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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
I actually thought this was really good. It isn’t usually my type of book, but it sounded interesting, so I gave it a go and I’m glad I did.
I really liked the dynamic between Lillia, Mary and Kat, especially because they were all from completely different circles and are three different personalities, yet work so well together. I did feel guilty for their first victim, as I didn’t feel he deserved what he got, and the revenge acts weren’t exactly big or anything, but eventually with the other two, it turns big and personal and has damaging consequences.
The writing style was OK, not great, but not bad either. There was a good pace to the story, and it was told from three seperate POV’s which are easily distinguishable.
I didn’t feel like there was any need for the paranormal aspect to it as it completely changed the entire plot at the end, but hey, as long as it’s developed better in the next books, I won’t be disappointed. All in all, a really easy and enjoyable read and I recommend.
I really liked the dynamic between Lillia, Mary and Kat, especially because they were all from completely different circles and are three different personalities, yet work so well together. I did feel guilty for their first victim, as I didn’t feel he deserved what he got, and the revenge acts weren’t exactly big or anything, but eventually with the other two, it turns big and personal and has damaging consequences.
The writing style was OK, not great, but not bad either. There was a good pace to the story, and it was told from three seperate POV’s which are easily distinguishable.
I didn’t feel like there was any need for the paranormal aspect to it as it completely changed the entire plot at the end, but hey, as long as it’s developed better in the next books, I won’t be disappointed. All in all, a really easy and enjoyable read and I recommend.
holy shit, this book is super good. excited to start the second one tomorrow. hope it is as good!
First up, before I say anything, I need to say a massive kudos to whoever designed this cover. One of my biggest pet peeves is having people on the cover of novels, especially when they don't match the descriptions of the characters leading to a massive conflict of differences in my head (because I automatically want to imagine the characters as they are on the book, but I also want to stay true to the descriptions - ARGH!) but the people on this cover perfectly match the descriptions of Kat, Mary and Lillia respectively (including the detailing of Mary wearing her daisy necklace), as well as it having a beautiful filter and a great font, so I was extremely happy with the design of the novel and I feel it is a brilliant success.
The novel tells us the stories of Lillia, Kat and Mary; three very different girls with a similar goal in mind - revenge, sweet and simple. Lillia is seeking revenge on one of her best friends after finding out that he was sneaking around with her younger sister, Kat is seeking revenge on her ex-best friend Rennie, a girl who has been spreading malicious rumours about her throughout the entirety of high school, and Mary is seeking revenge on Reeve, the boy who nearly made her kill herself after months of endless torturing over her weight.
One of the plus sides of this book is how quickly it moved. This is the first book in a trilogy, so because there were three girls looking to get revenge on three different people, I assumed that each book in the trilogy would be focussed upon a different girls act of revenge, however all three were tackled and practically resolved within the first novel.
Read the rest of my review here!
The novel tells us the stories of Lillia, Kat and Mary; three very different girls with a similar goal in mind - revenge, sweet and simple. Lillia is seeking revenge on one of her best friends after finding out that he was sneaking around with her younger sister, Kat is seeking revenge on her ex-best friend Rennie, a girl who has been spreading malicious rumours about her throughout the entirety of high school, and Mary is seeking revenge on Reeve, the boy who nearly made her kill herself after months of endless torturing over her weight.
One of the plus sides of this book is how quickly it moved. This is the first book in a trilogy, so because there were three girls looking to get revenge on three different people, I assumed that each book in the trilogy would be focussed upon a different girls act of revenge, however all three were tackled and practically resolved within the first novel.
Read the rest of my review here!
Carrie meets Gossip Girl with all the cliches you might expect that kind of combination to have. Not good.
Eh, 3 stars.
Rtc.
Edited 12/18/2015
Warning: Unmarked Spoilers
Let me say that first of all, reading about people 'mean-girlsing' each other is not something I'm particularly interested in. Like, I couldn't possibly care less about fictional characters' pathetic dramas because honestly, a lot of the time, they have bigger things to worry about.
