Shiny Broken Pieces (Tiny Pretty Things #2), by Sona Charaipotra

Hey guys, this is Abi here,
And even though I'm probably not going to get this up tonight (22/8/18- so Wednesday) I thought I'd start it anyways.
The next review is Shiny Broken Things. Enjoy!

Title: Shiny Broken Pieces

Author: Sona Charaipotra

Genre: Thriller contemporary

Release date: 12th July 2016

Status: Book 2 in the Tiny Pretty Things duology

Pages: 374

Blurb: "May the best dancer win.

June, Bette and Gigi are competing one final time for a spot at

the prestigious American Ballet company. With the stakes higher

than ever, these girls have everything to lose... and no one is

playing nice.

June is starting to finally see herself as a prima ballerina.

But being the best could mean sacrificing the love of her life.

Legacy dancer Bette is determined to clear her name after she

was suspended and accused of hurting her rival, Gigi. But even if

she returns, will she every regain the spotlight she craves? Or has

she tarnished the treasured family name forever?

And Gigi is not going to let Bette- or the other dancers who

bullied her- go unpunished. But as revenge consumes her, Gigi

may be the one who pays the price.

It all comes down to this last dance. Who will make the cut?

And who will lose her dream forever?"

My Thoughts

What I love about this book is that not only is it evident that the characters are able to change over the course of the book, it completely turns them on their head. They change from who they were at the end of the book and completely transform, to lengths that you didn't even think those characters were capable of!

You start to hate the character you were rooting for in the first book, and the antagonist of the first book is suddenly the one you want to succeed! It's mad!

And what is so infuriatingly good about it is that the whole time you're just urging them all to get along, focus on themselves and being the best prepared they can be for this mega audition, and to just stop all the resentment and jealousy.

Because it's not an accurate representative. I mean, the pressure, and the strive to be the best and be accepted in to what is every ballerina's dream: a ballet company is definitely accurate, but the pettiness and the jealousy definitely isn't.

The sequel starts several weeks after the events of the first book, after the summer. Gigi, Bette and June have just one more year until they leave the ballet school and audition for the American ballet company, and all three of them are biting for one of those spots. Bette is determined to get back after being suspended on suspicion of committing a crime she didn't commit. I was surprised to find out that I think I enjoyed reading from her perspective the most, and more than a little surprised to find out that I was a little bit led down by Gigi's perspective. I didn't really like the direction her character took and I was praying that she wouldn't end up paying for what she did with the ultimate prize.

Again, so much diversity and so many serious issues are discussed in this novel, outstanding on that front. But then again, there are triggers for eating disorders and suicide. If these subjects are something that may trigger you, do not pick this book up. If you think you are probably a bit too young for this duology, then also do not pick it up.

I was also sort of overjoyed at the ending. I love the way it ended, and I was totally not expecting it. I'm glad that all the characters ended up with what they deserved, if not always in the way we expect. I've become so attached to these characters in such a short amount of time, and not just the main ones either. The side characters seemed to get so much more depth in this second novel, and it made the story better.

Overall, it might not be the best book I've read this year, but it's a decent read and I think that if you like intense, enthralling, and diverse reads then you should pick this duology up. You will fly through them, amazed at how so much can be packed into two small novels.

So that is my Shiny Broken Pieces review, by Sona Charaipotra! I hope you enjoyed it, and I will see you all on Friday!

Byeeeee!

-Abi xxxxx