I have been waiting so long for this book and I wanted to love it so bad but it really fell flat for me. There was 0 story it was all just flowery prose with no depth and I totally get the aesthetic the author was going for but the execution didn't work. I didn't connect with any of the characters, they had no spark at all and were very one dimensional. I also found it really strange how this is marketed as being for girls, femininity, etc, which is what pulled me in the most so props for the marketing, but then there are tones of internalized misogyny throughout? Just extremely superficial all around unfortunately

I have heard the author is harassing people for negative reviews and that's really not okay. These should be safe spaces for readers to review and discuss the books they've read

I got an ARC for this one on NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, so here it is!

Something about me is that I read this book right after one of the most stressful periods of my life. This is the first book I read in months (maybe even in a couple of years, actually), because it had been sitting in my "Want to Read" list ever since the deal was announced and, later, in my "DESPERATELY Want to Read" once the cover was revealed. It's gorgeous, really.

So, I immediately applied for an ARC (Thank you NetGalley!) and got it.

And, after weeks of stress and anxiety and problem after problem after problem, diving into this book felt like soaking into a warm bath full of rose petals and littered with sweet-scented candles. I was lured in by the pastel setting and the delicate prose, which was a delight to read sentence after sentence. Each description of a dress, I could feel the organza under my fingers, skirts flowing and soft fabric, and each description of a pastry, I could feel the sugar beads melting upon my tongue.

Although sometimes I couldn't condone Lila's reactions, I'll admit that made me feel for her a little more. She's deeply hurt, imperfect, flawed, and she knows it. She tries to navigate a world in which her emotions are too much to fit into the mold that's made for her - perfect ballerina, perfect daughter, perfect girl. Her anger, her fury, her frustration at the unfairness of her failures (and the reactions to her failures as well) spill over the edges of the mold, making it shatter. Her relation to it was both satisfying and devastating to read - she tries and lashes out, which does make her relatable, especially regarding her parents and their expectations of her, and yet sometimes she does so unfairly, which only hurts others (and herself) in the end.

I liked the contrast between dashing, pastel-pink Luna Island and the darker themes underneath. I felt they showed a dark glimpse at girlhood shifting into womanhood quite skillfully. Girlhood, feminine stuff, with everything pink, with ruffles and sugar and glitter and fluff - that is what Luna Island is. But isn't it also what the male gaze expects of women, as perfect little brides? Luna Island raises girls into candidates for a pageant meant to elect the most perfect of them all, the High Priestess. Yet, the winner will only be wed to the Devil, her feminine beauty not for her own but meant to please men, to be his to own and show off. I think that raises quite an interesting question, in the fact that women are told to strive for beauty, not for themselves but for men instead, to catch the attention of a prospective husband. Of course, this is only a sliver of girlhood/womanhood, but I found it quite an interesting theme to show through the such a setting/plot.

Overral, I had a blast diving into this world and I didn't want to leave it when turning the last page.

Okay, this is my first time giving an official review for an ARC. I'm not an expert, but I'll do my best.

First, the cover is gorgeous, that's the main reason I requested an ARC of this. It's really gorge!!!

Second, I'll describe this book more of like a Barbie meets the Black Swan (The Movie). Like, it has this beautiful and colorful writing blended with something dark and sad. There's a lot of instances were you'll be able to feel the connection to the main character because of how realistic the emotion is... And the vibe!!! I really like the vibe in this one, Girlhood, finding purpose, understanding oneself, and battling your own demons. It really hits the spot most of the time.

Third, I really wish that there could be more of like another way to describe the ballet steps. 'Cause not all readers are like experts in this one. I don't know if this book could be for certain people to read, for example ballet dancers, but it would be such a good thing if others can also understand and visualize it easily. But I don't think there's easy when it comes to ballet.

Lastly, I hate to say this but the plot is kinda messy. There's this thing and there's another thing going on that messes the first one. You know, like it doesn't quite fit. And when it's finally going smoothly there's another thing that's gonna change the road inti bumpy. (I can't actually explain it clearly)

And because of that, my rating will be between 2.75 to 3 stars.

I really thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for such an honor 🙇🏻‍♀️

This book was lyrical while familiar like sinking into a steaming hot bath after a long day surrounded by exotically-scented candles. At the core of the story is one of learning how to both forgive yourself for the mistakes that you've made and forgive others for the mistakes that they have made. It is a long, hard journey for Lila to learn that lesson and to embrace herself with all of her flaws as well as realize that the people she loves and struggles to please are imperfect as well.

