Scan barcode
raspy_reviews's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
chaos29445's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
theowlerybooks's review against another edition
5.0
Synopsis: This story follows Pattyn a girl raised in a strict religious yet abusive household! After her dad finds her in a compromising position with a boy she is shunned to the desert to live with her aunt to find "redemption" what she finds instead is "love and acceptance"
“Love is only found in books”
― Ellen Hopkins, Burned
What I Loved:
I loved the storyline itself: A young girl growing up and dealing with the everyday, and not so everyday struggles of teenage life! I can relate to Pattyn so much, she is going through life with question about God, boys, sex and acceptance among other things! The intensity of the plot had me sitting on the edge of my seat every time I read it especially during the ending/resolution. A common theme if you skim through the reviews on goodreads is that this books is incredibly hard to review because it has left so many people, including myself, speechless!
With this series you WILL have tears. . . lots and lots of tears and Laughter!!
“Do you ever dangle your toes over the precipice, dare the cliff to crumble.
― Ellen Hopkins, Burned
What I did not like:
There really wasn't anything I didn't like BUT. . . I will warn some readers that this series is filled with triggers!! The main character and secondary characters mostly deal with physical abuse, sexual abuse, pregnancy loss and others and that for me made it hard to read in some places! I cried a lot because I have been through some of these things and on a couple of scenes it put me back in that place and that may be incredible dangerous for some people! I do not necessarily think this was a bad thing about the book, if anything Hopkins really nailed it when it came to how victims of sexual abuse feel and how hard it is is to recover from pregnancy loss and this is coming from someone who has experienced both of those thing myself! For me in the end despite the triggers both of these books were worth the read!
"Not fair that we never looked each other in the eye! Not fair that he never drew breath, never nursed. Never cried or laughed or crawled or caught the measles."
-Ellen Hopkins, Smoke talking about losing the her baby
“Love is only found in books”
― Ellen Hopkins, Burned
What I Loved:
I loved the storyline itself: A young girl growing up and dealing with the everyday, and not so everyday struggles of teenage life! I can relate to Pattyn so much, she is going through life with question about God, boys, sex and acceptance among other things! The intensity of the plot had me sitting on the edge of my seat every time I read it especially during the ending/resolution. A common theme if you skim through the reviews on goodreads is that this books is incredibly hard to review because it has left so many people, including myself, speechless!
With this series you WILL have tears. . . lots and lots of tears and Laughter!!
“Do you ever dangle your toes over the precipice, dare the cliff to crumble.
― Ellen Hopkins, Burned
What I did not like:
There really wasn't anything I didn't like BUT. . . I will warn some readers that this series is filled with triggers!! The main character and secondary characters mostly deal with physical abuse, sexual abuse, pregnancy loss and others and that for me made it hard to read in some places! I cried a lot because I have been through some of these things and on a couple of scenes it put me back in that place and that may be incredible dangerous for some people! I do not necessarily think this was a bad thing about the book, if anything Hopkins really nailed it when it came to how victims of sexual abuse feel and how hard it is is to recover from pregnancy loss and this is coming from someone who has experienced both of those thing myself! For me in the end despite the triggers both of these books were worth the read!
"Not fair that we never looked each other in the eye! Not fair that he never drew breath, never nursed. Never cried or laughed or crawled or caught the measles."
-Ellen Hopkins, Smoke talking about losing the her baby
knottynelly's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse and Child abuse
rhookpietsa's review against another edition
5.0
The last 50 or so pages didn't happen... nope...
But God, this was another awesome book by Ellen Hopkins. I think I like this a bit more than Rumble, but this was still great. The more of her writing I read, the more patterns I can detect from her style of writing (including the occasional rhyme scheme).
But God, this was another awesome book by Ellen Hopkins. I think I like this a bit more than Rumble, but this was still great. The more of her writing I read, the more patterns I can detect from her style of writing (including the occasional rhyme scheme).
bookish_manda's review against another edition
5.0
I read Burned very quickly, and enjoyed it very much. It is about Pattyn, a 17 year old girl who is the oldest daughter of seven siblings with a submissive mother and abusive father. This book is the story of her exile to her aunt's home in Nevada for the summer, where Pattyn discovers more about love and herself.
Burned made me feel so many emotions. I truly wanted Pattyn to break free from her oppressive and abusive father. I wanted a happy ending for her. I will say that one of my emotions included a little bit of anger towards Hopkins' representation of the LDS church. I am not Mormon, but I have several friends who are. I think when an author pairs a bad situation with a religion they have to be careful that readers are given some positives about other representatives of the same faith or else it sounds like they are generalizing and stereotyping that faith in a negative light.
Burned made me feel so many emotions. I truly wanted Pattyn to break free from her oppressive and abusive father. I wanted a happy ending for her. I will say that one of my emotions included a little bit of anger towards Hopkins' representation of the LDS church. I am not Mormon, but I have several friends who are. I think when an author pairs a bad situation with a religion they have to be careful that readers are given some positives about other representatives of the same faith or else it sounds like they are generalizing and stereotyping that faith in a negative light.
chickenafraido's review against another edition
4.0
Love love love love love love the book.
