Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you’re close enough to kiss, close enough to feel your partner’s heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .
Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister’s shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . .
Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed . . .
I was asked to review this book by Scholastic and, having not heard of it before, was immediately interested. As soon as I saw the cover, I let out a squeal and started kissing it. Let’s hope nobody saw me!
When Vanessa is accepted into the prestigious New York Ballet Academy, she is instantly relieved. Being accepted means being able to go back to the last place her sister was seen before her disappearance. But is the New York Ballet Academy all that it seems? Find out in this novel of mystery, romance and the supernatural.
Classifying this novel into one particular genre is rather hard. I really didn’t know what to expect at first and then all these different elements started to hit me and I was very surprised. This book had so many twists and turns that kept me captivated throughout.
The main character, Vanessa, was passionate and determined. She could be incredibly annoying at times and there were a few occasions when I could have shaken her but this was also a good example of how the author uses dramatic irony to convey her point.
I wasn’t really sure if there was supposed to be a love triangle going on because it wasn’t really clear. I’m looking forward to reading about the romantic aspects, however, in the second book because it has me interested.
This is a book all about hopes and dreams. I mean, who hasn’t pointed their toes and pretended they were in Swan Lake? My friend does ballet and so I’m looking forward to baffling her when I know all of the fancy ballet terms that were featured in the book.
After talking to a bookseller on Twitter, we decided to start a campaign to sell a tutu with every book. So, you see, this book has also brought me a lot of fun conversations!
I enjoyed Dance of Shadows a lot more than I expected and am really looking forward to reading the second book. It’s a book full of excitement, dark stories and passion.
RATING: 4/5
There are many males in YA fiction that make me squeal. As it is Valentine’s Day today I will be writing about some of my favourites.
Augustus Waters from The Fault in Our Stars. Augustus is admirable and just a generally awesome person. He will always be one of my favourite characters for reasons that you may know if you’ve read the novel.