I will admit that, at the beginning of the book, I was rather tired of hearing about her big mistake and how secret it was. Honestly, it seems pretty obvious to me what that mistake had ended up being, and once the layers were unpacked around it, I ended up being correct. Where this book shines however is with the characters' connections with one another. There are genuine connections there, ones that are forced to endure some pretty crazy things, yet manage to endure beyond that.

The writing was beautiful. It really added to the magical realism vibe that the story had going while not extending its visit past the point that most readers would enjoy. It is also obvious that Krystle blended together the stories of both of her cultures while building this world, and it works really well, adding yet another dimension to the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Peachtree for the ARC of this book. Opinions are my own, and spoilers have been avoided but may be hinted at!

“Ballet makes me feel like the ocean—silently unfurling with all the rage I’ve buried deep down, yet still manifesting in something beautiful. For those few moments, with all eyes on me, I’m heard. Ballet tells stories, and this is how I tell mine.”

If you’ve ever wanted to read something that feels like “Never Let Me Go” by Florence and the Machine, but sung with the teenage girl rawness of Olivia Rodrigo (wearing a glittery lilac dress and angel wings), with a dash of Black Swan, this may just be your new favorite book. If you’re saying “I’ve never even considered that very specific combination of things BUT NOW I MUST HAVE IT,” then… you’re welcome!

Much of Dance of the Starlit Sea feels very unique (an angel cult leading a pageant! Hell at the bottom of the ocean! Ballet magic!), but it also feels joyfully nostalgic in a way I can’t quite place—maybe for the “Let Me Be Your Wings” scene in Thumbelina, maybe for the hopefulness of playing princess that Lila feels when she peruses angel-spun dresses, maybe for the paranormal romance books I grew up with.

That said, while the book is described as paranormal, it feels more like fabulism, with magic that’s not so much systematized as it is a living, breathing part of the setting. Luna Island is all whimsy and marvel. The angels are reminiscent of folktale characters, living both separate from and among humans, with secrets and mysterious agendas of their own.

This book is a sensory experience, with all the frills (and ruffles!). It’s rose-tinted, campy, shimmers like the sea, and drips gold starlight. The ideal reading experience would be under a soft pink sunset, illuminated by twinkling fairy lights, surrounded by jasmine and seashells, listening to the waves crash. The lush, lyrical prose is evocative and immersive, transporting you to Luna Island to experience all its enchantments—Petals Tea Shop for afternoon tea, Luna’s Love Shack for angel-silk dresses, Heaven Divine for enchanted perfumes—and being lured into the mystery of the angel cult at the heart of the island.

Lila’s raw, emotional narration and inner conflict make her a compelling protagonist—one who, at times, breaks our hearts with how undeserving she feels of love, happiness, and gentleness. She is an “ocean of a girl” who believes she is as dangerous and violent as the sea, and much of the book serves as a metaphor for her conflicted emotional state: the tumultuous yet gentle sea (which she sees as friend and also enemy), her dancing that she both despises and loves, the glittering angels and the darkness that calls to her. She carries deep shame for a traumatic past action, which is one reason she feels unworthy of love. Because her trauma is tied to ballet, her dancing is an act capable of breaking her, but also healing her—a unique and authentic portrayal of trauma.

The book touches on important themes of representation. One reason that Lila needed to be perfect as a ballerina was because she didn’t see other Asian American lead dancers while growing up: “Girls like me don’t show up in fairytales.” As Lila investigates the mysteries of Luna Island, she also uncovers more about her family’s background as immigrants. Some of the most beautiful moments come when Lila struggles with how her complex ideas about being unlovable have been informed by her parents’ own unhealed generational trauma: “In my culture, mothers show their love with a plate of fresh cut fruit—grown with love, selected with care, washed until pure, perfectly sliced, and arranged into a flower. I destroyed the love she offered because to me, her American daughter, a plate of fruit was never enough.”

The relationships in the book all serve Lila’s growth in different ways. The comps to Phantom of the Opera and Hades/Persephone manifest through the Devil calling Lila to be his bride in Hell, at the bottom of the sea. Damien has a sweet romance with Lila (and serves as a kind of Raoul to the Devil’s Phantom). Their relationship is that of two people finding safety in each other’s arms, learning how to trust again, and supporting each other to follow their dreams even when challenging or painful. Admittedly, my favorite relationship is between Lila and Roisin, who are in many ways each other’s true love, fighting for each other in their darkest moments.

