I love it when women are allowed to be depicted with righteous fury, ambition, and pride in themselves. Jamison Shea more than delivers in this novel with her heroine, Laure Mesny. Laure is a talented ballerina determined to rise to the top of her field. But being perfect isn't enough as she has to combat sabotage from her competitors, nepotism that uplifts mediocre dancers who are well connected, and racism -- shown in both macro and micro aggressions  -- as she is one of only a couple Black dancers attempting to rise in the company. As Laure forces herself to endure and overachieve, she is lured into binding herself to a eldritch god who exchange for power. What follows is a dark, bloody ride full of mystery, twists, and sacrifice. I listened yo the audiobook and it was hard to turn off.

The reason this wasn’t a 5 star read for me is due to the weaker relationship development. So much effort was put into developing Laure as a complicated protagonist and rightly so. I just wish the same level of care was put into developing her most important relationships, which were so essential to her motivation and the main conflict. 

Regardless, I had a great time with this novel and I look forward to the sequel.