The Finalist

by Faith Gladwin

Seven ballerinas. One fallen primadonna. The audition of a lifetime. And a mysterious house that swallows the weakest one by one . . .

There is no performance art as punishing as ballet—and no top-tier ballerina is as punished as Eden. While others practice their steps over and over, Eden waits, knowing her body can perform only so many times before it breaks.

But Eden will need to be perfect—or even better—at Deveraux Manor, secluded amid snowy mountains, where she and six other hopefuls are sequestered in a month-long audition for the mysterious, alluring, tragic former ballerina Leanora Karagianni. Only one finalist will join Leanora's company and dance the lead.

Eden wants it more than anything, but not more than anyone. Her competitors will take every advantage they can. And the cursed house twisting around them will push each ballerina to the bloody edge—and over it. As Eden fights her attraction to the seductive Leonora and the stakes turn lethal, she'll discover that only the dancer who pays the house’s terrible price can become the finalist.

Genres: Horror, Gothic, Thriller, Queer, Fiction, LGBT, Adult

393 pages, Kindle Edition

Expected publication October 6, 2026

Reviews

[shyra ☾]

i am enthralled by the gracefulness of ballerinas!

every year a selective amount of ballerinas compete for a soloist role as they gather in a secluded, haunted manor venue.
i ♡ the tension & such stunning prose!!

witnessing eden gain so much confidence in her audition and this rivalry was definitely fascinating & beautiful despite her disability. she pieces together the manor’s sinister secrets.
one thing you cannot miss her gay panic for ex ballerina leanora!!
through chronic sweat, blood, tears, i rooted for eden & leanora during this challenge where everyone fights for the #1 spot.
along the way the stakes got higher, the competition intensifies. the spooky elements were immersive.
i absolutely love that we have an underlying hint of sapphism added in here too. oh i found myself wishing there was a lot more!

this slow burning, haunting, sapphic, gothic, ballet debut kept me on my toes & up at night with conspiracy theories!
my only biggest gripe would be wishing there was more of a ‘wow’ factor as well as some progress getting to the end began to get repetitive. other than that i had tons of fun while in awe!
i’m not familiar with ballet but i can really tell faith poured her whole soul into this also the dark ambition of being a ballerina!
i was excited to receive this arc right at the start of the ber months to officially commence spooky season. i’m very grateful!
fans of black swan, this might be a perfect story for you!
ballet + eeriness hooked as one is like the cherry on top!

the finalist is set to be released on: 10.06.2026

🩰 ”ballerinas have to believe they’ll succeed, no matter the chances. no matter the injuries, no matter if their competition is dropping dead around them.”

thank you netgalley & grand central publishing for the arc in exchange for my honest review!~

[Hope Stewart]

Ballet is what happens when humanity looks at the human body and says, “Beautiful. Now let’s make it hurt.”

So naturally, it makes an excellent setting for horror.

Because what is ballet if not a beautifully lit hierarchy in which teenagers are encouraged to starve, injure themselves, compete for approval, and surrender their bodies to people who can destroy their confidence with a single raised eyebrow? The only thing missing is a haunted house.

Enter-The Finalist.

The genius of the premise is that ballet doesn't need much help becoming sinister. It already has everything horror could want: obsession, bodily pain, impossible standards, sexual politics, ruthless competition, charismatic authority figures, and an entire vocabulary dedicated to making suffering sound aspirational.

You're not starving. You're disciplined.
You're not injured. You're committed.
You're not being exploited. You're being pushed.
You're not having a psychological crisis. You're finding your edge.

And if you object, congratulations: someone else would love your spot.

There is something exquisitely horrible about an art form in which the ultimate achievement is making extraordinary physical violence look effortless. The audience sees a dancer float across the stage and thinks *How beautiful.* The dancer's body, meanwhile, is filing a workers' compensation claim.

That's why the book's obsession with power and hunger works so well. Ballet teaches you to hunger for everything: food, approval, perfection, attention, advancement, the right body, the right role, the right person deciding that you are finally worth choosing. And because there can only be so many people at the top, someone else's triumph is frequently your humiliation. Capitalism could never have invented a better audition process.

What I especially love is the hypocrisy. Ballet wants the suffering, provided it remains aesthetically pleasing. Pain is acceptable. Failure is not. Cruelty is acceptable if it produces excellence. Abuse can apparently be rebranded as mentorship if the perpetrator owns a clipboard. Honestly, if ballet were invented today, someone would put it behind a paywall and call the trauma “elite performance optimization.” The Finalist understands that the scariest thing about ballet isn't that someone might be consumed by ambition.

It's that everyone around them might call the consumption "success". Beautiful, vicious, hungry, and profoundly unpleasant. Just like ballet.

[Stacy40pages]

The Finalist by Faith Gladwin. Thanks to grand central for the gifted copy ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Seven ballerinas compete for a soloist spot at Deveraux Manor, a secluded mansion in the snowy mountains. Famous former ballerina, Leanora Karagianni hosts and will select the winner, but the competition is cutthroat and pushes the ballerinas to their edge.

