Mary Cecilia JacksonCritiques

Trigger Warnings: abuse, assault, dating violence

Sparrow is about 17-year-old ballet prodigy Savannah Rose, aka Sparrow, and her journey after being violently assaulted by her boyfriend, Tristan. The story jumps between Sparrow's POV and her friend's Lucas as they both confront their ghosts and demons of the aftermath.

Through most of this story I felt like I was just missing chunks of it. Before we went into Lucas' POV we seemed to just jump around with Sparrow. She has her first date with Tristan and then all of a sudden she's afraid of him. Then, when she'd have fights with Lucas, we'd get half with Sparrow's POV and then a few chapters later we'd get the other half with Lucas' POV which most of the time changed the whole fight. Pieces were almost always missing - like the fact that I thought Sophie was Sparrow's stepmom or her dad's girlfriend, not her aunt for the first hundred pages.

Because of all this, I really had no connection to Sparrow. I did, however, feel more connected with Lucas and what happened with him. Some things that happened with him tugged on my heartstrings. I feel bad for not really caring about Sparrow's story, but the only reason I knew of her story was because I wanted to read more about Lucas'.

Overall the book was good, but I wish it was fleshed out a bit more. A lot of characters had such great potential in the beginning but seemed to fade out/be glossed over in the middle and end. There were many distractions and an empty hole around the plot that I wish were filled in.

Meet Savannah Darcy Rose, also known as Sparrow. She's a highschooler from Virginia, USA, and she's also a ballerina. She has a couple of close friends called Lucas and Delaney, and a perfect boyfriend called Tristan, but she also has a dead mother and a dark secret.

The prologue for this book hooked me instantly. There's danger and mystery, and I couldn't stop reading because the answers aren't given straight away. After the prologue, we're thrown straight into Sparrow's hectic life. This book has a typical American YA feel to it, full of teen drama and angst. The teenagers feel like teenagers, except that for some reason they can all quote Shakespeare? I don't know, maybe American teenagers are more literary than British teenagers!

There's a lot I loved about this book. The imagery is beautiful. It started in the prologue, and the book is consistantly beautiful the entire way through. It's also Aesthetic™. Some of the descriptions are just wonderful. I particularly loved the perfect latte that Sparrow had in one of the chapters. There's also something about ballet that's just really alluring. Perhaps the beauty of it, perhaps the discipline behind it. I'm fascinated by it, and I know I'm not alone in that feeling. I really liked the little details about ballet that Jackson included in the book. I also appreciated the inclusion of Lucas as a male main character who is also a ballerina, because boys do ballet too. Overall, Lucas was actually my favourite character. The book switches between Sparrow and Lucas as narrators, and I felt Lucas's perspective really made the book for me. I found the story easier to get into when he was narrating. I really loved the friendship and chemistry between Sparrow and Lucas. Speaking of characters I loved, Sophie and Granny Deirdre were also high on the list.

This book is pretty fast paced. In some ways this is good; I didn't get bored by it. But sometimes the speed made things feel unrealistic or underdeveloped. The relationship with Tristan was one of these things. We keep getting told by Sparrow that Tristan is wonderful and perfect, except when he's angry, but we rarely see that. He feels over the top, almost too perfectly evil as a villain, and for a lot of the book, because I couldn't see the side of him that Sparrow supposedly saw, I felt like I wanted to shake some sense into Sparrow. The relationship just didn't feel particularly real or dynamic. The fast pace of the book also didn't really give justice to the relationships between Sparrow and the other characters. I really would have loved to see more about Delaney.

I have one other issue, and it's with the clothing descriptions. Perhaps it's because I'm not the target audience, and maybe these descriptions would interest teenage girls, but I was just overwhelmed by the in depth descriptions of what the characters were wearing. I don't care about their clothing, unless it's something that really shows off their personality or is related to the plot, and I found myself skipping over these parts.