And yet, I decided to read this book, because as much as I might hate stupid, pointless drama, I do love a good tale of revenge.
And boy, did they go to extremes here. From petty pranks to drugging someone to get him kicked off the football team, they really did it all. But as much as I did enjoy what they did to people, I couldn't really connect to any of the characters.
Now, they were all characterized beautifully, and they were wonderfully real, but they were also cliches. For example, Kat is a stereotypical delinquent/punk, Mary is the typical shy girl, and Lillia is...gah, I don't even know how to describe her. The popular mean girl who's not actually mean, I suppose?
(Though Mary...there's something off about her. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if she turned out to be a ghost or something.)
To be honest, I didn't particularly like any of the characters. Sure, I was really hoping that Kat, Mary, and Lillia would get their revenge, but I didn't like them. Also, the villains (Rennie, Reeve, Alex) felt kind of 'bleh' for me. And weird, as shown during this...interesting exchange.
Eww is right.
Eh, so the characters didn't do it for me. However, the plot was interesting enough and the writing was good enough for me to keep reading. BUT THAT ENDING-
Really, that was one cruel cliffhanger. It certainly worked in that now I really want to read the next books. Through the entire thing, I couldn't help but think of two things- Carrie and Mean Girls. Especially those scenes where Kat and Mary stole the ballots- so many Mean Girls flashbacks.
Eh, that's about all I have to say about this. More to come. If I feel like it.
Rtc.
Edited 12/18/2015
Warning: Unmarked Spoilers
Let me say that first of all, reading about people 'mean-girlsing' each other is not something I'm particularly interested in. Like, I couldn't possibly care less about fictional characters' pathetic dramas because honestly, a lot of the time, they have bigger things to worry about.
And yet, I decided to read this book, because as much as I might hate stupid, pointless drama, I do love a good tale of revenge.
And boy, did they go to extremes here. From petty pranks to drugging someone to get him kicked off the football team, they really did it all. But as much as I did enjoy what they did to people, I couldn't really connect to any of the characters.
Now, they were all characterized beautifully, and they were wonderfully real, but they were also cliches. For example, Kat is a stereotypical delinquent/punk, Mary is the typical shy girl, and Lillia is...gah, I don't even know how to describe her. The popular mean girl who's not actually mean, I suppose?
(Though Mary...there's something off about her. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if she turned out to be a ghost or something.)
To be honest, I didn't particularly like any of the characters. Sure, I was really hoping that Kat, Mary, and Lillia would get their revenge, but I didn't like them. Also, the villains (Rennie, Reeve, Alex) felt kind of 'bleh' for me. And weird, as shown during this...interesting exchange.
"Yes, Reevie baby?" Rennie flips her hair around.
"You know you're my wifey, right?"
Eww.
"Of course."
"And a wifey has to make sure her man is taken care of," he continues.
Eww is right.
Eh, so the characters didn't do it for me. However, the plot was interesting enough and the writing was good enough for me to keep reading. BUT THAT ENDING-
Really, that was one cruel cliffhanger. It certainly worked in that now I really want to read the next books. Through the entire thing, I couldn't help but think of two things- Carrie and Mean Girls. Especially those scenes where Kat and Mary stole the ballots- so many Mean Girls flashbacks.
Eh, that's about all I have to say about this. More to come. If I feel like it.
Omg I finally liked a Jenny Han book!
Review to follow.
Review to follow.
{originally posted on my blog: Ciao Bella}
I think one should own up to their mistakes, so here’s mine: I am sad to say that on more than one occasion, I checked out Burn for Burn from the library, had the greatest intentions of reading it, and then returned it because it didn’t seem like the right novel for me {one must make these decisions with a looming pile of books to read}. Clearly, I had no idea what I was thinking, because I not only ate up Burn for Burn in one day, I went straight to the library to get the second book shortly thereafter! Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian have both made themselves more than worthy of my favorite authors list, and now – having read book number three – my only remaining goal is to get another person hooked on the trilogy.
