Book Review: "Dance Upon the Air" by Nora Roberts

By Amanda Linsmeier

Dance Upon the Air, the first in the Three Sisters Island Trilogy by Nora Roberts is a delightful novel about magic and courage. Three Sisters Island was formed after the Salem Witch Trials by three witches. It was ripped away from Massachusetts by magic and inhabited by the witches, all of whom faced tragedy in their lifetimes. Now their descendants, two former friends and one stranger must face a new evil that challenges them all. Nell Channing is new to the island. And there’s something about her that people can’t shake, especially her new boss Mia and Deputy Ripley Todd. Nell’s got a haunted look in her eye, a way of furtively looking about, a vulnerability that makes Mia take her under her wing. Not only does Mia give Nell a job as a cook in her bookstore/café but she also rents her a charming yellow cottage. What begins as a professional relationship turns into more as Mia helps Nell to uncover the magic inside her. With a budding confidence in herself, Nell confides in Mia and Ripley her dangerous, dark past. She wasn’t always named Nell. But she changed her former identity, Helen Remington, after she faked her own death and escaped the clutches of an abusive and controlling husband. Now though Nell has found peace on the island and a love with Sheriff Zack Todd, Ripley’s brother, she must confront the biggest fear of all when she finds that the past isn’t as far away as she’d wanted to believe.

Dance Upon the Air is a good novel, and though not my favorite of Roberts, it kept me intrigued and I loved the magical aspect in it. If this book were a movie, I’d compare it as a cross between Practical Magic and Sleeping With the Enemy. I really rooted for Nell for being so brave, for starting her life over again. And although this is a romance, I really wasn’t focused on that while reading it. I felt the relationship Nell had with herself, as well as the relationships between the three women was the strongest points. I would definitely read this novel again and can’t wait to finish the trilogy and find out what happens next!