I love anything with sports or hobbies that take on a competitive or obsessive quality, so I knew this one would be good. There’s an added intrigue with the isolated mansion and a mysterious back history. It had a young adult feel to it as I read; likely because the students felt young. The mystery deepens as the story goes on and bad stuff starts to happen, which definitely peaked my interest more and more.

“And I know what it’s like to want something so badly you make your body a shrine to it. Until it lives in the chambers of your heart, your bones, the very foundation of your being. I know what it is to want something so badly, you ask it to ruin you.”

Read if you like:
-Isolated settings
-Ballet or dance stories
-Competition tropes
-Sapphic romance

The Finalist comes out 10/6.

[Enty]

This is a book for horror fans, from a horror fan.

THE FINALIST echoes some of modern horror's finest. An isolated snowy manor straight out of Until Dawn, a building dread akin to Longlegs, a scare packed can't-stop final act like in Ready or Not, and all of that atop a strong foundation of Gladwin's fundamental understanding of genre expectations. This book is a modern horror classic in the making, built on the back of horror classics of the past. Whatever your preferred slasher or paranormal trope, it's probably in this book.

Gladwin deserves her flowers for this debut not only because of its horrors but because of everything else that hoists the scares. Her writing style is approachable and to-the-point, and supports the book's creeping pacing. The core cast of characters is fantastic, convincing, and very easy to form opinions of. Whether you root for them to live or to die, you are rooting for them.

Marlowe was an easy favorite of mine, but Robin's difficult complexity made her every on-page appearance an event in itself. Eden's cold exterior but very well fleshed-out interiority and calculated competitive reasonings made it both understandable why she may not be the most likable, and also made me like her all the more. Her determination was almost as palpable as her sexual tension with the mysterious Leanora...

This debut is as haunting as it is HOT.

[Elyrria]

The Finalist by Faith Gladwin is a ballet horror-thriller in which some of the most elite dancers in the world travel to a remote mansion to win the lead role in a new ballet. Eden, our FMC, struggles with a severe chronic illness and finds a lot in common with Leonora, the host of the competition and ex-prima whose devastating injury a couple of years prior removed her from the competitive dance world. Tensions mount, and girls begin disappearing as the race to be the best consumes them all.

I loved this book because it hit all the major checkmarks I could ever want in a ballet horror/thriller. It's a true gothic with sapphic elements, and people who love ballet will be delighted by feeling as if they are onstage beside the contestants, living out the highs and lows of high-stakes ballet competitions.

I wish the book had gone a little more into Leonora's background, with more flashbacks explaining her connection to the story's gothic elements, and that there had been more of an epilogue for the survivor(s). Still, sometimes a little mystery adds to the mid-century feel of a good gothic, so I'm not going to complain too much. The book takes its time exploring the dynamics among all of the ballerinas, and I loved the chronic illness representation!

Thank you to the publishers at NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for sending an e-ARC for early review. Anyone who loves darker stories set against the backdrop of the ballet world will want to pick this up in October.

[Thrillerswineandchill]

🩰 F R E A K Y F R I D A Y 🩰 featuring “The Finalist” by Faith Gladwin!

Leanora Karagianni’s dream of being a prima ballerina was shattered after a devastating injury that ended her career. It’s now been two years since her injury and she has re-entered the ballet world as a choreographer!

Seven young dancers show up to the secluded Deveraux Manor up in the mountains to audition for a spot in Leanora’s new production. This month long workshop competition will push them beyond their limits as they dance for their lives (literally).

💭 Oooh, the cutthroat world of ballet turned into a horror story was spot on! The themes of competition, envy, demand, discipline and obsession really added to the tense environment where everyone is fighting for the top spot! Add in a creepy and isolated mansion and a legendary choreographer who understands more than anyone what sacrifice truly looks like.

Thank you kindly to @byfaithgladwin @grandcentralpub @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review. This book releases on October 6, 2026!

[Nicole Austin]

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“The Finalist” by Faith Gladwin is basically what would happen if you took the brutal competitiveness of the ballet world, locked it inside a creepy cursed manor, added queer tension, body horror, and psychological manipulation, and then turned the intensity all the way up. This book is haunting, dramatic, and completely addictive.

The story follows Eden, a ballerina with chronic arthritis that is slowly destroying her joints. She’s arrived at the isolated Deveraux Manor alongside six other dancers to compete for a coveted spot in the prestigious Deveraux dance company and the lead role in a new production by legendary ballerina Leanora Karagianni. For most of the girls, this competition could launch their careers. For Eden, it feels like her last real chance before her body gives out on her completely.

And wow does this book nail the pressure and obsession of ballet culture. These dancers are pushing themselves beyond human limits, destroying their bodies for perfection, and treating each other less like teammates and more like obstacles to eliminate. The atmosphere gets increasingly suffocating as the competition intensifies, especially once the girls start suffering mysterious accidents and the manor itself begins feeling wrong.

Because this manor is absolutely alive in the creepiest way possible.

The girls are forbidden from exploring certain parts of the house, especially the attic, which obviously means horrifying things are happening there. The manor slowly starts messing with their minds, feeding off ambition, pain, and obsession until some of the dancers basically lose themselves completely. There’s this terrifying image throughout the book of girls dancing like puppets, consumed entirely by the house and by ballet itself. The horror builds slowly at first, but once it hits, it hits hard.

