Review: Watch Her Fall by Erin Kelly

Publisher: Mobius Books

Published: November 9, 2021

Source: Publisher

Summary:

Swan Lake is divided into the black acts and the white acts. The Prince is on stage for most of the ballet, but it’s the swans audiences flock to see. In early productions, Odette and Odile were performed by two different dancers. These days, it is usual for the same dancer to play both roles. Because of the faultless ballet technique required to master the steps, and the emotional range needed to perform both the virginal Odette and the dark, seductive Odile, this challenging dual role is one of the most coveted in all ballet. Dancers would kill for the part.

Ava Kirilova has reached the very top of her profession. After years and years of hard graft, pain and sacrifice as part of the London Russian Ballet Company, allowing nothing else to distract her, she is finally the poster girl for Swan Lake. Even Mr K – her father, and the intense, terrifying director of the company – can find no fault. Ava has pushed herself ahead of countless other talented, hardworking girls, and they are all watching her now.

But there is someone who really wants to see Ava fall …

My thoughts:

I’ve long been a fan of Erin Kelly’s books and always look forward to getting my  hands on her new one…and this is certainly no exception. As soon as I heard about this one, it became an anticipated read and let me just say, it completely delivers!

This is like no book I’ve read before and I absolutely loved it. It’s a completely immersive read set in the world of ballet and I found myself immediately pulled in. It’s part thriller, part character study with lots of messy drama that always appeals to me and I have to say, I found myself oddly on edge throughout. You just know all is not what is seems and it keeps you flipping the pages wanting to know where it is all heading.

This is such an intricately plotted, dark and twisty book, and I am trying really hard not to give any spoilers…I really think the less you know going into the story, the better it will be. I will say this book, much like Alena Dillon’s The Happiest Girl in the World, showcases the competitive world of elite athletes, though in this case, it’s ballet dancers. Once you are at the top, there are always those waiting for you to fall.

There was a big twist in the middle of the book that I definitely did not see coming and from there, I could not put the book down. It seemed from that point on, things just started moving quicker and the tension increased. This is definitely one of those books where having the story told from multiple characters was definitely the right decision. Allowing us to see something from another point view just gave us a different perspective and allowed us to put it all together. Each character was fully developed and complex, with their own motivations. With the story being divided into multiple parts, I loved how their threads were eventually woven together…there were definitely some surprise reveals for sure, and again, it reinforced that idea that nothing is as it seems.

I loved this book…it completely gripped me from the first page and I became totally obsessed with it and that does not often happen. I will definitely be recommending this book to everyone! Whether you are a ballet fan or not, this is certainly worth the read. I have loved every book I’ve read by this author, but this just might be my new favorite.