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4.15 AVERAGE
4.15 AVERAGE
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
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
emotional
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
i was having such a great time reading this book, honestly! i got about 60% through, totally convinced it was going to be a 5-star read. but then, unfortunately, things really took a turn, and it ended up being pretty disappointing. i just can't stand unnecessary time jumps or deaths that are clearly just thrown in to try and add depth to the story. honestly, they weren't needed at all and just detracted from it!
ok, the good news is that overall, i enjoyed this one, and thus i am not deciding that the headmisstress/magdelene nox were outliers and abandoning trying the new books by this author as was almost the case. so, yayy.
there were a couple of things i didn't entierly vibe with: i felt like the pacing in the third act had a couple of whiplash issues and i'd have rather focused on things than a big time jump, personally.
one of my qualms with mckay as an author is that i wish so much she would write dual pov books, but by GOD i would not be mad if this one got the magdelene nox treatment and we got a book from katerina's pov, bc i was DESPRATE to get into her head. there is still so much we don't really know from her pov, and i was aching for it basically the whole novel. (i do gotta say tho, as someone who did dance as a kid [nowhere NEAR to this level, but followed some things/used to enjoy it a lot] it did strike me as kind of fantastical that they wouldn't be saying a shitton of nonsense abt katerina's age being that she was 35-42 and still dancing at the level of prima? i thought ballet ppl were as shitty abt women aging as gymnastics and figure skating and such, but maybe i'm wrong).
however, this is the first book by mckay that i've read recently where i actually liked both mcs!! and was actually rooting for them to get together!! so yayyy there. i really liked juliette and i enjoyed being in her pov. i liked her friendships with gabe and helena and francesca. i loved seeing the ballet world (though, again, found it a little wild that juliette's sexuality seemed almost not a problem/she and gabe were barely in the closet at all in the 80s, but i wasn't alive then and maybe i've just been told too many times that wouldn't be an issue?). i loved the ballet stuff, it made me miss dance. and i really loved katerina (again!! i wish we had her pov). i'm glad that this one isn't leaving me frusturated and deciding mckay is not for me, but it does almost leave me more confused than ever. bc i had figured that i just often don't vibe with her younger mcs, but i liked juliette a lot, here. so maybe it's just hit or miss, for me).
there were a couple of things i didn't entierly vibe with: i felt like the pacing in the third act had a couple of whiplash issues and i'd have rather focused on things than a big time jump, personally.
one of my qualms with mckay as an author is that i wish so much she would write dual pov books, but by GOD i would not be mad if this one got the magdelene nox treatment and we got a book from katerina's pov, bc i was DESPRATE to get into her head. there is still so much we don't really know from her pov, and i was aching for it basically the whole novel. (i do gotta say tho, as someone who did dance as a kid [nowhere NEAR to this level, but followed some things/used to enjoy it a lot] it did strike me as kind of fantastical that they wouldn't be saying a shitton of nonsense abt katerina's age being that she was 35-42 and still dancing at the level of prima? i thought ballet ppl were as shitty abt women aging as gymnastics and figure skating and such, but maybe i'm wrong).
however, this is the first book by mckay that i've read recently where i actually liked both mcs!! and was actually rooting for them to get together!! so yayyy there. i really liked juliette and i enjoyed being in her pov. i liked her friendships with gabe and helena and francesca. i loved seeing the ballet world (though, again, found it a little wild that juliette's sexuality seemed almost not a problem/she and gabe were barely in the closet at all in the 80s, but i wasn't alive then and maybe i've just been told too many times that wouldn't be an issue?). i loved the ballet stuff, it made me miss dance. and i really loved katerina (again!! i wish we had her pov). i'm glad that this one isn't leaving me frusturated and deciding mckay is not for me, but it does almost leave me more confused than ever. bc i had figured that i just often don't vibe with her younger mcs, but i liked juliette a lot, here. so maybe it's just hit or miss, for me).
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
medium-paced