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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
funny
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale
More of a slow-burning, suspenseful character-driven story compared to a thriller, The Ballerinas was a mixed-bag for me. Cantering on three dancers, students and then professionals at the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet, we go back and forth in time through the eyes of Delphine. The complexity of competitive friendships, the power dynamics within professional dance, patriarchal structure, and body autonomy are all explored.
The first half dragged a bit for me. There was foreshadowing and frequent references to events in the past, which become somewhat irritating without enough context. Also - vertiginously was used twice as a descriptor… felt a bit showy to me! It felt like a long time before any crumbs were given to entice the reader into the story. That being said, once the intrigue started in earnest, I was totally hooked and didn’t want to stop reading.
The second half was so much stronger in my opinion. The plot moves along, and I actually gasped at a couple of parts. The juxtaposition of the controlled and beautiful ballerinas against the raw and grotesque events (the scene on the beach with the thread from the ballet shoes!!!!) was striking. The writing is quite balletic at times (sorry couldn’t help myself!).
I’d recommend this for those who enjoy darker, suspenseful stories, but aren’t looking for an overly twisty thriller. The build up is slower here, but the imagery and tone are well done. Quite a few content warnings necessary so be sure to look up prior to reading. Overall, I enjoyed this quite a bit, and I would definitely read this author’s next release. It just wasn’t quite as polished as I would have liked. Many thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own. It is available now!
More of a slow-burning, suspenseful character-driven story compared to a thriller, The Ballerinas was a mixed-bag for me. Cantering on three dancers, students and then professionals at the prestigious Paris Opera Ballet, we go back and forth in time through the eyes of Delphine. The complexity of competitive friendships, the power dynamics within professional dance, patriarchal structure, and body autonomy are all explored.
The first half dragged a bit for me. There was foreshadowing and frequent references to events in the past, which become somewhat irritating without enough context. Also - vertiginously was used twice as a descriptor… felt a bit showy to me! It felt like a long time before any crumbs were given to entice the reader into the story. That being said, once the intrigue started in earnest, I was totally hooked and didn’t want to stop reading.
The second half was so much stronger in my opinion. The plot moves along, and I actually gasped at a couple of parts. The juxtaposition of the controlled and beautiful ballerinas against the raw and grotesque events (the scene on the beach with the thread from the ballet shoes!!!!) was striking. The writing is quite balletic at times (sorry couldn’t help myself!).
I’d recommend this for those who enjoy darker, suspenseful stories, but aren’t looking for an overly twisty thriller. The build up is slower here, but the imagery and tone are well done. Quite a few content warnings necessary so be sure to look up prior to reading. Overall, I enjoyed this quite a bit, and I would definitely read this author’s next release. It just wasn’t quite as polished as I would have liked. Many thanks to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for a free e-copy of this book. All opinions are my own. It is available now!
I struggled putting my thoughts into words about this book, so it took me about a week after finishing the audiobook to type it all down.
This book had SO much potential. The world full of perfect ballerinas, a female trio that was unbreakable, the dual timeline that looked back on why decisions were made, and the piece that tied them all together: making their life mean something.
Immediately I became invested in the flawed but likable characters—the first half of this book definitely is character driven vs plot driven. This was a four to five star book for me until the last 10% of the book.
My issues laid in this: it randomly wanted to become a thriller, the disgusting use of female empowerment and autonomy in order to accomplish illegal and immoral things, and the overall lackluster ending that makes you think “why did I just spend all this time reading that?”
Man, I really wanted to like this book!!!!
This book had SO much potential. The world full of perfect ballerinas, a female trio that was unbreakable, the dual timeline that looked back on why decisions were made, and the piece that tied them all together: making their life mean something.
Immediately I became invested in the flawed but likable characters—the first half of this book definitely is character driven vs plot driven. This was a four to five star book for me until the last 10% of the book.
My issues laid in this: it randomly wanted to become a thriller, the disgusting use of female empowerment and autonomy in order to accomplish illegal and immoral things, and the overall lackluster ending that makes you think “why did I just spend all this time reading that?”
Man, I really wanted to like this book!!!!
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
tense
medium-paced