Monday, November 18, 2013

Review: Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black

Dance of Shadows (Dance of Shadows, #1)
Dance of Shadows (Dance of Shadows #1) 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 . . .
GR
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    I liked the premise a lot, the character of Vanessa, and being in the dance world. However, I felt like there were some pacing issues, things skimmed over, and others that were elaborated too much. But the beginning kept me engaged, and after a somewhat slow middle, the ending griped me again until the last page. I will for sure read the next book when it comes out even if I don't grab on release day. 
    The ballet in this one seemed realistic as far as the setting, terms used, and the school. There is a paranormal aspect for Vanessa and select others, but as far as the paranormal goes, it is set up well and isn't too much of a stretch. Although Vanessa said more than once while she likes dance, she is mostly at this elite school for her sister. I find this to be a bit of a stretch because you couldn't be as good as she is without a pretty intense love for ballet at the end of the day, but I get where it is coming from. 
     I wasn't much a fan of the romance Zep never really sat right with me, and I think that Vanessa should have paid more attention to the feelings of unease or that something wasn't quite right with him. But I get the appeal, he is older, more mature, good looking, a good dancer, and he showed interest in her. 
    I was more rooting for the underdog, Justin. Not that it was really a love triangle, he was just there, and I liked him more than I ever did Zep. 
    The ending wrapped up things okay, but there are still lots of other questions that need to be answered in the sequel. 

Bottom Line: Good start and ending, with a slow middle and some issues.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Have you ever done any sort of dance? If not, do you wish you would have or could? 
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26 comments:

  1. My daughter dances ballet so I'm curious about this, and well, I'm glad the paranormal elements worked. Not thrilled about the romance, though.
    Great review.

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  2. This book sounds really appealing because of that dancing world. I've always been fascinated by it. Sadly this book is not as good as it seems. Great review, Brandi :)

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  3. Redirected here from your YA and Teen blog which for some reason isn't available - a temporary hitch rather than a permanent one I'm hoping.

    I'd love to be able to dance so this book did kind of appeal to me so I was sad to read the middle was slow.

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  4. I danced all throughout my childhood and I miss it terribly! This book caught my attention but I haven't got around to it yet, I may skip it though now since you say it isn't the greatest. Great review!

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  5. I've always found the premise to be insanely intriguing, but the lukewarm reviews and ratings have made me suspicious. I'm glad that you were able to enjoy it, but I'm sorry that you didn't find it very thorough. Better luck with your next mystery book :)

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  6. To have a good beginning and a slow middle is kind of annoying, but I'm glad you enjoyed the book overall :) Great review! I've been curious about this one.

    Janina @ Synchronized Reading

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  7. I always have a hard time with books that leave a lot of questions. I know most of the time they are answered somewhere in the rest of the series, but I don't like ending a book and still being confused. I want that all wrapped up.

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  8. I danced for almost 15 years. I loved it and I really enjoyed this book as well. Glad you liked it.

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  9. I am glad the dance aspect was realistic, but reviews have all been in the middle on this, and the fact that you liked Justin better has left me skipping this one..lovely review Brandi!

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  10. I don't think I've seen a single glowing review for this, particularly over the romance.
    Thanks for sharing!

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  11. I love the cover for this book. It stinks that it was slow paced up until the end and Vanessa wasn't too smart about her love choices.

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  12. A slow middle can be so tough getting through

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  13. I'm still on the fence about reading this one, but I do like that fact it has dance in it. Not liking the sound of the slow middle.

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  14. I don't think I will be reading this one. Nowadays, I need something that would "wow" me right away. Sigh.

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  15. I'm not taken in by pretty covers too much anymore but that's one that keeps grabbing my attention. You aren't he first person who didn't love it though so I'm not going to rush to read it.

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  16. This one kind of sounds weird! The ballet part sounds interesting, but the paranormal aspect and the triangle sound weird! Nice review =)

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  17. I wish I could dance better than I can! I find it interesting.

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  18. It's nice to see that even with your issues with this read you want to get the next one. It's nice when the ending keeps you glued to the pages, Great review, Brandi! :)

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  19. It seems like I've only seen negative reviews for this one so I'm glad you still enjoyed it, even if it wasn't perfect.

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  20. Yeah, I heard similar stuff about this book. It has it's issues but at least it's readable.

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  21. Hmm not excited about the romance, but I am a bit curious about it. Glad you found some things to enjoy enough for 3 stars. Great review!

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  22. Oh I'm sorry about your issues. It's too bad because the cover was so nice and I was really intrigued. I hope the second will be better.

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  23. For a first book it sounds totally doable! You did a fabulous fair review and totally set up my expectations perfectly!!!!! I do covet the cover, though! I think for beginning and ending, the book would be worth it and maybe she'll tighten up her writing for the second book :D

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  24. Nice review, Brandi. This is a book I was interested in - love the cover. :) I never took any dance classes but I've always wanted to take ballroom dance.

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  25. I adore the cover for this so much and picked it up because I love reading about ballet, something I wish I had done. But I found it very lacking-the writing was easy enough to read but the plot and characters were half-baked.

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