Girls of Dark Divine

By: E. V. Woods

Narrated by: Polly Edsell

A group of hauntingly beautiful girls have been bound together by a cruel curse—and one of them will go to any lengths to save them from their violent dance. Phantom of the Opera meets Black Swan in this breathtakingly gorgeous gothic fantasy about love and control that will never let you go.

In the legendary ballet theatre of New Kora, the girls onstage enchant the audience each night with their grace and divine beauty. Before Emberlyn was the star of the show, it was her dream to become one of them . . . until she learned the price of their living nightmare.

A magical curse binds the girls to the show's mastermind, Malcolm, whose invisible strings wield their limbs as if they are marionettes . . . and the commands don’t stop when the curtain comes down. Each dancer is destined to turn to dust once the curse consumes her.

When the troupe is invited to perform in the glitzy city of Parlizia, Emberlyn knows this could be her best chance to save them all. She meets an elusive boy made of shadows who has a magical connection to the girls. Together, they work to unravel the haunting truth about their creation and fight for their survival. But the cost of freedom might be too high, and as Emberlyn dances closer to the edge of darkness, she realizes she might break the curse . . . or break her own heart forever.

Critic reviews

"A lush, gothic YA fantasy that wrestles with themes of sisterhood, love, freedom, and control." —Paste

"As dark and twisted as it is tender and beautiful." ―Sarah Underwood, New York Times bestselling author of Lies We Sing to the Sea

"A dark and haunting gothic gem of a book. Woods directs an unforgettable cast of characters through a tale as perilous as it is hopeful. With a setting so rich you can smell the very dust beneath the stage, this book will enchant readers until the final curtain falls." —Elle Tesch, author of What Wakes the Bells

"Woods’ story appropriately reads like a compelling operatic performance, evoking The Phantom of the Opera in its eerie but beautiful atmosphere and containing strong emotions, a tragic love story, and a thrilling, fiery climax as the girls fight on stage to escape their abuser and regain free will." —Booklist

"The plot maintains suspense and builds to a climactic finale, with a thoroughly evil villain who raises the stakes at every turn. A dark fantasy for fans of The Phantom of the Opera and Erin A. Craig’s House of Salt and Sorrows." —School Library Journal