The Fandom

February 5, 2018
Day’s debut novel blends the joy of falling in love and the stark terror of actually becoming part of a fictional world, with no idea how to return home. Seventeen-year-old Violet doesn’t simply love the Hunger Games–esque world of The Gallows Dance: she all but lives and breathes both the book and its film adaptation. After an accident at Comic-Con somehow transports Violet, her younger brother Nate, and two friends into the future dystopian London setting of The Gallows Dance, the story and characters diverge sharply from the canon she knows so well. As they attempt to find a way to return home with their innocence and imaginations intact, the lines of friendship, family, and love are pushed to their limits. Day hits the novel’s themes rather hard, particularly the idea of people not being who they appear on the surface, and the grim dystopian world of The Gallows Dance comes across as overfamiliar to the point of derivative. But readers will come away thinking about how realities (fictional and otherwise) can and cannot be changed, and the not-entirely-happy ending leaves the door open for future storytelling. Ages 14–up.

March 1, 2018

Gr 9 Up-Violet and her friends are headed to Comic Con decked out in full cosplay. As they are about to take a photo with the gorgeous lead actor in the movie adaptation of their favorite book, a freak accident sends them suddenly into the story itself. Unfortunately for Violet and her friends, their fandom of choice is The Gallows Dance, a depressing and bleak universe with a tragic love story. Violet and her friends must act out the story's canon in order to find their way back to the real world. Day's novel is a fun mash-up of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Romeo and Juliet, and the entire YA dystopian fiction genre. While the premise is sure to appeal to many fangeeks, the world of The Gallows Dance itself is underdeveloped and somewhat bland. Violet and her friends' motivations are not always believable, and their relationships with one another border on cliché. However, despite the novel's shortcomings, the fast-moving plot will keep invested readers engaged. This book contains light romance, some profanity, and several jarring scenes involving sexual assault and violence. VERDICT A charming yet serious story that will appeal to avid fandom members; recommended for purchase for large library collections.-Ariel Birdoff, New York Public Library

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2018
Cosplay turns all too real for four English teens.Violet, her besties Alice and Katie, and her younger brother, Nate, attended London's Comic-Con as rabid fans of The Gallows Dance, the hit YA franchise. But after a freak event transports them into its fictional world, they realize that futuristic dystopias aren't as much fun as you'd think. To return home, Violet must become the story's heroine: She has one week to ensnare the dreamy hero, spark a revolution...and die tragically. The hackneyed premise offers plentiful satiric possibilities, notably in frequent jabs at genre tropes and constant allusions to pop culture. Unfortunately, this title tries to have it both ways; The Gallows Dance--endlessly quoted and recapped--appears mawkish and trite yet is presented as genuinely thrilling and oh-so-romantic. Pathologically insecure Violet seems a caricature of both the stereotypical fangirl and the Mary Sue heroine. Her relationships with skeptical Katie and nerdy Nate are charmingly authentic, unlike her toxic "friendship" with shallow Alice. While these main characters are all white, the alternate world's impossibly dishy love interests and ludicrously evil villains do hint at London's ethnic diversity. Alas, even Violet's repetitive countdown to her own death provides little suspense, as the predictable plot twists to an epilogue brim full of blatant sequel bait.Genre fans and haters alike will be irritated and bored. (Fantasy. 12-18)

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