Hate hate hate hated the ending.
Now that i've had my moment, allow me to explain. It's not that I don't think some of the people, especially Pattyn's dad deserved a very painful death. But the thing is, I feel like Pattyn was better than that. I wanted her to stand up for herself and get justice, but at the same time I didn't want her to lower herself to their level. I know she basically just lost everything she cared about, but still. I felt like she was stronger than that.
I know I seem a bit attached to fictional characters, but that's truly what this book did to me. It made me feel. I loved the characters Hopkins meant for me to love and hated those she meant for me to hate. She is truly an amazingly accomplished writer and I salute her for her talent.
Anyway, I really did think this book was amazing. It's so beautifully sad and raw that words cannot even describe it. The love I feel for this book and the characters in it is legendary. The bulk of the book is one of my favorites - the ending - not so much, but it's still amazing anyway. Read it. I promise it's worth it.
Hate hate hate hated the ending.
Spoiler
Pattyn basically goes fuckin nuts and decides everybody must die because they made her sad. Allow me to share an excerpt from one of the last chapters with you: "And so they should die too. All of them. Dad. Bishop. Crandall. Trevor, Becca, Emily. With the pull of a 10mm hair trigger, their lives will end...and when I finish there, i'll hide in the desert, reload, and go in search of Carmen and Tiffany...and Derek, just because." Excerpt now over. Ehem. *deep breath* WHAT KIND OF SHIT IS THAT. HOW COULD YOU END A BOOK THAT WAY. WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU.Now that i've had my moment, allow me to explain. It's not that I don't think some of the people, especially Pattyn's dad deserved a very painful death. But the thing is, I feel like Pattyn was better than that. I wanted her to stand up for herself and get justice, but at the same time I didn't want her to lower herself to their level. I know she basically just lost everything she cared about, but still. I felt like she was stronger than that.
I know I seem a bit attached to fictional characters, but that's truly what this book did to me. It made me feel. I loved the characters Hopkins meant for me to love and hated those she meant for me to hate. She is truly an amazingly accomplished writer and I salute her for her talent.
Anyway, I really did think this book was amazing. It's so beautifully sad and raw that words cannot even describe it. The love I feel for this book and the characters in it is legendary. The bulk of the book is one of my favorites - the ending - not so much, but it's still amazing anyway. Read it. I promise it's worth it.
emilythill's review against another edition
3.0
Can a dream be wrong?
Aren’t dreams God’s way of telling you things?
I am a really big fan of Ellen Hopkins’s books. I had read CRANK the year before, and I absolutely loved every aspect of it. So I pretty much recommended this book to myself.
BURNED is centered on a girl named Pattyn. Being raised in strict Mormon household with an abusive father and many other children, Pattyn is raised to believe that men are completely dominant over women and children, and women are supposed to passive, quiet, and obedient. As soon as Pattyn begins having lusty, passionate dreams, she begins to question her place as a woman. When her experimentation becomes full-blown rebellion, her father sends her to live with her aunt in Nevada. For Pattyn this is more freedom than prison, and she ventures into unknown territory. Sparks fly as a gorgeous boy known as Ethan shows her the country, and she uncovers secrets about her family’s past, but she is thrilled to finally feel loved. However, just like anything good, it only lasts so long. Before she can fully indulge herself in sweet paradise, chaos arises and drowns her. She is forever changed.
My favorite poem from this story was the very first one. It hooked me from the beginning. It was the beginning of her questioning her place, and it gave us a taste of her character.
“Did You Ever
When you were little, endure
your parents’ warnings, then wait
for them to leave the room,
pry loose protective covers
and consider inserting some metal
object into an electrical outlet?
Did you ever wonder if for once
You might light up the room?
When you were big enough
to cross the street on your own,
did you ever wait for a signal,
hear the frenzied approach
of a fire truck and feel like
stepping out in front of it?
Did you ever wonder just how far
that rocket ride might take you?
When you were almost grown,
did you ever sit in a bubble bath,
perspiration pooling,
notice a blow-dryer plugged
in within easy reach, and think
about dropping it into the water?
Did you ever wonder if the expected
rush might somehow fail you?
And now, do you ever dangle
your toes over the precipice,
dare the cliff to crumble,
defy the frozen deity to suffer
the sun, thaw feather and bone,
take wing to fly you home?
I, Pattyn Von Stratten, do.”
Ellen Hopkins writing style is amazing. Her use of vivid vocabulary, and the dark, sensuous, rebellious behavior is, as always, breathtaking. She captivates me with her stories. I find her characters very relatable in a messed up way, and I absolutely adore her method of telling a story.
I would recommend this book, however I wouldn’t call it a “must read.” It isn’t CRANK. I liked it a lot, but I didn’t love it. I like the thought process that comes with reading these books though. They make you question yourself, and think of other people’s opinions as well as your own. Not for a second would I turn down a book written by Ellen Hopkins, and nor should anyone else.
Aren’t dreams God’s way of telling you things?
I am a really big fan of Ellen Hopkins’s books. I had read CRANK the year before, and I absolutely loved every aspect of it. So I pretty much recommended this book to myself.
