From the Militant Recommender Book Review Blog
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12 girls, all similar in visage, like sisters, train in a special academy, the Grande Teatro, to dance and be graceful and ever mindful and respectful of their dashing, handsome Master. They even bore the special tattoo of his elite chosen ones.
Penelope, or Penny as she prefers to be called, is beautiful and gifted, and yet, she feels different than her "sisters". Not as engaged in catching the Master's eye, though he always seems to be watching her. Much to the consternation of Bianca, who is flawless at everything she does, and jealous of the Master's attention to Penny.
And what of Cricket, the attractive kitchen boy, who brings Penny special treats while some of her sisters advise her that they must watch their weight.
Penny also suffers from mysterious, debilitating headaches which necessitate her vising her grandfather for help.
What is the story behind this special school with all its rules, and its handsome, but controlling Master? Penny slowly tries to uncover its secrets and will take you, the reader, along with her as she makes some unsettling discoveries in Ms. Katz's compelling Midnight Dance which was described in the blurbs as a combination of The Twelve Dancing Princesses and Phantom of the Opera. What could be better?

Such an interesting concept. I love this cover and the story totally grabbed me

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**

This is a book I will recommend to my customers if they enjoy an engaging teen read.

I have some mixed feelings about this book. The overall book was good, the plot was interesting and well paced, the characters likable and interesting for the most part, but I did have some issues with it. For the life of me I can’t figure out why it was set in the late 1800’s, that just didn’t make sense to me and the story just didn’t fit the time period. It would have been better if the time period was more like 1930’s or even more modern. Also the Master’s motivation behind what he does is just not explained well enough for me. There are some chapters that look back on his earlier life that try to explain it, but it just confused the issue more. The dance scenes also didn’t feel authentic to me. I was a ballet dancer in my youth and those scenes just didn’t feel right, they felt more like the author just threw in some dance words and left it at that.

So what did I like? The overall plot was interesting. The idea that someone could control your thoughts and emotions and take away your memories was intriguing. The fact that Penny would often wake up with totally new thoughts and feelings was kind of creepy. I also liked her relationship with Cricket, they were cute together and were really out to help each other. The master was also totally creepy in an older guy lusting after young girls way. Like I said before, I would really like more info on why he gathered these girls just to control them. There are lots of minor characters that were well done as well, although their roles are so minor that they are not as fleshed out as I would have liked.

The overall writing is very nice and the setting is cool as well. The house that the girls live in was a bit confusing though and it was hard to get a good sense of it. There are many sinister secret passage ways and scary labs and other places in it that lend a dark and evil feel to it.

Overall if you are looking for a mystery/thriller set in a dance academy with a little bit of romance mixed in, this would be a good book to take a look at.

Okay. First thought of this book, I forgot the blurb of it. Haha! This time I was sure I read the blurb but for the love of me I could not remember what it said. Still I read the book. And because I forgot what the blurb said, I had no idea what was going on. But when I reread the blurb, I finally got the whole gist.



First let’s talk about the characters of this book.



The main character is Penelope. I don’t know what her last name is because it did not say. Well, all the characters have no last name because they weren’t mentioned in the book. All they have are first names. Anyway, in the blurb, it said that Penelope, or Penny, is a 17-year-old girl. However, as I read the book, Penny doesn’t felt like a 17-year-old character. She seemed younger, like around 15 or 16 years old.



And I don’t know what to feel towards her character. I somewhat felt nothing towards her. Maybe because there weren’t that many emotional descriptions in this book? That’s what I felt while reading. She’s the main character but I am not hooked to her the way I always got hooked on other main characters.



Then let’s go to Cricket, the cute kitchen boy. In Penelope’s description, Cricket is cute and caring and it seems like there’s already a clue that Cricket has his eyes for Penny. However, maybe due to the tampering of Penny’s memories, she couldn’t remember Cricket and she’s oblivious to his feelings towards her. But then I kind of liked Cricket’s character. Compared to Penny, I felt something towards Cricket. I felt happy and I appreciate his patience towards Penny. I kind of adore him but just like Penny, I am not hooked to him as well. But Cricket is a great character.



