With the holidays approaching, Alyssa, Gianna, and I wanted to present readers alike to our personal book review ‘advent’ calendar. We all share the common love of reading and wanted to give some great recommendations for our favorite reads this year, hoping it entices someone to pick out a book! So without any further explanation, here is day 1 out of 25 days of book reviews: 

Swan lake. One of the most renowned stories originally composed by Tchaikovsky as a ballet that has been adapted into other movies, books, and ballets. It is a thrilling story of Siegfried, who falls in love with the white swan, Odette. He is put under her spell when he meets a seemingly similar Odile (black swan). The ballet competes against raging love and infidelity. 

This ties to a throwback novel from 2012, the Cranes Dance by Meg Howrey. The story follows Kate Crane and her younger sister, Gwen, as professional ballerinas in New York. While performing Swan Lake, Gwen has a breakdown, causing her to go back home. 

Though younger, Gwen seems to be rapidly improving in technique and even surpasses Kate’s level after being asked to become a principal dancer. Competing with anyone is hard enough but competing against your sister to be the best? Now that just may be harder. 

Between sibling bonds and life both in front of and behind the curtain, this book explores the good versus evil in us. Just like Odette and Odile! We ask: is Kate the black swan? The one to blame for Gwen’s breakdown? Seemingly, jealousy is the name of the game. 

The book is quite fast-paced and is around 384 pages, making it a quicker read compared to others. Honestly, I found the book not only entertaining but also thought-provoking due to its deeper themes. It reminded me of a more mature, book version of dance moms. 

In all, I’d rate this book a solid 5 stars! Being one of my favorite reads of the year, I think it could easily be someone else’s next best read; especially if ballet/dance is one’s interest.