One of the most interesting parts of the book is how Eden’s illness actually changes her relationship with the horror. Since she already lives in constant pain, the manor can’t manipulate her the same way it does the others. Her chronic illness, which she sees as her weakness, weirdly becomes the thing that gives her strength and clarity. I loved that aspect of the story so much because it added a really emotional layer underneath all the supernatural chaos.

The writing is also gorgeous. The dance scenes feel mesmerizing and elegant while the horror scenes are sharp, claustrophobic, and genuinely disturbing. The prose somehow captures both the beauty of ballet and the ugliness of what it demands from people. There’s this constant feeling of tension simmering underneath everything.

I also really liked Eden as a main character. She’s desperate, ambitious, exhausted, and painfully aware that her own body is betraying her. Watching her slowly realize what the manor is doing while also wrestling with her need to succeed made her incredibly compelling.

The relationship between Eden and Leanora is definitely messy and complicated. There’s attraction there, but also a huge imbalance because Leanora is both the judge of the competition and someone who clearly knows way more about the manor than she’s admitting. Their dynamic adds a lot to the emotional tension, though I did find the romance takes focus away from the horror at times, making the book more of a horror romance than a traditional horror story.

That said, when the horror fully takes center stage near the end? Absolutely devastating in the best way. The final act is intense, emotional, bloody, and filled with passion, obsession, and some genuinely horrifying reveals about the manor and its history. The ending especially hit hard because it ties Eden’s journey back to self-worth and survival rather than just ambition.

Overall, “The Finalist” is an atmospheric blend of gothic horror, ballet obsession, queer romance, and psychological terror. If you love stories about haunted houses, toxic ambition, beautiful writing, and characters literally sacrificing themselves for art, this book is absolutely worth picking up.

[Mocha Beanz]

An incredible, jaw-dropping horror novel that continued to keep me on my toes through the entire book, I was awed beyond belief by The Finalist by Faith Gladwin.

Before reading about what this book was about, I had been instantly pulled in by its cover. After reading the book, I realized just how amazing the cover does at giving you a glimpse of what is to come. Now, the story starts out with our protagonist, Eden, who has just arrived with six other young women to the Deveraux Manor, a secluded mansion in the mountains. Eden and the rest of these young women (Robin, Mei, Marlowe, Isla, and Hazel) are there to compete for a spot not only in the Deveraux dance company, but the leading role in a new production choreographed by the ballet legend Leanora Karagianni.

From the beginning of this month-long, intensive workshop competition, tension is extremely high. These girls who are in their early twenties are just now getting into their career and with an opportunity to be a principal dancer in an acclaimed dance company while being the lead in a new production, the girls are very hungry to win to jumpstart their own legendary career. Eden is especially ravenous for this opportunity because we learn that Eden suffers through a disability that prevents her from possibly being able to have the same longevity of a career as the other girls. As the month starts to go by, however, things become awry very quickly for Eden and the rest as the girls with each one fall victim to mysterious accidents.

Gladwin did a fantastic job putting us in the head of Eden as we went through this ride with her. We were able to understand who Eden was and the reason behind a lot of her actions very early on in the book and it continued to get better as we went along with her, and I was never bored with what was happening. The story was always moving, which I appreciated, and there were never any moments that left me wondering why something was happening. Everything had its place.

The writing was phenomenal. It had a creepy air around it, but at the same time, the descriptions of when they were dancing was absolutely beautiful. I would describe Gladwin’s prose as very mesmerizing. It truly depicted what ballet feels like visually. Speaking of visuals, I was able to see what was going on at all times. There weren’t any confusing parts about this book in terms of what was happening. Gladwin, I believe, did an amazing job with placing you at the scene. Especially with the gore. This was not the goriest book I’ve read, but it was very tasteful with it. The amount was perfect.

What I would have loved to see was an epilogue. Usually I don’t care for epilogues, but I truly wanted to see where Eden ends up and what the outside world now thinks about the manor. This is a spoiler free review so I will not say anything more, but Gladwin…let me know.

Overall, it was a 5 star read over here. I love ballet. I love horror. I love queerness. Put those three together and I’M SAT. I highly recommend.

[M.S. Hawthorn]

Thank you NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Finalist was one of those books that had me simultaneously wanting to keep reading and being slightly terrified to find out what was going to happen next.

The atmosphere and suspense were probably its biggest strengths for me. Once things started escalating, there was a genuine sense that nobody was particularly safe, and it became very difficult to put down. The isolated setting, the competition and the increasingly unsettling events worked together brilliantly to create something that felt almost like Final Destination in book form.

One thing I particularly appreciated was the chronic illness representation. Leonora is allowed to be angry, frustrated, frightened, selfish, stubborn and occasionally downright unlikeable. Her illness affects her life and the way she sees herself, but it never turns her into an inspirational mascot or reduces her entire character to her condition. As someone with lived experience of disability, that felt refreshingly raw and believable.

