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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dnf at 21%.
The first few chapters were good, but after that I failed to connect or to care about any part of the story.
The first few chapters were good, but after that I failed to connect or to care about any part of the story.
This was my first every fantacy triller book and im not mad at it. I have to get used to books like this but it was for sure an easy read and I would recommend if you are a thriller reader who wants to get into a little bit of fantacy.
I am from The Bronx so I have a special place for this book in my heart because it takes place there. If you are from the bronx I would say grab it and read it because you will totally understand the references.
I am from The Bronx so I have a special place for this book in my heart because it takes place there. If you are from the bronx I would say grab it and read it because you will totally understand the references.
Oh. My. God. This book! This book has been one of my most anticipated reads so far this year and it did not let me down! The characters were great, the plot was solid and so unique, and the world building was amazing.
This book was an amazing mix of horror, romance, thriller, and political commentary. This book definitely gave me a monster horror vibe. I know everyone is comparing this to Stranger Things or even Get Out but it so much cooler than that.
Tirado wrote such an amazing story about friendship, racism, and the need to confront our past. If badass woman are your thing than this is definitely the book for you.
Plus that cover is just amazing!!
This book was an amazing mix of horror, romance, thriller, and political commentary. This book definitely gave me a monster horror vibe. I know everyone is comparing this to Stranger Things or even Get Out but it so much cooler than that.
Tirado wrote such an amazing story about friendship, racism, and the need to confront our past. If badass woman are your thing than this is definitely the book for you.
Plus that cover is just amazing!!
dark
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I received an ARC from netgalley in return for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.
What an absolutely splendid book! I was not sure what to expect going into this book, as it was compared to Stranger Things and I’m one of the few people who’ve never watched stranger things. I WAS BLOWN AWAY. Let’s start with the writing style. It was raw and gorgeous and literally sucked me in, right from the very first chapter. I’ve seen this book described by others as a “love letter to the Bronx” and that’s exactly what it is! I learned so much about the history of the Bronx, and the resilience and determination of the people who live there(I’m from Canada, so my knowledge of the Bronx is very limited) And the characters? Incredible. Raquel is the perfect main character: strong, flawed, emotional and determined. Another thing I really liked was the sapphic romance. It was cute and adorable, but also didn’t take away or overwhelm the plot, while also not fading into the background too much. I loved the plot. Plain and simple. It had one of my favourite things in a horror/thriller book, and that’s the ‘creepy cursed game’ trope. The whole concept of the Echo was so well thought out, and not confusing at all(I tend to get confused by these things if it’s not explained well). This book gets more points for being able to drag me out of my mini reading slump! I had started it a week ago but due to mental health and stuff fell into a slump, but yesterday I made myself focus and I ended up reading the whole book in three hours!! Overall, this is definitely among my top books of the year so far and I highly recommend it! 5/5 stars
What an absolutely splendid book! I was not sure what to expect going into this book, as it was compared to Stranger Things and I’m one of the few people who’ve never watched stranger things. I WAS BLOWN AWAY. Let’s start with the writing style. It was raw and gorgeous and literally sucked me in, right from the very first chapter. I’ve seen this book described by others as a “love letter to the Bronx” and that’s exactly what it is! I learned so much about the history of the Bronx, and the resilience and determination of the people who live there(I’m from Canada, so my knowledge of the Bronx is very limited) And the characters? Incredible. Raquel is the perfect main character: strong, flawed, emotional and determined. Another thing I really liked was the sapphic romance. It was cute and adorable, but also didn’t take away or overwhelm the plot, while also not fading into the background too much. I loved the plot. Plain and simple. It had one of my favourite things in a horror/thriller book, and that’s the ‘creepy cursed game’ trope. The whole concept of the Echo was so well thought out, and not confusing at all(I tend to get confused by these things if it’s not explained well). This book gets more points for being able to drag me out of my mini reading slump! I had started it a week ago but due to mental health and stuff fell into a slump, but yesterday I made myself focus and I ended up reading the whole book in three hours!! Overall, this is definitely among my top books of the year so far and I highly recommend it! 5/5 stars
I probably would have liked this more if I hadn’t done the audiobook.
