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3.27 AVERAGE
3.27 AVERAGE
Twelve brothers incur the wrath of a bartender after the protagonist causes trouble in Cynthia's bar and when he refuses to leave, she traps them there- but there's a catch! Cynthia promises if there are girls and there's dancing for 101 nights straight, their freedom will be granted. Jake meets girl, the girl brings eleven sisters and it would seem getting out is as good as guaranteed, right? The brothers- Jake is no exception- run into snags along the way with the girls and it would seem that walking out of the bar is not meant to be. I'm not sure if this was due to my own impatience but the story took a dreadfully long time to pick up steam and the beginning left me struggling to get my bearings for what the story was about- hence the 3-star rating. I felt like it was over just as soon as it began.
It's a three out of five nights of dancing from me, y'all.
It's a three out of five nights of dancing from me, y'all.
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Eh, it was all right. Tor shorts usually seem to use too many metaphors and try to hard to be poetic and edgy, and this one was no different, but it is a retelling of my favorite fairy tale, so I'm letting it slide. :)
"The air never cleared, and the smoke that had sustained us and cushioned us like amniotic fluid turned harsh—bitter and sticky like tar with sharp teeth, extending tendrils to wrap around our limbs and keep us moving but stop us escaping. And the dancing which had transported us became a cage of knives, spitting electrodes forcing us to move, even when our very bones were splintering in agony."
This. Was. Beautiful. Honestly, it was just a magical little story that read like poetry. Schanoes is quite obviously a very talented author with overwhelming talent when it comes to character building. So much came across despite the short length. This was an artful retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses (a story I was minimally familiar with, if I'm honest...) that wasn't just illustrated with a seductive punk motif but incorporated themes of romance and strong attachment to a person dealing with complex mental illness and how to help them.
I am really happy I read this - it was splendid. Please give it a read if you can spare 20 minutes or so: https://www.tor.com/2015/04/01/ballroom-blitz-veronica-schanoes/
This. Was. Beautiful. Honestly, it was just a magical little story that read like poetry. Schanoes is quite obviously a very talented author with overwhelming talent when it comes to character building. So much came across despite the short length. This was an artful retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses (a story I was minimally familiar with, if I'm honest...) that wasn't just illustrated with a seductive punk motif but incorporated themes of romance and strong attachment to a person dealing with complex mental illness and how to help them.
I am really happy I read this - it was splendid. Please give it a read if you can spare 20 minutes or so: https://www.tor.com/2015/04/01/ballroom-blitz-veronica-schanoes/
Ballroom Blitz was a good retelling, though it needed more space to be properly developed. There were many elements that were left out, like, who was that mysterious bartender, or who were the brothers, the sisters and so on. So, it just felt like a glimpse into the story. The main characters were well crafted though.
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
12 brothers are cursed to live in a seedy punk club forever, after the eldest nearly kills a teen boy in a bar fight. They party hard all night and wake each morning to despair, with broken bodies and killer hangovers.
When Isabelle walks into the club with her 11 sisters, Jake sees their salvation. They must dance together for 101 nights to break the curse. Jake is so focused on what he needs from Isabelle, he doesn't wonder what brought her to the club, or the cause of her frequent black moods.
A lively contemporary parable about learning to truly care for another person.
When Isabelle walks into the club with her 11 sisters, Jake sees their salvation. They must dance together for 101 nights to break the curse. Jake is so focused on what he needs from Isabelle, he doesn't wonder what brought her to the club, or the cause of her frequent black moods.
A lively contemporary parable about learning to truly care for another person.
challenging
dark
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
But I remembered. I remembered nights when we danced on tongues of flame and angels, when the world opened up and was ours for the taking, when sparks shot through the air, when drumbeats were gasoline and I had a book of matches.
A very well written story
A very well written story
We all wore boots, come to that, engineering boots or motorcycle boots or combat boots or Doc Martens, as though we had to be ready for a forced march. And we may have been under a curse, but I remember us always laughing.
A punk retelling of the twelve dancing princesses? sign me up. I really enjoyed this short story as I knew I would, In fact it's a new favorite for me personally. I don't know if everyone who reads this will find as much meaning with it and identify with it the way that I do, but after reading to it and listening to the so so glo's and reading the author's live journal post about it . . . it's safe to say i'm a little bit obsessed with it.
For the sake of this review, I will say that if you love fairytale retellings with a lot of grit and edge (and let's be real, fairytales are already pretty dark to begin with) but also don't mind a hopeful ending, this is for you.
A punk retelling of the twelve dancing princesses? sign me up. I really enjoyed this short story as I knew I would, In fact it's a new favorite for me personally. I don't know if everyone who reads this will find as much meaning with it and identify with it the way that I do, but after reading to it and listening to the so so glo's and reading the author's live journal post about it . . . it's safe to say i'm a little bit obsessed with it.
For the sake of this review, I will say that if you love fairytale retellings with a lot of grit and edge (and let's be real, fairytales are already pretty dark to begin with) but also don't mind a hopeful ending, this is for you.