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auburntoast's review against another edition
3.0
Fue una experiencia algo abrumadora, pero aún así la disfruté con un montón de intriga.
De verdad recomiendo que se lea +17
De verdad recomiendo que se lea +17
lorettalucia's review against another edition
3.0
This was just okay. I mostly read it because the protagonist studies ballet, which ultimately was less of a focus of the novel than I was expecting. A few too many dramatic elements here--the story had a bit of a "kitchen sink" feel--and the pacing and writing weren't particularly inspiring. But it was entertaining enough ultimately.
3 stars.
3 stars.
mnvandertoots's review against another edition
3.0
I struggled through the first half of the book but then something flipped within the main character. I found her so much more relatable and the book far more engaging.
eiliux's review against another edition
2.0
Este libro es simplemente... too much.
No es malo, la narrativa es entretenida y la premisa definitivamente te atrapa, pero hubiera sido mucho mejor si se hubiera apegado a uno o dos temas en lugar de querer abarcarlo todo. Estereotipos raciales, presión social, anorexia, manipulación, abuso infantil, secuestro, drogas, alcohol, competencia, malas relaciones... todo eso le quita mucho énfasis al tema principal y se vuelve hasta aburrido en partes.
No es malo, la narrativa es entretenida y la premisa definitivamente te atrapa, pero hubiera sido mucho mejor si se hubiera apegado a uno o dos temas en lugar de querer abarcarlo todo. Estereotipos raciales, presión social, anorexia, manipulación, abuso infantil, secuestro, drogas, alcohol, competencia, malas relaciones... todo eso le quita mucho énfasis al tema principal y se vuelve hasta aburrido en partes.
sbelasco40's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, this book. Is INTENSE. There's no word out of place, every moment tense and essential and compelling, and it is so emotionally authentic to being inside the head of someone who has experienced trauma without understanding the scope of that trauma. The book itself is a masterclass in pacing, and Theo manages to be so relatable even when she is not entirely reliable. Brilliant storytelling.
teganbeesebooks's review against another edition
3.0
Really interesting premise, a little repetitive, somewhat disjointed. full review to come.
taliees's review against another edition
4.0
This novel is very heavy and contains mature content. Read only if it is safe to do so and doesn’t put your mental health at risk.
Definite trigger warnings- Sexual assault and harassment, kidnapping, pedophilia, drug and alcohol use, cheating, and eating disorders
I was prepared to rate this book two stars or lower until the last few chapters. I had already started to draft my review about how irresponsible and dangerous this book’s portrayal of eating disorders is, but the ending was transformative. The main character, Theo, gained so much strength and grew beautifully to understand her worth and the need for justice. The content related to Theo’s eating disorder were still incredibly triggering and harmful in the way she was perceived as recovered and her monologue around food. There are mentions of numbers and behaviors that I found to be unimportant and problematic to publish without a trigger warning.
Definite trigger warnings- Sexual assault and harassment, kidnapping, pedophilia, drug and alcohol use, cheating, and eating disorders
I was prepared to rate this book two stars or lower until the last few chapters. I had already started to draft my review about how irresponsible and dangerous this book’s portrayal of eating disorders is, but the ending was transformative. The main character, Theo, gained so much strength and grew beautifully to understand her worth and the need for justice. The content related to Theo’s eating disorder were still incredibly triggering and harmful in the way she was perceived as recovered and her monologue around food. There are mentions of numbers and behaviors that I found to be unimportant and problematic to publish without a trigger warning.
morgan_s_312's review against another edition
4.0
Not sure how to rate it. It was well written and hit a LOT of topics--child abduction, eating disorders, drugs, etc--and I HAD to know what happened. But for whatever reason I don't find myself having completed it and saying "wow that book was amazing!" I would maybe rate it 3.5 but a 3 seemed underwhelming so I chose a 4.
samchaffin's review against another edition
5.0
This book left me utterly raw.
It's the story of a 17-year-old ballet dancer named Theo, whose best friend Donavan disappeared four years ago. When Donavan suddenly reappears, he's not talking about what happened to him, not even when the man accused of kidnapping him is found and arrested. Theo knows more than she's telling, and when she is called to testify against Donavan's kidnapper, she's terrified that finally telling the whole truth will destroy her life.
So yeah, this book was intense, I will say that. There were points at which I felt like maybe I wouldn't make it through, because the writing was that vivid. I thought that maybe I'd have to return to this later, when I could better handle the kind of trauma being described. But then I realized that this story isn't about how to "handle" pain, but how to talk about it. It's the story of a girl who has silenced herself for years, repeatedly swallowed her secrets because she deemed them too shameful to talk about. It reminded me a lot of Laurie Halse Anderson's SPEAK in that way. But it was also about growing into yourself—physically, as it dealt with Theo's ongoing struggle with anorexia as she trains for an audition to become a professional ballerina, and emotionally, as Theo begins to discover that sometimes love means letting yourself be seen fully, with all of your scars and secrets and burdens. At first, this seemed to me like a lot of heavy topics to do justice in such a short amount of pages, but BY SOME WITCHCRAFT, Colbert pulls it off.
