The Devil's in the Dancers

by Catherine Yu

Scholarship student Mars Chang has finally been accepted into the most prestigious dance academy—and she’ll do anything to stay.

Earning a scholarship to the Allegra Academy summer intensive was supposed to fix everything for Mars Chang. The academy is owned and run by the Bechlers, a big pharma family. And if Mars befriends the right girls, she could unlock the doors to the Ivy League future of her dreams.

When Mars is unexpectedly assigned to room with Alex Bechler, she knows impressing Alex will make or break all her plans. Alex is annoyingly attractive, the best dancer at the academy, and her great aunt runs the program. So when the headmistress pulls Mars aside and asks her to swap Alex’s supplements with a new Bechler product, APL, in exchange for year-round admittance, Mars can’t say no.

But as Mars gets to know Alex and how much she dislikes her family and ballet, swapping the pills proves harder than Mars bargained for. Knowing Alex better only makes it clearer how unfair the academy is. So Mars decides to help another scholarship student by letting her try the supplements. At first, the pills give the girl an instant edge in class. But when they also produce terrifying side effects, Mars suspects that APL might not be safe after all.

But how can Mars, the new girl, convince the academy’s best that her life is in danger without jeopardizing her own dreams in the process?

Genres: Horror, Dark Academia, Young Adult, Thriller, Fiction, LGBT, Horror Thriller

288 pages, Hardcover

First published August 26, 2025

About the author

Catherine Yu writes dark speculative fiction. Her debut YA novel DIREWOOD will be published September 20th, 2022 by Page Street Publishing.

Reviews

[Teru · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Persevering through hardship is the absolute minimum standard. Do you know what the Bechler family motto is? ‘We thrive through tragedy.’ We look forward to it; we even embrace it. Why? Because it makes us stronger as a whole. Legacies aren’t built by mistake. Success is never an accident.”

While the premise sounds intriguing—a Faustian take on a Black Swan, but make it a YA intense summer ballet program at a prestigious academy for rich kids—the execution is, unfortunately, a bit weak.

The protagonist is Mars Chang, a sixteen-year-old girl who somehow ended up in this ballet program on a scholarship. She was an interesting character to follow, I liked her pragmatic side and the way she was clearly accustomed to being a social chameleon. She often adjusted her behaviour to her surroundings, as if taking on a role; though, as she’s still a young teen, the impostor syndrome rages strongly in her.

Every other character besides Mars was one-dimensional. Some plot points were questionable and required a suspension of disbelief, especially regarding the characters’ motives and actions, making the story flimsy at times.

The initial atmosphere build-up went a bit over my head. The words clearly indicated something weird or wrong was going on, but it failed to make me truly feel it - which, as this is marketed as a horror, is a shame. It DID get a little bit claustrophobic though, as if no other world existed outside the academy halls.

This is supposed to be a sapphic horror, but the romance part between Mars and Alex was, in my opinion, practically nonexistent. Instead of a thrilling rivals-to-lovers I expected, I’ve got a one-sided animosity based on envy and jealousy, and then a friendship built on lies. It’s not something I personally enjoy, especially when the other party seems sweet and kind. On the other hand, the dynamic still felt genuine when you take the girls’ ages and backgrounds into account. Though I would still appreciate some amount of emotional buildup; I liked the idea of Mars and Alex together, but the writing itself didn’t provide that.

Once you turn the analytical part of your brain off and just enjoy the mayhem of vicious teenage ballerinas, suspiciously dangerous pills, and decadent halls of Allegra Academy, it’s a decent read. Just don’t expect horror (more like supernatural) or a grand romance.

(I know it’s probably nitpicking, but I physically can’t NOT mention this - “yellow brain fluid”? No no no. When writing gore, the basic descriptions should be realistic to be effective. Normal cerebrospinal fluid is always clear, not yellow. Same with “clear pus” - if the fluid is clear, it’s not pus. These are incredibly minor details, but it’s good to keep in mind that anyone working/studying in a healthcare field reading this will notice - we tend to be annoyingly particular about these things, sorry! 🙈)

Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street YA for the opportunity to read and review this e-ARC.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published August 26, 2025.