BURNED is centered on a girl named Pattyn. Being raised in strict Mormon household with an abusive father and many other children, Pattyn is raised to believe that men are completely dominant over women and children, and women are supposed to passive, quiet, and obedient. As soon as Pattyn begins having lusty, passionate dreams, she begins to question her place as a woman. When her experimentation becomes full-blown rebellion, her father sends her to live with her aunt in Nevada. For Pattyn this is more freedom than prison, and she ventures into unknown territory. Sparks fly as a gorgeous boy known as Ethan shows her the country, and she uncovers secrets about her family’s past, but she is thrilled to finally feel loved. However, just like anything good, it only lasts so long. Before she can fully indulge herself in sweet paradise, chaos arises and drowns her. She is forever changed.
My favorite poem from this story was the very first one. It hooked me from the beginning. It was the beginning of her questioning her place, and it gave us a taste of her character.
“Did You Ever
When you were little, endure
your parents’ warnings, then wait
for them to leave the room,
pry loose protective covers
and consider inserting some metal
object into an electrical outlet?
Did you ever wonder if for once
You might light up the room?
When you were big enough
to cross the street on your own,
did you ever wait for a signal,
hear the frenzied approach
of a fire truck and feel like
stepping out in front of it?
Did you ever wonder just how far
that rocket ride might take you?
When you were almost grown,
did you ever sit in a bubble bath,
perspiration pooling,
notice a blow-dryer plugged
in within easy reach, and think
about dropping it into the water?
Did you ever wonder if the expected
rush might somehow fail you?
And now, do you ever dangle
your toes over the precipice,
dare the cliff to crumble,
defy the frozen deity to suffer
the sun, thaw feather and bone,
take wing to fly you home?
I, Pattyn Von Stratten, do.”
Ellen Hopkins writing style is amazing. Her use of vivid vocabulary, and the dark, sensuous, rebellious behavior is, as always, breathtaking. She captivates me with her stories. I find her characters very relatable in a messed up way, and I absolutely adore her method of telling a story.
I would recommend this book, however I wouldn’t call it a “must read.” It isn’t CRANK. I liked it a lot, but I didn’t love it. I like the thought process that comes with reading these books though. They make you question yourself, and think of other people’s opinions as well as your own. Not for a second would I turn down a book written by Ellen Hopkins, and nor should anyone else.
kyleechris's review against another edition
4.0
From the beginning I knew Burned was going to tug my emotions around and it did. I wasn't expecting what I got from this book, but usually that's how all of Ellen's books turn out for me. Pattyn comes from a broken home and a broken church. I took sympathy on her from the moment she let me into her mind because she was dealt a really shit life but I don't think she fully understood how wrong her situation was until later on in the book when she got to experience other things that were 'normal' and grew up a bit. Pattyn's dad is an alcoholic in this book and that's something that hits really close to home, my mom is a recovering one and I really felt for her and her family in this situation. It's not easy to deal with and it's not easy to figure out so I completely understood her anger, confusion, and frustration with him. So in ways I really related to Pattyn but her situation is much worse than mine ever was and her dad is a lot worse. The main problem in this book is that Pattyn starts to get hormones and notices boys in a different way than she's used to. In this book her church has led her to believe it's a sin and so she pretty much flips out and things start to spiral out of control. I'd just like to say as far as I know the Mormon community is nothing like it is depicted in this book. I have had several Mormon friends, the most important being my best friend since third grade, and she has never been forced to do the things Pattyn is in this book nor do her parents expect her to just grow up, find some asshole husband, and sit around popping out babies for him for the rest of her life. I'm not saying there aren't Mormon's out there who don't act like this or live this way because I don't know that for a fact but I didn't really get why the religion was explained that way and it bothered me.
Anyways ranting aside after Pattyn realizes she likes boys she meets one and they decide to have a little fling, which in the end doesn't turn out so great and she gets shipped off to her Aunt J's who is her father's sister. The adventure Pattyn has at Aunt J's was really exciting to read about. Honestly, after reading about it I'd love to go spend a summer with her Aunt J and do all of the really fun things she got to do, like meeting a sexy cowboy and falling in love because who doesn't want to do that? Throughout Pattyn's stay at Aunt J's she falls in love with the next door neighbor boy, Ethan. Now Ethan is swoon worthy to the max, he's smart and he's a hard working guy. To watch this love story unfold in the middle of such a tragic story was heart-warming but I was left sitting there always asking when is the other shoe going to drop? Because we all know it has to at some point or another, Ellen Hopkins isn't one to just slap on a happy ending and call it a day. When that shoe dropped I about lost my marbles people! It's like one life punch in the face for Pattyn after another and I felt so, so sorry for her because she was supposed to escape and live happily ever after. The ending to this story left me a bit confused if I'm being honest because Pattyn does lose her marbles but we're never told if she's actually done what she said she was going to do. Excuse my evasiveness, trying not to spoil things here. Now this would bother me more if I didn't know there's going to be a sequel that I am now anxiously waiting on.
Overall I enjoyed this book with the slight quirks it had, it wasn't my favorite Ellen Hopkins book but I liked it. I don't call her my favorite author just because I feel like it.
roguepyre's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75