BWS Review: Girls of Dark Divine

Bookworm
Jul 30
5 min read

Updated: Aug 31

Quick Overview

Author/Publisher: E.V. Woods / Delacorte Press

Story: Emberlyn and her sisters are cursed by the Puppet Master to dance in his show against their will. When the troupe is invited to perform in the city of Parlizia, she meets a boy made of shadows. They work together to fight for their survival, but breaking the curse might break Emberlyn's heart.

Published Date: August 5, 2025

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Dark Fantasy, Gothic, Dancing, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Young Adult Horror

Pages: 385 pages

Beaten, but not broken, Emberlyn and her sisters are held captive by the Puppet Master and cursed to dance at the theater. If that wasn’t bad enough, the curse is killing them. E.V. Woods' debut novel, Girls of Dark Divine, will be published August 5th, 2025, by Delacorte Press. This gothic novel is a mixture of dark fantasy and a story about surviving an abusive relationship. As our hero, Emberlyn, suffers at the hands of the Puppet Master, she yearns to be free. Let’s take a closer look at the ballet theater’s dancers.

The Summary

Content Warning: Abuse (physical and emotional)

A ballet theater in New Kora is legendary for the women dancing each night with grace and divine beauty. What the audience doesn’t know is a magical curse binds the girls to the show’s mastermind, Malcolm, whose invisible strings wield their bodies to dance against their wills as if they were Marionettes. The troupe is invited to perform in the glitzy city of Parlizia, and Emberlyn knows this is her best chance to escape. In Parlizia, she meets a boy made of shadows and dust who is connected to the girls and Malcolm. Together, they search for a way to undo the curse and fight for their survival. But the cost of freedom might be too high. Emberlyn realizes that to break the curse, she might have to break her heart forever.

Warning! Slight Spoilers Below

The Evaluation

This book drew me in with the suspense of whether the Marionettes will gain their freedom or suffer dancing in front of an unsuspecting audience until they die. The relationship between Malcolm and the women is clearly abusive as he uses emotional and physical abuse to control them. The story is about surviving abuse with a side of heartbreaking romance. The romance in the book is hinted at several times as a fated lovers. Woods does an excellent job of describing Emberlyn’s emotions of suffering from the abuse, loving her sisters, and falling in love with the elusive shadow boy. She also broke my heart with the ending.

The theme of Girls of Dark Divine is selflessness. Emberlyn struggles between saving herself and saving her sisters. “If we all tried to leave together, I can guarantee you we’d be back in his clutches being tortured into oblivion within six hours. If it’s just us…we stand a better chance. One day, when we know we’re safe, we will come back for them,” Emberlyn told her best friend, Aleida (26 pg). Understandably, Emberlyn is looking at her situation from a logical perspective where she and her friend stand a better chance of escaping if they leave the other sisters behind. Emberlyn will need to become selfless if she is to survive the curse.

What I like

The love and support among the dancers.

The Marionettes refer to each other as sisters and support each other. Woods could have added drama by pinning the Marionettes against each other, but her choice for them to show love and empathy was the better choice. “But the others didn’t begrudge Emberlyn her position. Malcolm’s favoritism. They pitied her for it,” (32 pg). The dynamic was wholesome in a dark world.

Malcolm is a clear-cut abuser.

Malcolm controlled what they ate.

Malcolm controls the women, down to what they eat. “He has chefs in to prepare our breakfasts and dinners, so he can monitor what we eat,” Emberlyn explains to a new sister (92 pg). Controlling their weight and what they eat is just one of his abusive tactics.

Malcolm cut them off from their family and world.

“They have no idea anything is wrong, thanks to those letters Malcolm makes us write,” Aleida tells Emberlyn (24 pg). The Marionettes aren’t allowed outside the theater or to contact their families. Malcolm has successfully cut them off from any outside support.

Malcolm blamed them for the abuse.

Malcolm uses emotional and physical abuse to control the Marionettes.“I took your pathetic excuses for dancers and turned you into an international spectacle. And this is how you repay me,” Malcolm tells the Marionettes (322 pg). Like many other abusers, he tries to pin the blame for his actions on the victims.

The description of dancing was wonderful.

When the book is about dancing, it is important to be able to describe the motion and feeling of the dance. “More Marionettes appeared onstage, moving in perfect unison like a flowing river. They spun toward Emberlyn, encircling her. Every leap and twirl, every pirouette, was elegant. Perfect,” (37 pg). Woods succeeds in describing the motions and Emberlyn’s emotions about dancing when she has no control.

Emberlyn was allowed to be feral with rage.

Emberlyn’s pain and anger over the abuse are shown through her feral inner dialogue. “Even more, she wanted him to know it was her. Her voluntarily smiling face must be the last thing Malcolm Manrow ever saw before he danced through agony and met his darkness. Wanted him to watch the candlestick swinging in to cave in his skull before he faded to black,” (125 pg). Abuse can bring out a range of emotions, and Woods is able to express Emberlyn’s rage wonderfully. Instead of feeling defeated, the audience can taste her rage at her trauma and pain.

What didn’t work for me

The magic in the worldbuilding could have been developed more.

There is no mention of any other types of magic other than the curse Malcolm wields. Emberlyn does get her hand on an occult book, but it doesn’t provide any information on any other magic. The audience is left wondering about how it works into the world. Is magic common knowledge or an ancient secret? Is just the type of magic Malcolm wields exist, or are there other types?

The shadow boy doesn’t tell anyone about Malcolm or the Marionettes.

The Marionettes are forbidden to speak about what is happening to them, thanks to Malcolm’s curse, unless they already know. The shadow boy knows due to his connection to Malcolm and wants to help the Marionettes. I am curious as to why he doesn’t tell anyone, like the authorities or the owner of the Parlitiza theater. He could have easily proven that magic existed, and once the other party knew of the curse, the Marionettes could speak about the abuse. If there is a magical reason why the shadow boy couldn’t speak about the curse, it was not explicitly stated.

The Rating

The Bookworm’s Snack rates Girls of Dark Divine 4 out of 5 stars.

I enjoyed reading Girls of Dark Divine. The fantasy story of dancers cursed to perform like marionette dolls, mixed with the story of surviving abuse, made for a wonderful book. It pulled on my emotions and kept me in suspense over what would happen next. The magic in the worldbuilding could have been expanded, including giving the shadow boy a reason (magical or not) to not tell the authorities about Malcom’s many crimes. Still, Girls of Dark Divine is a good book for anyone interested in women fighting back, surviving abuse, dancing, or curses. The Bookworm’s Snack recommends reading Girls of Dark Divine.