I also really liked the way the ballet elements were handled. There is authentic terminology throughout, which initially had me wondering whether someone without ballet knowledge (ME, THATS ME) might struggle to picture what was happening, but the descriptions around it quickly translate the movements into something visual and accessible. You don't need to understand ballet vocabulary to understand the physicality of the scenes.

The characters themselves are messy, complicated and often difficult to trust, and I enjoyed trying to work out what was really happening as the story became increasingly strange. There are also relationships and moments of chemistry that gave me something more emotional to latch onto amongst all the chaos.

The ending was the one thing that didn't quite land for me. For most of the book, I genuinely thought this could end up being a 4.5 or even 5-star read. I was completely invested in the journey, and the tension kept pulling me through chapter after chapter. After such a strong build-up, though, I wanted a little more from the final payoff. It wasn't enough to undo everything I'd enjoyed, but it did leave me finishing the book with a slight sense of disappointment rather than the emotional punch I'd been expecting.

Overall, The Finalist was an immensely enjoyable, tense and increasingly unsettling read, with some genuinely effective horror and disability representation that I particularly appreciated. The destination might not have worked completely for me, but the journey absolutely did.

[valerie]

- 4.5

Although the book starts a little slow, it becomes gripping and very fun. It was very immersive, and I could immediately visualize the atmosphere and locations. It has great themes, is descriptive, and although all of the characters are unlikable to some degree, it’s understandable why they’re all like that. You feel their desperation and desire, and how life-or-death this situation would be for them even if they weren’t in a horror book. Despite it all, I couldn’t help but root for Eden and feel upset when something happened to her. It was thrilling to read each death and feel the impact each time, while each dancer felt relief at having one less competitor. It’s not often that we get representation for chronic illnesses, so this is special to me. Some elements felt repetitive at times, and I think it could’ve pushed the boundaries a bit more since it is an adult novel, but I loved it a lot. I also think it could’ve benefited from an epilogue, although maybe that’s just because I wanted more. I guessed Leonora’s intentions and reasons very early on, but I think the small clues that are left in the book are very well done. After the halfway mark, I really struggled to put it down more than I already was. I read most of it in a single day, and I forced myself to stop before the last 4 chapters because it was getting to be way too late. I danced every style available to me for the majority of my life, starting when I was three, but ballet was always the most special to me. When I was forced to stop a few years ago, it was devastating for me, and it was just so special to feel that connection again through this book. I love this genre, and I agree that the horrific and aggressive aspects of ballet are often overlooked in horror, but I think it has the potential to inspire a lot. I know I have my fair share of ballet stories that would horrify most, but the pain will always feel so worth it for an art that means everything to us. 

I genuinely need whatever Faith Gladwin writes next, and frankly, throughout her career, as soon as possible. 

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[SunriseAtSunset]

Many, many thanks to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

READ. THIS. BOOK.

I'm serious. From the first page, I was drawn in and I could not stop reading this ballet horror. My wife and cats were begging for attention but I just had to read one more chapter (and then one more, and then one more, and then one more).

The descriptions of the isolated Deveraux Manor, owned by the Deveraux dance company, were so evocative. I had a great mental image of the space the entire time, especially the aspects that slowly began...shifting. Changing, as the girls were drawn deeper into the competition, and therefore deeper into the space. The horror begins with mounting suspense, creepiness, a few odd bits of foreshadowing that I couldn't wait to see pan out.

Every single step along the way raised the stakes in a way that felt believable but also unreal, keeping you guessing. I loved the early hints of Eden's gay panic when it comes to Leanora, the intimation of a shared history, and then Eden's dawning realization that everything she thought she knew is false.

I loved the sense of how the manor is changing the girls but the girls are also changing the manor in some sort of messed up parasitic relationship. I had SO MUCH FUN continually trying to solve the mystery that is Leanora Karagianni and her relationship with the Manor. I could not put this book DOWN, especially when I got to the third act.

The finale was, as horror finales should be, thrilling beyond belief. I loved seeing how Eden's chronic illness impacted the way she interacted with the manor and the other characters, and how that becomes her particular strength. The ending scenes were devastating and beautiful.

If you want absolutely beautiful writing, interesting characters, a perfectly suspense-building horror, and toxic sapphics, read this book!

[Jess]

I can imagine fans of Black Swan being into this. It definitely had elements of that as well as general dark academia vibes. Perhaps a little too YA for my taste, this didn't satisfy me as much as I'd hoped it would but there were plenty of elements that kept me reading.

The setup at the start was intriguing & kept me gripped to see it through. It was dark, definitely eerie & because of that, I'd highly recommend reading this late at night to get the full effect. I loved the tension buildup in some scenes, I also for the most part enjoyed the sexual tension between Leanora & Eden, I thought some of those scenes were fun to read whilst keeping to the creepy main plot. I really enjoyed the setting for this too — practically the middle of nowhere, in a cold, snowy, haunting backdrop — it made the whole thing feel so visceral & elevated the horror side to the story.

