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4.06 AVERAGE
4.06 AVERAGE
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He was a dream. A safe dream.
Safe, because he was unattainable,
something to adore from afar.
Like a snow-drenched mountain
or an evening star.
The Storyline
17-year old Pattyn Von Stratten is the oldest child in a Mormon family which consists of an alcoholic and abusive father and an extremely overwhelmed mother. Unconsciously, she starts to rebel little by little from her strict family’s rules. After her father catches her in a moment of rebellion she is inevitably sent to live with her Aunt in rural Nevada. Pattyn begins to realize that life with her Aunt may not be as bad as she had originally thought and that going back to her old life may be harder than she thought.
Thoughts
This was the second Ellen Hopkins book I’ve read, and even though this was not as enjoyable as [b:Triangles|10843755|Triangles|Ellen Hopkins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1313893537s/10843755.jpg|15709019], I did still enjoy it. It was damn near impossible not to feel bad for Pattyn and her 'moments of rebellion' which wasn't even anything that bad... her family just put her on such a short leash that any form of rebellion was conceived as horrible and wrong.
I can't help but feel that these types of family situations only make things worse on these children in the long run. Placing so many rules and responsibilities on them at such a young age usually leads to crazy acts of rebellion. Of course this is not always the case and many kids that live in strict households end up turning perfectly decent members of society. When I was in high school I used to have two really good friends who were both Mormons from large families (with enormous responsibilities) who ended up having a huge impact on how I view families such as these.
I finished this book with my jaw on the ground; it was an extremely abrupt and unexpected ending. I went into this thinking that it was a stand-alone novel but come to find out there's more to come in this series... I'm extremely interested in seeing how the author takes this story.
He was a dream. A safe dream.
Safe, because he was unattainable,
something to adore from afar.
Like a snow-drenched mountain
or an evening star.
The Storyline
17-year old Pattyn Von Stratten is the oldest child in a Mormon family which consists of an alcoholic and abusive father and an extremely overwhelmed mother. Unconsciously, she starts to rebel little by little from her strict family’s rules. After her father catches her in a moment of rebellion she is inevitably sent to live with her Aunt in rural Nevada. Pattyn begins to realize that life with her Aunt may not be as bad as she had originally thought and that going back to her old life may be harder than she thought.
Thoughts
This was the second Ellen Hopkins book I’ve read, and even though this was not as enjoyable as [b:Triangles|10843755|Triangles|Ellen Hopkins|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1313893537s/10843755.jpg|15709019], I did still enjoy it. It was damn near impossible not to feel bad for Pattyn and her 'moments of rebellion' which wasn't even anything that bad... her family just put her on such a short leash that any form of rebellion was conceived as horrible and wrong.
I can't help but feel that these types of family situations only make things worse on these children in the long run. Placing so many rules and responsibilities on them at such a young age usually leads to crazy acts of rebellion. Of course this is not always the case and many kids that live in strict households end up turning perfectly decent members of society. When I was in high school I used to have two really good friends who were both Mormons from large families (with enormous responsibilities) who ended up having a huge impact on how I view families such as these.
I finished this book with my jaw on the ground; it was an extremely abrupt and unexpected ending. I went into this thinking that it was a stand-alone novel but come to find out there's more to come in this series... I'm extremely interested in seeing how the author takes this story.
I attended an LDS church for 17 years. I went to seminary damn near every day for 4 years. I attended Girls Camp with the church every summer for 4 years. I went to young women events almost every week. I participated in several stake events. What in saying is, I'm very familiar with Mormons. My mother and sister are both still Members. This book is bullshit. I will be filming a video review where I will possibly rant the entire time. This book is irresponsible, ugh, I'm so mad I can't even form more words.
This book moved me to the moon and back. I read this book and I will forever remember the storyline and it all has stuck with me. I live my days out and things that I see in my life always remind me of the different things that have happened in the book and how many amazing thoughts I have stumbled upon after reading this. This book is hard to review without giving spoilers but I would just 10/10 reccomend it for anyone.
Review: Whoa, whoa, whoa, wow. I did not expect the last few pages. As I've said a few times, I hate happy endings. This is the one time where I wished it ended happily. But, that's what I like about sad or messed-up endings. I like wishing they were happy. Wishing a happy ending was sad makes me feel evil. Therefore, I like sad or messed-up endings. This was both. It was so heartbreaking, and so GOOD. The book was amazing. I though Impulse was good, I'm wondering if Burned was better. I don't know. They were both really good. WOW! I don't know what to say, it was that good. WOW! I think it made the top ten for my stand-alone list. I have a stand-alone and series list. So, I think this made the top ten for stand-alone. Wow.
Characters: Pattyn was an amazing character. I don't really know how to describe her, though. I also don't know how to describe Ethan., other than to say that he did not deserve what happened to him. Neither of them deserved what happened. The only wrong thing they ever did was fall in love. Aunt J was a cool character too, filled with her own wisdom and knowledge. She deserved love. The character I did not like was Stephen. I hated him. He was Aunt J's brother and Pattyn's father. He had no right to do what he did to either of them. *SPOILER ALERT* He had no right to hit his daughters, his wife; no right to threaten Kevin (Aunt J's love) or kill Ethan. He may not have been the direct cause of his death, but he sure as heck had a big part in it. In Impulse, *SPOILER ALERT* I blamed Conner's death on his mother, because if she had loved him just a little bit, he probably would never have jumped of that cliff. If Pattyn's dad had cared more about his daughters than his "church", Ethan would probably not have died.
