Scan barcode
A review by labunnywtf
Bonfire by Krysten Ritter
4.0
Read for Book Roast's Charms Extra Credit Readathon. Spell: Incendio - 'Fire' in the title
Kaycee was the leader. So when she got sick, we, the senior girls of Barrens High, weren't horrified or disturbed or worried.
We were jealous.
We all secretly hoped we'd be next.
This is pretty standard mystery stuff here. A woman returns to her hometown, where adolescent trauma happened in full effect. Now she's a successful lawyer, investigating possible environmental crimes dating back to her high school years.
But beyond the environmental mumbo jumbo that I wasn't really looking forward to is something a lot deeper, a lot darker, and definitely a lot more sinister. While coming to terms with what happened to her all those years ago, and what is still happening, our protagonist Abby uncovers a hell of a lot more than she was prepared for.
I probably wouldn't have picked this up if it weren't for the author, truth be told. I saw it on display at my library and did a double take, wondering if it was the same Krysten Ritter. And props to her, because this is extremely well written. There's no doubt in my mind that she's a force to be reckoned with creatively. I wouldn't object to seeing this in movie form.
There are issues, certainly. There's a steady recurring theme of Abby being broken and toxic, and while it's a fantastic metaphor, it gets really redundant after awhile.
But I found the big reveals very well done, and very pointed commentary on the world. I would absolutely recommend this for people who enjoy a good strong mystery. Better than most.
Kaycee was the leader. So when she got sick, we, the senior girls of Barrens High, weren't horrified or disturbed or worried.
We were jealous.
We all secretly hoped we'd be next.
This is pretty standard mystery stuff here. A woman returns to her hometown, where adolescent trauma happened in full effect. Now she's a successful lawyer, investigating possible environmental crimes dating back to her high school years.
But beyond the environmental mumbo jumbo that I wasn't really looking forward to is something a lot deeper, a lot darker, and definitely a lot more sinister. While coming to terms with what happened to her all those years ago, and what is still happening, our protagonist Abby uncovers a hell of a lot more than she was prepared for.
I probably wouldn't have picked this up if it weren't for the author, truth be told. I saw it on display at my library and did a double take, wondering if it was the same Krysten Ritter. And props to her, because this is extremely well written. There's no doubt in my mind that she's a force to be reckoned with creatively. I wouldn't object to seeing this in movie form.
There are issues, certainly. There's a steady recurring theme of Abby being broken and toxic, and while it's a fantastic metaphor, it gets really redundant after awhile.
But I found the big reveals very well done, and very pointed commentary on the world. I would absolutely recommend this for people who enjoy a good strong mystery. Better than most.