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Corpse de Ballet: A Graphic Novel
Not yet published
Expected 7 Jul 26In her solo graphic novel debut, Megan Kearney weaves a fresh tale of dark academia and brutal competition. This psychological thriller is perfect for fans of Black Swan!
Arriving at Saint Anselmus in the middle of the year, Rosamund Hammond is ready to practice hard and prove she deserves to be there. But something at this boarding school doesn’t feel right.
It turns out that just before Rosamund enrolled, a student disappeared without telling anyone. Was it really a leave of absence—or something more sinister? Together with her new roommate, Rosamund spirals deeper and deeper into an obsession with the truth. As the school prepares for its showcase performance of Coppélia, can she commit to her hard-earned ballet dreams while solving the mystery that’s haunting her—or will she lose herself in the process?
Arriving at Saint Anselmus in the middle of the year, Rosamund Hammond is ready to practice hard and prove she deserves to be there. But something at this boarding school doesn’t feel right.
It turns out that just before Rosamund enrolled, a student disappeared without telling anyone. Was it really a leave of absence—or something more sinister? Together with her new roommate, Rosamund spirals deeper and deeper into an obsession with the truth. As the school prepares for its showcase performance of Coppélia, can she commit to her hard-earned ballet dreams while solving the mystery that’s haunting her—or will she lose herself in the process?
336 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication July 7, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
November 25, 2025
ARC for review. To be published July 7, 2026.
3 stars
Rosamund Hammond is admitted to prestigious Saint Anselmus dance academy, from the waitlist, after another student disappears. She is told the other girl took a leave of absence but she isn’t sure that is true. Can Rosamund trust the other students? Her roommate, Eugenie? The staff? Herself?
This will appeal to younger readers and gets pretty down in the weeds about ballet. Nice pallet used for illustrations.
3 stars
Rosamund Hammond is admitted to prestigious Saint Anselmus dance academy, from the waitlist, after another student disappears. She is told the other girl took a leave of absence but she isn’t sure that is true. Can Rosamund trust the other students? Her roommate, Eugenie? The staff? Herself?
This will appeal to younger readers and gets pretty down in the weeds about ballet. Nice pallet used for illustrations.
October 29, 2025
I wanted creepy ballet academy and that's what exactly what I got. I really enjoyed the artwork and the story equally. I was surprised that it still gave me some of the beauty of ballet 🩰. A good read for anyone who enjoys ballet, dark academia and light horror.
October 24, 2025
This is an amazing representation of a ballerinas descent. The cracks in the psyche. The toxic expectations. Corpse de Ballet is hauntingly beautiful.
October 9, 2025
The horrors of fine arts school.
3.5 stars. RTC closer to official publication date.
3.5 stars. RTC closer to official publication date.
October 10, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!
This is a pretty solid psychological thriller set in a ballet school. Rosie is our MC and she is the late transfer to a prestigious ballet academy. Her roommate Eugenie is seen as unlikable by all the other girls and they try to warn Rosie about her. Rosie and Eugenie begin to investigate the disappearance of Eugenie’s last roommate, believing she was murdered and is haunting them.
This book is about gaslighting and how bad & petty teenage friendships can be. Especially in the cutthroat market of competitive ballet. This graphic novel was a pretty straightforward formula. We have a secret society hiding in the background, a new girl with no friends who has great potential, and a roommate who is more than meets the eye.
This is a pretty solid psychological thriller set in a ballet school. Rosie is our MC and she is the late transfer to a prestigious ballet academy. Her roommate Eugenie is seen as unlikable by all the other girls and they try to warn Rosie about her. Rosie and Eugenie begin to investigate the disappearance of Eugenie’s last roommate, believing she was murdered and is haunting them.
This book is about gaslighting and how bad & petty teenage friendships can be. Especially in the cutthroat market of competitive ballet. This graphic novel was a pretty straightforward formula. We have a secret society hiding in the background, a new girl with no friends who has great potential, and a roommate who is more than meets the eye.
October 9, 2025
A gothic dark academia YA graphic novel debut set in a converted ballet school that has a new transfer student struggling to fit in with her roommate and feeling like she's losing her mind after she starts seeing ghosts. The illustrations in this volume were great and the muted, two toned coloring lent to the atmospheric vibes. It was both haunting, relatable and had some fantastic classic fairy tale horror vibes. Recommended for fans of graphic novels like Hungry Ghosts or This place kills me. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review.
CW: gaslighting, disordered eating, burnout
CW: gaslighting, disordered eating, burnout
November 12, 2025
4 stars
Anyone who has ever participated in The Arts in some kind of semi-serious way, including performing arts school and competitive work, will find this hauntingly relatable. Everyone else? Still haunting!
Rosamund Hammond is a new student at Saint Anselmus, and unlike her classmates, she does not come with a long list of advantages and opportunities backing her. That noted, someone believes in her enough to have recommended her. She's trying her best academically and physically, but on the interior, she's experiencing a full meltdown that appears to include intervention from the other side.
It did not surprise me to learn in the author's note that Kearney has an affinity for folk and fairy tales. This effort shows that in a positive way. Because tales are intentionally formulaic and cyclical, readers may find more familiar inspiration here than original ideas, but the presentation is still fresh and engaging. In a nutshell, it's giving _Suspiria_ light.
This is great for fans of Dark Academia, supernatural ballet s**t, and twisty, unreliable characters and events. Brava.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and First Second for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
Anyone who has ever participated in The Arts in some kind of semi-serious way, including performing arts school and competitive work, will find this hauntingly relatable. Everyone else? Still haunting!
Rosamund Hammond is a new student at Saint Anselmus, and unlike her classmates, she does not come with a long list of advantages and opportunities backing her. That noted, someone believes in her enough to have recommended her. She's trying her best academically and physically, but on the interior, she's experiencing a full meltdown that appears to include intervention from the other side.
It did not surprise me to learn in the author's note that Kearney has an affinity for folk and fairy tales. This effort shows that in a positive way. Because tales are intentionally formulaic and cyclical, readers may find more familiar inspiration here than original ideas, but the presentation is still fresh and engaging. In a nutshell, it's giving _Suspiria_ light.
