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mockingjay16's review against another edition
3.0
This book was difficult to rate, and it hovered between 3 and 4 stars for a few days until I settled on 3, for two overarching reasons:
1) the romance. It was sloppy at times, Cricket just seemed to love her all the time and the way her memories suddenly came back with all that clarity - leading her to suddenly fall back in love, was plain annoying.
2) some serious plot holes and the anachronism. I did not feel as though I was in Italy in the 1800s. Parts felt too modern, the dialogue and behaviour of the characters did not, for me, reflect the time they were supposedly in.
However, putting this aside, I thought the ideas were unique and definitely captured my interest. The gothic background of the school and the mysterious master were really well created, and the secondary characters were strong and likeable (Beppe, Tatiana, Alidoro, etc).
1) the romance. It was sloppy at times, Cricket just seemed to love her all the time and the way her memories suddenly came back with all that clarity - leading her to suddenly fall back in love, was plain annoying.
2) some serious plot holes and the anachronism. I did not feel as though I was in Italy in the 1800s. Parts felt too modern, the dialogue and behaviour of the characters did not, for me, reflect the time they were supposedly in.
However, putting this aside, I thought the ideas were unique and definitely captured my interest. The gothic background of the school and the mysterious master were really well created, and the secondary characters were strong and likeable (Beppe, Tatiana, Alidoro, etc).
a_spoonful_of_juliette's review against another edition
3.0
This book could have been so so so good, I loved the premise of the story, and that cover is so beautiful I had high expectations. Unfortunately it fell short and I didn't really care about the characters or the plot all that much...
ofwavesandpages's review against another edition
3.0
2,5*
OK SO, I’m really mad this wasn’t what I expected. I was really excited to get to this book, and I don’t even think it was the hype that ruined it, because I haven’t seen that many people talking about it (or am I just blind?). 🤔
I was expecting ballet. Like, I know the plot isn’t about ballet itself, but the story is SET in a ballet school. And while we did get a few glimpses of dancing and classes, it didn’t satisfy me. I feel the story could be set in a completely different environment and still make sense. The ballet doesn’t add much, to be honest. I found the idea of the main character not being fond of ballet interesting, at least, but it just kept going against what I expected.
The main character, Penny, quickly bored me as well. At first, she was extremely sarcastic, and came up with a couple of very funny lines; and then, she ended up losing all those traits along the plot. I enjoyed reading from her perspective in the early chapters, but eventually, she became kinda hollow and it seemed she was being dragged by the story instead of taking charge. I also couldn’t put up with how oblivious she could get, having in comparison how she had behaved in the beginning.
Cricket, as the love interest, didn’t interest me much. I mostly found the romance and the dialogues between these two characters cringy.
And finally, I thought the other girls in the ballet school all fit in some kind of stereotype.
I probably would have enjoyed this book a lot more had the idea been better delivered. There are a few plot holes, things left unexplained, and too many unnecessary scenes. I’ve heard that this book is meant to be a standalone, but honestly, it left a lot of stuff behind. Also, I feel that the writing tells us too much about the plot, I figured most of what would happen with no difficulties, and things seemed to be solved too easily?? AND the pace of the story is ridiculously slow!
Something that’s quite unrelated to the current topic, but that also annoyed me: why did everyone keep saying “you can’t miss it!” while giving directions? I’ve never said that before when people have asked me for directions, and yet at least three people mentioned it here?? 😂
Back to the point, the chapters here are alternated between Penny’s POV and someone else’s, who’s obviously our villain, and honestly, I enjoyed those second ones so much more. They were way more interesting to read about, and I think a story based on them, instead of a story about Penny, would have been a safer option.
OK SO, I’m really mad this wasn’t what I expected. I was really excited to get to this book, and I don’t even think it was the hype that ruined it, because I haven’t seen that many people talking about it (or am I just blind?). 🤔
I was expecting ballet. Like, I know the plot isn’t about ballet itself, but the story is SET in a ballet school. And while we did get a few glimpses of dancing and classes, it didn’t satisfy me. I feel the story could be set in a completely different environment and still make sense. The ballet doesn’t add much, to be honest. I found the idea of the main character not being fond of ballet interesting, at least, but it just kept going against what I expected.
