Past is prologue

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This book did not go where I thought it would. That is a good thing. I would have hated another of the woman abused by her significant other books. Instead, well like I said, it was different.
We have a girl, Savannah Darcy Rose, called Sparrow by all her friends. She is seventeen, a senior in high school and a talented ballerina. She dances with Lucas, another senior and equally talented dancer. They have been rehearsing Swan Lake. Sparrow is late for ballet when she is run into by Tristan King. Tristan is not a dancer. He's also not a Prince Charming but he and Sparrow start dating.
This is where this book and the typical abused woman book separate. As with other books of this trope, she acts like she thinks she can handle Tristan's outbursts. She can't and ultimately, he beats her severely. This puts her in the hospital and eventually into therapy. For the first time in reading this type of story, we get to see what set Sparrow up to believe the way Tristan treated her was what she deserved, what was a normal relationship for her.
We also spend time with Lucas. He tries to separate Sparrow from Tristan. After Tristan has put Sparrow in the hospital, Lucas goes after him. Like a lot of boys and young men, Tristan believes Lucas is a "sissy" and a weakling because he is a ballet dancer. In a way, Tristan has been begging Lucas to take a swing at him for most of their school years. When Lucas finally does, Tristan ends up in the hospital. Lucas gets sent to his grandmother's home to let things cool down. It doesn't help things that Lucas has been in love with Sparrow for years but has never told her about it.
I liked the growing up both main characters go through, especially after they relinquish control and start depending on the other people in their lives. It has a satisfying ending, without fairy tale touches.