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thethingwithfeathers's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Racism, Gore, Toxic friendship, Blood, Body shaming, Death, Body horror, Classism, and Emotional abuse
kaylajcj's review
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Emotional abuse, Bullying, Classism, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Blood, Racism, Gore, Self harm, and Toxic friendship
darquedreamer's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This one was everything I'd hoped it would be. It was gloriously horrifying in all the right ways. It was Center Stage meets As Above, So Below, and Black Swan, with The Craft and Stranger Things vibes.
The themes were heavy in this one, but rightfully so. They highlighted the truly horrifying aspects of human nature, toxic friendships, racism, nepotisn, societal expectations, and the lengths that people will go to to achieve what they want, and/or hold others down. There may have been a bloody, demonic river beneath the catacombs of Paris, but it was the humans that were the most terrifying.
I loved that, even though most of the characters were awful human beings, the personalities were fleshed out and jumped off the pages. The pacing was nice. The story itself was unique and felt like it could have been a horror movie. And, the ending was perfect. This one was definitely satisfying for the beginning of spooky season.
The themes were heavy in this one, but rightfully so. They highlighted the truly horrifying aspects of human nature, toxic friendships, racism, nepotisn, societal expectations, and the lengths that people will go to to achieve what they want, and/or hold others down. There may have been a bloody, demonic river beneath the catacombs of Paris, but it was the humans that were the most terrifying.
I loved that, even though most of the characters were awful human beings, the personalities were fleshed out and jumped off the pages. The pacing was nice. The story itself was unique and felt like it could have been a horror movie. And, the ending was perfect. This one was definitely satisfying for the beginning of spooky season.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Death
Moderate: Toxic friendship, Racism, and Gaslighting
allapaz's review
challenging
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
This novel follows our MC Laure as she graduates from her ballet academy and joins the Parisian Ballet, all the while navigating the toxic institution of the ballet itself and its politics and prejudices. To survive, Laure makes a deal with a blood river in the Paris Catacombs, and finds that making bargains with dark beings might be even more dangerous than she thinks.
If you love, spooky Black Swan vibes, primordial beings and deals with the devil, slow-burn horror, and stories of drama and power and betrayal, this is for you. The ballet setting is very real, to the point where I was googling terms just to get an idea of what was going on, but the world Jamison Shea built in this novel was immersive and eerie.
In the kindest way, this felt like a debut. The concept and overarching ideas were intense and so compelling, but the execution left something to be desired. There was no chapter that I finished that I thought "oh wow, what happens next?"--it's almost as if there was so much going on that the stakes weren't as clear as they could be (or, maybe they were, but I got so lost in the ballet terms that I didn't understand it). It's hard to explain, it's one of those things that when it's done well, you don't notice it because you're sucked into the world and flying through the pages. I really wanted that to happen here, but I struggled a fair bit. I feel like if this were shorter, or a series of novellas perhaps, the pacing could have really worked with the ballet world. Since we started with the last big audition, and then moved to post-grad ballet work, the MC's motivations remained kind of nebulous throughout.
I will say, there were parts where Shea for sure hit their stride writing about the dark side of ballet, or real human experience with prejudice and institutional racism that was really beautiful. Some passages took my breath away. I feel like Jamison Shea is for sure an author to watch, even though this particular story didn't do it for me. I'd still pick up future books from them, because I can just feel there's one coming that'll blow me away.
Thank you to BookishFirst/the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review; opinions are my own!
If you love, spooky Black Swan vibes, primordial beings and deals with the devil, slow-burn horror, and stories of drama and power and betrayal, this is for you. The ballet setting is very real, to the point where I was googling terms just to get an idea of what was going on, but the world Jamison Shea built in this novel was immersive and eerie.
In the kindest way, this felt like a debut. The concept and overarching ideas were intense and so compelling, but the execution left something to be desired. There was no chapter that I finished that I thought "oh wow, what happens next?"--it's almost as if there was so much going on that the stakes weren't as clear as they could be (or, maybe they were, but I got so lost in the ballet terms that I didn't understand it). It's hard to explain, it's one of those things that when it's done well, you don't notice it because you're sucked into the world and flying through the pages. I really wanted that to happen here, but I struggled a fair bit. I feel like if this were shorter, or a series of novellas perhaps, the pacing could have really worked with the ballet world. Since we started with the last big audition, and then moved to post-grad ballet work, the MC's motivations remained kind of nebulous throughout.
I will say, there were parts where Shea for sure hit their stride writing about the dark side of ballet, or real human experience with prejudice and institutional racism that was really beautiful. Some passages took my breath away. I feel like Jamison Shea is for sure an author to watch, even though this particular story didn't do it for me. I'd still pick up future books from them, because I can just feel there's one coming that'll blow me away.
Thank you to BookishFirst/the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review; opinions are my own!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Blood, Self harm, Death, Classism, Body horror, Violence, and Murder
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