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3.62 AVERAGE
3.62 AVERAGE
You can find this review with many others on my blog:
http://www.reading-is-dreaming-with-open-eyes.blogspot.hu/
Everyone should get ready because in Burn for Burn these three bitches will take revenge to geteven.
After finishing this book I have mixed feelings, on one hand it had pretty well-made characters and most of all I didn’t want to put it down because of how exciting it was. On the other hand the incorporation of the paranormal stuff wasn't just unnecessary but boring too, now let's analyze the story by dividing it into aspects.
The storyline:
We can read the story from three girls POVs’: Mary, Kat and Lillia. They are different people with different problems but beneath the surface they have the same goal: to make a person suffer for what he/she did to them. After an accidental meeting in the bathroom Kat realizes that they could make a good team while destroying others so they begin planning. They start with the easiest candidate but as time goes their pranks became bigger and meaner until the finish line is ruining ones life. I don't want to say anything else you have to read the book for more. :P
The story was well built and everything made sense but I have a few problems. Let's start with the good things, the three POVs didn't make the story confusing and weren't alike, all the girls had an unique personality and different "voice". I liked how we slowly got to know them so even if someone wasn't sympathetic for me in the beginning, after a time I couldn't help but started to like them or accept them.
In a lot of cases if a book is written by more than one author the novel will seem like it was divided into two parts and it'll feel unrealistic and just won't add up this wasn't a problem with Burn for Burn, nothing felt out of space (beside one thing I'm going to mention later) maybe this was because they divided the POVs between each other or just simply worked together but anyway they did an absolutely amazing job.
I liked how they used clichéd characters (the mean girl, the bully boy, the cool but kind boy, the pretty and popular but kind girl, the misfit girl, the shy girl etc.) but I never for a minute felt like I read this book before. I always thought if an author uses clichésbut adds something to it the story could be good and original.
The "pranks" were fantastic, their ideas...
Sometimes I thought they were going too far but damn if I cared, these people deserved it and even if I could see all of this would end badly I still rooted for them to pull off their plans and take revenge as they wish because in one way or another all of them deserved it.
The Romance
It was a bit annoying how there were love triangles all over the place, good thing is the authors didn't complicated the drama by adding conflict between the three girls because of guys.
There was a part which completely freaked me out I never knew someone could feel this way after what she's been through. I can't even imagine loving someone who hurt me the worst ways. It was obvious from the very beginning how Mary felt still it was a shock for me to actually hear (read) this from her mouth. She was so disgusted by herself and of course I couldn't dislike her for this I just hope she'll get over him somehow.
There was one couple I was rooting for (still am) and I can't stop shipping them, I don't even know why I love them so much because they weren't together, not really and they didn't have a lot of common parts throughout the book but they were sooo cute together.
Lillia was the one girl who didn't have a love interest, this was a shame and I hope it'll be fixed in the next one.
Who's searching for a good romance should find another book because the focus of the story isn't on the love story.
The relationship between the three girls:
I don't spoil anything by telling Kat and Lillia were best friends for a long time until Rennie - the biggest bitch in town - outcasted Kat and made everyone hate her by spreading rumours all over school. They already know each other so despite the changes in their personalities I could still see how they repaired their long lost friendship. My problem was with the relationship between Mary and the two others, it seemed like they started to like her because they felt sorry for her, it was always"poor Mary" and most of the time they meet with her because of "business" or because they were worried not because they actually wanted to see her. I think this will change in the next books because I would like to see more from the three girls' friendship.
The Paranormal Part
With one word it was unnecessary, the whole story would work perfectly without this, maybe even more put together. It wasn't a big thing, it was like... three situations and it's not like they talked about it or anything. I don't know why did they write this into the story because it just didn't fit... the whole concept was how the girls tried to make the life of three (two) people miserable and this took the story into an entirely different level.
