by Yelena Black
Dancing with someone is an act of trust. Elegant and intimate; you're close enough to kiss,
close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .
Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . .
Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed.
Chilling. Ethereal. Stunning.
Those were the first words that popped into my head when I was contemplating how to even begin to critic this awesomeness. However, that was also before I finished the book. Now that I have finished it I struggle to remember how I thought those words were fitting. I still enjoyed the book thoroughly but, about three quarters of the way through, what was once pure awesomesauce suddenly got all twisted, and crashed and died just a little. Leaving me somewhat unsure and confused about how I felt about the book as a whole. At first I was like "THAT WAS SO FREAKING AMAZING! BEST BOOK EVER!" Then I calmed down and looked back on it a little more carefully and examined that last troublesome, latter quarter of the book where the pacing suddenly became rushed and the story-line took a turn for the twisted, occult and just plain strange. Vanessa while she is a likable character she is not a strong one. Yes, her personality appears inherently strong however, she is not written strongly or very well. She is not a fully developed and fleshed out character. She does not seem to grow at all as a person and, you don't learn much about who she is let alone why she is the way she is. She rather lacks character. I felt closer to her friends than her. While the concept of the story as a whole is quite unique and enthralling, and the writing was beautifully descriptive when it needed to be, in the end I was not thoroughly enamored by either. The plot line had some issues, especially in the pacing of it, but props to Yelena for the utterly unexpected ending. In the end it was a good book and I still loved it it just wasn't the "BEST BOOK EVER," that I had thought it would be when I started it. I give it a solid 3 stars.
close enough to feel your partner's heartbeat. But for Vanessa, dance is deadly – and she must be very careful who she trusts . . .
Vanessa Adler attends an elite ballet school – the same one her older sister, Margaret, attended before she disappeared. Vanessa feels she can never live up to her sister's shining reputation. But Vanessa, with her glorious red hair and fair skin, has a kind of power when she dances – she loses herself in the music, breathes different air, and the world around her turns to flames . . .
Soon she attracts the attention of three men: gorgeous Zep, mysterious Justin, and the great, enigmatic choreographer Josef Zhalkovsky. When Josef asks Vanessa to dance the lead in the Firebird, she has little idea of the danger that lies ahead – and the burning forces about to be unleashed.
Chilling. Ethereal. Stunning.
Those were the first words that popped into my head when I was contemplating how to even begin to critic this awesomeness. However, that was also before I finished the book. Now that I have finished it I struggle to remember how I thought those words were fitting. I still enjoyed the book thoroughly but, about three quarters of the way through, what was once pure awesomesauce suddenly got all twisted, and crashed and died just a little. Leaving me somewhat unsure and confused about how I felt about the book as a whole. At first I was like "THAT WAS SO FREAKING AMAZING! BEST BOOK EVER!" Then I calmed down and looked back on it a little more carefully and examined that last troublesome, latter quarter of the book where the pacing suddenly became rushed and the story-line took a turn for the twisted, occult and just plain strange. Vanessa while she is a likable character she is not a strong one. Yes, her personality appears inherently strong however, she is not written strongly or very well. She is not a fully developed and fleshed out character. She does not seem to grow at all as a person and, you don't learn much about who she is let alone why she is the way she is. She rather lacks character. I felt closer to her friends than her. While the concept of the story as a whole is quite unique and enthralling, and the writing was beautifully descriptive when it needed to be, in the end I was not thoroughly enamored by either. The plot line had some issues, especially in the pacing of it, but props to Yelena for the utterly unexpected ending. In the end it was a good book and I still loved it it just wasn't the "BEST BOOK EVER," that I had thought it would be when I started it. I give it a solid 3 stars.
Briana
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