This is great for fans of Dark Academia, supernatural ballet s**t, and twisty, unreliable characters and events. Brava.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and First Second for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
October 14, 2025
What to expect:
🩰 cut throat performing arts school
🩰 psychological thriller
🩰 dark academia
🩰 toxic friendships
🩰 Black Swan ambiance
This book made me feel just as crazy as our main character. I don’t know what was real or what wasn’t. For me, that’s what makes a psychological thriller successful. This was such a dark, tense, mind boggling graphic novel. Expect to be confused most of the time. If you’re looking for a clear cut ending, this is not the book for you. I’m still not entirely sure how this ended. I understand the intention of the ending being ambiguous, but for me I wish it was a little less vague. I needed just a little bit more closure at the end of the story. I’m still confused even after rereading the ending. It certainly makes the reader feel as much psychological distress as the characters by the end. I just need a little bit more answers or even just another page or two. I really loved the melancholic art style with its muted tones and eerie imagery. The style makes the story even more immersive. I loved the parallels between our story and the ballet, Coppélia. The author does an amazing job of depicting toxic female friendships and the competitive nature of performing arts schools. There is a very tense tone throughout the story. From the very beginning I felt unsettled. The images of moths, marionettes, ghosts, etc. give this story a gothic fairytale feel. Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I just wished the ending was a little cleaner. Dark academia and psychological thrillers aren’t typically seen in graphic novels. It was refreshing to experience those sub genres in this form of media.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!*
🩰 cut throat performing arts school
🩰 psychological thriller
🩰 dark academia
🩰 toxic friendships
🩰 Black Swan ambiance
This book made me feel just as crazy as our main character. I don’t know what was real or what wasn’t. For me, that’s what makes a psychological thriller successful. This was such a dark, tense, mind boggling graphic novel. Expect to be confused most of the time. If you’re looking for a clear cut ending, this is not the book for you. I’m still not entirely sure how this ended. I understand the intention of the ending being ambiguous, but for me I wish it was a little less vague. I needed just a little bit more closure at the end of the story. I’m still confused even after rereading the ending. It certainly makes the reader feel as much psychological distress as the characters by the end. I just need a little bit more answers or even just another page or two. I really loved the melancholic art style with its muted tones and eerie imagery. The style makes the story even more immersive. I loved the parallels between our story and the ballet, Coppélia. The author does an amazing job of depicting toxic female friendships and the competitive nature of performing arts schools. There is a very tense tone throughout the story. From the very beginning I felt unsettled. The images of moths, marionettes, ghosts, etc. give this story a gothic fairytale feel. Overall, I really enjoyed this graphic novel. I just wished the ending was a little cleaner. Dark academia and psychological thrillers aren’t typically seen in graphic novels. It was refreshing to experience those sub genres in this form of media.
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for my honest review!*
October 20, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for sending me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Being a Middle School teacher I am always looking for new YA books to share with my students. Especially ones that are graphic novels and follow a spooky vibe. This book demonstrates gaslighting, petty friendships, manipulation within a friendship. I think the book showed these things very nicely and how easily it can cause someone to feel overwhelmed and in what students call today “crash out”. I will be making sure to share this story with my students who are looking for a psychological thriller, gothic theme book. Aside from the theme, I thought the art was lovely and I loved that the book didn’t really have a lot of
color, the blueish gray went well with the gothic theme. I also like that for each part of the story it showed a different stance.
Being a Middle School teacher I am always looking for new YA books to share with my students. Especially ones that are graphic novels and follow a spooky vibe. This book demonstrates gaslighting, petty friendships, manipulation within a friendship. I think the book showed these things very nicely and how easily it can cause someone to feel overwhelmed and in what students call today “crash out”. I will be making sure to share this story with my students who are looking for a psychological thriller, gothic theme book. Aside from the theme, I thought the art was lovely and I loved that the book didn’t really have a lot of
color, the blueish gray went well with the gothic theme. I also like that for each part of the story it showed a different stance.
November 8, 2025
wow! what can i say about this wonderful graphic novel? first thank you netgalley and first second for allowing me to read this arc! i've always loved dancing every since i was a little girl so when i saw this book i knew i had to read it! the book takes place at an all girls art/dance school. rosamund is a new student off the waitlist after the semester had already started. she is immediately being bullied, taken under the wing of her roommate, invited to a secret society(sort of) meeting with the headmaster of the school! while all that is happening her roommate, eugenie, is trying to solve why her previous roommate disappeared. rosie agrees to help and things quickly went south. from there she is seeing ghosts, to moths everywhere, not remembering where she is and how she ended up there, and not to mention being stressed about getting the lead of the dance recital that is coming up. will she rise up even with all of the pressure or will she lose everything including herself and who she thought was her friend? this book literally had me on the edge of my seat and i couldn't put it down! i HAD to see what would happen next and this book didn't disappoint me at all! so if you love reading about dance/the history of classical dance, a girl trying to find herself, and a spooky mystery? this book is for you! can't wait to have this book physically in my hands and also can't wait to read more from this author!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Corpse Ballet by Megan Kearney, a female cartoonist with a few novels under her belt along with many a award along with made stories that feature both gothic horror and ballet works such as swan lake. A story such as this seems to combine all her past experiences to create this work itself.
At first glance, it appears that the story focuses more on the murder mystery and has the schooling day to day life being served as a backdrop. This is kind of the case as I'll explain more. The cover definitely gives off a more murder mystery display as the dark colors of blue along with a disturbing image of a schoolgirl with butterflies for eyes is shown visibly.
When you first start reading this book, you start off getting to know the protagonist Rosamund Hammond who was lucky enough to get inside the academy Saint Anselius. As she settles in, she befriends another student called Eugenia who is also her roommate in the academy and throughout the story not only do the two have to investigate the disappearance of her Eugenia's previous roommate Giovanna but also train for the upcoming ballet Coppelia so that they can prospective futures. As the story goes on, Rosamund (similar to the creator going through stressful times during her education for schooling as she states in authors notes. Hopefully it was not as bad to resort to physical violence) gets more and more into training for the ballet.
And speaking of ballet, I would like to start off by saying I do not know anything about it outside of it's a thing people do. A artstyle that has it's own audience. I'm a graphic novel collector and reviewer when I am able to so there were a lot of terms I never knew about so I researched them myself. I never knew what the terms dance notation system, tendu devant, flex en fondu were but after a bit of studying I have a general idea and I have to say that I never knew that ballet steps would have a written language similar to writing music/hieroglyphics or an entire dance notation organization for preserving catalogs of it. Below are two links. One for the organization that catalogs and one for a pdf file for writing ballet steps in case you, the reader of this reviewer, are interested.
https://www.dancenotation.org/
https://www.dancewriting.org/archive/...
A lot of the terms mentioned both in the links and mentioned here are also mentioned and used to further the story in the book itself so it is accurate. Megan did her research and it clearly shows along with the story of Coppelia too. The synopsis of Coppelia is a story about a couple whose male half sees a female doll and falls in love with it and with the female half being jealous. The creator of the doll had decided to perform a ritual to sacrifice the male half but the female half ruins the ritual and the couple leave with the dollmaker sad that his plan to sacrifice the male half to bring his doll to life has failed. Now, this fairy tale is used as a way for the plot to move forward as all the students in the academy need to prepare for this.
As time moves on, Rosamund and her roommate work together to uncover the mystery while they both practice for the play. Now, Rosamund, Eugenia, and the headmistress(who apparently was given word by a famous celebrity in the ballet industry in this universe) are similar to the characters in the tale. As the story unfolds, Rosamund's mental state gets worse as she grinds and grinds to be the female half of the ballet tale in Coppelia and it comes to the point where she starts having hallucinations.
This is where the story caught me before I was gonna drop the book and come back later. As the hallucinations start, they become more visual, they start to make the reader like I question what is going on, and helps develop more of the characters over time. Honestly, I do not want to spoil it because I think a lot of people should read this. The parallels are clearly shown once the reader reaches the end. And to be honest, I have so many questions too. So much is left unanswered and leaves the reader wanting more. Usually, I would explain. You guys are gonna have to trust me on this. All I can say, is as the story progresses, Rosamund's mind gets worse and the situation gets more tense which fulfills the psychological thriller aspect. As for the dark academia theme, while there is no clear definition, the dark pursuit of knowledge which in this case is the pursuit of perfect ballet while also competing with other talented students along with a murder mystery also fits as well.