3 stars

Mars Chang has received a Bechler fellowship to Allegra Academy’s summer dance intensive, an incredible honor which could put her on the road to much future success. Unfortunately her roommate is Alex Bechler, queen of the Academy, but Mars tries to stay out of her way.

Then the headmistress asks Mars to replace Alex’s supplements; in exchange Mars will get a full scholarship to the year round Academy. She can’t say no.

But as Mars gets to know Alex and her secrets she decides to give the supplements to another fellowship student, with disastrous results. What is in these supplements? Why did the headmistress want them given to Alex? What’s going on at this crazy place?

So, I guess this is “Suspira-“ lite for the YA crowd? The whole thing went a little off the rails at the end, but other than that it was just fine.

[Bert · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is fine but I was expecting something very different. It plays out more like a dark ballet drama rather than the horror leanings of the title and cover.

[Dayvn Kai · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, I would like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc of this book! The cover is beautiful, and the synopsis sounded interesting, but when reading it, the execution fell flat for me.

This novel follows Mars Chang as she chases her Ivy League dreams through the glittering halls of Allegra Academy, only to find the price of success might be steeper than she imagined. Tasked with secretly drugging her powerful roommate, Alex Bechler, Mars is pulled into the dark underbelly of privilege and ambition. As side effects from the experimental supplements spiral out of control, Mars must decide whether protecting her future is worth risking the lives of others.

This book was fast-paced and very easy to read, which was wonderful! However, the execution of the story didn't go well with me. I was hoping for more of a horror aspect and more creepy vibes. The main character letting everyone walk all over her was not right with me. The story was short and sweet and an easy read, but it just might not have been for me. Thank you again to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-arc in exchange for my honest review

[Karen Siddall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful and atmospheric young adult horror story!

The Devil's in the Dancers by Catherine Yu is an engrossing and eerily atmospheric young adult horror story set at an exclusive and elite summer ballet intensive for the children of the wealthy and privileged. Told from the viewpoint of a hopeful young scholarship student who is there to augment her high school resume for her application for admission to Harvard, this haunting, upended fish-out-of-water story had me glued to its pages.

Marianne "Mars" Chang is thrilled to be accepted into the prestigious Allegra Academy summer ballet intensive on a full scholarship. She is shocked when the founder, Allegra Bechler, takes a personal interest in her attendance, holding out the possibility of a place at the school for the regular term, if she'll do her one small favor. Alex, Mars's roommate, is Allegra's great-niece and is acknowledged as the best dancer in the program, despite the girl having expressed her flagging interest in dancing. Allegra wants Mars to secretly replace Alex's daily nutritional supplements with a new and improved formulation not yet on the market. Mars agrees despite her ethical reservations, but finding the right moment to make the switch proves to be a logistical problem. As she begins to question the fairness of giving the most privileged dancer yet another advantage over the others, she impulsively shares one of the pills with a struggling but devoted scholarship student. Hannah shows immediate and amazing improvement in her performance, but soon begins to exhibit some alarming side effects. When Allegra turns a deaf ear to Mars's concerns and Alex's friends close ranks against her, she desperately tries to warn Alex of her aunt's plans and get her away from the ominously over-secured campus.

Mars is a likable main character with reasonable hopes and aspirations, despite agreeing to the founder's suspicious plans to switch out her great-niece's supplements. Why didn't she just approach Alex straight on? Mars is an underdog from the wrong background, with a reach-for-the-stars dream. Alex is the cool girl, and Mars develops a crush as she gets to know her, genuinely lacking the thought of how Alex's status could enhance her own. However, her attraction to her roommate takes a backseat to the mystery behind the need for the supplements and what is really going on at the school. Alex's friend from home, Naomi, Sophie, and Sasha, are creepy and menacing 'mean girls' and their presence really keeps the action suspenseful.

The Allegra Academy setting is gothically atmospheric, with empty, echoing hallways and unusually proportioned spaces. In a secluded, remote location, the sprawling campus is fenced and gated, with a plethora of cameras keeping watch, but perhaps not for possible intruders, but for the program attendees. Strictly-enforced curfews add another layer of control and a hint of menace.