The Characters:
As I said there were BIG clichés but the authors still made these characters stand out from other novels main characters so congratulations. :)
Lillia: In the beginning I thought she's worse than Rennie. At least Rennie wanted something and would do anything to reach her goals, yeah she was the meanest bitch ever but she had a personality and she fought for what she wanted while Lillia clearly didn't enjoyed herself in the presence of her so called friends but stayed there because of rote. It was disgusting how she controlled Alex just because he was a good guy who'd do anything for her didn't mean that she had to boss him around instead of bringing herself her own drink. After a time I started to like her because she clearly wasn't a bad person even the influence of Rennie didn't make her a evil. She became a good friend to Kat and Mary and would do anything for them. Most of all she was the best big sister from the very beginning, she never let Nadia down not even when she deserved to be dumped. Something horrible happened to her and that was the time when she realized Rennie isn't just a mean bully she is a terrible friend too.
Kat: At first she was my favorite, she was the most bad-ass character, she was a misfit and an outcast but she never seemed to care about it and how she gathered her courage and put Rennie in her place was hilarious. She was the kind of girl who got the worst from life but still stood her ground and had hope for a better future. Every day she fought for her future which was of course outside the island where she can start a completely new life. It was so sad how she didn't have a lot of friends when she was a pretty good one. The relationship between her and Alex was kind of cute it was expected that it won't go well but damn this was too much for my heart to handle. I think they will be together in the second or third book... let's hope. :)
Mary: She was my least favorite from the three girls because I couldn't relate to her, at all. I know there's a thin line between love and hate but... I get so angry whenever I start to think about her crazy love. Her first chapter was my favorite how she went home and how she had a plan to face the boy who ruined her was rather exemplary, I though: wow you go girl! After a few pages I realized how shy she really is and when I started to discover her feelings I still hoped she would gather up some self-esteem and let go of the past completely. Besides all this she was really kind but a bit too plain to be my favorite character.
Alex: He's a really hard character because in the beginning he was such a puppy but than I realized how he met up with Kat all summer and I thought he has a totally different side and I'm looking forward to get to know it... yeah you can bet it didn't go as I planned. He always did what others wanted him to, he let Lillia boss him around and besides calling Kat a thousand times he was too weak to go and confront the girl he likes. It's confusing who he likes... I wish it's Kat for the sake of both of them. He wanted to make totally different things out if his life as his parents but he never stood up for himself, I bet this will change or he'll be a weak character.
Rennie: Wow what a mean bitch. She called poor people like Kat trash just because she could do it even she wasn't rich either... It was bad enough that she outcast Kat but ruining her reputation? Nothing was too low for Rennie. I bet she will make a fool out of herself in the next books because how she acts now with Reeve? Pathetic and desperate for attention...
Reeve: He's the worst kind of bully. It's bad enough to outcast someone who you don't know or hate but outcast someone who you kind of liked? What the hell is wrong with this guy? I hope he'll loose in the future, big time. His love interest - if we can assume he can love without a fucking heart - was obvious too but damn it wasn't still funny watching him get jelous. Haha I read the girls have something planned for him, you know revenge is a dish best served cold.
That covers up everything, all in all it was an exciting read maybe I could compare it to Gossip Girl if I must.
My favorite character: Kat, Lillia
My least favorite: Reeve, Rennie
The story idea: 4/5
The realization of the story: 4/5
Tha characters: 4/5
The cover: 5/5
All in all: 4,25/5
http://www.reading-is-dreaming-with-open-eyes.blogspot.hu/
Everyone should get ready because in Burn for Burn these three bitches will take revenge to geteven.
After finishing this book I have mixed feelings, on one hand it had pretty well-made characters and most of all I didn’t want to put it down because of how exciting it was. On the other hand the incorporation of the paranormal stuff wasn't just unnecessary but boring too, now let's analyze the story by dividing it into aspects.
