lauravandenbossche's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
relaxing
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
2.75
lilipls's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
idyllb's review against another edition
3.0
Not bad but not very exciting. The main story is solid but it takes a lot of turns around it to get to its core and when it finally does, for me anyway, it starts to get boring. I didn’t like the ending if I’ve had, I might have liked this more. This is like 2.5 for me and I’ve rounded it to 3 because it is well written. The supporting character Max was more interesting for me than the main character and this is always a problem in books. Even my review feels lackluster but there you go. If you think this is like Black Swan the film, it is not even close. The film is harrowing. This book is just OK.
bookber's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
This book was so clever and well-crafted! It's one of those books which makes you feel like you've been reading it wrong because everything turns on its head - one of my favourite feelings whilst reading!
I loved learning about the competitive and ambitious world of ballet. It was the perfect setting for a thriller centred on paranoia, as there's so much pressure to be a certain way, to work ridiculously hard, and the threat of being knocked off the top spot seemed like a life-or-death situation.
As I said, this book is so clever. The twists were insane and I loved seeing how all the little pieces came together over the course of the book. The only thing stopping me from giving this book 5 stars is the fact that it took me almost 3 weeks to read - maybe I was in a slump for other reasons but I'm tight with my 5 stars so I just can't do it.
Saying that, this book has become one of my go-to thriller recommendations because it's just that good and I implore you to read it!!
This book was so clever and well-crafted! It's one of those books which makes you feel like you've been reading it wrong because everything turns on its head - one of my favourite feelings whilst reading!
I loved learning about the competitive and ambitious world of ballet. It was the perfect setting for a thriller centred on paranoia, as there's so much pressure to be a certain way, to work ridiculously hard, and the threat of being knocked off the top spot seemed like a life-or-death situation.
As I said, this book is so clever. The twists were insane and I loved seeing how all the little pieces came together over the course of the book. The only thing stopping me from giving this book 5 stars is the fact that it took me almost 3 weeks to read - maybe I was in a slump for other reasons but I'm tight with my 5 stars so I just can't do it.
Saying that, this book has become one of my go-to thriller recommendations because it's just that good and I implore you to read it!!
rhinohearted's review against another edition
2.0
Doesn't read as a thriller, and for the majority of the book we aren't in the ballet world (which is what we are expecting from the blurb).
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
4.0
Discover the locations in Watch Her Fall
Dance your way into the world of the Russian ballet
Watch Her Fall takes you pirouetting into the harsh and cruel world of the artistic and classical world of ballet. It takes its inspiration from the famous ballet Swan Lake. I knew nothing of this world and even less about the story of Swan Lake but I am now fascinated by both.
Ava is one of the ballerinas who trains hard to the point of torture and exhaustion. Her father is right there behind her pushing her forwards and wanting her to be perfect. The pressures of this get too much and she lashes out at other dancers. She’s hardly the most popular dancer in the class.
Ava’s relationship with her rival dancer, Juliet, was interesting to learn about. How they both react to the upcoming tour of Swan Lake and the pressures and disappointments it will create. This story and the wonderful twirls and intricate steps form the pace and the structure of the plot. It makes for a great reading experience being literally lead a dance…….towards an unexpected yet rewarding ending.
The themes of dark and light, greed and pride, ambition and failure create a fascinating stage for this novel. The author holds the threads of the famous Odette and Odile from Swan Lake and swashes a theatrical paintbrush over their world.
I’ve since watched Swan Lake a few times on You Tube now and appreciate this novel even more. What a world Erin Kelly takes and makes her own.
starness's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed the start of the book the introduction to the inner sanctum of the ballet world, but it all quickly became a tedious cliche and the story unnecessary convoluted, my concentration must have been poor as I had trouble following on and felt like I kept missing parts of the story to make any sense of it, by the ending I was more confused than ever. I do believe this story had potential to blow me away but the execution didn’t do it for me.
books_brownies_etc's review against another edition
4.0
Watch Her Fall
By Erin Kelly
“What they didn't understand - what nobody understood - was that the higher you flew, the farther you had to fall.”
By Erin Kelly
“What they didn't understand - what nobody understood - was that the higher you flew, the farther you had to fall.”
brookeworm88's review against another edition
5.0
I love the metaphor and nuances that the plot of Swan Lake share with the plot of this book. The black/ white, the good/ evil, the “shadow swan”. The parallels throughout the text make for a very engaging, twisty thriller with the ballet as a perfect backdrop.