The plot moves quickly, and the author's storytelling is absorbing; I read this book cover to cover in one day. The ballet classes and dancers' experiences will be familiar territory to students of dance. The aches, the pains, the interminable rehearsals, and the chaos of the dressing room before performances are realistic and may be eye-opening to those unfamiliar with ballet life. I loved how the story gradually transformed from a fish-out-of-water tale into a horror story with unexpected elements of the supernatural. The climax was an absolutely terrifying surprise and answered the questions I'd been harboring from the very beginning. I was delighted that I was not left hanging in the aftermath but presented with an ending of hope for normality for the girls.

I recommend THE DEVIL'S IN THE DANCERS to readers of young adult horror, especially those who enjoy stories set in boarding schools, remote settings, ballet, and a hint of sapphic romance.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy through Toppling Stacks Tours.

[Sequoia Cron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you Page Street YA for gifting me an early copy of The Devil's in the Dancers!

If Mean Girls, Heathers, and Jawbreaker had a child with a touch of YA horror at a prestigious ballet academy, you get The Devil's in the Dancers.

I really liked the ease, and quick pace of Catherine Yu's story-telling. I was able to finish this book in what felt like a days time. I liked the story and the ballet . Mars is a cool, and realistic character to follow. I do think many YA suspense readers will enjoy the mystery, the unknown of the Allegra Academy, and it's ruthlessly competitive students.

I struggled with giving this a lower rating. I kept flip-flopping between 3.75 and 4 stars. I do like the book overall. Mars' development, her obsession with Alex, and struggles with the Academy were well-written. I think I was hoping and maybe expecting a little more horror than just the mystery. There was a great amount towards the end, and I liked that bit, but I was hoping for more throughout than in one area.

While I gave this a low rating, I know I'll be picking up Helga, Catherine Yu's previous release.

3.75 stars

[Raaven💖 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 stars

This cover is so beautiful! I love it. I think I was hoping for more “devil” in devil’s in the dancers. It just didn’t go in the direction I had wanted it to. I also can not get over Mars just staying and letting everyone walk all over her and be so mean and petty. This story was short and sweet but I don’t think it was my thing in the long run.

[Air · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the plot of this one super interesting! It reads YA for sure and the main character hits exactly how I think the author intended. Considering this is supposed to dive into horror I think I was lost with the atmosphere and overall vibes of the setting. I wasn’t a huge fan of any of the other characters as well. But if you’re wanting a simplistic yet intriguing summerween scare this could be for you!

Thank you to Page Street YA!

[Chelsea]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

The Devil's in the Dancers by Catherine Yu is a first person-POV YA Sapphic dark speculative contemporary. Mars Chang is a scholarship student for a summer at Allegra Academy, staying in the same room as Alex Bechler, a member of the rich and influential Bechler family. Most of the ballet dancers at the summer session know each other and are not always kind to Mars, who is new to their group. But something dangerous is brewing at the Academy and Mars is going to get to the bottom of it.

There is a very slowburn annoyed-to-lovers romance that is brewing between Mars and Alex throughout the book. At the beginning of the book, Mars is dumped by her boyfriend and Alex, who was breaking up with her girlfriend, overhears. This gets them off on the wrong foot and it takes a while for them to get on the right one because of Mars’ annoyance with Alex and how Alex is surrounded by other dancers at the Academy most of the time, but their time together as roommates helps create room for a relationship to grow. We don’t get a ton of it, but it is representation of Sapphic ballerinas.

I wouldn’t call this a horror because I feel that it didn’t really have the atmosphere or beats that I expect of a horror, which is either closer to a thriller or is building up the horror elements throughout. When I saw that Catherine Yu’s bio lists her as a ‘dark speculative writer,’ I immediately felt that that was what this book was for me. There is a speculative element, it is on the darker side of YA, it’s just not horror or Gothic as the book’s focus is a bit different.

