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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
Some freaky combo of john tucker must die and mean girls. Liked the mysterious backstory and hidden truth thing and added character layers as it went on but some motives were stronger than others. Three povs was a bit to take in and I got halfway and realise I didn't connect with them properly because the American high school life is so foreign with groups and they had lives I couldn't really relate to. Like Nadia was 14 and they legit believed the possibility of her and Alex. Almost predicted that everything would go to shit but not how it actually did. Liked that it went that far with the consequences. Clearly a series but I don't know if I'm attached enough to bother reading it.
Though this book was about three supposedly different girls, I could barely distinguish the characters from one another and found it hard to get invested.
Lillia, Kat, and Mary each have very different backstories of inclusion and exclusion and as such, I expected them to have very different voices as the book was told in first person from their various points of view. However, I constantly found that the second I looked up from the book and back down, I had no idea who was narrating. They all sounded the same.
The other characters also felt rather two-dimensional, or at least extremely shallow. They barely seemed to notice Mary and Kat's return to Jar Island, or anything much more than football. I felt like they could have at least had a tad more depth to them, or some interest or passion.
Lillia was the only character who occasionally felt real. Her and Alex's relationship was the only thing I was interested to see develop. I enjoyed how protective she was over her sister, and how at the same time they bickered and she sometimes wasn't very kind. These were the real moments in the book.
This book killed time, but I won't be reading any further.
Lillia, Kat, and Mary each have very different backstories of inclusion and exclusion and as such, I expected them to have very different voices as the book was told in first person from their various points of view. However, I constantly found that the second I looked up from the book and back down, I had no idea who was narrating. They all sounded the same.
The other characters also felt rather two-dimensional, or at least extremely shallow. They barely seemed to notice Mary and Kat's return to Jar Island, or anything much more than football. I felt like they could have at least had a tad more depth to them, or some interest or passion.
Lillia was the only character who occasionally felt real. Her and Alex's relationship was the only thing I was interested to see develop. I enjoyed how protective she was over her sister, and how at the same time they bickered and she sometimes wasn't very kind. These were the real moments in the book.
This book killed time, but I won't be reading any further.
This was overall a fun read that feels like a teen movie (specifically John Tucker Must Die). It's not that deep but it's fun to watch three girls come together from different social groups for some revenge.
However, this book needs to come with a TW for rape which leads to my slightly spoilery complaint:
The way the rape was handled in this book felt so flippant and dismissive . It's treated like just another reason for
Lillia to stop being friends with Rennie, on the same level as Lillia having to clean up a party by herself Rennie threw. That really didn't sit well with me, and I wish that it was either going to be taken for the very serious crime that it is or it wasn't in the book altogether. The sour taste of that scene really dragged down what is otherwise a mostly fun, inconsequential read.
However, this book needs to come with a TW for rape which leads to my slightly spoilery complaint:
The way the rape was handled in this book felt so flippant and dismissive . It's treated like just another reason for
Lillia to stop being friends with Rennie, on the same level as Lillia having to clean up a party by herself Rennie threw. That really didn't sit well with me, and I wish that it was either going to be taken for the very serious crime that it is or it wasn't in the book altogether. The sour taste of that scene really dragged down what is otherwise a mostly fun, inconsequential read.
I really enjoyed this contemporary! It had a lot of twists and had some darker elements that kept me entertained. I liked the Kat, Mary and Lilia a lot, and how their relationship has grown. I'm loving all of the revenge!
This was really good! It was sooo addicting!!
I went into this novel having been told that the second is far better, and although I did like it, I might not have bothered with the second one. As it is, I have Fire with Fire on my shelf right now, somewhere in my TBR pile. That said, I did enjoy the book. It was more serious than I thought it would be and dealt with darker themes than I imagined, but I blame the book cover for the deception. It’s pretty, but it doesn’t quite allude to the depth of the girls’ reasons for wanting revenge. I liked the main characters, and I liked how they were able to work together so well despite being from such different backgrounds – both social and economic, in a place where that really seems to matter. I also liked how Lillia is so fiercely protective of her younger sister, from even her own group of friends. She did jump to conclusions a lot, which made her a bit less likable but I’m not sure any of the characters were necessarily supposed to be. I loved the ambiguity of their ideas and actions – they’re presented as the only way to get justice, but at the same time their revenge is spiteful and oftentimes cruel. So really, are they any better than their oppressors? I also liked the allusions to possible supernatural occurrences and the element of magical realism. It was pretty clearly foreshadowing some kind of paranormal event. Which makes me excited to finish the trilogy.
Read the rest of this review on my blog!
Read the rest of this review on my blog!
I was so excited to read Burn For Burn. I was long overdue for some sassy teen fiction and wasn't disappointed at all. The individual POVs completely immersed me back into a High School bubble. Mary, Kat and Lillia make very familiar characters, if I were still at school myself, I'd be surrounded by girls just like these three. Not initially friends, atleast not publically, they band together over a shared want to play out revenge on three of their peers. I particularly felt Mary's history and motive to be of the most interesting and relateable. There were moments in the story where I genuinely felt empathy towards her.
The best part about reading this was the subtle supernatural theme. The ending very much reminded me of the prom scene in Carrie but without all that pigs blood!
Keen to get started on Fire With Fire.
The best part about reading this was the subtle supernatural theme. The ending very much reminded me of the prom scene in Carrie but without all that pigs blood!
Keen to get started on Fire With Fire.
This was a straight up teen high school drama story with more cliches than I could count. But it was easy to fly through and was attention-grabbing enough to keep me intrigued. As I was reading, I figured I would just stop at this book, no need to continue out the series. But from the way I was able to get through this and then overall reviews of the second book, I think I'll continue.
I cannot even tell you how much I loved this book. It reminded me a lot of Elizabeth Miles' Envy series and it reminded Kathy of The Craft. I can see that, too, and as much as I loved both of those things, Burn For Burn is so much better.
(Which is no surprise, because I love Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian.)
I love books that deal with ethical quandaries and this book made me think about the difference between justice and vengeance. Mary, Lillia and Kat are definitely walking the line for most of the book and by the end, I think they definitely cross it.
Even so, I am still Team Wronged Girls. ;)
There will be another book next year sometime (and I hope it's at BEA because I can't wait to see what happens next).
Highly recommended.
(Which is no surprise, because I love Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian.)
I love books that deal with ethical quandaries and this book made me think about the difference between justice and vengeance. Mary, Lillia and Kat are definitely walking the line for most of the book and by the end, I think they definitely cross it.
Even so, I am still Team Wronged Girls. ;)
There will be another book next year sometime (and I hope it's at BEA because I can't wait to see what happens next).
Highly recommended.
This book is a little trashy and ridiculous. With that said, it’s great amusing to read about all the revenge pranks. I probably won’t continue the series though.