On Luna Island, there’s a persistent undercurrent of horror, especially surrounding the treatment of women and girls. Beyond the cult of angels is the island’s pervasive cult of beauty. While the pageant defines girls through a set of essentialized qualities (beauty, faith, grace), the book ultimately contests that definition by suggesting that, whether you’re a beauty queen or a Queen of Hell, shared experiences of girlhood are capable of binding people together. Without getting into too many spoilers, some of the themes this book grapples with are the sacrifice of women’s bodies, the instrumentalizing of beauty as a natural resource, the objectification of women as beautiful possessions/ornaments, and the possibility of becoming free through collective healing from patriarchal woundings.

I would highly recommend Dance of the Starlit Sea for YA readers looking for lyrical fabulism that employs a lush oceanside setting, angels, and ballet magic to explore themes of generational trauma, patriarchal norms of how girls and women should behave and appear, and how those wounds can manifest in a teenage girl and her ability to feel worthy of love. Sometimes, like Lila, we all need a reminder that we deserve love, and this book just might be that for you.

Coquette Core or all the cores?

I got the aesthetic(s) right away. The cover is also so beautiful, it drew me in and then the description had me diving in.

The first few chapters caught my attention quickly, keeping me engaged but then I realized everything was really surface level. The characters were more description than personality. It needed more depth outside the aesthetic vibes.

I quickly started to not like the FMC who was woah is me I did something terrible and will continue to bring it up. Instead of being sent to therapy our FMC gets sent to a cult like island. I mean honestly this jarred me.

Anywhoooo there are a lot of odd things in this book. It kind of felt like a simulation where everyone is an NPC. Lots of dancing around but never landing.

I think with depth and substance this could be good. This is really just a vibe read and not for me.

the cover is very pretty and that’s what attracted me to the book. but dnf , not what was advertised, writing leaves much to be desired.

Depressingly, this did not work for me. I LOVE lyrical writing, but it was backed up by zero character development, world building or plot, and hence....it was bad.

3.5 stars. I really liked this! I loved the voice and the beautiful setting/aesthetic, but I think certain things about this book—like its repetition, its focus on random details (like the MC's nails) didn't work for me. As well, I wasn't fully obsessed with the romance (but perhaps the comp titles set a high bar for me), or the fem friendships in this book. But it was extremely fun to read.

read a bit of it & heard some other stuff too, thank you for the arc I truly appreciate it but I don’t think this book is for me

The advertisement painted the book one way & then once you’ve read it it’s completely different.

thank you netgalley and peachtree team for proving me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

dance of the starlit sea. what was that? no reader trusts tiktok recs but i got this one from twitter and i regret it immensely.

i gotta say that the author had a good marketing, sad that it was all lies. the cover? amazing but it doesn’t match the plot line. the blurb? catchy but when u read the book, it isn’t it. the tropes? kinda different from usual since it’s ya paranormal but yeah they don’t match. i was promised “the beauty of girlhood and the power of sisterhood” & “definitely meant for the barbie girls who never grew up, fans of cult classics, the sansa stark stans, the TS reputation girlies” but got none of that. and lets not mention all the repetitive phrases.

i’m really disappointed because it could have been such fun and amazing read but in reality it was really shallow writing. apparently the author has been problematic so it’s just a no for me. and lets remind ourselves that reviews are meant for readers <3 not everybody can take criticism in the good way so just don’t read it.

I was hooked from the cover and was excited to read this book. The characters were what I wanted and enjoyed the way they were written. It had a strong story and thought the romance element worked with the young adult elements. Kiana Krystle writes a great story and I enjoyed the elements of Phantom and Hades story. The cover were gorgeous and glad I was able to read this.

As much as I love the book cover and the description of the book, I really could not get into it. Which saddens me because I really liked the description and the vibes this book gave. Also, I looked up some reviews from this book because I wanted to know what I was missing out on since I can't get into it and I was so close to DNF-ing it. To my suprise, I've read some BAD reviews about the author rather than the book itself ... So it seems that the author has been reading bad reviews about the book and the responses are .... errrr..... Anyway, I'd give this book a two star,

Thanks to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Given the circumstances surrounding reviews for this book, I would like to preface my review with the fact that reviews are for readers. Unless a reader directly invites/tags an author, authors should not be looking at reviews.

Now that's out of the way, here are my thoughts on this book.

