Dance of Shadows: Chapters 1-3

By Yelena Black

For a tantalising taste of intense passion and dramatic danger, read the first three chapters in Yelena Black's Dance of Shadows . . .

Then get your hands on the full novel 14th February 2013!

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 . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Dec 20, 2012
• ISBN: 9781408841976

Yelena Black

YELENA BLACK is the author of Dance of Shadows. She's an MFA graduate of Columbia University and currently resides in New York City. She has a keen interest in dance and all things devilish.

Reviews for Dance of Shadows

[amberfib · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Dance of Shadows is just dull, for lack of a better term. The synopsis sounds great, and the concept is amazing. However, the execution is terrible. The pacing is off, the characters are one-dimensional, and the writing is sub-par. I started this book expecting a unique and intriguing novel and ended up bored to death and irritated. Vanessa is one of the dumbest characters I've ever read. Not to mention she has no personality. She insists on doing stupid things repeatedly when the answers are right there in front of her. She trusts the wrong people constantly, she can't figure out ANYTHING for herself, and to top it all off, she's obscenely bland. She is an awful character, and I found her impossible to relate to OR root for. I can't even remember most of the other characters names. Justin is also bland, and he doesn't stand out, and neither does Zep. Josef is pretty much a carbon copy of Justin and Zep. There is not a single character in this book that has a personality. The lack of character development is unbelievable. The pacing for this book is extremely slow. The world-building and place development are non-existent. The writing is awful, and the author seems to love the smell of sweat... yuck. Thinking about some of the supposed steamy scenes still makes me nauseous because of all the sweat sniffing and such. If I hadn't been to NYC several times, then I would have had no idea what the city looked like. Black tells us NOTHING about New York. I certainly didn't feel like I was there, which is probably a good thing, considering all the sweat. Overall, I'd recommend this book to my worst enemy, and that's about it. It's seriously bad. The only redeeming aspect is the concept, which the author completely destroys with the horrible writing, lack of character-development, and lack of world-building.

