New Book Alert: Arabesque by Amy Shomshak; Tres Magnifique Story of Friendship and Dance in Paris

 

New Book Alert: Arabesque by Amy Shomshak; Tres Magnifique Story of Friendship and Dance in Paris

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Of all the subjects that I thought that I would read this year, I did not expect one of them to be ballet. This month, I am reviewing not one but two books about ballet and they couldn't be more different. The first, Music Boxes, is a YA Fantasy in which a young girl gets involved with an enchanted dancing school and its powerful magical headmistress who hypnotizes and transforms her students. 

The second book, Arabesque by Amy Shomshak, is a more realistic book about the art of dancing but just as good in its own way.

Gina's best friend Tina is currently studying ballet in Paris while Gina remains in New York. Gina is tired of the dance classes that are far from the Russian training that she is used to and the mean girls who play pranks on her and shove her into the corps. She is also becoming aware that her relationship with her boyfriend Charlie, a stand up comedian, is not getting better. Her only constant is her uncle Gene who raised her and encouraged her love of dancing and her letters from Tina telling her how great her life is now that she is a lead dancer. Once Gina learns that Tina's life isn't as rosy as she portrays and Gina's depression worsens, Gene invites her to accompany him to Paris and reunite with her best friend.

In some ways, Arabesque reminds me of Melissa Muldoon's books about Italy like Dreaming Sophia, Eternally Artemisia, and Waking Isabella. It is an imaginary trip to Paris written by someone who loves the city, recognizes every street, every cafe, every location. Shomshak recognizes the beauty, marvel, and history of the city. She clearly loves the location and wants her readers to love it too. It is a perfect summer reading for those who need an imaginary vacation.

When Gina, Tina, and their friends go clubbing and dine at a cafe, you know it's a place that is real or at least made real by Shomshak's sensory images and attention to detail. Readers can smell the coffee brewing, hear the side chatter, and see the people talking and laughing. Even common tourist spots like the Louvre, Left Bank, and the Eiffel Tower are made unique by the characters' encounters with them. Paris is alive in this book.

In a touch very similar to Muldoon's work, there are brief scenes in the afterlife where Gina's late mother, Lili is following her daughter and encouraging her on a path. She's not alone, Lili engages in conversations with the likes of Marie Antoinette, Vaslav Nijinsky, Zelda Fitzgerald, and other members of Paris' past. Similar to Muldoon's Italy books in which artists, patrons, film stars, and other notables encourage their protagonists, here Paris' Finest does the same for Shomshak's. When a setting fits the character, it seems that everyone, past and present, conspire to make it feel like home, the place where they belong.

The Parisian setting isn't the only thing that comes to life in this book. The characters shine as well, particularly Gina and Tina. They have a very close sisterly friendship that fills empty voids in their lives. Like many strong friendships, they work better together than they do apart. Separately, they are going nowhere in their ballet studies. They are at most bit players when they have enough talent to get bigger roles. Together, however, they decide to take their talents into their own hands. 

Gina and Tina perform a series of dances in outdoor venues throughout the city wearing elaborate costumes and masks that Madame Destinee from Music Boxes would envy. They do their own choreography and tell their own stories, sometimes original and sometimes variations of known fairy tales. These dances not only make them famous, if anonymously, but they give them artistic freedom and the ability to express themselves creatively. 

A favorite performance is when the duo dance and communicate entirely with fans. They use gestures with their fans to reveal a conversation between characters and wear monochromatic black and white gowns and masks. It's a simple yet evocative dance piece.

Gina and Tina also open a wider circle of friends and family. They meet some female friends who help them with their outdoor dance. They also receive boyfriends who are supportive and interested in their pursuits, even revealing talents of their own. Gene also has a romance going with Josette, a married woman with a brilliant son. They clearly love each other but are playing things slowly because of Josette's marriage. Gina and Tina's circle of friends and family bring out the best in them and everyone else around them.

