Dance of Shadows (Dance of Shadows)

by Yelena Black

Fifteen-year-old Vanessa follows her sister Margaret to an elite Manhattan ballet school, not only gaining admission but also earning the lead in a production of the Firebird, while trying to uncover why and how Margaret and other lead dancers have disappeared.

• ISBN10: 1599909405
• ISBN13: 9781599909400
• Publish Date: 12 February 2013
• Publish Status: Out of Print
• Out of Print: 5 November 2021
• Imprint: Bloomsbury U.S.A. Children's Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 384
• Language: English

Reviews

[Kelly]

http://divainpyjamas.blogspot.com.au/2013/08/dance-of-shadows-by-yelena-black.html
Dance Of Shadows sounded intriguing. A romantic setting, a magical ballet performance and a love interest, and for the most part, it was. I loved the daily grind of the Academy, the professional dancers and students and the technical explanations, but I wished it had stayed within the contemporary genre and not ventured into the paranormal. It begun with shadows and whispers, but by the final few chapters, the magical setting that it was clinging to evaporated, and it felt like a complete farce.

Vanessa started with a mission to find her sister, but ended up being sidetracked, used as a doormat by the cardboard Zep, ditching her friends and begging for any bone that he would throw her way. A slightly older and more mature character with a spine would have made for a more likable protagonist. The bright sparks were gay dancer Blaine and the snippy Justin, but sadly, their characters were underdeveloped. I desperately wanted to fall in love with Dance Of Shadows, but I just couldn't. Unfortunately.

[Angie]

I received an ARC through NetGalley.

In a word, Dance of Shadows is boring. Really it is. It started off a little creepy and I thought maybe the negative reviews were wrong. Sadly, they’re not. None of the characters have identifiable personalities. They all sound the same, so it was hard keeping all of Vanessa’s friends straight. Vanessa herself is utterly bland, but everyone thinks she’s wonderful. She may be an amazing dancer, but her heart’s not in it. She has a sense of false modesty which is highly annoying. She knows she’s good, but she can’t accept compliments on her talent? I don’t buy it. She also has red hair, which makes her stand out from the other girls, earning the attention of two boys because she’s so radiant. Of course. And this was just the start of my problems.

I actually really loved the premise of Dance of Shadows. I have absolutely no musical talent whatsoever, but I tend to enjoy movies focused on dance, so I figured I’d give this book a try. The supernatural twist is really what sold it though. I was interested in the mystery of the disappearing dancers in the beginning, but about a third in I failed to remain engaged. The story is slow and boring, and nothing motivated me to keep reading other than finishing so I could write this review. I didn’t like Vanessa so I couldn’t care about what happened to her. I was curious about how she essentially hallucinates when she’s in the zone with her dance, but we didn’t get to see too much of that. Nor was it actually explained.

The big reveal was where Dance of Shadows lost me for good. I actually laughed, which I know is not the warranted reaction. It just came across as silly and random. From that point on, I felt like I was watching a horrible SyFy Channel movie. Not even one that’s so bad it’s good, just a really bad one. The twists just kept getting stranger and I felt like every single character just popped up exclaiming that they weren’t who they seemed. I think the supernatural aspect could have been really awesome, but instead it just wasn’t.

Basically, Dance of Shadows failed to impress or entertain me. The characters were bland and all read as the same person. The plot was slow and cheesy, and not in the way I like. The very end was a huge “huh?” moment, and felt like it was purposely written that way to make room for a sequel. This one could have been a standalone, if the author hadn’t made Vanessa’s sister super special in some way, for seemingly no reason. I can’t say more without spoilers, sorry.

Read more of my reviews at Pinkindle Reads & Reviews.

[celinenyx]

It seems that a lot of people didn't enjoy Dance of Shadows. It's set in a tradition first created by Twilight and continued by Fallen, and I read it in the light of this tradition. I didn't expect to be forced to think about anything and just wanted a quick fluffy read, and this was pretty much what I got.

After the disappearance of her older sister, Vanessa goes to the same prestiguous ballet school as her sister went to. When one of her friends disappears as well, she discovers that the disappearances are more than just ballerinas cracking under the pressure. She might be next herself...

Throughout the story you're being kept in limbo about what kind of story Dance of Shadows is. Is it a psychological thriller, or a paranormal story? If you read the blurb carefully, you might find the answer - it's a paranormal story. I'm pointing this out because being able to enjoy the paranormal aspect and being able to suspend belief is important for your enjoyment of the story. If you go in knowing that Dance of Shadows is a paranormal story will make the book a lot less confusing.

I read this book when I was in London for the Book Fair, and it was perfect for that. It immediately hooks you in with the premise of disappearing girls and awesome ballet moved. There is a lot of dancing and practice of dancing and descriptions of ballet. I danced ballet for half a year too, and I enjoyed being able to recognise the moves. The ballet focus might be tedious if you're not interested in dance in any way.

Vanessa as a character is pretty bland - she is only the sum of her actions. She comes to New York in search of her sister but for me it isn't really clear how she is looking for her. She barely does any sneaking around or that kind of thing what you would expect. There is a big focus on the romance, and throughout the story a love-triangle appears. I didn't very much mind this one, because at no point there is a promise of eternal love. Most of the time Vanessa isn't sure whether or she is together with her crush, so I didn't mind her lusting after another boy once in a while. But again, Vanessa is just a bunch of actions concerning both boys, there isn't all that much in the sense of feelings. I did like that we become to distrust both boys, and Ms Black keeps us guessing which one of them is being truthful until the end.

I loved the book for what it was for me, a mindless and easily readable escape from busy London. As for substance, it doesn't have all that much. It has to be mentioned though that I read an uncorrected advance reader copy of the book, so maybe the emotional connection with Vanessa is different in the finalised version. Dance of Shadows is a book that readers of Fallen that also happen to love ballet will eat up.

[Amber]

I'm just going to be blunt; Dance of Shadows was awful. The pretty cover is what drew me in, making me look forward to a mysterious paranormal book involving ballet. Instead, Dance of Shadows was more of a Twilight-esque romance with some random supernatural stuff scattered around.

Full review here.