DNF at 30%

This book has such an interesting premise but is plagued with an overabundance of metaphors that make very little sense. I found myself constantly being pulled out of the story, as there were so many lines that were nonsensical.

I really wanted to enjoy this book, but unfortunately I did not have a great time reading it.

If you like stories that are very heavy on metaphors, and are more vibes than plot you'll probably enjoy this book.

there's been some buzz about the author's comments about negative reviews on this book, and so i just want to say: hi kiana, if you're reading this, i swear this is not hate. in fact, i'm probably your intended audience! i'm chinese <i>and</i> a ballerina, what's not to like? but the fact remains that this book is just not a good book, and i want to share my thoughts.

it saddens me to see how writing can be so superficial sometimes. when you pick up a book, you expect to be transported into a world of fantasy. you're expecting to see a deeply thought-out plot, fleshed out characters, each and every word a true experience from the author's hands to yours. kiana krystle's dance of the starlit sea achieved none of that. it's not that i'm saying krystle didn't work hard and love this book- it may very well be that she thought it was her greatest work, and it's very evident that she loved creating it from her social media, but what it lacks is true substance. behind all this flowery prose, there's nothing that connects you to the characters.

frankly, i think it's astounding how this made it past editing at all. the problem is that krystle's writing is so painfully centred ONLY on the images and aesthetic she's invoking that all else falls to the backseat. plot coherency, character depth and reasonable development are tossed away in favour of invoking pretty images. sensations. the most important thing to her, in her view, is probably the aesthetic it comes across as. balletcore, cottagecore etc. girlhood. 'i'm just a girl', 'how i love being a woman' trends etc. i can guess why- because aesthetics are trending these days, with everything made into a ‘core’. it makes this book easily marketable. all those tiktoks about convincing you to read a book based on their aesthetic- that's the niche krystle wants to find. but the more she tries to focus on these aesthetics without being willing to fully commit and put substance in her writing behind all that glitter and confetti, the more the quality of the book degrades. it's all so ingenuine.

i guess it's not entirely her fault because part of writing is thinking about how to make your book appeal and marketable to readers, and she's just following the trends. but i can tell she genuinely does not care about girlhood beyond the things featured here, like makeup or dressing up, or at the very least, she doesn't try and show that she cares in her writing. she may have loved writing the book, but it doesn't seem like deep thought was put into any of the more challenging themes the book tries to tackle.

for a book that's marketed for girls, marketed exclusively for women and people who identify with being feminine, this book is woefully weak in both presenting and developing female characters. from the inherent misogyny of the 'i'm not like other girls' trope in the beginning of the book to the underlying condescending tone krystle uses whenever describing female characters other than lila (the lead), as well as the way ALL of this book follows the stereotypical structure of the one female best friend that's kind and every other girl apart from that is a bitch who needs to be 'shown kindness' by the female lead, this book is miles away from the girls' girl image it tries to project.

you cannot write a book you claim centres on the themes of girls supporting girls and girlhood and simultaneously utilise inherently misogynistic tropes to pit girls against one another. it just doesn't work that way. it's not 2014 wattpad anymore. it is even worse when you place your main character somehow on a pedestal, claiming her to be 'kind' and 'brave' enough to change the rest of the female cast when she has barely interacted with them beyond arguing with them. it does not make sense— both narratively and literally.

i've always had a problem with treating girlhood as a trend. it's all fun and games and saying things like 'i'm just a girl' (which, admittedly, i do partake in), but the thing is girlhood is more than that. it is an incredibly nuanced and complex time of life where we grow into ourselves. to reduce it to a trend and capitalise on it's momentary popularity is to reduce it to a fad, a passing fashion, when it's so much more. nothing about this book delves into the complexities of coming of age and the difficulties that accompany it. like i've said before, here girlhood is trivialised- everything tiktok presents to you and nothing more. a series of images of pretty little lace dresses and tea parties and high heels. traditional femininity. if you were to tap on the pages of this book it would sound hollow, because it is, and there is no deeper meaning to this likeness of girlhood at all.

what else is there to say? for a book that prioritises aesthetics over substance, it is exceedingly difficult for readers to connect with the characters. it's all too easy to get caught up in purple prose (which this book definitely has masses upon masses of) but it's equally easy to get so carried away the rest of your story falls short. and even in this regard, dance of the starlit sea lacks. you can tell krystle put a lot of work into her prose, but precisely because she tried so hard, it becomes repetitive. there is a limit to how much one can write before words and phrases start repeating. this book has a HUGE problem with repetitiveness, too. phrases concerning lila's 'stiletto nails' and her heart 'speeding up' float around every 5 pages. the descriptions of her dresses lose the wow factor once you realise many of these words are recycled.

dance of the starlit sea had a lot of potential with that premise. but unfortunately i do have to say i think that synopsis severely oversold the quality of the actual book. with a lot more work, perhaps this would be enjoyable. but even for me, someone who by all means should've had a much, much easier time connecting with the story, it's simply... not.

