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3.45 AVERAGE
3.45 AVERAGE
The premise of this sounded so good, and bring in the subject of secretive ballerinas, I’m sold! Unfortunately, I found that the most exciting thing about this book was the cover.
The back cover promises an exciting twist, and instead I was just left wondering what the twist even was, because nothing left me excited nor was jaw dropping. There was more about their lives in the Paris Ballet then anything else and while it was interesting at first, it started getting stale.
If you’re looking for a tame thriller, or one that is very slow paced, character driven and doesn’t have a lot going on, this one might be for you. But if you’re going into this one expecting a lot of action , or viciously competitive and mean ballerinas, you might want to skip this one.
The back cover promises an exciting twist, and instead I was just left wondering what the twist even was, because nothing left me excited nor was jaw dropping. There was more about their lives in the Paris Ballet then anything else and while it was interesting at first, it started getting stale.
If you’re looking for a tame thriller, or one that is very slow paced, character driven and doesn’t have a lot going on, this one might be for you. But if you’re going into this one expecting a lot of action , or viciously competitive and mean ballerinas, you might want to skip this one.
I really enjoyed this book. It started of kind of slow, but quickly picked up for me. I was immediately drawn to read the book, because it's set in Paris, France which is one of my absolute favorite places to read about! I want to visit one day!
What I enjoyed the most about the book is the inside look into ballet and what women go through-not just physically, but mentally starting early in childhood and progresses throughout adulthood. Very powerful and intruguing.
Thank you to @Netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
What I enjoyed the most about the book is the inside look into ballet and what women go through-not just physically, but mentally starting early in childhood and progresses throughout adulthood. Very powerful and intruguing.
Thank you to @Netgalley and @stmartinspress for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked this book quite a bit. It was a story of three girls becoming women, of competition, power, love, dedication and passion. It was set in the ballet world in Paris and in Russia. It was both a story of dance and a universal story. As a former dancer, contemporary dancer it brought back lots of memories, though my experience was not as extreme
slow-paced
I disliked this book so much!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Misogyny, Sexual content, Abortion, Death of parent, Toxic friendship, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Cancer, Misogyny, Abortion, Injury/Injury detail
Thank you @stmartinspress and @netgalley for the eARC!
The Ballerinas is being marketed as Black Swan meets Dare Me meets Luckiest Girl Alive and a ballet thriller. But I really think that’s doing this book a disservice.
It’s not a thriller. And if you go into it thinking it's going to be a thriller like I did, you’re going to be very disappointed.
The Ballerinas is a character-driven book that follows three dancers in the Paris Opera Ballet (POB), Delphine, Margaux and Lindsay split between two timelines: their time coming up through the ballet school and 16 years later as adults. Switching back and forth between these timelines, we learn that Delphine has killed someone at some point and that her and Margaux did something awful to Lindsay many years ago.
The first third of the book dragged for me. It wasn’t until the second half that we got into the meaty bits about each woman’s ambition and what they would and wouldn’t do to succeed in the cutthroat world of professional ballet that the book got good. The last third read like a feminist manifesto.
There’s a line I really hope that makes it into the final version of the books about discovering all the women you thought were crazy were normal and that their “crazy” responses actually make sense when you look at their lives and what they’re up against.
I would recommend this to readers who enjoy character driven books and strong, ambitious female characters.
The Ballerinas is out 12/7!
The Ballerinas is being marketed as Black Swan meets Dare Me meets Luckiest Girl Alive and a ballet thriller. But I really think that’s doing this book a disservice.
It’s not a thriller. And if you go into it thinking it's going to be a thriller like I did, you’re going to be very disappointed.
The Ballerinas is a character-driven book that follows three dancers in the Paris Opera Ballet (POB), Delphine, Margaux and Lindsay split between two timelines: their time coming up through the ballet school and 16 years later as adults. Switching back and forth between these timelines, we learn that Delphine has killed someone at some point and that her and Margaux did something awful to Lindsay many years ago.
The first third of the book dragged for me. It wasn’t until the second half that we got into the meaty bits about each woman’s ambition and what they would and wouldn’t do to succeed in the cutthroat world of professional ballet that the book got good. The last third read like a feminist manifesto.
There’s a line I really hope that makes it into the final version of the books about discovering all the women you thought were crazy were normal and that their “crazy” responses actually make sense when you look at their lives and what they’re up against.
I would recommend this to readers who enjoy character driven books and strong, ambitious female characters.
The Ballerinas is out 12/7!
I think this book has had some weaker reviews because of the choice to compare it to "Dare Me meets Black Swan and Luckiest Girl Alive" in the blurb. It's not a thriller, it's something all of it's own.
I was blown away by this book. it's written in a two timeline style, with the "past" timeline slowly revealing the reason behind certain things that are in the "current" timeline. There is an interesting plot, friendship, understandable, flawed characters all set against the background of the ballet. As a non-dancer, there is enough ballet information to be interesting, but it's not too technical. It has some strong themes running though it, such as friendship, ageing, what love means, what brings meaning to a life. Big themes that sneak up on what at first seems like a very simple story.
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's press for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I was blown away by this book. it's written in a two timeline style, with the "past" timeline slowly revealing the reason behind certain things that are in the "current" timeline. There is an interesting plot, friendship, understandable, flawed characters all set against the background of the ballet. As a non-dancer, there is enough ballet information to be interesting, but it's not too technical. It has some strong themes running though it, such as friendship, ageing, what love means, what brings meaning to a life. Big themes that sneak up on what at first seems like a very simple story.
Thanks to NetGalley and St Martin's press for this e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
dark
mysterious
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
It was good! Unexpected turns in plot but it worked!