This is such a gorgeous book, and the shimmering pastel vibes of the island town, the glittering dresses, and the hidden sharpness underneath Lila. It truly had me wanting swallow the book whole.

Though, I just found that there were a few things that just weren't for me. The pacing felt a bit fast and the writing style wasn't my favorite. This doesn't mean that the book is bad, not at all, I just found that it wasn't to my tastes! But, it has so much going for it, and I'm positive others will be absolutely entranced by its beauty.

As a Chinese former ballerina with anxiety who loves the ocean and was born in San Francisco, I already felt very much personally targeted by this book, in the best possible way.

This book is for the girlies who love Sophia Coppola’s Marie Antoinette, who wear LoveShackFancy, who commit to the aesthetic at all costs. It feels like stepping inside a Hozier song. The lush descriptions leave you dying to immerse yourself in the world of Luna Island- there’s nothing I wouldn’t give to shop at Luna’s Love Shack, pick out a signature scent from Heaven Divine, or sip tea at Petals Tea Shop. Even for those who don’t identify with Lila quite as extremely specifically as I do, her fear that she’s secretly a monster is a theme I feel most women can connect with. She’s an anxiety-ridden mess caught up in being good and likable and beloved, all of which feels intensely relatable. It’s a perfect depiction of girlhood, of beauty and ugliness and how the two are so tied together they become inseparable. Lila’s journey to healing isn’t linear the way you see in most stories- she struggles and heals and struggles again, which is tied beautifully to the themes of the ocean and water and tides throughout the story. She’s an incredibly interesting protagonist, wrapped in a cottagecore fantasy world that I’d kill to visit, with the type of best friend we all wish we had and the mysterious boy we’ve all wondered about. It’s a gorgeous debut novel, and I cannot recommend this story enough!

I can see why many people don’t like this. It’s got some interesting ideas, but it was a slog to get through. I loved the idea of Luna island and enjoyed the MC, even though she seems younger than her actual age. However, reading this felt like going through molasses; the writing was overly descriptive purple prose that was completely distracting to the emotions and actions done by the MC and around the MC. This is marketed for readers who love Lani Taylor, whom I love (I mean Daughter of Smoke and Bone is one of my favorite YA fantasies), and what Taylor does right is the balance between flowery language and the bare bones of a book, which every story needs. Not even talking about the plot, but a story needs a proper setting and characters who feel real, not just something set up for aesthetics.

I originally was very excited to read this, especially since it seemed like my type of vibe. I did love the aesthetics of the pink not-so-wonderland inspired by Barbie with a much darker twist, but there was not much depth to it, or even the love interest and side characters.

However, I will say, just going off of vibes, if you just let yourself be carried by the plot and not worry about anything else, this book can be enjoyable. I saw other arc reviewers say that this book is just vibes, and I have to agree with them. It’s a fun time, but don’t expect much depth in it. Save it for a summer day. Three stars.

This book was just meh. I finished it. But as an adult I'd prefer an openly bipolar character over this woe-is-me prima ballerina pick me girl. There is way too much repetitive dialogue happening. And it's the same drama/resolution/denial cycle over and over again. If it was marketed to younger teens, it might do well. It would resonate with some of them, but not all. There are some good bones in this book, but some major rewrites would be necessary to help them stand out.

This story definitely has potential! The premise was interesting and the lore was unique, but unfortunately there were a lot of places where the action felt like it had holes in it and honestly it was kind of hard to follow. It was also hard to get a solid grasp on a few of the characters’ personalities and motivations and that took me out of it.

the author cares more about aesthetics than the actual story. the characters are flat, the romance is rushed and boring, the issues with lila and her parents should have been fleshed out more and instead there was a half assed resolution, and the "fight" at the end was boring. the author prioritized the appearance of the story so much that literally everything else that should have been equally or more important was thrown away. and the writing wasn't that good either. i'm not sure if there was an editor for this, but if there wasn't then i'm not surprised (and if there was then that's very concerning). trust me, i tried VERY hard to find at least one thing i liked from this book, and i couldn't.

Thank you NetGalley and Peachtree for the early copy!

I don't know where I land with this book. Many people are torn between a 1 star and a 5 star. It is because it has elements of both.

The 5 star things:
It exudes feminine and whimsical charm. Bows and chiffon and lip gloss and stiletto nails made Lila pleasantly girly.
The lyrical, poetic prose. Each sentence was saturated with vivid imagery and aesthetics. The book's strongest suit lies in its aesthetic vision.
It embraces whimsy for the sheer joy of it. I want to go to Luna Island for the vibes so much.
This is the kind of read that needs a leisurely pace. Think reading it in a hammock with waves crashing in the background, warm breezes, pink highlighters, and eating something sweet. (Publishing in August is actually perfect.)


