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Roseheart Ballet Academy #1
The Rhythm of My Soul
Welcome to Roseheart Ballet Academy, where the best dancers have the biggest secrets…
Taryn Foster has her eyes set on becoming the first aro-ace ballerina in the academy’s company of professional dancers, and all she needs to do is graduate. But she’s haunted by the ghost of her dead sister—and now she’s living for the two of them.
Teddy Walker has a serious illness. But he’s determined to hide how ill he is and continue dancing—even if it kills him.
Jaidev Ngo was arrested the last time he danced. Now, he’s having a new start at Roseheart Academy, but someone here knows about his past—and that person wants revenge.
The Rhythm of My Soul is book one in Elin Dyer’s new YA ballet series, where even the darkest secrets will be discovered. Please note this book contains eating disorder representation which some readers may find triggering.
Look out for the sequel, Swans in the Dark, in Summer 2022!
Taryn Foster has her eyes set on becoming the first aro-ace ballerina in the academy’s company of professional dancers, and all she needs to do is graduate. But she’s haunted by the ghost of her dead sister—and now she’s living for the two of them.
Teddy Walker has a serious illness. But he’s determined to hide how ill he is and continue dancing—even if it kills him.
Jaidev Ngo was arrested the last time he danced. Now, he’s having a new start at Roseheart Academy, but someone here knows about his past—and that person wants revenge.
The Rhythm of My Soul is book one in Elin Dyer’s new YA ballet series, where even the darkest secrets will be discovered. Please note this book contains eating disorder representation which some readers may find triggering.
Look out for the sequel, Swans in the Dark, in Summer 2022!
415 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 30, 2021
About the author
Madeline Dyer
31 books279 followersMadeline Dyer is a Lambda Literary Award finalist. A novelist, poet, and anthologist, she is drawn to all things dark, spooky, and scary.
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February 4, 2022Source of book: NetGalley (thank you)
Relevant disclaimers: none
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
I mean, YA book about ballet school shenanigans? With not one but two aroace characters? What’s not to like? In practice, a few things as it happens, but I did broadly enjoy the book. The plot basically revolves an English-set ballet school that specialises in … and here my ignorance of ballet is about to set in hard … but, like, romantic duets (pas de deux)? It pairs up dancers specifically for this and there’s some kind graduation show, after which the top pair of dancers go on to join the professional company linked to the school.
Unfortunately, the heroine’s partner suffers an accident at the show, the underlying cause of which is a heart condition that means he won’t be able to dance professionally again, which means, in turn, the school makes the unpreceded decision to bring in a dancer from a different ballet school. A dancer who turns out to have dark secrets of his own.
To some extent this has the, no pun intended, expected rhythms, of a school/college story: the main characters have a particular goal and a shared passion, and part of the pleasure of the story is sinking into the routines of their lives, with training and rehearsals, and the necessity of navigating emotional dynamics of competitive environments. But it’s also, like, chock-a-block with trauma. I mean, way beyond eating disorders and bullying trauma. I think each of the protagonists has a deceased loved-one/family member (sometimes both) apiece in whose death they feel emotionally implicated. I think there’s more unrelated hospital visits in this book alone that I’ve had in my entire life, and these are eighteen-year-olds and I’m in my thirties. And, honestly, I do think the constant stream of terrible happenings sort of diminished the emotional impact of the book as a whole: it already has a central character dealing with the loss of being to do the thing he loves and another central character dealing with the loss of her professional partner. There was so much that could have been explored springing just from that and so it was hard to tell what backstreet abortions and bullying that escalated to legit actual attempted murder were bringing to the story.
In terms of the characters, I’ve seen some reviews dunking on Teddy: the guy who has the accident. And, y’know, normally I’d be the first in the “this YA character is behaving in a problematic yet age-appropriate way that makes me, an adult, impatient with him” queue but … Teddy was actually my favourite character. He’s a mess, don’t get me wrong, his does bad things, and his entire perspective is distorted to the pointed of delusional (because of grief, loss, and mental illness) but he felt the most consistently characterised of the three protagonists. Or at least the one with the most recognisable (and, to me, relatable—though what that says about me, I don’t know) arc.
While I liked Tarryn—the heroine—most of her conflict is external: her partner can do longer dance with her, and some people are hating on her because she’s just sooooo talented and sooooo special. I should add, I don’t have a problem with the hyper-successful heroine (I’m inclined to believe the whole concept of the Mary Sue is to some degree grounded in misogyny) but everyone in the book either loves her or hates her with no middle ground, and I wish I’d seen her do more to earn the former at least. She’s also got this slightly awkward non-arc where she’s supposed to be taller and curvier than the average ballerina, which I think was supposed to make her a bit more relatable/accessible to what I presume are going to be the non-ballerina sized audience. And, to be honest, I’m not sure this worked or was necessary.
The third protagonist, Jaidev, is actually kind of lovely, but once he gets to Roseheart (that’s the ballet school where the book takes place) his POV mostly becomes ‘worried about Tarryn’.He has his own dark backstory which wasn’t fully explored—something something maybe supposed to have killed his former partner what the fuck something something. But ultimately he did feel just a little bit like his job was to follow the (I think white?) heroine around being caring.
What I did really appreciate it, however, from—I should hasten to add—my position of zero standing—was the diversity of the cast and the range of ace and aro rep across the book. I think there’s sort of a way of dealing with LGBTQ+ identity in fiction that I think of as post-queer, which is that it’s less about the discovery of your identity, but about living in the world knowing who you are. Both types of story have value, but I think we can all remember a time when The Gay Story was almost exclusively The Coming Out Story, and I’m kind of relieved that we’re getting past that as well for other identities on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. By the time we meet Teddy and Tarryn, they’re both well aware they’re aroace, and Tarryn in particular has spent time online, on forums and such like, speaking to others and researching who she is the way I think (based on the behaviour of young people around me) you just kind of do if you’re a 21st century teenager. Unlike 20th century teenagers who just sort of thrashed around in confusion wondering what the fuck was wrong with us.
Anyway, this means that both characters are very comfortable with who they are and their awareness of their own aroaceness is woven naturalistically through the text. Their obstacles are more about perception and prejudice—for example, Teddy’s aceness intersects in complicated ways with his masculinity (the fact he’s never had a girlfriend or evinced any desire to fuck women is viewed with suspicion by his male peers) and Tarryn fears that if it was publicly known she was aroace her ability to showcase romance through her dance would be brought into question. I honestly wish Tarryn and Teddy had been less in conflict for most of the book, because their queer platonic more-than-friendship-not-a-relationship is not the sort of thing that we see explored very often, especially because they are not, in fact, suitable as life-partners for each other. Teddy very much wants a family and Tarryn does not: and, again, seeing intra-queer conflict/divergence of identity is rare and important.
I should say, as well as its nuanced and complicated approaches to queer identity, the book approaches eating disorders with similar care. There are a couple of characters who suffer from eating disorders, but as a POV character, it’s Teddy’s that gets the most narrative focus. Firstly, it’s rare to see an eating disorder explored through a male character, and secondly he suffers from … I think it’s an OSFED? Which is to say, an eating disorder that isn’t one of the ones that typically gets explored in fiction.
So …. Yes. Lots of admire in this book, I think, in terms of its approach to identity. But also a fair bit that didn’t for me personally when it came to some aspects of characterisation and the almost comically constant trauma-fest that is the plot.
As ever, do check trigger warnings before jumping in. There’s a LOT in this book.
Relevant disclaimers: none
Please note: This review may not be reproduced or quoted, in whole or in part, without explicit consent from the author.
I mean, YA book about ballet school shenanigans? With not one but two aroace characters? What’s not to like? In practice, a few things as it happens, but I did broadly enjoy the book. The plot basically revolves an English-set ballet school that specialises in … and here my ignorance of ballet is about to set in hard … but, like, romantic duets (pas de deux)? It pairs up dancers specifically for this and there’s some kind graduation show, after which the top pair of dancers go on to join the professional company linked to the school.
Unfortunately, the heroine’s partner suffers an accident at the show, the underlying cause of which is a heart condition that means he won’t be able to dance professionally again, which means, in turn, the school makes the unpreceded decision to bring in a dancer from a different ballet school. A dancer who turns out to have dark secrets of his own.
To some extent this has the, no pun intended, expected rhythms, of a school/college story: the main characters have a particular goal and a shared passion, and part of the pleasure of the story is sinking into the routines of their lives, with training and rehearsals, and the necessity of navigating emotional dynamics of competitive environments. But it’s also, like, chock-a-block with trauma. I mean, way beyond eating disorders and bullying trauma. I think each of the protagonists has a deceased loved-one/family member (sometimes both) apiece in whose death they feel emotionally implicated. I think there’s more unrelated hospital visits in this book alone that I’ve had in my entire life, and these are eighteen-year-olds and I’m in my thirties. And, honestly, I do think the constant stream of terrible happenings sort of diminished the emotional impact of the book as a whole: it already has a central character dealing with the loss of being to do the thing he loves and another central character dealing with the loss of her professional partner. There was so much that could have been explored springing just from that and so it was hard to tell what backstreet abortions and bullying that escalated to legit actual attempted murder were bringing to the story.
In terms of the characters, I’ve seen some reviews dunking on Teddy: the guy who has the accident. And, y’know, normally I’d be the first in the “this YA character is behaving in a problematic yet age-appropriate way that makes me, an adult, impatient with him” queue but … Teddy was actually my favourite character. He’s a mess, don’t get me wrong, his does bad things, and his entire perspective is distorted to the pointed of delusional (because of grief, loss, and mental illness) but he felt the most consistently characterised of the three protagonists. Or at least the one with the most recognisable (and, to me, relatable—though what that says about me, I don’t know) arc.
While I liked Tarryn—the heroine—most of her conflict is external: her partner can do longer dance with her, and some people are hating on her because she’s just sooooo talented and sooooo special. I should add, I don’t have a problem with the hyper-successful heroine (I’m inclined to believe the whole concept of the Mary Sue is to some degree grounded in misogyny) but everyone in the book either loves her or hates her with no middle ground, and I wish I’d seen her do more to earn the former at least. She’s also got this slightly awkward non-arc where she’s supposed to be taller and curvier than the average ballerina, which I think was supposed to make her a bit more relatable/accessible to what I presume are going to be the non-ballerina sized audience. And, to be honest, I’m not sure this worked or was necessary.
The third protagonist, Jaidev, is actually kind of lovely, but once he gets to Roseheart (that’s the ballet school where the book takes place) his POV mostly becomes ‘worried about Tarryn’.He has his own dark backstory which wasn’t fully explored—something something maybe supposed to have killed his former partner what the fuck something something. But ultimately he did feel just a little bit like his job was to follow the (I think white?) heroine around being caring.
What I did really appreciate it, however, from—I should hasten to add—my position of zero standing—was the diversity of the cast and the range of ace and aro rep across the book. I think there’s sort of a way of dealing with LGBTQ+ identity in fiction that I think of as post-queer, which is that it’s less about the discovery of your identity, but about living in the world knowing who you are. Both types of story have value, but I think we can all remember a time when The Gay Story was almost exclusively The Coming Out Story, and I’m kind of relieved that we’re getting past that as well for other identities on the LGBTQ+ spectrum. By the time we meet Teddy and Tarryn, they’re both well aware they’re aroace, and Tarryn in particular has spent time online, on forums and such like, speaking to others and researching who she is the way I think (based on the behaviour of young people around me) you just kind of do if you’re a 21st century teenager. Unlike 20th century teenagers who just sort of thrashed around in confusion wondering what the fuck was wrong with us.
Anyway, this means that both characters are very comfortable with who they are and their awareness of their own aroaceness is woven naturalistically through the text. Their obstacles are more about perception and prejudice—for example, Teddy’s aceness intersects in complicated ways with his masculinity (the fact he’s never had a girlfriend or evinced any desire to fuck women is viewed with suspicion by his male peers) and Tarryn fears that if it was publicly known she was aroace her ability to showcase romance through her dance would be brought into question. I honestly wish Tarryn and Teddy had been less in conflict for most of the book, because their queer platonic more-than-friendship-not-a-relationship is not the sort of thing that we see explored very often, especially because they are not, in fact, suitable as life-partners for each other. Teddy very much wants a family and Tarryn does not: and, again, seeing intra-queer conflict/divergence of identity is rare and important.
I should say, as well as its nuanced and complicated approaches to queer identity, the book approaches eating disorders with similar care. There are a couple of characters who suffer from eating disorders, but as a POV character, it’s Teddy’s that gets the most narrative focus. Firstly, it’s rare to see an eating disorder explored through a male character, and secondly he suffers from … I think it’s an OSFED? Which is to say, an eating disorder that isn’t one of the ones that typically gets explored in fiction.
So …. Yes. Lots of admire in this book, I think, in terms of its approach to identity. But also a fair bit that didn’t for me personally when it came to some aspects of characterisation and the almost comically constant trauma-fest that is the plot.
As ever, do check trigger warnings before jumping in. There’s a LOT in this book.
January 10, 2022
This is the first instalment in the Roseheart Ballet Academy series.
"Welcome to Roseheart Ballet Academy, where the best dancers have the biggest secrets..."
My obsession with any elite academic setting and my yearning to learn more about the world of dance directed me here, and neither led me wrong. I enjoyed both featured equally and thought the author did a great job of crafting authenticity and believability with her setting and the scenarios that played out inside of it.
The characters, and the disparate issues they faced, were what really sold the book for me, however. So many heavy topics were confronted over the course of the book and I applaud Elin Dyer for such great inclusivity and for having the sensitivity to handle each with the correct response that it required.
Alongside these, were also multiple other mysteries and dramas, meaning this book became an easy one to fly through, which I did over the course of one day, and not a single chapter felt like it lagged or did not have a place inside this book. I'm highly anticipating the sequel and am hopeful for resolutions to many of the hard-hitting topics featured here.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Elin Dyer, and the publisher, Ineja Press, for this opportunity.
"Welcome to Roseheart Ballet Academy, where the best dancers have the biggest secrets..."
My obsession with any elite academic setting and my yearning to learn more about the world of dance directed me here, and neither led me wrong. I enjoyed both featured equally and thought the author did a great job of crafting authenticity and believability with her setting and the scenarios that played out inside of it.
The characters, and the disparate issues they faced, were what really sold the book for me, however. So many heavy topics were confronted over the course of the book and I applaud Elin Dyer for such great inclusivity and for having the sensitivity to handle each with the correct response that it required.
Alongside these, were also multiple other mysteries and dramas, meaning this book became an easy one to fly through, which I did over the course of one day, and not a single chapter felt like it lagged or did not have a place inside this book. I'm highly anticipating the sequel and am hopeful for resolutions to many of the hard-hitting topics featured here.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the author, Elin Dyer, and the publisher, Ineja Press, for this opportunity.