This is the sort of book I would have absolutely loved as a teen. Drama, angst and dangerous romance. There's the hint of a love triangle (and would a book even be YA if it didn't have this?), and a mystery to slowly piece together, and an exploration into mental health and abuse. By the second half of the book, the characters felt a lot more real, and it was a rollercoaster of emotions. This book is an easy read, with difficult subject matter, a good read for an older teen.

Release date: March 17, 2020

Sparrow by Mary Vecilia Jackson brings the reader into the life of Savannah. Savannah, Sparrow, spends her time outside of school at ballet practice with her dance partner and best friend, Lucas. Both dancers are practicing for a big performance. Tristan is one of the most popular boys in school and notices Savannah when he unintentionally bumps her with his car, as she is running late to practice. Sparrow is surprised and accepts Tristan’s invitation to go on a date.
Sparrow is struggling with the death of her mother. Her mother appears in her dreams, but Sparrow is confused as to why. She knows her mother was angry with her often and Sparrow had to hide to avoid the anger.
Tristan and Sparrow seem to hit it off nicely, but some observations from friends lead them to believe that Tristan is not the right boyfriend for Sparrow. Will Sparrow come to the same realization?

The author alternates point of view and connects the reader to the personalities of both Lucas and Sparrow. The author flawlessly builds empathy and anger throughout the novel. I cried, longed to help, and felt Lucas’s anger. Exceptional and necessary topic regarding dating violence and abuse. All teens male or female need to know if it does not feel right and you are being treated as less than the blessing you are, perhaps you may not have met the match made for you. #Hottingerhighlights #yareads #middleschoolelateacher #secondaryelateacher #importantteenlit

There is a lot of sadness in this novel. If you are at all triggered by domestic violence and/or child abuse then this is probably not the story for you.

Sparrow is a ballet dancer. Ballet and the friends she has made there are her life... until she runs in front of Tristan’s car and collides with it.

Tristan is dashing, popular, gorgeous and abusive. Very quickly... Sparrow finds herself in a relationship that is all-encompassing. Tristan is possessive and controlling. Soon his jealousy turns to anger and he’s physically abusing her.

No matter what Sparrow’s friends say - and they try everything - she won’t admit that she’s being physically hurt by the boyfriend who claims to love her. He always apologizes, he buys her gifts, and he always feels guilty. the problem is that the abuse never stops.

I found the time a little difficult to follow in this novel. The relationship between Sparrow and Tristan seems to advance from zero to one hundred in a very short space of time. it’s not that it’s not possible for a relationship to happen that way - it just seemed a little strange to me.

The other perspective in the book is that of Lucas. He is Sparrow’s dance partner and also... has feelings for her. he’s everything that Tristan isn’t. Lucas is sweet and kind, generous of spirit, and appreciates dance in the same way Sparrow does.

Lucas is not the object of Sparrow’s affection and despite his jealousy, he tries to be the friend she needs even when she refuses to tell the truth about her abusive relationship.

I enjoyed Lucas’ perspective more than Sparrow’s. I think I found her a little bit frustrating. Don’t get me wrong, I GET the issues with domestic violence and how difficult it can be to make the decision to get away ... but I’m not sure that the author captured the hopelessness and fear of being alone... and the million other thoughts that go through one’s mind.

Maybe I just found Lucas' perspective a more comfortable place to be as a reader.

The extreme violence that everyone is expecting finally happens and Sparrow is nearly killed. This is the point at which her past begins to be revealed. There’s much more to Sparrow’s past than the reader knows initially.

This book is emotional, especially Lucas’ perspective. (for me anyway) It’s violent but it’s about a topic that needs to be spoken about a lot more often.

This book is told in two POV: Sparrow, a teenage ballet dancer and Lucas, her friend and dance partner. Sparrow enters a toxic relationship with Tristan, a good looking, popular, high school athlete. It becomes apparent to Sparrow's friends that Tristan has problems managing anger and is controlling and abusive. They try to talk to Sparrow but cannot reach her. Tristan brutally assaults Sparrow when she tries to back out of their relationship. We learn that Sparrow suffered abuse at the hands of her mother and that is why the pattern of abuse repeats years later.
Her friend Lucas is in love with Sparrow and is struggling with his own grief over the loss of his father. He feels enormous guilt in perceiving that he has failed to protect Sparrow from Tristan. I really liked Lucas and in many ways, he is a more developed character than Sparrow herself.
There were some temporal jumps that, at times, made the story feel a bit disjointed and that is the only reason I'm not giving it five stars.
This book addresses the important issue of abuse in teenage relationships and how trauma, if left unaddressed, can lead to more trauma. It was a difficult but very important read.