The main character, Penny, quickly bored me as well. At first, she was extremely sarcastic, and came up with a couple of very funny lines; and then, she ended up losing all those traits along the plot. I enjoyed reading from her perspective in the early chapters, but eventually, she became kinda hollow and it seemed she was being dragged by the story instead of taking charge. I also couldn’t put up with how oblivious she could get, having in comparison how she had behaved in the beginning.
Cricket, as the love interest, didn’t interest me much. I mostly found the romance and the dialogues between these two characters cringy.
And finally, I thought the other girls in the ballet school all fit in some kind of stereotype.
I probably would have enjoyed this book a lot more had the idea been better delivered. There are a few plot holes, things left unexplained, and too many unnecessary scenes. I’ve heard that this book is meant to be a standalone, but honestly, it left a lot of stuff behind. Also, I feel that the writing tells us too much about the plot, I figured most of what would happen with no difficulties, and things seemed to be solved too easily?? AND the pace of the story is ridiculously slow!
Something that’s quite unrelated to the current topic, but that also annoyed me: why did everyone keep saying “you can’t miss it!” while giving directions? I’ve never said that before when people have asked me for directions, and yet at least three people mentioned it here?? 😂
Back to the point, the chapters here are alternated between Penny’s POV and someone else’s, who’s obviously our villain, and honestly, I enjoyed those second ones so much more. They were way more interesting to read about, and I think a story based on them, instead of a story about Penny, would have been a safer option.
kookkay's review
4.0
I seen some bookstagramers with this book and thought the cover was beautiful, so when I found this in my logical small bookstore I bought it right away. I honestly liked it. The story kept me invested, it had just enough mystery and it kept me guessing the entire time. I gave it a 4 because as much as I enjoyed it, it didn’t drag me into the book. I just wish we could have dived deeper into the thoughts of the master. I honestly enjoyed reading the chapters that were his point of view and it saddened me that those chapters ended after he met the main character. I kind of hope the story continues in some way, because the author left it as a “did he, didn’t he” type situation. And I’ve watched enough horror movies to know that most likely he didn’t.
emilyjmead's review
2.0
Very disappointing read, unfortunately.
Also, I would be completely fine with never having mysterious male characters called "Master" ever again.
Also, I would be completely fine with never having mysterious male characters called "Master" ever again.
smart_girls_love_trashy_books's review
2.0
-POTENTIAL SPOILERS-
-I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FOR FREE IN A GOODREADS CONTEST-
I think I just have bad luck with giveaways. Not only do I keep failing to read the book in a timely manner aside from the very first one I got, the books I get have always ended up being either really boring or not very good, or sometimes, both. Of course, this is nobody's fault. After all, it's not like I'm purposefully signing up for books I know I'm going to dislike. I still have hope that one day I'll win a good book from a giveaway.
And by the way, the quality of this book had nothing to do with how long it took me to read it, this is just a busy time of the year for me.
So let's stop stalling and get right into it, shall we?
Honestly, this book had a lot of positives going for it, but at the same time, I shouldn't have ignored those red flags. For starters, it's a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, the title being taken from the Russian version of the tale named The Midnight Dance. I love this fairytale and want to see more retellings of it, yet every retelling I've read hasn't been very good. And even the best ones have all kinds of serious problems, and this book is no exception.
Aside from the retelling aspect, I actually do like the idea of this novel. It had the potential to be really atmospheric and creepy, and while I don't think the author fully did that, she did at least make an attempt. I like the idea of these girls being experimented on and given false memories and the main character having to figure out why exactly this is. I liked the villain. That's pretty much it.
