This is the story of Laurence Mesny a young, poor black girl fighting for a place in the elite, rich, white world of the Ballet. She succumbs to the power of the monster in the river, deep in the heart of the catacombs which gives her the power to influence peoples decisions. She uses this power to control people to climb up the ladder in the ballet world. Whilst I liked the premise of the story, I did struggle with it a bit. I found there was no build up to her background, it wasn't clear how and why she moved from America to France and why she had such a fractured relationship with her parents. I also struggled with how the other characters fitted in to the story. Why was Ciro such an influential figure within the ballet world? I did enjoy the big climatic finish though, so i am glad i made it to the end. The front cover is absolutely stunning and is enough to draw you in.