I had such a fun time with this book. I think this is a very atomsperic early fall read. I loved the almost gothic vibes and also the ghostish vibes. I also liked the dance focued in this read. I though for a standalone, it was a quick read, I also really enoyed the plot and the vibes. I felt a bit disconnected fromt he character but it was great early fall reads!! would read more by this author in the future.

Oh my, this was deliciously dark. As a fan of books with characters under the control and domination of a curse or trapped by an evil villain, I loved that this one is set on a theatre/dancers theme. The idea that they become marionettes to be controlled makes the journey to rebellion exciting and dark. I love the Phantom of the Opera, and it gives me a lot of the same dark vibes. Has some plot twists that add to the story. Plus: awesome cover.

This book gripped me from the very beginning and didn’t let go. It’s dark, it’s gothic, it’s sweeping. It’s about recognizing and surviving abuse, standing up for the life you deserve, and the power of sisterhood. It made my Phantom of the Opera loving heart so incredibly happy, and that ending… The ending wrecked me in the best possible way.

Unfortunately, Girls of Dark Divine just wasn't for me. I really loved the idea behind the overall story and it felt original. But I struggled reading it. The pacing was unfortunately slow. Which I didn't think would be the case. The book starts really strong with a bang. But then it just kind of limps along until the end. I had a really hard time staying engaged. The characters were all likeable enough and well developed. The writing was really beautiful. As a read overall it was dark and atmospheric. The author did an amazing job of making you feel like you were there. The descriptions were so well done. Maybe that is what made the pacing feel slow? I'm not sure.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is dark, haunting, but so beautiful. I loved every minute of this story and the adventure that Emberlyn undertakes to get back a piece of her life. I think this book will enchant so many readers and I am so excited to start recommending it. I don’t want to say too much because you need to experience this book for yourself.
Thank you to Random House Children’s and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

𝐓𝐢𝐭𝐥𝐞: Girls of Dark Divine by E.V. Woods
𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐫𝐞: YA Fantasy
𝐏𝐮𝐛 𝐃𝐚𝐭𝐞: August 5, 2025

Magical, Deadly Curse
Marionette Troupe
Mysterious MMC
Gothic + Atmospheric

Girls of Dark Divine is a gorgeous, atmospheric YA gothic fantasy. The prose felt almost poetic, the descriptive language making you feel like you're actually sitting in the theater.

The evil puppet master and Emberlyn's struggle against their debilitating curse made this an absolutely unputdownable, intriguing read. I loved every second of it.
Though the romance is only a subplot, I felt it added so much to Emberlyn's character, giving her even more reason to fight for a life she could truly live and enjoy. Her development throughout and loyalty she felt to her troupe family made her so loveable, even with the darkness she finds she harbors.

If you love Phantom of the Opera x Black Swan, and dark fantasy, you will devour Girls of Dark Divine like I did!

Thank you so much, @topplingstackstours & @evwoodsauthor for the digital review copy!

Beautiful prose and an excellent mix of body horror and mystery, I flew through this book. Ultimately I found it a little underwhelming but would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a darker read.

What a thrilling dark gothic suspense novel that entranced me from the start. I loved how the story blended horror, suspense, romance, and fantasy into this dark ya tale.

The concept was the first thing to grab me. The idea of a puppet master and curses was eerie and let me say this one does not disappoint.

This emotionally charged take follows Emberlyn and a trope of dancers under this dark curse.

Emberlyn was a flawed character who you wanted to root for. Her journey was full of ups and downs and I loved how she grew and fought for what she believed in and loved.

If you enjoy tropes like supernatural dark fantasies, angst, high stakes, curses, Phantom of the Opera vibes, a touch of sweet romance, found family, suspense, haunting stories, and so much more then check this one out.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this book!

I've found that YA Horror is generally a mixed bag for me. It's either not quite scary enough or it's more suspenseful and eerie rather then a true horror novel. It actually starts out quite grisly with the death of a girl from the curse. I do think its unusual that no one seems to notice that girls keep dying under Malcolm although perhaps it could be the nature of the curse.

I'm also not sure how the girls are able to write home to their families to prevent their families from knowing, yet they are also losing their memories to the curse. I was confused on why Emberlyn was so insistent on running away specifically with Aleida. Their relationship needed more building to show why Emberlyn was so dedicated to her in comparison to the other girls. I did like the shared sisterhood between the Emberlyn and the rest of the girls. It was nice to see how they helped and supported each other.