I think the biggest problem here is all of the unrecognized potential. This author isn't a bad author at all, not by any means, and I'm in fact looking forward to her second novel since it sounds really good. However, her writing style was way too simplistic and oddly-paced at times for much of the novel to make sense. This is a story that needs slow pacing, that needs really heavy atmosphere in order to make it work. But half of the time, the story is way too fast-paced and not very atmospheric. It is atmospheric in a few places, but not everywhere it needs to be.
I also really disliked the setting. This is supposedly Italy in the Victorian Era, yet a bunch of stuff is really modern and it's distracting. Believe it or not, I can suspend some of my disbelief when it comes to historical fiction because history isn't always straightforward. And a lot of things we think were invented recently have actually been around for eons, like paper or ice cream. (Both ironically invented by China) But this book keeps making references to things like cappuccinos and cardigans, in a really modern way that really throws me out of the story. And maybe things like those did exist in Victorian Italy, but even if they did, they most certainly were called something else.
I actually liked the whole steampunk-science angle with the villain's machine and plan. It was a lot sleeker than most steampunk usually is, and polished, but I didn't really feel like it was very out-of-place. However, I feel like the book never really explained how the machine worked or anything like that, which is important to the plot. Or why the main character's memories kept coming back. Or what the villain's plan in the first place even was.
As stated before, the pacing in this book seems really off. While at first I was glad it got down into the mystery and action really early on in the book, I started to regret that further along as it became obvious the author didn't really know what other twists to throw in. A lot of fast-paced action scenes happened that went nowhere and went by too fast for me to really feel anything about.
The pacing of this book was making me zone out hard, and I shouldn't ever zone out when I read a book If I do, then something is seriously wrong with the author. I also feel like nothing was really accomplished at the end. It just ended so....suddenly. It was really random.
A lot of people mentioned how there was petty drama among the girls, but I didn't really think that way. Maybe at the very start, but the main character is by herself for almost the entire book, so it's a moot point. I was actually waiting for those scenes, but they pretty much never came. There's also not much to the main character herself, but I'll excuse it this time because she is supposed to be brainwashed heavily and given a very inoffensive, docile personality. Although showing her becoming more feisty, caring, and free-spirited like she's described to be like as a child once the mind-wipe is gone would've been nice....
Would I recommend this? I have no idea. It has very many mixed reviews, mostly negative. However, a few people have really enjoyed this book so if this does sound interesting, then go on ahead and try it! After all, I originally found it very interesting.
And that's pretty much what I thought. Yes this review is kinda all-over the place, but so is the book. So I tried to make my review reflect the tone of the book.
-I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FOR FREE IN A GOODREADS CONTEST-
I think I just have bad luck with giveaways. Not only do I keep failing to read the book in a timely manner aside from the very first one I got, the books I get have always ended up being either really boring or not very good, or sometimes, both. Of course, this is nobody's fault. After all, it's not like I'm purposefully signing up for books I know I'm going to dislike. I still have hope that one day I'll win a good book from a giveaway.
And by the way, the quality of this book had nothing to do with how long it took me to read it, this is just a busy time of the year for me.
So let's stop stalling and get right into it, shall we?
Honestly, this book had a lot of positives going for it, but at the same time, I shouldn't have ignored those red flags. For starters, it's a retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses, the title being taken from the Russian version of the tale named The Midnight Dance. I love this fairytale and want to see more retellings of it, yet every retelling I've read hasn't been very good. And even the best ones have all kinds of serious problems, and this book is no exception.
Aside from the retelling aspect, I actually do like the idea of this novel. It had the potential to be really atmospheric and creepy, and while I don't think the author fully did that, she did at least make an attempt. I like the idea of these girls being experimented on and given false memories and the main character having to figure out why exactly this is. I liked the villain. That's pretty much it.
I think the biggest problem here is all of the unrecognized potential. This author isn't a bad author at all, not by any means, and I'm in fact looking forward to her second novel since it sounds really good. However, her writing style was way too simplistic and oddly-paced at times for much of the novel to make sense. This is a story that needs slow pacing, that needs really heavy atmosphere in order to make it work. But half of the time, the story is way too fast-paced and not very atmospheric. It is atmospheric in a few places, but not everywhere it needs to be.