[ahandfulofconfetti · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was drawn to Dance of Shadows as soon as I saw the cover. I mean, how can you look at that gorgeousness and NOT want to read this book? Add to that the fact that this book is set at a ballet academy - and I adore ballet anything, even though I cannot dance to save my soul - and it was a no brainer for me to pick up this book. Then I started seeing some not-so-stellar ratings and got worried that this would be a dud; for most people, it definitely seems to be just that. But I am happy to report that I, on the other hand, really enjoyed this book a lot and am so glad I went ahead and gave it a read!Vanessa Adler is living in her sister, Margaret's, shadow. It was Margaret who was first accepted to the New York Ballet Academy, given the lead female role in the school's production, and disappeared without a trace. Wanting some closure and answers regarding her sister's disappearance, Vanessa applies and is accepted to the NYBA to follow in her sister's footsteps. But Vanessa is an even better dancer than Margaret was, and catches the attention of the school's director, who casts her in the same role her sister was dancing when she disappeared: the Firebird.This book had a fabulous air of mystery to it. While Vanessa attends her classes and goes through the grueling training required to perform her role in the production, she is caught up in the history of the academy (11 girls including her sister have disappeared over the years without a trace), while also getting caught up in Zep, the best male dancer in the school and her counterpart in the ballet. I loved how the author didn't shy away from just how difficult ballet is, and the damage it does to the dancer's body. Vanessa was always full of aches and pains, but she was able to shove that aside when she was performing. Her dancing is literally magical: it is her gift that causes her to play the same role her sister did. Throughout the book you are constantly guessing about what's going on at the Academy, and how things are going to turn out. Even though there were times that I wanted to shake Vanessa in my frustration, particularly when it came to Justin, I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.Dance of Shadows has a very Center Stage-ish feel to it, with Vanessa catching the eye of the lead dancer, and being surrounded by a wonderful cast of supporting characters (I particularly liked Steffie). While I couldn't help but feel that something was up with Zep, I was still fascinated by their relationship and the way he kept pushing her away only to pull her closer. When they were dancing together - particularly the scene with just the two of them in the underground studio, when he was explaining the steps of the dance - I could definitely understand why people were using the word "sexy" to describe this book!Don't get me wrong; I can understand why this book would perhaps rub some people the wrong way. Vanessa isn't exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, and there is a LOT of ballet in this book (all the better for me personally, but perhaps not everyone's cup of tea). There's also a love triangle, which usually irritates me but in this case didn't. I dunno. I really think that, for me personally, the ballet overrode everything else that would have usually annoyed me!All in all I very much enjoyed Dance of Shadows, and am very intrigued to see what comes next. I love that Vanessa is a strong character who just wanted answers and wasn't afraid to face some truly terrifying things. The mystery was really well done, giving the book a very dangerous feel, and even though it took me a while to read this book, it wasn't because it wasn't compelling or entertaining; time just really worked against me this week. If you like ballet and don't mind a paranormal mystery with a sort-of love triangle, do check this one out. I personally can't wait to read book two!An e-galley was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[booktwirps · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Vanessa Adler is a superb ballerina, so it’s only natural that she would be selected to attend the prestigious New York Ballet Academy. Though dancing is a huge part of Vanessa’s life, her main goal is to figure out what happened to her sister Margaret who attended the academy a few years ago, then went missing.It’s no surprise that Vanessa is cast as the lead in The Firebird as she is the best dancer at the school. The problem? Margaret was also cast as the lead right before she disappeared, and even more disturbing, several other girls also disappeared not long after getting the same role.Now Vanessa must put together the pieces of the puzzle before she is the next to go missing.While I wasn’t a fan of the overall book (more on why later), I thought the world building was very strong. Ms. Black knows her dance terms, and it’s obvious she knows what it’s like to be in a ballet academy. She also captured New York City very well, and the infusion of the paranormal was a nice touch.My first, and biggest problem with the book, were the characters. Vanessa was incredibly one-dimensional and very shallow. I never connected with her, and since she is the protagonist, it’s really hard to get into a book if you can’t root for the MC. The rest of the characters were very bland as well. Zeb was very predictable in an almost Edward Cullen sort of way, and Vanessa’s friends all seemed to be nothing more than cardboard cutouts. Not one of them stood out to me, and after a while I just got used to reading their names in a passage without trying to remember who was who.While the story is interesting and at times intense, I felt it could have been so much more if the writing were stronger. It didn’t flow well, and some of the dialogue was cringe-worthy. The pacing was also off, and there were times when I found myself skimming passages to get to a good part.I had REALLY high hopes for this one. The minute I saw the cover, I knew I had to have it. Unfortunately for me, it just didn’t hit the mark. The idea is great, and the story interesting, but the execution just wasn’t there for me.With that said, I think this one will appeal to fans of paranormal romances. I can definitely see it hitting the mark with Twilight fans, or people who don’t read nearly as many books as I do in a year. I had a lot to compare it to, and that may have been part of the reason why I didn’t like it as much as I wanted to.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I chose this book because I thought the premise sounded interesting. Combining dancing with mystery could have been really good. I did think the dancing scenes were very well-done. I felt as though I was taking part in them. However, most of the rest of the book didn't work as well for me. I felt that the characters were one-dimensional and inconsistent. Vanessa is the main character. She is a superb dancer who is accepted at the New York School of Ballet. However, her heart isn't in dancing. She wants to go the school because her older sister Margaret had been a student at the school and disappeared from there three years earlier. Almost as soon as she arrives she falls into insta-love with perhaps the most badly name character in young adult fiction—Zeppelin Black. My immediate image upon hearing his name was the Michelin Man. I have a hard time seeing the Michelin Man as a romantic hero.She is also cast in the school's annual performance as the lead ballerina in The Firebird. Zep is cast as the male lead. The two are constantly practicing for the ballet and especially for a special number that was seldom performed in the ballet because of its difficulty. The are being directed by Josef who is a mysterious figure with a shady past. Despite her great love, she almost never sees Zep outside of practice and knows almost nothing about him yet her love remains strong. As is the usual case in young adult books these days, this one has a "love" triangle. The third side of this triangle is Justin who has just re-entered the school after being away for three years. He is constantly warning Vanessa against Zep and stalking her. They hold a number of cryptic conversations that are as confusing for the reader as they are for Vanessa.Things get more mysterious when one of Vanessa's friends disappears and no one appears concerned. As Vanessa and her other friends try to locate Elly they learn that there have been a number of other disappearances besides Margaret. Over the past 20 years many ballerinas cast in the lead of The Firebird have disappeared. For some reason, no authorities seem to have been notified and no investigation has taken place. Now Vanessa has been cast in the lead...The story throws together mysterious disappearances, mysterious teachers, romance and demons into a mismash that needed better editing, better writing, and a more coherent plot. I really can't recommend this book for any specific sort of readers but fans of dance might appreciate those sections.