Overall, the writing to me is a 2.0/2.5. Enough to be accurate, have good stakes and reasons to care about the characters, entertaining twists with unanswered questions that do not leave a sour taste in people's mouth nor overstay their welcome. While it is good, it is a slow burn that doesn't pick up until once the hallucinations start.
As for the art, it somewhat suffers. There's a clear key strength and weakness of the art in the story. While the paneling and human figures seem to work, a noticeable weakness is the facial expressions/faces. Art, while not the most important part of any comic, is very important to keep not only consistent but not off putting to throw the viewer off the story. When I read this story, I had to stop myself to do a double take at some parts to look at what I was saying. While it's not as harsh as I am saying, one of the key things Megan Kearney should work is the facial expressions such as page 250 with the teachers face. Looking at a face like that, makes me wonder if the teacher is functioning fine with eyes structurally unsound.
A key strength I would say is the use of 3d perspective all over the page to convey not only emotions of the character but also the haunting feelings of the situation. Look at page 159, as you see the ballet dancers dancing in smoke. It's pages like this that are memorable and stand out for the viewer as they illustrate key things about the story along with drawing the viewer in more. That's not the only page but I would be here all day explaining these stories.
For story, I would give this a 2.0/2.5. Personally, I feel as though Rosamund is a protagonist who is more reactive over proactive which is somewhat ok given her personality is shy and it fits her purpose in the story. The twists and descent into madness is what really carries this story. I feel as though the story would improve if we had bit more reasons into why Rosamund acting for herself outside of people telling her how to feel and some more time to explore into the students reasoning such as the one who tries to help Rosamund break away thus I will only give this a 2.0. Bonus points for realistic/accurate details for writing.
For art, despite my earlier words, I am giving this a 1.5/2.5. The art works but clearly needs improvements. If the only good thing about the art is the use of the whole page and using 3d art then it shouldn't be praised for the art entirely. I would dare say to try to focus on improving facial expressions but adding or referencing more facial landmarks. Also the environment work needs mores to be defined in ways of adding more details over just simply putting in rectangles for books and one plate on a table and that's it. It's hard to explain so I would say add more details to your environment work I suppose.
Overall, 3.5 which in my eyes is a good score and is a book that should be read when able to. Not something to go out of your way for but something to do if given time.
At first glance, it appears that the story focuses more on the murder mystery and has the schooling day to day life being served as a backdrop. This is kind of the case as I'll explain more. The cover definitely gives off a more murder mystery display as the dark colors of blue along with a disturbing image of a schoolgirl with butterflies for eyes is shown visibly.
When you first start reading this book, you start off getting to know the protagonist Rosamund Hammond who was lucky enough to get inside the academy Saint Anselius. As she settles in, she befriends another student called Eugenia who is also her roommate in the academy and throughout the story not only do the two have to investigate the disappearance of her Eugenia's previous roommate Giovanna but also train for the upcoming ballet Coppelia so that they can prospective futures. As the story goes on, Rosamund (similar to the creator going through stressful times during her education for schooling as she states in authors notes. Hopefully it was not as bad to resort to physical violence) gets more and more into training for the ballet.
And speaking of ballet, I would like to start off by saying I do not know anything about it outside of it's a thing people do. A artstyle that has it's own audience. I'm a graphic novel collector and reviewer when I am able to so there were a lot of terms I never knew about so I researched them myself. I never knew what the terms dance notation system, tendu devant, flex en fondu were but after a bit of studying I have a general idea and I have to say that I never knew that ballet steps would have a written language similar to writing music/hieroglyphics or an entire dance notation organization for preserving catalogs of it. Below are two links. One for the organization that catalogs and one for a pdf file for writing ballet steps in case you, the reader of this reviewer, are interested.
https://www.dancenotation.org/
https://www.dancewriting.org/archive/...
A lot of the terms mentioned both in the links and mentioned here are also mentioned and used to further the story in the book itself so it is accurate. Megan did her research and it clearly shows along with the story of Coppelia too. The synopsis of Coppelia is a story about a couple whose male half sees a female doll and falls in love with it and with the female half being jealous. The creator of the doll had decided to perform a ritual to sacrifice the male half but the female half ruins the ritual and the couple leave with the dollmaker sad that his plan to sacrifice the male half to bring his doll to life has failed. Now, this fairy tale is used as a way for the plot to move forward as all the students in the academy need to prepare for this.
As time moves on, Rosamund and her roommate work together to uncover the mystery while they both practice for the play. Now, Rosamund, Eugenia, and the headmistress(who apparently was given word by a famous celebrity in the ballet industry in this universe) are similar to the characters in the tale. As the story unfolds, Rosamund's mental state gets worse as she grinds and grinds to be the female half of the ballet tale in Coppelia and it comes to the point where she starts having hallucinations.
This is where the story caught me before I was gonna drop the book and come back later. As the hallucinations start, they become more visual, they start to make the reader like I question what is going on, and helps develop more of the characters over time. Honestly, I do not want to spoil it because I think a lot of people should read this. The parallels are clearly shown once the reader reaches the end. And to be honest, I have so many questions too. So much is left unanswered and leaves the reader wanting more. Usually, I would explain. You guys are gonna have to trust me on this. All I can say, is as the story progresses, Rosamund's mind gets worse and the situation gets more tense which fulfills the psychological thriller aspect. As for the dark academia theme, while there is no clear definition, the dark pursuit of knowledge which in this case is the pursuit of perfect ballet while also competing with other talented students along with a murder mystery also fits as well.
Overall, the writing to me is a 2.0/2.5. Enough to be accurate, have good stakes and reasons to care about the characters, entertaining twists with unanswered questions that do not leave a sour taste in people's mouth nor overstay their welcome. While it is good, it is a slow burn that doesn't pick up until once the hallucinations start.
As for the art, it somewhat suffers. There's a clear key strength and weakness of the art in the story. While the paneling and human figures seem to work, a noticeable weakness is the facial expressions/faces. Art, while not the most important part of any comic, is very important to keep not only consistent but not off putting to throw the viewer off the story. When I read this story, I had to stop myself to do a double take at some parts to look at what I was saying. While it's not as harsh as I am saying, one of the key things Megan Kearney should work is the facial expressions such as page 250 with the teachers face. Looking at a face like that, makes me wonder if the teacher is functioning fine with eyes structurally unsound.
A key strength I would say is the use of 3d perspective all over the page to convey not only emotions of the character but also the haunting feelings of the situation. Look at page 159, as you see the ballet dancers dancing in smoke. It's pages like this that are memorable and stand out for the viewer as they illustrate key things about the story along with drawing the viewer in more. That's not the only page but I would be here all day explaining these stories.
For story, I would give this a 2.0/2.5. Personally, I feel as though Rosamund is a protagonist who is more reactive over proactive which is somewhat ok given her personality is shy and it fits her purpose in the story. The twists and descent into madness is what really carries this story. I feel as though the story would improve if we had bit more reasons into why Rosamund acting for herself outside of people telling her how to feel and some more time to explore into the students reasoning such as the one who tries to help Rosamund break away thus I will only give this a 2.0. Bonus points for realistic/accurate details for writing.
