Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
i've loved every book i've read by patrick ness and this one was no different
though this book took place in 1957 a lot of the topics that are covered are still relevant today, especially the treatment of minorities by police and other people in power.
also this cover is BEAUTIFUL
though this book took place in 1957 a lot of the topics that are covered are still relevant today, especially the treatment of minorities by police and other people in power.
also this cover is BEAUTIFUL
Totally not what I expected going in, but a super enjoyable and unexpectedly timely read.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
Check out my full review at Forever Young Adult.
Patrick Ness is a master at dropping you into a world and making it seem completely normal. In this novel, the setting is the 1950's, but there are dragons as part of the world. It's told in two perspectives, following parallel stories, until the characters meet up and the stories merge. I love the dialogue, the inner turmoil, the mystery, and the lessons learned.
Season 3 of "Stranger Things" x Daenerys Targaryen. I do like the implication that
Spoiler
the second world they enter is the one that's actually this world.
Burn was definitely an action-packed novel from page one! The twists and turns just don’t let up, and as soon as you grasp one version of events & believe you know where the story is heading, it all changes and Ness leaves you completely shocked with the clever and unexpected ways he turns what you believed to be the truth on its head.
The story is a unique blend of dragons alongside modern-day issues, and I love how Ness combines the two by highlighting the notion that regardless of whether your world contains different species, races or sexualities, there’s always a power struggle & the need within society to dominate & oppress. These prevalent themes, which also include sacrifice & identity, remind us that whatever world you’re in, man or beast, these are universal themes we can all understand and experience.
Despite the fantastical elements of Burn, however, the real magic for me seems to be fate, which has a way of catching up with everyone, and bringing about changes, and second chances, that you can hardly imagine and which I adored.
So much happens that by the end of part one you feel like you’ve already devoured a whole novel, and whilst the drama in part two is well-imagined and cleverly put together, with many questions answered in a brilliant way, I feel that in achieving this Ness has sacrificed something crucial: characterisation.
Whist Malcolm and Agent Woolf are brought to life and their coming-to-terms with sexuality and identity explored, it all happened pretty quickly, and as more and more twists and turns burn through the pages, those moments where key characters’ feelings & reactions could be explored further - allowing us to relate and empathise with their fights and struggles – fizzle out.
I would’ve loved the chance to learn more about Sarah, Jason and Nelson and their pasts, grief, love, ambitions and insecurities, but there just wasn’t time for this in a book hurtling at such a pace. An adrenaline-fuelled and exciting read that just needed a little more depth – or a sequel.
Despite the fantastical elements of Burn, however, the real magic for me seems to be fate, which has a way of catching up with everyone, and bringing about changes, and second chances, that you can hardly imagine and which I adored.
So much happens that by the end of part one you feel like you’ve already devoured a whole novel, and whilst the drama in part two is well-imagined and cleverly put together, with many questions answered in a brilliant way, I feel that in achieving this Ness has sacrificed something crucial: characterisation.
Whist Malcolm and Agent Woolf are brought to life and their coming-to-terms with sexuality and identity explored, it all happened pretty quickly, and as more and more twists and turns burn through the pages, those moments where key characters’ feelings & reactions could be explored further - allowing us to relate and empathise with their fights and struggles – fizzle out.
I would’ve loved the chance to learn more about Sarah, Jason and Nelson and their pasts, grief, love, ambitions and insecurities, but there just wasn’t time for this in a book hurtling at such a pace. An adrenaline-fuelled and exciting read that just needed a little more depth – or a sequel.
This was beautiful, in a fantastical and emotional way that left me wanting more. A gorgeous blend of history and fantasy (Cold War era earth that coexists with DRAGONS!?), not pulling any punches with the cultural beliefs of mixed-race and gay people in a sometimes uncomfortable truth - but perfectly heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. A quintessential Patrick Ness novel, and one I would absolutely recommend. 4/5 stars!!
3.5
This isn't my favorite of Ness's books, despite having a great hook (dragons) and an interesting time period (the late '50s). It was good, and I appreciate the twists that came up that I did not see coming. (I mean, it helps if you don't give away all the pertinent information beforehand.) Even so, I didn't feel much of a sense of urgency. There wasn't much sense of danger, either. Despite the threat of dragons, nuclear annihilation, and a fatally stupid sheriff. I should have been concerned about at least one of those scenarios, right?
I will say, the sheriff felt threatening in the beginning, but sort of fell by the wayside. This is unfortunate, because, truly, the worst monsters are humans.
There were also other issues that I feel didn't get enough attention: racism, interracial relationships, the recent history of Japanese internment camps, and the lingering emotions over Japan's involvement in WWII. Clearly, these weren't the story's main focus, but given the potential volatility in that particular era, one expects that might have more impact.
This isn't my favorite of Ness's books, despite having a great hook (dragons) and an interesting time period (the late '50s). It was good, and I appreciate the twists that came up that I did not see coming. (I mean, it helps if you don't give away all the pertinent information beforehand.) Even so, I didn't feel much of a sense of urgency. There wasn't much sense of danger, either. Despite the threat of dragons, nuclear annihilation, and a fatally stupid sheriff. I should have been concerned about at least one of those scenarios, right?
I will say, the sheriff felt threatening in the beginning, but sort of fell by the wayside. This is unfortunate, because, truly, the worst monsters are humans.
There were also other issues that I feel didn't get enough attention: racism, interracial relationships, the recent history of Japanese internment camps, and the lingering emotions over Japan's involvement in WWII. Clearly, these weren't the story's main focus, but given the potential volatility in that particular era, one expects that might have more impact.
This morning I finished reading Burn by Patrick Ness. I didn’t know much about Burn going into it other than ‘dragons’ and even without expectations this story still felt unexpected. It was quietly beautiful and as much as it is about a dragon cult and fanaticism, it is also about love, bravery, connections with other people, trust. This story was told from three different perspectives and while at the start I felt more connected to Sarah’s interactions with the dragon, the other perspectives - Malcolm, the assassin and Woolf and Dernovich, the FBI agents on the chase - really crept up on me and I raced through that last half of the book wanting answers. It was an interesting time period to read about, 50s America with WWII behind them (and internment camps) and the Cold War tensions. I love reading Patrick Ness for the entertaining, emotional, thought-provoking stories and Burn is a great example of this. Out in the UK 7th May, look out for it.