Unlovely

by Celeste Conway

Overview

They look so sweet and beautiful...but what is the dark, unlovely truth?

Harley's a college guy with a brain in his head. Those old tales about the ballet school and the evils hidden within its walls are for the town's fools and gossips. Then Cassandra, one of the dancers, whirls into his life. Harley is at first enchanted. Then he's doubtful. And then he's terrified. But it's already too late.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781440582790
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	01/02/2015
Pages:	254
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.10(d)
Lexile:	HL590L (what's this?)
Age Range:	14 - 17 Years

About the Author

Celeste Conway is a writer and artist. She currently resides in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

12/01/2014
Gr 9 Up—Harley Jamison has returned to his island home after his first year of university, not expecting to feel as much of a stranger as he does. His former girlfriend Máirín (with whom it was assumed Harley would spend the rest of his life) has a new guy, is pregnant, and doesn't seem happy. In an attempt to convince himself that he's over her, Harley becomes involved with a student from the dance school nearby. Having grown up in the town, he's well aware that the residents view the dancers with a hostile suspicion, mostly due to the death of a local boy who was killed in a fall from one of the school's upper-story windows, but Cassandra is charming and very beautiful. When Cassandra is cast in the lead role of Giselle, she changes, becoming unpredictable and eerily mimicking the behavior of the ballet's doomed heroine. Scenes in which she lures Harley to the school's grounds late at night have an aura of dangerous unreality, but rather than being drawn into the suspense, readers are merely observers. An additional purchase for librarians looking to beef up their YA thriller collections.—Marlyn Beebe, Long Beach Public Library, Los Alamitos, CA

School Library Journal

2014-10-01
As Harley begins dating one of a group of ballerinas, he starts to become suspicious of the potentially threatening behavior of the rest.Back from his first year of college, he's on the rebound from the sad ending of his lifelong friendship and recent romantic relationship with Mairin, who has now gotten pregnant by and is about to marry an unsavory and rough-cut local. Harley's initially thrilled—and stunned—to be dating the graceful and lovely Cassandra; there has been a vast gulf between town residents and the sophisticated ballerinas at Ocean Watch, the local, prestigious ballet academy. The tragic and perhaps not accidental death of a young man at the school several years ago has created an even wider divide. After Cassandra is given the starring role in Giselle, Harley senses both a change in her behavior and an uncomfortable parallel between those disturbing ballerinas and the equally creepy, classic ballet. With Mairin's life spiraling downward, Harley discovers that the unpredictable Cassandra is an inadequate and maybe even dangerous substitute. The narrative moves believably from predictable romance to somewhat chilling horror; it takes too long for fans of that genre but does add spice to the tale. Recommended for those who want more than just a romance—or for readers who have an innate dislike for slender, graceful young women with long legs and necks and great posture. (Suspense. 14-18)

Kirkus Reviews

"As Harley begins dating one of a group of ballerinas, he starts to become suspicious of the potentially threatening behavior of the rest. The narrative moves believably from...romance to somewhat chilling horror.... Recommended for those who want more than just a romance." —Kirkus Reviews

"For those who like their ballet books with a touch of mystery and horror, Unlovely is a very enjoyable book. The writing is outstanding! There are sentences and paragraphs that are so hauntingly evocative you will want to read them two or three times.... It is a fun, fascinating read. The story moves as gracefully, beautifully and tragically as the ballet itself." —Ballet Connections

"So many YA novels are written from a female perspective, so it's nice to occasionally read one with a male POV. Celeste Conway writes a believable guy in Unlovely." - Forever Young Adult

"The right mix of mystery and reality. The murders are shrouded in mystery, creating a suspenseful atmosphere. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys romance or mystery." —TeenReads.com

"Chilling new young adult thriller. A reader of any age may become engaged in the well-written suspense of the story." —Reviewing the Evidence

"This is a twisty, dark, deep story...I was really blown away by [Celeste's] writing.... Intense and thrilling.... Complicated and deep, and layered and passionate, and beautiful and creepy, and scary all at the same time.... The writing in this book is so beautiful. This is a great book for anyone who likes [a] twisted and dark...romance." —YA Asylum

"Conway's newest has writing that [is] beautiful.... Harley's experiences hit on the unsettling feeling of returning to a hometown that is at times both strange and familiar...with the extra peril of a longstanding mystery added in." —Booklist

From the Publisher