Let’s go to the one who started everything that happened in the book, Master, the head of the school and the one who controls them all. In Penny’s description of Master again, he is handsome and dashing. But I don’t know why every time I picture him inside my head he is a bit old. I don’t know how old he is exactly in the book because it wasn’t mentioned but because the story started where Master is young and twenty years later the school was built, I just assumed that he is old. I wish it was in the book though so I could picture him right in my head. Hehe.



In Master’s character, though, I felt a lot of emotion towards him. First is I do not like him. I don’t like him because what kind of person control other person. But then because of the flashbacks in the book, I understood why he is the way he is. However, what he’s doing was too much. Too much that it’s not already right. And then by the end of the book, I felt sorry for him. His last words to Penny before Penny left him was that he must make Penny understand. He’s doing it for a reason. But Penny didn’t hear any of it and she left him. I felt sorry for him in that part.



Now, let’s go to the story of the book.



There are chapters that were set on different years and that confuses me. I kept asking the question why does it to jump 20 years back of the present year of the story. What’s the point? Then as I read the book, I realized that the flashbacks were clues as to what was going on, on the present time of the story, which is in the year 1879. The flashbacks helped a lot in understanding the story.



I actually like the story of the book. A mind controlling story but it’s not actually a sci-fi feel. It’s a great story! The mind controlling concept was different on other mind controlling stories I’ve read. And to think that this happened in the year 1879 where even cell phones were not that good is a great work.



I like how there are parts in the story where Penny would hide to avoid getting caught getting information about what’s really going on and then when she thought that she’s in the clear, Master would pop out or say something that says he knew Penny is there. It’s crazy!



The ending though. This book has awesome story, but it has an ending that will not give you a satisfaction. Like seriously! What kind of ending was that? The climax of the story was still lingering in my head when I suddenly flipped to the next page and found that it’s already the last page. Like wtf. I feel like I need more!



And there’s that part where Master kept telling Penny that he must make her understand. Understand what exactly? It wasn’t explained. I would understand the hanging-ish ending of the book if it has a sequel to it. But this is a standalone! Now how am I going to have answers to my questions???



What happened to Master? Is he dead? Did Bianca died with him? Did Primo? Would they live happily ever after? What would happen to the rest of the girls that escaped? What happens to Penny and Cricket?



I still have questions. But because the ending fell short, they won’t be answered.



To wrap this up, the book is good. It has a good story with nice characters and nice concept. It has a bad ending for me though. And it still has typo and grammatical errors. I hope that it was edited thoroughly before it was published. Aside from the ending and the typo errors, this is a great book.

The cover is SO pretty. The story is just fine. Nothing about it is memorable to me.

I tried on this one. Seems to be a modern twist to Frankenstein, but with ballerinas and strange men. Not holding my attention or interests at all.

I loved this book so much! The characters were super interesting and the storyline was intense! Highly recommend this book! You’ll love it!

In my head, I thought I had read this for longer but surprise I didn’t. This book was sooooo good. I got the book through NetGalley and this was definitely a cover “buy” (I put buy in quotes because I had this in my ARC and not actually buying the book). I loved Cricket and I seriously thought that Penny was going to get it with the Master but NOPE. Hopefully, I can get a finished copy of this in the future.

Seventeen-year-old Penny loves dancing at the Grande Teatro, a school where she and eleven other girls are training to become the best dancers in all of Italy. She loves to dance. And she loves the Master, the handsome owner of the school. Or…does she?

When Penny starts seeing flashes of a life she doesn’t remember living, she starts asking questions, which lands her in trouble with the Master. But Cricket, the kitchen boy, helps her and she realizes that her life is not what it seems. Desperate to find out the truth, Penny searches for answers, but the Master is one step ahead of her every move. If she does not find the answers she seeks, her memories will be stolen from her forever.

The Midnight Dance starts off when Penny first notices something strange, and the reader sees everything through her eyes, sharing her confusion and fear. This dark novel is both captivating and creepy, told in alternating timelines as the Master’s past is revealed. Penny struggles with the mystery and with the pain of having her memories removed, but she keeps fighting despite the overwhelming odds. I enjoyed this very much, and am looking forward to more from this author.

(Galley provided by Swoon Reads via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.)

