I had read The Ballerinas earlier this year and absolutely fell in love with Kapelke-Dale’s writing. When I saw this was available to request on Netgalley, I eagerly requested it. The approval Gods quickly shined down on me.

I will echo a few other reviews that I’ve seen that said they went into this book expecting one thing but got another. However, no one has seemed disappointed by that. I certainly wasn’t. I did feel like the beginning was a bit slow and the plot wasn’t quite as cohesive as I would have liked. That turned around for my by the hallway point. I could see the direction the story was headed and was compelled to keep reading. I’m glad I did because this book is one that I will remember for a long time.

There is an inappropriate relationship between the main character as a young teen and an adult male. I really appreciated how this relationship was not romanticized.

I think the author is spectacular when it comes to writing about an artists/performer’s experience with the pressure to be great and what happens when that falls apart. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

The Ingenue by Rachel Kapelke-Dale is a well-crafted thriller that gives a dramatic look behind the curtains and is an unqualified success.

Being absolutely honest I struggled like hell with the first 37%, but then it was like the lights came on and I was HERE. FOR. IT. I definitely see all those inevitable comparisons to My Dark Vanessa, and they are justified but thankfully this is just another addition to the genre and not a copycat situation. The vibes are STRONG and gothy so great for the Wednesday crowds.
The hard right turn into crazy town at roughly 87 % had me struggling to root for Saskia.
Overall I'm giving it 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars. I wish the pacing at the start was a bit faster.

When we lose a loved one, we look back on all of the happy memories, but we also remember the not-so-happy ones—the ones that we might wish we’d handled differently. And in The Ingenue by Rachel Kapelke-Dale, a woman finds herself reflecting back on the difficult relationships of her childhood.

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

The Ingenue opens with a fantastical, mysterious account of the Elf House, especially the strange elves that adorn the house where gargoyles otherwise would sit. It sets the tone for a sort of fairy tale, even if the main story is rooted in reality. The narrative jumps back and forth in time, between the 1990s and 2020. We get glimpses of the protagonist, Saskia, as she came of age as a piano prodigy, before returning to the main narrative in 2020 and the aftermath of her mother Evie’s death.

Early on, The Ingenue feels like a thriller, with a mystery surrounding Evie’s will unexpectedly bequeathing the family home to a colleague. Saskia and her dad, Mike, are in for a legal nightmare trying to contest it. But as the novel progresses, it feels less like a true thriller and more like a psychological drama. The real story comes out of Saskia’s past and the romantic relationship that changed her. At the time, from the ages of 14 to 18, Saskia was utterly devoted to her secret lover. But now, with the perspective of a woman in her 30s, Saskia recognizes things in past that she was blind to before. Saskia and Mike are determined to prevent the Elf House from going to Patrick, and they need evidence to support their legal battles. But the most telling evidence may be the secrets Saskia has buried so deep—secrets she still doesn’t want her dad to know about. How can she fix her present without uncovering the past?

Although Saskia feels like a somewhat unlikable character at the beginning of The Ingenue, as it progresses she is shown in a more nuanced and forgiving light. She can be caustic and selfish, yes, but she’s also a woman who was taken advantage of, is reevaluating her past, and is now fighting for justice. She’s a woman trying to understand her mother beyond the grave and reconcile the secrets of her past. By the end, the stakes have risen too high and there’s only one way to achieve closure.

One of the things I liked most about The Ingenue was the music. Early on, piano is a source of pride for Saskia, but as time passes, it becomes a source of stress. How can she continue to be “special” as she grows older? How can she live up to the pressure and dedicate a whole life to piano? What if she’s lost the passion? Although Saskia does give up piano for nearly 20 years, I like how it eventually returns to her, even if only in a small way.

I also loved the theme of the fairy tales. The Elf House is a sort of haunting and magical place, whether literally or only in atmosphere. Each chapter also opens with an excerpt from Evie’s book series, Fairy Tales for Little Feminists. We get snippets of her retellings of well-known tales, in which she transforms the princesses into girls who stand up for themselves. They’re a bit on the nose, as Saskia frequently points out, but they also offer new ideas of strength for its readers. It all comes full circle as Saskia works on finishing her mother’s last manuscript, fittingly a retelling of Demeter and Persephone. It’s up to Saskia to come up with the right ending in her own fairy tale, both in the story and in her own real life.

