(this review has spoilers so I will post the full version only after pub day and with a warning)


I love novels where the sacrifice for art goes beyond the limit and becomes dark taking over the human part. I like it because the person starts with something that brings happiness and joy and ends up slave to that art or practice, sacrificing body and mind. This happens in sports too and in this case the author combines ballet and the fact that someone wants to achieve more than perfection adding it to very eerie creepy practices. The tears of blood are beautiful to visualize and for a moment I thought this would have a sad ending, but I am so glad the author gave us hope with a character who manages to save the other wiith love.

Thank you to Page Street YA for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise:

Mars is thrilled when she receives a scholarship for the esteemed Allegra academy ballet summer intensive. And even more thrilled when the headmistress offers her a year round scholarship, all she has to do it switch her roommates (the headmistresses niece) supplements for a new experimental tablet that will improve her dancing. But she soon realises the pills are anything but safe and the headmistress has anything but good intentions for her niece.

A sapphic ballet thriller seemed right up my alley but to be honest this book left me feeling very disappointed.

The premise of this novel was super interesting but the execution really fell flat.

It was a super fast paced easy read, but it just made zero sense. I didn’t understand why they needed to include Mars in this plot, Alex’s aunt could have easily done it without her. This wasn’t really a thriller more like a confusing drama and the sapphic romance was definitely lacking. I would have loved a real rivals to lovers romance with Mars and Alex but it was really just a bunch of lying and some superficial attraction to one another. I feel that the idea could have been really fleshed out and turned into a great novel but this just wasn’t it.

The characters were very flat as well, the classic 2 dimensional mean rich girls, the main character who lets everyone walk all over her. They weren’t very engaging, I just didn’t care what happened to them. I also thought the ending was very rushed and didn’t clear up the mist of confusion I was under the whole book.

(Also not majorly important but it annoyed me that Mars accidently took Alex's dads ring and somehow didn’t have a single opportunity to return it while living with her for weeks????? The same with the pills, she had so many opportunities to swap them. And so many opportunities to tell Alex what was going on but she just didn’t????)

I was expecting more supernatural elements in this book classified as a horror, and thus was a little disappointed when it read more like a mystery/thriller. With adjusted expectations however, I thoroughly enjoyed this dark drama of a story from the point of view of Mars Chang, a scholarship student struggling to create a name for herself among insufferable nepotism babies in an intensive ballet summer camp.

A little nitpick that I have is Mars being a little slow in catching on with (what I thought are) rather obvious hidden agenda and so the twists were not particularly surprising when they occur. However, as someone who used to dance and were immersed in the out-of-touch drama between dancers, dance mums, and elitist teachers, this was quite a cathartic read.

The Devil’s in the Dancers by Catherine Yu is like Black Swan meets a YA thriller, and wow—it delivers drama! Sixteen-year-old Mars scores a spot at an elite ballet intensive, but things aren’t all pirouettes and pretty pointe shoes. There’s sabotage, secrets, and a creepy drug with terrifying side effects. The vibes? Dark, twisty, and full of cutthroat ambition. Catherine Yu nails the pressure cooker world of dance and adds a dash of horror that’ll make you gasp. If you love mean-girl rivalries, glittering stages hiding bloody secrets, and thrillers that keep you guessing—this one will have you twirling through pages!

So good. The cover gave me BLack Swam vibes and it delivered on its promise. This actually reminded me of the old Fear Street novels by RL Stine, just much darker and cooler. Looking forward to everyone getting to read it. Would make an epic movie.

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!!

This book follows Mars Chang who has got a scholarship to a ballet academy for the summer. However, the prestige of the academy means that those with money and favour have an advanatage over their scholarship peers. Mars and her friend Hannah end up going to extreme lengths to try and be the best at the academy, but there are larger forces at play.

I thought this book had a lot of potential and the core story was really interesting, the delivery just fell a little flat for me. There are a few plot points in the book that I don’t feel were resolved or fully spoken through leaving me a little confused, and I feel the tension could have been higher to really increase the horror aspect.

I liked Mars as a character and felt a lot of sympathy for her in the positions she was placed in due to her economic status by the leaders of the academy and the other girls there.

On the whole I thought it was a super fast paced read and really easy to get into, it just lacked something for me unfortunately. I enjoyed the premise though!!

Seeing the Suspiria comparison drew me in like the scent of a freshly-baked pie in a old cartoon, and its devilishly-sweet literary flavour fed me plenty.

Once I finished, I felt satiated like only a good story can make me feel. Great writing, characters, and everything else that made this novel.

Mars Chang is a scholarship student at the renowned Allegra Academy's very competitive summer intensive and is hopeful that her time at the school will give her an edge at getting into Harvard when the time comes. The Becheler pharma family has a huge stake in the academy, both in funding and in the head of the school, Ms Allegra. Alex, Mars' roommate is also a member of the Bechler family.

