Young Adult Review: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Age Range: 12 and up

Series: Burn for Burn #1

Hardcover: 368 pages

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (September 18, 2012)

Language: English

Genre: Contemporary YA

Source: Pulseit

My Rating: 3 of 5 stars

About the Book:

Postcard-perfect Jar Island is the kind of place where nobody locks their doors at night, where parents can sleep easy, knowing their daughters are tucked away safe and sound in their beds.

But bad things can happen, even to good girls . . . and sometimes, the only way to make things right is to do something wrong.

Lillia used to trust boys, but not anymore. Not after what happened this summer. And she’ll do whatever it takes to protect her little sister from the same fate.

Kat is over the rumors, the insults, the cruel jokes made at her expense. It all goes back to one person--her ex-best friend. Someone needs to teach her a lesson, and, with Lillia and Mary behind her, Kat feels up to the task.

Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she’s not the same girl anymore. Now that she’s got friends who have her back, he's going to be in big trouble.

Three very different girls who come together to make things right. Will they go too far?

Find the Book:

Amazon | Goodreads | Barnes & Noble

About the Authors:

Jenny Han is the New York Times bestselling author of The Summer I Turned Pretty series, Shug, and the Burn for Burn trilogy, cowritten with Siobhan Vivian. She is also the author of the chapter book Clara Lee and The Apple Pie Dream. A former children’s bookseller, she earned her MFA in creative writing at the New School. Visit her at DearJennyHan.com.

Siobhan Vivian is the author of the young adult novel The List, as well as Not That Kind of Girl, Same Difference, and A Little Friendly Advice, and the Burn for Burn trilogy. A former editor for Alloy Entertainment, she received her MFA in creative writing at the New School. She teaches creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh. Visit her at SiobhanVivian.com. 

 

My Thoughts:

I liked this book for a lot of reasons. I also disliked several things about it. I ALMOST quit at the 30% mark, but I'm glad I didn't.

What I liked:

• Revenge! Oh yes, I am a sucker for devious plotting and evil schemes. I mean, who hasn't fantasized about exacting revenge at one point or another?

• The characters. I liked each one of their stories and how their histories were entwined with each other. I loved that we had a popular socialite, a bitter outcast, and the quiet victim of childhood bullying all coming together to take down the people that wronged them.

• The writing. This book was really well written. Even though there were a lot of characters, they were unique enough that I didn't get them confused. The author did a great job of developing each of them and giving the reader bits of their stories throughout the book.

What I didn't like:

• Lame revenge. Most of the things the girls did were pretty tame and didn't amount to much excitement. I wish they had amped things up a bit. Maybe a lot.

• Cliffhanger ending. Just when things started going, the book ended. I nearly screamed.

• Content. Parents be warned, when it comes to content, this one has is all: non-descriptive sex, drugs, language, crime, lying, and teen drinking. The one plus side of this is that none of the content is portrayed in a positive light. If anything, it serves as a reminder of how making the wrong choices can leave you with big scars and even bigger regrets.

• Supernatural aspect. It was kind of weird and didn't fit with the plot or the rest of the story. Maybe it will make more sense in the next book.

When all is said and done, I fully plan on reading the next one.  So take that for what you will. 

The Cover: I am absolutely 100% head over heels in love with this cover.  The colors are gorgeous and I love the way the title is slapped right on top of the image.  

3 STARS