Review: Dance of Shadows

Title:Dance of Shadows
Author: Yelena Black
Genre: YA, paranormal
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a haunting, fascinating book.

I haven't read many novels that center around dance, but after reading this book and The Cranes Dance, I think I will keep an eye out for more of these books. I'm a dancer too, so I can relate to how dance lets the characters both find themselves and lose themselves. It's so lovely to read about the grace and power that comes from dance.

I wasn't quite sure what to expect with this book. It started out with a contemporary feel, and seemed more like a coming-of-age story than a supernatural story. Yet despite the account of day-to-day life at the New York Ballet Academy and the friendly banter and rivalries between the dancers, there was a sense of something strange and dark hovering in the background. Vanessa arrives at the academy in search of her sister Margaret, who mysteriously disappeared a few years ago. In her search for her sister, Vanessa has to prove herself a dancer and navigate the politics of ballet. As people close to her begin to get hurt, Vanessa has to decide who she can trust to help her, and who is part of the sinister plot that caused her sister's disappearance.

The plot was very suspenseful, and I liked how the author balanced the girls' friendship with the rivalries and revenge of other dancers. The end of the novel had me flipping through the pages almost twice as fast as I usually read because the climax was just that intense. It was refreshing to read about a girl who loved and leaned on her friends as much as she did the same for her love interest.

Speaking of love interests, I was rather annoyed with how blind Vanessa was about Zep. Justin even told her that Zep was hiding something, but she refused to believe him. Then again, Justin was being a bit of a stalker himself. Although Vanessa held her own as a dancer, she was so dependent on Zep for everything else. She seemed so level-headed about everything else that I was disappointed in how feather-brained she was over a guy.

I enjoyed this book, and with that killer ending, I will be looking out for the next book in the series.

View all my reviews