The Ingenue weaves in powerful themes, from music and the pressure of performance, to fairy tales and feminism, to the #MeToo story driving it all. It’s about unsavory romantic relationships, but also about the relationships between a daughter and her parents. This novel is a psychological drama as much as a thriller, and it culminates in a thought-provoking yet satisfying way. This is only Rachel Kapelke-Dale’s second novel, and I’m eager to go back and read The Ballerinas before her next release.

4.5 stars

“She’s so good you wouldn’t be able to understand it… you wouldn’t even know what you didn’t know.”

What happens when you’re so exceptionally talented at one specific thing at a very young age that it eventually becomes your downfall? Rachel Kapelke-Dale’s ‘The Ingénue’ deftly explores this question, which is steeped in #MeToo-era themes that might be triggering for some. (Please take care of yourself if this is the case.)

When Saskia Kreis returns to her hometown after her mother’s unexpected passing, she finds that her birthright has been given to another… a person from her past whose abuse of power irrevocably shaped her. Once a concert pianist prodigy, Saskia has, for the better part of two decades, floundered in the aftermath of what she’d perceived as a relationship with a much older man and the implosion of her career as a pianist. The changes to her mother’s will gives her pause, and as she delves back into the past, she will unearth secrets that just might change everything.

After having read Kapelke-Dale’s ‘The Ballerinas’ I was intrigued to see what the author had in store for this novel, and I was not disappointed. I will say that the beginning feels a little slow, but once the narrative ramps up, it is unputdownable. Even though the story is told in third person POV, you really feel like you are in Saskia’s head throughout. And the interspersion of chapters told in the past amongst the storyline being told in the present is very effective.

The ways in which Kapelke-Dale plays with memory, with the implications of artistic genius, and with mother-daughter relationships is so deft and enthralling. There are parts of this book that are hard to read, but the overarching themes are wonderfully explicated.

If you’re looking for a complicated, interesting protagonist and a plot that keeps you guessing, ‘The Ingénue’ is definitely for you.

Thank you to St. Martin’s and NetGalley for generously providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Ingenue
by Rachel Kapelke-Dale
Pub Date: 06 Dec 2022

“The Ingenue” is a fairytale for feminists that weaves trauma and growth as Saskia copes with her past and determines her own legacy.

A fantastic story that gives hope for childhood victims.

It is a dark contemporary read, not for anyone looking for a light read.

Thank you NetGalley and the Publisher, St. Martins Press for an advanced e-ARC. All opinions are my own.

What's it about (in a nutshell):
The Ingenue by Rachel Kapelke-Dale is a suspenseful story of revenge and redemption told in Kaelke-Dale’s beautiful and haunting style that is nothing short of magical.
My Reading Experience:
There is something so lovely and evocative in every sentence of this story. It’s hard to find the words to adequately describe them to someone who has never read it. Kapelke-Dale’s words took me to a place where I experienced the story in every way possible, and I think some that are not. And this immersive experience, along with the abundance of suspense and the bit of mystery, propelled me forward so that I did not even think about things like the speed of the pace.
I just loved the complicated family relationships, as shown in Saskia’s relationship with each of her parents. It’s complicated and messy, but above all, there is an unwavering love for each other. When juxtaposed with her relationships with other people, the love shines through even more powerfully.
There is also a pervasive darkness that winds its way throughout the tale, which reflects the true nature of the story. Gruesome details are never harped on, but the overall feel of the story left no mistake in my mind as to the deep darkness on the pages.
Characters:
Saskia Kreis was a child prodigy on the piano – a true ingenue. Then mysteriously, the magic of her music just comes to a grinding halt, and eventually, she stops playing altogether, turning to computer science for her future. Coming to terms with what changed her also fuels her need for revenge, which becomes an uneven, broken path toward redemption. Or does it?
Narration & Pacing:
The narration is done in the third person, tightly focused on Saskia, so it’s almost like she is telling the tale in her own words. Yet, it has the slight separation that she needs to be able to walk the path she is fated to walk. The timeline goes between 2020 and the early ’90s when Saskia was a teen and never once strays away from the main focus of the story.
The pace is more of a medium one, but the suspense and the beautiful writing make it feel much faster. I never once grew bored or wished that the story would get along with it. Every word and sentence is just as compelling as the one that comes before and the one that comes after.
Setting:
The story is set almost entirely at Harper Mansion on a cliff’s edge above Lake Michigan in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Harper Mansion is a unique mansion with elf guardians that has remained in the Harper family for many generations. Saskia expected to inherit the house upon her mother's death, as was the family tradition. When it’s discovered that she has left it to a non-family member, many emotions and memories come to the forefront.
Read if you like:
• Loads of suspense
• Beautiful writing that completely enthralls you
• Revenge and redemption stories