Some of the writing, particularly in the first half, did feel slightly amateurish for me, there was a lot of over explaining & too much focus on descriptions rather than getting on with the story itself. However, I didn't notice this bothering me as much the further on I got. There were also a few too many parts throughout the whole thing that felt repetitive, the overuse of Leanora's full name as a main example. I just didn't think that was necessary & made some of it start to feel like a bit of a slog to carry on. The lead up to the finale & the ending itself was all a bit predictable too, I wished I'd felt more satisfied at how it all ended.

Criticisms aside, I'm sure a lot of horror/thriller readers will enjoy this. My favourite part of it all was the eeriness of the plot, that's what kept me wanting to pick this back up so if you're needing a spine tingling read with a strong ballet theme, I'd still recommend this.

Thank you Quercus & Netgalley for my free eARC!

[Cyndi Farfsing]

Never would I have guessed that I would not only read a horror novel about ballet, but absolutely love it. Eerie, claustrophobic, and clever, this gothic horror exceeded my expectations.

Eden is a professional dancer who earns the opportunity to audition for an elite dance company. Held at a secluded manor deep in the mountains, the audition represents the opportunity of a lifetime for the dancers who made the cut. What they don’t realize is just how much this opportunity will demand from them.

This is a true slow burn that never loses momentum. Instead, the sense of dread steadily builds with each chapter, tightening like a vice until the final act. I was especially impressed by how effortlessly the author balanced an unforgettable gothic atmosphere with a genuinely compelling mystery. Neither ever overshadows the other.

I also appreciated how the dance terminology remained in the background, adding authenticity without making me feel like I needed any knowledge of ballet to follow the story. The novel explores themes of obsession, isolation, and the sacrifices demanded in pursuit of perfection, weaving them naturally into both the mystery and the horror.

Perhaps what impressed me most was how carefully constructed the story was. This is a novel that rewards readers who pay attention. Looking back after finishing, I appreciated just how many seemingly small details and recurring motifs came together in satisfying ways. The ending feels earned because the clues were there all along rather than relying on a last-minute twist.

If you enjoy gothic horror, creeping dread, and mysteries that trust their readers, I highly recommend this one. It strikes a wonderful balance between atmosphere, character, and plot, and absolutely sticks the landing.

[Silver & Read]

3.5 ⭐️The Finalist immediately grabbed my attention with its opening scene. I was intrigued from the start, and the creepy, isolated manor setting was easily one of my favorite parts of the book. There is something wonderfully unsettling about a group of ambitious young ballerinas being locked away together for a month while competing for the role of a lifetime.

The desperation to win is palpable throughout the story, and I enjoyed watching the competition become increasingly cutthroat. These girls are willing to push themselves (and each other) to their limits for even the smallest advantage. And then there’s the manor itself... it almost feels like a character, with a pulse and agenda of its own.

This is definitely a slower-burn story, with the gothic atmosphere and creeping sense of dread taking center stage. While the pacing wasn't always my personal favorite, I can absolutely see this working for readers who enjoy a more atmospheric thriller and don't mind taking their time getting to the payoff (and the book will likely rate higher for them).

I also think readers who enjoy books with a slightly more YA feel will have a lot of fun with this one. The combination of ballet, competition, ambition, creepy gothic setting, and increasingly disturbing "accidents" makes for an eerie and entertaining read.

Overall, The Finalist wasn't quite the hit for me that I was hoping it would be, but there was plenty here that I enjoyed, particularly the setting and the underlying sense of unease. If you're a fan of atmospheric, slow-burn gothic thrillers with a competitive edge, this may be one to add to your list.

*Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader copy. All opinions are my own.

[Maxime]

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This novel is a very atmospheric slow-burn tale that aligns with dark academia, but for ballet. What happens when you gather together the best ballerinas and make them compete in a secluded manor in the mountains for a once-in-a-lifetime spot in a world-renowned company? I must say, I love a good spooky, secluded place in the mountains.

The synopsis promises echoes of The Yellow Wallpaper, Black Swan, and Jane Eyre, with a kiss of sapphic romance, but it gave more dark academia vibes packaged in a young adult mystery/thriller. Gothic, this tale is not. Romance, this tale is definitely not. It is however, atmospheric, and I could "see" the manor as the author intended.

The horror builds off obsession with dancing, but it was missing the mystery and terror that make obsession horrific. None of the characters had any good qualities, aside from it being redundantly apparent that their personality is ballet, and they are their illnesses.

While I tend to gravitate toward slow-burn novels, the lack of momentum here stems from the prose rather than the narrative. I found the writing style to lack a strong, consistent, organic voice, as I found myself both immersed in the story and then catapulted out of it, like I was on a roller coaster, due to both formulaic writing and random purple prose.

This novel wasn't for me personally, but I would still recommend it to YA fans of ballet, slow-burn mysteries, dark academia, and haunted houses. The premise is compelling, and despite my criticisms, I'd love to see what this author writes next.