[shelleyraec · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Dance of Shadows is a young adult novel introducing Vanessa Adler, a sixteen year old ballerina who has been accepted into the elite New York Ballet Academy. For Vanessa, her dance talent is simply a means to end. Three years ago her older sister, Margaret, vanished from the Academy and Vanessa is determined to find out what happened to her. Between punishing classes and relentless rehearsals, Vanessa discovers that Margaret is not the only girl to disappear without a trace from the school, and as competition for the lead in the end of year performance, The Firebird, intensifies, Vanessa is increasingly sure that the Academy is hiding deadly secrets.With an intriguing premise promising mystery, suspense and sublime dancing, Dance of Shadows is sure to appeal to the girls who once dreamed of becoming a prima ballerina. The plot seems to draw on elements of films like Black Swan and The Red Shoes, binding them into an intriguing, original tale of a horrifying occult conspiracy. I did think there were some minor flaws in the plot, threads that seemed to be conveniently dropped (like Vanessa's research project and her discovery of Elly's note) but nothing I couldn't overlook.Beneath the innocent facade of the elite school lurks a sinister atmosphere, one the author allows us to glimpse only periodically, increasing the readers discomfiture as the story progresses. Black builds the tension slowly, pacing the novel as to multiply the suspects and widen the depth of the conspiracy. The reader is kept off balance just as Vanessa is, unsure what to believe or who to trust.Unfortunately I didn't find Vanessa a particularly strong character, distracted by the handsome Zep and the hard work required to dance the lead in the Firebird, she willfully overlooks some disturbing truths. She is either unable or unwilling to link Zep's unexplained absences, Justin's vague warnings, the unexpected departure of Elly and the strange behaviour and possessions of lead choreographer, Josef,I also found many of the other characters fairly one dimensional, Vanessa's classmates are interchangeable, though TJ at least has some attitude and Justin's man of mystery act only carries him so far.I loved the paranormal elements of the novel, the idea of a dance so perfectly executed it thins the veil between our world another. I can't reveal too many specific without risking spoilers but the concepts are interesting and suitably creepy.And I loved the dance, Black describes the movement of ballet beautifully, the graceful en pointe, the fluid arch of the back and the effortless extension of limbs.Dance of Shadows is the first in a trilogy that holds much promise and I will be interested in seeing how the story develops.Just a note: The publicity surrounding Yelena Black's debut novel, Dance of Shadows, has been unique, heavily utilising Facebook and book bloggers worldwide in a sustained campaign to promote it's simultaneous international launch. I was pleased to be part of such an innovative program and think Bloomsbury should be congratulated for their creative global approach to publishing.