This book was definitely not what I thought it would be! The cover kind of fools you into thinking it's just about a piano-playing virtuoso. And it is but it's about so much more!
Saskia Kries has lost her mother to a rare disease. A rare disease that Evelyn Harper Kreis never told Saskia about. She also left the beloved Elf House, a premier family beer dynasty home that has only EVER gone to family, to Saskia's former lover and Evelyn's former colleague, Patrick. But why? What has happened to cause such a rift? Is it simply because Saskia left behind a promising piano career and Julliard? Saskia is forced to examine her own past (and the complicated mother-daughter relationship) for answers in order to claim her heritage.

*Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this e-arc.*

I have so many thoughts about The Ingenue. This is a beautiful book set in the winter in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Saskia is whisked back home when she is told her mother has died. This brings up the past as Saskia was a child piano prodigy who was groomed and sexually abused by a man 20+ years her senior.

Saskia's childhood home was always to stay in the family, however her mother has left the home to the very man who ruined Saskia's life, and the question is why? As Saskia unravels her past and why her mother may have done this, it all comes to a shocking end.

I really enjoyed this. The writing is gorgeous and Saskia's character is so perfectly done. The book is slow to pick up and the parts weave together with a fairy tale -esque vibe. It's a great addition to #metoo based literature and the role of victims and their families. I've been seeing this get hyped in various places and I truly think it is well deserved.

Ooof! Kapelke-Dale’s debut The Ballerinas still haunts me a year after I read it and somehow I liked this one even more. She truly has a way with words. This is a tough but amazing book. The teenage angst from Saskia oozes off the pages and it was easy to see how her ambition faltered. I loved the (somewhat abrupt) ending and did not see it coming. My only complaint? I want to read the finished Persephone book!

The Ingenue tells the story of a young girl (Saskia) who is remarkably talented and quite the prodigy playing the piano. Though gifted with musical talents, Saskia is so emersed in her talent that she never fully develops in the realm of "life". There are moments you want to shake Saskia and tell her this is not how the world is supposed to work. The title of this book could not be more appropriate as Saskia is the definition of naive. Everyone has a turning point though, and I felt the author did a wonderful job engaging the reader enough to root for Saskia's awakening.

Rachel Kapelke-Dale is an author that I would read again and again.

Thanks to Net Galley for and ARC of this book! I think it will do well.

Former piano prodigy Saskia Kreis learns of her mother's passing and the harsh news that the family estate, the Elf House, has been bequeathed to her former lover in The Ingenue by Rachel Kapelke-Dale. It's hard to take due to the nature of her past relationship with this man Patrick who took her youth and altered her future.

Since Saskia left home and gave up piano, she has been a little lost in her adult life and felt that inheriting the crumbling mansion may have grounded her. In the book, she searches for reasons why her mother made this decision and how she can somehow change fate and regain what is rightfully hers.

The book is expertly written with just enough detail about the house that it practically plays another character in this dark fairy tale. The house feels oppressive and carries a lot of unhappy tales from the family, including Saskia's story. There are even two towers located in the home that make it sound like a castle. Each chapter starts with a short passage from her mother's feminist fairy tale book series that ties in so well to the book. You almost want the book series to be real, so you can read it.

A truly complex character, Saskia will frustrate you, depress you, and sometimes anger you. You feel for her and how her childhood as a prodigy and her relationship with Patrick formed her future self. She is damaged, and some of the experiences she goes through could trigger some readers. There are dark passages, and how she handles things will give you pause and shock you.