September 9, 2022
This was my first book set in a ballet school. It is full of the cutthroat competition that comes with being a professional dancer, along with the physical and mental stress one goes through to make a name for themselves. It is a dark world full of the behind-the-scenes of what a dancer goes through and how dangerous it can all be. There is rivalry amongst the students and nobody can be trusted to be a friend. It is written in multiple POVs, which is my favourite part of any book because I love getting inside the heads of the characters. The three main characters are different from each other but there are also similarities - one is ballet and the second is witnessing the death of someone. One of the main characters is aroace and her lurking past makes her life all the more difficult. The aroace identity is explained very well. The story is heavy on eating and other mental health disorders. This was both an informational and emotional read. Definitely recommended.
Want to Read
January 10, 2022Dark ballet academia? Yes, yes... did I say YES ? (Yes, obv). Haha so excited to read this!
January 15, 2022
TW: violence, eating disorders, bullying, racism, physical disability, abuse, loss and grief
After a few hours deliberation I decided to lower my rating. I'm sorry, Elin Dyer, but this just wasn't for me. I couldn't help but notice the similarities with another popular book and although I enjoyed some aspects of it, included but not limited to the aroace rep, I just couldn't connect with the characters or enjoy the writing.
I'm actually disappointed I didn't like this as much as I was hoping to, but I've seen other people raving about it, so if you think The Rhythm of My Soul is a book you would enjoy, don't hesitate to read it.
I received this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Ineja Press!
After a few hours deliberation I decided to lower my rating. I'm sorry, Elin Dyer, but this just wasn't for me. I couldn't help but notice the similarities with another popular book and although I enjoyed some aspects of it, included but not limited to the aroace rep, I just couldn't connect with the characters or enjoy the writing.
I'm actually disappointed I didn't like this as much as I was hoping to, but I've seen other people raving about it, so if you think The Rhythm of My Soul is a book you would enjoy, don't hesitate to read it.
I received this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Ineja Press!
January 1, 2022
This was a compelling read about three ballet dancers at an elite (fictional) dance academy/ company, two of whom are AceAro.
When one of them, Teddy, collapses at their end of year performance, his dance partner Taryn must learn to perform with a new partner from a different school, Jaidev, if she wants to be accepted into the company. She must also deal with a mystery person who has made it clear they don't want her and Jaidev there.
The three main characters were well-fleshed out - each sharing a love of dance and a goal of dancing professionally, but for differing reasons.
One of my favourite parts about this book was that there were two AceAro main characters, on different parts of the spectrum, and this gave the story room to explore these differences in experiences.
Both Taryn & Jaidev have faced tragedy in the past, and their grief and survivor's guilt is explored with care and tact. The final letter to Jaidev regarding this hit me right in the feels - though I can't explain more without spoilers.
Teddy's POV could be frustrating to read at times, because his thought process and goals were obviously flawed from an outsider perspective. However, they are understandable and realistic for a 18 year old who has had his life & career goals entirely flipped over, and is struggling with a newly diagnosed health condition and an eating disorder.
Now, I can't speak for the accuracy of the portrayal of a ballet dancing academy/ company, but as someone with very little knowledge of the world, this book did a good job of portraying to me the intensity and passion in these circumstances, and how this can effect the health (both physical and mental) of those involved.
A small issue was I did slightly lose track sometimes of who was who amongst the other students etc. Particularly the ones who only played a small part in the story, but feel like this is somewhat unavoidable in a story in a school setting.
But overall, this was an enjoyable read that I'd recommend for anyone looking for a story in dance setting or with AceAro characters.
I received a free copy from Netgalley in return for a honest review. (Side note: There were quite a few typos, not sure if this was just because it was an ARC?)
When one of them, Teddy, collapses at their end of year performance, his dance partner Taryn must learn to perform with a new partner from a different school, Jaidev, if she wants to be accepted into the company. She must also deal with a mystery person who has made it clear they don't want her and Jaidev there.
The three main characters were well-fleshed out - each sharing a love of dance and a goal of dancing professionally, but for differing reasons.
One of my favourite parts about this book was that there were two AceAro main characters, on different parts of the spectrum, and this gave the story room to explore these differences in experiences.
Both Taryn & Jaidev have faced tragedy in the past, and their grief and survivor's guilt is explored with care and tact. The final letter to Jaidev regarding this hit me right in the feels - though I can't explain more without spoilers.
Teddy's POV could be frustrating to read at times, because his thought process and goals were obviously flawed from an outsider perspective. However, they are understandable and realistic for a 18 year old who has had his life & career goals entirely flipped over, and is struggling with a newly diagnosed health condition and an eating disorder.
Now, I can't speak for the accuracy of the portrayal of a ballet dancing academy/ company, but as someone with very little knowledge of the world, this book did a good job of portraying to me the intensity and passion in these circumstances, and how this can effect the health (both physical and mental) of those involved.
A small issue was I did slightly lose track sometimes of who was who amongst the other students etc. Particularly the ones who only played a small part in the story, but feel like this is somewhat unavoidable in a story in a school setting.
But overall, this was an enjoyable read that I'd recommend for anyone looking for a story in dance setting or with AceAro characters.
I received a free copy from Netgalley in return for a honest review. (Side note: There were quite a few typos, not sure if this was just because it was an ARC?)
January 29, 2022
I received a copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
tw: eating disorders, violence, death of a family member, racism, implied rape, bullying
The book opens with two of our main characters, Taryn and Teddy, who are dance partners at Roseheart Ballet Academy. It's the final performance that decides who gets to be in the company, and the two of them are the best. However, when Teddy collapses during their performance, he has to face the reality of having a serious health condition and potentially not being able to dance. And having lost her dance partner for the foreseeable future, Taryn's only choice, if she wants to be a part of the company, is to dance with a new partner, Jaidev. There are a lot of secrets and intrigue surrounding both of their pasts, and it seems like the other dancers aren't thrilled to have them there.
The premise of this book sounded amazing, and I was so excited to read it. I enjoyed this book a lot, but I'm sad to say it didn't meet my expectations. I was underwhelmed by some of the revelations, they didn't seem as big as the build-up has led me to believe they'll be. The writing style didn't work for me at times. The way things were explained, and the ways dialogues were written seemed stilted and forced at times. The book tackled a lot of big, important topics such as eating disorders, bullying, loss of family members, adoption - and I enjoyed how it dealt with some of them. It did feel slightly like the author was trying to encompass everything at once, but at the end of the day, it is just one book.
The characters were definitely interesting. We follow three perspectives - Taryn, Jaidev, and Teddy. Out of the three main characters I definitely enjoyed Jaidev the most, he seemed like a ray of sunshine in this story. He transferred to Roseheart to be Taryn's dance partner, despite having lived through a traumatic experience the last time he danced. He is a well-rounded character, he cares about Taryn and that is very obvious. I also enjoyed Taryn a lot, she is determined and stronger than she seems. Teddy's POV chapters were the hardest to read. He has to deal with his illness, as well as watch Taryn continue to dance without him. Both Taryn and Teddy are aroace, which is something they connected over, and he feels increasing jealousy when Taryn and Jaidev are made dance partners. He is the most frustrating out of them, and while it's understandable, he is 18 and dealing with a lot - he crosses a lot of boundaries with Taryn. He takes all of his frustration on her, and she didn't do anything wrong.
I think that some things were done great, I think the way eating disorders were presented in a very realistic way. I enjoyed the exploration of grief and how it affects both people directly dealing with it, and those around them. I didn't particularly like either of the backstories of Taryn and Jaidev. In the whole book, both of them think that they're being targeted because of "what they did in the past". I thought those revelations were a tad bit disappointing, as it was obvious that neither of those things was their fault. And all of the harassment Taryn goes through and the reveal of the perpetrator at the end also falls flat because I felt the motivation was off, in a way. It didn't really make sense.
This was still an entertaining story, even if I was slightly disappointed by it. It was entertaining, and there were some good moments. If you are looking for something quick to read, I would recommend it - but check out the trigger warnings.
tw: eating disorders, violence, death of a family member, racism, implied rape, bullying
The book opens with two of our main characters, Taryn and Teddy, who are dance partners at Roseheart Ballet Academy. It's the final performance that decides who gets to be in the company, and the two of them are the best. However, when Teddy collapses during their performance, he has to face the reality of having a serious health condition and potentially not being able to dance. And having lost her dance partner for the foreseeable future, Taryn's only choice, if she wants to be a part of the company, is to dance with a new partner, Jaidev. There are a lot of secrets and intrigue surrounding both of their pasts, and it seems like the other dancers aren't thrilled to have them there.
The premise of this book sounded amazing, and I was so excited to read it. I enjoyed this book a lot, but I'm sad to say it didn't meet my expectations. I was underwhelmed by some of the revelations, they didn't seem as big as the build-up has led me to believe they'll be. The writing style didn't work for me at times. The way things were explained, and the ways dialogues were written seemed stilted and forced at times. The book tackled a lot of big, important topics such as eating disorders, bullying, loss of family members, adoption - and I enjoyed how it dealt with some of them. It did feel slightly like the author was trying to encompass everything at once, but at the end of the day, it is just one book.
The characters were definitely interesting. We follow three perspectives - Taryn, Jaidev, and Teddy. Out of the three main characters I definitely enjoyed Jaidev the most, he seemed like a ray of sunshine in this story. He transferred to Roseheart to be Taryn's dance partner, despite having lived through a traumatic experience the last time he danced. He is a well-rounded character, he cares about Taryn and that is very obvious. I also enjoyed Taryn a lot, she is determined and stronger than she seems. Teddy's POV chapters were the hardest to read. He has to deal with his illness, as well as watch Taryn continue to dance without him. Both Taryn and Teddy are aroace, which is something they connected over, and he feels increasing jealousy when Taryn and Jaidev are made dance partners. He is the most frustrating out of them, and while it's understandable, he is 18 and dealing with a lot - he crosses a lot of boundaries with Taryn. He takes all of his frustration on her, and she didn't do anything wrong.
I think that some things were done great, I think the way eating disorders were presented in a very realistic way. I enjoyed the exploration of grief and how it affects both people directly dealing with it, and those around them. I didn't particularly like either of the backstories of Taryn and Jaidev. In the whole book, both of them think that they're being targeted because of "what they did in the past". I thought those revelations were a tad bit disappointing, as it was obvious that neither of those things was their fault. And all of the harassment Taryn goes through and the reveal of the perpetrator at the end also falls flat because I felt the motivation was off, in a way. It didn't really make sense.
This was still an entertaining story, even if I was slightly disappointed by it. It was entertaining, and there were some good moments. If you are looking for something quick to read, I would recommend it - but check out the trigger warnings.
February 23, 2022
“Kissing someone doesn’t mean you’re not ace or aro. It’s a spectrum- and labels and identities change anyway. It also doesn’t mean I’m not repulsed by kissing. It’s not up to you to tell someone what they are. You can’t just say all that and completely invalidate my identity. It’s not fair and it's damaging.”
3.5 ⭐
Let me introduce the two up and coming ballerinas from England’s Roseheart Ballet Academy. First, Taryn Foster, bursting with dreams to enter the Roseheart professional company but haunted by the ghost of her dead twin and feeling forced to hide her aro-ace life due to the company’s focus on romance and pairing. And consequently, her best friend and pair for their final graduation piece, Teddy Walker. When Teddy collapses on stage, Taryn’s long dreamt plans to enter the company with her best friend are shattered and the company won’t accept her at all without a pair. In walks Jaidev Ngo. Paris trained and well respected for his skill, Jaidev was about to leave the world of ballet, and his dark links to it, behind forever but a difficult turn of events thrusts him into the Roseheart spotlight. Now, Taryn and Jaidev have a matter of weeks to prove they belong with the company, that they have the chemistry and talent to have permanent contracts. Meanwhile, Teddy is determined to dance even if it kills him while rumours of murder, pregnancy and betrayal run riot in the halls and amongst it all our new pair can’t shake the feeling, someone is out to get them.
I loved the premise, the dark histories, the cutthroat setting of a ballet boarding school with both extreme competition and standards, alongside real friendships and shared connections all setting the stage for three diverse and complicated character’s I loved.
Yet, this book suffered from a few unfortunate setbacks. For the first 40% and then at odd points throughout, there was a lot of telling and not showing. So much more atmosphere and development could have been added by avoiding long paragraphs and blunt sentences about characters’ feelings and histories. For me, this generally means the rating should be a maximum of three stars due to this big red flag for poor writing but there are great well-written aspects as well. Including own voices ace-aro rep (with multiple characters), eating disorder rep, grief rep and much more, the author makes an effort to look at the impact of racism and race in a white centred setting and even the little things like having access to correct healthcare and the impact of that. All of this is well told and interwoven. I completely fell for the characters, especially the amount Taryn and Jaidev must go through so that when things got intense, I just couldn’t stop reading and when there were highs, my heart burst for them.
Unfortunately, there is also a lack of going anywhere. This is a hard one because when it got going at the end, I was captivated but we spend a lot of time just following three different perspectives with a vague threat hanging over them (again this isn’t helped by the showing not telling). Halfway through Taryn and Jaidev seem to almost decide this week’s long timeline to get what they want (and the build-up of the first half of the book) doesn’t really matter and they always have next year although they’re still determined to get in. This juxtaposition does not fit at all. Then the author throws in all the dark twisty bits of a thriller into a crazy engaging whirlwind of plot for the second half. I could sense the effort to create a sort of generic high school/college plot with mean girls and personal drama and likewise, the thriller aspect was great, but it didn’t quite mesh as well as intended, like a second of third draft. It meant the inclusion of flat and basic mean girls throughout and the disappearing of good plot arcs that started . It was frustrating. So much potential to be five stars.
I know all I’ve done a lot of moaning, I just have a pet peeve for lost potential, because honestly there was a lot to love as well. The ending in particular with the twists I didn’t see coming but still made sense and the danger and the drama, right up my street. I’ll definitely be reading the sequel, and, despite my grumbling, I would recommend but I’d take elements with a pinch of salt, the rep is fantastic, the setting interesting, the main characters engaging, and the ending is gripping. Hopefully, the amount of showing and not telling and the slightly confused plot arc will get improved with the next instalment.
I received this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Ineja Press!
3.5 ⭐
Let me introduce the two up and coming ballerinas from England’s Roseheart Ballet Academy. First, Taryn Foster, bursting with dreams to enter the Roseheart professional company but haunted by the ghost of her dead twin and feeling forced to hide her aro-ace life due to the company’s focus on romance and pairing. And consequently, her best friend and pair for their final graduation piece, Teddy Walker. When Teddy collapses on stage, Taryn’s long dreamt plans to enter the company with her best friend are shattered and the company won’t accept her at all without a pair. In walks Jaidev Ngo. Paris trained and well respected for his skill, Jaidev was about to leave the world of ballet, and his dark links to it, behind forever but a difficult turn of events thrusts him into the Roseheart spotlight. Now, Taryn and Jaidev have a matter of weeks to prove they belong with the company, that they have the chemistry and talent to have permanent contracts. Meanwhile, Teddy is determined to dance even if it kills him while rumours of murder, pregnancy and betrayal run riot in the halls and amongst it all our new pair can’t shake the feeling, someone is out to get them.