I also really disliked the setting. This is supposedly Italy in the Victorian Era, yet a bunch of stuff is really modern and it's distracting. Believe it or not, I can suspend some of my disbelief when it comes to historical fiction because history isn't always straightforward. And a lot of things we think were invented recently have actually been around for eons, like paper or ice cream. (Both ironically invented by China) But this book keeps making references to things like cappuccinos and cardigans, in a really modern way that really throws me out of the story. And maybe things like those did exist in Victorian Italy, but even if they did, they most certainly were called something else.
I actually liked the whole steampunk-science angle with the villain's machine and plan. It was a lot sleeker than most steampunk usually is, and polished, but I didn't really feel like it was very out-of-place. However, I feel like the book never really explained how the machine worked or anything like that, which is important to the plot. Or why the main character's memories kept coming back. Or what the villain's plan in the first place even was.
As stated before, the pacing in this book seems really off. While at first I was glad it got down into the mystery and action really early on in the book, I started to regret that further along as it became obvious the author didn't really know what other twists to throw in. A lot of fast-paced action scenes happened that went nowhere and went by too fast for me to really feel anything about.
The pacing of this book was making me zone out hard, and I shouldn't ever zone out when I read a book If I do, then something is seriously wrong with the author. I also feel like nothing was really accomplished at the end. It just ended so....suddenly. It was really random.
A lot of people mentioned how there was petty drama among the girls, but I didn't really think that way. Maybe at the very start, but the main character is by herself for almost the entire book, so it's a moot point. I was actually waiting for those scenes, but they pretty much never came. There's also not much to the main character herself, but I'll excuse it this time because she is supposed to be brainwashed heavily and given a very inoffensive, docile personality. Although showing her becoming more feisty, caring, and free-spirited like she's described to be like as a child once the mind-wipe is gone would've been nice....
Would I recommend this? I have no idea. It has very many mixed reviews, mostly negative. However, a few people have really enjoyed this book so if this does sound interesting, then go on ahead and try it! After all, I originally found it very interesting.
And that's pretty much what I thought. Yes this review is kinda all-over the place, but so is the book. So I tried to make my review reflect the tone of the book.
jessicabeckett's review against another edition
5.0
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I was one of the tour stops for the BLOG TOUR of this book, through Xpresso Book Tours. You can see my review on my blog, as well, here. I received an electronic copy of this novel for review purposes. This does not effect my opinion in any way.
There's something deliriously beautiful about the world portrayed in The Midnight Dance. It is both utterly compelling and deliciously dark, leaving readers on the edge of their seat for the duration of the novel. Perhaps one of the most stunning debuts in YA fiction this year, fans of [a:Cassandra Clare|150038|Cassandra Clare|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1270502031p2/150038.jpg];s The Infernal Devices trilogy and [a:Jacqueline Garlick|7192419|Jacqueline Garlick|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1501685832p2/7192419.jpg]'s The Illumination Paradox, will flock to the way in which The Midnight Dance is crafted.
One of the most striking things about the novel is the chill you are often faced whilst reading it. You cannot escape it--not even at the beginning. That feeling of wrongness about the central mystery of the book. This fact makes The Midnight Dance standout in terms of other releases this year. Well, that, and the cover (seriously--I need to get my hands on a copy to photograph it and reread ASAP).
As a whole, there's this uniqueness about it that really pulls you into the story--there's that thrilling aspect to it that toys with your nerves. The Midnight Dance, always, has a romance that does not make the story suffer for. I found that the tangles of genre and suspense really make the novel a fast pace read. I devoured it in one sitting because I simply could not put it down.
I didn't want it. I've been nursing a wicked book hangover ever since.