The Midnight Dance was a lyrical, intriguing, and unique read that intertwined many different genres. It was mostly historical fiction with a hint of science fiction (not quite steampunk) and dashes of a psychological thriller and a mystery. It was somewhat of a darker read and I think it would have been incredible if the concept had been taken a bit further and developed a bit more. As it is, The Midnight Dance was a quick and slightly creepy read.

Penny is a dancer at the Grande Teatro, a private and selective school for ballerinas. Isolated from the world, Penny and her fellow ballerinas train for the Midnight Dance, a yearly celebration hosted by their patron, the Master, to showcase their skill. However, as Penny experiences flashes of memories that show a very different history than the one she remembers, she begins searching for the truth. Assisted by Cricket, the kitchen boy, Penny must find a way to escape the school and the Master before she forgets again.

The Midnight Dance starts off strongly, setting the scene beautifully for Penny’s discovery that the Master is manipulating the girl’s memories. However, the plot in the middle was slightly confusing. I think that this was due partially to Penny’s unreliability as a narrator because of the Master’s constant manipulation of her memory. I also think there were some aspects of the story that could have been developed more to fully flesh out the novel. There were some interesting plot twists but nothing that I didn’t figure out ahead of time.

It was hard to relate to Penny as a character since her personality was constantly in flux. Despite that, I did grow to admire her resiliency, her strength, and perseverance. I was definitely rooting for her and the other girls by the end. Cricket was adorable and I liked how the romance aspect stayed in the background most of the time. The flashbacks that showed the history of the Master and Beppe were interesting but there definitely weren’t enough of them for me. I felt like the potential for a truly excellent and well-developed villain was wasted by not exploring the “Why?” behind the Master’s actions more.

Overall, The Midnight Dance was a beautifully written story that I enjoyed. I think I would have liked it more if I hadn’t gone with the expectation that this story would be more of a psychological thriller in the same vein as The Black Swan. I found the concept of this book incredibly intriguing but I ended up wanting more depth to the characters and the story. The Midnight Dance would be good if you’re looking for a slightly darker mystery with just a hint of romance!

This is the story of Penny who attends an elite boarding school in rural Italy with 11 other girls. This is the only life she has ever known and under the watchful eye of the mysterious master she is learning to become a great ballerina. Things seem to be going great for Penny until she starts remembering things. Memories of a past she doesn't recognise start to return and shes on a mission to uncover her secret past and find out just how she came to be in the life she is today. Throughout this novel we follow a duel timeline of then and now. We follow Penny's life in the estate and watch as the life that she knows begins to unravel. Alongside this we follow the story of Cirillo and watch who he becomes as he grows up. At first these timelines don't seem to have a direct link between each other however, as the story develops we see them merge together and this gives us a greater understanding of the events in the main story line.


Things happen very quickly in this novel. Its quite fast paced and a lot happens and develops in a short space of time. It was easy to keep up though as the author was quite clear in her writing and there was no fluff and this speed definitely helped to build up the suspense. When I first heard about this novel it was marketed as a contemporary, which isn't usually my thing. However, after reading the synopsis it felt as though there would be some mystery/suspense aspects and I was right. I would also go as far as to say there are some magical realism aspects too.


I really liked the writing style, I found it to be very mysterious. The author took us on a journey of Penny's existence and I felt invested in her story. The way we transitioned between Penny's current life and her memories was quite disconcerting which I really liked. This really helped us to experience just what things must of felt like for her. The author also did a good job of keeping up the air of mystery and suspense as we went through there were a couple of plot twists in the second half of the story, not massive ones, but enough to keep the story moving. Also twists that I didn't see coming which was great.


The characters were interesting too and fairly well developed. I liked Penny's personality, she was determined and resolved throughout the story. She always thought of others above herself and was resigned to saving everyone. I also really liked Cricket he was very sweet and was always looking out for others. I did find that Penny's sudden attraction to Cricket in the beginning was a bit off however, this is explained later on in the book and makes a lot of sense. Master on the other hand was a total master manipulator. His hold over the girls was very creepy and he is definitely up there in the great villain department.


Overall I found this story to be very mysterious and suspenseful, much more so than your usual contemporary. The reason I marked it down to 3.5* was that I found it difficult to get going again once I stopped reading however, once I was reading I found it hard to stop. It would be one I would recommend to people who love suspense and mystery.