The storyline:
We can read the story from three girls POVs’: Mary, Kat and Lillia. They are different people with different problems but beneath the surface they have the same goal: to make a person suffer for what he/she did to them. After an accidental meeting in the bathroom Kat realizes that they could make a good team while destroying others so they begin planning. They start with the easiest candidate but as time goes their pranks became bigger and meaner until the finish line is ruining ones life. I don't want to say anything else you have to read the book for more. :P
The story was well built and everything made sense but I have a few problems. Let's start with the good things, the three POVs didn't make the story confusing and weren't alike, all the girls had an unique personality and different "voice". I liked how we slowly got to know them so even if someone wasn't sympathetic for me in the beginning, after a time I couldn't help but started to like them or accept them.
In a lot of cases if a book is written by more than one author the novel will seem like it was divided into two parts and it'll feel unrealistic and just won't add up this wasn't a problem with Burn for Burn, nothing felt out of space (beside one thing I'm going to mention later) maybe this was because they divided the POVs between each other or just simply worked together but anyway they did an absolutely amazing job.
I liked how they used clichéd characters (the mean girl, the bully boy, the cool but kind boy, the pretty and popular but kind girl, the misfit girl, the shy girl etc.) but I never for a minute felt like I read this book before. I always thought if an author uses clichésbut adds something to it the story could be good and original.
The "pranks" were fantastic, their ideas...
Sometimes I thought they were going too far but damn if I cared, these people deserved it and even if I could see all of this would end badly I still rooted for them to pull off their plans and take revenge as they wish because in one way or another all of them deserved it.
The Romance
It was a bit annoying how there were love triangles all over the place, good thing is the authors didn't complicated the drama by adding conflict between the three girls because of guys.
There was a part which completely freaked me out I never knew someone could feel this way after what she's been through. I can't even imagine loving someone who hurt me the worst ways. It was obvious from the very beginning how Mary felt still it was a shock for me to actually hear (read) this from her mouth. She was so disgusted by herself and of course I couldn't dislike her for this I just hope she'll get over him somehow.
There was one couple I was rooting for (still am) and I can't stop shipping them, I don't even know why I love them so much because they weren't together, not really and they didn't have a lot of common parts throughout the book but they were sooo cute together.
Lillia was the one girl who didn't have a love interest, this was a shame and I hope it'll be fixed in the next one.
Who's searching for a good romance should find another book because the focus of the story isn't on the love story.
The relationship between the three girls:
I don't spoil anything by telling Kat and Lillia were best friends for a long time until Rennie - the biggest bitch in town - outcasted Kat and made everyone hate her by spreading rumours all over school. They already know each other so despite the changes in their personalities I could still see how they repaired their long lost friendship. My problem was with the relationship between Mary and the two others, it seemed like they started to like her because they felt sorry for her, it was always"poor Mary" and most of the time they meet with her because of "business" or because they were worried not because they actually wanted to see her. I think this will change in the next books because I would like to see more from the three girls' friendship.
The Paranormal Part
With one word it was unnecessary, the whole story would work perfectly without this, maybe even more put together. It wasn't a big thing, it was like... three situations and it's not like they talked about it or anything. I don't know why did they write this into the story because it just didn't fit... the whole concept was how the girls tried to make the life of three (two) people miserable and this took the story into an entirely different level.
The Characters:
As I said there were BIG clichés but the authors still made these characters stand out from other novels main characters so congratulations. :)
Lillia: In the beginning I thought she's worse than Rennie. At least Rennie wanted something and would do anything to reach her goals, yeah she was the meanest bitch ever but she had a personality and she fought for what she wanted while Lillia clearly didn't enjoyed herself in the presence of her so called friends but stayed there because of rote. It was disgusting how she controlled Alex just because he was a good guy who'd do anything for her didn't mean that she had to boss him around instead of bringing herself her own drink. After a time I started to like her because she clearly wasn't a bad person even the influence of Rennie didn't make her a evil. She became a good friend to Kat and Mary and would do anything for them. Most of all she was the best big sister from the very beginning, she never let Nadia down not even when she deserved to be dumped. Something horrible happened to her and that was the time when she realized Rennie isn't just a mean bully she is a terrible friend too.