Everything is well plot and entwined with the central story. Nearly every tick, every intricate detail pulls at a thread until all is unraveled and we are faced with the truth about Master and his school for girls. Katz does a wonderful job to write compelling characters that balance out the darkness that the story holds--you can certainly see how much work went into tying these moments into the bigger picture.
Honestly, my skin crawled at so much in this. From Penny's inability to remember times in her life, to her determination in knowing that something was wrong, there isn't a single moment that goes by in The Midnight Dance where the suspense of it all sends your heart into a frenzy and the goosebumps begin to appear. While the story develops, and the reader puts pieces together, there are a few lighter moments in the thick of it; like the bond the girls share with one another at the school and the romance between Penny and Cricket.
I loved the way the timeline was split in two--the Master before creating the school, his motives for doing so, and then after--and found it to be really satisfying. It helped with the general flow of things (even though it didn't need that boost--that's how good it is) and put us in the minds of two very but no less captivating characters: Penny and Cirillo.
If you're looking for a novel that is suspenseful, chilling and twinged with just a bit of romance, The Midnight Dance is for you. I can't stress how much fun I had with this book. I straight up loved it and can feel it in my bones that it's not only one of my favourite releases this year, but now one of my favourites of all-time.
I can't recommend it enough.
Can I give it more than five stars?
I was one of the tour stops for the BLOG TOUR of this book, through Xpresso Book Tours. You can see my review on my blog, as well, here. I received an electronic copy of this novel for review purposes. This does not effect my opinion in any way.
There's something deliriously beautiful about the world portrayed in The Midnight Dance. It is both utterly compelling and deliciously dark, leaving readers on the edge of their seat for the duration of the novel. Perhaps one of the most stunning debuts in YA fiction this year, fans of [a:Cassandra Clare|150038|Cassandra Clare|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1270502031p2/150038.jpg];s The Infernal Devices trilogy and [a:Jacqueline Garlick|7192419|Jacqueline Garlick|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1501685832p2/7192419.jpg]'s The Illumination Paradox, will flock to the way in which The Midnight Dance is crafted.
One of the most striking things about the novel is the chill you are often faced whilst reading it. You cannot escape it--not even at the beginning. That feeling of wrongness about the central mystery of the book. This fact makes The Midnight Dance standout in terms of other releases this year. Well, that, and the cover (seriously--I need to get my hands on a copy to photograph it and reread ASAP).
As a whole, there's this uniqueness about it that really pulls you into the story--there's that thrilling aspect to it that toys with your nerves. The Midnight Dance, always, has a romance that does not make the story suffer for. I found that the tangles of genre and suspense really make the novel a fast pace read. I devoured it in one sitting because I simply could not put it down.
I didn't want it. I've been nursing a wicked book hangover ever since.
Everything is well plot and entwined with the central story. Nearly every tick, every intricate detail pulls at a thread until all is unraveled and we are faced with the truth about Master and his school for girls. Katz does a wonderful job to write compelling characters that balance out the darkness that the story holds--you can certainly see how much work went into tying these moments into the bigger picture.
Honestly, my skin crawled at so much in this. From Penny's inability to remember times in her life, to her determination in knowing that something was wrong, there isn't a single moment that goes by in The Midnight Dance where the suspense of it all sends your heart into a frenzy and the goosebumps begin to appear. While the story develops, and the reader puts pieces together, there are a few lighter moments in the thick of it; like the bond the girls share with one another at the school and the romance between Penny and Cricket.
I loved the way the timeline was split in two--the Master before creating the school, his motives for doing so, and then after--and found it to be really satisfying. It helped with the general flow of things (even though it didn't need that boost--that's how good it is) and put us in the minds of two very but no less captivating characters: Penny and Cirillo.
If you're looking for a novel that is suspenseful, chilling and twinged with just a bit of romance, The Midnight Dance is for you. I can't stress how much fun I had with this book. I straight up loved it and can feel it in my bones that it's not only one of my favourite releases this year, but now one of my favourites of all-time.