Music Boxes has plenty of magic, true. But Arabesque is a realistic story with plenty of magic of its own: the magic of friendship, the magic of the arts, and the magic of a place that tells you that you are home. When you find that magic, well c'est magnifique.

Weekly Reader: Music Boxes by Tonja Drecker; Pas De Dark Fantasy Pirouettes Into The World of Ballet

 

Weekly Reader: Music Boxes by Tonja Drecker; Pas De Dark Fantasy Pirouettes Into The World of Ballet

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: What a way to return after a long hiatus. Tonja Drecker's Music Boxes is a complex YA Dark Fantasy that takes the Readers to a strange and disturbing ballet school. 

Lindsey's family moved from rural Nebraska to New York City, so her younger sister, Bridget, could attend a pre-college program at Julliard as a violin prodigy. Lindsey is out of place and more than a bit jealous, particularly since moving meant that she had to give up her ballet classes and now has to take lessons at the Community Center. 

Lindsey's anger and confusion about her surroundings leads her to Madame Destinee's dance school, a school conveniently located within walking distance of her family's apartment. It is every ballet student's dream: beautiful costumes, talented dancers, and an understanding teacher whose only payment is an agreement to perform in every recital after midnight. "I only desire your talent," Madame Destinee says. What could go wrong?

Music Boxes is a contemporary fantasy that isn't too far from a fairy tale, you know like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and The Nutcracker. A fairy tale that would make a lovely ballet. 

What makes that type of story often are the visuals and the way that Drecker writes Music Boxes focuses on the strangeness of Madame Destinee and her studio.

Once a character walks into Destinee's studio, it is clear that they practically wandered into a seemingly enchanted world. There are golden staircases with plush cushions. The dancers wear the most beautiful costumes and are so agile and limber that their dancing almost looks like flying. There is no music playing around the studio, just inside the dancer's earbuds and even though the music is different for each person, they move in synchronous choreographed formation.

Destinee is also a one of a kind teacher who knows each dancer's personal struggles, strengths, and weaknesses. She also gives them all sorts of good food, even if it isn't always healthy, but it is very delicious. She is very encouraging towards the newcomers, like Lindsey, and willing to allow them demonstrate their talents. Even the least talented of dancers would want to visit this beautiful, colorful, warm atmosphere.

It's a perfect place for Lindsey to nurture her talent and ambition to be a lead dancer, a prima ballerina.

However, as with many fairy tales there is another side to this wonderful setting. The gingerbread house is the home of a child eating witch. The beautiful singing voice is a mermaid luring sailors to their deaths. The beautiful ornate mansion or palace is the location of child abuse and infanticide. In this case, the dance studio harbors many dark secrets.

There's the fact that the dancers came from different places like Santiago, Boston, Paris, Stockholm, and St. Petersburg. No, they didn't move from there to New York City. They claim to live in those places right now and found their way to Madame Destinee's studio like Lindsey did. It just appeared wherever they lived.

Who is this audience that appears to Destinee's performances every night after midnight? The dancers can't see them but they hear their applause and know that they are there.

Creepiest of all is the collection of music boxes. Each one has a lifelike dancer inside and were made by Destinee's brother who was an expert inventor and toy designer who disappeared one day and was never seen again. Lindsey can't help but notice new ones added to Destinee's collection, new ones with dancers that look awfully familiar.

Definitely the fantastic aspects are the strongest parts of Music Boxes. In fact, it outweighs many of the more realistic tween drama of the rest of the book. Lindsey has an instant rivalry with Adela, one dancer and sort of a romance with Robert, another dancer. Typical stuff for a YA novel and nothing surprising here but I suppose every fairy tale needs the Jealous Antagonist and Prince Charming.

Lindsey's rivalry with Bridget is much more compelling. While Bridget is at times a spoiled brat and Lindsey, a moody whiner, their love for each other is also evident. In an early chapter, both sisters admit their concerns about the move and their worries about their father working two jobs and their mother working in a diner. Bridget asks if these changes were her fault because of her violin talent. Lindsey assures her that they are not and that Bridget has a gift which should be studied and practiced. This dialogue comes back into play in one of the best moments when Lindsey fights Destinee for Bridget and she admits that her love for her sister is stronger than her desire to be a prima ballerina. 

