Nikki Katz

Set against the fascinating and moody backdrop of a mysterious boarding school, this intricately crafted novel is filled with magical realism, gothic settings, and the perfect hint of romance. Seventeen-year-old Penny is a lead dancer at the Grande Teatro, a finishing school where she and eleven other young women are training to become the finest ballerinas in Italy. Tucked deep in the woods, the school is overseen by the mysterious and handsome young Master, who keeps the girls ensconced in the estate – and in the only life Penny has ever known. But when flashes of memories – memories of a life very different from the one she thinks she’s been leading – start to appear, Penny begins to question the Grande Teatro and the motivations of Master. With a kind and attractive kitchen boy, Cricket, at her side, Penny vows to escape the confines of her school and the strict rules that dictate every step she takes. But at every turn, Master finds a way to stop her, and Penny must uncover the secrets of her past before it’s too late. Debut author Nikki Katz delivers a unique and haunting twist on a classic fairy tale with The Midnight Dance, chosen by readers like you for Macmillan's young adult imprint Swoon Reads. Praise for The Midnight Dance: "Deliciously dark and twisty, taking you on a luscious ride."—Suzanne Lazear, author of the Aether Chronicles series “Well-written and charming.” —Jennifer McKenzie, reader on SwoonReads.com “A beautifully written story.” —Chen Yan Chang, reader on SwoonReads.com

The Midnight Dance

In 1879, seventeen-year-old Penny yearns to escape the confines of Italy's mysterious and elite Grande Teatro and explore the flashes of memory that suggest she once lived a very different life.

giorgia :)

it was kinda repetitive with how EVERY SINGLE NIGHT she said again "im so scared that master will replace my memories" plus i feel like it didn't do a very good job of showing how scared penny was other than saying "i am scared" and i wasn't very scared/intimidated of master. the romance could have been a bit better because they didn't seem all that coupley and there wasnt much chemistry. it would have been better if we saw some of their childhood memories together or saw them bonding more. also if we saw cricket be upset about having to pretend he didnt know her the whole time or foreshadowing/him hinting at it.

Kaley Catron

It’s about damn time I finished this lol. I’m upset because I expected so much from it. It’s gorgeous and I expected it to be more of a twelve dancing princesses twist and yeah it was sort of that but it wasn’t. And the actual plot was fantastic I just don’t think it was told we’ll enough to fully understand it all.

Jennifer

Heather Murray

This book was dark and creepy, and I could not put it down until I got to the end. While the characters could have been fleshed out a little more, I still found them intriguing enough for the story to grip me. The setting is really the star here, being at an elite ballet master school in the isolated woods of Italy. The prestige of it all is what keeps the tension up when you want to scream at the main character to run for her life! 

If you are looking for a psychological thriller with an enchanting (and disorienting) atmosphere, you will enjoy this book.

Jolie

I am going to take a moment to admire this cover. That is the main reason I requested The Midnight Dance from NetGalley. Because of the cover. I mean, just look at it!!! It is unbelievable. Too bad the story within didn’t live up to the cover.

 

While I felt bad for Penny, I felt that her character was flat. Her interactions with the other girls seemed forced and the dialogue stilted. Even her interactions with Cricket seemed forced. While I see her potential as a heroine, I couldn’t connect with her. I also thought that she acted too modern. Seeing that this book was set in 1879, Penny didn’t give off that Victorian vibe.

I also couldn’t get into the storyline. Again, it felt very flat and very one-dimensional. I did like that the story was set in Italy but I wish more details were given. If it hadn’t been stated in the blurb that this book was set there, I would have thought it someplace else. Nothing screamed Italy too me. The names of the characters, yes. But nothing else. For all I know, it could have been set in England.

There wasn’t a romance aspect of the book. I mean, Cricket and Penny had feelings for each other and they did kiss. But again, it felt forced and flat. The Master’s obsession with Penny was stalkerish and very creepy. But again, it didn’t scream “head over heels in love“. Instead, I got a bad taste in my mouth and the creeps after reading those scenes.

Penny suddenly recovering her memories because Cricket touched her didn’t ring true to me. Why? Because he had touched her before in the book and she didn’t recover them then. So why then? I didn’t buy the explanation that Beppe gave when questioned. Drove me nuts and at that point, I wanted to DNF. But I have a resolve not to DNF a book, so I set myself to finish the book.

I did like the steampunk elements that were in the book. That did make the book interesting to read. I wish that the book had focused more on that element. It would have been a better read if it did.

The end of the book was the best part of the book. It is also the reason I gave the book a 2-star review. If the rest of the book had been written like the ending, I would have given The Midnight Dance a 4 or 5 review.

The Midnight Dance was almost a DNF for me. While the storyline was interesting, I felt that the characters were dull and flat. If I had not read that the book had been set in Italy, I wouldn’t have guessed it. Other than the names and Cricket occasionally speaking Italian, I would have thought the book was set elsewhere. I did love the cover, though, and I thought the ending was fantastic. But this is a book that I will not read again.

Will I reread: No

Will I recommend to family and friends: No

Age range: Older Teen

Why: Mild violence. Other than that, a relatively clean book.