I loved the premise, the dark histories, the cutthroat setting of a ballet boarding school with both extreme competition and standards, alongside real friendships and shared connections all setting the stage for three diverse and complicated character’s I loved.
Yet, this book suffered from a few unfortunate setbacks. For the first 40% and then at odd points throughout, there was a lot of telling and not showing. So much more atmosphere and development could have been added by avoiding long paragraphs and blunt sentences about characters’ feelings and histories. For me, this generally means the rating should be a maximum of three stars due to this big red flag for poor writing but there are great well-written aspects as well. Including own voices ace-aro rep (with multiple characters), eating disorder rep, grief rep and much more, the author makes an effort to look at the impact of racism and race in a white centred setting and even the little things like having access to correct healthcare and the impact of that. All of this is well told and interwoven. I completely fell for the characters, especially the amount Taryn and Jaidev must go through so that when things got intense, I just couldn’t stop reading and when there were highs, my heart burst for them.
Unfortunately, there is also a lack of going anywhere. This is a hard one because when it got going at the end, I was captivated but we spend a lot of time just following three different perspectives with a vague threat hanging over them (again this isn’t helped by the showing not telling). Halfway through Taryn and Jaidev seem to almost decide this week’s long timeline to get what they want (and the build-up of the first half of the book) doesn’t really matter and they always have next year although they’re still determined to get in. This juxtaposition does not fit at all. Then the author throws in all the dark twisty bits of a thriller into a crazy engaging whirlwind of plot for the second half. I could sense the effort to create a sort of generic high school/college plot with mean girls and personal drama and likewise, the thriller aspect was great, but it didn’t quite mesh as well as intended, like a second of third draft. It meant the inclusion of flat and basic mean girls throughout and the disappearing of good plot arcs that started . It was frustrating. So much potential to be five stars.
I know all I’ve done a lot of moaning, I just have a pet peeve for lost potential, because honestly there was a lot to love as well. The ending in particular with the twists I didn’t see coming but still made sense and the danger and the drama, right up my street. I’ll definitely be reading the sequel, and, despite my grumbling, I would recommend but I’d take elements with a pinch of salt, the rep is fantastic, the setting interesting, the main characters engaging, and the ending is gripping. Hopefully, the amount of showing and not telling and the slightly confused plot arc will get improved with the next instalment.
I received this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review. Thank you NetGalley and Ineja Press!
January 17, 2022
Thank you to Netgalley and Ineja Press for granting me access to this book in exchange of an honest review.
**This review does not contain spoilers but does contain mention of the topics approached in the novel. I do not consider these spoilers but if you do then I advise you not to read this review until you have read the book.***
When I was younger, I loved the idea of dance schools. I read a few dance school books which I fell in love with and reread so many times afterwards! Dance was something I loved. I still do. It's a way to feel free and express yourself. When I heard about this book, I think a part of me was attracted to it because of how much I loved dancing and the concept of a dance school. It was always a dream of mine to dance at a proper school and now in some ways that dream has come true through Taryn and her friends. This book takes that idea and twists it into so much more.
I couldn't stop reading it, and read it extremely quickly! It made me cry on multiple occasions, but made me laugh too. This book was a joy, it impacted me and I got what I wanted out of it: a fun, interesting and captivating read. I became maybe a little too attached to the characters and the story definitely kept me on my toes.
I don't know how else to describe the way I feel about this book...It was just a book I think I really needed. I'm currently also reading something else and it was going so slowly and I wasn't really into it. I wasn't really into reading at all. Then in comes this book to bring the joy of reading back!
This whole world was very well-built too. It was real, I was right there with the characters the whole way through. I have built up this vision of Roseheart, and I will definitely be continuing the series.
There were a few problems though. I felt that the author was almost trying to do too much. This could be considered a problem, but looking at it in other ways you can see that it is good, it's a tough one! What I mean by this is that there was almost too much commentary and representation. There were so many topics that were approached! Eating disorders (in the dance world), adoption, bullying, homophobia, jealousy, body-shaming, death, death of a parent, racism...It just got too much! There were also WAY too many hospital scenes, which although necessary because people are ill and one of them has a serious condition, just made it feel like half the book was set in the hospital! It was almost like 'these characters need to have a serious talk so let's make someone ill so they can meet at the hospital'. There were many plot points which didn't make it hard to follow surprisingly, but did feel like the author needed things to fill the gaps.
There were a few grammar errors and typos but I'm not sure if this is just because it's an ARC? If someone can tell me about that then please let me know! There was also one continuity error, where it mentions it's nearly 3 am, then a bunch of stuff happens and it says that by the time they get back to the dorm it's nearly 3 am, which just doesn't make sense. Again, not sure if this is because of the ARC copy!
Despite all this, it was just a joy to read, as mentioned above. I highly recommend it for a light but also impactful read. I can't believe how much I wanted to constantly pick this book up!
**This review does not contain spoilers but does contain mention of the topics approached in the novel. I do not consider these spoilers but if you do then I advise you not to read this review until you have read the book.***
When I was younger, I loved the idea of dance schools. I read a few dance school books which I fell in love with and reread so many times afterwards! Dance was something I loved. I still do. It's a way to feel free and express yourself. When I heard about this book, I think a part of me was attracted to it because of how much I loved dancing and the concept of a dance school. It was always a dream of mine to dance at a proper school and now in some ways that dream has come true through Taryn and her friends. This book takes that idea and twists it into so much more.
I couldn't stop reading it, and read it extremely quickly! It made me cry on multiple occasions, but made me laugh too. This book was a joy, it impacted me and I got what I wanted out of it: a fun, interesting and captivating read. I became maybe a little too attached to the characters and the story definitely kept me on my toes.
I don't know how else to describe the way I feel about this book...It was just a book I think I really needed. I'm currently also reading something else and it was going so slowly and I wasn't really into it. I wasn't really into reading at all. Then in comes this book to bring the joy of reading back!
This whole world was very well-built too. It was real, I was right there with the characters the whole way through. I have built up this vision of Roseheart, and I will definitely be continuing the series.
There were a few problems though. I felt that the author was almost trying to do too much. This could be considered a problem, but looking at it in other ways you can see that it is good, it's a tough one! What I mean by this is that there was almost too much commentary and representation. There were so many topics that were approached! Eating disorders (in the dance world), adoption, bullying, homophobia, jealousy, body-shaming, death, death of a parent, racism...It just got too much! There were also WAY too many hospital scenes, which although necessary because people are ill and one of them has a serious condition, just made it feel like half the book was set in the hospital! It was almost like 'these characters need to have a serious talk so let's make someone ill so they can meet at the hospital'. There were many plot points which didn't make it hard to follow surprisingly, but did feel like the author needed things to fill the gaps.
There were a few grammar errors and typos but I'm not sure if this is just because it's an ARC? If someone can tell me about that then please let me know! There was also one continuity error, where it mentions it's nearly 3 am, then a bunch of stuff happens and it says that by the time they get back to the dorm it's nearly 3 am, which just doesn't make sense. Again, not sure if this is because of the ARC copy!
Despite all this, it was just a joy to read, as mentioned above. I highly recommend it for a light but also impactful read. I can't believe how much I wanted to constantly pick this book up!
February 19, 2022
Un livre sur lequel je suis tombée par hasard sur Goodreads, et qui m'a tout de suite interpellée – notamment pour sa représentation de l'asexualité !
Dans The Rhythm of my Soul, nous allons suivre trois personnages en alternance : Taryn Foster, Teddy Walker et Jaidev Ngo. On va les découvrir petit à petit, même si nous avons certaines informations au départ. Concernant Taryn et Teddy, par exemple, nous apprenons qu'ils sont tout les deux asexuels (même si ils ne sont pas sur le même « spectre »!). C'est une des choses qui a rapproché énormément les deux jeunes gens, en plus de l'amour évident pour la danse et le désir de devenir danseur et danseuse professionnel. Taryn est en outre hantée par le fantôme de sa sœur, qui était également une danseuse et le désir de danser deux fois plus pour honorer sa mémoire. Teddy, lui, va être touché physiquement, suite à un malaise et où on lui découvre une maladie impactant sa capacité à danser. Car si il continue, il pourrait en mourir, littéralement. Nous faisons la rencontre de Jaidev Ngo plus tardivement, étant donné que c'est un nouveau danseur à l'académie, arrivé pour être le nouveau partenaire de Taryn. Le jeune homme a également un passé trouble, plusieurs personnes peuvent lui en vouloir, le poussant même à vouloir à arrêter la danse – pourtant une des rares choses qui lui procure plaisir !
J'étais très curieuse de découvrir The Rhythm of my Soul : j'ai lu de très bonnes critiques sur Goodreads, les différents thèmes m'intéressait énormément (spécialement la danse et l'asexualité), et le tout avait l'air très touchant. Et je dois dire que The Rhythm of my Soul s'est avéré une excellente lecture !
Parlons tout d'abord de l'asexualité : j'ai apprécié le fait qu'il y ait deux personnages principaux asexuels. Ils ne sont pas sur le même spectre de l'asexualité, ils ont explorés cette facette d'eux-même différemment, et cela donne l'opportunité d'expliquer davantage, de montrer plusieurs représentations de cette sexualité trop peu connue.
Taryn et Jaidev ont tout les deux vécus des événements traumatisants dans leur passé, et c'est parfaitement bien décrit, notamment sur le complexe du survivant et toute la culpabilité que cela peut entraîner. Du côté de Teddy, nous avons affaire à une maladie physique. Le jeune homme doit apprendre à l'accepter et à vivre avec, ce qui n'est pas facile du tout évidemment ! Surtout lorsque cette maladie l'empêche de poursuivre sa carrière de danseur...
Je ne suis pas en mesure de la pertinence de la description de l'ambiance dans une école de danse classique, mais Elin Dyer utilise en tout cas des thèmes largement répandus dans ce milieu : une jalousie fréquente, les harcèlements entre les différents danseurs et danseuses, le rapport compliqué à la nourriture... Même si tout cela n'est peut-être pas la norme, je dois dire que l'autrice a fait un excellent travail en dépeignant ces différentes rivalités, comment cette passion de la danse et le fait de vouloir en faire son métier peut entraîner des conséquences, que ce soit sur le plan physique ou mental.
The Rhythm of my Soul n'est pas une lecture facile, loin de là ; mais c'est en tout cas une lecture que j'ai trouvé personnellement extrêmement addictive et prenante ! Le deuxième tome est à paraître apparemment au cours de l'été 2022 : j'ai hâte !!
Dans The Rhythm of my Soul, nous allons suivre trois personnages en alternance : Taryn Foster, Teddy Walker et Jaidev Ngo. On va les découvrir petit à petit, même si nous avons certaines informations au départ. Concernant Taryn et Teddy, par exemple, nous apprenons qu'ils sont tout les deux asexuels (même si ils ne sont pas sur le même « spectre »!). C'est une des choses qui a rapproché énormément les deux jeunes gens, en plus de l'amour évident pour la danse et le désir de devenir danseur et danseuse professionnel. Taryn est en outre hantée par le fantôme de sa sœur, qui était également une danseuse et le désir de danser deux fois plus pour honorer sa mémoire. Teddy, lui, va être touché physiquement, suite à un malaise et où on lui découvre une maladie impactant sa capacité à danser. Car si il continue, il pourrait en mourir, littéralement. Nous faisons la rencontre de Jaidev Ngo plus tardivement, étant donné que c'est un nouveau danseur à l'académie, arrivé pour être le nouveau partenaire de Taryn. Le jeune homme a également un passé trouble, plusieurs personnes peuvent lui en vouloir, le poussant même à vouloir à arrêter la danse – pourtant une des rares choses qui lui procure plaisir !
J'étais très curieuse de découvrir The Rhythm of my Soul : j'ai lu de très bonnes critiques sur Goodreads, les différents thèmes m'intéressait énormément (spécialement la danse et l'asexualité), et le tout avait l'air très touchant. Et je dois dire que The Rhythm of my Soul s'est avéré une excellente lecture !
Parlons tout d'abord de l'asexualité : j'ai apprécié le fait qu'il y ait deux personnages principaux asexuels. Ils ne sont pas sur le même spectre de l'asexualité, ils ont explorés cette facette d'eux-même différemment, et cela donne l'opportunité d'expliquer davantage, de montrer plusieurs représentations de cette sexualité trop peu connue.
Taryn et Jaidev ont tout les deux vécus des événements traumatisants dans leur passé, et c'est parfaitement bien décrit, notamment sur le complexe du survivant et toute la culpabilité que cela peut entraîner. Du côté de Teddy, nous avons affaire à une maladie physique. Le jeune homme doit apprendre à l'accepter et à vivre avec, ce qui n'est pas facile du tout évidemment ! Surtout lorsque cette maladie l'empêche de poursuivre sa carrière de danseur...
Je ne suis pas en mesure de la pertinence de la description de l'ambiance dans une école de danse classique, mais Elin Dyer utilise en tout cas des thèmes largement répandus dans ce milieu : une jalousie fréquente, les harcèlements entre les différents danseurs et danseuses, le rapport compliqué à la nourriture... Même si tout cela n'est peut-être pas la norme, je dois dire que l'autrice a fait un excellent travail en dépeignant ces différentes rivalités, comment cette passion de la danse et le fait de vouloir en faire son métier peut entraîner des conséquences, que ce soit sur le plan physique ou mental.
The Rhythm of my Soul n'est pas une lecture facile, loin de là ; mais c'est en tout cas une lecture que j'ai trouvé personnellement extrêmement addictive et prenante ! Le deuxième tome est à paraître apparemment au cours de l'été 2022 : j'ai hâte !!
January 9, 2022
Taryn, Teddy and Jaidev are all ballet dancers, and while that does not seem that special; it is. They all struggle with something, if not related to ballet. They try to work around their issues to become the best dancers they can be. Yet, that all doesn't seem enough when their future falls apart and some dangerous traits might ruin it even more.
TRIGGER WARNING: eating disorders
IMPORTANT SUBJECTS: asexuality, aromatic, loss and grief
Overall, it is a well-written book. The author has a nice way of writing, and knows how to bring harsh subjects in a respectful way. As a reader, you get sucked into the story pretty quickly. Some parts are more interesting than others, mostly related to the speed of events. Mostly the end goes a bit faster and brings plot twists pretty quickly one after another.
The characters are very divers, and at first this did not seem like an issue. It gets a little annoying later on. Eating disorders, asexuality, racism, and the themes go on and on. After a while, the plot gets buried away in messages related to society. It is awesome that the author wanted to include diversity, mostly because she did it in a world which is know for a copy-paste-feeling. However, it distracts the reader from the actual story. Sometimes it felt as if characters became more flat near the end because they only seemed related to their 'issue' or the label they got. There were several characters with (a lot) of dead family members.