[bailschris · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What's up with all these beautiful covers? I like to sit and stare at them and wonder how they were done. There is something eerily beautiful about the fact that the dancer on the main cover is alone and surrounded by fog. Let's just ignore the most beautiful part though, her tutu. Anyway, this cover illustrates both the title and the plot perfectly. It's eery, it's dark, and it's beautiful.Dance of Shadows by Yelena Black tells the story of Vanessa, a ballet dancer, who is just beginning her new life at the New York Ballet Academy. From the beginning, she isn't as interested or as in love with ballet as everyone else and the only reason she seems to be there is to find her missing sister, Margaret. But there is something different about Vanessa. Every time she dances perfectly, the world disappears. She thinks she might be crazy when no one else seems to experience it. What if she is? There is something in this elite ballet school that is turning the prima ballerinas crazy and whatever it is, Vanessa has found herself entangled in it. The answers might come too late and the truth might be further from what she assumed to be real. I love ballet, the body movements, the passion, and the discipline. So when I first got this book, all I could think was about how this book talked about something I adore. It turned out to be so much more than ballet. The plot started out with a girl who had determined that she had to go to this ballet school, not because she wanted to but because she felt she had to. This story developed from there, building on things that I had previously learned and leaving me guessing about what I thought was real. I love the mystery that entwined with reality. The twists throughout the story kept me on the edge of my seat and continually reading until the last page. Not to mention the fact that the writing was addicting and beautiful. It brought the darkness of the story to light and made me experience what Vanessa was.Vanessa is a very selfless character and she demonstrates that during the story. It's very subtle sometimes but her focus always seems to be on someone other than her. She worries about people, she tries to ease pain, and she wants to be the shoulder that people cry on. I was pretty surprised that I even liked her because she almost didn't seem to have a selfish bone in her body. Typically the character's selfishness is something that is very accessible and connectable for readers but then again, this whole story was a different experience. I really love Vanessa though, she is a beautifully written character that I found myself attached to from the beginning. The love interests of the story were two guys Zep and Justin. Zep is the first guy that she is attracted to, he is the lead in the ballet, and he is the guy that everyone has a crush on. There is a lot of mystery to his character which actually makes him more appealing for girls like me. At least, I like a little mystery. I was disappointed that I didn't learn more about him by the end of the story and that a lot of the questions I gained throughout the story remained unanswered. Maybe by the end, he'll no longer be a mystery and be the guy that ends up doing the right thing. Who knows. This is my wishful thinking. Justin is the type of guy that annoys the main character. Okay, he's the type of guy that I am friends with just to smack him upside the head for being stupid. If he wasn't so difficult during the first half of the book, I would've been inclined to find him attractive but for the most part he came off as selfish. Sometimes though, I thought he was the greatest love interest for Vanessa. He was the most challenging for her and there was an underlying sweetness that I only got to witness for the tail end of the story. Who knows, maybe he'll grow on me as the story continues.I wish I would've gotten to know more about the missing girls. The fact that they were such a huge part of the story was awesome but I wished I would've learned the characters' stories outside of some facts. But of course, the story was packed for time and who says the dancers won't play a bigger part in the books to come?The story was amazing. I loved the characters, the plot, and the ballet. I would read this book again and again without a doubt.

[darkfaerietales_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Hauntingly beautiful story with a mystery that will keep you guessing through the whole book.Opening Sentence: In the harsh glare of the lights, Chloe’s shadow stretched across the stage.The Review: Vanessa Adler is a freshman starting at the most elite ballet school in the country, The New York Ballet Academy. Her sister Margret attended the same school but she disappeared 3 years ago and was never heard from again. Vanessa enjoys dancing but her main purpose for going to the academy is to find out what happened to her sister. She has always been a really talented dancer. There are times when she gets so into the dance that things start to melt away and change around her. It has always made her a little nervous to just let go and be the best dancer she can be, because she is afraid to lose herself. The teachers notice that Vanessa is an amazing dancer and she ends up being cast as the female lead in the upcoming production of The Firebird. She is both honored and scared, because it turns out Margret isn’t the only girl to have gone missing. Over the last 20 years there have been many girls from the school that have gone missing and almost all of them were cast as the lead in the ballet. Vanessa knows that something strange is going on but she just can’t figure out what. One thing is for sure, she needs some answers before she’s the next one to go missing.While at the school she meets the mysterious, gorgeous Zeppelin Black. He has been cast as the male lead in the upcoming production of The Firebird. Vanessa is instantly attracted to Zep, but she can’t quite figure out if he likes her or not. At times he seems interested, but other times he is very distant and he never seems to open up to her. Vanessa really likes Zep but at times it just feels like something is missing between them except for when they dance. Dancing with Zep is a love story all on its own, the way he touches her and makes her feel is indescribable. Vanessa just has to figure out if he feels the same way. I really like Zep as a character. He is beautiful but always a little withdrawn. He seems to care for Vanessa, but something is holding him back. There is some great chemistry between the two but at times it seems a little forced.Then there is Justin. He is constantly getting on Vanessa’s nerves. Justin knew Margret when she attended the Academy and he was always suspicious about her disappearance. He seems to always have something negative to say to Vanessa and he is always warning her to stay away from Zep. She has a hard time trusting Justin because he seems to know more than he’s telling Vanessa. At times he can come across as concerned and sweet but other times he is just mean to her. I actually loved Justin right off the bat. He is witty and cute, but you never really know what his motives are. I think he and Vanessa are adorable together, but you don’t get much romance between them in this book. I hope to see a lot more Justin in book 2.Vanessa is a great Heroine and I really connected easily with her. She is a young girl trying to figure out her life and find out what happened to her sister. She works really hard at dancing and she is amazing at it. There are times when she is a little naïve especially when it comes to boys, but she is young and inexperienced. Yes she wasn’t perfect but I really liked her anyway. By the end she is a stronger better person and I am excited to see what her future holds in the upcoming books.Honestly, like I said earlier this book was hauntingly beautiful. Surprisingly the pacing was a little slow but it kept me intrigued the whole way through. There were twists and turns that I didn’t expect and I was guessing the whole way through the book. The writing made all the difference in this book. When Black would describe the dance scenes, I could really picture everything in my head very vividly. I am not a dancer at all but I like dance and have learned to appreciate the art in it. Black captures the essence and wonder of dance in her beautifully written words. The only thing that I didn’t love was the ending. I felt that it didn’t quite go with the rest of the book, but it did set up an interesting premises for the next book. I am really excited to see where the author takes the story and I will defiantly be reading the next book in the series. I would highly recommend this book to anyone that likes mystery, dance or a good paranormal read.Notable Scene: “Love.” He pressed his leg against hers until her toe slid across the floor. “You need me. You want me. You’ve always wanted me. But you can’t have me.”Vanessa listened to his words, feeling them pulse through her veins. She arched her back in a painful plea.“Fate is against us,” he whispered. “Still, you offer yourself to me. You seduce me.”His arms fluttered before her, and slowly, she arched her body into an arabesque, giving herself to him.“I try to resist you, but I cannot.”Vanessa felt herself grow weak as he pressed himself against her. She leaned into him, letting his hands roam up her body as if they weren’t dancing at all, but merging into one. She closed her eyes and breathed in the scent of his sweat.“But our love is violent. It cannot last, I cast you off.”Suddenly the rhythm changed, and Zep thrust her away. Spotting him, she spun across the floor.“You don’t understand. You beg me. You ask me why I can’t love you.”Vanessa threw herself down before him. For the first time, the dance seemed to make sense, and slowly, she lost herself to it. The steps were strange; there was no getting away from that. But with Zep guiding her, Vanessa began to feel it.FTC Advisory: Bloomsbury provided me with a copy of Dance of Shadows. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.

