I was so looking forward to this especially with the greek myth references but it disappointed me by the end

Thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree Teen for the ARC!

Dance of the Starlit Sea is the debut YA fantasy novel by Kiana Krystle featuring a young ballerina protagonist, a dreamy male love interest who has leapt from the inks of fanart, lots of ethereal dreamlike vibes, and a magical island filled with secrets. It is a coming-of-age story about young girls learning to love themselves despite it all and believing in their own strength. At least, I assume that was the attempted concept.

Dance of the Starlit Sea follows Lila Rose Li, an eighteen-year-old ballerina who has been exiled by her parents to Luna Island to live with her aunt because she has failed miserably in some way that is not revealed to the readers until later. She has embarrassed and disappointed her parents and herself, and the story begins with her coming to terms with both what she has done, and her new life with her aunt on this island. Soon, she comes to know that the people of the island believe in angels and that they are watched over by them. Not only that, every seven years they host a pageant in honour of the angels to crown one of the girls on Luna Island as Angel of the Sea. As someone uncomfortably familiar with the nature of competitions, especially among girls, Lila is wary of this pageant and sceptical about the truth in all this angel lore. However, she is convinced by Roisin, her new best friend on the island, to join the pageant because something has been going wrong in the past years and that is why instead of seven years, a pageant was happening again after only one year since the last girl was crowned Angel of the Sea. Hoping to keep her new friend company, and also perhaps prove her own worth at long last, Lila agrees to participate. But all is not as it appears, and waters grow darker as she keeps hearing voices calling her to the sea, and an angelic, black-winged boy determined to drive her mad while trying to help her.

The broad strokes of the plot are intriguing enough to make for an incredibly cool story as this summary suggests, and the overall themes the author tries to get across are genuinely good—those of self-love, acceptance, and confidence in young women and learning to break free from patterns of self-hate that society imposes on us. However, it is the details and the writing style where this book falls apart at the seams. There is a good book in there somewhere, but the execution butchers it.

The main character Lila Rose Li, in whose POV the reader goes on this journey, is the most main character to ever main character. She is the most beautiful and special girl in the universe, and the universe is out to get her for it. Lila begins whining as early as the second page about the supposedly irredeemable evil within her and how she is doomed. I’m not saying that a character cannot be insecure or have demons about themselves, but to hear such emo whining with no buildup or groundwork does not endear me to this person or make me empathize with her in any way.

Speaking of no groundwork, the pacing in this novel is all over the place. Significant plot events happen within a few paragraphs while there are pages and chapters devoted to just building the vibes. Roisin, the supporting best friend character on the island, becomes Lila’s bestie and reveals all the island lore to her, a supposed outsider, within a single day. One of the final climax scenes where Lila realizes the big twist at the end happens at dreamlike speed (apologies for spoilers from here on), the entire island is on fire and there is a tsunami (I think?) within a couple of paragraphs which is then glazed over until the very end when Lila fixes everything because she has literal God-like powers now. The novel seems to work on dream-logic; and just how in dreams events follow each other without much reason in often rapid succession that doesn’t make sense when you think about them after waking up, so does the plot move whimsically in this book based on pure vibes.

Most of the words that could have been used for useful plot and character development are eaten up by all the telling instead of showing what is done in the book. There are too many instances of Lila telling us what is going on or what she is feeling, and then proceeding to explain it or describe it in visual imagery, when only the description would have sufficed. It does not feel like a story imparting a lesson, it is more like a lesson told in a very pretty classroom and oh look, there is the story dancing outside the window, spinning farther away from us.

I understand that this book is aimed at young adults and teenagers, but I’m sure they are intelligent enough to understand the subtext and literary devices without you having to explain exactly which literary device you are using in that scene or what the subtext is at that moment. Normally, I am all for vivid visual imagery and atmospheric storytelling, but the number of gratuitous adjectives that end in ‘-scent’ used in this novel started to make them meaningless after a point and irked me to no end.

Of all its faults, probably the one of Lila’s heavily overdramatic inner voice is the most forgivable one since I imagine nearly all teenagers think and feel like her at some point or the other, where they feel like the whole world is against them and they are doomed because of one mistake. Where they feel unforgivable and just want to prove their worth, when they only need to realize their strength and worth exist in them all along. That does not excuse the poor pacing at which such a voice narrated its story nor the whimsical development, but it does make it worth appreciating at least a little for showing how a teenage mind thinks and feels, in some capacity.