The 1 star things:
Despite its aesthetic allure, the book majorly falls short in a few ways-
Repetitive inner dialogues bog down the narrative. I didn't need the repetition without any progress. it slowed down the pace, made Lila feel insufferable, and tested my patience. I can understand that she did something bad in her past without having the same thought over and over. Teasing with what it was went on too long. It would be better to just tell us.
Lila's lack of a clear motive or goal further muddles the plot, leaving a sense of aimlessness that detracts from the overall experience. I often found myself distracted and bored, as the story never seemed to go anywhere. I was just turning pages to finish, not because I was excited or curious as to what happened next.
None of the characters were developed. I didn't really care about any one of them.
The predictability of the storyline resembled late 2000s YA paranormal romance. Special girl with powers! Angels! Generic love interest!
The prose veered off confusingly sometimes and it was suddenly hard to figure out what she was talking about. The imagery shined, but the narrative faltered as it delved towards surrealism.


Why it is a 3 star from me:
Dance of the Starlit Sea feels reminiscent of those creative writing projects from high school, where storytelling was pure fun, even though it lacked in refined technique. There's a certain charm in its innocence and the sheer aesthetics and vibes. The softness and simplicity of the characters add to what makes it sweet, although it made me wonder if it served more as a therapeutic escape for the author than a literary journey for readers.
I have to admit I was barely following the story at some points and was just there for the balletcore/angelcore/seafoam vibes. It's hard to ignore that the story takes a backseat to the vibes.


final thoughts:
This would have thrived as an aesthetic tiktok or even a ballet performance itself, where visuals could carry the narrative weight. The vague "angels" and "the devil" could be excused because it's primarily a dance performance.
While its aesthetic charm and whimsical atmosphere give some delightful scenes, they can't mask the shortcomings in plot and character development. This book is here for the vibes rather than any narrative depth.

This book was very sweet and some of these reviews feel very malicious in nature, something worth checking on given the review disasters that keep happening. The world was very simple and cozy and something I think will grab a certain audience well.

This was such a good book! I really love this author so I was so excited to get to read this book. The plot was so good I could not put it down until I finished! The characters were unique and I loved the journey and turmoil they went through. I will be recommending this book to all of my friends and family.

This book reads like a woman obsessed with "aesthetic" to the point where it's their entire personality, without realizing that aesthetic is just that: an aesthetic. If there's nothing beneath, readers aren't going to relate or engage with the material fully. It's vapid, boring, and--above all else--shallow.

Wow.

It feels as if no editor ever came within a hundred yards of this book. The prose is weighed down by heavy handed overblown metaphors and the dialogue feels clunky and juvenile. It seems like everyone is either squealing or scoffing every time they speak. There is also chronic repetition of certain phrases and descriptions; garden of my mind, ocean of a girl, everything smells like jasmine and looks angelic and is reminiscent of seafoam; Lila constantly makes dramatic statements about being dragged to Hell, belonging in Hell, etc. These things should really be dialed back, since they're repeated so many times it becomes frustrating.

It's apparent that the book is intended to be a female empowerment story, and yet... all the girls except Roisin are just cliche, mean, Regina George-esque bullies who pick on Roisin and Lila for no apparent reason. Then all of a sudden, they decide to be nice, also for no apparent reason. Their animosity comes and goes as the plot needs it; the bullying and the resolution felt like something you'd see in a disney channel special.

The book doesn't work on the romance level either, since there is no actual build up to anything. Lila meets Damien and he's already waxing poetic about how she's magic, she's immaculate, doesn't she see how amazing she is. They have few interactions, all of which start with Lila thinking she's falling for him, just for him to be evasive, then she gets mad and storms off. Rinse and repeat.

The ending is anti-climactic and ultimately unsatisfying, both in terms of Lila's "battle" with the Devil and the resolution with her parents. Unfortunately the book is overall very confusing and chaotic, seemingly trying to tackle too many themes and be too many things at once and not succeeding in any of them.

i was super excited to get this early but i think the story could’ve had a lot of potential but the writing style was just not for me.

A perfect blend of fairytale cottagecore and tension-filled romance, Dance of the Starlit Sea is equal parts unputdownable and unique. The reader is transported to lush Luna Island—an absolute paradise it seems, with picture-perfect shorelines steeped in sea foam and soft, fluffy sand—where they meet Lila, a ballerina who gets caught up in the island’s age-old tradition… that just might be dangerously paranormal. Full of forbidden romance, mystery, and angels and steeped in elegant prose and intricate world building, Kiana’s debut is a must-read.

I know this review will make it to the author, and I know all the vitriol it will cause. But having read the whole thing and witnessing the author's behavior over many years, I am putting my name to this and standing by it. As a rule, I don't review books I don't like by debut authors. This is the exception.

So I requested this book out of insatiable curiosity. I worked with this author a few years ago on her query package and subsequently fell out with her over her lack of willingness to take any kind of critique, so I was interested to see what the final product was.

