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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
Absolutely loved it. Great storyline. Although the ending was kind of vague.
The only thing is...it's scary. Not scary as in horror or thriller...but as in sad and horrible.
Pattyn is a likable character with a heart-wrenching story...but the ending WILL leave you upset, and bothered. It did for me. It's kind of hard to figure out who's the antagonist in this story, because obviously her father is a monster...but there's so much evil to this story it's hard to figure out.
The story is APPROPRIATELY titled, because not only is Pattyn beyond burned...most likely YOU will be after you read it. I hate sad books. With an emotional passion. And I had no idea about the ending of this, but I will say I did enjoy it. Except the ending. It's a book that makes you WANT to think it'll be okay, and for a second you WILL think it will be okay...but then it's not. The writing and characters were good...but the plot definitely burned me.
Pattyn is a likable character with a heart-wrenching story...but the ending WILL leave you upset, and bothered. It did for me. It's kind of hard to figure out who's the antagonist in this story, because obviously her father is a monster...but there's so much evil to this story it's hard to figure out.
The story is APPROPRIATELY titled, because not only is Pattyn beyond burned...most likely YOU will be after you read it. I hate sad books. With an emotional passion. And I had no idea about the ending of this, but I will say I did enjoy it. Except the ending. It's a book that makes you WANT to think it'll be okay, and for a second you WILL think it will be okay...but then it's not. The writing and characters were good...but the plot definitely burned me.
Synopsis: This story follows Pattyn a girl raised in a strict religious yet abusive household! After her dad finds her in a compromising position with a boy she is shunned to the desert to live with her aunt to find "redemption" what she finds instead is "love and acceptance"
“Love is only found in books”
― Ellen Hopkins, Burned
What I Loved:
I loved the storyline itself: A young girl growing up and dealing with the everyday, and not so everyday struggles of teenage life! I can relate to Pattyn so much, she is going through life with question about God, boys, sex and acceptance among other things! The intensity of the plot had me sitting on the edge of my seat every time I read it especially during the ending/resolution. A common theme if you skim through the reviews on goodreads is that this books is incredibly hard to review because it has left so many people, including myself, speechless!
With this series you WILL have tears. . . lots and lots of tears and Laughter!!
“Do you ever dangle your toes over the precipice, dare the cliff to crumble.
― Ellen Hopkins, Burned
What I did not like:
There really wasn't anything I didn't like BUT. . . I will warn some readers that this series is filled with triggers!! The main character and secondary characters mostly deal with physical abuse, sexual abuse, pregnancy loss and others and that for me made it hard to read in some places! I cried a lot because I have been through some of these things and on a couple of scenes it put me back in that place and that may be incredible dangerous for some people! I do not necessarily think this was a bad thing about the book, if anything Hopkins really nailed it when it came to how victims of sexual abuse feel and how hard it is is to recover from pregnancy loss and this is coming from someone who has experienced both of those thing myself! For me in the end despite the triggers both of these books were worth the read!
"Not fair that we never looked each other in the eye! Not fair that he never drew breath, never nursed. Never cried or laughed or crawled or caught the measles."
-Ellen Hopkins, Smoke talking about losing the her baby
“Love is only found in books”
― Ellen Hopkins, Burned
What I Loved:
I loved the storyline itself: A young girl growing up and dealing with the everyday, and not so everyday struggles of teenage life! I can relate to Pattyn so much, she is going through life with question about God, boys, sex and acceptance among other things! The intensity of the plot had me sitting on the edge of my seat every time I read it especially during the ending/resolution. A common theme if you skim through the reviews on goodreads is that this books is incredibly hard to review because it has left so many people, including myself, speechless!
With this series you WILL have tears. . . lots and lots of tears and Laughter!!
“Do you ever dangle your toes over the precipice, dare the cliff to crumble.
― Ellen Hopkins, Burned
What I did not like:
There really wasn't anything I didn't like BUT. . . I will warn some readers that this series is filled with triggers!! The main character and secondary characters mostly deal with physical abuse, sexual abuse, pregnancy loss and others and that for me made it hard to read in some places! I cried a lot because I have been through some of these things and on a couple of scenes it put me back in that place and that may be incredible dangerous for some people! I do not necessarily think this was a bad thing about the book, if anything Hopkins really nailed it when it came to how victims of sexual abuse feel and how hard it is is to recover from pregnancy loss and this is coming from someone who has experienced both of those thing myself! For me in the end despite the triggers both of these books were worth the read!
"Not fair that we never looked each other in the eye! Not fair that he never drew breath, never nursed. Never cried or laughed or crawled or caught the measles."
-Ellen Hopkins, Smoke talking about losing the her baby
adventurous
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Now to be clear, as a dude in my 30's I am assuredly not the demographic for this book. That being said, nothing about the structure seemed to hold any sort of purpose and the plot consistency is all over the place. It had its moments where it seemed like a CW teen romance drama, but it just couldn't consistently tie the themes of violence, religious entrapment, and abuse to the rest of things in a coherent manner.
Additionally, the ending absolutely rushed up out of nowhere, hinged completely on a throwaway character, and definitely did not land in the creation of revenge heroine meets Columbine shooter out of our narrator.
Additionally, the ending absolutely rushed up out of nowhere, hinged completely on a throwaway character, and definitely did not land in the creation of revenge heroine meets Columbine shooter out of our narrator.
Whoa.
No words.
I've discovered Ellen Hopkins.
P.S. This is my favorite quote for the book:
No words.
I've discovered Ellen Hopkins.
P.S. This is my favorite quote for the book:
"God is love," she said. "And He respects love, whether it's between a parent and a child, a man and a woman, or friends. I don't think He cares about religion one little bit. Live your life right, Pattyn. Love with all your heart. Don't hurt others, and help those in need. That's all you need to know. And don't worry about Heaven. If it exists, you'll be welcome."
I read Crank first and thought this is part of the same series but luckily it turned out to not be. Where Crank took on the subject of drug abuse Burned is centered on domestic abuse and falling in love.
I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed seeing a side of Pattyn that was real; whenever she was angry she retaliated violently. I also loved her relationship with her aunt and what her aunt has shown her.
The ending was unexpected, tragic, and the ending wasn't really an ending. I NEED AN ENDING.
Anywho. I hope whoever reads this book is smart enough to not associate the religion Hopkins presented with domestic abuse and belittling women.
I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed seeing a side of Pattyn that was real; whenever she was angry she retaliated violently. I also loved her relationship with her aunt and what her aunt has shown her.
The ending was unexpected, tragic, and the ending wasn't really an ending. I NEED AN ENDING.
Anywho. I hope whoever reads this book is smart enough to not associate the religion Hopkins presented with domestic abuse and belittling women.
Listened on Audiobook.
This book was dark and sad. A story about a young Mormon girl who lived with an abusive father, an absent mother, and a whole flock of siblings. She starts to question what her father has beat into her head and starts to carve her own path. She is sent away for the summer to her Aunt J's house where she learns about life and herself.
While I like this story, I feel as if it was fairly predictable. This isn't a new concept/ story line. Most Ellen Hopkins books are written poetry style which isn't my favorite, however, i love listening to them on Audiobook!
This book was dark and sad. A story about a young Mormon girl who lived with an abusive father, an absent mother, and a whole flock of siblings. She starts to question what her father has beat into her head and starts to carve her own path. She is sent away for the summer to her Aunt J's house where she learns about life and herself.
While I like this story, I feel as if it was fairly predictable. This isn't a new concept/ story line. Most Ellen Hopkins books are written poetry style which isn't my favorite, however, i love listening to them on Audiobook!
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Complicated