If we look at labels, the author brought a lot of diversity. If we look at the characters themselves and mostly the dynamics, they are all kind of similar and after a while it are all flat characters. The main characters should be round characters. I see a lot of potential there, but it did not feel as if the author reached that point.
Teddy is such an interesting character. I would love to see more of him in book two. Mostly because his storyline is very similar to something I went through. Which brings us to the fact that this book has a lot of messages in which people might recognize themselves. Not only dancers or ex-dancers, but also people who struggle with an eating disorder or are asexual, and many more. Which is the positive side of all the labels and diversity.
The setting went great with the story. I had a clear view of this unique and expensive private dance school. Loved how it was not over the top, but still got the image it needed.
TRIGGER WARNING: eating disorders
IMPORTANT SUBJECTS: asexuality, aromatic, loss and grief
Overall, it is a well-written book. The author has a nice way of writing, and knows how to bring harsh subjects in a respectful way. As a reader, you get sucked into the story pretty quickly. Some parts are more interesting than others, mostly related to the speed of events. Mostly the end goes a bit faster and brings plot twists pretty quickly one after another.
The characters are very divers, and at first this did not seem like an issue. It gets a little annoying later on. Eating disorders, asexuality, racism, and the themes go on and on. After a while, the plot gets buried away in messages related to society. It is awesome that the author wanted to include diversity, mostly because she did it in a world which is know for a copy-paste-feeling. However, it distracts the reader from the actual story. Sometimes it felt as if characters became more flat near the end because they only seemed related to their 'issue' or the label they got. There were several characters with (a lot) of dead family members.
If we look at labels, the author brought a lot of diversity. If we look at the characters themselves and mostly the dynamics, they are all kind of similar and after a while it are all flat characters. The main characters should be round characters. I see a lot of potential there, but it did not feel as if the author reached that point.
Teddy is such an interesting character. I would love to see more of him in book two. Mostly because his storyline is very similar to something I went through. Which brings us to the fact that this book has a lot of messages in which people might recognize themselves. Not only dancers or ex-dancers, but also people who struggle with an eating disorder or are asexual, and many more. Which is the positive side of all the labels and diversity.
The setting went great with the story. I had a clear view of this unique and expensive private dance school. Loved how it was not over the top, but still got the image it needed.
April 8, 2022
I was granted eARC access to The Rhythm of My Soul by Elin Dyer by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for the request approval! My thoughts are my own and my review is honest.
I'm going to start out by saying that I was hoping this would be a fast-paced teen drama full of beautiful dance and sassy teenage girls ala TV shows like Dance Academy. This book does have a lot of teen drama, it does highlight some very important issues kids around the world face like poverty and eating disorders, it kicks off with the classic dance story trope of an early end to a dance career thanks to serious injury or illness, and I absolutely love the aro-ace rep!
With all of that said, the right balance between teen drama and dance is not there. Too much death, near-death, and whining; not enough dancing or authentic personalities. Professional ballet training is high stakes and full of drama all on its own. Why is everyone either being murdered or accused of murder? Everyone! We already started with a career-ending medical emergency that also disrupts the partner dancer's plans and future. That's enough. Getting the remaining dancer through the training year would be enough. Especially since the other girls don't seem to like her and convince her that she's too fat for ballet (which, unfortunately, rings quite true for the academic ballet world.)
As for the dancing, too many little things from the way dances were described third person to the way POV characters thought about and used their own bodies in dance all felt like the author's knowledge of the ballet world comes entirely from reading and watching ballet fiction.
I normally don't comment on typos when reviewing ARCs, but "Ballantine" is not going to be caught by a spellchecker, nor will it be noticed by an editor who is not familiar with classical dance. The famous choreographer, whose style and influence are the core of many famous American ballet companies including the New York City Ballet, is Balanchine. This really didn't help the sense that the author doesn't come from the ballet world.
I'm going to start out by saying that I was hoping this would be a fast-paced teen drama full of beautiful dance and sassy teenage girls ala TV shows like Dance Academy. This book does have a lot of teen drama, it does highlight some very important issues kids around the world face like poverty and eating disorders, it kicks off with the classic dance story trope of an early end to a dance career thanks to serious injury or illness, and I absolutely love the aro-ace rep!
With all of that said, the right balance between teen drama and dance is not there. Too much death, near-death, and whining; not enough dancing or authentic personalities. Professional ballet training is high stakes and full of drama all on its own. Why is everyone either being murdered or accused of murder? Everyone! We already started with a career-ending medical emergency that also disrupts the partner dancer's plans and future. That's enough. Getting the remaining dancer through the training year would be enough. Especially since the other girls don't seem to like her and convince her that she's too fat for ballet (which, unfortunately, rings quite true for the academic ballet world.)
As for the dancing, too many little things from the way dances were described third person to the way POV characters thought about and used their own bodies in dance all felt like the author's knowledge of the ballet world comes entirely from reading and watching ballet fiction.
I normally don't comment on typos when reviewing ARCs, but "Ballantine" is not going to be caught by a spellchecker, nor will it be noticed by an editor who is not familiar with classical dance. The famous choreographer, whose style and influence are the core of many famous American ballet companies including the New York City Ballet, is Balanchine. This really didn't help the sense that the author doesn't come from the ballet world.
December 30, 2021
Set in a (fictional) ballet school in England, this first book in a series alternates points of view between Taryn, an aroace ballerina, Teddy, her best friend and usual partner, and Jaidev, who's called from France to become Taryn's new partner when Teddy finds out he has a serious, career-ending illness.
Both Taryn and Jaidev have tragedy in their past, and there's a mysterious bully trying to ruin their present too so, with all that plus Teddy's illness, the general tone of the novel is quite dark, but I enjoyed it anyway. I particularly liked the fact it's not entirely centred on a ballerina (danseurs may be less numerous but they deserve to be treated as more than just those who are there to lift their partners or be used as a kind of barre), although Taryn is a great main character (especially as she's aroace and a good enough actor to fake the romance required for her roles but still worried that she wouldn't be trusted to do it right if people knew).
I really liked all three main characters (plus some others) and the whole ballet school/company setting, so I'll definitely read the next book too.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Both Taryn and Jaidev have tragedy in their past, and there's a mysterious bully trying to ruin their present too so, with all that plus Teddy's illness, the general tone of the novel is quite dark, but I enjoyed it anyway. I particularly liked the fact it's not entirely centred on a ballerina (danseurs may be less numerous but they deserve to be treated as more than just those who are there to lift their partners or be used as a kind of barre), although Taryn is a great main character (especially as she's aroace and a good enough actor to fake the romance required for her roles but still worried that she wouldn't be trusted to do it right if people knew).
I really liked all three main characters (plus some others) and the whole ballet school/company setting, so I'll definitely read the next book too.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 24, 2022
Rhythm of My Soul is a YA drama following a group of young ballet dancers vying for the top spot of a prestigious ballet school. Everyone has their own secrets and their own demons that they’re hiding, some not as well as others.
I loved that two of our main characters are aroace, and I love the way this book explores what that means for each of them. This book also deals with bullying, eating disorders, illness, racism, death of a loved one and unwanted pregnancy, so please, please check trigger warnings before reading this book.
The main thing that brought this book down for me was Teddy. I couldn’t empathise or even sympathise with his character at all. I know he was dealing with a lot and it made him irrational, but he came across as whiny and immature to me and I couldn’t stand reading about him.
Taryn and Jaidev, on the other hand, were great characters and I really loved their growing friendship.
I also really loved some of the side characters, especially Sibylle.
The plot was a typical YA drama plot, neither amazing nor terrible, but I enjoyed the ride nonetheless.
I loved that two of our main characters are aroace, and I love the way this book explores what that means for each of them. This book also deals with bullying, eating disorders, illness, racism, death of a loved one and unwanted pregnancy, so please, please check trigger warnings before reading this book.
The main thing that brought this book down for me was Teddy. I couldn’t empathise or even sympathise with his character at all. I know he was dealing with a lot and it made him irrational, but he came across as whiny and immature to me and I couldn’t stand reading about him.
Taryn and Jaidev, on the other hand, were great characters and I really loved their growing friendship.
I also really loved some of the side characters, especially Sibylle.
The plot was a typical YA drama plot, neither amazing nor terrible, but I enjoyed the ride nonetheless.
February 20, 2022
The blurb made me feel this book is everything I want and love. Unfortunately reading this book proved otherwise.
The whole idea is great, but the characters felt super flat, I didn't feel any connection to any of them. They were all as interesting and had as much personality as my dining room chairs, which means no personality whatsoever. But you know what the characters has in an abundance? Trauma. Buts, as another reviewer said - trauma is not a personality trait. You cannot just give a person a dead family member and be like "ok, this is your whole personality from now on".
Also TWO people in one school were accused of murder. Like, I'm a fan of coincidences like a next girl, but even I have my limits.
Also Teddy is the worst character ever, I hate him with my whole soul, and I have zero respect for Taryn for wanting to be friends with him.
I will not be continuing with book two.
I received this book from the publisher in an exchange for an honest review
The whole idea is great, but the characters felt super flat, I didn't feel any connection to any of them. They were all as interesting and had as much personality as my dining room chairs, which means no personality whatsoever. But you know what the characters has in an abundance? Trauma. Buts, as another reviewer said - trauma is not a personality trait. You cannot just give a person a dead family member and be like "ok, this is your whole personality from now on".
Also TWO people in one school were accused of murder. Like, I'm a fan of coincidences like a next girl, but even I have my limits.
Also Teddy is the worst character ever, I hate him with my whole soul, and I have zero respect for Taryn for wanting to be friends with him.
I will not be continuing with book two.
I received this book from the publisher in an exchange for an honest review
February 1, 2022
* Scroll down the page to read the review in English. (it was translated by google :) )
Obrigado à NetGalley e a editora por me fornecerem o ARC digital em troca da minha resenha.
Eu tive vários problemas com esse livro, a resenha vai ser grande, não tem jeito.
Pra começar: Eu peguei esse livro na Netgalley, lá está disponível uma resenha pela qual me interessei. Quando já tinha sido aprovada pela editora e já tinha começando a ler o livro fui nas redes de leitura para fazer o progresso e descobri que dependendo da edição que você acessa existe sinopses diferentes! A sinopse no geral foi meu primeiro problema com o livro. Primeiro porque se eu tivesse acessado a sinopse que não estava no Netgalley eu jamais teria solicitado esse livro, fica claro nessa que a autora vai criar algum tipo de triângulo "não amoroso"? Porque os personagens são aces, mas eu jamais teria me arriscado. E sim, existe uma sensação de triângulo sim durante o livro, não chega a ser maçante como normalmente em livros allos mas ainda assim tem a pressão do romantismo e tal. Segundo que na sinopse original, dar a entender que o foco da protagonista é quebrar as barreiras do "romântico" e conseguir o lugar dela como aroace. Só que pra começar, não que seja um problema no geral, nem que ela precise ser para alcançar o que deixou entendido na sinopse mas ainda assim: Ela não é assumida como aroace, e como eu disse ela não precisa ser, não existe nada de errado nisso e ela nem sequer precisaria pra ter como sonho ser a primeira aroace da academia. O caso é, o que é muito recorrente no livro no geral, ela não tem como saber se ela é a única bailarina aroace da companhia, e o mais irritante: em nenhum momento ela pensa fortemente, ou leva isso como lema pra carreira dela, ela só quer chegar na companhia, ela nunca parou no livro e falou "eu quero quebrar limites, eu quero ser bailarina aroace que dança numa companhia romântica" sabe? Ainda acontece umas divergências no que está acontecendo no livro, o que acredito que tenha sido erro nessas mudanças de edição, aqui no começo do livro ela diz (praticamente no mesmo parágrafo) como não quer se envolver com ninguém, como nunca sentiu necessidade de conexão e tal e no outro já diz que sempre sonhou em ter a conexão que sente quando está dançando no balé, enfim...
Outro problema que tive, que pego a culpa pra mim mesma, é o seguinte: Quando li a sinopse me deu a parecer que eles não seriam adolescentes. Isso me deixa desconfortável porque eu não quero ser a pessoa que pega livro de adolescentes sendo adolescentes e fica diminuindo o que estão sentindo. Mas, de qualquer forma eles são pessoas que deviam ter uma maturidade, eles vivem basicamente sozinhos, o foco todo é na carreira deles então fica muito difícil durante o livro aguentar algumas ações, algumas decisões e tal. E aí dentro disso tem vários outros pontos, como ela não consegue tomar uma decisão prática, as pessoas estão no hospital e tudo que ela faz é mandar mensagem de texto? Como ela nunca para pra ajudar as pessoas a volta dela, e sim ela está passando por muita coisa mas o tanto de vezes que ele se questiona se deveria fazer algo sendo que são coisas gravíssimas é absurdo.
Outra questão é essas coisas gravíssimas, em vários momentos do livro eu não senti que todos os problemas estavam ali para serem bem desenvolvidos. Isso me incomodou bastante, ainda mais como tinha algumas ações (mencionadas) da escola e como isso não era realmente abordado como deveria ter sido.
Sobre a questão das deduções que os personagens fazem, que falei ali em cima: Isso acontece o livro todo, desde ela não saber se tem outras pessoas aroaces até cenas totalmente desnecessárias onde ela toma conclusões que não fazem o menor sentido. As cenas de quando começa os ataques contra ela, toda interação que ela tem é cheia de questionamentos ridículos, com conclusões sem nexo. E são horríveis porque ela ainda nem age nisso, ela só fica nesse monólogo. Ainda pesa mais porque no início do livro ela deixa claro como não é próxima das colegas de quarto e aí do nada ela está fazendo essas leituras sobre elas como se fossem super próximas.
Sobre o balé em si: eu não senti nada. Os primeiros capítulos eu quase arranquei meus cabelos de tanto ler "pas de deux" e depois tem muito ensaio porque eles dizem que tem MUITO ensaios.
Todos os três personagens tem narrações, então esses problemas se dividem entre os três. Que é quando fica óbvio que não é um problema seu com tal personagem, é realmente a escrita e desenvolvimento da autora.
O plot eu também não gostei. Eu não consigo acreditar, porque pelo que eu entendi era isso que estava acontecendo, que pessoas que já são bailarinas profissionais, que vão trabalhar lado a lado, iriam parar pra juntar grupinho e ficar sendo uma versão de garotas malvadas com as novatas do trabalho? Eu não estou dizendo que não vá haver rivalidade e etc mas é algo totalmente diferente.
Eu não gostei de como já se tem uma sensação de pouco balé, e ainda os três personagens nem sequer dançam por si mesmo é sempre por outra pessoa. Nem sequer Teddy que arrisca a saúde pelo balé não passa essa profundidade.