[Siobhan]

The Finalist is a horror novel about a group of ballerinas who go to an abandoned old house to try and win a solo. Eden is a ballerina who pushes herself to the edge, needing to think so much more than everyone else to be able to dance due to her arthritis. But she's also now one of only seven chosen to compete for the chance to lead a new ballet choreographed by famed dancer Leanora Karagianni. They must live and rehearse at Deveraux Manor under Leanora's watchful eye, but Eden finds herself drawn to Leanora and concerned about the others' behaviour. And then things start to get deadly…

This book is exactly what you'd expect from it: Black Swan meets a haunted house story, with lots of dancer body horror and a deeply unhealthy relationship. Despite being written in the third person, you get a very visceral sense of Eden's perspective. This works particularly well for the character relationships: both Eden's attraction to Leanora and her feelings of separation from the other ballerinas. The pace of the book is fairly slow, particularly as it weaves together the more horror side of things and also the relationship between Eden and Leanora.

If you're looking for body horror that actually considers disability whilst also exploring the dark side of ambition in ballet, The Finalist is a good option with a dash of queer obsession thrown in. It felt like something that could've been the plot of a trashier horror novel (at the start I was reminded of Point Horror), but the book actually takes the concept a bit deeper.

[Risa]

DNF at 7% (Read Chapter 1)


The writing was fine on a line level. But I never truly felt immersed in the story.

I know the girls are at the manor for a competition, but the mean-girl energy right off the bat from all the girls we’ve met (including Eden) was off-putting to me.

In addition, I felt like the pacing was really slow, which I didn’t love. The story also reads more like a YA novel than an adult novel to me. (And as an aside, starting the book with the protagonist waking up is so painfully cliche…)

Ultimately, I hope this book will find its audience! It’s just not for me.




NOTES I TOOK WHILE READING:


- 5% In: I’m not sure I expected us to start with Eden waking up in the manner already… It’s not a bad thing (though waking up as the opener is cliche). But I feel like it’s taking forever to get to anything exciting. I don’t need every detail as Eden walks through the manor.

- I’ve heard from other reviews that the pacing is slow. I’m already seeing it, and I’m not sure that’s for me.

- I think this is supposed to be adult, but it reads more like YA to me….

- Eden’s attitude is kind of off-putting with the other girls she’s met thus far (Marlowe and Robin). I get this is a competition, but still…


- Well, I made it through the first chapter. This isn’t a bad book, but I’m just not resonating with it. The pacing is too slow for my personal tastes, and I’m not connecting with Eden as a protagonist.

- DNF at 7% (read the first chapter, page 22 out of 295 of eARC)

[Rebecca]

This is a slow burn dark thriller about a group of ballerinas sent to a secluded estate to compete for a soloist company role.

The slow burn was painfully drawn out in the first third of the book, but it did pick up later on. If you choose to write a slow burn like this, you have to at least spend time really diving into the characters and what makes them tick, which I felt was sorely missing here. I want to feel drawn into the story so I’m ready for the payoff. Way too much real estate on the page was devoted to Eden’s knee and all the blood injuries.

As someone who has spent the majority of her life inside the ballet world in one capacity or another, all the descriptions of bloody toes (especially during their first day) was so grossly over exaggerated that it took me out of the story. The part when Eden was complaining about how fast Robin was going through pointe shoes from the supply closet also had me annoyed and wondering how much research the author did on ballet in general. The chances that within a handful of dancers, two ballerinas would wear the same brand, model, size and width pointe shoes is barely zero. Why would it matter how fast she used HER allotment of pointe shoes? Also, enough about Eden’s knee, we get it. At about 20% you just make the readers question how she even made it there, which undermines the story you’re trying to tell.

Overall, the story paid off, but the first part of the story could have been so much better.

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

[Christina Bruce]

⭐ The Finalist by Faith Gladwin

Unfortunately, this one wasn’t for me.

Going into The Finalist, I was expecting a horror novel. With the premise of a haunted house, ballerinas and eerie, spooky elements, it sounded right up my street. However, I’d say this is much more YA than horror, so if you’re picking it up expecting a genuinely scary read, you may find yourself disappointed.

I’m currently around 43% through, and unfortunately, I’m still waiting for the horror to actually arrive. Very little has happened so far to create any real sense of fear or tension. Instead, the majority of the story has focused on an extremely slow-burn relationship between our FMC, Edin, and Leanora.

Another issue for me was the characters. I didn’t particularly connect with any of the girls, and, at almost 50% into the book, I feel like I should have found at least one character I cared about or wanted to root for. Unfortunately, that connection just never happened.

I also found the descriptions of the surroundings to be quite repetitive and, at times, overly detailed. For me, this took up space that could have been used to actually move the story and its plot forward.

Sadly, this has become a DNF for me. I don’t want to continue investing my time in a book that I’m not enjoying, especially when I’m nearly halfway through and still waiting for the story to really grab me.

This may work better for readers looking for a slower YA mystery with a very gradual romance, but if you’re coming to it specifically for horror, I’d recommend going in with adjusted expectations.

[Ashley Sawyer]

Thank you to Faith Gladwin and Grand Central Publishing for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

Eerie, creepy, and completely captivating! I’ve never read a horror novel centered around ballet, and The Finalist absolutely delivered.