For all its faults, and it may seem like I am carrying pitchforks against this book and author and I’m not, I do think there is a good story here somewhere. There were moments where the prose and story surprised me and I genuinely liked some lines— ”*You are not unlovable just because someone has made their love unobtainable*.” There are flickers of greatness buried beneath pages of frustrating writing and I strongly believe that with practice and proper editing, this author can be phenomenal. For now though, this will perhaps only be cherished by very inexperienced readers with low self-esteem.

Therefore, for me, this is a 2/5 stars and those two stars are purely for the overall theme and the idea of what this book could have been. However, if you really want the theme of self-love, acceptance, and confidence for young women in a world that does its best to crush it, just do yourself a favour and listen to BTS.

I thought this was very good and I will have to add this to the shop shelves. Thank you for the chance for us to review.

This was such an enchanting read and I'm glad I read it. The author connected to so many troupes i love and are underated

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

We follow Lila the ballerina who has been sent away to the mystical Luna Island after a traumatic event. Watching her dreams of leaving high school for the stage as a primary dancer burn to ashes before her, she's unsure if this sabbatical to stay with her Aunt is a fresh start or fresh round of punishment. Interests bouncing between a love for soft beautiful things and an all-consuming need to destroy them, Lila struggles to determine what she really wants.

A magical island, a competition, and an otherworldy connection to the sea; Lila is in for a great deal of change. Will she embrace her inner darkness and proclivity for violence? Or are these urges simply a result of a mental collapse stemming from years in the competitive world of ballet?

If you're looking for a romance that focuses on pretty descriptions and <i>vibes</i> over a plot, you'll have fun here. The lush descriptions—of which there are many—fill the pages in an attempt to evoke a deep sense of longing in the reader. Don't you want to see these beautiful things yourself? Just dont ask for a coherent plot, as we're essentially told what we need to know instead of experiencing the story.

Now don't get me wrong, I <i>need</i> descriptive text to really love a story—action focused pieces typically bore me to tears—however there's little nestled around these pretty sentences that relates to an actual plot. If the intent of a novel is just to take the reader on a pretty journey, I think the text should <i>commit to the bit</i> and fully lean in to that goal.

As this is inteded to be a lush romance, the end result is lacking. Reading this felt more like playing a round of trope bingo instead of an actual story. I wish this story actually <i>did</i> something beyond describing the author's Pinterest board and allowed for an evil character arc as that at least would have been intriguing to read.

Also ummmm maybe don't mimic the explicit on page parental abuse of your significant other when you're mad at him... just a thought. Especially if you're claiming and the text tries to support you being a special magical princessy girl who can do no wrong. No seriously wtf was that whipping scene??? Like if you want an evil protag just go there, don't say this is a normal thing anyone would do???

If someone told me this was Netflix <i>Sabrina</i> fanfic first, I wouldn't think twice.

feels like Phantom of the Opera by way of Hades and Persephone by way of Dante's Inferno with a strong hint of Ishtar. but has all the flatness they don't.

I DNF this. It was really hard. I was hoping to be brought to the underworld or something since I thought it was a Hades and Persephone retelling…no0e. Still in America.

Not to mention all of the abuse that happens in this book.

With that premise, dance of the starlit sea had a lot of potential. However, I regret to inform you that I believe the synopsis greatly overstated the quality of the book itself. Maybe this could be fun with a lot more work. It's just not for me, though, and I should have had a much, much easier time connecting with the plot.

What more can be written about this book that hasn't been covered in greater detail by every other reviewer? Given that the author was enraged enough on Twitter to subtweet about the abuse she was receiving, I believe my peers did a respectable job. About five minutes after finishing Dance of the Starlit Sea, I visited Goodreads, primarily because reading this book seemed like trying to find real content by tasting multiple mouthfuls of cotton candy. Unfortunately, nothing of the sort; instead, I was left with a ton of syrupy purple prose and more questions than answers.