Thank you to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for this free copy.

DNF at page 26, or, the end of the first chapter. I was so so so so so looking forward to this book, for a sweet, aesthetically ‘no thoughts just vibes’ sort of low stakes beach side Ghibli-esque slice of life novel.

Here are my thoughts in order of appearances.

“A burst of florals hypnotizes me towards the cottage.” This sentence makes absolutely zero sense. It’s missing a verb. Hypnotizing is like, a passive verb? Hypnotizing leaves you vulnerable to other verbs but generally. . . if you are hypnotized, you just sit there waiting for direction. “A burst of floral (scents?) is hypnotizing, and leads me towards the cottage.”
OMG okay so the plot is wild. Her parents literally sent her to go live with an estranged aunt, who hasn’t spoken to the family in eighteen years. On her birthday? After just a few pages, it’s already extremely weirdly angsty? Like, this sounds so tremendously youthful. “My parents are not just mean that they sent me away, they sent me away ON MY BIRTHDAY” mean.
And then, still reeling from “I did something horrible and my parents sent me away” there’s a ball. Which only happens every seven years for some reason.

Luna Island rarely gets visitors, the aunt says. Yet Lila has a ferry ticket. Ferries. . . apparently visit? Often enough? To print tickets? To an island that’s mysterious and no one goes to? Yet, the island is literally within eyesight of the mainland. And no one goes to it? Even though later it apparently looks like a quaint little French village, I guess they imported everything with angel magic or something?

And then, Lila apparently talks about how comfortable she is going between “reality and the otherworld.” And it turns super weirdly suicidal? “ciff sides, the open ocean, coaxing me to follow.” And even though this hints towards something magical and supernatural about her, I’m getting a really deep uncomfortable feeling. She goes from wildly violent and abusive to self-hating and suicidal and I feel like the author (is the character a self-insert?) should go talk to someone about this because this isn’t healthy.

“She tosses back the beach waves fanning her neck.” What does this even mean?

Aunt Laina literally said this ball happens every seven years, then the following page “We usually have months to prepare but one town meeting and bam! Only a few days notice.”

How. . . do you have a tradition. . . that’s every seven years? And no one is prepared??? How does anyone have only a few days notice? Oh, it’s literally just “we are breaking tradition and having a ball RIGHT NOW right when our main character is sent to this weird island ON HER BIRTHDAY after something horrible.” Like. It’s so extremely obviously “I’m not like other girls” special.

I’m struggling to know how long after Lila arrives to the island and her aunt’s home is this present narration actually occurring. Did she just get there? The book opens with her flopping down at the shore, thinking about drowning herself, and then she’s going to sit and have a tea with her aunt. . . and then her aunt is like ‘here’s a fresh $100 go buy a dress btw there’s some pageant tonight it’s also your birthday but I’ve got to leave you alone after just telling you how horrible it is to be alone on your birthday it’s okay if it’s retail therapy oh there’s a boat leaving the dock at 8pm you’ll figure out where it is don’t be late k laters”

Also, apparently this island is trapped in some complete cottage core world because EVERYONE is “parading down cobblestone steps, wearing long pastel dresses and carrying bouquets of bright flowers tied with a bow.”

Oh my god, teenagers greet each other with ‘good tidings.’

The girl hatred here is just wild. I picked up this book because I wanted the sweet and cute aethestics. But the first girls we meet, they are dripping with the worst ‘mean jealous girl’ vibes. They put each other down while dress shopping. Lila is apparently better than them because she’s ‘seen the same girls in competitions.’ So. This book is going to seriously be a ‘cute, wonderful feminine aesthetic’ used to hate on girls and show girls in the worst, most sexist light??? No thanks.

The thing with the angels really kind of caught me off guard, too, because this ends up giving me some serious Christian vibes that give me a complete ick. Later, when Lila’s father basically accuses her of being a demon??? Ick.