When Mars' headmistress offers her a leg up if she will switch Alex's supplements to a special Bechler family blend, Mars comes to a crossroads. Should she risk her roommates life to get ahead in this elite world?

Coming in at a slim 288 pages, The Devil's in the Dancers is certainly a quick, easy read. Though short, this story packs a punch. Filled with YA angst and plenty of horrifying details, Catherine Yu's book is a spine-tingling look into the world of competitive sports, ballet in particular.

The ending was a gruesome, action filled surprise. The characters were run of the mill mean girls tropes: the snarky, snippy friend (s), the emotion filled, Gretchen Weiners type. An interesting, yet alarming look at what it takes to get ahead in a cut throat world. 3.25 for this unique ballet YA horror novel.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

Firstly, I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book! The cover is beautiful, and the synopsis sounded interesting, but when reading it, the execution fell flat for me.

This novel follows Mars Chang as she chases her Ivy League dreams through the glittering halls of Allegra Academy, only to find the price of success might be steeper than she imagined. Tasked with secretly drugging her powerful roommate, Alex Bechler, Mars is pulled into the dark underbelly of privilege and ambition. As side effects from the experimental supplements spiral out of control, Mars must decide whether protecting her future is worth risking the lives of others.

This book was fast-paced and very easy to read, which was wonderful! However, the execution of the story didn't go well with me. I was hoping for more of a horror aspect and more creepy vibes. The main character letting everyone walk all over her was not right with me. The story was short and sweet and an easy read, but it just might not have been for me. Thank you again to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review

While the premise sounds intriguing—a Faustian take on a Black Swan, but make it a YA intense summer ballet program at a prestigious academy for rich kids—the execution is, unfortunately, a bit weak.

The protagonist is Mars Chang, a sixteen-year-old girl who somehow ended up in this ballet program on a scholarship. She was an interesting character to follow, I liked her pragmatic side and the way she was clearly accustomed to being a social chameleon. She often adjusted her behaviour to her surroundings, as if taking on a role; though as she’s still a young teen, the impostor syndrome rages strongly in her.

Every other character besides Mars was one-dimensional. Some plot points were questionable and required a suspension of disbelief, especially regarding the characters’ motives and actions, making the story flimsy at times.

The initial atmosphere build-up went a bit over my head. The words clearly indicated something weird or wrong was going on, but it failed to make me truly feel it - which, as this is marketed as a horror, is a shame. It DID get a little bit claustrophobic though, as if no other world existed outside the academy halls.

This is supposed to be a sapphic horror, but the romance part between Mars and Alex was, in my opinion, practically nonexistent. Instead of a thrilling rivals-to-lovers I expected, I’ve got a one-sided animosity based on envy and jealousy, and then a friendship built on lies. It’s not something I personally enjoy, especially when the other party seems sweet and kind. On the other hand, the dynamic still felt genuine when you take the girls’ ages and backgrounds into account. Though I would still appreciate some amount of emotional buildup; I liked the idea of Mars and Alex together, but the writing itself didn’t provide that.

Once you turn the analytical part of your brain off and just enjoy the mayhem of vicious teenage ballerinas, suspicious pills, and decadent halls of Allegra Academy, it’s a decent read. Just don’t expect horror (more like supernatural) or a grand romance.

(I know it’s probably nitpicking, but I physically can’t NOT mention this - “yellow brain fluid”? No no no. When writing gore, the basic descriptions should be realistic to be effective. Normal cerebrospinal fluid is always clear, not yellow. Same with “clear pus” - if the fluid is clear, it’s not pus. These are incredibly minor details, but it’s good to keep in mind that anyone working/studying in a healthcare field reading this will notice - we tend to be annoyingly particular about these things, sorry!)

3 stars

Mars Chang has received a Bechler fellowship to Allegra Academy’s summer dance intensive, an incredible honor which could put her on the road to much future success. Unfortunately her roommate is Alex Bechler, queen of the Academy, but Mars tries to stay out of her way.

Then the headmistress asks Mars to replace Alex’s supplements; in exchange Mars will get a full scholarship to the year round Academy. She can’t say no.

But as Mars gets to know Alex and her secrets she decides to give the supplements to another fellowship student, with disastrous results. What is in these supplements? Why did the headmistress want them given to Alex? What’s going on at this crazy place?

So, I guess this is “Suspira-“ lite for the YA crowd? The whole thing went a little off the rails at the end, but other than that it was just fine.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

This cover is so beautiful! I love it. I think I was hoping for more “devil” in devil’s in the dancers. It just didn’t go in the direction I had wanted it to. I also can not get over Mars just staying and letting everyone walk all over her and be so mean and petty. This story was short and sweet but I don’t think it was my thing in the long run.