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yvo_about_books's review against another edition
3.5
“Sometimes you just have to feel bad about a thing. Sometimes that's the only thing that makes you human.”
It's true that I don't read a lot of YA anymore, but I wasn't exactly mad when my TBR jar thought it was time I finally picked up Burn. It's been a couple of years since my last Patrick Ness book, and there is just something about his writing that always has me intrigued. Add the fact that I needed a book with dragons for the POPSUGAR challenge and the fact that the blurb sounded SO good, and I've actually been looking forward to this TBR jar pick. I can't deny that I somehow ended up having mixed thoughts though... It's not a bad read, but not my favorite among his books either. I think part of my issue is that there isn't enough worldbuilding for a book about dragons. In this case, Burn would have definitely benefitted from more instead of less pages; even just 50 pages of proper worldbuilding would have made such a difference in this story. The whole racism/homophobia/bigotry was also a bit too in-your-face, and I wasn't a fan of how it was incorporated into the plot. I understand that this story is set back in 1957 and things were different back then, but I don't think it adds any substantial to the story other than making you hate certain characters even more. I would have loved more focus on other elements instead... Like for example the dragons, the cult, the prophecy and the assassin. There is plently of action to be found along the way, and especially the second part is brutal. Definitely make sure to be ready for some extreme violence! As I've already become used to with Patrick Ness' books, Burn is another quirky and almost whimsical read, although the story is pretty brutal with heavy-hitting topics and violence at the same time. Not for everyone and it could have done with more development, but I'm personally still glad I finally read it.
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, Religious bigotry, Sexism, Cancer, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Infidelity, Animal death, Medical trauma, Police brutality, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Genocide, Murder, Violence, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Racial slurs, Racism, Classism, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Cursing, and Sexual assault
nyssbomb's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Graphic: Police brutality, Death, Animal death, Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Homophobia, Murder, and Violence
Moderate: Cannibalism, Child death, Cursing, Pregnancy, and Racism
Minor: Cancer and War
coreym's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Homophobia, Violence, Xenophobia, Sexual content, Sexual assault, Police brutality, Rape, Hate crime, Gun violence, Grief, Cursing, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Vomit, and Cancer