This was such a fun book to read for me.

As someone for whom dancing was not second, third or seventh nature, I loved to see the creative and dynamic ways in which dancing as a discipline, as a sport and as a way of being was combined with magic. For me, so far, this has been a unique approach to magic, colour me impressed!

I thought at times the writing was a bit simplistic and did not quite convey the meanings that it needed to, the characters' personalities were odd and the lines weren't very in sink with the circumstances or what I had learned about the emotional worlds within the characters. I think maybe I needed to remind myself that they were quite young, still learning to navigate the treacherous world they lived in, but yeah, at times, the characters left me a little deflated.

Generally, it's a story worth reading, it's not too heavy, it doesn't pack a mean punch, but the twists are fun, despite not entirely unpredictable. It is beautifully written in terms of vocabulary, concise in its descriptive passages and almost postcard like, some of the landscapes were almost imprinted on my retina.

I know the author is working on a sequel, and I will most likely check that out.

Magic and dance come together in this flamboyant fantasy story, where the sins of the parents are redeemed by their children. But what if the official story was a lie, and the traitors were actually heroes?
This is a sweeping, addictive adventure.

An exceptional debut in the YA genre, this novel masterfully intertwines themes of sisterhood, mystery, and magic. The narrative is both compelling and meticulously crafted, with a plot that deftly integrates magical elements with the art of dance, creating a unique and immersive world.

The portrayal of sisterly bonds is particularly notable, overshadowing romantic elements and focusing on the strength of familial relationships. The book is highly suitable for YA readers, offering a rich and engaging reading experience that emphasises the importance of connections and personal growth.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This was a great concept - I really like the magic system, it's very unique and unlike anything I've read before! This was easy to read and to immerse myself in, and I think that the author has a real talent with imagery. However I struggled to connect with the characters and their emotions, and the plot twists weren't as impactful as I think they were meant to be. I'm not sure I'm intrigued enough to read the next book - to be honest I feel like this could have worked easily as a standalone - but I did really like the dancing magic system!

I really enjoyed this one. The concept was intriguing, the characters were engaging, and the plot was exciting! The writing was also beautiful without being over-the-top.

I wish I'd known about the list of characters and their powers at the back of the book as a lot of people were introduced quickly. It took some time for me to easily remember who everyone was, but I got there.

I can't wait for the next book! That was a whirlwind of an ending!

Thank you to NetGalley, Oneworld Publications, and Rock the Boat for the ARC.

A really vivid, unique fantasy. The love for dance was clear on every page, making the magic system really unique. I loved all the cultural elements - they made the world feel lived-in, three-dimensional and filled with passion. The characters were well-rounded and the plot overall interesting. But the world and magic were definitely the highlights and what made this story unique. I'm looking forward to picking up the sequel.

I enjoyed this book but found the plotline a little predictable.

The magic system was well done and the friendship between Aasira and Sahi was wonderful. I’m not sure if I will read the sequel, but I certainly see the series' appeal.

A deeply rich, epic YA fantasy comes to life in this offering by Zulekha Afzal about dancing assassins (imagine kinetic energy which generates/impacts the natural elements fire, water, air and earth creating a superpower source) woven within a tale of friendship, betrayal, regency, conflict and deadly secrets which made this a thrilling ride!

Within an elite school, a group of young dancers are being trained to hone their use and control of the powers they conjure when dancing - these dancers are weapons against enemies which threaten the Queen's rule over the lands. Within the group is Aasira, our FMC and a fire-wealder who has quickly attained the title of the executioner in her ranks. However, that is not the only title which haunts Aasira. Known as 'the daughter of the traitor', she must prove she will not use her powers against those who are helping her nurture them.

However, an incident before Aasira's graduation will make her question wh0 the true traitor really is and where her allegiance lies…

Dancers of The Dawn was a breath of fresh air - conceptually brilliant, I adored the idea of a beautiful form of art, dancing, which can be soft and gentle, being devastating and dangerous. The world building and storytelling was fantastic and I was automatically transported into Aasira's world. The characters are all well fleshed out, particularly, I loved how Aasira grew within the narrative, dealing with conflicting feelings, and handling questions arising on her loyalty and what is expected of her. Generally, there is alot of emotion within the story, emphasising the importance of relationships, be it familial or friendships/found family which made this a very enjoyable read. The use of supporting characters and their bond/interactions with Aasira also added value to the story; I really adored how Aasira and her best friend Sahi's bond was explored within the book.

There is an inkling towards romance towards the very end of the book otherwise not at all, so to label this is a 'slowburn romantasy' is misleading, but for me personally it did not take away from the story which places an emphasis on choosing the 'right' side where good vs evil and ethics and morals are concerned. It is targeted to a YA audience which I think is definitely appropriate and I really loved this read - I am looking forward to the second book in the duology. Afzal is a promising author and I know there is going to be bright career ahead as a writer - the POC representation was applaudable, I loved references being made to south asian jewellery and food items, but I do feel for those who do not speak the language, a translation at the end of the book would have been helpful.