Also, Lila goes dress shopping. . . at a ‘famous’ dress store whose dresses have literal /magic/ in them. And they are less than $100.

Also, for a girl who is taunted as a tourist, everyone seems very eager to spill about these angels being real, even though one character literally says “it’s out little secret on the island.” How can it be a secret if you tell everyone. . . especially someone you point out is a tourist??

There is a LOT of self-hatred, I mean really vile horrible self-hatred and constant suicidal ideation that really runs counter to the lush imagery and playfulness of a cottagecore-esque town. Honestly, this girl needs some serious help and it’s weird that the message is ‘suppress how evil you are’ and not like ‘omg I really need help.’

HOW can a ballerina literally do ballet moves THIGH deep in the ocean, with waves that are crashing into her? HOW does one pull of an arabesque?” A series of pirouettes. . . “ IN THIGH HIGH WATER as ‘the ocean plummets into me.’ HOW HOW HOW HOW

OMG and I had to DNF when the main character. . . literally rips out her mother’s throat. On page 25. In vivid descriptions of blood. “Digging into the delicate fruit and dividing its flesh, destroying its purity and all my mother’s collected love. I began clawing at my mother’s throat.” “My mother struggling for breath on the ground.”

“Maybe if I were a better ballerina, my parents would’ve wanted to keep me.”

UGH MAYBE IF YOU DIDN’T RIP OUT YOUR MOTHER’S THROAT WHEN YOU MADE A MISTAKE AT A BALLET AUDITION!?!?!?

Why is no one sending this girl to get therapy!? Something THIS violent happens ON STAGE and no one sees this girl needs serious intervention?!

“That night, I realized I would never be the person my parents wanted me to be. With my hands still covered in blood. . . I swore to keep my demons buried.”

UHHH WHAT?!

The violence described in the assault on her mother is just way too much for me. This was marketed as a sweet, cute love story surrounded in lace and flowers and beautiful, lush descriptions. The tone is all over the place. Literally one second the most visceral description of seafoam (seafoam is described at least seven times in this opening chapter), but then the second, gregariously violent imagery of blood pouring onto the ground as the main character ‘claws’ at her mother’s throat.

Instant pass. Wow. What a miss.

This book was very disappointing. The writing was "not it"... and the information going around about the author is problematic...

The atmosphere is definitely the star here. Dance of the Starlit Sea is like a cotton candy cloud landscape painting with a dark, swelling sea underneath. Krystle includes an abundance of imagery. She paints a vivid picture of the landscape, the scenery, and the magic. This book is full of descriptions of beautiful pastel gowns, food and tea, flowers, dancing, and more. You can feel Kyrstle's love for both imagery and dancing in her writing, which I enjoyed. I also liked the theme of grappling with wanting to be nice and feminine while dealing with feminine rage.

Unfortunately, everything else hides behind the atmosphere. I love a good atmospheric book, but the Dance of the Starlit Sea is lacking in character and plot. A lot of both ended up being repetitive. We constantly have Lila getting upset, running away, or running after another character, and then being told, "Don't be upset! You're special!" This scene happens nearly every chapter, but in a slightly different manner. The dialogue doesn't flow very well. And the main villain felt very out of place in this kind of story. Overall, this story had a lot of potential, but it didn't come together for me in the end.

Thank you to Krystle and the publisher for my ARC!

𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ★★★☆☆ - 3/5 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀
Warning: some mild spoilers ahead.

Thanks to Netgalley and PeachTree Teen for providing this free ARC digital copy in exchange of an honest review!

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱‧₊˚

Dance of the Starlit Sea is a vibrant fantasy romance debut novel, which deals with themes of girlhood, beauty and acceptance. It is specifically targeted to girls who feel very close to their femininity and appreciate the coquette/cottagecore/pastel aesthetic.

I picked up this book based on vibes alone. I happened to come across a self-promo post of the author on twitter, one of those posts with little arrows that point at a book and connect it to a few engaging characteristics.

But while someone may pick up a book based on its vibes only, the reason why said book sticks to the reader should be its story. I can read paragraphs, even pages of vivid and detailed descriptions, if it helps me achieve a full immersion into the story. In Dance of the Starlit Sea, I found this aspect kind of lacking.

But let's start with what I liked (and what you might like too) first!

1. Prose!
The prose is purple (a pastel purple, since pastel is the color code of this book), flowery and flowing like water. I could compare it to a neatly organized shelf with ornaments and a porcelain vase of lush flowers in the middle. A sight for the eyes.

