Review originally posted at Christa's Hooked on Books 
 I want to start out by saying I know almost nothing about classical music or the world of competitive violin playing. This did not stop me from becoming completely absorbed in this novel. Jessica Martinez makes the finer details very accessible for those readers who (like me) are unfamiliar with this particular musical world. 
 Though there are many, many things I loved about this novel my favourite by far was Carmen herself. She was so authentic, so real and that girl is just so brave! Even with all her personal flaws, I found her so admirable. She is an incredibly complex and deep character and I just don't think 300 pages was enough! I wanted the novel to be longer so I could get to know more about her (I don't think this is a criticism - I certainly don't intend it to be). 
 There are some heavy issues put forth in this novel. We've got intense competitions, prescription drug addiction, teenage love, over bearing parents. All tackled in just 290 pages! A difficult feat to pull off but Jessica Martinez manages it. This novel handles these issues in an appropriate way and doesn't brush off their importance. I think a lot of people (not just teens) will be able to relate to many of the themes in this novel 
 Virtuosity pulls you in and certain scenes will just tear you apart. The story is tragic, yet absolutely beautiful.