The Devil's in the Dancers
by Catherine Yu
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Pub Date Aug 26 2025 | Archive Date Sep 26 2025
Page Street Publishing | Page Street YA
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Description
Suspiria meets Gorgeous Gruesome Faces in this sapphic horror about fighting the system set at an elite ballet academy
Scholarship student Mars Chang has finally been accepted into the most prestigious dance academy—and she’ll do anything to stay.
Earning a scholarship to the Allegra Academy summer intensive was supposed to fix everything for Mars Chang. The academy is owned and run by the Bechlers, a big pharma family. And if Mars befriends the right girls, she could unlock the doors to the Ivy League future of her dreams.
When Mars is unexpectedly assigned to room with Alex Bechler, she knows impressing Alex will make or break all her plans. Alex is annoyingly attractive, the best dancer at the academy, and her great-aunt runs the program. So when the headmistress pulls Mars aside and asks her to swap Alex’s supplements with a new Bechler product, APL, in exchange for year-round admittance, Mars can’t say no.
But as Mars gets to know Alex and how much she dislikes her family and ballet, swapping the pills proves harder than Mars bargained for. Knowing Alex better only makes it clearer how unfair the academy is. So Mars decides to help another scholarship student by letting her try the supplements. At first, the pills give the girl an instant edge in class. But when they also produce terrifying side effects, Mars suspects that APL might not be safe after all.
But how can Mars, the new girl, convince the academy’s best that her life is in danger without jeopardizing her own dreams in the process?
Advance Praise
“A riveting exploration of ambition, cruelty, and desperation set against the gilded backdrop of a cutthroat ballet academy, The Devil’s in the Dancers is as horrifying as it is mesmerizing.”—KELSEA YU, Shirley Jackson Award-nominated author of It’s Only a Game and Bound Feet
“Decadent and sinister. It’s tautly paced, delightfully messy, and cutting in its takedown of so-called meritocracy. I couldn’t stop reading.”—P. H. LOW, Rhysling- and Locus-nominated author of These Deathless Shores
“This harrowing book artfully dances between themes of success, isolation, sacrifice, and family with the deft grace of a ballerina.”—AM KVITA, author of An Unlikely Coven
“The Devil’s in the Dancers cracks the terrifyingly thin veneer of civility to reveal the sickening inside of those whose only desire is to maintain their status at the top.”—EDEN ROYCE, award-winning author of Root Magic and Hollow Tongue
“Alluring, addictive, and admirable—Catherine Yu’s The Devil's in the Dancers is a powerful and compelling masterpiece of dancers’ desperation, rivalry, and ambition.”—MADELINE DYER, editor of These Bodies Ain’t Broken
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9798890032331 |
| PRICE | $18.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 288 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Paolo R, Reviewer
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.
Bert C, Bookseller
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.
Ana V T, Reviewer
(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.
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