I would still highly recommend this book - a fantastic YA pageturner! Thank you @NetGalley @OneWorldPublications and @RockTheBoat for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for an honest, unedited review.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of this title.

I loved this book, such a breath of fresh air in the fantasy genre. I can truly say I've never read anything like it before and I cannot wait to see where Afzal takes the story next. The magic system weaved traditional with unique fantastically to offer some stunning imagery, I adored the main character but would have loved a bit more from her personality-wise.

Five out of five stars, and I am ready and waiting for the sequel/s.

From start to finish, this book is spectacular in every way. The action, the tension, the mystery - just perfection in every way!

i devoured this book omg. from the desi rep to the fantastical worldbuilding, this book was stunning back to front, front to back. i loved the magical system in this book and admired the way it was integrated into the plot.

aasira was my fave!! i loved her character so much and i found the plot twist only added to the layers of her character. she was so beautifully written and i saw myself in her at times 🥲

the plot twist was phenomenal, the way it created layers and depths within the story was what hooked me even more and made me binge this book in one sitting.

anyways, i need the next book immediately!! and if it wasnt clear enough, pls pls go read this book!!

I think it's an excellent fantasy featuring an original magical system, well developed charachters, and a fascinating plot.
I suppose romantasy it's a sort of buzz-word that must be used but this is a pure, unadulterated and high level fantasy feeaturing strong relationships and an intriguing plot.
The best romantasies do it but this is fantasy
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

3.5 stars! Thank you to NetGalley, Oneworld Publications, and Rock the Boat for this advanced copy. You can pick up Dancers of the Dawn on June 11, 2024.

This was a gorgeous book! Lovely prose, great descriptions, and a compelling story to start. I did find the book losing momentum in the second half, I think because by that point I wanted a bit more from the worldbuilding. The conflict felt vaguely described -- her mom is a traitor, and we kind of know why, but we don't know anything specifically. Same for the other nation we're fighting against -- lots of accusations but no concrete moments where we feel the enemy and understand the conflict. If the world had been fleshed out more, I would've rated this much higher! As it was, I really enjoyed Aasira's character and the relationships established in the book.

This was an anticipated read for me. I loved the cover and the sound of the book! I don’t think I have ever read something with dancing and magic. It was an interesting concept.

I feel like this could have been a great book, but the writing kind of fell short for me. It didn’t feel as impactful with the emotions as I would have liked. I also couldn’t connect to the MC and I do feel like this had to do with the writing. Although the plot could be interesting at times the reveals and plot twists of the story were not surprising and it left something to be desired. There was no romance and even though it is YA, I still wish we would have got something.

My favorite part of this book was the magic and dancing! I liked how the author described it and it left me very intrigued.

Overall, it was a decent book but I don’t think I would continue on with another book in the series. It just didn’t give me everything I had wanted.

Dancers of the Dawn is a new epic Young Adult fantasy about an elite troupe of warriors who possess lethal magic that manifests when they dance! I found this book incredibly enthralling, with the most beautiful writing and vibrant world-building.

Set within a desert-based elite school, that teaches students how to use their magic through dance, Dancers of the Dawn follows Aasira, a trainee dancer with rare fire-wielding abilities.

Dancer. Warrior. Executioner.

Aasira’s greatest wish is to serve her queen. But on the eve of her graduation, with tensions rising among the dancers and secrets stirring in the shifting sand dunes, she begins to question whether she was truly born to kill…

This was such an enjoyable read! Afzal has incorporated the most unique and enticing plot, especially with the dance based magic system; and as soon as I read the blurb (magic wielding dancers/assassins taking out the enemies to their Queen’s rule) I was already enraptured!

I really loved Aasira from the start. I enjoyed reading about the mystery surrounding her past, and her conflicting memories of her mother. Also, I enjoyed seeing how Aasira handled situations, especially with all the twists and turns — I did not see any of them coming!!

The supporting cast were also interesting, and I thought they were all well-developed themselves, which is sometimes difficult with first POV.

Dancers of the Dawn is definitely one of my favourite reads this year! If you love a strong FMC, elemental magic, loyalty and betrayal, and slow-burn romance then you should pick up this phenomenal YA fantasy duology!

This was an interesting South Asian inspired YA fantasy with a seaside capital resembling the beautiful coasts of Cornwall. 🌊

The story follows Aasira, a young woman about to graduate from the academy she’s been training at for as long as she can remember. She’s constantly trying to prove herself against her mother that’s been branded a traitor of the nation. I found her perseverance admirable in the face of so much scrutiny, but the fact that she has a very plot important scar that’s only casually mentioned once towards the end was very odd and felt like it came out of nowhere. 😕

The love interest in what is supposed to be a slow burn romance was introduced in the middle of the plot and didn’t really feel romantic, but more sentimental. I’m sure it’ll build in the next book, but for those who were expecting a slow burn relationship, expect it to be really, REALLY slow. 🧡

The magic is what really caught my attention. I really liked the idea that one’s magic can be identified by the patterns on their palms and the color of their dust, but there were a few questions I felt weren’t really answered in the book. Like, why does the magic appear as dust before solidifying into its power? And why is dancing used to cast it? These are the questions that I hope will be answered in the sequel. ✨

All in all, a rather promising idea, but the execution of the plot could’ve been a bit better in my opinion. I’m still interested in continuing the series mostly because I am interested to see how it all pans out. 🤞🏼

Thank you to Rock the Boat and NetGalley for accepting my request to read in exchange for an honest review, and to the author for crafting a beautiful world with an interesting magic system. 🫶🏼

Publication date: UK, June 6 so it’s already out! US, June 11, so today!