The writing is very descriptive, in a colorful and vivid way that made me feel completely immersed in the world of Luna Island. It was overall very visual and sometimes it felt cinematic.
The sea as a metaphor of duality between beauty and danger was on point.

2. Deep Thoughts!
Reflections on the concepts of girlhood, anger, self acceptance, friendship, competition, beauty and innocence were very nuanced and it was evident the author deeply felt what she was writing. As the reader, perfectly part of the target audience, I felt a little understood.

3. Character Development
The main character, Lila Rose Li, blooms into a girl who's conscious of her worth and has accepted her flaws and good qualities as equal parts of herself at the end of the book.

4. A Few Other Things!
Plot twists were kind of predictable but they worked fine I guess.
And of course, being a romance and all, it has a HEA.

Overall, this book reads like a beautiful impressionist painting with a decorated frame. If you look at it from afar, you'll see its otherworldly beauty, its vibrant colors and the soothing sensations it evokes in you. But when you step forward to take a closer look, you'll actually notice how utterly vague it is; shapes blend into each other, messy and disorganized, the brushstrokes are chaotic and overlap each other.

That's pretty much it. Aside from aesthetics, this novel doesn't have much to offer.

Things that didn't convince me:

1. Lore? What Lore?
When I pick up a book marketed as fantasy, I expect its lore to be structurally sound and well thought out. But this book's lore is all over the place! Some elements are vaguely introduced and then never mentioned again. I've spotted a few striking contradictions, but most of all its magic system is inconsistent and it's never really clear how it works; not to mention the worldbuilding doesn't have any particular significance other than providing an aesthetic.

A group of fallen angels chose a humble fisherman's island in the middle of the Atlantic as their new abode after having lost their home in the sky, and that's why the island became... beautiful, like straight out of a fairytale? But they've  been saved by the angel Lucifer who's now stuck under the sea and became the devil? Also, they started a cult of beauty and every seven years they announce a pageant to choose the most beautiful and graceful girl, who shall become the high priestess of their cult to appease the goddess of the moon and then... disappear?? No questions asked. And we're in a contemporary setting, mind you.

An awfully beauty centered competition. Might as well have comped this to The Selection... it makes even more sense, when you reach the end and understand what the "pageant" really is about.

(Nobody is even using a phone!! Lila's mom has to send letters to contact her... in 2024. Are we for real right now?)

2. Do It For The Drama!
An awful lot of the events in this story happen... just because. No apparent real reasoning or logic behind them. It felt like they only existed to generate more drama and conflict, or to drag the story out for a few more pages.
Has Lila never questioned why, while all the other girls in that competition do just fine, all the craziest things only happen to her?

The last 12% of the story is also excessively chaotic & feverish and I couldn't grasp much about what happened. Only there were many pages of author cosiderations on girlhood and forgiveness spoke through Lila's stream of consciousness, and Lila became Over Powered for Reasons.

3. Insert Relatable Female Main Character Here
Our main character, Lila Rose Li, is a third generation Chinese ballerina whose dreams were shattered by a bad fall on stage. And the fact she choked her mother in a fit of rage, which got her sent on a weird island to an aunt she barely knows, instead of therapy.
This act of wrath is the source of most of her psychological turmoil, imposter syndrome and guiltiness. Too bad it's not properly resolved nor used in a satisfying way.

Despite growing as a character, for a good 80% of the book she was pretty much insufferable. I mainly remember her for self deprecating at any given moment, being obsessed with beauty and perfection, running and screaming at any minor inconvenience, constantly interrupting narration with her stream of consciousness that probably aimed at making her struggles sound relatable, and her stiletto nails. Which for some reason hold a position of importance to her character.

She gives chosen one, but for all the strangest reasons. She randomly wields the magic of a goddess because she was born on a very "special" day or something. Heck she even destroys the whole island in a fit of rage at some point!
Might as well call you Achilles because girl, you sure are wrathful!

Oh right! I also remember her for being distrusting towards any other girl. Seeing them as competition and always judging and allat. It was justified as an internalized habit from the ballet industry or whatever.
So much for girlhood and sisterhood, I guess. Maybe girlhood is only cool when it's about baking biscuits, sipping tea and doing each other's makeover?
Fortunately it doesn't last forever, she heals from this during the last 20% of the book. A good 12% of which is a total fever dream.

