Blog Tour & Book Look: The Devil’s in the Dancers by Catherine Yu

Crushed on by Christy Jane, on August 28, 2025, in Blog Tour, New Releases / 0 Comments

Blog Tour & Book Look: The Devil’s in the Dancers by Catherine Yu

We were big fans of Catherine Yu’s Direwood and were thrilled to see a new thriller from Catherine in time for spooky season! Today’s book look is inspired by Catherine Yu’s The Devil’s in the Dancers, a sharp, sinister YA thriller that pulls you straight into the cutthroat world of Allegra Academy. Scholarship student Mars Chang thinks this summer intensive will secure her future, if she can survive the Bechlers, the ballet politics, and a dangerous new supplement that promises to enhance performance at a terrifying cost. Ballet, ambition, and betrayal collide in this tense, twisty novel about what we’re willing to risk for a dream. Check out our look below and pick up The Devil’s in the Dancers, out now!

The Devil's in the Dancers

by Catherine Yu
on August 26, 2025
Bookshop
Goodreads

Scholarship student Mars Chang has finally been accepted into the most prestigious dance academy—and she’ll do anything to stay.
Earning a scholarship to the Allegra Academy summer intensive was supposed to fix everything for Mars Chang. The academy is owned and run by the Bechlers, a big pharma family. And if Mars befriends the right girls, she could unlock the doors to the Ivy League future of her dreams.
When Mars is unexpectedly assigned to room with Alex Bechler, she knows impressing Alex will make or break all her plans. Alex is annoyingly attractive, the best dancer at the academy, and her great aunt runs the program. So when the headmistress pulls Mars aside and asks her to swap Alex’s supplements with a new Bechler product, APL, in exchange for year-round admittance, Mars can’t say no.
But as Mars gets to know Alex and how much she dislikes her family and ballet, swapping the pills proves harder than Mars bargained for. Knowing Alex better only makes it clearer how unfair the academy is. So Mars decides to help another scholarship student by letting her try the supplements. At first, the pills give the girl an instant edge in class. But when they also produce terrifying side effects, Mars suspects that APL might not be safe after all.
But how can Mars, the new girl, convince the academy’s best that her life is in danger without jeopardizing her own dreams in the process?

The Look

For this look, I leaned into the book’s themes of performance, rivalry, and the sinister glamour of the academy:

Berry Red Sweater – A nod to both stage lights and the pulsing undercurrent of danger that follows Mars through Allegra. Warm, bold, and just a little dramatic, perfect for a character standing out in a place she doesn’t quite belong.
Mustard Corduroy Mini Skirt – Academic and structured yet playful, this piece captures Mars’s balancing act: striving to fit into the polished, privileged world of Allegra while still holding onto her own identity. It brings a touch of prep-school edge to the ensemble.
Black Ballet Flats – Ballet-inspired but wearable, tying back to the discipline and poise of the academy. They’re elegant but unpretentious, reflecting Mars’s grit over glamor.

Together, the outfit mirrors the book’s balance of beauty and menace, the polished surface of the academy with shadows just beneath.