[bookswithbite · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

After taking a while to digest to book, I really enjoyed it. It actually reminded me of an episode of Are you Afraid of the dark?. I love how well the author explained all the dancing, the politics when it comes to dance partners as well as dance leads. Being a dancer myself, I know how hard people try to get the spot that they want. Not to mention if it is big lead.I love the twist in the end. I really knew something is not quite right and love how well it was worked into the story. It brings to story much more to life. It totally had me hooked and reeling me to a fantastic ending!!Awesome and amazing, Dance Of Shadows will take you by surprise!

[picardyrose · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I wanted to like this, but it was painful apparent that the author knows very little about ballet. Not every turn is a fouette. And you would never let someone else put pointe shoes onto your feet and tie your ribbons, no matter how tenderly he gazed upon you. None of the dancing was credibly described -- at no point could I form a mental image of the choreography.

[caitiem3 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

3.5/5 Stars In general, I really enjoyed this book. I loved the premise and it genuinely surprised me with how well it made me understand the world of dancers. There were a few aspects of the novel though, such as certain aspects of the main characters, instalove, and an unneeded love triangle, that made me have to bump this down to a 3.5/5. I must admit that the end of this book made me a little confused and I had to go back and reread it so that I could understand all that had happened. It just seemed a bit rushed to me and there were a few questions I had while reading it. It answered a few of my questions, but I still have a few that I shall have to wait until the second book to get the answer. It’s not that I didn’t enjoy Vanessa; it’s simply that I often felt myself wanting to shake her. I can’t blame her for being a bit self-centered: she had a lot on her plate and she was trying to cope. But because we are constantly having to deal with her thoughts, her theories, and what she was doing I feel like we did not get to read enough about T.J., Blaine, and Steffie. I hope that we get a bit more of them in the second novel and I hope my saying this doesn’t jinx that. Despite all that, I did really enjoy this novel and found that the mystery elements were quite good. I plan on reading the sequel so that I can find out what happens next. I believe this novel will appeal to those who enjoy reading books about the dance world and with a cover that beautiful I hazard the guess that many people will purchase it for the simple reason that it has a pretty cover they want to add to their bookshelf. And I can’t fault them, cause hey- I added it to my Amazon wish list for that exact reason.