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Burned (Burned #1)

by Ellen Hopkins (Goodreads Author)

4.23 of 5 stars 4.23 · rating details · 22,391 ratings · 1,878 reviews

Raised in a religious -- yet abusive -- family, Pattyn Von Stratten starts asking questions -- about God, a woman's role, sex, love. She experiences the first stirrings of passion, but when her father catches her in a compromising position, events spiral out of control. Pattyn is sent to live with an aunt in the wilds of Nevada to find salvation and redemption. What she fi...more

Paperback, 544 pages

Published October 23rd 2007 by Margaret K. McElderry Books (first published March 28th 2006)

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Dec 12, 2012 Nina rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: masochists. seriously.

Shelves: reality-bites

The format in which the book is written is, to say the least, slightly on the brilliant side. The content was intense and emotional. I love this book, because I hate it. Let me explain why. At first as I read the book I got too cozy with it, I assumed like with so many other books, that this one would end up happy, that somehow the main character would get out of her own personal hell and have a better life. I was in for a bitter and harsh awakening.

The further I got into the book the more up...more The format in which the book is written is, to say the least, slightly on the brilliant side. The content was intense and emotional. I love this book, because I hate it. Let me explain why. At first as I read the book I got too cozy with it, I assumed like with so many other books, that this one would end up happy, that somehow the main character would get out of her own personal hell and have a better life. I was in for a bitter and harsh awakening.

The further I got into the book the more upset I got, how could people betray anyone the way that these characters betrayed Pattyn (main character). How could a community allow that kind of abuse. Then it hit me. This is real.

In a way, the context is a bit misconstrued, a lot of people got upset over the fact that it misrepresented a Mormon community. A few months after reading it I was able to step back from the book and see that this book was not focused on it being a Mormon community. It was part of the lifestyle and description but being Mormon wasn't the focus. People had misinterpreted it. What it's really saying is "If this can happen in such a supposed tight knit community, it must happen anywhere". Of course some of the details in the book seem a bit extreme but that's more likely for entertainment purposes, to keep the reader in it. Abuse happens in every culture. Even the ones that think themselves far too refined for such a thing.

Now back to why I fell in love with hating it. It's the kind of book that makes you so emotional and upset that even after you've read the ending, even after you've gotten the roughest blow to the gut, you go back and read the ending over and over again hoping you missed something, hoping you might find something that says "hey it's ok" but it doesn't because life isn't always pretty and it doesn't always end up ok. I found that really damn depressing, but if a book can make me so angry I throw it against a wall, it's a damn good book. The purpose of literature is to incite emotion, to make you either hate or love the characters, and if you're really lucky, you'll find a book that does both. This is really one of those books, but I don't suggest reading it unless you've taken your Xanax for the day. You're going to need it.(less)

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Sep 23, 2012 Lindsey rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

*This review has attracted some attention and discussion and caused some misunderstandings. I have edited it to be more objective.

Please humor me as I soliloquize about a side issue instead of writing a review—although really it doesn't matter whether you care to humor me or not; I'm going to say my say just the same. Isn't the internet wonderful? MWA-HA-HA-HA. Oh, the rush of unchecked power.

Crank happened to pass briefly through my hands on its way to some library patron, and I gave it a qui...more

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Mar 30, 2013 Renae M. rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Renae by: Kelly

Shelves: books-i-own, read-in-2013, contemporary-or-realistic-fiction, poetry, viewers-choice

I sat down, right before dinner, meaning to read a few of the poems in Burned, just see what Ellen Hopkins was all about. Two hours later I was still reading, captivated by Pattyn von Stratten’s voice, her situation, her timid yet strengthening rebellions. 300 pages were gone, and I’d forgotten all about my dinner. I was quite convinced that Hopkins had found a lifelong fan in me (I still think that.)

Pattyn, the oldest of 7 daughters, is suffocating. She’s from a strict LDS family, and her dad d...more I sat down, right before dinner, meaning to read a few of the poems in Burned, just see what Ellen Hopkins was all about. Two hours later I was still reading, captivated by Pattyn von Stratten’s voice, her situation, her timid yet strengthening rebellions. 300 pages were gone, and I’d forgotten all about my dinner. I was quite convinced that Hopkins had found a lifelong fan in me (I still think that.)