Kat: At first she was my favorite, she was the most bad-ass character, she was a misfit and an outcast but she never seemed to care about it and how she gathered her courage and put Rennie in her place was hilarious. She was the kind of girl who got the worst from life but still stood her ground and had hope for a better future. Every day she fought for her future which was of course outside the island where she can start a completely new life. It was so sad how she didn't have a lot of friends when she was a pretty good one. The relationship between her and Alex was kind of cute it was expected that it won't go well but damn this was too much for my heart to handle. I think they will be together in the second or third book... let's hope. :)
Mary: She was my least favorite from the three girls because I couldn't relate to her, at all. I know there's a thin line between love and hate but... I get so angry whenever I start to think about her crazy love. Her first chapter was my favorite how she went home and how she had a plan to face the boy who ruined her was rather exemplary, I though: wow you go girl! After a few pages I realized how shy she really is and when I started to discover her feelings I still hoped she would gather up some self-esteem and let go of the past completely. Besides all this she was really kind but a bit too plain to be my favorite character.
Alex: He's a really hard character because in the beginning he was such a puppy but than I realized how he met up with Kat all summer and I thought he has a totally different side and I'm looking forward to get to know it... yeah you can bet it didn't go as I planned. He always did what others wanted him to, he let Lillia boss him around and besides calling Kat a thousand times he was too weak to go and confront the girl he likes. It's confusing who he likes... I wish it's Kat for the sake of both of them. He wanted to make totally different things out if his life as his parents but he never stood up for himself, I bet this will change or he'll be a weak character.
Rennie: Wow what a mean bitch. She called poor people like Kat trash just because she could do it even she wasn't rich either... It was bad enough that she outcast Kat but ruining her reputation? Nothing was too low for Rennie. I bet she will make a fool out of herself in the next books because how she acts now with Reeve? Pathetic and desperate for attention...
Reeve: He's the worst kind of bully. It's bad enough to outcast someone who you don't know or hate but outcast someone who you kind of liked? What the hell is wrong with this guy? I hope he'll loose in the future, big time. His love interest - if we can assume he can love without a fucking heart - was obvious too but damn it wasn't still funny watching him get jelous. Haha I read the girls have something planned for him, you know revenge is a dish best served cold.
That covers up everything, all in all it was an exciting read maybe I could compare it to Gossip Girl if I must.
My favorite character: Kat, Lillia
My least favorite: Reeve, Rennie
The story idea: 4/5
The realization of the story: 4/5
Tha characters: 4/5
The cover: 5/5
All in all: 4,25/5
Meh. Would've probably liked it better without the whole Carrie-lite thing Mary has going. I don't need an explanation for all that, but things could have gone wrong just as easily without supernatural intervention. Also, this book just sort of ... ended. I know everything's a trilogy these days, but a little bit more ending would have been nice. Not sure I'm going to read the next one.
emotional
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book turned out to be a lot milder than I thought. Which is pretty disappointing. I mean the premise is about teenage girls who are wronged and want revenge, and that doesn't really happen until towards the end of the book and it was okay.. To be honest I'm not really sure how there is enough story here to make a trilogy and I can't decide if I am interested enough to find out.
I like the how the story is told from the three vantage points of the three different girls. I have always liked stories like that so you can really get into the heads of each character. As other reviews have said the story and the characters are pretty cliche though.
SPOILER:
I have a little bit of a problem with the fact that at the last minute they kind of throw in the idea of Mary possibly having powers? It seems random and out of place, and an idea thrown in at the last minute to make the story more interesting.
All in all I really am not sure if I will continue with the series.
I like the how the story is told from the three vantage points of the three different girls. I have always liked stories like that so you can really get into the heads of each character. As other reviews have said the story and the characters are pretty cliche though.
SPOILER:
I have a little bit of a problem with the fact that at the last minute they kind of throw in the idea of Mary possibly having powers? It seems random and out of place, and an idea thrown in at the last minute to make the story more interesting.
All in all I really am not sure if I will continue with the series.
*3.5*
Re-read this in preparation for Ashes to Ashes. My rating is staying at 3.5 but this book was just as fun the second time around. Really enjoyed it and I love these characters.