Eden, a talented ballerina living with arthritis, earns one of seven coveted finalist spots to compete for the chance to dance for the legendary Leanora Karagianni’s company in a prestigious solo performance. From the moment the finalists arrive at the isolated manor, something feels deeply wrong. Strange occurrences escalate into terrifying injuries, and as the competition becomes increasingly dangerous, the dancers seem unable to pull themselves away from their obsession with earning the role. I especially loved how much authentic ballet terminology and training were woven into the story, it made the atmosphere feel even more immersive.

What starts as an elite ballet competition quickly transforms into a chilling fight for survival. The psychological horror was incredibly well done, and I loved watching Eden piece together the manor’s sinister secrets while refusing to give up despite the odds stacked against her. The blend of body horror, supernatural suspense, and the relentless pressure of perfection created such a unique reading experience.

If you enjoy haunted houses, psychological horror, deadly competitions, and stories that explore the cost of ambition, The Finalist is one I highly recommend!

[Shayna]

3.5 stars


The Finalist follows Eden who arrives at the manor already an underdog in the others girls' eyes due to her chronic arthritis. Pushing themselves to the absolute max is what wakes the Manor to feed off of their blood, sweat, and tears seeping into their psyche and taking each one out of the competition one freak “accident” at a time. With Edens chronic illness the house is resistant to her, and she bears witness to the slow deterioration of her competition while simultaneously noting the regained strength of Lenora.

funnyy business

Lenora who has previous knowledge of the horrors the manor can elicit is back under the guise of new choreographer but really is using the manors thirst to quench her need for redemption after a tragic on-stage accident that momentarily ended her career.

I definitely wanted to like this more than I did. While the premise of the story, writing style, and characters were enjoyable. for me it lacked depth and moved quite slow to say all the events took place in one months' Time. The thriller/ horror tone also fell short compared to the tragic deaths and injuries they sustained
This did capture the level of grueling work and dedication it takes to be a prima ballerina which I appreciated, and I enjoyed the characters competitiveness and seeing how far each would go to make it to the top.

Fans of Black Swan this is for you!!

[Frank]

The Finalist is a horror novel taking place at a ballet competition held at the Deveraux Manor, an isolated mountain property deep in the woods. Seven ballerinas have been called to audition for Leanora Karagianni, a famous ballerina, now injured. The winner is all but assured of a massive career.

The competition is the first in many years at the manor and rumors of tragic events taking place at the last competition spread widely. Despite tragic events which begin to befall the participants, the competition continues.

I was curious as to whether I would like this book or not. On one had I’m not well-versed in ballet and my awareness of a romance subplot did not get me excited. However, as it was a horror novel and set in an isolated creepy location, I decided to give it a try. Going in, I assumed it would be more likely be a haunted house book than a slasher novel. That was the case.

Although the book moved at a slower pace than I would have liked, I did find it enjoyable, though not a book I loved. I understand that the main character’s resilience might lead her to be a bit standoffish. At times, I did wish that she was more appreciative of the kindness offered by others.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for providing me the opportunity to read The Finalist. The above opinions are my own.

[Cait]

A sensational sapphic ballerina gothic horror debut! The concept and execution of The Finalist are FRESH, whilst exploring well-trodden tropes of the haunted house whodunit.

You can tell that the author poured her heart, soul and lived experience into this book; and she stuck the landing! I loved the chronic pain and invisible disability rep for the main character.

As the story progresses, you are forced to see how much stronger she is than her competitors for having to live through this pain every day and still show up at the same level of output. This rep is so meaningful and validating to those of us with lived experiences, and I am so greatful to see this dealt with in such an unflinchingly honest manner.

I also appreciated the complete takedown of professional-level ballet dancing, and the extreme pressure placed on dancers to perform at a level that is damaging to their mental and physical health. Horror is the perfect genre to use to explore this!

Some of the progress towards the end did start to get repetitive and the ending seemed inevitable. But is that not in itself allegorical for the very things the author is critiquing?

An all-round fantastic debut, which I would highly recommend! Thankyou to the publisher for sharing a Netgalley eARC.

[Elisa]

Ballet is fascinating: how can something so beautiful be so hard and bloody? How can something that looks so effortless require so much sacrifice? This excellent gothic read explores exactly that. Behind the beauty, there is so much suffering. The novel checks so many boxes for me: seven ballerinas confined to a dilapidated, isolated manor, all competing for a dream role. Seven strong women, each flawed but compelling. I have almost nothing in common with them, and yet I was completely invested in their stories. The main character, Eden, has it harder than anyone. Because of an autoimmune condition, her body breaks down faster than the others’, so she has to be smart about her training. She simply doesn’t have the stamina to practice as much as her colleagues. Their instructor, choreographer, and mentor, Leanora Karagianni, was once a prima ballerina who fell from the top and can now barely walk on a broken knee. And then there’s Deveraux Manor, which is almost a character in its own right. It’s dark, creepy, and so vividly described that I could almost hear the floorboards groaning beneath my feet. I loved, loved, loved this.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/Grand Central Publishing.

[Morgan]

3.5 stars rounded up.

This book is like if Black Swan and The Writing Retreat had love children. Seven of them. And they were all fighting against one another for a single spot at a prestigious ballet company.

