'A rare jewel of a novel that shimmers with beauty, wisdom, and artistry. Propelled by a devourable plot that kept me turning the pages long after I should have been asleep... I could not have loved it more.' Coco Mellors, New York Times-bestselling author of Blue Sisters 'Ambitious, elegant and deeply intellectual... A novel of passion, pain, politics and art, which shows the full breadth of Kim's talent.' Pandora Sykes 'Juhea Kim's escapist second novel takes you deep into the corps of the Mariinsky in St. Petersburg... [ Kim] writes lush prose buttressed by vivid detail.' Vogue, 'Best Books of 2024' 'Shimmering, seductive characters dance across the pages... Absorbing and passionate.' Meng Jin, author of Self-Portrait with Ghost 'A gorgeously written tale... Well-researched and immersive, the book is a testament to Kim's lifelong admiration of ballet.' Ms. Magazine 'Kim channels ballet's rigour and romantic intensity to depict a flawed heroine whose gift vaults her from an impoverished childhood to stardom and high-stakes rivalries.' Mail on Sunday 'Meticulously researched, brutally frank, and deliciously glamorous, City of Night Birds enraptures as thoroughly as the ballerina at its beating heart.' Rachel Lyon, author of Fruit of the Dead 'A beautifully crafted must read. City of Night Birds is a book that lingers long after the final pages have come and gone.' Jason Mott, author of Hell of a Book 'Riveting... Kim weaves in plot threads involving the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the tabloid press, and celebrity parties, as well as complications related to various expressions of sexual desire to show that no form of art can exist separately from the complexity of life... Another brilliant page-turner from Kim... Written in sumptuous prose, Kims novel is a feast for the senses.' Kirkus (starred review) 'A sweeping portrait of an artist-as-a-young-dancer rich in all the intricacies of perfecting art and performance against relentless odds, physical, emotional, and so deeply personal.' Booklist 'Kim delivers all the juicy drama readers have come to expect from a ballerinas tale... The results will likely keep dance fans ravenously turning pages... A welcome addition to the literary dance canon.' Los Angeles Times 'City of Night Birds is a deeply emotional portrayal of a dancer past the peak of her abilities, trying desperately to regain her sense of self after her body, her loved ones and her lifes work have let her down... Utterly immersive... For anyone who has ever been transfixed by the stage, City of Night Birds is not one to miss.' BookPage 'Kim's lyrical, cinematic writing kidnaps the senses from the moment they meet protagonist Natalia Leonova... The greatness of City of Night Birds made this reader lament its ending, and hope for another Juhea Kim novel, and another.' Washington Post 'Impressive With painterly prose, Kim takes readers to St. Petersburg, Russia, following a hot-blooded, ambitious ballerina as she pursues greatness and redemption on the stage.' San Francisco Chronicle, 'Best Books of 2024' 'City of Night Birds has occupied my imagination because she does what the old Russian stalwarts do, but in this lyrical, beautiful way.' BBC Arts Hour