Pattyn, the oldest of 7 daughters, is suffocating. She’s from a strict LDS family, and her dad drinks and beats his wife. Abruptly, Pattyn realizes that she is a sexual being, and that realization turns her worldview inside out. She finds a non-Mormon boyfriend, gets drunk, becomes a girl worth being friends with in the estimation of her peers. And then her dad finds out about what she’s been doing. Pattyn is sent to live on her aunt’s ranch in Nevada, where she meets Ethan and learns that, if there is a God, He’s definitely not the God her father believes in.

Up until this point, I absolutely loved Burned. The scenes where Pattyn lost control of her temper and talked back to her dad and the local bishop? Priceless scenes, proof that Pattyn von Stratten was a lady you didn’t want to mess with, in spite of her circumstances. Watching her become her own person on her aunt’s ranch was wonderful, too, though not quite as breathtaking.

It was in the last 200 pages or so where I fell out of love with this book. With Ethan on the scene, Pattyn’s thoughts went from intriguing to lovestruck. Because this novel is in poetry format, things became cheesy quickly. At one point, Hopkins compared having sex to sliding down a rainbow. Ew? And when Pattyn left the ranch, she became depressed, talking about how she needed Ethan more than life, how she loved him and would die without him. I willingly admit that I have limited tolerance for angst—especially poetic angst.

The the end—bing, bang! Book: done. It was too fast, too abrupt. I never felt the emotional backlash of what happened to Pattyn. It was rushed.

So in spite of a fantastic start, Burned wasn’t quite a perfect read, and I was a teensy bit disappointed that things turned out that way. I was all set to love this book wholeheartedly and I couldn’t do that. However, I was still massively impressed with this one, and I’m going to make a point of picking up more novels by Ellen Hopkins in the future. Any woman who can render emotion so beautifully on the page, make it so easily accessible, is the kind of person whose writing I want to experience more than once.

Read more reviews at Respiring Thoughts.(less)

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Feb 02, 2008 J-Lynn rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: fans of alternative format books

Shelves: young-adult-and-adolescent-lit, nyra-2009-books, christian-kid-and-ya-lit, alternate-format-fiction, romance-ya-and-adolescent-lit, realistic-or-urban-kid-and-ya-lit

This 531 page book is written entirely in poems, some simple verse, some experiments with form. Pattyn Von Stratten is a repressed 17 year old who has been raised by an alcoholic, abusive father and an overwhelmed mother. Pattyn’s life consists of taking care of her six younger sisters and learning to be a good Mormon girl. But, when the school librarian feeds her love of reading, she starts to realize that there is more to life than the sexist society that her bishop encourages.

After Pattyn re...more

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May 22, 2011 Joanne rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This author doesn't have a clue about what Mormonism is about or how women are treated in the LDS church. Her "writing" sets Mormon women in the same stereotype as fundamental LDS women or even worse. Please see the following for further clarification:
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi...

My gripe with this is that people who know nothing about the LDS Church read this book they will get a very skewed and incorrect viewpoint about the LDS Church and LDS women.

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Sep 03, 2012 Raeleen rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, favorites, want-to-reread, mature-ya

This book was absolutely AMAZING. I think I will have a hard time reviewing how I felt about this book...

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Apr 21, 2013 Cassy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-in-2011, favorites, ya-lit, problem-novels, books-in-2013

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As usual, Ellen Hopkins delivers a wonderful, stunning and sensitive novel. The way that she writes just hits me like no author has in quite some time. She approaches problems novels in such a way that makes them just unique and beautiful and great.

This particular novel resonated with me particularly. Pattyn is a 17 year old Mormon girl who is trying to figure herself out. Raised as a Mormon kid myself, I'm overly critical of authors, or really anyone, who uses the religion in novels or movies....more As usual, Ellen Hopkins delivers a wonderful, stunning and sensitive novel. The way that she writes just hits me like no author has in quite some time. She approaches problems novels in such a way that makes them just unique and beautiful and great.