This YA contemporary is very heavy and dark. I think the description/blurb does well enough to inform the reader of such, but it was still beyond what I'd imagined. The story has a few unexpected turns and covers two distinct perspectives.

The first perspective is that of the titular character, Savannah Rose aka Sparrow. She studies ballet at an academy and seems like a pretty average 17 year-old girl until more is revealed. She is haunted by memories and vivid nightmares about her mother who passed away when she was little.

She meets Tristan King, a student at her school. The two start dating and she falls hard for him. The secondary character is Lucas, a friend of Savannah who notices signs of toxicity in her relationship with Tristan. His efforts to come to her aid send him down an increasingly troubled path.

Both perspectives are vividly portrayed but both leads are quite flawed and don't have enough charisma to either counter their flaws or make them more intriguing. Some earlier sections drag. The plot thickens in the latter half and the story remains interesting. When all was said and done, I do feel that the characters drove this book and I couldn't quite connect with them or find their personalities or perspectives enthralling enough. Disclosure : I was provided an ARC of this book for review.

Wrenching!

Domestic violence and children. Violence and boyfriends. A harrowing read! The story of Sparrow, a young woman, a gifted ballerina, and a victim of violence is a story of anguish, of darkness, and ultimately of hope and taking charge, after a long, long road to the start. More a goat track than a road really.
I must admit to not really liking the subject matter. I cannot deny though that I found Jackson's treatment of the topic empathetic, tight, tense and really well written.
Told in the voice of Sparrow, alternated with that of one of her best friend's, Marcus her dancing partner in Swan Lake, the read was a roller coaster of emotions and imaginings!
There is a side story about Marcus which was really well integrated. I loved his Irish grandmother (wise woman in the hills analogy), her acceptance and her wisdom, and Marcus' maturing.
I felt that their friend Delaney was a marvellous character who needs her own story.
In many ways Sparrow is still a mystery, but perhaps that's what new beginnings are about.

A Macmillan-Tor/Forge. ARC via NetGalley

Series Info/Source: This is a stand alone book. I got an eGalley from NetGalley.com to review.

Story (3/5): I have mixed feelings about this one. Some parts were a bit confusing; for example I didn't realize Sophie was Sparrow's aunt until well into the book; for some reason I thought she was Sparrow's stepmom at first. I also wasn't a huge fan of switching between Sparrow and Lucas's POV; they just seemed to be separate stories with separate issues the characters were facing and didn't merge together well.

Aside from those issues this was an emotional read about a young woman who's been programmed to accept abuse and her struggle back to life from a brutal attack. It's hard to read at points, but also feels a bit contrived. The ballet is more of a backdrop to the story than a really integral part of the story.

Characters (3/5): The characters were...okay. I again had mixed feelings about Sparrow...I get that her background played a part here but I was very frustrated with how she kept letting her boyfriend treat her and how she pushed her friends away. I get that she’s supposed to be “prey” but I really struggle with protagonists like her. I didn't like her but I think that's the point in the beginning of this book. I also thought Lucas came off as really immature at points and didn’t really enjoy him much as a character either.

Setting (3/5): The setting is contemporary. Brief portions of the story take place in a ballet studio which was interesting.

Writing Style (3/5): The writing style was readable with no big technical flaws. I didn’t enjoy the switching of POV and found some things confusing because they weren’t explained well. However, it was okay.

Summary (3/5): Overall this was okay but not great. I am always a sucker for ballerina stories for some reason. This is less of a story about ballet and more of a story about a teenage girl battling her demons and overcoming abusive relationships. If you are into that sort of thing you might like this, otherwise I would skip it.