Story: The story was enthralling. I could not put the book down. It had to do with love, abuse, God. Things like that. And it was absolutely WOW! I think Ellen Hopkins wrote it wonderfully perfect. It was sad and heartbreaking, but it had many good points. It made you think about your own beliefs. It made you think about love. It made you think about how luckky you are not to be in the situations Pattyn went through. But it made you wish it had a happy ending. If anything, after all the crud she's been through, Pattyn deserved everything she didn't get. She shouldn't have had to make the desicion she did.
But, it shows you
that life isn't
fair.
And to hold on to
what you have while
you have it.
Because, it's
kind of funny. How
it could take
forever to
build something, but
only an instant, a
quick second, an
undeniable moment, to
tear it all
down.
Characters: Pattyn was an amazing character. I don't really know how to describe her, though. I also don't know how to describe Ethan., other than to say that he did not deserve what happened to him. Neither of them deserved what happened. The only wrong thing they ever did was fall in love. Aunt J was a cool character too, filled with her own wisdom and knowledge. She deserved love. The character I did not like was Stephen. I hated him. He was Aunt J's brother and Pattyn's father. He had no right to do what he did to either of them. *SPOILER ALERT* He had no right to hit his daughters, his wife; no right to threaten Kevin (Aunt J's love) or kill Ethan. He may not have been the direct cause of his death, but he sure as heck had a big part in it. In Impulse, *SPOILER ALERT* I blamed Conner's death on his mother, because if she had loved him just a little bit, he probably would never have jumped of that cliff. If Pattyn's dad had cared more about his daughters than his "church", Ethan would probably not have died.
Story: The story was enthralling. I could not put the book down. It had to do with love, abuse, God. Things like that. And it was absolutely WOW! I think Ellen Hopkins wrote it wonderfully perfect. It was sad and heartbreaking, but it had many good points. It made you think about your own beliefs. It made you think about love. It made you think about how luckky you are not to be in the situations Pattyn went through. But it made you wish it had a happy ending. If anything, after all the crud she's been through, Pattyn deserved everything she didn't get. She shouldn't have had to make the desicion she did.
But, it shows you
that life isn't
fair.
And to hold on to
what you have while
you have it.
Because, it's
kind of funny. How
it could take
forever to
build something, but
only an instant, a
quick second, an
undeniable moment, to
tear it all
down.
3.5 stars
Written in verse, this is another stunner from Ellen Hopkins. "Burned" focuses on the very serious subject of religion's affect on families and what happens behind closed doors in some churches. This tale is told through the eyes of Pattyn Von Stratten, a seventeen year old Mormon girl who is beginning to figure out her way in the world under her dad's abusive eye. She is sent to live with her aunt for the summer as a punishment but instead of feeling hurt, Pattyn finds a sense of freedom and love.
While this novel was just as addicting and gut-wrenching as the other Hopkins novels I've read, it wasn't one of my favorites. Don't get me wrong, it was really good, but just wasn't top of my list. I thought there were places (especially in Pattyn's more serious relationships) where the plot moved a little too fast and not being a country girl myself, it was sometimes hard to keep up with the kind of lifestyle she led in the summer.
The ending definitely left an impact on me however. I was not expecting it, and it actually brilliantly built upon an element that was weaved into the story that I thought was kind of random at the beginning and when it kept being brought up throughout the novel, but it definitely made sense in the end. I'm still reeling from the ending, and it was the reason I almost gave this book 4 stars instead of 3.5.
Written in verse, this is another stunner from Ellen Hopkins. "Burned" focuses on the very serious subject of religion's affect on families and what happens behind closed doors in some churches. This tale is told through the eyes of Pattyn Von Stratten, a seventeen year old Mormon girl who is beginning to figure out her way in the world under her dad's abusive eye. She is sent to live with her aunt for the summer as a punishment but instead of feeling hurt, Pattyn finds a sense of freedom and love.
While this novel was just as addicting and gut-wrenching as the other Hopkins novels I've read, it wasn't one of my favorites. Don't get me wrong, it was really good, but just wasn't top of my list. I thought there were places (especially in Pattyn's more serious relationships) where the plot moved a little too fast and not being a country girl myself, it was sometimes hard to keep up with the kind of lifestyle she led in the summer.
The ending definitely left an impact on me however. I was not expecting it, and it actually brilliantly built upon an element that was weaved into the story that I thought was kind of random at the beginning and when it kept being brought up throughout the novel, but it definitely made sense in the end. I'm still reeling from the ending, and it was the reason I almost gave this book 4 stars instead of 3.5.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
What a surprise this book was! Like all of Ellen Hopkins writing, this book was a beautiful decent into heartbreak. Worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Physical abuse, Alcohol
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Violence, Car accident
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
So I'm usually not a fan of Ellen Hopkins books. Why did I buy this one, you ask? Because my bookstore had signed copies, and I couldn't turn down a signed copy of a teen book! Burned sounded different from her other books, so I thought I would give it a try. At the beginning, I liked it. I learned a lot about religion and living in Nevada. Also, I especially enjoyed the part of the story where Pattyn went to live with her aunt. Once everything fell apart for Pattyn, so did the story. I know Ellen Hopkins typically doesn't have happy endings in her stories, but I still wanted one in Burned. The ending was a pretty drastic cliffhanger, and I didn't like it. However, I want to know what happens, so I plan on reading the sequel, Smoke. We'll see how that goes!
Trigger warning: Alcoholism, abuse, guns
I cried.
As an ex-Mormon, this book seemed like such an interesting story. After I finished the book, it took me a while to stop crying. This is a story about finding family, love, and yourself. I really recommend this book especially if you come from a family where it feels like no one loves you.
I cried.
As an ex-Mormon, this book seemed like such an interesting story. After I finished the book, it took me a while to stop crying. This is a story about finding family, love, and yourself. I really recommend this book especially if you come from a family where it feels like no one loves you.