Disclaimer: I received an arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: Sparrow

Author: Mary Cecilia Jackson

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: March 17, 2020

Genre: YA Contemporary

Recommended Age: 16+ (bullying, homophobic comments, psychological/mental illness, abuse)

Publisher: TorTeen

Pages: 320

Amazon Link

Synopsis: 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….

Review: Holy cow this book was a complete 180 from what I thought it was going to be! I thought this would be more boarding school ballet but this book was very grounded in very real and serious real-world issues. I loved the character development and I loved how the story flowed. It was almost like a ballet itself in how it was written.

However, I did think that the book was a bit slow and it did take a bit to get into.

Verdict: Add this to your online cart while you practice ballet in the safety of your own home.