The main thrust of the story is the competition between the dancers as they try-out for the role of Eurydice in the season’s performance. Alex is one of the best dancers in the group and gets a lot of praise from their teachers, while Mars is often told that she isn’t good enough and that she has to push harder. Another dancer in the group starts getting supplements from Mars that negatively impact her health, but also make her a better dancer. The need to be the best in a cutthroat world dressed in glamor like ballet does come through in Mars’ voice and her in her relationships with everyone else.

I would recommend this to fans of darker stories centering ballet and readers of YA who like a complicated lead with a strong voice

[Moss · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars

The Devil's in the Dancers follows 16 year-old Mars Chang as she attends an intense ballet summer intensive at a prestigious Allegra Academy. Attending on scholarship, Mars feels out of her league, especially when she discovers that her roommate is Alex Bechler, the daughter of the influential Bechler Family who founded the school, and Mars is ready to do anything to stay at Allegra Academy. So when the headmistress pulls Mars aside and offers her year round enrollment for accomplishing an easy task, Mars is ecstatic and agrees. All she has to do is swap out Alex's pills for APL, the Bechler's experimental performance enhancing supplements.

But as Mars discovers the gruesome side effects of APL, a sinister plot unfolds before her and she must make a choice between her scholarship and her roommate.

----

Let me start by saying that I really wanted to enjoy this book. Looking at the impossibly high perfection standards within ballet culture looked at through the lens of a horror book?? Hell yeah. There are SO many different directions that this could have taken, but the one it did take was not one I was expecting. Instead of criticizing ballet culture, it took a stab at the rich instead, and the sacrifices people are willing to take to grow in power and wealth.

I really loved how trapped this book made me feel. It felt like we, the readers, were trapped on this school and in this scheme as much as Mars was. There was no one to trust, no one to turn to, and nowhere to run. However, even for a YA book, this didn't really feel like a Horror book until right near the end. And even then, the descriptions of what was happen and the gore was not very believable at all, which kept pulling me out of the moment.

The writing was also not amazing. For example, I highlighted the following: "She was a caricature of a movie villain that had been spat out by GenAI." which like, what does that even mean.

This book was a very short and sweet read which is how I was able to get through relatively quickly despite my gripes. I also don't read a lot of YA horror books so I very well could just not be the intended audience for this one.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC!

[ReadwithMae · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to Page Street YA for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The premise:

Mars is thrilled when she receives a scholarship for the esteemed Allegra academy ballet summer intensive. And even more thrilled when the headmistress offers her a year round scholarship, all she has to do it switch her roommates (the headmistresses niece) supplements for a new experimental tablet that will improve her dancing. But she soon realises the pills are anything but safe and the headmistress has anything but good intentions for her niece.

A sapphic ballet thriller seemed right up my alley but to be honest this book left me feeling very disappointed.

The premise of this novel was super interesting but the execution really fell flat.

It was a super fast paced easy read, but it just made zero sense. I didn’t understand why they needed to include Mars in this plot, Alex’s aunt could have easily done it without her. This wasn’t really a thriller more like a confusing drama and the sapphic romance was definitely lacking. I would have loved a real rivals to lovers romance with Mars and Alex but it was really just a bunch of lying and some superficial attraction to one another. I feel that the idea could have been really fleshed out and turned into a great novel but this just wasn’t it.

The characters were very flat as well, the classic 2 dimensional mean rich girls, the main character who lets everyone walk all over her. They weren’t very engaging, I just didn’t care what happened to them. I also thought the ending was very rushed and didn’t clear up the mist of confusion I was under the whole book.

(Also not majorly important but it annoyed me that Mars accidently took Alex's dads ring and somehow didn’t have a single opportunity to return it while living with her for weeks????? The same with the pills, she had so many opportunities to swap them. And so many opportunities to tell Alex what was going on but she just didn’t????)

[Bunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating- 2.5 Stars

Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street YA for the ARC!

The Devil's in the Dancers is a YA Horror novel that follows Mars Chang, a scholarship student in the summer program at Allegra Academy. The academy is cutthroat and Mars wants to do everything she can to succeed. When the headmaster asks Mars to drug a fellow student in exchange for a full ride to the year-round academy program, Mars can't say no...but what's really going on here?

