Savannah Darcy Rose is a gifted ballerina. She is known as "Sparrow"
to her friends and family. Sparrow has a lot of secrets that she keeps
from her loved ones. She was taught at a young age to keep secrets for
her late mother. However, after a brutal attack from her perfect
boyfriend, Sparrow must find the courage to confront her past.
As
a person who has been in an abusive relationship, I thought I would
have enjoyed this novel. I find that I hated it and I couldn't relate to
the main character at all. I liked that each of the characters had
nicknames until it became overwhelming. I felt like some of the dialogue
between the characters didn't feel authentic or real.
The
novel skips from Sparrow and Tristan's first date to Sparrow being
terrified of him. I feel like this doesn't give us a chance to see the
"good guy" that Tristan is. Was their relationship strong in the
beginning or was Tristan always violent? The reason I am asking is that I
have a hard time understanding "why" Sparrow insists Tristan is a good
guy when all we see is his abusive behavior towards her. Sparrow
mentions that he treats her good by "apologizing and buying her things".
However, I don't feel that Sparrow and her family needs money as her
father is a criminal defense attorney and uses a Montblanc pen. I am
wondering if there is an emotional need that Tristan was filling for
her.
I wish there was
more details given about Sparrow and her mother's death. The author
hovers around the incident without going into detail. Another issue I
had with the book was that Sparrow observed that she wished her father
knew she was in pain and would protect her. However, whenever her
friends or family observed Sparrow and her relationship she would get
defensive. This wasn't the book for me and I couldn't finish reading it around the 70% page mark.
**Disclosure
- I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest
opinion. This post may contain affiliate links which means I earn
advertising and/or referral fees if you purchase an item through my
link. Please note, there will be no extra charges to you. Thank you for
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BOOK INFORMATION
Sparrow
by Mary Cecilia Jackson
Publisher: Tor Teen
Release Date: March 17th 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary
Synopsis:
In the tradition of
Laurie Halse Anderson’s Speak, a devastating but hopeful YA debut about a
ballerina who finds the courage to confront the abuse that haunts her past and
threatens her future.
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.
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….
BOOK LINKS
BOOK AUTHOR
Mary Cecilia Jackson has worked as a middle
school teacher, an adjunct instructor of college freshmen, a technical writer
and editor, a speechwriter, a museum docent, and a development officer for
central Virginia's PBS and NPR stations. Her first novel, Sparrow, was an honor
recipient of the SCBWI Sue Alexander Award and a young-adult finalist in the
Writers' League of Texas manuscript contest. She lives with her architect
husband, William, in Western North Carolina and Hawaii, where they have a farm
and five ridiculously adorable goats.
AUTHOR LINKS
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GIVEAWAY
Prize: Win a copy of SPARROW by Mary
Cecilia Jackson (US/CAN Only)
Starts: 17th March 2020
Ends: 31st March 2020
