Review: The Midnight Dance by Author Nikki Katz
The Midnight Dance
by Nikki Katz
Published by: Swoon Reads
Publication date: October 17th 2017
Genres: Contemporary, Young Adult
When the music stops, the dance begins.
Seventeen-year-old Penny is a lead dancer at the Grande Teatro, a finishing school where she and eleven other young women are training to become the finest ballerinas in Italy. Tucked deep into the woods, the school is overseen by the mysterious and handsome young Master who keeps the girls ensconced in the estate – and in the only life Penny has never known.
But when flashes of memories, memories of a life very different from the one she thinks she’s been leading, start to appear, Penny begins to question the Grand Teatro and the motivations of the Master. With a kind and attractive kitchen boy, Cricket, at her side, Penny vows to escape the confines of her school and the strict rules that dictate every step she takes. But at every turn, the Master finds a way to stop her, and Penny must find a way to escape the school and uncover the secrets of her past before it’s too late.
My Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Warning: May contain spoilers
I liked the storyline, but felt it was slow at times. The writing flows beautifully, and the manuscript was almost flawless, allowing a smooth read.
The story begins in 1879, but I didn't sense the historical connection, outside of the first chapter and the villages the main character visits. While I could tell in wasn't present, I couldn't peg the feel of the specific time period, only that it wasn't current.
Much of the story in the first half is told, and I wondered why the Author chose to tell, rather than show those things, taking us into the moment, rather than into backstory that was just now affecting the main character. So, we sometimes find out what has been done by the Antagonist, after he's done it. At first I thought this was a point of view issue, but the story has scenes in the Antagonist's point of view, as well as the Protagonists, so that was no explanation. Still. the storyline is interesting, it just moves much slower at those times, with muted tension that could have been more dramatic. It does pick up around the middle, and the tension increases from there. We also see a little more that's happening at that point.
The love story is sweet. Cricket being an attentive suitor, and watching after her as men would have in that period of time. He is unique to the other characters, and yet, there were times when I wondered if he was really good, or deceitful. I thought that was ideal in a story like this, where you have no idea who knows what, and who is a friend or enemy.
The main Antagonist is a controlling tyrant. He has a reason for what he does, but I felt like it was over the top, and could have been driven home better with more content. I didn't find a redeeming quality in him. The other Antagonist however does have some redeeming qualities, and a desire that drives him.
Overall, If you like lower tension books where things progress more methodically than than the fast, 'hit and run style' of the day, I would recommend this book.
About the Author
Nikki Katz is an author and editor living in sunny San Diego with her three children. With a BS in aerospace engineering, Nikki first put her writing skills to use publishing four nonfiction books. She moved on to writing young adult fiction, her favorite genre to read as well. The Midnight Dance is her debut novel.Author links
Website
Goodreads
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This sounds like a well written and fun read! Glad you liked it! :)
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