For art, despite my earlier words, I am giving this a 1.5/2.5. The art works but clearly needs improvements. If the only good thing about the art is the use of the whole page and using 3d art then it shouldn't be praised for the art entirely. I would dare say to try to focus on improving facial expressions but adding or referencing more facial landmarks. Also the environment work needs mores to be defined in ways of adding more details over just simply putting in rectangles for books and one plate on a table and that's it. It's hard to explain so I would say add more details to your environment work I suppose.
Overall, 3.5 which in my eyes is a good score and is a book that should be read when able to. Not something to go out of your way for but something to do if given time.
Read
February 17, 2026Reviewing for professional magazine- see review there.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
First of all thanks so much to the folks at NetGalley for this ARC!
Wow! This was fantastic! I genuinely didn’t expect Corpse De Ballet to be so haunting and philosophical. The pacing is strong from page one. I found myself completely immersed in the story and I devoured this graphic novel within a few hours. The novel weaves all the classic tenets of the dark academia genre– obsession with one’s art, legacy, and the pursuit of perfection that leads characters to do truly horrific things–while also viewing it from the unconventional lens of ballet. I liked how the author chose ballet as the central art form since it is a discipline that literally breaks down the body to create something ephemeral and beautiful. From its metaphors and symbolism to its recurring artistic motifs there was genuinely so SO much to dissect in this graphic novel.
The book starts out with Rosamund, the main character, as a famous dancer on the verge of retirement. She’s one of the ones who “made it.” The story is her reflecting on all the things she sacrificed and did to get to her position. One of the more compelling aspects of the story is the sustained dialogue and debate surrounding ballet and dance. The headmistress, in particular, views ballet as the preservation of a long cultural tradition, one in which dancers are vessels meant to recreate the past, not reinterpret it or deviate significantly from the technical form. She describes the process as “preserving butterflies under glass.” In other words, ballet is an inherently ephemeral medium in a way that other art forms are not. Performances only exist for a brief moment on stage, beautiful and fleeting, before being reborn again and again as the tradition is passed on from master to protege. The headmistress explains, “as long as we exist to channel the past, our works are immortal.” From this framework, the art form endures even as the individual dancers who perform burn bright for only a brief period of time. Like a butterfly, a dancer’s career is beautiful, brief, and incredibly fragile.
The headmistress repeatedly invokes Coppelia, a doll, as a symbol of the ideal dancer. The doll is beautiful, technical in her precision, and contains no life of her own– an object which warmth and energy is projected (in this case by the lead dancer Swanilda) rather than creating any meaning of her own. In one gorgeous frame of artwork we get a visual representation of this. A doll is depicted cracked and filled with butterflies. Ie. the ballerina’s body is a container for the ‘spirit of dance’. She is “the charming puppet through which art is executed” rather than artist in the creative sense. At the same time, dancers are paradoxically expected to carve out individuality within the rigid lines of the academy and ballet as a tradition. The things that that rise to prominence may cost is immense.
We also get an opposing perspective from another one of the students who argues that dance is a living thing. Instead of using her body as merely a tool, dance is instead the tool of expression. It is living art that is subject to constant reinterpretation and change. Outside of the academy dance is actually much more diverse and failure to be the best is not necessarily the end of the world that the students are led to believe.
I also really appreciated this story’s realistic depiction of bullying, manipulation, and toxic behavior. I think the relative length of this graphic novel really helped in that regard.
The graphic novel makes such good use of the visual medium! I loved how the visual motifs (the dolls, butterflies, etc…) actually meant something in terms of the story’s philosophy. Much like the transformation of Rosamund–they are beautiful, fragile things that are made horrific. Rosamund is isolated, loses her sense of self through manipulation, hallucinations, and mental unravelling, before she ultimately becomes rebuilt anew (with the help of the headmistress) as a creature of her art and of the ballet tradition. I liked how the author alluded to this process with Rosamund’s late nights dancing. She wakes up with no knowledge of what she's done or where she is. She *loses* herself in dance. In the end Rosamund becomes this perfect vessel for ballet, helped on by the literal and metaphorical erasure of herself as an individual. It is the classic dark academia spiral, dressed up in gorgeous costumes and choreography.
Wow! This was fantastic! I genuinely didn’t expect Corpse De Ballet to be so haunting and philosophical. The pacing is strong from page one. I found myself completely immersed in the story and I devoured this graphic novel within a few hours. The novel weaves all the classic tenets of the dark academia genre– obsession with one’s art, legacy, and the pursuit of perfection that leads characters to do truly horrific things–while also viewing it from the unconventional lens of ballet. I liked how the author chose ballet as the central art form since it is a discipline that literally breaks down the body to create something ephemeral and beautiful. From its metaphors and symbolism to its recurring artistic motifs there was genuinely so SO much to dissect in this graphic novel.
The book starts out with Rosamund, the main character, as a famous dancer on the verge of retirement. She’s one of the ones who “made it.” The story is her reflecting on all the things she sacrificed and did to get to her position. One of the more compelling aspects of the story is the sustained dialogue and debate surrounding ballet and dance. The headmistress, in particular, views ballet as the preservation of a long cultural tradition, one in which dancers are vessels meant to recreate the past, not reinterpret it or deviate significantly from the technical form. She describes the process as “preserving butterflies under glass.” In other words, ballet is an inherently ephemeral medium in a way that other art forms are not. Performances only exist for a brief moment on stage, beautiful and fleeting, before being reborn again and again as the tradition is passed on from master to protege. The headmistress explains, “as long as we exist to channel the past, our works are immortal.” From this framework, the art form endures even as the individual dancers who perform burn bright for only a brief period of time. Like a butterfly, a dancer’s career is beautiful, brief, and incredibly fragile.
The headmistress repeatedly invokes Coppelia, a doll, as a symbol of the ideal dancer. The doll is beautiful, technical in her precision, and contains no life of her own– an object which warmth and energy is projected (in this case by the lead dancer Swanilda) rather than creating any meaning of her own. In one gorgeous frame of artwork we get a visual representation of this. A doll is depicted cracked and filled with butterflies. Ie. the ballerina’s body is a container for the ‘spirit of dance’. She is “the charming puppet through which art is executed” rather than artist in the creative sense. At the same time, dancers are paradoxically expected to carve out individuality within the rigid lines of the academy and ballet as a tradition. The things that that rise to prominence may cost is immense.
We also get an opposing perspective from another one of the students who argues that dance is a living thing. Instead of using her body as merely a tool, dance is instead the tool of expression. It is living art that is subject to constant reinterpretation and change. Outside of the academy dance is actually much more diverse and failure to be the best is not necessarily the end of the world that the students are led to believe.
I also really appreciated this story’s realistic depiction of bullying, manipulation, and toxic behavior. I think the relative length of this graphic novel really helped in that regard.
The graphic novel makes such good use of the visual medium! I loved how the visual motifs (the dolls, butterflies, etc…) actually meant something in terms of the story’s philosophy. Much like the transformation of Rosamund–they are beautiful, fragile things that are made horrific. Rosamund is isolated, loses her sense of self through manipulation, hallucinations, and mental unravelling, before she ultimately becomes rebuilt anew (with the help of the headmistress) as a creature of her art and of the ballet tradition. I liked how the author alluded to this process with Rosamund’s late nights dancing. She wakes up with no knowledge of what she's done or where she is. She *loses* herself in dance. In the end Rosamund becomes this perfect vessel for ballet, helped on by the literal and metaphorical erasure of herself as an individual. It is the classic dark academia spiral, dressed up in gorgeous costumes and choreography.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for access to the e-ARC for review purposes.
