Read and Reviewed: Blog tour: Girls of Dark Divine by E. V. Woods

✦ BLURB ✦

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

A curse has bound the girls to the show's mastermind, Malcolm, so they must obey his every command. They are controlled by the magic’s invisible strings that has the power to wield their limbs like marionette dolls. Only the commands don’t stop when the curtain comes down, and the girls live a life of fear from Malcolm’s wickedness and the twisted truth that each dancer is destined to turn to dust when the curse finally 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 with 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 she dances closer to the edge of darkness she realizes she might break the curse… or break her own heart forever.

Beauty on the stage. Terror in the wings. A story of magic, control, and the cost of survival.

✶ PRE-READING ✶

Any story that promises ballerinas and curses already has my attention, but the puppet imagery sealed it. I was hoping for something grim and lyrical, with just enough grotesque to sink into my skin. The promise of haunted beauty, twisted magic, and rebellion from within the spotlight had all the right ingredients.

✶ POST-READING ✶

As I thought... This is one of those stories that feels like it’s made of silk and smoke - beautiful on the surface, but with something sharp beneath. The writing is atmospheric and taut, with Emberlyn’s desperation thrumming beneath every performance. The curse mechanics are genuinely unsettling, and the emotional toll it takes on the girls is treated with care and horror in equal measure.

It surprised me by... ...going deeper into the questions of control and consent than I expected. Yes, it’s magical horror, but it’s also about performance, objectification, and what it means to fight when your body isn’t your own. The shadow-boy adds a lovely layer of mystery and hope, but Emberlyn’s power comes from within, not through rescue. The climax is both heartbreaking and oddly triumphant.

✦ RECOMMENDATIONS ✦

📚 The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – A magical, eerie world filled with beautiful performance, shadowy secrets, and enchanting darkness.
🎬 Black Swan (film) – A descent into the dark side of perfection, obsession, and the haunting cost of control behind the spotlight.

✦ MUSIC PAIRING ✦

Because sometimes, the heart of a story plays out like a song.

🎵 Featured Song: “Bury a Friend” – Billie Eilish

Haunting, twisted, and just off-kilter enough to feel like a lullaby from a monster.

🎶 Vibe Album: Halsey – If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power
Gothic feminism in sonic form - raw, theatrical, and furious.

🎧 Artist Recommendation: Emilie Autumn – for that theatrical, violin-laced, mental-cagecore energy.

✧ VIBE CHECK ✧

🎨 Colour Palette: bone white, blood red, midnight blue, and spotlight gold
🎬 Soundtrack: Black Swan meets Coraline meets The Prestige
🍂 Season: winter’s end - cold, creaking, the air brittle with tension
🌀 Mood: “Every movement is a performance. Every performance is a prison.”
🌸 Scent: powdered makeup, burning silk, and cold theatre dust

★ TAROT CARD PULLED ★

The Devil – Santa Muerte Tarot
A towering horned figure looms, manipulating skeletal musicians like marionettes, his fingers the very source of the invisible strings. This card embodies Malcolm’s cruel dominion over the dancers of New Kora - an embodiment of control, enslavement, and the dark magic that turns grace into bondage. It’s the perfect mirror to the cursed performance at the heart of Girls of Dark Divine.

Book Links:

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/221251846

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593812107/

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/girls-of-dark-divine-e-v-woods/1146518507

IndieBound: https://bookshop.org/p/books/girls-of-dark-divine-e-v-woods/22009656

About the Author:

E. V. Woods is a YA author from the U.K, who has been writing for almost as long as she can remember. She wrote her first short story when she was six, her first full length novel at 15, and since then, simply hasn’t stopped. She adores all things fantastical, and loves to write tales threaded with both darkness and magic, curses and hope.

E. V. Woods is an avid traveller, a huge music fan, and holds a BA in English Literature with Creative Writing from the University of Birmingham. She is endlessly curious and always looking to discover something new, whether that be from reading books, watching TV shows whilst curled up with her cats, or from one of the many adventures she spends hours daydreaming about having.

Author Links:

Website: https://evwoodsauthor.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/evwoodsauthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/42430826