Wednesday, September 6, 2023

Rockstar Book Tours presents... THE DANCE OF THE DOLLS by Lucy Ashe - REVIEW + GIVEAWAY!


Today, I'm thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE DANCE OF THE DOLLS by Lucy Ashe Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. This book danced into my TBR, but really hit the mark! So KEEP READING to check out my review plus a special guest post, make sure to enter the giveaway, and then visit the other sites participating for more bookish fun!

 

Title: THE DANCE OF THE DOLLS

Author: Lucy Ashe

Pub. Date: September 5, 2023

Publisher: Union Square & Co.

Formats: Hardcover, eBook

Pages: 352

Find it: Goodreadshttps://books2read.com/THE-DANCE-OF-THE-DOLLS 

A novel about obsessive love featuring two ballet dancers—identical twin sisters Olivia and Clara Marionetta—with a terrifying climax set in the world of ballet in pre-war London.

The Dance of the Dolls tells the story of identical twin ballerinas rehearsing for Coppélia at the recently opened Sadler’s Wells Theatre. Superficially, even their differences are complementary: Olivia aspires to be the perfect ballerina while Clara is rebellious and independent. Clara takes up a relationship with the bohemian and passionate Nathan, a pianist at the theater. Meanwhile, Olivia is unaware that she has cast a spell on another frequent visitor to Sadler’s Wells: Samuel, a bashful apprentice ballet shoemaker who steals into the building as often as he can to watch her dance. But as the sisters rehearse, danger lurks. The story of Coppélia and the dancing doll threatens to become a dark and sinister reality. Olivia becomes jealous of Nathan’s adoration of Clara, while Clara discovers that being adored can feel suffocating. Samuel dreams of being recognized by Olivia and wonders how far he would go to achieve his goal, while Nathan, a musical child prodigy, struggles to adapt to adulthood and begins to blur the lines between reality and his dark fantasy world . . .

 


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OMG 😲 
This was not the story I thought I was getting into, but it kept me turning pages just the same!

For some reason, my brain said Historical Fiction taking place around the beginning of a war was a chapter I've read before and enjoyed. This took place slight pre war, but wasn't so much about the environment in the community as it was about the darker sides of human nature, and what we can truly achieve under pressure. 

The twin dancers may have looked the same, but were most certainly their own persons. Olivia was more dedicated to ballet, and had an interest in Nathan, but he wasn't hers to have, though she did have an admirer. Clara loved ballet, though not to the point of it being life, and had Nathan, but was truly over whatever might have been there. They both needed a new direction in life, and that was their choice to make, until it wasn't. Until someone decided they needn't have the choice any more because THEY knew better. Until having one of them was more about owning than companionship. Until the darker side of humanity reared its ugly head, stealing any control that was assumed, and placing it in the hands of others.

I admit the twist that came, I guessed.... IN GENERAL...but the specifics were certainly not easy to spot, nor the final outcome. Did it fit the story? Absolutely...because it was both edge-of-your-seat and memorable. You'll be holding your breath straight through to the final page when all is finally revealed in a satisfying final act. 



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GUEST POST with Author Lucy Ashe 
'A day in my writing life'
 
 
For the past eighteen months, I have lived in two cities – London at an all-boys’ boarding school in term time; New York City with my husband in the holidays. Life at a boarding school is intense, early starts and very late finishes, as well as teaching on Saturdays and supervising activities on Sundays. Writing for me, therefore, has taken place in intense bursts during my school holidays. Until this summer! I have moved to New York City and am loving this opportunity to carve out a new routine in a new home.
 
The first words I write each day are last night’s dreams, a sleepy scribble in my dream journal before my night time explorations fade from memory. I write at home in the morning - I am most productive first thing, as long as I have a large coffee at my side. I take a break to do some exercise mid-morning, mostly running around Central Park, or I go to a ballet class. Exercise is an essential part of my day – I can’t function without it: a symptom of many years of ballet training I suppose.
 
I like to work away from home in the afternoons, to keep me focused. Libraries are my favourite (no need to buy expensive coffee and everyone is quiet, mostly). The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts is a wonderful place to work, especially for a historical fiction writer researching ballet and theatre. They have every reference book I need! I do sometimes treat myself to trips to my favourite coffee shops, especially when I find the isolation of the writing life starting to get to me.
 
I rarely work in the evenings. I’ll go for a walk, or cook dinner with my husband, or meet friends in the city. Or, I’ll sit down with a novel at 6pm and not look up until food or sleep remind me that real life exists outside the pages of the book.





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About the author...

LUCY ASHE is the author of CLARA & OLIVIA (Magpie, Oneworld publications).

She trained at the Royal Ballet School for eight years, first as a Junior Associate and then at White Lodge. She has a diploma in dance teaching with the British Ballet Organisation.

She studied English Literature at St Hugh’s College, Oxford, while continuing to dance and perform. She then took a PGCE teaching qualification and became an English teacher.

Her poetry and short stories have been published in a number of literary journals and she was shortlisted for the 2020 Impress Prize for New Writers. She also reviews theatre, in particular ballet, writing for the website Playstosee.com.

 

Website | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads | Amazon | BookBub

 

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Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of THE DANCE OF THE DOLLS, US Only.

Ends September 12th, midnight EST.




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Special thanks to Rockstar Book Tours for the chance to bring this tour to you and to the publisher for the copy for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, the publisher, this tour, or those on this horizon, feel free to click through the links provided above. Be sure to check out the rest of the tour for more...

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

8/28/2023

Ohyouread

IG Post

8/29/2023

OneMoreExclamation

Review/IG Post

8/30/2023

jlreadstoperpetuity

IG Review/TikTok Post

8/31/2023

bookgirlbrown_reviews

Review/IG Post

9/1/2023

@froggyreadteach

IG Review

Week Two:

9/4/2023

Country Mamas With Kids

Review/IG Post

9/5/2023

A Blue Box Full of Books

IG Review/LFL Drop PIc/TikTok Post

9/6/2023

Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Review/IG Post

9/7/2023

Paws.Read.Repeat

Review/IG Post

9/8/2023

Breysreviews

IG Review



Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!



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