I have mixed feelings about this. I think the art and use of color is really interesting. The art itself is pretty good but not my favorite when it comes to style. I really enjoyed the use of color. The colors really give a haunting, dreamlike depth to the story. I also really like the touch of having ballet positions as the chapter markers. Art is important to me but plot and characters are way more important. When the characters and plot are great I feel like the art is contributing to that in a way that is noticeable but also doesn’t distract from the story. In this novel I feel like I was paying a lot of attention to the art as the story wasn't grabbing me as much, therefore I'm a little more harsh on the critique.
This novel has a TON of symbolism. While I enjoy symbolism here and there I feel like a lot of it got lost and created a lot of confusion on what was going on with the story. A touch I really liked was when you see Rosie standing, she is almost always standing in first position. This shows that ballet is truly her life and all she can really focus on. I think this is great for storytelling purposes but also makes Rosie a really one-note type of character, but at the same time makes the storyline more convincing. An example that went over my head was the moths. I guess I didn't pay enough attention to latch on to what they represented.
I also feel like this novel was a bit long. I think the story could have been told in a more "choppy" manor to contribute to Rosie's mental state. I found myself wanting to scroll to the end quite a bit. This was a positive and negative. The positive is that I wanted to learn what the mystery was, but the negative was that the story wasn't really gripping me.
The characters are not likable. I understand that they aren't really meant to be likable, but I just didn't find much interest in them. Having characters I have strong feelings about (good or bad) is really important to me in a story and unfortunately this was lacking that for me.
I know it sounds like I have a lot of negative things to say about this, but I did overall enjoy my reading of this, it just wasn't my favorite.
If you are looking for an atmospheric academic thriller for young adults this is something you should pick up.
I have mixed feelings about this. I think the art and use of color is really interesting. The art itself is pretty good but not my favorite when it comes to style. I really enjoyed the use of color. The colors really give a haunting, dreamlike depth to the story. I also really like the touch of having ballet positions as the chapter markers. Art is important to me but plot and characters are way more important. When the characters and plot are great I feel like the art is contributing to that in a way that is noticeable but also doesn’t distract from the story. In this novel I feel like I was paying a lot of attention to the art as the story wasn't grabbing me as much, therefore I'm a little more harsh on the critique.
This novel has a TON of symbolism. While I enjoy symbolism here and there I feel like a lot of it got lost and created a lot of confusion on what was going on with the story. A touch I really liked was when you see Rosie standing, she is almost always standing in first position. This shows that ballet is truly her life and all she can really focus on. I think this is great for storytelling purposes but also makes Rosie a really one-note type of character, but at the same time makes the storyline more convincing. An example that went over my head was the moths. I guess I didn't pay enough attention to latch on to what they represented.
I also feel like this novel was a bit long. I think the story could have been told in a more "choppy" manor to contribute to Rosie's mental state. I found myself wanting to scroll to the end quite a bit. This was a positive and negative. The positive is that I wanted to learn what the mystery was, but the negative was that the story wasn't really gripping me.
The characters are not likable. I understand that they aren't really meant to be likable, but I just didn't find much interest in them. Having characters I have strong feelings about (good or bad) is really important to me in a story and unfortunately this was lacking that for me.
I know it sounds like I have a lot of negative things to say about this, but I did overall enjoy my reading of this, it just wasn't my favorite.
If you are looking for an atmospheric academic thriller for young adults this is something you should pick up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!!
Given the chance of a lifetime joining the prestigious Saint Anselmus School for dance, Rosamund Hammond believes her dreams are just around the corner. The truth of the situation may be a bit more dire, as something isn't quite right at the academy. A previous student went missing and seemingly no one cares.
Will Rosamund chase the answer to this mystery until she reaches a satisfactory conclusion?–or will she focus on her future gracing the stage as a famous prima ballerina?
I loved the use of a minimal color palette in this graphic novel! The dreamy pastel blues and mysterious darker shades set such a delightfully somber tone. The combination of round forms and clean lines of moment bring the dance scenes to life!! And the moths!!!!!!!
As a "ballet kid" who did go to private school for a majority of my education, a great deal of this story hit home. Thankfully or perhaps not, depending on who you ask, my own future in the art form stopped early after a series of health concerns. Yet even at the not-so-rigorous level I found myself at, there was steep competition and constant comparison. This story pairs the expected tropes of the Dark Academia subgenre with the delights and pitfalls of prestigious dance halls quite well.
I loved the little history lessons around classical shows, and appreciated that the reality of ballerinas' lives wasn't glossed over. The art form began with sex workers after all, pretending that isn't the case invalidates their experiences and sacrifices. Additionally the running commentary about old and new shows holding different weights in the upper echelons felt timely. The classical shows were all new once too afterall... And while the author also notes that some facts have been muddied for narrative purposes, the ethos remains in my opinion.
Given the chance of a lifetime joining the prestigious Saint Anselmus School for dance, Rosamund Hammond believes her dreams are just around the corner. The truth of the situation may be a bit more dire, as something isn't quite right at the academy. A previous student went missing and seemingly no one cares.
Will Rosamund chase the answer to this mystery until she reaches a satisfactory conclusion?–or will she focus on her future gracing the stage as a famous prima ballerina?
I loved the use of a minimal color palette in this graphic novel! The dreamy pastel blues and mysterious darker shades set such a delightfully somber tone. The combination of round forms and clean lines of moment bring the dance scenes to life!! And the moths!!!!!!!
As a "ballet kid" who did go to private school for a majority of my education, a great deal of this story hit home. Thankfully or perhaps not, depending on who you ask, my own future in the art form stopped early after a series of health concerns. Yet even at the not-so-rigorous level I found myself at, there was steep competition and constant comparison. This story pairs the expected tropes of the Dark Academia subgenre with the delights and pitfalls of prestigious dance halls quite well.
I loved the little history lessons around classical shows, and appreciated that the reality of ballerinas' lives wasn't glossed over. The art form began with sex workers after all, pretending that isn't the case invalidates their experiences and sacrifices. Additionally the running commentary about old and new shows holding different weights in the upper echelons felt timely. The classical shows were all new once too afterall... And while the author also notes that some facts have been muddied for narrative purposes, the ethos remains in my opinion.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Corpse de Ballet stars a protag I always love to read, one that descents into madness. Especially when the reason for said madness relates the endless pursuit that is art, in this case ballet. While it followed many beats in Black Swan, Corpse de Ballet stands out with its art -- becoming more hauntingly ambitious as the tale unfolds -- and its characters -- all serving a point of what it means to embrace the arts that lives on -- all backed by the funnily enough comedic Coppelia.
While it fits the narrative that Rosie falls in line in the cycle that is the immortality of art, being the art, rather than making it, I wish the story explored its other theme that was brought up with the character of Veronica.
Veronica first stars as the mean girl before Eugenie shows her true colors, situating herself in as interesting divide for Rosie. She wants to challenge the status quo, wanting to push for modernism in classism. I also like to note that she was appeared to be black-coded, and that in it of itself would've been interesting to at least not explore but push through with the view of black people in these spaces. It's unfortunate she was pushed aside to conclude the honestly fun trainwreck of a fallout between Eugenie and Rosamund. I think she would've been a strong tritagonist, and I wished we could've seen what happened to her years later.
