Title: Burn for Burn
Author: Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian
Pub Date: September 18th, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Page Count: 358
A clever and perfectly paced book on the lengths people will go to for revenge with a surprise twist that you won't see coming. - Nova @ Out of Time
Burn for Burn has the premise of three very different girls who want revenge. Somehow, what they want all tie together and they end up working with each other to defeat what is almost a common enemy.
What really stuck out to me was the way Han and Vivian wrote the characters. Each character had their own distinct personality which is so vital as the story is told between three first person point of views. I felt most of the characters really come to life! But I do have a problem with 2/3 of the main characters which made me a little iffy.
Lillia: didn't really get along with me. I really disliked her even though she isn't a nasty person. There's just something about her that screams Mary Sue, plus, she's judgmental and then gets upset when she's judged. Even though I found acceptance of her by the end of the book, she was honestly so annoying for about half of it.
Mary: fell flat in comparison to the other two. This might've been done on purpose because Lillia and Kat were definitely the dominant part of the story. However, with the way it ended, I suspect that Mary will definitely have her turn in the spotlight.
Kat: is the only character I wholeheartedly liked. She related to me a lot in her attitude and her thirst for revenge. I also really love that she's still a lot mysterious even though so much as already been revealed. If I had to pick a favorite, Kat would win by a landslide.
Everything other than this was great! I really enjoyed the pacing because it wasn't too slow and it wasn't too fast. The writing was easy to read and had a natural flow to it. It also made for a really quick read! I felt like I read it in such a short span of time, even though it's still very much memorable. Plus, let's not forget that the plot is sheer genius. I enjoyed reading the acts of revenge so much! Some of them were more cliche than others, but the execution was professional, exciting and made me feel like I was reading it for the first time.
Overall, it's a great story with three characters that have developed and are still developing. I'm so excited to read the rest of this trilogy and don't make the same mistakes I did by putting this story off. Read it soon!
Author: Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian
Pub Date: September 18th, 2012
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Page Count: 358
Postcard-perfect Jar Island is the kind of place where nobody locks their doors at night, where parents can sleep easy, knowing their daughters are tucked away safe and sound in their beds.
But bad things can happen, even to good girls . . . and sometimes, the only way to make things right is to do something wrong.
Lillia used to trust boys, but not anymore. Not after what happened this summer. And she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her little sister from the same fate.
Kat is over the rumors, the insults, the cruel jokes made at her expense. It all goes back to one person--her ex-best friend. Someone needs to teach her a lesson, and, with Lillia and Mary behind her, Kat feels up to the task.
Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she’s not the same girl anymore. Now that she’s got friends who have her back, he's going to be in big trouble.
Three very different girls who come together to make things right. Will they go too far?
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A clever and perfectly paced book on the lengths people will go to for revenge with a surprise twist that you won't see coming. - Nova @ Out of Time
Burn for Burn has the premise of three very different girls who want revenge. Somehow, what they want all tie together and they end up working with each other to defeat what is almost a common enemy.
What really stuck out to me was the way Han and Vivian wrote the characters. Each character had their own distinct personality which is so vital as the story is told between three first person point of views. I felt most of the characters really come to life! But I do have a problem with 2/3 of the main characters which made me a little iffy.
Lillia: didn't really get along with me. I really disliked her even though she isn't a nasty person. There's just something about her that screams Mary Sue, plus, she's judgmental and then gets upset when she's judged. Even though I found acceptance of her by the end of the book, she was honestly so annoying for about half of it.
Mary: fell flat in comparison to the other two. This might've been done on purpose because Lillia and Kat were definitely the dominant part of the story. However, with the way it ended, I suspect that Mary will definitely have her turn in the spotlight.
Kat: is the only character I wholeheartedly liked. She related to me a lot in her attitude and her thirst for revenge. I also really love that she's still a lot mysterious even though so much as already been revealed. If I had to pick a favorite, Kat would win by a landslide.
Everything other than this was great! I really enjoyed the pacing because it wasn't too slow and it wasn't too fast. The writing was easy to read and had a natural flow to it. It also made for a really quick read! I felt like I read it in such a short span of time, even though it's still very much memorable. Plus, let's not forget that the plot is sheer genius. I enjoyed reading the acts of revenge so much! Some of them were more cliche than others, but the execution was professional, exciting and made me feel like I was reading it for the first time.
Overall, it's a great story with three characters that have developed and are still developing. I'm so excited to read the rest of this trilogy and don't make the same mistakes I did by putting this story off. Read it soon!
Jenny Han (Han like Han Solo, not Han like hand)
was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. She went to college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Go Heels!) and she went on to graduate school at the New School in New York City, where she received her MFA in Writing for Children. She lives in Brooklyn.
I'm happy to see that you enjoyed this one! have this one on my shelf but I haven't gotten to it yet. I'm hoping to soon though because I've heard such great things about this series.
ReplyDeleteI was interested in this one, but only slightly, just because I didn't think this book would be what I was looking for. It does sound interesting though and I'm always up for character development! Perhaps I'll have to look a little further into this one. Beautiful review, Nova! x
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