I can't recommend it enough.
Can I give it more than five stars?
ljbentley27's review
3.0
The Midnight Dance is a quirky thriller set in a school for orphaned ballerinas. Intrigued? Well you should be. Nikki Katz has created a dystopian fiction set in the 19th century that focuses on the mind control over young ladies who are all training to be prima ballerinas.
Katz’s novel is probably best described as part dystopian young adult fiction and part Frankenstein with a dollop of Groundhog Day thrown in for good measure. It is a really compelling read about triumphing over adversity along with a closer look at the perils of medicine and scientific experimentation.
I was initially drawn to the beautiful book cover. The Midnight Dance really would catch your eye on the shelf and admittedly I did find it difficult to get into but once the first few chapters have been read and you get into the swing of things it really does become a fast and furious thriller.
The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz is available now.
For more information regarding Nikki Katz (@katzni) please visit www.nikkikatz.com.
For more information regarding Swoon Reads (@SwoonReads) please visit www.swoonreads.com.
Katz’s novel is probably best described as part dystopian young adult fiction and part Frankenstein with a dollop of Groundhog Day thrown in for good measure. It is a really compelling read about triumphing over adversity along with a closer look at the perils of medicine and scientific experimentation.
I was initially drawn to the beautiful book cover. The Midnight Dance really would catch your eye on the shelf and admittedly I did find it difficult to get into but once the first few chapters have been read and you get into the swing of things it really does become a fast and furious thriller.
The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz is available now.
For more information regarding Nikki Katz (@katzni) please visit www.nikkikatz.com.
For more information regarding Swoon Reads (@SwoonReads) please visit www.swoonreads.com.
iblamewizards's review against another edition
1.0
Phew. Ok, that was a tough read, and boy am I glad it’s over! I really can’t think of many more ways that The Midnight Dance could have let me down.
It’s only 320 pages long and took me a month to read, and I’ve got to admit, from the 40% mark I was skimming it. The lingering question I was left with was ultimately, why? I don’t understand why anything in this book happened? And I must warn you, that if you proceed to read from here there will be spoilers.
*
*
*
Ok, let us proceed.
The setting of Nikki Katz’s The Midnight Dance is a manor house where a whole lot of girls live and learn ballet. This brings us to our first why.
Why Ballet? Ballet is totally pointless to the narrative. The girls could have been in a regular boarding school, a work house, a brothel, the International Space Station; the narrative would have been exactly the same. I got the feeling that Katz just liked the idea (and has probably seen Coppélia a few times) and thought it would be a cool plot device. But it ultimately serves no purpose.
Why is the Master trying to control people’s minds? No seriously, I have no idea. Maybe it’s because I skim read it, but I really am not sure what the villain’s motivations were other than Penny was a special snowflake and he was totally in love, (which again, why?). There was an intro about a boy with a missing leg who grows up to be the master but because he was teased by his sister, he wants revenge, gets a robotic prosthetic, and experiments with mind control on a whole bunch of young girls who are ballet students. Confused? Yeah, me too. But seriously, why?
Penny (our protagonist) has a grandfather, who’s not her grandfather, who wants to help her (but not the other girls, because they are obviously not as special as special, special Penny), but is also the medical mastermind behind all these experiments in the first place. But why? For the love of God and all that is holy, why, why, WHY?? There is no plausible reason given for his agreement to carry out the experiments to begin with. He can apparently create artificial limbs and perform medical miracles unknown at the time, but instead of doing something useful he lives in a cottage by a manor house for ballerinas catering to the whim of a madman who has no good reason to want to control the minds of all these girls in the first place.