There was no chemistry in the romance. I never shipped them, but I could buy them as pals. It's YA fiction, so it should be tender and delightful. Rather, though, I was bored and saw no need to support them. The "I love you" moment raised some eyebrows. Soft and lovely writing can nevertheless make the reader swoon—Jenny Han is a master at it. However, chemistry is necessary for swooning, and it wasn't there in this situation.

I hate being so critical, but I can't lie and say I like it!

I feel like this one really fell flat for me especially because I had really high hopes for it honestly. I think that the characters just lacked the substance that I was looking for and some paragraphs were made to sound pretty rather adding to the story at hand.

I see the vision, but it was not executed well. I found the character motivations to be weak and the characters themselves to be flat. There were a few nice moments of descriptive prose throughout but altogether, this didn't work for me.

Thank you SO much to Netgalley and Peachtree Teen for an advanced copy of this book,

Kiana's prose is insanely gorgeous, the best way I can describe is if she took Lana Del Rey, Chanel No. 5, and all things frilly wrapped them in a bow and sprinkled in some darkness within the seams of this book. I'm not usually a huge fan of purple prose but Kiana does it in such a masterful way, I am absolutely in awe!

Dance of the Starlit Sea by Kiana Krystle had all the makings of a book I would love, but unfortunately, it didn't quite hit the mark for me. The premise—a ballet-inspired, ethereal tale with a Hades and Persephone vibe—sounded captivating. However, the story felt more focused on creating a beautiful aesthetic than delivering a solid plot or well-developed characters.

The setting was lush and decadent, with descriptions that really brought the coquette aesthetic to life, but the characters felt one-dimensional, and the plot lacked cohesion. Lila's character, in particular, struggled to hold my interest, and the romance didn't quite resonate with me. The world-building also felt a bit underdeveloped, leaving me with more questions than answers.

DNF - I couldn't get past the tiktok trendy quotes and then when I looked up what other people were saying about the book, it looked as if the author paid for goodreads bots to regurgitate the same review over and over because of the overwhelming disappointment in this book.

This book was an anticipated release for me, so when I was granted access to the advanced copy, I was thrilled to get into it. Its marketing as an ethereal, ballet-focused Hades and Persephone meets Phantom of the Opera sounded right up my alley. Unfortunately, in my opinion the book ultimately did not succeed in what it aimed to do.

Starting with what I thought was successful: It was clear from the start Krystle wanted to present a setting rooted firmly in the coquette aesthetic, and I think the descriptions of the island achieved that goal. I think there is something in this basic narrative that could appeal heartily to an early YA audience. It’s glamorous, it’s emotionally charged, it’s got romance and drama. The prose is flowery and descriptive and seeks to feel very decadent and lush

I think though, the emphasis on these things took too much priority over things like plot, cohesion, characterization, and believability. What didn’t work in these cases really didn’t work. I felt that many of the characters were one-dimensional, and the reader was told how to feel about them rather than the book allowing for discovery. Lila’s deep wound was a totally reasonable thing to feel self-loathing for, but I struggled to understand why it even came to pass and how she was going to heal and address it. It was simultaneously the most important thing about her and the most neglected thing by the plot. The rest of the cast of characters weren’t given enough depth or action on the things that were their primary traits to really justify their existence. I was often confused and irritated by the lack of depth in terms of worldbuilding; this ethereal island is…off the coast of Virginia? But somehow totally lacks any connection with the contemporary world. There is an attempt at an explanation, but the pseudo-mythology the book hinges on also feels deeply underdeveloped and too simple to hang a plot on. The main protagonist is simply ‘the Devil’ but it’s unclear if it’s the same devil we are familiar with, as he is beefing with a moon goddess that is supposed to be incredibly powerful, but also has no tangible presence in the narration. The mystical angels of the island feel intriguing, yet their grandeur is undercut by their complete impotence. They have no true or tangible power in the narrative outside causing some drama in a pageant that is functionally a ritual sacrifice of a minor every seven years. When this is revealed to yes, in fact, be a very bad thing, the angels are never challenged for their complicity in this, either.

I could go on for hours on this. I’m so deeply disappointed, and I hate, hate to give negative reviews on books when I know how many hours and how much work goes into them, but this one just didn’t work for me.

Unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to finish this ARC prior to the release date. I’ll be reading the published version now that it’s out.

