Nikki KatzRessenyes

Set in the mid to late 1800s, this is a book where the main character's memories are constantly being erased and rewritten. She has to figure out what's happening and why, while not being able to keep track of what's going on. I liked the setting, romance, bits of Italian, and ballet. The mystery of what was happening with both the main character, Penny, and Master was pretty interesting. I'm not entirely sure what exactly Master's end game was though.½

Penny is one of 12 ballerinas trained under the controlling eye of a master. Sort of like a cross between the Black Widow's backstory and the fairytale of the 12 Dancing Princesses. Intriguing and mysterious and good.

3.5 stars
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Kalen works for the King as a mind reader. He has the ability to search a person's memories by touch. When the Prince falls into a coma, the king asks Kalen to search his mind for clues about what happened. While in the Prince's mind, Kalen uncovers a secret, one that even the Prince was unaware of. Long ago, a princess was born, but her abilities were blamed for her mother's death and as a newborn she was sent away. Once the Prince awakens, he remembers, and together, Kalen, the Prince, and Luna, a friend, journey to find the Princess.

This was a well written and engaging young adult book. My biggest criticism is that I wish the author had gone into more detail about the world and the magic system. However, I don't think this really took away from the story. The book was fast paced and interesting, enough to hold my attention. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.

I purchased this book from Amazon to read. All opinions are my own. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 The Midnight Dance by Nikki Katz. Penny is a ballerina at an extravagant school in Italy. She is gifted with everything she needs and more, but one day a memory stirs in her mind and she can't let go of the thought but the next day it's gone. Slowly everyday this happens more often than not and she realizes it's related to slight touches from a handsome boy name Cricket. Allied with this young man Penny is determined to escape the vast estate with all of its rules and find where her memory leads her. Once she discovers what it all means there is no turning back and her memories lead her to help rescue the others trapped by the school Master. Her vow to protect is driven by her love for the friends she has made. It was a wonderful story of how your past builds you and makes you exactly who you are today......the good, the bad, and all the memories. A little bit of thriller, a little bit of horror, and a little bit of romance all tie together in the pages of this one. Review also posted on Instagram @borenbooks, Library Thing, Amazon, Goodreads/StacieBoren, Twitter @jason_stacie and my blog at readsbystacie.com.

Literary Merit: Great
Characterization: Poor
Recommended: No
Level High School

Nikki Katz is a non-fiction writer. Katz's first fiction publication, The Midnight Dance, was well written but lacking in character development. Overall the book was not enjoyable. The plot was confusing and it read like a non-fiction book. The time period jumped around a lot.

Penny is a ballerina at a finishing school. She is at the top of her class but something doesn't feel right. She has doubts about her past and why she is at the school. She discovers some mere coincidences that all the students share and decides there is a mystery to solve. She then teams up with Cricket, who works in the cafeteria, to find some answers. As the story develops, the past is revealed by chapters that were set decades before.

Overall, the book seems disjointed, lacking in development, and not relateable.

Very challenging. I only guessed some of the warm up puzzles correctly.