January 16, 2013

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Publish Date: September 18, 2012
Source: Library (which is why I don't have a picture. I forgot and returne it)
Goodreads
Pages: 368
Series: Burn for Burn #1
Rating: Near Miss

BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...
THEY GET EVEN.
Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister.
Kat is tired of the rumors, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person -- her ex-best friend -- and she's ready to make her pay.
Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him.
Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.
I'm sad to say I'm a little disappointed after finihing urn for Burn. With all the hype surrounding the author collaboration I was figuring on something spectacular. I didn't particularly dislike it, and it was a quick read, but I didn't particularly like it either.

My first problem lies with the revenge itself. The first one exacting revenge didn't even really have a reason. She wanted to “protect her sister,” but I'm not entirely sure from what considering she was relying solely on second-hand information. Plus, the terrible thing that happened to her doesn't really have anything to do with what's going on with her sister.
The other girls' reasons had to do with bullying which is a little more understandable, but I still didn't really have much sympathy for them. Bullying is a terrible thing and difficult to go through, but I just couldn't get on board with the revenge. Normally I love a good revenge story, but you have to really mak me feel the rage and sympathy for it to work and Burn for Burn just didn't.

All that being said, I'll likely read the sequel. Both to see if it's better and simply because it was a really quick read. I'm hoping to see a little more substance and growth in round two (is it still going to be the same characters?) And I really need to know what is up with the paranormal stuff.

Speaking of which, I've seen a lot of people saying that the paranormal stuff was jarring and just tacked on at the end, but it really wasn't. It was there from the start and they weren't trying to hide it from the reader either. I'm a little confused as to how it kind of snuck up on so many people.
The Nutshell: If you're looking for something deep or emotional then Burn for Burn most likely isn't it. However, if you're just looking for a quick read and don't want to get too invested (like a palette cleanser or something) then it's worth picking up.




1 comment:

  1. I have this on my bookshelf, and I do plan on reading it eventually, but it's not a priority. My sister read it and was all "OH MY GOSH IT'S SO GOOD YOU MUST READ IT IMMEDIATELY" but uh, then she compared it to Pretty Little Liars (her favorite tv show EVER) and I lost all interest. :P

    I had no idea there was paranormal stuff or that there is going to be a sequel though. Now I'm curious. I'll have to read this at some point so I can form my own opinion, I guess.

    -Rachel

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