Re-read this in preparation for Ashes to Ashes. My rating is staying at 3.5 but this book was just as fun the second time around. Really enjoyed it and I love these characters.
Review posted to The Vegan Librarian on October 17
To most, Jar Island is a sleepy, idyllic summer getaway. It’s all indie shop, vacation houses, and beaches. But to a small number of people Jar Island is home. When the out of towners and summer warriors leave, the locals go about their normal lives. Mostly. Cat is not exactly a nobody. She is more of a sideshow freak to the super popular, former BFF Rennie. Mary lived on Jar Island, until she was in middle school, then a something terrible happened to her and her family moved away. She returns to live with her aunt. Lilia used to be a vacationer, but her family moved to Jar Island permanently, when she was in middle school. She is a part of the social elite at the high school. It seems unlikely that these three girls would team up, but the need for vengeance can cause strange alliances. Each girl has some that needs to pay for some wrong. Together, they will devise the perfect revenge, tailor made to bring each of their mighty, haughty targets low. Yet, not everything is as easy as they thing it will be, nor is everything as it seems. The girls will have to fight to keep everything a secret and to keep strong throughout the plot.
To start, all I can say is AHHHH! The end is a hellacious cliffhanger, so thanks for that Jenny and Siobhan. I think you may be trying to keep me in a permanent state of raised blood pressure. With that out of the way, I really enjoyed that the story was told from three unique perspective. Ti gave the opportunity to change some characters that could have been very one dimensional, facets and depth. I also like that these three girls, even with the history they might have, are so unlikely to come together. Throwing Mary in there kept it from being a trite story that would have just seemed like a rich girl/poor girl or popular girl/unpopular girl team up novel. Then there is the whole revenge plot. I’m not ashamed to say that I don’t mind seeing nasty people get some sort of consequences. I’m interested to see how things pan out in the other books. I can’t really say what I want without spoiling the ending, so I’ll just have to wait and see if my concerns and questions are answered in the next two books.
• ARC received from: NetGalley
• Publisher: Simon and Schuster
• Date of Publication: September 18, 2012
To most, Jar Island is a sleepy, idyllic summer getaway. It’s all indie shop, vacation houses, and beaches. But to a small number of people Jar Island is home. When the out of towners and summer warriors leave, the locals go about their normal lives. Mostly. Cat is not exactly a nobody. She is more of a sideshow freak to the super popular, former BFF Rennie. Mary lived on Jar Island, until she was in middle school, then a something terrible happened to her and her family moved away. She returns to live with her aunt. Lilia used to be a vacationer, but her family moved to Jar Island permanently, when she was in middle school. She is a part of the social elite at the high school. It seems unlikely that these three girls would team up, but the need for vengeance can cause strange alliances. Each girl has some that needs to pay for some wrong. Together, they will devise the perfect revenge, tailor made to bring each of their mighty, haughty targets low. Yet, not everything is as easy as they thing it will be, nor is everything as it seems. The girls will have to fight to keep everything a secret and to keep strong throughout the plot.
To start, all I can say is AHHHH! The end is a hellacious cliffhanger, so thanks for that Jenny and Siobhan. I think you may be trying to keep me in a permanent state of raised blood pressure. With that out of the way, I really enjoyed that the story was told from three unique perspective. Ti gave the opportunity to change some characters that could have been very one dimensional, facets and depth. I also like that these three girls, even with the history they might have, are so unlikely to come together. Throwing Mary in there kept it from being a trite story that would have just seemed like a rich girl/poor girl or popular girl/unpopular girl team up novel. Then there is the whole revenge plot. I’m not ashamed to say that I don’t mind seeing nasty people get some sort of consequences. I’m interested to see how things pan out in the other books. I can’t really say what I want without spoiling the ending, so I’ll just have to wait and see if my concerns and questions are answered in the next two books.
• ARC received from: NetGalley
• Publisher: Simon and Schuster
• Date of Publication: September 18, 2012