Sparrow. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Sparrow by Mary Cecilia Jackson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Pages: 320
Expected publication: March 17th 2020 by Tor Teen

There are two kinds of people on the planet. Hunters and prey

I thought I would be safe after my mother died. I thought I could stop searching for new places to hide. But you can’t escape what you are, what you’ve always been.

My name is Savannah Darcy Rose.

And I am still prey.

Though Savannah Rose―Sparrow to her friends and family―is a gifted ballerina, her real talent is keeping secrets. Schooled in silence by her long-dead mother, Sparrow has always believed that her lifelong creed―“I’m not the kind of girl who tells”―will make her just like everyone else: Normal. Happy. Safe. But in the aftermath of a brutal assault by her seemingly perfect boyfriend Tristan, Sparrow must finally find the courage to confront the ghosts of her past, or lose herself forever….
BLURB: Sparrow

Completely different than what I expected!

I thought this would be a romance with a lot of angst and a girl with a bad ex-boyfriend she is trying to get over but it was much deeper than that. It was about tragedy and how one tragedy can affect a person’s life if it isn’t dealt with. How one incident or relationship with issues can lead to others very similar. It also is about how one bad relationship can affect so many people, not just the two people involved in the relationship.

Savannah Darcy Rose (a.k.a. Sparrow) is a seventeen year old student and ballet prodigy. She hangs out with the ballet and drama crowd and has two best friends Delaney and he dance partner Lucas. Both her and Delaney have had a crush on Tristan, the hot rich boy at school, and he notices Sparrow and soon becomes her boyfriend.

Sparrow lost her mother when she was very young and has recurring nightmares that feature her mother. She lives with her father Avery Rose, a defense attorney and her aunt Sophie. Both her father and her aunt love her very much and treat her well. Her father questions Tristan when he first takes her out like any father would. They see how well Tristan treats Sparrow.

However, Tristan gets very jealous of Lucas and any time she spends with Lucas including dance practice. Her friends become suspicious when they see Tristan yelling at her. It turns out a Tristan is not as perfect as he seemed to be. Of course Lucas has always known this because Tristan has bullied him since fifth grade for being a ballet dancer.

Though Tristan can’t really bully Lucas much anymore since Lucas grew to be 6’5” and very muscular from dance. But Tristan still makes degrading and homophobic comments about Lucas being a dancer. Lucas is good at ignoring, but not so much after Sparrow starts dating Tristan. The character development in this book is terrific, as is the world building.

Lucas has his own troubles at home, but he continues to try and help Sparrow. Though something tragic happens and each of the characters has different reactions and issues that arise because of it. I won’t say much more than that, but the journey each character takes to recovery is terrific and the story deals with the psychological effects in a fantastic way. However, I can’t decide if I liked the ending. In some ways I do and in some ways I don’t, you’ll understand if you read the book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

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