Eu li as notas da autora e ela também é aroace e disse que consultou leitores sensíveis mas eu não gostei de como a assexualidade foi reduzida a gostar ou não de sexo.
Acho que as cenas de acefobia e a arofobia do Teddy foram um ponto que não me agradou também, independente do fato que ela tentou fazer de ele não estar bem e tal, acho que não cabe. Tanto porque ele quer muito uma relação queerplatonica, enfim...
SPOILERS !!!!!!!!
Sobre furos no plot: Não faz sentido Victoria não ter falado logo quem deu o sapato para ela. Não faz sentido a pessoa que ataca a protagonista ter sido violenta daquele jeito no banheiro e com uma faca na mão ter feito apenas um cortezinho no rosto dela.
Não faz sentido Teddy ter ficado tanto tempo dançando, mesmo depois do diagnóstico, porque a direção não se importou? Porque o pai dele não avisou a direção? Mesmo que tenha o caso dele ter sido negligenciado, o pai estava presente e nem queria que ele voltasse.
Aquelas cenas finais do Teddy foram horríveis, tanto a acefobia que ele soltou quanto a final mesmo, foi gratuito e sem nexo.
A mãe da protagonista também, o livro inteiro ela age de uma forma aí no final ela muda do nada? Ainda mais sendo que antes deu a entender que era algo bem mais grave que apenas luto.
Eu não volto para ler nada mais da série. Não acho que vá ficar melhor, não acho que tenha como trazer profundidade pros personagens. Acho que só trazer mais bullying ainda mais com gente adulta e professional não agrega em nada.
//
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital ARC in exchange for my review.
I had several problems with this book, the review is going to be huge, there's no way around it.
For starters: I got this book at Netgalley, there is a synopsis available that I was interested in. When I had already been approved by the publisher and I had already started reading the book, I went on the reading networks to make progress and found that depending on the edition you access there are different synopses! The overall synopsis was my first problem with the book. First because if I had accessed the synopsis that was not on Netgalley I would never have requested this book, is it clear in this that the author is going to create some kind of "non-love" triangle? Because the characters are aces, but I would never have taken the risk. And yes, there is a feeling of a triangle throughout the book, it's not boring as usual in allos books but it still has the pressure of romanticism and such. According to that in the original synopsis, to imply that the protagonist's focus is to break the barriers of the "romantic" and achieve her career as aroace. But for starters, not that it's a problem in general, nor that it needs to be to achieve what you understand in the synopsis, but still: She is not assumed to be aroace, and as I said she doesn't need to be, there is nothing wrong about that and she wouldn't even need to dream of being the first aroace of the academy. The case is, which is very recurrent in the book in general, she has no way of knowing if she is the only aroace dancer in the company, and the most irritating thing: at no time does she think strongly, or take it as a motto for her career, she just wants to get in the company, she never stopped in the book and said "I want to break boundaries, I want to be an aroace ballerina who dances in a romantic company" you know? There are still some differences in what is happening in the book, which I believe was a mistake in these editing changes, here at the beginning of the book she says (practically in the same paragraph) how she doesn't want to get involved with anyone, how she never felt the need to connect and such and in the other, he says that he always dreamed of having the connection he feels when he is dancing in the ballet, anyway...
Another problem I had, which I take the blame for myself, is the following: When I read the synopsis it made me think they wouldn't be teenagers. It makes me uncomfortable because I don't want to be the person who picks up teenagers' books as teenagers and keeps downplaying what they're feeling. But, anyway, they are people who should have a maturity, they basically live alone, the whole focus is on their career so it's very difficult during the book to put up with some actions, some decisions and such. And then within that there are several other points, like she can't make a practical decision, people are in the hospital and all she does is text? As she never stops to help the people around her, and yes she is going through a lot but the many times she wonders if she should do something being that they are very serious things is absurd.
Another issue is these very serious things, in several moments of the book I didn't feel that all the problems were there to be well developed. This bothered me a lot, even more so as there were some actions (mentioned) from the school and how it wasn't really addressed as it should have been.
On the question of the deductions that the characters make, which I mentioned above: This happens throughout the book, from her not knowing if there are other people aroaces to totally unnecessary scenes where she makes conclusions that don't make any sense. The scenes when the attacks against her begin, every interaction she has is full of ridiculous questions, with inane conclusions. And they're horrible because she doesn't even act on it yet, she just stays in this monologue.
It even weighs more because at the beginning of the book she makes it clear how she's not close to her roommates and then out of nowhere she's doing these readings about them as if they were super close.
About the ballet itself: I didn't feel anything. The first few chapters I almost pulled my hair out from reading "pas de deux" and then there are a lot of rehearsals because they say there are LOTS of rehearsals.
All three characters have voiceovers, so these issues are split between the three. Which is when it becomes obvious that it's not your problem with such a character, it's really the author's writing and development.
I didn't like the plot either. I can't believe it, because from what I understood this was what was happening, that people who are already professional dancers, who are going to work side by side, would stop to join a little group and be a version of mean girls with the newbies at work? I'm not saying there won't be rivalries and etc but it's something else entirely.
I didn't like how it already has a feeling of little ballet, and yet the three characters don't even dance by themselves, it's always by someone else. Not even Teddy, who risks his health for the ballet, doesn't pass that depth.
I read the author's notes and she is also aroace and said she consulted sensitive readers but I didn't like how asexuality was reduced to liking or not liking sex.
I think the acephobia scenes and Teddy's arophobia were a point that I didn't like either, regardless of the fact that she tried to make him not be well and such, I don't think it fits. So much because he really wants a queerplatonic relationship, anyway...
SPOILERS !!!!!!!!
About plot holes: It doesn't make sense that Victoria didn't immediately say who gave her the shoe. It doesn't make sense for the person who attacks the protagonist to have been violent like that in the bathroom and with a knife in her hand to have just cut her face.
Doesn't it make sense for Teddy to have been dancing so long, even after his diagnosis, because the management didn't care? Why didn't his father notify the direction? Even though there is the case that he was neglected, the father was present and didn't even want him to come back.
Those final scenes of Teddy were horrible, both the acephobia he unleashed and the final one, it was gratuitous and pointless.
The protagonist's mother too, throughout the book she acts in a way, then at the end she changes out of nowhere? Even more so since before he hinted that it was something much more serious than just mourning.
I won't be going back to read more of the series. I don't think it's going to get any better, I don't think there's any way to bring depth to the characters. I think just bringing more bullying with adult and professional people doesn't add anything.
Obrigado à NetGalley e a editora por me fornecerem o ARC digital em troca da minha resenha.
Eu tive vários problemas com esse livro, a resenha vai ser grande, não tem jeito.
Pra começar: Eu peguei esse livro na Netgalley, lá está disponível uma resenha pela qual me interessei. Quando já tinha sido aprovada pela editora e já tinha começando a ler o livro fui nas redes de leitura para fazer o progresso e descobri que dependendo da edição que você acessa existe sinopses diferentes! A sinopse no geral foi meu primeiro problema com o livro. Primeiro porque se eu tivesse acessado a sinopse que não estava no Netgalley eu jamais teria solicitado esse livro, fica claro nessa que a autora vai criar algum tipo de triângulo "não amoroso"? Porque os personagens são aces, mas eu jamais teria me arriscado. E sim, existe uma sensação de triângulo sim durante o livro, não chega a ser maçante como normalmente em livros allos mas ainda assim tem a pressão do romantismo e tal. Segundo que na sinopse original, dar a entender que o foco da protagonista é quebrar as barreiras do "romântico" e conseguir o lugar dela como aroace. Só que pra começar, não que seja um problema no geral, nem que ela precise ser para alcançar o que deixou entendido na sinopse mas ainda assim: Ela não é assumida como aroace, e como eu disse ela não precisa ser, não existe nada de errado nisso e ela nem sequer precisaria pra ter como sonho ser a primeira aroace da academia. O caso é, o que é muito recorrente no livro no geral, ela não tem como saber se ela é a única bailarina aroace da companhia, e o mais irritante: em nenhum momento ela pensa fortemente, ou leva isso como lema pra carreira dela, ela só quer chegar na companhia, ela nunca parou no livro e falou "eu quero quebrar limites, eu quero ser bailarina aroace que dança numa companhia romântica" sabe? Ainda acontece umas divergências no que está acontecendo no livro, o que acredito que tenha sido erro nessas mudanças de edição, aqui no começo do livro ela diz (praticamente no mesmo parágrafo) como não quer se envolver com ninguém, como nunca sentiu necessidade de conexão e tal e no outro já diz que sempre sonhou em ter a conexão que sente quando está dançando no balé, enfim...
Outro problema que tive, que pego a culpa pra mim mesma, é o seguinte: Quando li a sinopse me deu a parecer que eles não seriam adolescentes. Isso me deixa desconfortável porque eu não quero ser a pessoa que pega livro de adolescentes sendo adolescentes e fica diminuindo o que estão sentindo. Mas, de qualquer forma eles são pessoas que deviam ter uma maturidade, eles vivem basicamente sozinhos, o foco todo é na carreira deles então fica muito difícil durante o livro aguentar algumas ações, algumas decisões e tal. E aí dentro disso tem vários outros pontos, como ela não consegue tomar uma decisão prática, as pessoas estão no hospital e tudo que ela faz é mandar mensagem de texto? Como ela nunca para pra ajudar as pessoas a volta dela, e sim ela está passando por muita coisa mas o tanto de vezes que ele se questiona se deveria fazer algo sendo que são coisas gravíssimas é absurdo.
Outra questão é essas coisas gravíssimas, em vários momentos do livro eu não senti que todos os problemas estavam ali para serem bem desenvolvidos. Isso me incomodou bastante, ainda mais como tinha algumas ações (mencionadas) da escola e como isso não era realmente abordado como deveria ter sido.
Sobre a questão das deduções que os personagens fazem, que falei ali em cima: Isso acontece o livro todo, desde ela não saber se tem outras pessoas aroaces até cenas totalmente desnecessárias onde ela toma conclusões que não fazem o menor sentido. As cenas de quando começa os ataques contra ela, toda interação que ela tem é cheia de questionamentos ridículos, com conclusões sem nexo. E são horríveis porque ela ainda nem age nisso, ela só fica nesse monólogo. Ainda pesa mais porque no início do livro ela deixa claro como não é próxima das colegas de quarto e aí do nada ela está fazendo essas leituras sobre elas como se fossem super próximas.
Sobre o balé em si: eu não senti nada. Os primeiros capítulos eu quase arranquei meus cabelos de tanto ler "pas de deux" e depois tem muito ensaio porque eles dizem que tem MUITO ensaios.
Todos os três personagens tem narrações, então esses problemas se dividem entre os três. Que é quando fica óbvio que não é um problema seu com tal personagem, é realmente a escrita e desenvolvimento da autora.
O plot eu também não gostei. Eu não consigo acreditar, porque pelo que eu entendi era isso que estava acontecendo, que pessoas que já são bailarinas profissionais, que vão trabalhar lado a lado, iriam parar pra juntar grupinho e ficar sendo uma versão de garotas malvadas com as novatas do trabalho? Eu não estou dizendo que não vá haver rivalidade e etc mas é algo totalmente diferente.
Eu não gostei de como já se tem uma sensação de pouco balé, e ainda os três personagens nem sequer dançam por si mesmo é sempre por outra pessoa. Nem sequer Teddy que arrisca a saúde pelo balé não passa essa profundidade.
Eu li as notas da autora e ela também é aroace e disse que consultou leitores sensíveis mas eu não gostei de como a assexualidade foi reduzida a gostar ou não de sexo.
Acho que as cenas de acefobia e a arofobia do Teddy foram um ponto que não me agradou também, independente do fato que ela tentou fazer de ele não estar bem e tal, acho que não cabe. Tanto porque ele quer muito uma relação queerplatonica, enfim...
SPOILERS !!!!!!!!
Sobre furos no plot: Não faz sentido Victoria não ter falado logo quem deu o sapato para ela. Não faz sentido a pessoa que ataca a protagonista ter sido violenta daquele jeito no banheiro e com uma faca na mão ter feito apenas um cortezinho no rosto dela.
Não faz sentido Teddy ter ficado tanto tempo dançando, mesmo depois do diagnóstico, porque a direção não se importou? Porque o pai dele não avisou a direção? Mesmo que tenha o caso dele ter sido negligenciado, o pai estava presente e nem queria que ele voltasse.
Aquelas cenas finais do Teddy foram horríveis, tanto a acefobia que ele soltou quanto a final mesmo, foi gratuito e sem nexo.
A mãe da protagonista também, o livro inteiro ela age de uma forma aí no final ela muda do nada? Ainda mais sendo que antes deu a entender que era algo bem mais grave que apenas luto.
Eu não volto para ler nada mais da série. Não acho que vá ficar melhor, não acho que tenha como trazer profundidade pros personagens. Acho que só trazer mais bullying ainda mais com gente adulta e professional não agrega em nada.
//
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the digital ARC in exchange for my review.
I had several problems with this book, the review is going to be huge, there's no way around it.
For starters: I got this book at Netgalley, there is a synopsis available that I was interested in. When I had already been approved by the publisher and I had already started reading the book, I went on the reading networks to make progress and found that depending on the edition you access there are different synopses! The overall synopsis was my first problem with the book. First because if I had accessed the synopsis that was not on Netgalley I would never have requested this book, is it clear in this that the author is going to create some kind of "non-love" triangle? Because the characters are aces, but I would never have taken the risk. And yes, there is a feeling of a triangle throughout the book, it's not boring as usual in allos books but it still has the pressure of romanticism and such. According to that in the original synopsis, to imply that the protagonist's focus is to break the barriers of the "romantic" and achieve her career as aroace. But for starters, not that it's a problem in general, nor that it needs to be to achieve what you understand in the synopsis, but still: She is not assumed to be aroace, and as I said she doesn't need to be, there is nothing wrong about that and she wouldn't even need to dream of being the first aroace of the academy. The case is, which is very recurrent in the book in general, she has no way of knowing if she is the only aroace dancer in the company, and the most irritating thing: at no time does she think strongly, or take it as a motto for her career, she just wants to get in the company, she never stopped in the book and said "I want to break boundaries, I want to be an aroace ballerina who dances in a romantic company" you know? There are still some differences in what is happening in the book, which I believe was a mistake in these editing changes, here at the beginning of the book she says (practically in the same paragraph) how she doesn't want to get involved with anyone, how she never felt the need to connect and such and in the other, he says that he always dreamed of having the connection he feels when he is dancing in the ballet, anyway...
Another problem I had, which I take the blame for myself, is the following: When I read the synopsis it made me think they wouldn't be teenagers. It makes me uncomfortable because I don't want to be the person who picks up teenagers' books as teenagers and keeps downplaying what they're feeling. But, anyway, they are people who should have a maturity, they basically live alone, the whole focus is on their career so it's very difficult during the book to put up with some actions, some decisions and such. And then within that there are several other points, like she can't make a practical decision, people are in the hospital and all she does is text? As she never stops to help the people around her, and yes she is going through a lot but the many times she wonders if she should do something being that they are very serious things is absurd.
