Maya & Natasha is the story of twin daughters of an up and coming ballerina who dies by suicide immediately after their births. They grow up raised in ballet culture. This is historical fiction novel that would be enjoyed by those who enjoy Russia and communist societies, the ballet culture, or the relationship between twins.

This is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time. I listened to the audio version and was captivated from the start. The narrator did such a great job of bringing the story to life. The characters are rich and well developed and imperfect in a way that makes them human. I feel like it was a great example of how trauma is ongoing, and impacts people differently. The ending wasn’t neat, which worked because life isn’t neat, and I have been thinking about it ever since. If you love historical fiction, especially Soviet stories set in the Cold War era, this book is spectacular.

Maya and Natasha are twins, born in incredibly harsh circumstances, and raised their whole lives to be top ballerinas who represent Russia. When they reach the point in their training where performing around the world in Russia’s top ballet school is in sight, they receive the news that, due to a new law, only one family member may join and go abroad. This leads to hard choices, deception, and betrayal.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the alc.

Unfortunately, this book did not hold my interest. I am dissappointed because the premise sounded really good.

Every reader of historical fiction has places and times that they gravitate towards, and one of mine is Russia. I have always been fascinated by ballet, and combined with a view of what went on behind the Iron Curtain and the complex family dynamics that these twins shared, I couldn’t hit the request button fast enough.

To start with, I’m so glad that I read this as an audiobook. The narrator, Yelena Shmulenson, read this beautifully. She has the kind of pleasant voice that makes it easy to listen for long periods, and she pronounced the Russian words and names in the story perfectly, yet still had no detectable accent in English, not even using any type of regional terms. You know, like how they say “y’all” down south and “yous guys” in Jersey? She sounded like a native speaker for both languages, which isn’t always easy to do. However, her wonderful narration couldn’t outweigh some of the other things that I didn’t love as much about the book.

It follows the tale of a set of twins girls who was born on the eve of the siege of Leningrad to a ballerina mother who orphans them just after birth. The two girls are raised by a close friend of their mother, but there’s a weird thread of the friend having a crush on the girls’ mother, but aside from giving her the impetus to take care of her friend’s newborn babies, it was mentioned multiple times and didn’t really create any movement or further the plot.

Despite being twins, there are some significant differences between them and the trajectory of their lives. They’re both brought up in the shadow of the great Kirov Ballet, and dream of becoming ballerinas. Growing up in the Vaganova Ballet Academy, the sisters practice and learn together, but it isn’t long before one outshines the other. And while they’re dreaming of being accepted to a ballet tour in America, the Soviet law dictates that only one family member can go abroad at a time for fear of defection.

For two girls who share everything except an equal amount of talent, it becomes clear which sister is going to be heading to America, and the other sister isn’t satisfied to stay in her sister’s shadow anymore. I was shocked at the lengths one of the sisters went to in order to sabotage her own twin. And I wasn’t surprised at all by the reaction of the sister who was sabotaged.

The girls grow from infants to young women, and readers get to see them change over the years. And while they’re completely different women, the voices of Maya and Natasha blended together for me. I kept having to remind myself which sister was which, because they didn’t really have anything else to differentiate their chapters. I was more invested in one sister than the other, but both of them wound up being morally gray. However, it isn’t their fault necessarily, the government pitted them against each other, and under a totalitarian dictatorship, individuals didn’t get a say in their own fates a lot of the time.

Overall, this had so much potential to be an outstanding book, yet it never quite reached that. I had a really hard time with how similar the thoughts of both sisters were, and hoped that it would get better as I got further in the book. It didn’t. This was a fantastic expedition into Soviet Russia, and the way the state controlled every aspect of people’s lives, and how the people resisted when they were able to get away with it. You might enjoy this if you gravitate towards: fiction involving Soviet Russia, ballet, dance, and the complex bonds of family when they come up against the rules of the state.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!

Wow!! I could not stop listening to this audio! It had me hooked from the very first chapter! The narrator did great! Such great writing style!

What a well done debut novel! The research and history woven through the book was incredibly well done. The story of twin sisters, caught in the complicated world of Cold War Soviet ballet. The sisters become competitors, both vying for the chance to go to America and to leave Russia. The story is about betrayal, love and life during a challenging time. Told in alternating points of view, this book flowed seamlessly. The character growth was done wonderfully. The descriptions in this book were truly incredible - I truly felt as if I were watching a movie unfold. The historical aspect of this book was woven into the story in a way that only added to the book. This is an emotional story that will be with you long after you finish reading it. I look forward to future books by this author!

Thank you netgalley for my advanced reader copy.