This reads like a redemption tale in itself, and you wonder if Saskia will ever find happiness or justice. Throughout the book, you're not sure how it will play out. Will she get her ancestral home back? Will she get her happily ever after? I don't know if the author meant for this to read like its own fairy tale, but it does if you read between the lines. And remember that the original fairy tales meant for children come with dark endings or disturbing situations like Cinderella's stepmother dancing to her death.

Although this is not a liability, the ending is patently unrealistic. You have to just go with it and realize that it's fiction. I was very surprised and did not see the ending coming at all. I could not imagine how this book was going to end, but the author takes it to nearly fairy tale lengths, and I really loved how she incorporated that into the plot. As soon as I knew that I was almost near the end of this book, I had to quickly reserve her other novel, The Ballerinas, at the library.

In this novel, Saskia, a former piano prodigy, returns home to Milwaukee after her mother's death - a death she had no idea was coming though it seems plenty of others did. With her mother's death, she believes she'll inherit her family estate, The Elf House, as all female heirs have in the past. But instead, she finds that her mother left the house to a man from Saskia's past - but why? And why didn't Saskia know her mother was sick? And why did Saskia stop playing piano? There are so many questions as we go into this novel that you'll want to keep flipping pages to get all of your answers.

When I originally went into this book, I assumed it would mostly be about her talents as a pianist. Then, I thought the book was about the Elf House and the mystery surrounding why her mom gave the house to someone else. But then I realized this book is really about consent, sexual assault, and the sexualization of children. If you couldn't tell from the last part there, this book is really dark.

The book flips back and forth between Saskia's life as a child and her life now as a 30 year old trying to save her family home. We learn more about the very complicated relationship Saskia had with her mother and how she was always just trying to get her approval. Each of the chapters opens with a snippet of Saskia's moms novels Fairy Tales for Little Feminists, adult novels about rewritten fairy tales. The books also play an important role in this book. There is a lot happening in here but in the end she pulls all of the threads together for an ending that I was both surprised and not surprised by. Surprised because I didn't see it coming, but not surprised because after spending these 300 pages with Saskia, it made sense for her character.

In this book, the house is just as much a character as Saskia is and I loved getting immersed in that world. The author has such a way with words that I went back quite a few times to re-read lines that I thought were just beautifully written. If you liked My Dark Vanessa, this will be a book for you. And I hope that in the future Rachel Kapelke-Dale gets better publishing dates because I want her to get the recognition for her talents that I think she deserves.

This book will be featured on episode 68 of Reading Through Life podcast.

A dark read that takes a bit to open up. Saskia is angry at her mother Evie, who died without telling her she was ill and who left the family home to Patrick, who she once loved. Once a piano prodigy, she's already in a box, having been fired from her job and has been supporting herself by writing math questions for the SAT but she had no idea how tight the financials were for her mother to keep the Elf House. And now- now she's determined to get it back from Patrick, despite her father's lack of interest. This moves back and forth in time to tell Saskia's story, with each chapter framed by a snippet of Evie's feminist fairy tales. Saskia's former relationship with Patrick is evident early on but there's more, a lot more to come. No spoilers from me about that or about why this is titled the Ingenue. Saskia is a ball of fury while her father Mike seems stunned with grief. I didn't expect this to go the way it did, especially after the beginning, which was a little confusing. Thanks to Netgalley for the aRC. A very good read.

Saskia Kreis was a child prodigy whose piano concerts displayed her masterful skills. Her days were filled with practice and travel to concert venues. She was expected to continue her education at Juliard, but as a teenager she discovered love and her priorities changed. Without concentrating on her music the magic faded. She dropped out of school and had trouble making ends meet, but she would never admit her failures to her parents. The estate where Saskia grew up had been in her mother’s family for generations and was always left to a direct descendant. It was home for Saskia and someday it would be hers, an idea that provided some comfort. When her mother died, however, she discovered that the estate was left to one of her mother’s associates. Even worse, that associate was Saskia’s former lover Patrick.

Evie Kreis, Saskia’s mother, was an artist and writer whose stories were woven around fairy tales, updated for little feminists. Saskia was left the income from her mother’s stories but the house was a money pit. Evie and her husband had talked about selling it before her death so the will also came as a surprise to her husband. Saskia is determined to keep the house. Researching Patrick’s background she discovers that their relationship was a lie and she was just being used. Now she is out for revenge.