The main character Eden has a chronic illness, which she talks about quite a bit, and the other characters talk about quite a bit, but the mentor ballerina, Leanora, whose leg was basically mangled in a freak ballet accident doesn't care.

This is a slow-burn gothic, it's go a sapphic thread with Eden and Leanora, it's got a classic mean girl ballerina, it's got weird possession dances happening at all hours of the night...and lots of ballerinas getting picked off one by one in this creepy (sentient?) manor.

I recommend everyone give this a chance. The premise is fantastic and this is a solid debut from Gladwin. Really the only reason I took off some stars is because I thought in some spots Eden's interiority/focus on her illness took away from all the heavy lifting the dialogue and action was doing around it. Would still recommend everyone give it a chance and am looking forward to the next one from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced readers copy.

[Cheyenne]

I don’t even know where to start with what I loved about this book! I was definitely drawn in by the description of the book being sapphic gothic ballerina horror! We follow the main character Eden through the story and I absolutely fell in love with her! Her resilience, bravery, strength, and “surprising bloodthirst” made you cheer her on and want her to succeed! She never let people being discriminating/underestimating her for her chronic illness slow her down! The rivalry and competition that was sure to come with 7 contestants hungry to win the solo was so good! Also seeing the mystery of the Manor and everything befalling the ballerinas present and future, slowly unravel was so worth the pay off! I am a sucker for toxic sapphic relationships and I have to say I was really rooting for Eden and Leanora! Leanora is such a beautiful force and I can’t even fault Eden for going for it even with all the warnings from the other girls!
Incredible debut and I will definitely read anything else Faith Gladwin writes! Very grateful to have gotten to read this early

I received an eARC from NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own

[Stacy]

Unfortunately, The Finalist wasn't quite as good as I was hoping it would be. It is very, very slow and frequently repetitive. The first 30% was a slog to get through. It did pick up at that point and the rest of it was better, although it was still slow at times. I found myself thinking that if a good 50 pages or more were cut that the whole thing would have been more enjoyable. Also, Eden was so unlikable at first. Her attitude was off-putting, especially when the others were trying to be kind to her. Luckily, she started to improve around that same 30% mark. There are things I did like, however. The concept was great and the prose was good. I actually think this book could be fantastic as a movie. Some of the imagery would work very well on screen. I also liked that the sexual tension between Eden and Leanora was palpable and that the dedication and ambition of the ballerinas really came through. Overall, this didn't quite hit the mark for me, but I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys slow burn horror or is interested in ballet.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC.

[Tee]

I thought this was a great read overall!

What first drew me to this book was its comparison to Black Swan, which I adored. I found that comp to be accurate, and I think other fans of Black Swan will enjoy this read as well. It’s like Black Swan meets dark academia vibes, which I thought was cool.

I thought the overall dark, eerie vibes were really well done, and kept me intrigued from the start. Along similar lines, I liked the creepy setting, which was essentially the cold, snowy, middle of nowhere. It really added to the tension that built up in certain scenes, and kept me flipping the pages to see what would happen next!

I thought the writing was okay, though there were some info dumps and over-explanations at times. There were also certain sections that felt a bit repetitive for my personal tastes. But I will say that my problems with the writing became less noticeable the more I read.

All in all, I think readers looking to enjoy a haunting horror/thriller book that centers around ballet should give this one a try!


Thank you so much to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for allowing me to read the eARC!

[Lew]

Thank you so much to Faith Gladwin and Dialogue books for this ARC in return for an honest review. Couldn’t think of a better way to start out autumn and the -ber months.

At first all seems normal, a group of ballerinas head to the Deveraux Manor competing for a place in a prestigious ballet company and the chance to win a solo of a lifetime. That is until Eden stumbles across the locked attic space in hopes of using it for night rehearsals and suddenly something about the house seems off.

The atmosphere in this book ramps up slowly, becoming more eerie with every page turn. The weather, the bleakness and remote setting of Deveraux manor is beautifully wrote and complements the plot. I love how it feels very reminiscent of the big brother house, forced proximity, a prize to be won, friendships, enemies and maybe even a love interest….

Such a fresh take on possession and a haunted house, with some pretty unexpected twists and turns. The second half of the book is much stronger so I’d say this is a slow burn that really pays off in the end. The FMC’s chronicle illness was really well wrote also.

[natalielikesbooks]

⭐️: 3.5

”Ballerinas have to believe they’ll succeed, no matter the chances. No matter the injuries, no matter if their competition is dropping dead around them.”

This was definitely a slow burn gothic thriller rather than the horror I was expecting. I really enjoyed the dark academia like atmosphere. You have 7 ballerinas in a secluded mansion in the winter, competing to be the next big thing! There were times where I felt there was a lot of repetition and I wanted more! I’m not familiar with the ins and outs of ballet but I do know it’s very cutthroat and competitive and the dancers are very dedicated and disciplined so you see that in the characters in this story. How they’re willing to go through the blood sweat and tears to get what they came for when it comes to competition. I felt like that also added a bit of eeriness to the story. The climax was pretty obvious so I wish I had more of a “wow” factor when it came to it but I still enjoyed the lead up to getting to the end. It book had suspense, it was chilling and somewhat gory.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the arc.