A spooky ballerina novel sounded right up my alley! I don't normally read YA but I wanted to give this one a try since it was pitched as suspiria-esque. Unfortunately, the book fell a bit flat for me. This book wasn't so much spooky as it was thriller-y. With a title like "The Devil's in the Dancers," I expected more supernatural elements like demons or possession!! Even adding more tensions could've helped the horror elements shine more! The sapphic romance also missed the mark and felt a bit... lifeless. I felt like Alex and Mars had no chemistry at all and were thrown together just because... I wanted their relationship to be developed more!

I did like Mars as a character, generally. She was interesting to follow and her story was relatable enough! I'm a big fan of Dance Academy and Dance Moms, lol, so some parts of the book felt very akin to watching those shows! I also liked that the book was short and fairly paced. I didn't feel like it dragged on too long!

If you're a fan of ballet and more YA thrillers, you might enjoy this one!

[Kiki · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book front to back in one day; I couldn’t put it down.

There were a few parts that made me want to smack Mars and Alex’s head together (especially Mars - how can you be so smart and perceptive, yet so blind and dumb at the same time?) but the story was believable and grabbed my attention the whole way. I’ve been struggling with staying engaged lately, and felt the pacing has been off with many of my recent reads - this one cured me and ended my slump.

I was unsure for probably 80% of the book if I really needed my ‘fantasy hat’ for this one, or if the description was a bit off, but in the end it does get a bit cult-y and fantastical. There weren’t any glaring potholes, odd bits that took me out of the story or slowed the pace, and the way everything was wrapped up had me flying through the pages the get to the end, which wasn’t super predictable. I was so unsure, like Mars, about Ms. Victoria and who we could trust, and it was nice to feel that way instead of seeing the ending from the halfway point.

Aside from the plot, the writing was pretty great, too. I was actually invested in the characters, and boy, Catherine Yu can write a mean girl. There were times they felt just a tiny bit cliche, but it was all very believable, and the mean girls were unique enough and had their own spin.

Despite this being a wild ride in horror, there still managed to be a (mostly) happy ending. Thank you to NetGalley and Page Street Publishing for the advance review copy. I’ve read quite a few ARCs this year, and this is easily the best one yet.

[Abigail Singrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dark academia meets ballet as scholarship student Mars Chang has to contemplate how far she'll go to stay in the prestigious world of Allegra Academy.

The horror unfolds slowly, as the headmistress introduces Mars and her friends to performance-enhancing supplements and bribes Mars to switch out the pills the legendary Alex Bechler - daughter of a wealthy pharma family and huge donors - takes for more powerful ones. The more Mars gets pulls into her new roommate's world, though, the more she discovers she's in over her head.

Mars’ sharp, intimate narration roots the reader in every choice she makes, from her uneasy betrayal of fellow scholarship student Hannah to her growing entanglement with Alex’s glittering, dangerous circle. The creeping dread tightens as Mars realizes she may be complicit in something far more sinister than ambition alone.

The novel thrives on its layered dynamics—friendship, envy, temptation—and on Mars’ earnest refusal to abandon even those who seem beyond saving. What begins as psychological tension spirals into a genuinely gripping thriller, with escalating stakes that transform the novel into a breathless page-turner.

Thank you to the publisher for the advance review copy of this book.

[Joyfully Jay]

A Joyfully Jay review.

4 stars

This book is a lovely cross between the Giallo classic Suspira and Rosemary’s Baby, but without the sexual exploitation or pregnancy (or the baby). It’s full of that wonderful blend of suspense and horror that leaves you wondering if there’s a supernatural element, if it’s just the evil of people in power abusing and using those weaker than themselves, or a narrator breaking under the intense pressure.

This is a YA horror that has a bit of gore (nothing graphic, but ballet feet and nosebleeds aplenty), bullying, and a delicate build up of tension with … to be honest, a quiet ending. I, personally, would have wanted something just slightly bigger and grander for the climax, but I do like the way things unfolded. It felt appropriate to the characters.

