“To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.”
From the moment she witness her icon, Sheila Lin, win the olympic gold, Katarina Shaw“To the world, they were a scandal. To each other, an obsession.”
From the moment she witness her icon, Sheila Lin, win the olympic gold, Katarina Shaw knew that was her destiny too. When she meets Heath Rocha, a foster care kid with no family, the two form a friendship and a partnership that will span decades.
Wow. As soon as I read the synopsis of this book, I had to get my hands on it immediately. How convenient that I ended up devouring it during the Olympics, as so much of this book focuses on just how hungry these young athletes are to compete in the ultimate of sports championships, and just how much they will give up to do so. With everything you can imagine - from backstage drama to an intense love affair, beautiful friendships to bitter rivalries, this powerful and intense look inside the world of competitive ice dancing will have you on the edge of your seat at all times.
I was immediately taken with Heath and Katarina and found myself emotionally attached to each of them individually, as well as together. Because of the format and genre of this book, I had zero idea what to expect and that made the stress level as intense as the matchups that often left these characters broken and bruised. Their backstories were equally inspirational and heartbreaking and it is hard not to have a rooting interest. The formatting style is one of my favorites, and very reminiscent of Daisy Jones and the Six. Layne Fargo uses both first person from Kat’s POV and third person interview format from the documentary the reader is simultaneously a part of, and it helps to make the story that much more dynamic. As each interviewee describes the most intense moments, I can envision everything from the details in the room to the sequins on their costumes and everything in between.
I think this format will be absolutely perfect on audio, and will help keep the pace flowing just a tad bit better than in the ebook/physical book, which can sometimes be slowed down by the back and forth. That said, every time I picked this one up, I had a hard time putting it back down. Basically what I am saying is, the second the audiobook is released, I will be doing a reread!
Read if you like: • the olympics • ice dancing • forced proximity • friends to lovers • second chance romance • mixed media format • all the drama
Thank you Random House for the advanced copy. Pub: January 14, 2025....more
As someone who is known as being the furthest thing from a fantasy reader, I have successfully avoided reading the genre. Until now. Seeing this book As someone who is known as being the furthest thing from a fantasy reader, I have successfully avoided reading the genre. Until now. Seeing this book take the world by storm, my curiosity was peeked enough to snag a sprayed edge copy and read along with my golden girls crew. And now, after devouring this book in under two days, I find myself still thinking about these characters and what comes next.
As a non-fantasy reader, the world building was very accessible and easy to understand, the story lush with unique and intriguing characters, the romance incredibly swoony (though I wish we did have a bit more of it) and the most badass MC around. Seeing Violet (aka Violence) come into her own, was one of the most powerful plot points in the story. I now anxiously await the continuation of this series along with the rest of mankind.
Read if you like: •romantasy •enemies to lovers •forced proximity •single pov •dragons ...more