I ADORE Peachtree Teen and everything it has published, so I assumed the author must have finally learned her craft.

Not so much.

I would kill to be a fly on the wall in her editorial process, because I truly don't understand how a book can go through so much, be pushed so often, and still read like this.

I'm not going to go into specific examples, but let the work speak for itself. The author does a huge disservice to her potential readership, minimizing their love of beautiful things down to its most shallow elements with 0 depth or conversation. Girls deserve better, especially girly girls who are often discounted as vapid. Honestly, the misogyny in this execution (not its aesthetic) is very apparent and disappointing.

I beg the author to respect her readership and her editorial team and her reviewers, and check her ego which has lead to an unwillingness to accept critique at any point in her writing journey.

I know this review will be discounted as 'hate', just as other reviews have been discounted. But let the work speak for itself.

The comps pointed to a beautiful story for the pink girls who love beautiful things, but the execution is a hollow insult to those readers and those who will pay $20 for it.

This book was okay. It was not the best written book. But I did still enjoy reading it. I definitely think that the pacing could be better.

~No Spoilers~


To start off, if you don’t like all things pink, glitter, flower arrangements, floral perfumes, ball gowns, pageants, etc., then this book will not be for you. I feel like the descriptions of the book that were advertised are accurate, with a huge emphasis on the coquette aesthetic. 



Lila’s surroundings were described in depth and as otherworldly. It is very immersive and I took in every new sparkly detail as if I was going through a Sailor Moon transformation sequence. Luna Island sounds like such a magical place with angels frolicking in the forrest and making secret appearances in the oceanside town. Yet, we find out that there is a dark side to the island and it pulls at Lila’s inner demons.

She is sent to Luna Island at a very low point in her life. She felt like she had failed her parents, and for other reasons we find out later, felt like she was a walking hazard and a danger to people around her. Speaking from experience, the extremely high expectations and standards that children of immigrant parents put up with can be unbearable at times. Lila’s grandparents had immigrated to Luna Island from China and generational trauma had found its way to her. Her actions and feelings may seem extreme and perhaps unrelatable to some, but I felt like I understood where she was coming from. We also have to keep in mind that she is still a very young girl, *just* turning 18 in the book.

And with being young, comes young love— enter Damien. This beautiful guardian angel of hers holds some very dark secrets. Despite withholding the secrets of the island, “safe space romance” is the perfect way to describe their entirely innocent relationship.

“Trust me, no one is as angelic as you think. We’re all just doing the best we can.”

“You are not unlovable just because someone else makes their love unobtainable.”

Laina, Lila’s aunt, was trying her best to keep Lila comfortable after such a sudden change in scenery and was kind of that introductory person to feeling what open familial love is like. And Roisin… my girl!!! She was such a good side character and was another influential person in Lila’s self-discovery. I am sure we would all want a friend like her!

With the help of Damien, her aunt, and her new friend(s), Lila finds the hidden strength within herself to make things right on the island.

I am not a literary expert by any means and I simply review books based on my personal enjoyment of them. I did really enjoy this book and I am sad to see other reviews hold so much negativity. I hope Dance of the Starlit Sea finds its true audience so we can have a little tea party on a pink sanded beach together.

“You aren’t your worst moments.”



**Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.**

(Thankyou netgalley for sending me A Dance of the Starlit Sea in exchange for an honest review).

I loved the premise of this story and that is what really drew me into to reading this whimsical book.

I really liked the cover and how whimsical it felt, however I don’t think the writing is for me as the plot kind of got lost on me and I was just trudging through to the end of the book.

I fear the author would hate me for saying this but ... Roisin should have been the main character, and this should have been comped not to The Phantom of the Opera, but Midnight Mass.

I am struggling to believe that what I just read was not a second draft still in development. It was ... almost nonsensical. Every ounce of potential was buried beneath heavy purple prose, dialogue lifted from an animated Barbie movie, and a sickening sweet coquette aesthetic that made up half the book. Nothing is short of beautiful and everything is described with five different scents and colours. Pastels, ribbons, pastries, glitter, pearls, seafoam, flowers, lace, tea, perfume -- it was exhausting.

The author tried to tie together several themes to create a feminist, girl power ending, but none of it was touched on previously and no work was to put in to make such an ending pay off. And that was my biggest issue. This book had so much potential for the themes it could lean into or subvert, the concepts that could have so easily fit into the story and grown with these characters, and it never committed. The innocence of girlhood, first loves, the pressure for girls to be perfect and beautiful, the way men aren't held to the same standards. Instead, it felt as though the author did not understand these concepts, or simply didn't know how to articulate them. That damn aesthetic was all that mattered.

Unfortunately, this was a dnf for me. The writing wasn’t my style and the story was really confusing. I think others might enjoy this but it’s not the book for me.