REVIEW: Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black

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.

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

REVIEW: Bunheads by Sophie Flack

Name: Bunheads

Author: Sophie Flack

Publisher: Atom

Date published: 1st March 2012 

Pages: 294

Source: Gifted

Rating: 

As a dancer with the Manhattan Ballet Company, nineteen-year-old Hannah Ward is living her childhood dream. She gets to be up on stage in front of adoring crowds every night. And while she might not be a prima ballerina yet, she's moving up the ranks and surely if she works hard enough she can make it happen.

But devoting her whole life to ballet leaves very little time for anything else: friends, family, school have all fallen by the wayside. Hannah doesn't mind, until a chance encounter in a restaurant brings Jacob into her life. He's cute, he plays guitar and he's offering a whole future that Hannah never considered. And now she must choose between her lifelong dream or what could be the love of her life...

[summary taken from Goodreads]

This is one of those books which I felt sad to be finishing.  I didn't want it to end!!!  Sophie Flack writes so beautifully: her style is simplistic yet elegant and I just felt completely absorbed into the whole story.  Every  detail is described so vividly, allowing me to feel as if I was peeking backstage into an elegant world of ballerinas and dance...

Ballet terms are scattered throughout the book and as I do ballet myself, I understood some of these but with the more complicated ones, I was probably as clueless as someone who doesn't dance.  This didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book, it actually made the story more authentic and graceful and I loved it even more for that reason <3  I'm not trying to be cheesy, but the reading experience of Bunheads was pretty magical: I felt like my younger self, the little girl who went to see ballet shows with her mother, eyes widening as the dancers moved swiftly from one side of the stage to another... A book that makes you nostalgic for your childhood has to be pretty good!

Many books about ballet are for younger kids so I was definitely glad to see one targeted at teenagers and young adults.  I loved reading from Hannah's point of view and it was obvious how determined she was to succeed in the ballet world.  She's a strong nineteen-year-old who seems clear on what she intends to do with her life and she's a tough cookie - after all, she has lived away from her parents since the tender age of fourteen!  But then, enter Jacob - a laid-back college student. I personally kind of hate him.  I didn't fall for his charm at all; I just couldn't connect with him.  Yes, he was sweet but he didn't seem supportive nor did he fully appreciate Hannah's love for ballet.  My furiousness peaked when he stormed out after they had sex because Hannah said she wouldn't be able to spend the rest of the day with him due to ballet rehearsals. Really, Jacob?  Really? Get a grip!  That is no way to treat a girl!

Thinking back, I suppose I didn't like him because he was just a normal guy in a beautiful, almost surreal setting.  He was normal, boring compared to the ballet dancers and even Matt - the rich guy who tries to woo Hannah with his gentlemanly charm.  If he was the male interest in an book set in secondary school, I guess I might have fallen for him...  But his normality cropping up and tearing away all the magic of the ballet just really frustrated me :(  

Bunheads has a real 'behind-the-scenes' feel to it and I loved exploring the theatre and 'watching' over everyday ballet classes, led by strict ballet mistresses.  It also revealed the nitty-gritty aspects of dance. The competition between each dancer was pretty tough and oh my, the bitchiness between the girls was definitely surprising!  Hannah had no 'real' friends apart from Bea: Bea was the only supportive one: the one who listened to her worries and cheered her up when she was upset.  There were some occasional poignant moments with Zoe but since they both usually competed for the same roles, their friendship was often put aside which really put into perspective how tough it must be for dancers everyday.  I actually grew quite protective of Hannah, even though she's four years older than me!  Maybe it was the fact that she had a lack of parental love when she was growing up and the constant pressure she was under to perform well.  It's a feeling I can't really describe but maybe if you read it, you'll realise what I'm talking about...

And I just couldn't write this review without mentioning the ending.  Let's just say I was a little disappointed by it but I think you either love it or you hate it, depending on your viewpoint so it's really just a matter of opinion :)

Overall, a beautiful, enchanting novel about self-discovery, competition and romance in the world of ballet.  If you're interested in the world of dance, then this is THE book for you - even if you're not, this is still a wonderful contemporary with a difference!  I've been having difficulty on how to rate Bunheads, considering the flaws I've mentioned.  However the elegant, glamorous nature and 'backstage feel' of this book teamed with the flawless writing of Sophie Flack and her creation of realistic characters allowed me to forget tolerate Jacob and to see that the 'finale' was inevitable, so TOP marks for Bunheads!

5 teacups for Bunheads!

P.S. Apologies for the long review! I know I said I wanted to cut down on the length of my reviews but I just could not summarise the magic of this book in a few paragraphs, hopefully it was fun to read :/  Feel free to virtually slap me if I bored you :)