God, this plot was just such a hot mess of different ideas that just went nowhere. The narrative was batshit crazy from the start, so there were no surprises anywhere along the way. Nothing that happened was shocking. There was a bit of a romance that was just ‘meh’, an attempt at a love triangle that was just a bit gross and creepy, a lot of other characters who I forgot almost as soon as they graced the page or who appeared for the first time a few minutes before they were conveniently needed, and loads of Italicised Italian thrown in just to prove that the book was, in fact, set in Italy. If there hadn’t been a date at the beginning of each chapter to tell me when it was set I wouldn’t have had any idea. The way the characters spoke wasn’t believable, the setting didn’t give a sense of time, or place, and where the plot device was discussed it was, in fact, historically wrong. (Ballet dancers used to be stocky and muscular, and pointe shoes at the time that this was set were not used for long periods as they were nothing more than regular satin shoes with some extra darning reinforcement at the toe and sides for the sake of occasional balances rather than prolonged dancing).
The Midnight Dance was just a really mediocre read with a less than mediocre story. The plot was nonsensical and the characters forgettable. Do yourself a favour. Read something else. But hey, at least the cover is great.
Read this review and more at I Blame Wizards.
It’s only 320 pages long and took me a month to read, and I’ve got to admit, from the 40% mark I was skimming it. The lingering question I was left with was ultimately, why? I don’t understand why anything in this book happened? And I must warn you, that if you proceed to read from here there will be spoilers.
*
*
*
Ok, let us proceed.
The setting of Nikki Katz’s The Midnight Dance is a manor house where a whole lot of girls live and learn ballet. This brings us to our first why.
Why Ballet? Ballet is totally pointless to the narrative. The girls could have been in a regular boarding school, a work house, a brothel, the International Space Station; the narrative would have been exactly the same. I got the feeling that Katz just liked the idea (and has probably seen Coppélia a few times) and thought it would be a cool plot device. But it ultimately serves no purpose.
Why is the Master trying to control people’s minds? No seriously, I have no idea. Maybe it’s because I skim read it, but I really am not sure what the villain’s motivations were other than Penny was a special snowflake and he was totally in love, (which again, why?). There was an intro about a boy with a missing leg who grows up to be the master but because he was teased by his sister, he wants revenge, gets a robotic prosthetic, and experiments with mind control on a whole bunch of young girls who are ballet students. Confused? Yeah, me too. But seriously, why?
Penny (our protagonist) has a grandfather, who’s not her grandfather, who wants to help her (but not the other girls, because they are obviously not as special as special, special Penny), but is also the medical mastermind behind all these experiments in the first place. But why? For the love of God and all that is holy, why, why, WHY?? There is no plausible reason given for his agreement to carry out the experiments to begin with. He can apparently create artificial limbs and perform medical miracles unknown at the time, but instead of doing something useful he lives in a cottage by a manor house for ballerinas catering to the whim of a madman who has no good reason to want to control the minds of all these girls in the first place.
God, this plot was just such a hot mess of different ideas that just went nowhere. The narrative was batshit crazy from the start, so there were no surprises anywhere along the way. Nothing that happened was shocking. There was a bit of a romance that was just ‘meh’, an attempt at a love triangle that was just a bit gross and creepy, a lot of other characters who I forgot almost as soon as they graced the page or who appeared for the first time a few minutes before they were conveniently needed, and loads of Italicised Italian thrown in just to prove that the book was, in fact, set in Italy. If there hadn’t been a date at the beginning of each chapter to tell me when it was set I wouldn’t have had any idea. The way the characters spoke wasn’t believable, the setting didn’t give a sense of time, or place, and where the plot device was discussed it was, in fact, historically wrong. (Ballet dancers used to be stocky and muscular, and pointe shoes at the time that this was set were not used for long periods as they were nothing more than regular satin shoes with some extra darning reinforcement at the toe and sides for the sake of occasional balances rather than prolonged dancing).
The Midnight Dance was just a really mediocre read with a less than mediocre story. The plot was nonsensical and the characters forgettable. Do yourself a favour. Read something else. But hey, at least the cover is great.
Read this review and more at I Blame Wizards.
brisk28's review against another edition
3.0
It definitely wasn’t bad, but it’s also not my favorite. Tbh, I picked it up because I thought it was about ballet.