This particular novel resonated with me particularly. Pattyn is a 17 year old Mormon girl who is trying to figure herself out. Raised as a Mormon kid myself, I'm overly critical of authors, or really anyone, who uses the religion in novels or movies. It's not because I care that they criticize the religion, I don't. I'm no longer a practicing Mormon and have more than a few disagreements and criticisms of the church but often the Mormon church gets criticized for things that aren't true of their religion. I appreciated that Hopkins had actually done her research.

I related to Pattyn in a way I never had to a character before. While some things about her life were VASTLY different (my father never beat my mother, nor did he drink and I only had three siblings, not the seven or more Pattyn seemed to have), her conflict with religion and her development as a woman and a person was almost exactly what I had gone through at her age. She begins to develop sexually, have an interest in boys, in sex and begins to question her role in life and in the world and God's presence. She doesn't believe that her only duty in life is to pop out a bunch of kids and do nothing but what her husband tells her to do, even though that's what the church keeps telling her. A woman's role is to be subservient to her husband.

Throughout the first half of the book she does nothing but struggle with herself and everything that she's been taught. She gets a non-Mormon boyfriend, something completely taboo to her family and religion, something I completely understood. I hid every relationship I ever had from my family from the time I was 15 (a year too young to date), when I was 17 (dating a guy too old from me) and even in college when neither of those things was an issue, I didn't really talk to my family about my relationship because I got nothing but criticism when I did. My family was never happy unless I was within the Mormon faith, marrying a nice Mormon boy.

When her father found out, Pattyn was shipped to her Aunt's house, her father's sister. Really, this was Pattyn's awakening. It allowed her to see that just because the church taught something, it didn't mean the church was right. She learned things about her father that she wasn't sure that she wanted to know (he almost murdered his sister to keep her from a non-Mormon boy.) Pattyn met the boy she fell in love with while at her Aunt's house. I feel like what Pattyn went through at her Aunt's was what I went through in college. I learned that it was ok not to be Mormon. That despite what my parents said that religious extreme wasn't for me and that was ok.

Eventually, Pattyn had to return home to a father who was now beating her because he couldn't beat her pregnant mother (finally pregnant with a boy), to a school where everyone hated her and she had no friends and a world where she couldn't be herself, where she was just another woman in training, waiting for a husband to tell her what she was going to do with her life.

Once again, the only thing that bothers me about Hopkins book is the ending. Pattyn becomes pregnant and when she tries to escape with her non-Mormon boyfriend comes to get her, her father comes after her. He dies in a car crash, she almost dies, loses the baby and her family disowns her. It ends with her about to go on a killing spree, ready to shoot her father, mother, everyone at school and finally herself.

I'm not sure how I feel about the ending. Yes, I could definitely see it happening. But I think Hopkins sometimes takes her stories to extremes. However, the rest of it was beautifully written. I related to Pattyn on a severely personal level. I knew almost exactly what she was going through. I knew the conflict of religion vs. growing up in a way that most people just don't and that made me just love this book.

I really recommend this book to girls struggling with their religion, Mormons, and girls who have fallen away from the Mormon church. It was a nice feeling knowing that I wasn't the only one out there, that someone knew exactly what I was going through.(less)

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Dec 12, 2008 Katie rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Burned by Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins has several novels out that would put off most people by their size. Crank, Glass, and Impulse, for example, are pretty thick in size. After opening them, you will soon realize they are written in poem form. Ellen Hopkins is known for writing edgy novels about teenagers’ life.

“I felt angry, frustrated. I felt like I didn’t belong, not in my home, not in my church, not in my skin.”

Burned, just like any other Ellen Hopkins book, is about a girls struggle throu...more Burned by Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins has several novels out that would put off most people by their size. Crank, Glass, and Impulse, for example, are pretty thick in size. After opening them, you will soon realize they are written in poem form. Ellen Hopkins is known for writing edgy novels about teenagers’ life.

“I felt angry, frustrated. I felt like I didn’t belong, not in my home, not in my church, not in my skin.”