The story was quite dark and delves into body horror with girls having no control over their bodies and being forced to dance until they die. That's where I could truly feel some of the creepiness, with the showing of the lack of autonomy and ability to escape. There was also questions brought up about what limits they would go to, to escape, which were thought-provoking.

Etienne, the shadow boy, was such an interesting character. He reveals a lot more information regarding the history and nature of the curse. I also thought his particular curse was very unique. However, I thought the romance between him and Emberlyn was very sudden as there didn't seem to be very much buildup. I also thought the way they broke the curse was somewhat anti-climatic and I kept expecting there to be more.

Overall, this is definitely a creepy and fun read! I'd highly recommend it to people who love YA horror.

A Puppetmaster entices young girls with the gift of dance to join his ballet troupe. He instills "the curse" into them where they forget their pasts and become his puppets until their painful deaths.

I was enthralled from the first page to the last. The author's prose keeps you entranced through this dark, gothic tale.

Thank you for this ARC, allowing me to read and review this book.

This is a wonderfully crafted story of an evil man with the power to control his performers through an ancient curse and one of his performers who is trying to figure a way out. The curse does not allow them to leave or speak of it to anyone outside of those afflicted with it as well. This is Emberlyn's story of attempting to gain freedom without jeopardizing the lives of her "sister" performers.

The reader is pulled into this story by Emberlyn's desire to find her way out from the curse and away from the "Puppet Master". The characters have depth. This reader felt compassion for Emberlyn and her "sisters". The story has good rhythm and flow. I would say it is an amazing first novel.

Title: Girls of Dark Divine   
Author: E. V. Woods         
Genre: Fantasy, YA    
Rating: 4 out of 5 

In the legendary ballet theatre of New Kora, the girls on stage enchant the audience each night with their grace and divine beauty. Before Emberlyn became the show’s star, it was her dream to become one of the ballerinas… until she learned the price of their living nightmare.

A curse has bound the girls to the show’s mastermind, Malcolm, so they must obey his every command. They are controlled by the magic’s invisible strings that has the power to wield their limbs like marionette dolls. Only the commands don’t stop when the curtain comes down, and the girls live a life of fear from Malcolm’s wickedness and the twisted truth that each dancer is destined to turn to dust when the curse finally consumes her.

When the troupe is invited to perform in the glitzy city of Parlizia, Emberlyn knows this could be her best chance to save them all. She meets an elusive boy made of shadows with a magical connection to the girls. Together, they work to unravel the haunting truth about their creation and fight for their survival. But the cost of freedom might be too high, and as she dances closer to the edge of darkness she realizes she might break the curse… or break her own heart forever.

I do love ballet, so when you combine it with fantasy, I definitely wanted to read this! Ember was a great character, and from the very first of the book, it was easy to be fascinated by her POV and her world. I liked all the Marionettes, and their friendship was what drew me into the story—and kept me reading, eager to find out if they were going to escape their dark curse.

E. V. Woods is from the U.K. Girls of Dark Divine is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Random House Children/Delacorte Press in exchange for an honest review.)

(Blog link live 8/4).

I love a book with a unique and interesting premise and Girls of Dark Divine took center stage in one of the most unique storylines I’ve seen all year. A troupe of dancers trapped by a curse that leaves them under the full control of their theater manager or as they know him, the Puppet Master. Recruited for their beauty and their beauty and their brilliance onstage, if they accept his offer to join the troupe, he places a curse on them that leaves him in total control of their physical bodies. The curse takes their autonomy until eventually, it takes their life.

This book feels a bit like a supernatural Phantom of the Opera where the phantom was the savior and the patron is the psychopath. I enjoyed the story, but I do think the pacing dragged in places. That being said, I was invested in the storyline and I appreciated the story arc of Emberlyn as she found her fire and unleashed an inferno.

I would like to thank Random House Children’s and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I had really hoped I'd like this book, but it just wasn't for me. I DNF'd at the 40% mark, and while I don't typically review DNFs at all, this is one I have some thoughts on. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to submit my honest review.