Read Elizabeth’s review in its entirety here.

[ColleenIsBooked · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book would be good for the lower YA crowd. We follow Mars, a 16 year old girl who is given a scholarship to an elite ballet camp for the summer. At this camp, she makes a friend, Hannah, and develops a crush on her roommate, Alex. She also is enlisted by the director of the program to swap out Alex's supplements for a special blend. Mistakes and accidents happen. Then Mars finds out some disturbing information about the performance that only she might be able to keep from happening.
This is a really quick read, and I also really liked the cover. If you have a younger teen, they might like this as a dip into more "grown-up" feeling books.

*Thank you to Page Street Books and Publishers Weekly for the ARC. All thoughts are my own :) Also thank you Ariel for buddy reading with me! *

[Marion · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25 stars. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing an ARC. I was really excited to read en review this because I love a good sapphic horror story and I love ballet but in the end it turned out to be okay instead of amazing. Don't get me wrong, it's a book I think many YA readers would like to read, but to me the story just fell flat. There wasn't much of a lovestory going on, the ballet part was (in my opinion) very small and could've been way more extended and the horror was, even for YA, not very horrory. (I know, it's not a word but you get what I mean haha).

I'd hoped it was something in the same line as 'Tiny Pretty Things' and 'Shiny Broken Pieces' because it certainly sounded promising but it is nowhere near yet. If you don't have any problems with the things I wrote above, I would definitely recommend!

[Shu Wei Chin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was expecting more supernatural elements in this book classified as a horror, and thus was a little disappointed when it read more like a mystery/thriller. With adjusted expectations however, I thoroughly enjoyed this dark drama of a story from the point of view of Mars Chang, a scholarship student struggling to create a name for herself among insufferable nepotism babies in an intensive ballet summer camp.

A little nitpick that I have is Mars being a little slow in catching on with (what I thought are) rather obvious hidden agenda and so the twists were not particularly surprising when they occur. However, as someone who used to dance and were immersed in the out-of-touch drama between dancers, dance mums, and elitist teachers, this was quite a cathartic read.

[Tri · Rating 2 out of 5]

*This book was received for free as a part of a Goodread’s Giveaway*

This book unfortunately fell flat for me. The premise was interesting enough, but it takes so long for the actual story to start rolling.

Once the protagonist is given a goal, it takes until the midpoint for some kind of action to really pick up, and by the last three/four chapters, the conclusion happens all at once after such a meandering buildup. The romance, too, was nonexistent until the last chapter. It was so confusing because the characters had so little in common, and didn’t seem interested in each other at all. The protag had more chemistry with the insta-best friend who dipped out of the story halfway.

Wasn’t a fan of this book- There’s plenty of potential but this ARC needs some serious work.

[Markita_Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

𝙰𝚁𝙲 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
🌟🌟🌟🌟
1.  Fast-paced setting
2.  Dance Academy
3.  Secrets, Lies, and Betrayal
4.  Coming of age
5.  Young Adult Horror

*The Devil's in the Dancers* is a fast-paced storyline where we have scholarship student Mars who is finally able to attend the most prestigious dance academy called Allegra Academy. On her first day there, she meets her roommate Alex, who is the heiress to this prestigious academy. Mars and Alex start to get to know each other, and feelings start to develop, but Mars is hiding a secret from Alex.

I enjoyed how fast-paced this storyline was. This is a short book, but it gets the job done.

Thank you, NetGalley, Toppling Stacks, and Page Street Publishing for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

[Jame_EReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

👧🏻review: This mystery-suspense dark academia is nerve wracking. Poor Mars was stuck in the middle of rock and a hard place. It is not easy to be in a new place on a scholarship program while maneuvering through the system. What she wishes does not mean that she could have it. The crazy part is she had to do something for the ballet school for Alex while also witnessing how Alex hated her own family and everything. You think what Alex did by giving the pills to other kids in her school is right or wrong? This is more than suspense and mystery but it is also testing the state of her mental capacity. What do you think? Will you read this? I did and it is absolutely an amazing YA book!