This was ultimately a difficult read due to the difficultly in understanding the point behind the story. I think a younger audience would be more flexible as to just go along with the story for story's sake but it can become frustrating not understand why any of these things are happening. The plot needed much more structure.

DNF.

Whereas I fell in love with the cover and the premise, I couldn't get into the book. I didn't understand a lot of the character motivations (why mind control?) or setting motivations (why ballet?), and so I skimmed to try and find these answers. It became clear to me that there was a lot of hand-waving instead of character building, and I didn't care to finish it after that

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 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?

I love the cover of this book and I think that will entice a lot of my teen patrons to take this book out. I was drawn to it by the ballerina story line and really flew through the pages!

This book definitely needs to be made into a movie.

Penny can't remember who she really is. How strange is it that she can't remember her favourite meal, and all the girls at Grade Teatro have a similar memory of who their mother was and why they ended up there. The only thing that the girls can remember is their dance routine, and that they must never disobey the Master. When Penny's memories start to return, she is desperate to keep them, and find out more about who she really was before she became trapped in this mansion.

I was hooked right from the beginning, the action starts right away and it is very easy to understand the concept of whats going on, which makes the book very pleasurable to read. The writing in this book is so beautiful and I love the way the author wrote descriptions, dialogue and the speed of the plot.

I fell in love with Penny right from the beginning. You can tell how strong of a character she is, when Master can't fully control her mind. Her desperation to find the truth and free the other girls was so wonderful to read about, I definitely love these types of main characters who do things not just for themselves, but to save others.

Part of the story in this book takes place in the past, as we see how Master became the person that he is today and why. While I thought this was really interesting in the beginning, it kind of fell short for me around the middle and I just got bored with this side of the story. I thought it could have been a bit more interesting, and maybe a tad more explained. I would have loved to see more of the science theory that they had behind the mind control and such.

Overall, this was a really beautiful book. I will definitely be picking up more from this author because I loved her writing style. If you've read the synopsis and you think you'd enjoy it then definitely give it a try.

DNF at 21%

I’ll admit to being sucked in by that cover, but I really liked the synopsis...sadly, that’s the nicest thing I can say about what I read.

Penny and the other girls seem horribly flat. Master is creepy af and I spent a good portion of the time reading wondering if he was sexually assaulting the girls. Cricket does seem to care about Penny, but it’s weird that he knows what’s happening.

Plot wise, I felt like I was dropped into a story that had already been started. The prologue had promise and I did get to a small reveal of what was going on, but it wasn’t nearly enough to keep me reading.

I’m choosing not to rate this one strictly because I didn’t make it to my usual 25-30%; however off of what I did read, I would have given it 1 star.

**Huge thanks to Swoon Reads for providing the arc free of charge**

The Midnight Dance is a daring, heart pounding read! It was full of character, intrigue, and mystery. This fast paced read is sure to captivate and move you!

What can I say about The Midnight Dance? I found it mysterious and thrilling. I felt like it held inspiration from The Phantom of the Opera. It offered danger, passion, and unexpected twists that I found fascinating! This one was truly unique.

I enjoyed the world building and plot. Though, I wish the world building had had a few more details, and the plot was not so fast paced, I still felt that they were both well done, and elegantly written. The writing style used was quite beautiful and entrancing. I was drawn in to the story and to the main characters.

I saw beauty and strength in our main character, Penny. Though, there were times she wasn’t as relate-able as I would have liked, I felt a connection to her. She was brave, and determined to find answers to the mysteries of her memories, the school , and The Master.

I was so intrigued by The Master of the school. He was dark and brooding, mysterious, and handsome. He added a layer of depth and captivation to the story, as well as harboring many entertaining secrets.

And, finally, there was Cricket. Cricket was a necessary character that added a little mystery to the story. I would have liked him to be a touch more developed, but he added a layer of passion and empathy to the story, nonetheless. He was brave and caring, and definitely alluring.

My final thoughts are that of enjoyment and thrills. I wouldn’t classify this as a contemporary book. I would say it falls more under the mystery genre, grazing the horror genre. I cannot say more without giving spoilers, but there is definitely more than meets the eye here, and it is very interesting! I really enjoyed the plot twists and the thrilling mystery. The Midnight Dance was a unique, must read!

Thank you to Xpresso Book Tours for providing me with this free e-ARC in exchange for me honest review!