What I liked:
-Lovely settings
-The curse itself was fun and unique, and Woods did a fantastic job describing the curse taking hold and conveying that feel to the reader.
-I got some Phantom of the Opera vibes here and there, which was unexpected and fun

Now, for what I didn't like:
-Emberlynn. She just wasn't a very likeable protagonist, and I found her to be selfish and annoying. Particularly the way she acted toward her 'sisters' in the troupe. The Marionettes are all in this situation together, and I would expect that alone to bond them, but Emberlynn didn't seem to genuinely care about any of them, even her 'closest friend' Aleida. Her disdain and judgement toward the other Marionettes who were excited to go to Parlizia also struck me as odd--that she would fault them for attempting to find some small bit of happiness in this life that seems so bleak. Just because you're miserable doesn't mean everyone else needs to be as well. If they want to process their situation by trying to find little crumbs of joy and excitement, LET THEM.
-Malcom. His character had the potential to be really strong and unsettling, but unfortunately he was a cartoon villain I couldn't take seriously, even with the power he wielded through the curse. I found myself rolling my eyes every time he tried to flex his 'bad guy muscles' to intimidate Emberlyn.
-The pacing dragged and the characters were not interesting enough to keep me reading. The only member of the cast who was anywhere close to interesting for me was Grace, who we saw tricked and trapped to be a Marionette.
-I was just...bored. Which surprised me because it's not that Woods wasn't including action. There was plenty happening but it just wasn't compelling enough. And I imagine my strong dislike of Emberlynn likely played a large role in this. I haven't been this annoyed by a protagonist in a while.

A DNF is a rare thing for me. I really did try to get through this one, trying to slog my way through in order to say I made it to the end. But I can't.
2/5 stars.

I loved this book! It was everything i hoped for and somehow more! I loved the story, the world building and meeting the different characters. I felt completely immersed in the story and couldn't stop reading it. I didn't want to have to put it down! I couldnt! This book became my entire life until I finished it. I wish I had a time machine and could read it again for the first time.

This novel was a gem of a dark fairytale about talent and the struggle to forge a new future. I absolutely loved it.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit. Dark enough to satisfy those Gothic readers and creative enough that you do not feel as though you have read it before. This will definitely appeal to a certain segment of YA readers, and I will have one available so it can be read.

Thank you for the opportunity to read the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC! Girls of Dark Divine by E.V. Woods is a lush and haunting fantasy that explores sisterhood, power, and the cost of secrets. With lyrical prose and a richly imagined world, Woods crafts a darkly magical tale that feels both timeless and urgent. It’s an intoxicating read for fans of gothic fantasy and fierce, complex heroines.

hauntingly beautiful and entirely incredibly unique. the plotting, romance, and characters, all worked very well. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.

I have some complicated feelings about Girls of Dark Divine, but all in all, the fact remains that I couldn’t just leave it and DNF, and eventually ended up not being able to put it down and not wanting it to end. So, like I said, complicated! I’ll start with the things I loved: the world-building was effective and captivating, and I was almost immediately immersed in Emberlyn and the Marionettes’ world. Emberlyn could be an almost interoperable protagonist at times, but that actually didn’t bother me as much as it did some other readers here, mostly because it felt…real? She was complex and nuanced and totally human in her deep selfishness, her capacity for love and change, and her dimension. It was sort of refreshing to have a heroine who didn’t always get it right, think outside the box to solve the problem, put others before herself. She came around as the book went on, and that made it feel more worth the sometimes painstaking meandering she did. I also can’t lie, I loved the romance with Étienne so thoroughly. And, maybe its cheesy, but especially right now as a reader in the US, we need reminders that although evil can be grossly powerful, even the disenfranchised can make a difference and overpower evil with good.

The book *was* a bit of a slog for me. For some reason, even though I really enjoyed journeying through Ember’s world with her, it took me a while to read the first 2/3 of the book. But I kept coming back to it, so there was still something captivating even if it also felt somewhat prolonged. It also is undeniable that Ember as a protagonist can be seriously aggravating. She gets hopeless, she makes silly mistakes, she doesn’t always see some solutions that I as a reader kept wanting her to explore. But, again, I felt like this character flaw was sort of redeemed by the fact that it was authentic and just added to her humanness, which felt important given how dehumanizing the Marionettes’ curse was. Lastly, there were more glaring typos in this copy than I’m used to, and that was at times distracting.

Overall, I really enjoyed this debut novel by E. V. Woods! Thanks so much to the publisher and NetGalley for this e-arc. I’m excited to see what other worlds Woods creates for us!