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A review by halfbloodapril
Shiny Broken Pieces by Sona Charaipotra
4.0
This series is incredibly addicting. I read through the night and abandoned homework for this and I'm not mad about it at all—because Shiny Broken Pieces felt like the best fever dream I've ever had. The backstabbing, vindictive, broken pieces of Bette, Gigi, and June are back and worse than ever, ready to soar high on the stage or run the American Ballet Conservatory into the ground.
I know a lot of people saw a more whodunnit aspect in this book, but honestly, the mystery took a backseat to the emotional and psychological exploration. The pace was definitely slower, but I liked that the authors were going deeply into these three girls' trauma and how they were dealing with it, positively or negatively. I was infuriated by Gigi and her thirst for vengeance sometimes—she was constantly going around in circles and feeding into Cassie's cruelty—but I could understand where she was coming from. Bette and June were definitely the more likable characters, trying to improve themselves rather than seeking out to be book-one-Bette like Gigi. Even though she arguably instigated all the trouble in the series, Bette is still my favorite character; so complex and multifaceted.
The ending definitely passed too quickly for me. I enjoyed gleaning where all the girls ended up, but I would've liked more closure about their emotions and why June. It felt like a shoddy way to wrap things up, whereas I would've liked to see more from certain characters.
Overall, though, this series is simply intoxicating. I loved that the authors didn't shy away from the ruthlessness of the ballet world—the eating disorders, the drug abuse, the exploitation—because while it was difficult to read sometimes, it brought light to these problems in the dance world. I liked the first book the best, but this still made for a spellbinding sequel that didn't disappoint!
I know a lot of people saw a more whodunnit aspect in this book, but honestly, the mystery took a backseat to the emotional and psychological exploration. The pace was definitely slower, but I liked that the authors were going deeply into these three girls' trauma and how they were dealing with it, positively or negatively. I was infuriated by Gigi and her thirst for vengeance sometimes—she was constantly going around in circles and feeding into Cassie's cruelty—but I could understand where she was coming from. Bette and June were definitely the more likable characters, trying to improve themselves rather than seeking out to be book-one-Bette like Gigi. Even though she arguably instigated all the trouble in the series, Bette is still my favorite character; so complex and multifaceted.
The ending definitely passed too quickly for me. I enjoyed gleaning where all the girls ended up, but I would've liked more closure about their emotions and why June
Spoiler
decided to join the Salt Lake City Ballet; whatever happened to her and Jayhe?Overall, though, this series is simply intoxicating. I loved that the authors didn't shy away from the ruthlessness of the ballet world—the eating disorders, the drug abuse, the exploitation—because while it was difficult to read sometimes, it brought light to these problems in the dance world. I liked the first book the best, but this still made for a spellbinding sequel that didn't disappoint!