Another issue is these very serious things, in several moments of the book I didn't feel that all the problems were there to be well developed. This bothered me a lot, even more so as there were some actions (mentioned) from the school and how it wasn't really addressed as it should have been.
On the question of the deductions that the characters make, which I mentioned above: This happens throughout the book, from her not knowing if there are other people aroaces to totally unnecessary scenes where she makes conclusions that don't make any sense. The scenes when the attacks against her begin, every interaction she has is full of ridiculous questions, with inane conclusions. And they're horrible because she doesn't even act on it yet, she just stays in this monologue.
It even weighs more because at the beginning of the book she makes it clear how she's not close to her roommates and then out of nowhere she's doing these readings about them as if they were super close.
About the ballet itself: I didn't feel anything. The first few chapters I almost pulled my hair out from reading "pas de deux" and then there are a lot of rehearsals because they say there are LOTS of rehearsals.
All three characters have voiceovers, so these issues are split between the three. Which is when it becomes obvious that it's not your problem with such a character, it's really the author's writing and development.
I didn't like the plot either. I can't believe it, because from what I understood this was what was happening, that people who are already professional dancers, who are going to work side by side, would stop to join a little group and be a version of mean girls with the newbies at work? I'm not saying there won't be rivalries and etc but it's something else entirely.
I didn't like how it already has a feeling of little ballet, and yet the three characters don't even dance by themselves, it's always by someone else. Not even Teddy, who risks his health for the ballet, doesn't pass that depth.
I read the author's notes and she is also aroace and said she consulted sensitive readers but I didn't like how asexuality was reduced to liking or not liking sex.
I think the acephobia scenes and Teddy's arophobia were a point that I didn't like either, regardless of the fact that she tried to make him not be well and such, I don't think it fits. So much because he really wants a queerplatonic relationship, anyway...
SPOILERS !!!!!!!!
About plot holes: It doesn't make sense that Victoria didn't immediately say who gave her the shoe. It doesn't make sense for the person who attacks the protagonist to have been violent like that in the bathroom and with a knife in her hand to have just cut her face.
Doesn't it make sense for Teddy to have been dancing so long, even after his diagnosis, because the management didn't care? Why didn't his father notify the direction? Even though there is the case that he was neglected, the father was present and didn't even want him to come back.
Those final scenes of Teddy were horrible, both the acephobia he unleashed and the final one, it was gratuitous and pointless.
The protagonist's mother too, throughout the book she acts in a way, then at the end she changes out of nowhere? Even more so since before he hinted that it was something much more serious than just mourning.
I won't be going back to read more of the series. I don't think it's going to get any better, I don't think there's any way to bring depth to the characters. I think just bringing more bullying with adult and professional people doesn't add anything.
January 6, 2022
Thanks to NetGalley and Victory Editing for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
CW: mild violence, mention of sexual assault (no description), multiple characters with eating disorders (goes pretty in depth into the thought processes of one character in particular, so I might caution people who struggle with disordered eating)
The Rhythm of my Soul is a book that centers on three ballet dancers. Best friends Taryn and Teddy are students at the prestigious Roseheart Ballet Academy. When Teddy becomes injured during a performance, Taryn suddenly needs to find a new dance partner to secure her dream job. Enter Jaidev, a talented outsider with a past that haunts him. Together, Taryn and Jaidev must go through grueling training to prove to Roseheart that they deserve spots in the company. Like Jaidev, Taryn also has a past tragedy in her life she has not fully recovered from, and she’s also hiding that she is aromatic and asexual, a fact that only Teddy (who is also aroace) knows. Ballet is more cutthroat than you might think, and there are several dancers who don’t want to see the pair succeed—at any cost. Meanwhile, Teddy is fighting his own battles with physical and mental illness, coming to grips with the fact that a new diagnosis means he will never dance again.
I could not put this book down! There were so many twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was balanced with really thoughtful musings on mental illness (especially disordered eating), friendship, guilt, and sexual/romantic orientation. These are some big, weighty topics, but the author does a fabulous job addressing them thoroughly and thoughtfully. The characters all felt fleshed out, and even if they were flawed, I could understand their motivations for doing what they did. They never felt like caricatures; every character was as complex as people are in real life. It can be really difficult to find books with protagonists on the asexual spectrum (it seems like the author may have a few other books with ace-spec protagonists, which I’m definitely going to check out!), and I loved that the author included three different ace-spec characters with good discussion on how they all differed from one another. I find that allo people really struggle to understand asexuality, and I appreciated how the author showed the diversity of the label and explained sexual attraction vs. desire for romance in a great way.
The only thing that’s keeping me from giving this book five stars is that sometimes it felt like there was too much action. It felt like there was just misfortune after misfortune. I started to get a bit weary of one life-threatening problem resolving and then another immediately occurring. Some of the incidents definitely had narrative purpose, so I didn’t mind much (and like I said, I loved the thriller aspects of the novel!), but others felt like tragedy for the sake of tragedy. Without going into too much spoiler-y detail, there was one subplot in particular that involved an “offscreen” sexual assault that probably could’ve been removed while still preserving the plot and the character development. To be fair, the author seemed self-aware about how much catastrophe there was; at one point, a character remarks that they just seem to keep returning the hospital over and over again. This very well may just be a matter of personal taste, though, and this minor detail did not detract from an otherwise engaging, compelling, and thoughtful novel. Highly recommend to people who are looking for a book with thriller/mystery aspects that doesn’t skimp on thoughtful character development and queer representation.
4/5 stars
CW: mild violence, mention of sexual assault (no description), multiple characters with eating disorders (goes pretty in depth into the thought processes of one character in particular, so I might caution people who struggle with disordered eating)
The Rhythm of my Soul is a book that centers on three ballet dancers. Best friends Taryn and Teddy are students at the prestigious Roseheart Ballet Academy. When Teddy becomes injured during a performance, Taryn suddenly needs to find a new dance partner to secure her dream job. Enter Jaidev, a talented outsider with a past that haunts him. Together, Taryn and Jaidev must go through grueling training to prove to Roseheart that they deserve spots in the company. Like Jaidev, Taryn also has a past tragedy in her life she has not fully recovered from, and she’s also hiding that she is aromatic and asexual, a fact that only Teddy (who is also aroace) knows. Ballet is more cutthroat than you might think, and there are several dancers who don’t want to see the pair succeed—at any cost. Meanwhile, Teddy is fighting his own battles with physical and mental illness, coming to grips with the fact that a new diagnosis means he will never dance again.
I could not put this book down! There were so many twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat, but it was balanced with really thoughtful musings on mental illness (especially disordered eating), friendship, guilt, and sexual/romantic orientation. These are some big, weighty topics, but the author does a fabulous job addressing them thoroughly and thoughtfully. The characters all felt fleshed out, and even if they were flawed, I could understand their motivations for doing what they did. They never felt like caricatures; every character was as complex as people are in real life. It can be really difficult to find books with protagonists on the asexual spectrum (it seems like the author may have a few other books with ace-spec protagonists, which I’m definitely going to check out!), and I loved that the author included three different ace-spec characters with good discussion on how they all differed from one another. I find that allo people really struggle to understand asexuality, and I appreciated how the author showed the diversity of the label and explained sexual attraction vs. desire for romance in a great way.
The only thing that’s keeping me from giving this book five stars is that sometimes it felt like there was too much action. It felt like there was just misfortune after misfortune. I started to get a bit weary of one life-threatening problem resolving and then another immediately occurring. Some of the incidents definitely had narrative purpose, so I didn’t mind much (and like I said, I loved the thriller aspects of the novel!), but others felt like tragedy for the sake of tragedy. Without going into too much spoiler-y detail, there was one subplot in particular that involved an “offscreen” sexual assault that probably could’ve been removed while still preserving the plot and the character development. To be fair, the author seemed self-aware about how much catastrophe there was; at one point, a character remarks that they just seem to keep returning the hospital over and over again. This very well may just be a matter of personal taste, though, and this minor detail did not detract from an otherwise engaging, compelling, and thoughtful novel. Highly recommend to people who are looking for a book with thriller/mystery aspects that doesn’t skimp on thoughtful character development and queer representation.
4/5 stars
January 3, 2022
I picked this up because I quite enjoy stories taking place in a competitive sports setting. However, I know very little about professional ballet. The author of the book claims she has consulted with actual dancers in her process of writing so I’m just going to take her word for it with anything concerning ballet.
I actually really, really enjoyed this book! The pace moved along nicely and while it is aimed at a “young adult” audience (most of the protagonists are between 17 and 20 or so) it contains some “heavy stuff” – check your trigger warnings before reading this!
Here is what I liked and what could have been a little bit better:
The characters: In this story we get the personal perspectives of three different dancers in rotation, although Taryn is definitely our main character and we get a little bit less from Teddy and Jaidev, two male dancers, who at different times are/were Taryn’s dance partners. At first, the perspective swaps irritated me, mostly because I felt like I was just getting to know one of them a bit better and then we swapped to someone else, but I got used to it very quickly. All of the three characters are likeable enough although I found each of them a bit silly and frustrating at different times throughout the book. Teddy, of course, has a truly lifechanging diagnosis happening to him which undoubtedly is not easy to accept or work through.
The drama: I don’t know what else to call it, but the plot is driven by a lot of drama. I do like that it touches on a number of different issues and problems (which double up as trigger warnings for the book) including: finding oneself on the aroace spectrum, acephobia, racism, elitism, rape, stigmatisation around (unwanted) pregnancy, abortion, survivor’s guilt, diagnosis of a serious heart condition in young & healthy athletes, eating disorders. And just to make sure it wouldn’t get boring we get a lot of these problems doubling up, so we have not just one but two aroace character, two characters grappling with survivor’s guilt and two different people with differing eating disorders. Please don’t get me wrong, I think all of these issues are worth talking about but it felt like too much for one book. As a result, many of the processes that these characters go through as they come to terms with how they are affected by various of the above do not go into as much detail as they could have. As this is a series and not a standalone book, I would have loved to see things stretched out a little more and explored in more depth. I did love the exploration of the aroace spectrum and it is fantastic to see a book aimed at young adults that highlights the diversity and fluidity within this spectrum, which is clearly also close to the author’s heart. However, the racism & elitism was mentioned in a hindsight or in passing – there is a threatening message that is misinterpreted as racism (so it was not actually motivated by racism at all) and our female main character mentions in passing that ballet seems a fairly “white” affair in general but this isn’t really explored, and a lot of ethnic and racial representation seems shoehorned into the story. It just all deserved a bit more time dedicated to it. This is my reasoning for giving it four rather than five stars, but I really look forward to future books in this series and what topics/issues they will tackle!
I actually really, really enjoyed this book! The pace moved along nicely and while it is aimed at a “young adult” audience (most of the protagonists are between 17 and 20 or so) it contains some “heavy stuff” – check your trigger warnings before reading this!
Here is what I liked and what could have been a little bit better:
The characters: In this story we get the personal perspectives of three different dancers in rotation, although Taryn is definitely our main character and we get a little bit less from Teddy and Jaidev, two male dancers, who at different times are/were Taryn’s dance partners. At first, the perspective swaps irritated me, mostly because I felt like I was just getting to know one of them a bit better and then we swapped to someone else, but I got used to it very quickly. All of the three characters are likeable enough although I found each of them a bit silly and frustrating at different times throughout the book. Teddy, of course, has a truly lifechanging diagnosis happening to him which undoubtedly is not easy to accept or work through.
The drama: I don’t know what else to call it, but the plot is driven by a lot of drama. I do like that it touches on a number of different issues and problems (which double up as trigger warnings for the book) including: finding oneself on the aroace spectrum, acephobia, racism, elitism, rape, stigmatisation around (unwanted) pregnancy, abortion, survivor’s guilt, diagnosis of a serious heart condition in young & healthy athletes, eating disorders. And just to make sure it wouldn’t get boring we get a lot of these problems doubling up, so we have not just one but two aroace character, two characters grappling with survivor’s guilt and two different people with differing eating disorders. Please don’t get me wrong, I think all of these issues are worth talking about but it felt like too much for one book. As a result, many of the processes that these characters go through as they come to terms with how they are affected by various of the above do not go into as much detail as they could have. As this is a series and not a standalone book, I would have loved to see things stretched out a little more and explored in more depth. I did love the exploration of the aroace spectrum and it is fantastic to see a book aimed at young adults that highlights the diversity and fluidity within this spectrum, which is clearly also close to the author’s heart. However, the racism & elitism was mentioned in a hindsight or in passing – there is a threatening message that is misinterpreted as racism (so it was not actually motivated by racism at all) and our female main character mentions in passing that ballet seems a fairly “white” affair in general but this isn’t really explored, and a lot of ethnic and racial representation seems shoehorned into the story. It just all deserved a bit more time dedicated to it. This is my reasoning for giving it four rather than five stars, but I really look forward to future books in this series and what topics/issues they will tackle!
October 9, 2022
I really enjoyed The Rhythm of My Soul by Elin Dyer! This book tells the story of a group of ballerinas and danseurs at a ballet academy and company in the UK. Told from three alternating perspectives, we see the drastic measures males and females go to in order to survive the stressful and competitive world of joining ballet companies.
The book begins with narration by Taryn, a 17 year old girl who is see as the obvious choice for a coveted spot in the Roseheart professional company with her dance partner Teddy. She and Teddy make the perfect dance couple because of their sexualities, Taryn is Aroace (Aromantic and Asexual), and Teddy is Asexual, therefore there is no pressure to date others because everyone wonders if they are secretly a couple. When Teddy is injured during their final academy performance, her fate is left uncertain because the two dancers were a package deal.
Soon we hear from Teddy as well. It turns out that the reason he was injured was because he blacked out in the middle of his dance. The doctors think the cause is a heart condition which may prevent him from ever dancing again. Secretly he hides an eating disorder from everyone including Taryn. Teddy is determined to get back to Roseheart and keep dancing with Taryn, whether he is officially diagnosed with a heart condition or not.
With Teddy out of the picture for at least the time being, Roseheart decides that there are no graduating male danseurs that would compliment Taryn, thus making it impossible to offer the position to her with no partner. They decide to try out a danseur from France named Jaidev, essentially giving Taryn a second chance at an opportunity she has been working towards for years. The other academy and company dancers do not love this sudden change in practice as it has always been two graduating students accepted into the company. Suddenly Jaidev and Taryn are the targets of rumours, hazing and threats. As their pasts begin to haunt them and with their position in the company at stake, Taryn and Jaidev are tested in more ways than just a company dance assessment!
