Published by Hodder & Stoughton on April 1, 2021
Format: ARC, Hardback
Source: Publisher
Pages: 400
Amazon UK
Goodreads
Swan Lake is divided into the black acts and the white acts.
The Prince is on stage for most of the ballet, but it's the swans audiences flock to see. In early productions, Odette and Odile were performed by two different dancers. These days, it is usual for the same dancer to play both roles. Because of the faultless ballet technique required to master the steps, and the emotional range needed to perform both the virginal Odette and the dark, seductive Odile, this challenging dual role is one of the most coveted in all ballet.
Dancers would kill for the part.
Ava Kirilova has reached the very top of her profession.
After years and years of hard graft, pain and sacrifice as part of the London Russian Ballet Company, allowing nothing else to distract her, she is finally the poster girl for Swan Lake. Even Mr K - her father, and the intense, terrifying director of the company - can find no fault.
Ava has pushed herself ahead of countless other talented, hardworking girls, and they are all watching her now.
But there is someone who really wants to see Ava fall ...
This book was simply sublime, magical, beautiful and ever so twisty. I knew I wanted to read this book but I hadn’t the foggiest what I was getting myself into. I admit I had no idea what Swan Lake was about, I have always wanted to watch it and after reading this I really want to watch it. Although I want to watch the Kirilov version.
This book reiterated the darkness with the dance companies, the competition, the strictness and the loneliness when you are at the top. As the book indicates when you are at the top, it is a long way to fall. I just did not envisage this fall, I didn’t envisage this story. Just Wow!
The tale is shown in three acts and an interval. I can’t go into too much detail because it will take the magic away from you. However, there is the intensity of a thriller and I found I was highly strung reading some of the chapters, I really did not see how we would have any resolution or where we were going with Watch Her Fall.
Now that I understand the story of Swan Lake the cover, which was striking anyway, takes a whole level of a new meaning. It is perfect for the story. The white and the black representing the two swans, the interlinking feathers, showing you how these two are linked. Ava is linked to another dancer, after that day, their lives will be forever entwined. This cover shares that forewarning with you.
I have been completely hooked with this book. I was following Ava’s story with trepidation because when you reach the top, it is a lonely place. However, when you fall, that spiral into darkness takes us places we don’t necessarily want to go to or believe we can go. It brings people into our lives we didn’t want or didn’t realise we needed.
You need an open mind, you need to go with the flow of the story. Enjoy it, don’t try to look further than the page in front of you. It needs to be savoured, it needs to be respected. Upon reflection, there are hints to what might happen, it is just I didn’t pay attention. I was enjoying the feathers unfurling in front of me and didn’t want to think ahead. Once or twice I did question what I read because something didn’t click, well until it did.
This book should be on the big screen, it has everything for the audience to love. The dance, drama, thrills but most of all the magic. I could sit all day and shout out about this book, I really could. It was majestic, breathtaking and beautiful. This is a book I will find in my top books at the end of the year!
Until next time xxx
Thanks to Kate at Hodder for the tour invite and the author for a copy of the book in return for my honest and unbiased review
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