...no, she more than pulls it off. She KILLS it. It's just so well-written. Every character (and there are a lot of characters) is written like you've known them forever. The prose is captivating, not overdone or preachy. It's just beautiful. The only thing I hate about this book is the cover, honestly, because it totally looks like you're about to read a book about a girl who flounces and hunger-strikes her way into getting her rich parents to buy her another tutu (I don't know okay I'm tired). Also the title. Seems like a "one-word-titles-are-hot-right-now" marketing ploy to me. I'd love to know whether Colbert originally titled it something else, because this one, all in all, seems fairly irrelevant to the content of the book (aside from the fact that Theo dances pointe... even as a metaphor the title isn't that strong). The only reason I mention those two things at all is because the cover and the title made my eyes skip over this book on the shelf several times—it looks like something we've all seen before, when I guarantee you, you haven't read anything like this book before.
It's fantastic. And it's a bit graphic. Probably PG-13, depending on how you feel about a good amount of f-bombs, drugs, and sex. Honestly, I wasn't put off in the slightest, because Theo's voice rang so true to me, exactly like a teenager would talk and act. But I understand that sometimes that's enough for people to put a book down. And I probably wouldn't have wanted my parents looking over my shoulder. It's not for everyone. Also, there are probably several triggers in this book for those who struggle with substance abuse/addiction and sexual abuse/addiction. Still, I would recommend it to most of my friends. It's truly that good.
I wish I could shake Colbert's hand and say thank you for writing this book. Somebody had to.
It's the story of a 17-year-old ballet dancer named Theo, whose best friend Donavan disappeared four years ago. When Donavan suddenly reappears, he's not talking about what happened to him, not even when the man accused of kidnapping him is found and arrested. Theo knows more than she's telling, and when she is called to testify against Donavan's kidnapper, she's terrified that finally telling the whole truth will destroy her life.
So yeah, this book was intense, I will say that. There were points at which I felt like maybe I wouldn't make it through, because the writing was that vivid. I thought that maybe I'd have to return to this later, when I could better handle the kind of trauma being described. But then I realized that this story isn't about how to "handle" pain, but how to talk about it. It's the story of a girl who has silenced herself for years, repeatedly swallowed her secrets because she deemed them too shameful to talk about. It reminded me a lot of Laurie Halse Anderson's SPEAK in that way. But it was also about growing into yourself—physically, as it dealt with Theo's ongoing struggle with anorexia as she trains for an audition to become a professional ballerina, and emotionally, as Theo begins to discover that sometimes love means letting yourself be seen fully, with all of your scars and secrets and burdens. At first, this seemed to me like a lot of heavy topics to do justice in such a short amount of pages, but BY SOME WITCHCRAFT, Colbert pulls it off.
...no, she more than pulls it off. She KILLS it. It's just so well-written. Every character (and there are a lot of characters) is written like you've known them forever. The prose is captivating, not overdone or preachy. It's just beautiful. The only thing I hate about this book is the cover, honestly, because it totally looks like you're about to read a book about a girl who flounces and hunger-strikes her way into getting her rich parents to buy her another tutu (I don't know okay I'm tired). Also the title. Seems like a "one-word-titles-are-hot-right-now" marketing ploy to me. I'd love to know whether Colbert originally titled it something else, because this one, all in all, seems fairly irrelevant to the content of the book (aside from the fact that Theo dances pointe... even as a metaphor the title isn't that strong). The only reason I mention those two things at all is because the cover and the title made my eyes skip over this book on the shelf several times—it looks like something we've all seen before, when I guarantee you, you haven't read anything like this book before.
It's fantastic. And it's a bit graphic. Probably PG-13, depending on how you feel about a good amount of f-bombs, drugs, and sex. Honestly, I wasn't put off in the slightest, because Theo's voice rang so true to me, exactly like a teenager would talk and act. But I understand that sometimes that's enough for people to put a book down. And I probably wouldn't have wanted my parents looking over my shoulder. It's not for everyone. Also, there are probably several triggers in this book for those who struggle with substance abuse/addiction and sexual abuse/addiction. Still, I would recommend it to most of my friends. It's truly that good.
I wish I could shake Colbert's hand and say thank you for writing this book. Somebody had to.
jbolwerk8's review against another edition
4.0
This is the first YA fiction book I have read in a while, and it definitely kept my attention!!! I was intrigued by the dance aspect of things (learning something new) and this big secret. Well, the focus of the book was on the abduction and Theo’s feelings about Trent/Chris, and they all came together at the end. Therefore, I thought the title was a little misleading, because it wasn’t an incredibly strong focus, and in the end, all we know about her dancing is that she can still do summer programs next year, but that’s it.
That being said, for her first novel, Brandy Colbert does a really great job of tying in a LOT of big and heavy topics, but does so in a way that keeps you interested. Abduction, rape, eating disorders, and being the “other girl”...that’s a big plate!
I really did enjoy this book though. Nicely done.
That being said, for her first novel, Brandy Colbert does a really great job of tying in a LOT of big and heavy topics, but does so in a way that keeps you interested. Abduction, rape, eating disorders, and being the “other girl”...that’s a big plate!
I really did enjoy this book though. Nicely done.