I hate giving bad reviews but this one just didn't do anything for me. First I thought it took place in a fantasy world but I was wrong. I also didn't like the romance, and a lot of it just seemed a bit out there. It was just not my kind of book.

DNF at 72%

I wanted so much to enjoy this, but it isn't... a story? There is no logical flow to the events, nothing holding the hand-wavey themes of hyperfemininity and the crushing weight of perfection together other than ribbon and pastry crumbs. The prose reads overwrought and nonsensical, and then will quite abruptly shift into an inner monologue and dialogue that reads like cardboard.

Nobody in this story feels like a teenager, or like a human being, for that matter, because all emotionality is choked with melodrama and the coquette aesthetic. Lila's reaction to even the slightest hint of emotional distress is usually a paragraph of screams building up in her throat, her stiletto nails digging into her palms, and her fists slamming on various surfaces. She accepts the existence of magic without so much as blinking, despite being from 21st century America.

Dance of the starlit sea has some beautiful descriptions but ultimately the pacing and plot and world building are unwieldy and awkward leading to my low rating.

A ballerina who is sent away to live with her aunt on a mysterious island after an incident finds herself immersed in the island's mysterious pageant... and a boy is who just happens to be an angel. Lila Rose Li wanted to be a ballerina... but that all went down the drain after she attacked her mother and choked her to the point where she was bleeding and now she has been sent to live with her aunt on Luna Island. There she discovers the islander's beloved tradition, the Angel of the Sea Pageant and Lila becomes obsessed with wanting to win after she meets a mysterious boy who happens to be an angel named Damien who tries to warn her off of it. The more she discovers about the island's lore and the residents of the island the more she finds herself drawn to the ocean and it's secrets. This book felt so odd to read, it felt so repetitive yet boring, Lila was unlikable and honestly I did not care for her at all, and then the romance just felt like a giant no to me. I initially went into this book with such high hopes and expectations but it so quickly crumbled unfortunately. The vibes were not there, the aesthetic was meh, and the actual plot line felt lacking. The writing just didn't feel all that polished and the characters felt lacking. I wish I could say I liked it more but I honestly just forced myself to finish this book and was just happen to have made it to the end.

Release Date: August 6,2024

Publication/Blog: Ash and Books (ash-and-books.tumblr.com)

*Thanks Netgalley and Holiday House / Peachtree / Pixel+Ink | Peachtree Teen for sending me an arc in exchange for an honest review*

Tyra Banks voice: It is so bad that I want to give you zero, but that's not possible, so I give you a one.

This book comparing itself to Phantom of the Opera should be considered a criminal offence, especially since it was one of the only reasons I decided to request this ARC in the first place. Otherwise, I was lured in by what I believed to be a magical and whimsical story with Asian representation (the pretty cover didn’t hurt as well).

But what I got was a superfluous, vapid string of nothingness. It was so clear to me that the author cared more about aesthetics and incoherent purple prose than establishing an actual story or characters. 

Example: “Seafoam tumbles onto the shoe, claiming me gently in the way I’ve always craved. The ocean gathers me, carrying me over the surface like Cleopatra — and I, every ounce as lovely as her and Aphrodite combined. Bit by bit the water swallows me, gently nipping at my skin until I dissolve into an aquatic spirit. Only then do I understand the language of angelfish and squid, and I move just as languidly. The sirens gape at me with their jewelbright eyes and try to steal me as their own.” 

There were several extensive paragraphs of descriptions like this, for no other reason than to cater to the author’s attempt at embodying fairy/coquette-core. 

The FMC, Lila, spent a good majority of the book throwing a pity party for herself. It’s clear the author was trying to capture a picture of trauma inflicted by one’s parents and the pressure that is often put on daughters as a whole, but failed miserably. Especially since Lila kept bouncing between being depicted as seraphine while also constantly saying she was a mistake. 

Meanwhile, the MMC failed to have any sort of solid presence in the story whatsoever. Do we know anything critical or important about him as an individual or as a character? Nope. It’s like he’s just a moveable chess piece meant for Lila to project on and fill the emptiness inside of her. There’s no purpose for his existence otherwise within the plot. 

I wish Lila could use her little ballet magic and help me reverse the time I spent reading this book by pirouetting.