Short and Sweet:
This is easily one of the most beautiful stories I've ever read. I love the verse/writing and the sheer beauty of the setting and characters. It's simply stunning.

To Elaborate...
Veda loves to do nothing more than dance, though her mother doesn't wholly approve. When a car accident causes her to lose part of her leg, her life is changed forever, but she swears she will dance again. After facing difficulty after difficulty, she enrolls in a new dance school and starts lessons with patient and strong Govinda. Now, Veda will have to learn to dance with her prosthetic leg and find her spirituality once more now that her life has been forever altered.

From the beginning, the writing in this is so beautiful. I really like free verse novels, and this one blew me out of the water. A Time to Dance manages to convey so much depth, detail, and richness into small passages that left me in awe.

Within the writing, Veda's character is incredible. Her emotions are so raw and real, and her bravery and strength are inspiring. I love the growth she has in finding her peace with her new situation mixed with wonderful details about her culture and how religion often ties into their dance. The chemistry between her and Govinda is so intensely smoldering, and their primary physical contact is just in dance (as opposed to intense make out sessions and such).

Overall, I can't recommend this one enough. It's beautiful, insightful, and it's a brilliant read.

Bonus: One of my favorite quotes from page 98: "To me, Karma isn't about divine reward or retribution./ Karma is about making wise choices to create a better future./ It's taking responsibility for your actions./ Karma helps me see every hurdle as a chance to grow/ into a stronger, kinder soul."

Originally posted at I Heart YA Fiction: http://iheartyafiction.blogspot.com/2014/07/review-time-to-dance-by-padma.html