A review by readtiltheworldisblurry
The Ballerinas by Rachel Kapelke-Dale

2.0

I’m not going to be super eloquent during this review, because, similar to the book, I will get my message across by stumbling through my points.

I didn’t have high expectations with this book, but it managed to fly below. It was such a clunky plot and you realize halfway through that there is really no need for the flashbacks. Other than giving us a bit of backstory about Lindsey’s personality, there is nothing there that couldn’t have been mentioned briefly in the present and then move on.

And the characters were pretty awful. I’ve read and enjoyed books with unlikable protagonists because they are usually there with likeable characters. I didn’t really care about any of them, and when I did, I was too shocked to process what I had read.

It felt like a plot that didn’t know where it was going sprinkled with history lessons about the Romanovs and the inner workings of ballet companies. But you can learn about those in more interesting ways from a documentary.

I get the messages and did connect with those, but that was limited by how distractingly clunky the story was. It may appeal to someone else, but I wouldn’t risk it by recommending it to someone I like.