There are some frustrating unanswered questions by the time the book ends and some ambiguity concerning the fates of some characters. But for a contemporary fairy tale, Music Boxes is en pointe.

New Book Alert: The White Pavilion by Ruth Fox; World Building and Protagonist Elevate This Science Fiction Novel to Brilliance

 

New Book Alert: The White Pavilion by Ruth Fox; World Building and Protagonist Elevate This Science Fiction Novel to Brilliance 

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews 

Spoilers: When I read a Science Fiction novel, especially one set on another planet, I look for how it approaches world building. How different this new world is from Earth. Whether the characters are unique in appearance, personalities, society, culture or whether they are just Earthlings on another planet. Science Fiction is large in technology and science, as compared to Fantasy. But there must also be a strong sense of creativity and imagination from the authors as much as (and I would argue more) than from Fantasy.

Some recent examples of Science Fiction that I read with brilliant world building include: What Branches Grow by T.S. Beier, Merchants of Knowledge and Magic by Erika McCorkle, Moon Deeds by Palmer Pickering, The Descendants by Destiny Hawkins, The Angela Hardwicke Science Fiction Mysteries by Russ Colchamiro, Cooper's Ridge by Ian Conner, Dusk Upon Elysium by Tamel Wino, Fancy Fanciful Fantasticality by Francessca Bella, Fearghus Academy by I.O. Scheffer, The Love of the Tayanmi by T.A. McLaughlin, Hades Forest by Simon Elson, Salvage Trouble Black Ocean Galaxy Outlaws Mission by J.D. Morin, The Sun Casts No Shadow by Mark Richardson, Pride of Ashna by Emmanuel W. Arriaga, One If: A Virago Fantasy by Carol R. Allan, Suzy Spitfire and the Snake Eyes of Venus by Joe Canzano, Demons of Time by Varun Sayal, Canvas of Time by Amelie Pimont, Bound by P.L. Sullivan, Centricity by Nathaniel Henderson, Orange City by Lee Matthew Goldberg, VanWest by Kenneth Thomas, Behind Blue Eyes by Anna Mocikat, Life is Big by Kiki Denis, Star Wolf by L.A. Frederick, Star Wars: Tales From the Mos Eisley Cantina Edited by Kevin J. Anderson, The Girl Who Found The Sun by Matthew S. Cox, Multiverse Investigations Unit by R.E. McLean, Joshua N'Gon: Last Prince of Alkebulahn by Anthony Hewitt, Dragon's Destiny by Carl Cota-Robles, Zodiac States by William Stalker, Sapphire and Planet Zero by Christina Blake, The Thursday Next Series by Jasper Fforde, Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, Agents of the Nevermind by Tantra Besko, World Shaken: Guardians of the Zodiac by J.J. Excelsior, Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, Imajica by Clive Barker, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, and The Martian Chronicles and other works by Ray Bradbury.

To that illustrious list, I include The White Pavilion by Ruth Fox. This is a top notch Science Fiction novel which captures a planet whose people pay homage to Earth cultures but make their own. This book also has well thought characters, particularly the protagonist to dwell in it.

Imre is a dancer from the highly regarded White Pavilion in Tierra Major. Tierra Mejor is a planet that is populated by people whose ancestors fled what is now called Old Earth. That was many centuries ago so the Tierrans are far removed from their former lives on Earth and have their own way of thinking and doing things.

One of the most intriguing aspects of Tierra Mejor is how its residents capture the Earthling culture but up to a point. Imre lives in a society that seems to be based on Medieval and Renaissance Italy and Spain. There is a monarchy that has the main power like La Reina, the ill queen whose son, Thaniel, is the Principe Regente in all but name. They speak Spanish and English in tribute to their Earthling ancestry. There is a strong appreciation and acceptance for art and music to the point that dancers like Imre are highly revered and invited to perform certain dances representing different stages in life and the planet's history. There are some people who live a monastic lifestyle in which they transcribe history, pray to their religion, and have tremendous hold over the royal family.