4. Help I Accidentally Forgot To Fill My Characters With Purpose Now They Taste Bland!
When I said Lila, the main character, bloomed beautifully at the end of the book. I meant ONLY Lila.
Aside from her, all the other characters can be separated in two categories: those who support Lila and those who don't. Yeah, they're that simple. Those in the former category (which includes all the major side characters by the way!) find their main purpose in helping, praising, validating and enabling her; they never once contradict her or reprimand her, mostly putting up with her outbursts and wondering where the hell she ran off to this time. The latter, on the other hand, have the important task of showing how much better the protagonist is than them by antagonizing her with either cheap tricks or straight up psychological warfare. But she's a bad bitch! Go girl, show em! Kick their ass with kindness! And similar.

One creepy thing I've noticed is that two specific characters, Roisin and Lila's aunt Laina, quite literally stop existing the moment Lila is not in the picture.
Get this. Lila runs off to cope with her emotions; she stays away for a while, and when she comes back, until the moment these two characters see her, I kid you not, they're COMPLETELY UTTERLY STILL. Either sitting on the sofa or on the bench swing, they don't move nor talk until the main character is there.
I hope I wasn't the only one who noticed.

In short, every other characters revolves around the protagonist to actually have an importance. They don't feel real.
Needless to say, similarly to the MC in Shatter me, she's the only one who goes through a little change from beginning to end. She definitely whines less, I'll give her that.

5. Cardboard Cutout Love Interest
In a romance, there should be two main characters. In this case, we should've had a FMC and a MMC.
But this MMC... man... uh...
Who is he again??

His name is Damien, he's an angel (why is an angel named after the antichrist...?), his response to any minor inconvenience  is running away (something he has in common with the FMC) and he has daddy issues. That's kinda it.

He and Lila have an insta love dynamic. (god help me)
He saves her from drowning, they dance, they fall for each other. The End. Oh right, he drugs her to make her forget. And lies to her about a life and death matter which did, in fact, concern her.

He felt more like a side character than the MMC. Only appeared when it was convenient and was always there to support her, and I mean like ONLY to support her. Conflict and banter were forced and arose from miscommunication, or lack thereof.
No discernible personality. Their relationship happens just because, and he's never really present. It all read very random and there is no actual chemistry between the two.
It never feels real.

This guy can go join Adam Kent!

If you really wanna know, Lila definitely had better chemistry with

6. Her Best Friend!
Roisin Kelly was the only side character who somehow stood out, because she had a purpose other than living for Lila! Shocker! Basically she lost her girlfriend to the pageant and now participates again to know what actually happened to her. That was pretty cool, considering she's the only sapphic character in sight.

But I'm not kidding when I tell you Lila had better chemistry with this girl than with her legit love interest. Because they actually do something together and Roisin has an actual presence! They have an adorable girl night when Lila feels down and Roisin often succeeds at encouraging her and helping her regulate her emotions. They're both very attached to each other for right, concrete reasons. Did I mention Lila reminds Roisin of her lost girlfriend? The heartbreak! The comfort! It was all there and never used! What a WASTE!!

Lila even says the CHEESIEST stuff about her and you wanna tell me she's in love with Cardboard Angel Guy??

"I don't want them to know how much she means to me. They can take anything else, just not her."

HELLO???
They would have definitely made a better, more interesting couple. At least they'd have a REAL dynamic!

7. Lila's Stiletto Nails
I feel like I should mention them because for some reason they always pop up in the descriptions about Lila, even at the wrongest times, and they survive a literal natural disaster. At this point, they've become a character of their own. A round of applause, please!

Conclusions: I am not as harsh with debut novels as I am with other books, and I didn't hate this one. I'm a snarky lil brat, but definitely not a hater, and one-starring a debut novel can be the ruin of a career before it even starts.
The only real problem, to sum it all up, is that it feels like the author prioritized vibe over plot & character. It reads juvenile and immature, other than plain random, difficult to follow and even self-insertish at times. There was an imbalance between narrative sequences, dialogues, descriptions and thoughts. I get it, 1st person limited can be tough. I should also mention repetitions in the prose. But these are all things that can happen in a debut novel, and I'm sure there is plenty of room for improvement!

One more small thing: the comp titles are all wrong. There is not much of the myth of Persephone (other than something at the end), and even less of the Phantom of the Opera. It's misleading.

As always, excuse me for any weirdness in my writing! English is not my first language 😭

The prose in this book are beautiful. You are swept away to the most stunning, sea side town and are met with some of the most intriguing characters. The romance in this book is swoony worthy.