This YA has the perfect amount of teen drama (lies, secrets, bullying, dating, parental divorce) and realistic problems like teen pregnancy and abortion, rape, being outed, eating disorders and trauma, while also adding elements specific to this setting, such as dance related injuries, threats and the physical and mental impact of the competitiveness the program requires. I think that YA readers will love this book, especially those who have read the Tiny Pretty Things series by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton. It is a fast moving, yet easy to follow story, with slow reveal of character backstories and motives, adding elements of thriller/surprise to the story. There are some scenes of violence (mainly threats with a knife, and a descriptive "swirlie"/toilet dunking scene), but nothing a YA reader couldn't handle. There's also no sex, alcohol or drug use (other than mention of date rape drugs) making it the perfect book for younger YA readers. I would definitely recommend this book to ballet and YA lovers and teens in the age 13-18 range. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!
The book begins with narration by Taryn, a 17 year old girl who is see as the obvious choice for a coveted spot in the Roseheart professional company with her dance partner Teddy. She and Teddy make the perfect dance couple because of their sexualities, Taryn is Aroace (Aromantic and Asexual), and Teddy is Asexual, therefore there is no pressure to date others because everyone wonders if they are secretly a couple. When Teddy is injured during their final academy performance, her fate is left uncertain because the two dancers were a package deal.
Soon we hear from Teddy as well. It turns out that the reason he was injured was because he blacked out in the middle of his dance. The doctors think the cause is a heart condition which may prevent him from ever dancing again. Secretly he hides an eating disorder from everyone including Taryn. Teddy is determined to get back to Roseheart and keep dancing with Taryn, whether he is officially diagnosed with a heart condition or not.
With Teddy out of the picture for at least the time being, Roseheart decides that there are no graduating male danseurs that would compliment Taryn, thus making it impossible to offer the position to her with no partner. They decide to try out a danseur from France named Jaidev, essentially giving Taryn a second chance at an opportunity she has been working towards for years. The other academy and company dancers do not love this sudden change in practice as it has always been two graduating students accepted into the company. Suddenly Jaidev and Taryn are the targets of rumours, hazing and threats. As their pasts begin to haunt them and with their position in the company at stake, Taryn and Jaidev are tested in more ways than just a company dance assessment!
This YA has the perfect amount of teen drama (lies, secrets, bullying, dating, parental divorce) and realistic problems like teen pregnancy and abortion, rape, being outed, eating disorders and trauma, while also adding elements specific to this setting, such as dance related injuries, threats and the physical and mental impact of the competitiveness the program requires. I think that YA readers will love this book, especially those who have read the Tiny Pretty Things series by Sona Charaipotra & Dhonielle Clayton. It is a fast moving, yet easy to follow story, with slow reveal of character backstories and motives, adding elements of thriller/surprise to the story. There are some scenes of violence (mainly threats with a knife, and a descriptive "swirlie"/toilet dunking scene), but nothing a YA reader couldn't handle. There's also no sex, alcohol or drug use (other than mention of date rape drugs) making it the perfect book for younger YA readers. I would definitely recommend this book to ballet and YA lovers and teens in the age 13-18 range. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read and review this book!
September 24, 2022
If it weren’t for the 2022 PopSugar Reading Challenge, I may not have ever found Elin Dyer’s first novel in the new Roseheart Ballet Academy series, The Rhythm of My Soul. Needing to read a story featuring a character on the ace spectrum, I especially liked the idea of The Rhythm of My Soul’s lead, ace ballerina Taryn, because I immensely enjoy ballet novels. Being independently published, I wasn’t sure what I was getting with The Rhythm of My Soul, but found myself pleasantly surprised with this novel’s content and characters.
The Rhythm of My Soul follows three dancers at the Roseheart Ballet Academy. Taryn and Teddy, partners, are hoping to make it into the school’s company after graduation, but when a terrible accident befalls Teddy, Taryn finds herself dancing into the arms of someone new - Jaidev. Taryn and Jaidev only have a matter of time to learn how to dance together as one before the decision is made about their fate with the company. Meanwhile, Teddy, being told he may never dance again, is determined to find himself back on stage despite the odds. To complicate matters, someone has it out for several of the dancers at Roseheart and is making threats to not only end their careers, but lives. Will anyone make it out unscathed?
To start with my reason for reading this book - it features aroace characters - I found Dyer’s portrayal of Taryn to be done extremely well. I knew nothing about what it means to be aroace, so this novel was not only entertaining, but informative, as well. Dyer writes about Taryn’s sexuality in such a way that you see her as a human and dancer first, and only as someone who does not develop sexual or romantic feelings for anyone as secondary. Dyer seamlessly works Taryn’s preferences into her personality, helping the reader to experience the world in the way that Taryn does, seeing it through an aroace lens. I appreciated Dyer’s tact in writing about Taryn’s sexuality and developing her story in a way that doesn’t get bogged down in labels or assumptions.
I found the most interesting parts of this book to be about Taryn herself, as well as her experiences as a dancer. The mystery of the novel wasn’t key for me, and I would have happily read this novel without it, as Taryn was such an intriguing character to me. However, I do wish that this book was a bit more on the technical side, featuring more detailed passages about dancing and performing. I do not know if Dyer has dance experience, but this novel almost feels as if it could have been written by someone who has never set foot on stage.
The Rhythm of My Soul follows three dancers at the Roseheart Ballet Academy. Taryn and Teddy, partners, are hoping to make it into the school’s company after graduation, but when a terrible accident befalls Teddy, Taryn finds herself dancing into the arms of someone new - Jaidev. Taryn and Jaidev only have a matter of time to learn how to dance together as one before the decision is made about their fate with the company. Meanwhile, Teddy, being told he may never dance again, is determined to find himself back on stage despite the odds. To complicate matters, someone has it out for several of the dancers at Roseheart and is making threats to not only end their careers, but lives. Will anyone make it out unscathed?
To start with my reason for reading this book - it features aroace characters - I found Dyer’s portrayal of Taryn to be done extremely well. I knew nothing about what it means to be aroace, so this novel was not only entertaining, but informative, as well. Dyer writes about Taryn’s sexuality in such a way that you see her as a human and dancer first, and only as someone who does not develop sexual or romantic feelings for anyone as secondary. Dyer seamlessly works Taryn’s preferences into her personality, helping the reader to experience the world in the way that Taryn does, seeing it through an aroace lens. I appreciated Dyer’s tact in writing about Taryn’s sexuality and developing her story in a way that doesn’t get bogged down in labels or assumptions.
I found the most interesting parts of this book to be about Taryn herself, as well as her experiences as a dancer. The mystery of the novel wasn’t key for me, and I would have happily read this novel without it, as Taryn was such an intriguing character to me. However, I do wish that this book was a bit more on the technical side, featuring more detailed passages about dancing and performing. I do not know if Dyer has dance experience, but this novel almost feels as if it could have been written by someone who has never set foot on stage.
December 31, 2021
The Rhythm of My Soul was unlike any other book I’ve read for Crumpled Bookshelf. Elin Dyer presents the cutthroat world of professional dancing with all its darkness and yet with a spirit of hope and perseverance.
Once I got past the first few chapters of the book, I was hooked. It took me some time to acclimate with the environment and the scenarios in the book, but the wait for the thrill to begin was worth it.
This book brought many first for me as a reader. As an LGBTQIA book, it offers a deep understanding of the spectrum of human personality and existence. The Rhythm of My Soul which is the first book in the Roseheart Ballet Academy series also brings into the light the burdens of success where vacancies are very few.
The book presented something so wide that I cannot even begin to comprehend the ability of the author to pull readers into a world that is as enticing as it is dangerous.
Before I go towards the plot, it should be mentioned that the book also has themes that may be triggers for many people. These include Eating Disorders, Mental Harassment, Physical Violence, Mentions of Sexual Violence, Death, Drug Addiction, Physical Trauma and severe health conditions.
Taryn, Teddy and Jaidev are at very different places in their individual lives but are connected through various similarities and Ballet. They have all seen death closely and have been affected by the situations, and changed forever.
The story focused on the dynamics of a dancer’s path to success with all the ups and downs of the physical and mental strains it puts on the dancer. The author has beautifully painted a wave of emotions in the book through words and dance.
I am in love with Dancing, but to read a book, where it is the focal point of so many lives and has the power to make or break them is very daunting. The book almost feels like a salute to all the dancers in the world who have made it far with their talent.
The book was pure beauty. Not a perfect one, but a beauty nonetheless. The story was hauntingly beautiful and engaging. The designers of the book cover deserve praise for being able to give us a glimpse of the Taryn brought alive by Elin Dyer.
Thank You Ineja Press for allowing me to read the book and presenting such a talented author to the world.
Happy Reading!
*The review is live on Crumpled Bookshelf (2nd January, 2022)
https://crumpledbookshelf.wordpress.c...
Once I got past the first few chapters of the book, I was hooked. It took me some time to acclimate with the environment and the scenarios in the book, but the wait for the thrill to begin was worth it.
This book brought many first for me as a reader. As an LGBTQIA book, it offers a deep understanding of the spectrum of human personality and existence. The Rhythm of My Soul which is the first book in the Roseheart Ballet Academy series also brings into the light the burdens of success where vacancies are very few.
The book presented something so wide that I cannot even begin to comprehend the ability of the author to pull readers into a world that is as enticing as it is dangerous.
Before I go towards the plot, it should be mentioned that the book also has themes that may be triggers for many people. These include Eating Disorders, Mental Harassment, Physical Violence, Mentions of Sexual Violence, Death, Drug Addiction, Physical Trauma and severe health conditions.
Taryn, Teddy and Jaidev are at very different places in their individual lives but are connected through various similarities and Ballet. They have all seen death closely and have been affected by the situations, and changed forever.
The story focused on the dynamics of a dancer’s path to success with all the ups and downs of the physical and mental strains it puts on the dancer. The author has beautifully painted a wave of emotions in the book through words and dance.
I am in love with Dancing, but to read a book, where it is the focal point of so many lives and has the power to make or break them is very daunting. The book almost feels like a salute to all the dancers in the world who have made it far with their talent.
The book was pure beauty. Not a perfect one, but a beauty nonetheless. The story was hauntingly beautiful and engaging. The designers of the book cover deserve praise for being able to give us a glimpse of the Taryn brought alive by Elin Dyer.
Thank You Ineja Press for allowing me to read the book and presenting such a talented author to the world.
Happy Reading!
*The review is live on Crumpled Bookshelf (2nd January, 2022)
https://crumpledbookshelf.wordpress.c...
January 23, 2022
The Rhythm of My Soul was unlike any other book I’ve read for Crumpled Bookshelf. Elin Dyer presents the cutthroat world of professional dancing with all its darkness and yet with a spirit of hope and perseverance.
Once I got past the first few chapters of the book, I was hooked. It took me some time to acclimate with the environment and the scenarios in the book, but the wait for the thrill to begin was worth it.
This book brought many first for me as a reader. As an LGBTQIA book, it offers a deep understanding of the spectrum of human personality and existence. The Rhythm of My Soul which is the first book in the Roseheart Ballet Academy series also brings into the light the burdens of success where vacancies are very few.
The book presented something so wide that I cannot even begin to comprehend the ability of the author to pull readers into a world that is as enticing as it is dangerous.
Before I go towards the plot, it should be mentioned that the book also has themes that may be triggers for many people. These include Eating Disorders, Mental Harassment, Physical Violence, Mentions of Sexual Violence, Death, Drug Addiction, Physical Trauma and severe health conditions.
Taryn, Teddy and Jaidev are at very different places in their individual lives but are connected through various similarities and Ballet. They have all seen death closely and have been affected by the situations, and changed forever.
The story focused on the dynamics of a dancer’s path to success with all the ups and downs of the physical and mental strains it puts on the dancer. The author has beautifully painted a wave of emotions in the book through words and dance.
I am in love with Dancing, but to read a book, where it is the focal point of so many lives and has the power to make or break them is very daunting. The book almost feels like a salute to all the dancers in the world who have made it far with their talent.
The book was pure beauty. Not a perfect one, but a beauty nonetheless. The story was hauntingly beautiful and engaging. The designers of the book cover deserve praise for being able to give us a glimpse of the Taryn brought alive by Elin Dyer.
Thank You Ineja Press for allowing me to read the book and presenting such a talented author to the world.
Happy Reading!
*The review is live on Crumpled Bookshelf (2nd January, 2022)
Once I got past the first few chapters of the book, I was hooked. It took me some time to acclimate with the environment and the scenarios in the book, but the wait for the thrill to begin was worth it.
This book brought many first for me as a reader. As an LGBTQIA book, it offers a deep understanding of the spectrum of human personality and existence. The Rhythm of My Soul which is the first book in the Roseheart Ballet Academy series also brings into the light the burdens of success where vacancies are very few.
The book presented something so wide that I cannot even begin to comprehend the ability of the author to pull readers into a world that is as enticing as it is dangerous.
Before I go towards the plot, it should be mentioned that the book also has themes that may be triggers for many people. These include Eating Disorders, Mental Harassment, Physical Violence, Mentions of Sexual Violence, Death, Drug Addiction, Physical Trauma and severe health conditions.
Taryn, Teddy and Jaidev are at very different places in their individual lives but are connected through various similarities and Ballet. They have all seen death closely and have been affected by the situations, and changed forever.
The story focused on the dynamics of a dancer’s path to success with all the ups and downs of the physical and mental strains it puts on the dancer. The author has beautifully painted a wave of emotions in the book through words and dance.
I am in love with Dancing, but to read a book, where it is the focal point of so many lives and has the power to make or break them is very daunting. The book almost feels like a salute to all the dancers in the world who have made it far with their talent.
The book was pure beauty. Not a perfect one, but a beauty nonetheless. The story was hauntingly beautiful and engaging. The designers of the book cover deserve praise for being able to give us a glimpse of the Taryn brought alive by Elin Dyer.
Thank You Ineja Press for allowing me to read the book and presenting such a talented author to the world.
Happy Reading!
*The review is live on Crumpled Bookshelf (2nd January, 2022)
January 7, 2022
Thanks to Ineja Press for sending me an electronic copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a review!
This cover caught my eye on NetGalley, and then I found myself quickly pressing the request button after seeing "aro-ace ballerina" in the description. There is still hardly any a-spec rep in books, and my library didn't appear to be getting a copy of this one, so I was very happy when I was approved to read Taryn's story. A word of caution for fellow readers looking for fully supported a-spec stories though: there is lots of aphobia that Taryn has to deal with in this book, a lot of which is unchallenged & doesn't lead to better conversations, and it comes up a lot.
There was plenty of heart contained in this story, which came across mostly through Taryn's love of dance, but also through the bonds that formed between many of the characters and the lengths they had to go to in protecting each other. Learning about the world of professional ballet through this story was interesting, and the descriptions of the dance scenes were really well done. Details from backstories were revealed slowly without being frustrating, which added to the mystery of everything in a nice way. There were plenty of complicated relationships in this book!
