The more I think about this book the more angry I get. Which is a damn shame because it was so entirely readable. There is an extra star added to this review for just how beautiful the language is. 
 Violet: Incredibly understandable, strong characterization, despite being a bitch I found her entirely likable. Which is the book's problem. It's very misguided in who we're supposed to side with. Because in this story, Violet is the villain. But Violet had depth. I wouldn't have minded her getting away with it all and heading off to Julliard. Dancing is hard. Let her have it, she put the work in. 
 Ori is supposed to be the one we care about, and she is drier than unbuttered toast. She's perfect; talented, kind, caring, smart, loyal, etc. Her only flaw is she's poor. What a tragic backstory. I was actually completely convinced that Ori was guilty the entire book. Otherwise she didn't matter to me at all, and it turns out, of course she was innocent. 
 Amber however, has an very interesting voice, though little characterization and, as you do, (view spoiler)[ kills literally everyone. Including Ori. And she's not portrayed as the villain for poisoning an entire prison of girls, some of who were going to get out in a few years and had lives ahead of them, yet her decision is almost portrayed romantically, as a martyr. Fuck Violet getting her comeuppance, why doesn't Amber get punished for killing literally everyone? Their afterlife is prison, so why do Amber and Violet get the same punishment as the girl who robbed a convenience store? (hide spoiler)] 
 I don't give a shit about what Violet did. The plot of this was a mess. Why would Violet willingly go to the abondoned prison where her friend die? Why would she agree to go at night with her clearly dubious boyfriend and the boyfriend of the dead girl who clearly hates her guts. That's another thing; I hated that guy. Ori's boyfriend was like the worst part of this, I couldn't see anyone liking him, let alone the perfect image of innocence. He was slimy and leery and just so bitter and unpleasant. 
 This book had a really beautiful language, but the plot and who we're supposed to side with is just such a disaster. It's a shame, this could have been stronger, but it never really decided what it wanted to be. A dark tale of a killer ballerina? A ghost story about a tragic girl seeing justice? A visceral story about the inner workings of Teen Girl Prison? 
 There was no cohesive direction this was going. So I'm unhappy. I'm unhappy for Violet, who was doomed to always be in Ori's shadow, for Amber, for her complete idiocy and lack of foresight, and for Ori, who literally had everything handed to her. Let's be honest. She did.