Overall: 3.5/5 ⭐️

Dancers of the Dawn by Zulekhá A. Afzal feels very 2010s YA fantasy, but still the vibe was quite good and the writing flowed well (pacing was a bit slow at times)

Thank you to NetGalley and OneWorld publishing for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

3/5 stars

This is a solid YA debut from a new and upcoming author. It is reminiscent of books like Tasha Suri's Realm of Ash and Sabaa Tahir's Ember in the Ashes series, though I think not as well executed as those stories IMO. This book is solidly YA (I'd say maybe middle school level) both in terms of story complexity and reading level. In some listings I have seen it billed as a slow-burn romantasy, but this installment had zero romance, so I'm not even sure who the slow burn is supposed to be with (if I had to root for a couple, it would be the FMC and her best friend).

While admittedly, I am a 30-something reading a YA novel, this story still left a lot to be desired. I found the overall story arc to be very predictable and the supposed twists did not really come across as that surprising because we are literally beaten over the head with the main character's backstory about how she and her mother are traitors. While perhaps this being YA makes this kind of leading the reader a little more understandable, it felt like the author didn't trust us to remember the FMC's backstory. I also found the setup of the backstory to be lacking in logic, making it even more annoying to be continually told something. The writing is also a little heavy in purple prose. While some of the writing moments definitely shine, it also started to feel repetitive after a while (how many ways can the author tell us about the sun shining in the desert).

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

It was hard to continue reading this book. It was interesting, yet, I was bored at the same time. The scenes felt dragged out and I was getting more bored. The plot was intriguing, but I felt like some things should have been left out. There was too much detail in every part of the book. It felt so long to get into the main gist of this book, including the romance part. When they said slow-burning, they really meant slow-burning. The only interesting part of this book was towards the end with the betrayal. I somewhat expected the twist, but not really. That's where all the action happened. Every other part of the book was mainly just Aasira training and dancing with her powers. There may have been trickles here and there of some killings, but it felt bland. In regards to the ending, I was surprised by magic manifesting in a certain someone, so that wasn't expected at all. I am excited to see where this would lead to.

I felt like the only character I knew was Aasira. Of course she was the main character, but there were so many other supporting characters that I felt like were important to her and I barely knew anything about them. Sahi may be an exception, but even with her, I could barely feel the connection between her and Aasira. As with the other characters, I couldn't care much about them, because there was barely anything about them that could make me care about them. In regards to Aasira, I did get fairly annoyed with her constantly repeating to herself that she must show that she is not a traitor like her mother. I understand that, but must it be repeated it constantly?

In regards to the magic in this book, I do enjoy that elemental powers are the rare type of power. I hardly see that this type of magic in other books are regarded as rare, so I was curious to how this book will portray such thing. I do like seeing the other girls having other unique powers such as seeing the truth, casting nightmares, etc. but yet, they aren't "rare" as having elemental powers.

Overall, this book was okay. I was intrigued, but I was bored at the same time. If the details could be shaven off a bit, I would be more interested in this world and how Aasira will navigate through it.

The three parts that make a break for me are characters, world building, and plot. And in this book, the world building — especially the magic system — are the highlight. Magic through dance and movement, driven by emotion and shaped through choreographed action be it alone or in pairs or groups as women dance their magic to defend against an invading army. It’s interesting and it’s nicely done (though I did, personally, find it hard to visualize the dance scenes.)

Taking place in a fantasy world inspired by India, with beautiful clothing and jewelry, food and customs, the world of Aamar with its desert and palace feel lush and real. The characters are … fine. Aasira’s friends and school mates fulfill their roles well enough. The best friend, the rival, the nice girl; the handsome guard, the kind teacher, the stern teacher, so on and so forth. Aasira on the other hand, felt very much as though she needed her hand held through the whole book.

Important conversations are conveniently overheard, necessary and plot relevant information is told to her bu someone else, and almost all of her revelations come through flashbacks; it leaves the character passive in her own story, a leaf floating down a river, guided by the plot but never moving of her own volition. Towards the end she is forced to take action via threats to those she cares about … but, again, Aasira is more reactionary than <i>action</i>ary. There’s nothing wrong with that, but it’s not my favorite kind of character.

In the end, I’m left on the fence. The writing is fine, the pace is a little fast and the side characters are never really developed beyond their archetypal roles. If you’re interested in picking this book up, be warned, the book ends on a cliffhanger.

I want to thank Net Galley and the publisher for granting me access to an advanced reader copy