In addition to the drama and mystery created by the events in the novel, there were also a lot of dark and serious topics covered as we followed along with the three perspectives of Taryn, Jaidev, and Teddy. Grief, guilt, eating disorders, sexual assault, and being ostracized & scorned for one's identity are some of the themes that wove together to make up the backbone of this book alongside ballet. Some things got to be too over the top to be entirely believable, which took away from my enjoyment quite a bit unfortunately. I'm sure there are readers out there that will enjoy this level of drama, but at least it was good to learn that continuing on with this author's work is not for me. (So glad for the representation and conversations that were had around a-spec identities though!)
This cover caught my eye on NetGalley, and then I found myself quickly pressing the request button after seeing "aro-ace ballerina" in the description. There is still hardly any a-spec rep in books, and my library didn't appear to be getting a copy of this one, so I was very happy when I was approved to read Taryn's story. A word of caution for fellow readers looking for fully supported a-spec stories though: there is lots of aphobia that Taryn has to deal with in this book, a lot of which is unchallenged & doesn't lead to better conversations, and it comes up a lot.
There was plenty of heart contained in this story, which came across mostly through Taryn's love of dance, but also through the bonds that formed between many of the characters and the lengths they had to go to in protecting each other. Learning about the world of professional ballet through this story was interesting, and the descriptions of the dance scenes were really well done. Details from backstories were revealed slowly without being frustrating, which added to the mystery of everything in a nice way. There were plenty of complicated relationships in this book!
In addition to the drama and mystery created by the events in the novel, there were also a lot of dark and serious topics covered as we followed along with the three perspectives of Taryn, Jaidev, and Teddy. Grief, guilt, eating disorders, sexual assault, and being ostracized & scorned for one's identity are some of the themes that wove together to make up the backbone of this book alongside ballet. Some things got to be too over the top to be entirely believable, which took away from my enjoyment quite a bit unfortunately. I'm sure there are readers out there that will enjoy this level of drama, but at least it was good to learn that continuing on with this author's work is not for me. (So glad for the representation and conversations that were had around a-spec identities though!)
March 20, 2022
Thank you to Natgalley and the publisher for providing me with a an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I really don't know what to rate this book. I keep on going back and forth between a 1.5 and a 2. For me personally, it was disappointing but I also recognize that I really wanted very specific things from this book and it did not meet those standards. On the other hand there were a few very specific things that I do feel need to be noted that could have been horrible and weren't. I should also preface this with stating that I did grow up in the ballet world. While I never planned on going professional and therefore did not devote myself to the craft in the same way these characters do, I was trained in ballet until I was 18. The first chapter or so I was really impressed with how well the author used authentic language and scenario and I was super onboard and then very quickly, I felt like things went off the rails. The thing is, the world of professional dance is in and of itself super high pressure and high stakes- there is absolutely NO need to throw in every single dramatic story line and subplot that is conceivable. This book really lost it for me super quickly solely based on the fact that 10% of the way in there were already 10 different dramatic moments and reveals which created 10 different dramatic plotlines... and this overabundance of the dramatic and tragic did not get better as the book went on. I honestly find it fascinating how the author got somethings about the ballet world so right while getting the rest so wrong.. Another thing I'm not sure how I feel about it the partnering aspect of this book. On the one hand it is very true that
I really don't know what to rate this book. I keep on going back and forth between a 1.5 and a 2. For me personally, it was disappointing but I also recognize that I really wanted very specific things from this book and it did not meet those standards. On the other hand there were a few very specific things that I do feel need to be noted that could have been horrible and weren't. I should also preface this with stating that I did grow up in the ballet world. While I never planned on going professional and therefore did not devote myself to the craft in the same way these characters do, I was trained in ballet until I was 18. The first chapter or so I was really impressed with how well the author used authentic language and scenario and I was super onboard and then very quickly, I felt like things went off the rails. The thing is, the world of professional dance is in and of itself super high pressure and high stakes- there is absolutely NO need to throw in every single dramatic story line and subplot that is conceivable. This book really lost it for me super quickly solely based on the fact that 10% of the way in there were already 10 different dramatic moments and reveals which created 10 different dramatic plotlines... and this overabundance of the dramatic and tragic did not get better as the book went on. I honestly find it fascinating how the author got somethings about the ballet world so right while getting the rest so wrong.. Another thing I'm not sure how I feel about it the partnering aspect of this book. On the one hand it is very true that
January 2, 2022
Elin Dyer's 'The Rhythm of My Soul' is the first book in her new Roseheart Academy series. I am a huge fan of dark academia and this fiercely competitive boarding school for ballerinas in London was the perfect setting for this gripping thriller. We follow three perspectives, Taryn, the star female ballerina in the graduating class, Teddy, her dance partner who unfortunately collapses at the beginning, likely never to dance again, and Jaidev, the talented ballerina who replaces Teddy as Taryn's dance partner.
Dyer has packed this book full of dark themes which seems to try to address every issue pertinent to teenagers under the sun. Some of them make for an intriguing and pacey plot, especially Taryn's inner battle with her twin sister's untimely death and the oxymoronic state of being aroace in a romantic ballet company. The portrayal of Taryn's sexuality is honest and I enjoyed the exploration of how she still rises to the top as a ballerina despite her romantic connection with the material being fantastic acting. Jaidev's grapple with his inner demons, and his past with his last dance partner, is also an intriguing storyline which added a great deal to the exploration of his tortured character.
On the flip side, Teddy is whiny and deluded throughout all of his chapters. He was intensely annoying and I am hoping his character development makes him more palatable in the sequels! The portrayal of his eating disorder, however, was interesting as it shines a light on symptoms which are not 'characteristically' linked to literary depictions of EDs. Oddly, there were also some issues which felt shoehorned in such as rape, backstreet abortions, and a bizarre reference to terrorism... These felt a little out of place but did not ultimately detract from my overall enjoyment of the novel.
This was a great first chapter in the Roseheart Ballet Academy series and a great introduction to a range of characters. I cannot wait for the sequel! 4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Dyer has packed this book full of dark themes which seems to try to address every issue pertinent to teenagers under the sun. Some of them make for an intriguing and pacey plot, especially Taryn's inner battle with her twin sister's untimely death and the oxymoronic state of being aroace in a romantic ballet company. The portrayal of Taryn's sexuality is honest and I enjoyed the exploration of how she still rises to the top as a ballerina despite her romantic connection with the material being fantastic acting. Jaidev's grapple with his inner demons, and his past with his last dance partner, is also an intriguing storyline which added a great deal to the exploration of his tortured character.
On the flip side, Teddy is whiny and deluded throughout all of his chapters. He was intensely annoying and I am hoping his character development makes him more palatable in the sequels! The portrayal of his eating disorder, however, was interesting as it shines a light on symptoms which are not 'characteristically' linked to literary depictions of EDs. Oddly, there were also some issues which felt shoehorned in such as rape, backstreet abortions, and a bizarre reference to terrorism... These felt a little out of place but did not ultimately detract from my overall enjoyment of the novel.
This was a great first chapter in the Roseheart Ballet Academy series and a great introduction to a range of characters. I cannot wait for the sequel! 4 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 9, 2022
Many thanks to the author for sending an electronic ARC of this book.
I quite enjoyed this book. The writing style made it light reading for me and the plot kept me reading and curious until the end. The plot and issues detailed throughout the book such as eating disorders and bullying make it a haunting story at times.
I enjoyed the aroace representation. I particularly found it realistic that the aroace characters in the book are different in what concerns desires, goals, level of comfort with sex and romance - which shows the real-world diversity of aspec folks. There are some interesting dynamics between the characters and information about aspec identities included in the dialogue.
The descriptions of ED thoughts and behaviors as well as the initial shock of a serious diagnosis are particularly well written in my opinion.
As someone who knows nothing about ballet, this book provided me with an intriguing glimpse into this world. The subject matter combines several elements into a coherent, suspenseful story, with mysteries that kept me turning page after page, and I have also learned a thing or two between the lines.
In the second half of the book I noticed less editing or more typos, though the writing style and story itself felt consistent throughout the book. Personally I put this down to the book being an ARC.
Reading with a critical eye I can see that quite a bit of research must have been done for this book, but that fact didn't jump at me as I was immersed in the plot.
I am curious and excited waiting to read the next book in the series.
I quite enjoyed this book. The writing style made it light reading for me and the plot kept me reading and curious until the end. The plot and issues detailed throughout the book such as eating disorders and bullying make it a haunting story at times.
I enjoyed the aroace representation. I particularly found it realistic that the aroace characters in the book are different in what concerns desires, goals, level of comfort with sex and romance - which shows the real-world diversity of aspec folks. There are some interesting dynamics between the characters and information about aspec identities included in the dialogue.
The descriptions of ED thoughts and behaviors as well as the initial shock of a serious diagnosis are particularly well written in my opinion.
As someone who knows nothing about ballet, this book provided me with an intriguing glimpse into this world. The subject matter combines several elements into a coherent, suspenseful story, with mysteries that kept me turning page after page, and I have also learned a thing or two between the lines.
In the second half of the book I noticed less editing or more typos, though the writing style and story itself felt consistent throughout the book. Personally I put this down to the book being an ARC.
Reading with a critical eye I can see that quite a bit of research must have been done for this book, but that fact didn't jump at me as I was immersed in the plot.
I am curious and excited waiting to read the next book in the series.
January 23, 2022
Wooow this was a wild ride. I don't know how to start, but... This book was not well written. At first I was going to dnf it, but I ended up sticking around to see how the drama would unfold. And oh my god there was so much drama. An unbelievable amount. The characters in this had absolutely no personality, because guess what? Trauma is not a personality. EVERY character in this had at least one dead family member, and TWO people were accused of killing said family member, like.. really? And Teddy? Teddy. Teddy made me so goddamn angry all the time, he was a horrible, horrible person. I have no idea why Taryn wanted to stay friends with him in the end, I personally would have cut contact way sooner. F off Teddy, waaay off.
Sorry, this is becoming ranty. I'll try to be more organized:
- Characters have no personality and there is no character development.
- Very stiff and unnatural dialogue
- Jaidev is the only character that brings warmth to the story
- Infodumpy writing
- So many names, I still don't know who all of them are
- Body image could've been handled better. There is nothing challenging the view that Taryn is "fat" because she is "slightly more curvy" than the other dancers. We already know she too is actually skinny, so at least discuss it properly
- Soooo much trauma. No one is safe. If someone has not almost died for a whole chapter, you better watch out
- I know this is fiction but WOW it's so unlikely that there are THREE whole people who happen to be ace-spec + every other character knows what that means?? Yea, fiction for real
TW for literally every traumatic thing you can imagine (look up TWs if you're in doubt)
Sorry, this is becoming ranty. I'll try to be more organized:
- Characters have no personality and there is no character development.
- Very stiff and unnatural dialogue
- Jaidev is the only character that brings warmth to the story
- Infodumpy writing
- So many names, I still don't know who all of them are
- Body image could've been handled better. There is nothing challenging the view that Taryn is "fat" because she is "slightly more curvy" than the other dancers. We already know she too is actually skinny, so at least discuss it properly
- Soooo much trauma. No one is safe. If someone has not almost died for a whole chapter, you better watch out
- I know this is fiction but WOW it's so unlikely that there are THREE whole people who happen to be ace-spec + every other character knows what that means?? Yea, fiction for real
TW for literally every traumatic thing you can imagine (look up TWs if you're in doubt)
January 5, 2022
I was lucky enough to receive an arc for this book and wow I was amazed. I have never been a dancer but the world of dance has always intrigued and amazed me.
I loved the diversity, particularly in terms of the aroace main character. I felt like it was done well so that it was not her only character trait but felt well woven in. I also liked how her past kept haunting her but how it took us till the end to work out what had actually happened.
I liked how the central theme of the book remained being the action rather than turning into a romance because this made me feel gripped and it is a pet hate of mine when there’s an amazing story that gets overshadowed by a romance.
The character of Ivelisse was interesting to read and I liked the hints of what was happening so we could try to work it out before the main characters did. I also liked the attacks on Taryn and how this created uncertainty even from the reader as to who was responsible and why they were targeting her.
I thought the portrayal of eating disorders was good and it really showed what a spectrum they are. I especially loved that orthorexia was mentioned as it is often forgotten, being less represented and known about.
Overall, I loved the book and can’t wait to read the rest of the series when they’re released!
I loved the diversity, particularly in terms of the aroace main character. I felt like it was done well so that it was not her only character trait but felt well woven in. I also liked how her past kept haunting her but how it took us till the end to work out what had actually happened.
I liked how the central theme of the book remained being the action rather than turning into a romance because this made me feel gripped and it is a pet hate of mine when there’s an amazing story that gets overshadowed by a romance.
The character of Ivelisse was interesting to read and I liked the hints of what was happening so we could try to work it out before the main characters did. I also liked the attacks on Taryn and how this created uncertainty even from the reader as to who was responsible and why they were targeting her.
I thought the portrayal of eating disorders was good and it really showed what a spectrum they are. I especially loved that orthorexia was mentioned as it is often forgotten, being less represented and known about.
Overall, I loved the book and can’t wait to read the rest of the series when they’re released!
January 18, 2022
Unfortunately, this book wasn't for me. As someone who is ace, I was really excited about an aroace lead however, there's only so far that can take you and perhaps it's because I'm already quite knowledgable about it, but I found the book just talked about it too much and as a result, it felt less organic.
I know this book dealt with a lot of serious topics, and I applaud that, but in a way, too much happened there for me to really appreciate everything. I know there will be a second book, but I'm not invested enough to continue with this series and my reason is to do with my next point.
The characters. I just didn't really like any of them? None of them felt like real people beyond ballet and their own issues. Teddy got on my nerves the most, and I understand his behaviour isn't his fault, but I felt annoyed by his choices. I also didn't feel the connection between him and Taryn that was supposedly there, a consequence of them being apart practically from the beginning, so we never really got to see how they interacted before.
I give this book 3 stars because despite the slow pacing of the first half, the second half picked up and it was easy and quick for me to read the last 40% or so, to find out what happened. Unfortanately, I don't think I'll be continuing on with this series.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I know this book dealt with a lot of serious topics, and I applaud that, but in a way, too much happened there for me to really appreciate everything. I know there will be a second book, but I'm not invested enough to continue with this series and my reason is to do with my next point.
The characters. I just didn't really like any of them? None of them felt like real people beyond ballet and their own issues. Teddy got on my nerves the most, and I understand his behaviour isn't his fault, but I felt annoyed by his choices. I also didn't feel the connection between him and Taryn that was supposedly there, a consequence of them being apart practically from the beginning, so we never really got to see how they interacted before.
I give this book 3 stars because despite the slow pacing of the first half, the second half picked up and it was easy and quick for me to read the last 40% or so, to find out what happened. Unfortanately, I don't think I'll be continuing on with this series.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
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