After years of blood, sweat and tears, ballet dancer Ava Kirilova has finally reached the top of her profession. As the poster girl for Swan Lake and the daughter of the London Russian Ballet Company’s intense and uncompromising director, Ava is both revered and feared by her fellow dancers. She might have been born to play the dual lead of Odette/Odile in her father’s hotly anticipated ballet, but Ava can’t afford to get complacent. Becoming a principal dancer is hard enough. It’s keeping your place at the top that’s the real battle – and Ava has plenty of young, hopeful and ambitious girls nipping at her heels, ready to steal her spot should she fall. Superbly dark, gloriously twisted and utterly seductive – this is Erin Kelly at her mind-bending best’ RUTH WARE To say much more would be straying in the field of spoilers, and I can't do that. I can say, however, that this is an outstandingly acute look at human nature, with propulsive writing that is moody, and chilling, and at times terrifying.

A captivating hall of mirrors of a novel, where nothing and no one is as they seem - Paula Hawkins, bestselling author of The Girl on the Train 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! This is one of the most imaginative novels I’ve read so far this year. The story begins with the focus centered around the drama and competition of a ballet company.This book was so good! Tense from start to finish, with a great set-up and some psychological twists and turns that had me rooted to my chair! This is one of those books where the less you know the better- and I doubt anything else I might add would really do it justice anyway. What they didn't understand - what nobody understood - was that the higher you flew, the farther you had to fall.'

Anyway, the first act set things for what I expected would be a story of ballerina's rivalries, fighting for the role of Odette/Odile, but the second act darted off in a completely unexpected direction, and that's where it went downhill for me.

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. I had no preconceived notions when I started reading this book. I have read some of this author’s work in the past, I liked her work- but I was not prepared for such a strangely hypnotic mind trip. Watch Her Fall dances with artistic passion and intrigue, beauty and pain; the plot pirouettes in ways that leave you breathless. More than an exciting read - it is a dazzling performance. Brava, Erin Kelly! - Rachel Edwards

There's a glamour and intrigue about the arts, not just ballet, but theatre, cinema, music and writing, all have a glossy exterior and seem to be filled with beautiful people creating wonderful imagery with graceful ease. In Watch Her Fall, Erin Kelly uncovers the reality of life for a dancer. The cult-like standing of Mr K, his controlling behaviour, the bitterness, the jealousy. The anguish of being passed over for a part, the bleeding feet, the constant rehearsal, and in the case of the London Russian Ballet members, the total control over their lives. No phones, no bank accounts, no take out food, no friends from outside .... no life, other than ballet. Dystopian Fiction Books Everyone Should Read: Explore The Darker Side of Possible Worlds and Alternative FuturesThe plot focuses on the ballet, Swan Lake, and Ava Kirilova, its star who has been training her whole life for the much-coveted dual role of Odette and Odile. Since a young age, her father, the Russian ballet master, Nikolai, has been guiding her and molding her to become his masterpiece. As opening night nears and her father's criticism increases, Ava grows more and more paranoid that someone is plotting against her and will cause her father to replace her with one of her understudies. Coincidences begin building up that seem to validate Ava's paranoia. Then an opening night injury and its aftermath changes Ava's life forever. 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.