Still, like I said, this was a very strong read. It took me awhile to get hook...once I got into it, I couldn't let this book go. Like Rosamund herself, it starts off unassuming and very much predictable but it still knew when and how to go out blazing.
received by NetGalley
While it fits the narrative that Rosie falls in line in the cycle that is the immortality of art, being the art, rather than making it, I wish the story explored its other theme that was brought up with the character of Veronica.
Veronica first stars as the mean girl before Eugenie shows her true colors, situating herself in as interesting divide for Rosie. She wants to challenge the status quo, wanting to push for modernism in classism. I also like to note that she was appeared to be black-coded, and that in it of itself would've been interesting to at least not explore but push through with the view of black people in these spaces. It's unfortunate she was pushed aside to conclude the honestly fun trainwreck of a fallout between Eugenie and Rosamund. I think she would've been a strong tritagonist, and I wished we could've seen what happened to her years later.
Still, like I said, this was a very strong read. It took me awhile to get hook...once I got into it, I couldn't let this book go. Like Rosamund herself, it starts off unassuming and very much predictable but it still knew when and how to go out blazing.
received by NetGalley
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 29, 2025
“Corpse de Ballet” by Megan Kearney is dark academia with a ballet twist. If you’ve seen either of the “Suspira” films then a ballet school with supernatural happenings isn’t new to you, the beginning of this graphic novel has a similar set up, a young dark haired girl arriving at an old ballet school where her promising predecessor has disappeared mysteriously. Our protagonist Rosamund arrives and is taken under the wing of the missing girl's roommate Eugenie. Eugenie says her roommate may have been murdered and drags Rosamund along on her investigation, filling her head with paranoia that perhaps her misfortunes are due to the ghost of the missing girl. The story subverted my expectations, one moment I think the haunting could all be in her head and the next I’m convinced that something sinister is really after Rosamund. The themes of being consumed by the arts to an unhealthy degree, athletes/artists used up and thrown away by their profession aren’t anything new, especially with stories of ballet dancers, but I think “Corpse de Ballet” was an engaging take on it. Eugenie and Rosamund's complex relationship was a highlight, and one I won’t spoil. I loved the expressive art style and visual storytelling, important revelations aren’t given only in text bubbles but on the page for the reader to discover and interpret. I’ll be sharing this graphic novel with my young adult library readers, and I look forward to reading more of Megan Kearney’s future work!
(Thank you NetGalley and First Second Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!)
(Thank you NetGalley and First Second Books for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!)
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This graphic novel was a mixed read for me. While it had an interesting premise, and teased some fun spooky tropes, it did not feel like it really ever came together.
I really liked:
The art-style and the color palette. In terms of creating an atmospheric feeling for a spooky tale, Kearney nails it.
The representation of teenhood, especially in a high pressure environment. Showing the ebb and flow of what the undeveloped prefrontal cortex perceives as truth was well illustrated in many clever ways.
The ballet! Really getting into the history, traditions and challenges of ballet was very well done. The multi-layered metaphor of the chosen dance, the casting etc was very effective.
With the caveat that this graphic novel if for YA readers and not 40-something year olds, what I didn't really like:
The mysteries were pretty obvious. Without getting into spoilers, the clues are not just there, they are illuminated by neon signs. None of the big reveal felt big, so the climax and conclusion of the story didn't feel remarkable.
The girls are rarely shown being nice to each other. While the realities of competing to be the best in field already riddled with misogyny might not lead to lots of chances for kindness, everyone here felt like archetypal mean girls. I would have liked to see some genuine girls-girls in contrast to the conflict that was the core of plot progression.
I would still recommend this to YA readers, it feels like Lois Duncan's Down a Dark Hall but with ballet. However, for me, it was not a winner.
I really liked:
The art-style and the color palette. In terms of creating an atmospheric feeling for a spooky tale, Kearney nails it.
The representation of teenhood, especially in a high pressure environment. Showing the ebb and flow of what the undeveloped prefrontal cortex perceives as truth was well illustrated in many clever ways.
The ballet! Really getting into the history, traditions and challenges of ballet was very well done. The multi-layered metaphor of the chosen dance, the casting etc was very effective.
With the caveat that this graphic novel if for YA readers and not 40-something year olds, what I didn't really like:
The mysteries were pretty obvious. Without getting into spoilers, the clues are not just there, they are illuminated by neon signs. None of the big reveal felt big, so the climax and conclusion of the story didn't feel remarkable.
The girls are rarely shown being nice to each other. While the realities of competing to be the best in field already riddled with misogyny might not lead to lots of chances for kindness, everyone here felt like archetypal mean girls. I would have liked to see some genuine girls-girls in contrast to the conflict that was the core of plot progression.
I would still recommend this to YA readers, it feels like Lois Duncan's Down a Dark Hall but with ballet. However, for me, it was not a winner.
November 13, 2025
Corpse de Ballet is a YA graphic novel by Megan Kearney. The story follows Rosamund, a young dancer, who is chosen mid-year to finish out the year at a prestigious ballet school. The story of her arrival is shrouded in mystery even to herself. She takes the place of a student who mysteriously disappeared. Rosamund's new roommate is suspicious of the disappearance and wants to figure it out. Meanwhile, the students are auditioning for an important performance for their senior year, and Rosamund is not fitting in, acting more and more disrupted in her daily life.
To call this story a horror story is a bit of a misconception to a student. The first half of the book is suspenseful and creepy with dabbling in the occult and secret societies, but it's more a psychological thriller and dark academia, which it's also labelled as and should probably be at the forefront in any book talks especially as the tension slowly builds more toward the second half the book and really comes to a pace at the end. The book would be good for students who would like reading about ballet with a twist of darkness to it. The whole piece is done in blue/gray shading and is easy to follow. Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and FirstSecond for the early review copy of this book.
Corpse de Ballet is dark academia that will be compared to Black Swan...and for good reason. It's the story of Rosamund, who has just been offered a last-minute spot at a ballet boarding school, and her psychological descent into the world of competition, art, social dynamics, and (possibly) something a little paranormal happening in the wings.
Basically Rosamund is competiting to be the lead in Coppelia against her classmates with more experience, including her hard-to-read roommate, Eugenie. It's the kind of book that has you wondering if the events happening are paranormal, psychological, or psychopathic. Honestly, I'm a little of tired of that as a plot structure in thriller books...but it's certainly a plot type that will keep me turning pages.
I feel like I left the book with more questions than answers. I'm not sure if that is because I missed things or if that's the point. Both Eugenie and Rosamund were frustrating at times, but I will say that I have a lot more grace for ballerinas in books to be obnoxious.
IDK, I'm clearly still thinking through a lot of my feelings here. I did feel like something was missing in this book that was otherwise a fun ride.
Corpse de Ballet is dark academia that will be compared to Black Swan...and for good reason. It's the story of Rosamund, who has just been offered a last-minute spot at a ballet boarding school, and her psychological descent into the world of competition, art, social dynamics, and (possibly) something a little paranormal happening in the wings.
