Dancers of the Dawn

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is a fantastic YA fantasy! I dare say one of my all-time favorites! 😍Rock The Boat has published some of the best YA fantasy stories out there: diverse, toward the intended audience which is teens, great world-building, and main characters you'll follow anywhere. I'm truly amazed by this publisher's picks. I also read The Last Bloodcarver, and that was a wild ride, too!

Do you know when you read the premise of a book on Goodreads/other websites or at the bookstore and think "THIS is for me"? This is how I felt with this book, which in turn made me nervous to start reading because "What if it wasn't true? What if it didn't meet my expectation of love and awe?" I couldn't help myself, though, and oh holy moly, I fell in love, completely and irrevocably.

The main character is Aasira, a girl who grew up at an academy where young girls train to harness their magic and ultimately serve the queen. Since her mother was a traitor, she was perceived as a traitor, as well, by other students and personnel. All Aasira wanted was to prove her worth and her loyalty. She wanted to belong. Throughout the book, we got many plot twists, and I enjoyed seeing how Aasira handled all this new information. Before, Aasira felt like something was missing, so it was precious to see her become whole and discover who she is as a person and not as her mother's daughter. I LOVED HER!

The love interest comes later on, and I won't spoil anything, but I do love a character who is loyal and stands up for his beliefs. And I really liked him, too! Book 2 will have even more romance, and I'M SO GIDDY ABOUT IT!

There were plenty side-characters, and I enjoyed them all. I felt like every character had a great development in this book; at the end of the book, no one was left the same when the story took off. This doesn't happen often enough, and it spoke of a real storytelling talent of this debut author!

The world-building is PHENOMENAL. The author has had extensive experience in ballet, and it really translated well on the page. All the descriptions were vivid and rich, and I was practically awe-inspired by all of it. I mean, DANCE as a way to practice MAGIC?!! GLORIOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The plot had many twists and turns, one that was obvious in my opinion, but it didn't make me any less excited. Even if I knew something, I had no idea how it would turn out! THE SUSPENSE! THE TWISTS!! THE CHARACTERS' LOYALTIES AND DEVELOPMENTS!

I felt like this book will resonate with a lot of YA readers because it's true to its audience but also has strong crossover appeal. I really LOVED everything about this book, and I hope we get a special edition of this series. I CAN'T WAIT FOR BOOK 2!!!!!!

Dancers of the Dawn is, hands down, one of the best books I'll read this year, and an outstanding YA fantasy. If someone would write the definition of YA fantasy, they should write this title as an example. It's glorious like a flame-wielder.

Dancers of the Dawn was everything I wanted from the first page to the last. Aasira has the gift of magic through dancing, and hers, fire magic, makes her the perfect candidate to become the Queen's executioner.

But there is trouble brewing, not only with the enemies of the Queen, but within the band of women who serve as her most fierce warriors, and Aasira is at the center of it.

This world is rich, vibrant, and colorful, the prose will transport you to a land full of spices and secrets, where betrayal is everywhere and everything Aasira thought she knew might be a lie. I can't wait for the next book!

5 stars - dance magic must I say more!

Aasira is a student at a training academy for magically gifted students in which their powers are enhanced when they dance together. They each have unique talents in which Aasiras is fire magic and gives her the position of executioner within her group as the academy also serves the ruling queen. Aasira is judged on the actions of her traitor mother and is surprised when the queen selects her to compete as a member of her personal guard.

I fell in love with everything about this book from the rich desert setting, the unique dance magic and loveable characters.

I loved the way the women were the ones with the most power in the story and was gripped with Aasiras unease as she came to terms with the truth.

The mystery surrounding Aasiras mother, the queen and the competing dancers kept me enthralled throughout the story. I couldn’t have guessed the twists towards the ending and I can’t wait for book 2.