Lillia, Kat, and Mary have one thing on their mind: revenge. Lillia can’t forget what happened over the summer, and she’ll do anything to protect her sister from the same situation; Kat is tired of her best-friend-turned-enemy’s insults, backstabbing, and cruelty; and Mary is back on Jar Island to reverse what she can sadly never get back. Revenge never ends well of course, but for readers, it’s an entertaining and highly addictive ride. Han and Vivian work their magic to hook readers from the first page {it helps that the story is told from all three girls’ perspectives}, and if my experience is any indication, you won’t want the book to end. It may appear to be a light guilty pleasure, but Burn for Burn proves itself to be layered, complex, AND engaging.
The developed plot isn’t the only thing to note, as the shifting character relationships are an outstanding element as well. Lillia, Kat, and Mary never know who to trust, and as a result, you’re guessing right along with them. Both authors have you despising a character one minute, and rooting for them the next – frustrating, but in all truth, kind of fun too! Han and Vivian use suspense to their advantage; their subtle cues in character and plot development are key components to the story.
My only complaint is that the plot feels rushed in certain points. It’s a fairly long book, but while reading, I questioned how quickly Lillia and Kat reconciled, and furthermore, how quick they were to accept Mary in their plans. It’s a minor problem, and thankfully, I was on too much of a “book high” to care all that much!
I think it’s safe to say that Burn for Burn is already on my list of favorite reads of 2014. I’m still trying to put my thoughts on books two and three into words, but in the meantime, I suggest prioritizing this series on your TBR shelf. Subtlety may be important to the story; however, in the case of my review, I hope my intentions are anything but subtle :)
I think one should own up to their mistakes, so here’s mine: I am sad to say that on more than one occasion, I checked out Burn for Burn from the library, had the greatest intentions of reading it, and then returned it because it didn’t seem like the right novel for me {one must make these decisions with a looming pile of books to read}. Clearly, I had no idea what I was thinking, because I not only ate up Burn for Burn in one day, I went straight to the library to get the second book shortly thereafter! Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian have both made themselves more than worthy of my favorite authors list, and now – having read book number three – my only remaining goal is to get another person hooked on the trilogy.
Lillia, Kat, and Mary have one thing on their mind: revenge. Lillia can’t forget what happened over the summer, and she’ll do anything to protect her sister from the same situation; Kat is tired of her best-friend-turned-enemy’s insults, backstabbing, and cruelty; and Mary is back on Jar Island to reverse what she can sadly never get back. Revenge never ends well of course, but for readers, it’s an entertaining and highly addictive ride. Han and Vivian work their magic to hook readers from the first page {it helps that the story is told from all three girls’ perspectives}, and if my experience is any indication, you won’t want the book to end. It may appear to be a light guilty pleasure, but Burn for Burn proves itself to be layered, complex, AND engaging.
The developed plot isn’t the only thing to note, as the shifting character relationships are an outstanding element as well. Lillia, Kat, and Mary never know who to trust, and as a result, you’re guessing right along with them. Both authors have you despising a character one minute, and rooting for them the next – frustrating, but in all truth, kind of fun too! Han and Vivian use suspense to their advantage; their subtle cues in character and plot development are key components to the story.
My only complaint is that the plot feels rushed in certain points. It’s a fairly long book, but while reading, I questioned how quickly Lillia and Kat reconciled, and furthermore, how quick they were to accept Mary in their plans. It’s a minor problem, and thankfully, I was on too much of a “book high” to care all that much!
I think it’s safe to say that Burn for Burn is already on my list of favorite reads of 2014. I’m still trying to put my thoughts on books two and three into words, but in the meantime, I suggest prioritizing this series on your TBR shelf. Subtlety may be important to the story; however, in the case of my review, I hope my intentions are anything but subtle :)
Love this! its a bit more spooky but so good! I think Siobhan and Jenny's writing really balance each other very well!