Girls of Dark Divine out now from Delacorte Press; 400 pages
Content Warning: Violence, abuse, mentions of body shaming and food restriction
About the Author: “E. V. Woods is a YA author from the U.K, who has been writing for almost as long as she can remember. She wrote her first short story when she was six, her first full length novel at 15, and since then, simply hasn’t stopped. She adores all things fantastical, and loves to write tales threaded with both darkness and magic, curses and hope. E. V. Woods is an avid traveller, a huge music fan, and holds a BA in English Literature with Creative Writing from the University of Birmingham. She is endlessly curious and always looking to discover something new, whether that be from reading books, watching TV shows whilst curled up with her cats, or from one of the many adventures she spends hours daydreaming about having” (Bio from author’s website).
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All Emberlyn ever wanted was to be a renowned ballerina. Her burning passion for dancing landed her in the most revered ballet theater of New Kora, where she reigns as the principal dancer of Malcolm Manrow’s troupe, The Marionettes. She achieved her greatest dream—only to learn that she has been trapped in a nightmare. Emberlyn is not a dancer; she’s a puppet. When she joined The Marionettes, Malcolm bound her to him with a curse that allows him to control her, and all of the other Marionettes, with invisible strings. With the curse also preventing the girls from talking about their entrapment, they are condemned to dance—and bend—at Malcolm’s will until it eventually rots them from the inside out. When the troupe is invited to perform in the city of Parlizia, however, Emberlyn sees a glimmer of hope amidst the sparkle of the city’s chandeliers. There, she might be able to break the Marionettes free of Malcolm’s grasp, a conviction that only grows stronger when she encounters a mysterious boy of shadow who seems to know more about their affliction than she does. But the cost of freedom is staggering, and Emberlyn will have to decide whether it’s worth the price.
I was drawn in by this book’s promises of gothic fantasy goodness, and I am happy to say that I was not disappointed. From descriptions of the dusty theater underbelly to scenes with the specter in the rafters, E.V. Woods delivered. I loved that Woods included several of the Marionettes’ performances in the story, which added to the tension of the novel while allowing the reader to really see the girls as dancers. During these performances, Woods also dug deeper into the issue of autonomy, or what it’s like to lack it, which I thought honored the girls by making the horror of Malcolm’s curse feel real to the reader, instead of allowing it to be a mere conflict in the story. That being said, I appreciated the heart-warming elements of the story just as much. The sisterly bond between the Marionettes was touching, and the romance was charming. Though the pacing occasionally felt stagnant and I found the writing style to be stilted at times, Woods made up for it by using her voice to craft a delightfully eerie and magical atmosphere. Fans of media like Phantom of the Opera and Black Swan are sure to love this debut novel.
Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley and Delacorte Press for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.
Melia Gemrose, Pine Reads Review Lead Editor and Co-Assistant Director