Rachel Kapelke-Dale’s Ingenue alternates between Saskia’s childhood and events in the present. As a child she had a difficult relationship with her mother. It was not until after her mother’s death that she discovers just how far her mother would go to protect her. Each of the chapters begins with a quote from Evie’s fairy tales that often brought a smile as I read them.. While Saskia considers herself a failure when you first meet her, the character continues to grow and become stronger as she plots her revenge. Her final solution and the fate of the estate come with a twist that makes this book highly recommended. I would like to thank NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing my review of this book.

SPOILER:

Trigger Warning: rape of a minor.
Beware: the rape scene in Chapter 15 is triggering and haunting.

The book starts slow, too slow… it’s hard to empathize with the MC and why the reader should care that she cares about the Elf house. But after the 1/3 mark, the pace picks up and the storyline becomes more interesting with the mystery around the changes Evie made to her last will. The why at the heart of it moves the story forward.
The author isn’t afraid of touching on tough subjects. Like in her first book, sexual harassment, abuse, etc are at the heart of the plot. I think it’s an interesting choice to make her female characters get away with murder (literally) just like so many male characters do over and over.
I liked that this book wasn’t as preachy as the one with the ballerinas.

What didn’t work for me was the tense flipping-flopping. If you’re using time stamps, I don’t understand why use two different tenses. It caused a few slips in the flashbacks which kept pulling me out of the story.

Thank you NetGalley for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to St. Martin’s for early access to The Ingenue. This novel is a slow burn but I did enjoy the characters and in depth look at rediscovering everything you felt you lost. At 14, Saskia is a piano prodigy who already feels different from the other kids. She feels grown up and mature and a family friend takes advantage of this. She keeps this abusive relationship secret from her family and is too late to save her family home from being gifted to her abuser. Saskia goes through all the right channels to fight for what she believes belongs to her, but sometimes you just have to play by your own rules. 3.5 stars.

From the author, Rachel Kapelke-Dale, of the bestselling debut, The Ballerinas, comes a stunning dark and searing tale —THE INGENUE. A novel of suspense of family,mothers-daughters, talent, ambition, and revenge!

My Dark Vanessa meets T. Greenwood's Such A Pretty Girl < in this provocative lyrical drama of innocence lost, prodigy, time, girl, and woman.

From this impressive front cover, the author captivates you instantly and holds you to the twisty, satisfying conclusion.

Saskia Kreis, a former piano prodigy, returns to Milwaukee after her mother's death. She is expecting to inherit the family estate called Elf House.

But she learns it will go to a man with that she shares a complex and sordid past. A much older man, Patrick, stole her innocence. How will she get this time back? Her life?

Saskia has long-buried secrets. What did Patrick have over her mother? Why did her mother bequeath him the estate?

From past to present, we hear from Saskia and her life from a teen to today. Set against a post #MeToo era, the author delves deep into the strained mother-daughter relationship.

Was her mother protecting her? Now, what will her dad say that the mom is gone? Can she be truthful about her past without it destroying her?

She has a purpose. She has a plan. She can let herself do this.

A mother's choice:
"What did her mother have to give her? To save her? Ambition. Opportunity. Privilege. Love."

"But what did her mother think she had to give? The Elf House. Or her stories."

Enthralling, atmospheric, gothic, and mixed with fairy tales, this clever mystery tale of revenge and redemption is exceptional. Way to take back the power!

From child pornography, innocence lost, sexual abuse, a victim, the piano, dreams, sacrifices, and time, the author takes readers on a journey with short feminist fairy tale excerpts (from her mother's Fairy Tales for Little Feminists)—at the beginning of each chapter which were a delight! (LOVED) You will be swept away by Saskia and her mother's story.

Alternating between Saskia's childhood and the present day, this dark, contemporary fairy tale, with its beautiful lyrical prose, will captivate you and have you smiling at its spectacular conclusion.

"And after all. What is a fairy tale, anyway but a ghost story about the living? About taking care of unfinished business while you still have time."

Thank you to #StMartinsPress and #Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. #SMPInfluencers

Blog Review Posted @
www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: Dec 6, 2022
Dec 2022 Must-Read Books

Check my review of her debut, The Ballerinas!

Not sure why I read so many sexual abuse stories, but this one had an amazing twist! A strong and determined female lead. Totally worth reading.