And as we slowly witness Ava’s inner fears about getting old, being lonely at the top, to be replaced by younger and more talented version of herself, we start to think maybe she’s self sabotaging herself because of too much pressure she’s dealing with and she may envy the new second ballet who will Odette for a few moments gives her shark vibe who smells her blood. But there’s something more ominous lurking around those competitive corridors of theaters. Let’s not forget how Ava’s father plays narcissistic mind games like a puppeteer with his students by pulling their strings! Most ambitious and captivating book to date . . . so thrilling and unexpected that it made my head spin’ LISA JEWELL

Overall, this is certainly not your run of the mill psychological thriller. Kelly certainly knows how to weave a dark, mesmerizing, edge of your seat tale of suspense! Swan Lake: the eternal story of doomed love reflects the dark side of each innocent souls and it’s also about appearance can be deceiving! Nothing as it seems! When life is unliveable, the mind comes to the rescue. It whispers stories so convincing that they become not just a refuge from reality but a new reality.'Swan Lake is about to open at the London Russian Ballet Theatre run by Nikolai Kirilov who tyrannically instils rigorous Russian technique into the dancers in his company. Taking the lead role of Odette and Odile is Nikolai’s daughter Ava Kirilova. The storyline cleverly mirrors the ballet in the evolving twists and turns in this well written thriller. The Acts and Interludes are told from several perspectives and these different narratives work well taking the storytelling into unexpected directions delivering a sequence of surprises. Ava Kirilova has reached the very top of her profession. After years and years of hard graft, pain and sacrifice as part of the London Russian Ballet Company, allowing nothing else to distract her, she is finally the poster girl for Swan Lake. Even Mr K—her father, and the intense, terrifying director of the company—can find no fault. Ava has pushed herself ahead of countless other talented, hardworking girls, and they are all watching her now. There's some clunkiness which seems to go with the melodrama of the genre Ukrainian criminals (groan), way too many switched identities, murders, not one but two ballerinas with almost the same injury facing off on crutches, changing narrators and repeating the same events from an alternative PoV. There's also some grating writing: bleeding scratches are described as 'my thighs shooting out red liquid threads... red snakes [that] swim through the water then die' - yeurgh!

I've read several thrillers that involve ballet this year, and I always find myself both intrigued and disgusted by the world of ballet and its cutthroat competitiveness and its odd sexual undertones. This book is no different, but I must say that is my favorite of the ballet thrillers that I have read to date. Kelly perfectly captured the toxic air that seems to surround ballet while constructing a multi-layered, twisty plot with more than a few surprises! Erin Kelly plunges readers into the highly competitive world of ballet in Watch Her Fall - Sunday Express S Magazine Character development was good and some twists and turns toward the end managed to hold my attention, but I missed some last conversation before the last act. A reader doesn’t have to know much about ballet to like the book. It’s a mystery/thriller at the core. However, if you’re drawn to reading about passion - an inner calling, then this may appeal to you the way it did me.

Watch Her Fall takes the reader deep into the world of classical ballet, a mostly alien territory, for me. I’ve always admired the strength and talent of ballet dancers, alas I was moved to the Morris Dancing class as considered to tall and clumsy for the finer discipline that is associated with this genre!

It’s Ava’s desire to be the best that sees company dancer, Juliet, take a career ending fall. Ava’s guilt, over the incident, is assuaged by allowing the youngster to recuperate in her minimalist yet palatial home as she embarks on the world tour of Swan Lake.

Diaries & Calendars

Watch Her Fall is a psychological thriller that takes readers into the passionate, prestigious and hyper competitive world of ballet, where betrayal materialises in many forms: from fellow dancers and oppressive parents, to broken bodies and fragile minds. It is without doubt Erin Kelly’s best novel yet. Take a Look at Our Summary of November Highlights, Whether You're Looking for the Latest Releases or Gift Inspiration I have little previous knowledge of ballet, or of the story of Swan Lake, and I have found this element of this story quite fascinating. My YouTube history is now made up of video clips from various performances of Swan Lake, and knowing the story has given me an appreciation of the beauty of this form of dance.

As preparations for the new show get more and more frantic, a new 'second swan' is needed and young Juliet is thrilled to be offered the part. The tone grows darker and even more intense as the ‘Swans’ behave more like Vultures as they plot to get the upper hand- ready to effortlessly step into Ana’s position. But it seems as though someone has decided to take the competition to a whole new, and deadly level… For fear of spoilers, I will not give any more away. Let’s just say that the story took a turn I had not expected, and it was around the 80% mark that I knew I had been totally blindsided. And if that wasn’t enough, the surprises just kept coming until the very end, and I still had no idea where Kelly was leading me. It’s been a while since a thriller managed to totally wow and surprise me, and I loved it! There was absolutely nothing predictable in this novel, nor did it follow any of the popular (and often overused) thriller tropes that mark a lot of contemporary novels out there today. I applaud the author for giving us one of a kind, a book that will take you out of your own world into the unknown. It was all so brilliantly carried out!

Toys

Suddenly, it all comes crashing down. Injuries, and death cast a huge shadow over the ballet and both Juliet and Ava find themselves on the outside. Floundering, no longer able to do what they love and struggling to discover who they are, and who they may go on to be. A dancer dies twice - once when they stop dancing and this first death is the more painful.” Martha Graham. Watch Her Fall is a terrifically absorbing novel, rich in atmosphere, style and surprises - Erin Kelly once again leads her readers on a dark and merry dance, and they'll love her for it - Sarah Perry Watch Her Fall takes you pirouetting into the harsh and cruel world of the artistic and classical world of ballet. It takes its inspiration from the famous ballet Swan Lake. I knew nothing of this world and even less about the story of Swan Lake but I am now fascinated by both. This is a tense, twisty, and just plain crazy read! If you are not a fan of ballet and/or don’t enjoy slow-paced character studies, this book is not for you. For those who make it through to the end, the payoff is grand!