handle but this one didn't convince me. Zep was too cliched in a dark and mysterious way and Justin wasn't stretched to his full potential.
Now, on to the breath-taking finale. It almost made up for the previous flaws. Almost. It was eerily atmospheric and enticingly evocative. Yelena Black has a talent for conjuring the most stunning of images within a reader's mind and I was fascinated and gripped by the unfolding events. If the whole book had been at this standard, I would be giving it 5 stars.
Dance of Shadows turned out to be an interesting book but unfortunately did not live up to the high expectations I had for it. I only came to the realisation at the end that it is the first in a trilogy so despite being curious as to what happens next, I'm not sure if I can go through another instalment which only ticks all the boxes at the very end. If you plan on picking up Dance of Shadows, I would advise that you don't expect it to be fully supernatural.
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| 3 Teacups for Dance of Shadows *Thanks to Bloomsbury for providing me with an ARC* |
Sticky Note: I'm going to be away for a week (it was a very last minute thing!) so apart from this review, the blog is going to be pretty inactive! Apologies about this but I hope you guys are having a lovely summer :) Also, I think I'll have WiFi so you will probably find me on Twitter if you miss me too much :P
Posts
The cover..that cover. Oh. My. Gosh. I would buy that book for the cover! So sorry you didn't like it more):
ReplyDeleteThis book HAS been ranted about everywhere...wish it lived up to the hype. *shrugs* I still have to read it. Lovely review(:
Jackie
I think that beautiful cover had a lot of people fooled! This book hasn't been getting the best reviews. Although the characters weren't the best and the plot was slow up until the end, it sounds like Black knows how to describe things very prettily and in a magical way. The dance aspect definitely intrigues me as well, so I may still end up checking this one out. Thanks for the honest review, Bev!
ReplyDeleteI don't think I've read a single 5 star review for this. The cover really is stunning..but it's a pity this didn't live up to your expectations :( I'm skipping this one for sure- I'm positive I won't enjoy this. Thanks for the honest review Bev<33
ReplyDeleteI can't remember what rating I gave this book but I REALLY enjoyed it! The cover is gorgeous <3 It's a shame this didn't live up to your expectations but I'm glad you still enjoyed some parts. Great review!!
ReplyDeleteThat cover + ballet premise suckered me in. This one was terrible! I wanted to shake Vanessa until her eyeballs popped out. LOL. And all the other characters were really flat/boring or just stereotypical IMO, and like you said, the supernatural stuff didn't come in until the very end...then it just felt really ridiculous to me. I really wanted this one to be so much better.
ReplyDeleteMolli | Once Upon a Prologue
There was something missing, wasn't there? I liked Dance of Shadows but I also thought Vanessa was a little flat. I don't think I'll be reading the other books either. :)
ReplyDeleteNo way I'm writing a review for this one too! Although the book had a gorgeous cover, the content inside didn't live up to my expectations. I totally agree that Yelena Black's description of the dance scenes were exquisite. Those were probably one of my favorite parts of the book. And, arghhhh. Zep! I was not a fan and Vanessa falling head over heels for him just annoyed me. Great review!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book including its stunning cover art. I think that is what drew towards this book. I think its best lies within the last few chapters of the book with the pace. But overall it was a very enjoyable read. Lovely review, Beverly. Have a lovely break! :)
ReplyDeleteI think this one has been a disappointment pretty much all over, which is a shame since it looked so promising. I'll be reading it soon, but I don't have high expectations. I think there was so much potential here that just didn't get explored, and yet another love triangle? Was that really necessary. I'm glad the ending was at least really good, but it sounds like it didn't completely make up for everything else. Brilliant review, Bev! :)
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree about the flat characters! I adored the cover for this so much but ultimately found it rather unengaging even as the writing kept me turning pages.
ReplyDeleteI've heard such mixed things about this book! It's a shame because I like the concept and find the cover striking. I don't know if I can deal with a flat and stupid main characters, that drives me NUTS. I'm glad you liked the ending though! Thanks for the honest review, Beverley!
ReplyDeleteI felt very similarly about this one! The finale was perhaps the strongest part of the book for me, though the rest was almost excruciatingly slow. The characters didn't help a great deal either. I totally agree about Vanessa. I actually can't remember if I liked anyone here. Sorry this wasn't a standout read for you either, Beverley, but lovely honest review!
ReplyDeleteIt's such a shame that this book didn't live up to your high expectation, Beverley! Most reviews out there also state their complaints about the slow pacing and the lack of paranormal aspect. Aww, Vanessa doesn't sound like a great heroine. I'm glad that the ending make it up a bit for you though!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful review, Beverley! <3 I missed your gorgeous reviews! ;)
This book always seems to draw me in whenever I read a review of it. I did ballet for quite a few years and the concept of it being a big part in a book intrigues me. It's a pity this didn't meet your expectations though. I've read a few books where the ending redeemed it ever so slightly but couldn't really take away from the overall story... It's rather frustrating, isn't it?!
ReplyDeleteGreat review anyway! :D
THAT COVER! WOW, I HAVE NO WORDS! Okay, maybe I have some...
ReplyDeleteI love your description of it "eerily atmospheric and enticingly evocative", but I totally understand what you mean about a book being great but not quite as great as the cover/synopsis/other reviews led you to believe... I get that problem a lot! I also hate it when the tediousness of a book makes you consider putting it down... I had that issue with Serephina; I adored the writing, but the main point (the murder) didn't kick in until about 200 pages and I just got tired of the endless description.
Ahhh well, I'm sorry this didn't live up to your expectations... but I'm glad you enjoyed some of it & it wasn't a total waste of time!