Besides Medieval and Renaissance eras, we find that Tierra Mejor also captures the Victorian Era, specifically Steampunk. There are automatons but aren't very sophisticated like many robots and AIs found in most Science Fiction works. Instead they are more like clunky clockwork mechanicals that serve as drivers, clerks, and servants.

Speaking of clockwork, the whole planet runs on clockwork, literally. Instead of being a naturally made planet, it is operated by a giant wheel built inside the core. So Tierra Mejor is a human made mechanical planet from creation. People help run the wheel and work in an assembly run manner reminiscent of steelworkers, sweatshop workers, and coal miners during the Industrial Era.

Fascinatingly enough, Tierra history doesn't go further than Victorian in appearance. Perhaps, they realized the toll Progress took on Old Earth that they don't want to go any farther involved in science and technology. They want to choose a stopping point and try not to destroy this world as the old one was.

If the White Pavilion ever becomes a movie, it would be fascinating to see how the Production Design team would capture this society that is sort of like Earth but not quite. The architecture, costumes, and lighting would be a challenge to mesh these time periods together at once. Imre for example, at first could dress in flowing elegant feminine Renaissance era gowns at first then slowly as her situation changes, she wears more strident industrial androgynous Steampunk style trousers and shirtwaists. It would be a fascinating thought about how this world could be visualized.

The Tierrans have a unique sense of religion. Because the planet is run by a clockwork wheel, everyone tries to keep their world going in a strict formation called the Pattern. They worship the Pattern. Everyone works in a timely manner and knows their place in society. Everything has to run smoothly and the Pattern cannot be disrupted in any way.

If it is, then disaster could erupt.

Imre learns this during what should be the most important moment of her life. She and her fellow dancers perform the Dance of a Thousand Steps, a heavily mythologized and idealized version of how people traveled from Old Earth to Tierra Mejor. Imre has the coveted role of the Crane which took the people from the old world to the new (more than likely a starship). Unfortunately, during her performance Imre stumbles, falls, and hurts her ankle.

The fall is not her fault (in fact we later find out it was deliberate on someone else's part), but that doesn't matter. As far as everyone around her is concerned, she broke the Pattern. Subsequent earthquakes and a pandemic is enough evidence for them. Imre then finds herself a pariah and then just as quickly taken to the palace to be a dancer/courtesan for the Principe Regente.

The world of Tierra Mejor is a fascinating creation and what makes it even stronger is the characterization. Imre in particular is a standout. When she is first introduced, she is happily situated in her role as a lead dancer. She was sent to the Pavilion at a young age leaving behind a drug addicted prostitute mother. During her time at the Pavilion, she finds her talent. She works hard at her dancing and understands that the dances that she and her colleagues perform symbolize important life events like birth, life, love, and death. It's a form of entertainment for the audience and also an artistic way of revealing their society's culture. 

Imre also finds a surrogate family. She refers to her instructor in maternal terms and her fellow dancers as sisters. 

That makes her rejection after her fall all that more upsetting. Instead of supporting her, assuring her that we all make mistakes, or encouraging her to try again, they turn their backs on her. They don't visit her as she is recovering. Her instructor is satisfied to get rid of her.

Imre goes through so much suffering and maturity that later when she is later given the opportunity to return to the Pavilion, she sees her former sisters as silly, uninformed, and thoughtless and knows that she would never fit in with them.

Imre's time away from the White Pavilion, particularly at the Palace and even more so at the Wheel enlightens her and opens her eyes to how this world is really run. She finds love and lust with a few characters that arouse her sexually or reaches her emotionally. She goes to the library and studies the history of Old Earth and the creation of Tierra Mejor. 

She comes in close contact with the interior workings of Tierra Mejor and what really goes on inside the world that thought she knew. 

Most importantly, Imre gets to know Thaniel, the Regent. She sees him as a young man trapped by his role of being a figurehead but not being able to do anything proactive to help anyone. He is sheltered and protected by relatives and advisors which act like they have his best interest in mind, but really are looking out for themselves. 