Basically Rosamund is competiting to be the lead in Coppelia against her classmates with more experience, including her hard-to-read roommate, Eugenie. It's the kind of book that has you wondering if the events happening are paranormal, psychological, or psychopathic. Honestly, I'm a little of tired of that as a plot structure in thriller books...but it's certainly a plot type that will keep me turning pages.
I feel like I left the book with more questions than answers. I'm not sure if that is because I missed things or if that's the point. Both Eugenie and Rosamund were frustrating at times, but I will say that I have a lot more grace for ballerinas in books to be obnoxious.
IDK, I'm clearly still thinking through a lot of my feelings here. I did feel like something was missing in this book that was otherwise a fun ride.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
As if high-pressure ballet training wasn’t stressful enough, Rosamund Hammond arrives at Saint Anselmus boarding school in the middle of the term after being on the waitlist. On her first day, someone puts tacks in Rosamund’s ballet shoes, and the strange occurrences build from there. The girl whose spot she’s inherited left the school under suspicious circumstances. While preparing for the year end showcase, Rosamund becomes more and more obsessed with the mystery. She starts missing meals and missing time, pushing herself to prove she deserves her spot.
Corpse de Ballet is an intriguing dark academia graphic novel about the pressure put on artists and performers both from others and from themselves. The art is lovely, all rendered in shades of blue and black. The art really shines When Rosamund loses herself in the dance. It’s clear the artist Megan Kearney loves and appreciates ballet. The story is well told, giving just enough information that the reader is often a bit lost, reflecting Rosamund’s own descent into madness.
Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for providing the e-arc for my honest review.
Corpse de Ballet is an intriguing dark academia graphic novel about the pressure put on artists and performers both from others and from themselves. The art is lovely, all rendered in shades of blue and black. The art really shines When Rosamund loses herself in the dance. It’s clear the artist Megan Kearney loves and appreciates ballet. The story is well told, giving just enough information that the reader is often a bit lost, reflecting Rosamund’s own descent into madness.
Thank you to First Second Books and NetGalley for providing the e-arc for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
A mind-tripping fall into psychosis - perfection.
Corpse De Bellet by Megan Kearney is a mysterious thiller-borderline horror graphic novel following a young ballet dancer, Rosamund, attending a prestigious special interest academy for schooling and further professional ballet training. When she appears, she seems to take the place of another dancer who has dissapeared under mysterious circumstances. With the help of the headmaster, her crazy roomate, and the schools wispers , Rosamund begins to unravel, which in turn creates the opportunity she wanted all along.
I absolutely loved this book! Even though it is a mystery/thriller, I think the re-readablity of this book is there, therefore recieving a 5 star from me. The characters are meticulously created to stimulate one more part of Rosamunds undoing, the dark acedemia vibes are so so well done, and I love me a good psychosis plot! I hightly reccomdend this book not only for the story but the beautiful art, it is insanely well done.
Thank you to Netgalley and First Second books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Corpse De Bellet by Megan Kearney is a mysterious thiller-borderline horror graphic novel following a young ballet dancer, Rosamund, attending a prestigious special interest academy for schooling and further professional ballet training. When she appears, she seems to take the place of another dancer who has dissapeared under mysterious circumstances. With the help of the headmaster, her crazy roomate, and the schools wispers , Rosamund begins to unravel, which in turn creates the opportunity she wanted all along.
I absolutely loved this book! Even though it is a mystery/thriller, I think the re-readablity of this book is there, therefore recieving a 5 star from me. The characters are meticulously created to stimulate one more part of Rosamunds undoing, the dark acedemia vibes are so so well done, and I love me a good psychosis plot! I hightly reccomdend this book not only for the story but the beautiful art, it is insanely well done.
Thank you to Netgalley and First Second books for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thanks to First Second and NetGalley for an advanced copy of Corpse de Ballet by Meagan Kearney to review! What initially drew me to this book was the cover, and the comparison to Black Swan. It’s maybe not quite as dark as Black Swan, but it definitely has those vibes.
There’s an air of mystery to the boarding school that Rosamund finds herself at; with the mystery furthered by the fact that Rosamund isn’t exactly a reliable narrator. Are all of these weird things really happening to her or are they just in her head? Kearney does a good job spinning this mystery, and creating an atmosphere that leaves you guessing for most of the story.
The art and color palette in this book helps in bringing the story to life. Focusing on the darker blue color hues adds to the overall foreboding nature of the story. As the reader, you get just as engaged in the mystery as Rosamund. Though not everything is pulled together by the end, leaving it open will mean you’ll be thinking about the story after you’ve finished reading it.
If you like dark academia and dance driven stories, definitely check this one out when it comes out in July!
There’s an air of mystery to the boarding school that Rosamund finds herself at; with the mystery furthered by the fact that Rosamund isn’t exactly a reliable narrator. Are all of these weird things really happening to her or are they just in her head? Kearney does a good job spinning this mystery, and creating an atmosphere that leaves you guessing for most of the story.
The art and color palette in this book helps in bringing the story to life. Focusing on the darker blue color hues adds to the overall foreboding nature of the story. As the reader, you get just as engaged in the mystery as Rosamund. Though not everything is pulled together by the end, leaving it open will mean you’ll be thinking about the story after you’ve finished reading it.
If you like dark academia and dance driven stories, definitely check this one out when it comes out in July!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
As someone who only dips their toes into horror and thriller content about once a year, I was a bit taken back by the sudden descent into madness this graphic novel became. Normally, I would count this as a minus, but I have to give credit to Megan Kearney for keeping me interested and on the edge of my seat! I was going to take this read one day at a time, but I finished it in one sitting the day I started it.
The way the art style pairs well with the dialogue and imagery makes it all the more spooky while simultaneously maintaining its charming expression! It fits so well with the themes of becoming the perfect ballerina, while also dealing with uneasy circumstances beyond simple understanding.
If you like thrillers wrapped up in a murder mystery amidst unusual circumstances, you'll definitely like Corpse de Ballet :)
Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for an advanced copy of this spooky graphic novel, and a extra big thank you to Megan Kearny for bringing it into existence!
The way the art style pairs well with the dialogue and imagery makes it all the more spooky while simultaneously maintaining its charming expression! It fits so well with the themes of becoming the perfect ballerina, while also dealing with uneasy circumstances beyond simple understanding.
If you like thrillers wrapped up in a murder mystery amidst unusual circumstances, you'll definitely like Corpse de Ballet :)
Thank you to NetGalley and First Second Books for an advanced copy of this spooky graphic novel, and a extra big thank you to Megan Kearny for bringing it into existence!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and FirstSecond for providing access to an eARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.
Just after her final performance as a prima ballerina, Rosamund reflects on her time at Saint Anselmus, a boarding school for dancers. She is assigned to share a room with Eugenie, who is upset about the departure of her previous roommate. Together, they work to uncover the mystery of Giovanna and identify who or what might be haunting the school. However, as they investigate further, Rosamund senses that something is not quite right.
I enjoyed this graphic novel. It is primarily colored in blue tones, which lends an ethereal quality that enhances the supernatural elements. It combines the elegance of ballet with the intrigue of the Dark Academia genre and the twists of a compelling mystery.
