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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
bvanness428's review against another edition
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
cheyennemarie's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hmagalhaes's review against another edition
5.0
I’ve never read a book in this poetic narrative style before, and it was absolutely enthralling. I need to get my hands on the sequel!
kaygeraldine's review against another edition
5.0
Incredible. Explores the idea of man-made monsters & how unfair life can be. I would recommend to anyone who feels out of place within their school, family, and community.
surpriseitem's review against another edition
5.0
I was a bit hesitant to start reading this. Ellen Hopkins has a unique writing style. She tells a story in free verse poetry, which I found a bit difficult to get used to when reading Crank, another book of hers, a while back. But when I started reading this book I was used to the style and it wasn’t as awkward as it was the first time I read an Ellen Hopkins book.
One of my favorite parts about this novel is how real the characters were. Pattyn was very strong and made her own decisions. Sure, some of them weren’t super smart, but everyone messes up sometimes. I also really enjoyed seeing how she was conflicted. She didn’t accept the ways of her families religion, but since she had been told that it was right her whole life, she couldn’t just throw it all out of the window. Every time she did something that her family had told her was wrong, she was hesitant to do it, even though she felt that it was actually an okay thing to do.
Pattyn’s father was a really interesting character to read about. At times I could tell that he wasn’t all big, bad, and evil. I could see a bit of humanity in some of his choices, but overall I really disliked him, considering how he acted. It was a bit irritating not knowing what he was thinking and why he did the things he did, but it gave the book a whole new air of reality, because you can’t always know why people act the way they do.
The setting was described absolutely beautifully. The way the mountains in rural Nevada were described brought the whole story to life, and the ranch was a great thing to read about.
I have read nothing like this before, and I doubt I’ll ever come across one even remotely like this one. It was unique, heart-wrenching, and absolutely fantastic. It was an amazing plot that really made me think about what really matters, and it was beautifully written. The only thing that I slightly dislike was the ending. It was open-ended and very frustrating. But, as it’s going to have a sequel, I guess it was a good way to end the book, even if I didn’t get the answers I was hoping for.
As I said before, this novel was absolutely amazing, and I give it 5/5 stars.
One of my favorite parts about this novel is how real the characters were. Pattyn was very strong and made her own decisions. Sure, some of them weren’t super smart, but everyone messes up sometimes. I also really enjoyed seeing how she was conflicted. She didn’t accept the ways of her families religion, but since she had been told that it was right her whole life, she couldn’t just throw it all out of the window. Every time she did something that her family had told her was wrong, she was hesitant to do it, even though she felt that it was actually an okay thing to do.
Pattyn’s father was a really interesting character to read about. At times I could tell that he wasn’t all big, bad, and evil. I could see a bit of humanity in some of his choices, but overall I really disliked him, considering how he acted. It was a bit irritating not knowing what he was thinking and why he did the things he did, but it gave the book a whole new air of reality, because you can’t always know why people act the way they do.
The setting was described absolutely beautifully. The way the mountains in rural Nevada were described brought the whole story to life, and the ranch was a great thing to read about.
I have read nothing like this before, and I doubt I’ll ever come across one even remotely like this one. It was unique, heart-wrenching, and absolutely fantastic. It was an amazing plot that really made me think about what really matters, and it was beautifully written. The only thing that I slightly dislike was the ending. It was open-ended and very frustrating. But, as it’s going to have a sequel, I guess it was a good way to end the book, even if I didn’t get the answers I was hoping for.
As I said before, this novel was absolutely amazing, and I give it 5/5 stars.
ellesandiego's review against another edition
4.0
4.5**
This book really surprised me! i read it because an english teacher recommended it to me and i’m glad she did because I really enjoyed it :) It’s very similar to Impulse which makes sense since the way Ellen Hopkins writes is so cathartic and intense. especially when her books are about mental illnesses.
The ending caught me so off guard, i can’t tell if she committed or if she was just severely depressed because of Ethan’s death. either way, it was amazingly written and i hope to read more of her books because the ones i’ve read so far are amazing.
This book really surprised me! i read it because an english teacher recommended it to me and i’m glad she did because I really enjoyed it :) It’s very similar to Impulse which makes sense since the way Ellen Hopkins writes is so cathartic and intense. especially when her books are about mental illnesses.
The ending caught me so off guard, i can’t tell if she committed or if she was just severely depressed because of Ethan’s death. either way, it was amazingly written and i hope to read more of her books because the ones i’ve read so far are amazing.
lynwil09's review against another edition
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
jesskad's review against another edition
5.0
This book is so heart-wrentchingly beautiful that I can't start the sequel just yet because I need to calm myself down first. Ellen's well-chosen words to paint the whole of this novel makes it a book you can't put down. Bravo, Ellen, this is definitely a masterpiece.