The intricacies and the unforgiving demands of the ballet world are the context for this wholly involving romance. The thawing of the Ice Queen is the trope but done very well.
Victoria Ford, the Queen of
Ballet, has had to retire from the stage due to a terrible accident. She is now
and artistic director. Anna Gale, a twenty-one year old, wide-eyed, hero-worshipping
newbie has a rollercoaster first day under Victoria: first she is almost thrown
out of the school and by the end of the day her raw talent makes Victoria
promote her. Their relationship develops slowing with struggles and sabotage;
through attraction and ambition; through snipes and sensitivity.
One of the most interesting things
that Keely has done is the wonderful mangling and amalgamation of stereotypes.
Anna is first presented as a kind, quick-to-smile, wide-eyed, giggly millennial.
The physical expectation is of an extremely fragile, feminine ballerina. But the
author has physically made her as butch as a ballerina can be; butch enough to
play the part of a Prince and execute lifts and throws of other ballerinas.
Butch enough to bench press Victoria. Her little friend of the world persona is
offset with borderline festish-ish edges. She is masochistic enough to fall for
cutting, verbal nastiness and her submissiveness is prevalent all through.
Victoria has a towering presence but is physically diminutive and narrow. She
is quite a dominatrix, but while her words are sharp, her actions are always
way more emotional. She has low tolerance for Anna’s bright-happy wonder and
looks for dark edges in her. Despite all this, Victoria is the one who takes
the relationship forward (and not only because she is in the position of power –
but because she really wants it).
On the whole, this is one of the
better lesfic romances out there.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