Psychological Thriller, Supernatural
Content Warnings: language, gaslighting, bullying, toxic friendships, death, 2 locker room scenes - no nudity
Just after her final performance as a prima ballerina, Rosamund reflects on her time at Saint Anselmus, a boarding school for dancers. She is assigned to share a room with Eugenie, who is upset about the departure of her previous roommate. Together, they work to uncover the mystery of Giovanna and identify who or what might be haunting the school. However, as they investigate further, Rosamund senses that something is not quite right.
I enjoyed this graphic novel. It is primarily colored in blue tones, which lends an ethereal quality that enhances the supernatural elements. It combines the elegance of ballet with the intrigue of the Dark Academia genre and the twists of a compelling mystery.
Psychological Thriller, Supernatural
Content Warnings: language, gaslighting, bullying, toxic friendships, death, 2 locker room scenes - no nudity
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The story starts out as an interview with a retiring ballet dancer, who thinks back to her early days of learning the craft, then focuses on that past, and the strange roommate she made at the boarding school. Rosie keeps hearing about Giovanna who has vanished, and she can’t figure out what happened to her.
The school is going to put on Coppelia, and everyone wants to dance the lead. Because Rosie is new, she wants it more than anyone else, as does the Headmistress, who keeps inviting her to strange teas, where they discuss how important dance is
Of course, things are not what they seem, as Rosie finds out the more she searches for information on the missing girl.
It is a strange story. Isolation can do that to you so it is not implausible. A bit disturbing too, which I’m sure is its intent.
Thanks to Netgalley and First Second for making this novel available for an honest review. THis book is being published on the 7th of July 2026.
The school is going to put on Coppelia, and everyone wants to dance the lead. Because Rosie is new, she wants it more than anyone else, as does the Headmistress, who keeps inviting her to strange teas, where they discuss how important dance is
Of course, things are not what they seem, as Rosie finds out the more she searches for information on the missing girl.
It is a strange story. Isolation can do that to you so it is not implausible. A bit disturbing too, which I’m sure is its intent.
Thanks to Netgalley and First Second for making this novel available for an honest review. THis book is being published on the 7th of July 2026.
October 12, 2025
I love a good graphic novel of a variety of artistic styles. On top of that, I love a good mystery/thriller. When I saw “Corpse de Ballet” was available as an ARC, I requested it immediately.
The art is atmospheric in nature. I loved most of it. However, some of the faces, especially one of the main characters, was odd. The rest of the faces and characters almost look like a Disney cartoon. The dark colors fits the subject perfectly.
I am not a big fan of the use of tarot cards and a “Ouija board” (you would have to read to understand the quotation marks). I don’t think it’s necessary even to deal with the supernatural.
For me, this just was bland. Not much to it. But maybe that is just me.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
The art is atmospheric in nature. I loved most of it. However, some of the faces, especially one of the main characters, was odd. The rest of the faces and characters almost look like a Disney cartoon. The dark colors fits the subject perfectly.
I am not a big fan of the use of tarot cards and a “Ouija board” (you would have to read to understand the quotation marks). I don’t think it’s necessary even to deal with the supernatural.
For me, this just was bland. Not much to it. But maybe that is just me.
I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review.
November 19, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ebook in return for an honest review.
4.5/5 stars, rounded up to 5
I’m going to start this off by saying that I’m not usually a horror person, but I try to read broadly so sometimes I end up reading horror anyways. That was the case with Corpse de Ballet.
I really loved this. It promised dark academia, gothic horror, and a ballerina losing her grip on what is real, and it really delivered. The art style was beautiful; it did justice to the grace of ballet, but it also perfectly showed the increasing desperation in Rosie’s face as she struggled to figure out what’s real and what’s not. The reveal at the end is hinted at during the story in several scenes, but it still gave me chills. It’s excellently done, satisfying horror, with absolutely zero blood, gore, or body horror.
4.5/5 stars, rounded up to 5
I’m going to start this off by saying that I’m not usually a horror person, but I try to read broadly so sometimes I end up reading horror anyways. That was the case with Corpse de Ballet.
I really loved this. It promised dark academia, gothic horror, and a ballerina losing her grip on what is real, and it really delivered. The art style was beautiful; it did justice to the grace of ballet, but it also perfectly showed the increasing desperation in Rosie’s face as she struggled to figure out what’s real and what’s not. The reveal at the end is hinted at during the story in several scenes, but it still gave me chills. It’s excellently done, satisfying horror, with absolutely zero blood, gore, or body horror.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Corpse de Ballet is a dark academia tale of a new girl who is thrust into the competitive school of ballet, and possibly haunted by a long lost student.
Rosamund Hammond is the scholarship student. As soon as she arrives, there are whispers as to how she got in, what is she doing there, is she good enough to join? The only girl who she feels like she is friends with is her roommate, but even her roommate is hiding things.
And so the story goes as the school and the girls prepare for the big showcase, Rosamund has to decide who she can trust and ask her, is she really strong enough to be there.
I like the dark tone of the book, the art is well done and lends itself nicely to the mood and mystery surrounding the story. The plot is interesting and kept me reading, but I wouldn't say it was fast paced. It was more carefully constructed and creepy. People lied. Ghosts lurked. Questions upon questions arose as each chapter went. It's probably just me, but I did want to scream at Rosie a few times. Like, come on, are you really that naive?
But it went well with the general aura of the story. I liked the school and setting, but the supporting characters didn't feel particularly well established besides her roommate. The author did a very good job of making the reader feel Rosie's vulnerability and how unstable she was in her environment. Toxic teenage friendships, jealousy and ballet. What could possibly go wrong.
Rosamund Hammond is the scholarship student. As soon as she arrives, there are whispers as to how she got in, what is she doing there, is she good enough to join? The only girl who she feels like she is friends with is her roommate, but even her roommate is hiding things.
And so the story goes as the school and the girls prepare for the big showcase, Rosamund has to decide who she can trust and ask her, is she really strong enough to be there.
I like the dark tone of the book, the art is well done and lends itself nicely to the mood and mystery surrounding the story. The plot is interesting and kept me reading, but I wouldn't say it was fast paced. It was more carefully constructed and creepy. People lied. Ghosts lurked. Questions upon questions arose as each chapter went. It's probably just me, but I did want to scream at Rosie a few times. Like, come on, are you really that naive?
But it went well with the general aura of the story. I liked the school and setting, but the supporting characters didn't feel particularly well established besides her roommate. The author did a very good job of making the reader feel Rosie's vulnerability and how unstable she was in her environment. Toxic teenage friendships, jealousy and ballet. What could possibly go wrong.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and First Second for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Maybe I wasn't the target audience for this because I feel like the story was flat and ended up pretty dull. It was really hard getting into the story. The artwork was beautiful and it definitely was what kept me reading. However, sometimes I felt like the story jumped around a lot or was paced poorly. Eugenie and Rosamund really needed more fleshing out as did the story.
I understand it was supposed to be Black Swan-esk, but it was really hard to care about the plot. Especially near the end when the twists were revealed. It was very predictable and honestly, I think the thing I really wanted was for Rosamund to grow a backbone.
I do think there is an audience with it especially for people who are interested in Dark Academia style storied.
I understand it was supposed to be Black Swan-esk, but it was really hard to care about the plot. Especially near the end when the twists were revealed. It was very predictable and honestly, I think the thing I really wanted was for Rosamund to grow a backbone.
I do think there is an audience with it especially for people who are interested in Dark Academia style storied.
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