A fast paced, well researched story of the Bronx, both now and then.
The Latine protagonist and her community were well fleshed out and we'll defined. Papi, especially.
Raquel grappling her growing feelings really came across well - but I felt mum was an afterthought through the whole novel.
I loved the historical horror elements and I learned a lot I didn't know.
Probably my slightly older readers - late Y8 upwards.
Thanks to NetGalley for the early preview.
The Latine protagonist and her community were well fleshed out and we'll defined. Papi, especially.
Raquel grappling her growing feelings really came across well - but I felt mum was an afterthought through the whole novel.
I loved the historical horror elements and I learned a lot I didn't know.
Probably my slightly older readers - late Y8 upwards.
Thanks to NetGalley for the early preview.
Thank you Netgalley, Vincent Tirado, and Sourcebooks Fire for the eARC! All opinions, thoughts and words are my own.
Burn Down, Rise Up follows a sixteen-year-old's journey through the Echo game, which takes place in the Bronx's subways.
I enjoyed the setting of the Bronx — the history explored was extremely interesting and was about a time I don't know much about. The culture was also really enlightening — I loved the main character, Raquel's voice. You could really see the author's passion for the setting of the story, and it read like a love letter to the Bronx, which I really adored.
Despite this, there were some problems with this book I couldn't overlook when rating it. Character decisions weren't based on much evidence and did things without reason. This made me a little frustrated while I read because characters either did things from convenience to the plot or to add more tension between characters (again to add to the plot) but there was no reason for some of these actions to occur. Though I enjoyed the Bronx setting, when it came to the Echo game, I felt the world-building was a little under-developed.
However one thing that shone in this book was the family relationships. The way they were developed and explored really made me smile. I did think, though, that the sapphic romance could have been improved -- I wanted more of it!
Overall, this was an enjoyable, fast-paced read that will delight younger queer readers. If I were to suggest anything to be improved, I would ask for the world-building of the Echo game to be a little clearer, and to add a little more reasoning behind character's actions.
Burn Down, Rise Up follows a sixteen-year-old's journey through the Echo game, which takes place in the Bronx's subways.
I enjoyed the setting of the Bronx — the history explored was extremely interesting and was about a time I don't know much about. The culture was also really enlightening — I loved the main character, Raquel's voice. You could really see the author's passion for the setting of the story, and it read like a love letter to the Bronx, which I really adored.
Despite this, there were some problems with this book I couldn't overlook when rating it. Character decisions weren't based on much evidence and did things without reason. This made me a little frustrated while I read because characters either did things from convenience to the plot or to add more tension between characters (again to add to the plot) but there was no reason for some of these actions to occur. Though I enjoyed the Bronx setting, when it came to the Echo game, I felt the world-building was a little under-developed.
However one thing that shone in this book was the family relationships. The way they were developed and explored really made me smile. I did think, though, that the sapphic romance could have been improved -- I wanted more of it!
Overall, this was an enjoyable, fast-paced read that will delight younger queer readers. If I were to suggest anything to be improved, I would ask for the world-building of the Echo game to be a little clearer, and to add a little more reasoning behind character's actions.
Four and a half stars rounded up!
Thank you to NetGalley for advanced audiobook!!
I really loved this book and can’t wait to recommend it to people. It had everything - zombies, time travel, social justice, history, gays - I couldn’t put it down! It was an original and super creative story with likable characters that I found easy to connect with and care about. This book would lend itself well to kicking off a series of people around the world playing their Echo games and I would 100% read every single one of them.
Thank you to NetGalley for advanced audiobook!!
I really loved this book and can’t wait to recommend it to people. It had everything - zombies, time travel, social justice, history, gays - I couldn’t put it down! It was an original and super creative story with likable characters that I found easy to connect with and care about. This book would lend itself well to kicking off a series of people around the world playing their Echo games and I would 100% read every single one of them.