Imre sees Thaniel not as a symbol or a figurehead but a human being, a friend, and later a love interest. 

Imre's relationship with Thaniel and the knowledge that she obtains outside of the White Pavilion causes her to see Tierra Mejor as it really is and realize that there are people who will manipulate the Pattern for their own desires.

The White Pavilion is elevated into sheer brilliance because of its memorable protagonist and world building.

New Book Alert: Shadows in the Light by Sophie Shepherd; Fascinating YA Dystopia About A World of Dance

 

New Book Alert: Shadows in the Light by Sophie Shepherd; Fascinating YA Dystopia About A World of Dance

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews

Spoilers: Many people value the Arts over any other activity. They offer free expression, free speech, are mostly non combative, and it is assumed that the people who practice them are tolerant and believe in equality, and would therefore make effective leaders. Well, Sophie Shepherd's YA novel, Shadows in the Light shows that's not always the case. In a world built entirely on the Arts, the wrong people could use those arts to become just as much a dictator as any other, especially in their means to control that art.

In the country the Realm of the Light, everything belongs to the Dance. There are more dance studios than we have Walgreens, Wal Marts, and Dollar Generals. Everybody is trained from when they are young to study dancing. Those who make it to be Dancers are considered the elite. Every year a competition is held to determine the best dancer. That dancer is then selected to be a Grace and lead their own colony. All other positions and interests such as education, medicine, computers, and production design are only meant to encourage the art of dancing and no other reason. Anyone who can't fit their talent into dancing in some way is labelled an Alternative and is exiled or made to disappear. The country is ruled by Mrs. Wren who would be what would happen if Martha Graham ruled the world. She insists that her people follow light and beauty and not the combat and competition of the old days. Anyone who disagrees has a funny way of either suddenly conforming or disappearing.

In true YA dystopian fashion, it takes a young teen to wake up and suddenly see the cracks in this so-called perfect society. In this variation, that character is Rowan Cole. She begins to recognize the cracks when she overhears one Dancer told by his lover that he doesn't want to lose him in a way that doesn't mean a break up. She also questions it when she, her father, and her brother, Leon try to communicate with her mother who is a Grace, but her chirpy assistant keeps insisting that she is unavailable.

Finally, Rowan has a personal reason to go against the Realm's Dancer Only policy. She studies martial arts and boxing in private, two abilities that are outlawed by Mrs. Wren. Her friend, Mica, hacks into computers to study the world before the change to focusing solely on dance. It isn't long before these young ladies are being followed by sinister characters and people who are part of a rebellion against the despotic Mrs. Wren. Rowan quickly learns that Mrs. Wren is less Martha Graham and more Eva Braun and needs to be stopped.

Shadows in the Light is an interesting concept in dystopian fiction by placing the arts as the preferred pursuit by the dictatorship instead of military or combat sports like in other such works. Those choices show that anything, even those that seem the most innocuous and creative can be used in the worst ways by people with the worst motives. Mrs. Wren is the type of character who uses the dance solely for her own benefit so people look to her as a Goddess figure and no one else. She is a diva, primadonna with power and had the means to make sure any potential threat to her order is exterminated. There are times where she comes across as a scenery chewing villain, probably intentional because of her diva superstar fixation. (If Shadow in the Light ever becomes a movie, the actress playing Mrs. Wren would have a blast playing such a character who appears all sweetness and light and then acts so broad that she would put most Disney villains to shame.)

It is also no coincidence that the protagonist studies martial arts and boxing: fighting competitive sports. These chosen talents show that a little competition and aggression can be a good thing. Hiding those drives can be just as destructive as relying solely on and giving into them.

It also explores how important it is to explore and nurture different talents to make a better and complete society. 

Shadows in the Light is a fascinating foray into the YA dystopian genre. While that genre is extremely oversaturated, sometimes an author can give a new fresh look and perspective. Sophie Shepherd does just that.