I would like to thank Nikki Katz, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Swoon Reads, and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review The Midnight Dance

All opinions stated in this review of The Midnight Dance are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Laura

Last year, one of the books I was looking forward to the most was a book called Glitter by Aprilynne Pike, purely because the plot sounded so awesome (and the cover was absolutely gorgeous) I couldn't bring myself to pass it up. Nikki Katz's The Midnight Dance reminds me of that book. Both books are basically uncategorizable. I mean, Glitter is a science-fiction-y futuristic novel with both fantastical and historical elements. The Midnight Dance is steampunk-y, kinda historical fiction with some thriller elements thrown in there, too. The difference between the two books is that with Glitter, I knew what I was getting myself into. With The Midnight Dance, I thought it was a contemporary with an added thriller aspect, because that's what Goodreads led me to believe. So it was a shock when the first chapter started out with 1859 under chapter heading. And I was even more surprised when the main narrative opened in the year 1879. Wait, is this historical fiction? I said to myself, pleasantly surprised. I mean, sure, it was Victorian historical fiction, which admittedly isn't my favorite thing ever, but any historical elements added to a story always makes it better (says the history major). 

Which made it all the more disappointing when there was very little historical fiction parts at all. Katz has this very abstract, likely fairy-tale influenced view of the 19th century and it's apparent in the book. I mean, if you're going to set your book in a time period other than the present, at least do some goddamn research. Not only that, she gave us a specific place and time, which was Italy. Italy during the years 1859-1879. And yet, not one mention of the Italian unification, lasting between 1848 to 1871. There were also lots of abstract descriptions of things like dresses and mentions of courts, and even a ridiculously attractive Prince showing up, Prince Jacobus (there was never a Prince Jacobus of Italy; it's not even an Italian name), and it was around that time I thought maybe this was a retelling of... something. The Twelve Dancing Princesses, maybe? But that might be a reach, especially because of how little the bare bones of both stories have in common. But there is a fairy-tale quality to the book, albeit a very manufactured one.

The main issue with the book, though, is not the historical yet lack of historicalness setting, it's the characters. They aren't very good, for starters. There was a sort of specialness of Penny that I hated, and both her and Cricket bogged down the plot greatly. They just weren't all that likable or even interesting. Also, just a little nitpick, but Penny's name annoyed me from the get go. Penny's not an Italian name. Penelope's not even an Italian name. You couldn't even pronounce it in Italian, or at least not easily. Peh-neh-lo-peh (four years of high school Italian, baby). Her name stuck out to me, especially since most of the characters had traditional Italian names- Bianca, Maria, Cecilia, Nella, even Tatiana (Ana is close to a proper Italian name, but it should be Anna). Yes, I think about things like this. I don't have a social life.

There's also very little about ballet in here. Which is disappointing to say the least. I love reading about ballet. Also, the only Italian bit besides the setting is the food, which seems lazy and stereotypical.

Continue reading this review on my blog here: https://bookwormbasics.blogspot.com/2...

Jessica 

Blog | Twitter | Instagram

I was one of the tour stops for the BLOG TOUR of this book, through Xpresso Book Tours. You can see my review on my blog, as well, here. I received an electronic copy of this novel for review purposes. This does not effect my opinion in any way. 

 There's something deliriously beautiful about the world portrayed in The Midnight Dance. It is both utterly compelling and deliciously dark, leaving readers on the edge of their seat for the duration of the novel. Perhaps one of the most stunning debuts in YA fiction this year, fans of Cassandra Clare;s The Infernal Devices trilogy and Jacqueline Garlick's The Illumination Paradox, will flock to the way in which The Midnight Dance is crafted. 

One of the most striking things about the novel is the chill you are often faced whilst reading it. You cannot escape it--not even at the beginning. That feeling of wrongness about the central mystery of the book. This fact makes The Midnight Dance standout in terms of other releases this year. Well, that, and the cover (seriously--I need to get my hands on a copy to photograph it and reread ASAP).

As a whole, there's this uniqueness about it that really pulls you into the story--there's that thrilling aspect to it that toys with your nerves. The Midnight Dance, always, has a romance that does not make the story suffer for. I found that the tangles of genre and suspense really make the novel a fast pace read. I devoured it in one sitting because I simply could not put it down.

I didn't want it. I've been nursing a wicked book hangover ever since.

Everything is well plot and entwined with the central story. Nearly every tick, every intricate detail pulls at a thread until all is unraveled and we are faced with the truth about Master and his school for girls. Katz does a wonderful job to write compelling characters that balance out the darkness that the story holds--you can certainly see how much work went into tying these moments into the bigger picture. 

Honestly, my skin crawled at so much in this. From Penny's inability to remember times in her life, to her determination in knowing that something was wrong, there isn't a single moment that goes by in The Midnight Dance where the suspense of it all sends your heart into a frenzy and the goosebumps begin to appear. While the story develops, and the reader puts pieces together, there are a few lighter moments in the thick of it; like the bond the girls share with one another at the school and the romance between Penny and Cricket. 

I loved the way the timeline was split in two--the Master before creating the school, his motives for doing so, and then after--and found it to be really satisfying. It helped with the general flow of things (even though it didn't need that boost--that's how good it is) and put us in the minds of two very but no less captivating characters: Penny and Cirillo.

If you're looking for a novel that is suspenseful, chilling and twinged with just a bit of romance, The Midnight Dance is for you. I can't stress how much fun I had with this book. I straight up loved it and can feel it in my bones that it's not only one of my favourite releases this year, but now one of my favourites of all-time. 

I can't recommend it enough. 

Can I give it more than five stars?

The Midnight Dance

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