[Wild · Rating 3 out of 5]

Add this to your TBR if you like:
Black Swan
Dark Academia
YA Fantasy
Horror Vibes

A dark and twisted tale within a dance academy setting, The Devil's in the Dancers has elements of competitiveness and pettiness reminiscent of Black Swan. Unlike that tale, this contains an underlying theme of Big Pharma family and their agenda of pushing experimental performance drugs on young dancers. The dark academia feel, coupled with the unexpected effects of the drugs, turns the tale into a psychological horror show for those involved. And the reader as well. I'd recommend this to the upper YA range (16+) due to thematic elements younger readers may find disturbing.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC All opinions are my own

[Therearenobadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love novels where the sacrifice for art goes beyond the limit and becomes dark, taking over the human part. I like it because the person starts with something that brings happiness and joy, and ends up a slave to that art or practice, sacrificing body and mind. This happens in sports too, and in this case, the author combines ballet and the fact that someone wants to achieve more than perfection, adding it to very eerie, creepy practices. The tears of blood are beautiful to visualize, and for a moment, I thought this would have a sad ending, but I am so glad the author gave us hope with a character who manages to save the other with love.

[USOM · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)

The Devil's in the Dancers is a story full of twists and turns about friendship and the dangerous world of dance. It's about competition, ambition, and the pressure pot of getting ahead. In this world, it's all about the social game. We are being trained in direct competition to each other, so how can friendship even bloom? How can it even be sincere? This hyper competitive ecosystem is about who we know and what we can do for someone. If you love a story with character development and betrayal, The Devil's in the Dancers is for you!

[Rhiannon Fiust · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book via NetGalley but all opinions expressed are my own.

I enjoyed this story a lot because a lot of YA stories about dance tend to be more lighthearted love stories or just realistic fiction rather than gripping thriller/horror. Though books shouldn’t be judged by their cover, this cover to me hinted to lean more towards straight horror rather than just touches so I would’ve liked to see the plot lean into that a bit more. But overall it was definitely enjoyable and I know my teens at work will love it. I think a lot of kids will be able to relate to Mars and Alex or even just relate to Mars’ struggles in Allegra Academy.

[A.D. Sui]

Follow Mars Chang as she enters the Allegra Academy, an intense and highly competitive ballet school. The training is brutal as is, with every girl vying for the lead in the upcoming recital, but as Mars will soon learn, there are far more dangerous things at the Academy than missing out on a role of a lifetime.

Enjoyed this one's fast pacing and twisty narrative that kept me turning to the next page all the way to 3 a.m.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc!!

This book follows Mars Chang who has got a scholarship to a ballet academy for the summer. However, the prestige of the academy means that those with money and favour have an advanatage over their scholarship peers. Mars and her friend Hannah end up going to extreme lengths to try and be the best at the academy, but there are larger forces at play.

I thought this book had a lot of potential and the core story was really interesting, the delivery just fell a little flat for me. There are a few plot points in the book that I don’t feel were resolved or fully spoken through leaving me a little confused, and I feel the tension could have been higher to really increase the horror aspect.

I liked Mars as a character and felt a lot of sympathy for her in the positions she was placed in due to her economic status by the leaders of the academy and the other girls there.

On the whole I thought it was a super fast paced read and really easy to get into, it just lacked something for me unfortunately. I enjoyed the premise though!!

[Brittany Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent an ARC from the publisher, finished the book in a single sitting. This is a fantastic YA horror with intensifying body gore and a nice twist ending that almost has you asking, “is it really over”? One question though…what was really in the red pills?!

[Marissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I know this is ya but there were so many parts that could’ve gone further and really rounded this out, the concept was great at first but didn’t stick the landing. I love a dark academia crazy artist (especially sapphic ones) vibe book but this fell short for me

[Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to love Devil’s in the Dancers, especially given the Black Swan/Mean Girls premise, but it ended up being just okay for me. There were moments I enjoyed, however, the story never fully pulled me in. Not a bad book by any means—just not a standout for my personal taste.