Burned, just like any other Ellen Hopkins book, is about a girls struggle through her teenage years. Pattyn Von Straten is a shy Mormon girl with an abusive family. Many readers say Hopkins showed a wrong view of the Mormon religion. In the book, Pattyns preacher tells her she needs an attitude change instead of offering her help. The whole church seems to be against her. Hopkins wasn’t trying to make people think less of the religion; she was just creating a plot. I do not have a problem with her portrayal of Mormons because I believe she was not aiming to put anyone down.

“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 the electrical outlet?”

After having her first sex dream, Pattyn starts acting out and making her father mad. In result, Pattyn is sent away to stay with her aunt in Nevada. Her father thought it would be the best punishment for her bad behavior. In Nevada, Pattyn finds happiness and even a boy. Ethan is so unlike her but so fit for her. They fall head over heels in love.

Pattyns aunt is my favorite character. Aunt J is the perfect role model. Not only does she introduce Pattyn to a whole other lifestyle, she introduces her to Ethan. Pattyn quickly finds a close friend in Aunt J. Her father isn’t too thrilled about this, because he doesn’t care much for her, he just wanted rid of Pattyn.

Ellen Hopkins has writtin a wonderful novel. The ending was extremely disappointing, which made me think slightly less of the book. It may be a three star novel. If she re-wrote the ending it could easily be five stars.

Page Count: 544
Genre: Realistic Fiction
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Apr 23, 2012 Hana❀Joy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ridiculously-sexy-guys, the-best-of-the-best, books-that-made-me-bawl

This is the saddest book I have yet to read in my life. I was depressed for nearly a month after reading it and burst out in tears when thinking about it. Superb writing, absolutely as always (Bravo, Ellen!) and achingly real. I would re-read it if it didn't mean another month of my life like this:

Erhm, ok. All funny crying gifs aside, read this. Please read this. It's gorgeous and moving and it really makes you think, as do all of Ellen's books.

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Oct 26, 2007 Carol Hesprich rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anyone doubting religion or wanting to defend the LDS Faith, or lived through abuse

Being LDS myself and having some of the LDS beliefs extorted, it reminds me of how much I appreciate the truth of the religion and what I do know. Being in the midst of abuse in a personal experience in Utah, the book does hit close to home in many ways and is realistic to the core in some aspects. This would be a great book to use in a group discussion of abused survivors and also a reading group. I am going to go back over it and read it again. Can be a very helpful and almost therapeutic book...more

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Oct 08, 2010 Jessica K rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Burned
Pattyn’s Side

Burned is about this girl, named Pattyn who gets abused by her dad. He comes home drunk and usually beats her, her sisters and her mother. Pattyn goes off to her aunt’s house to live there for the summer. She meets a boy named Ethan, and they get intimate. Then when school started she had to leave her aunt and the person she loved. Something interesting happens to Pattyn and Ethan, so if you really want to know. Then you must read it!
What I like about this book is that Pat...more Burned
Pattyn’s Side

Burned is about this girl, named Pattyn who gets abused by her dad. He comes home drunk and usually beats her, her sisters and her mother. Pattyn goes off to her aunt’s house to live there for the summer. She meets a boy named Ethan, and they get intimate. Then when school started she had to leave her aunt and the person she loved. Something interesting happens to Pattyn and Ethan, so if you really want to know. Then you must read it!
What I like about this book is that Pattyn said she would never be pretty enough to find a guy that would like her. Well she was wrong. When she saw Ethan at the store she wanted to see him again. Sure enough she did than they saw each other everyday until they fell in love. What I didn’t like about the book is how mean her dad is. I can’t stand to see, hear, or let alone read about someone being abused. It’s not right and it should never happen. You don’t need to be in a certain kind of mood to read this book. The book is good enough how it is.
I learned that no matter how pretty or not pretty you are you can still find that special person. For life experiences I would say I’m insecure just liker her sometimes, I have my days when I’m negative, and think I’m not good enough for anyone. This book helped me not to be so negative and insecure about myself.

Burned
Ethan’s Side

Ethan is a farm boy, who is nice and very helpful. When he saw Pattyn he instantly had to meet her, after the day at the store he did meet her and everyday after that until she had to go back to school. To some it all up something horrible happens to him. You will be devastated to read what had happened.
What I liked about Ethan is how he treated Pattyn, with love and respect and much more. He treated her like there was no other girl on earth. What I didn’t like was when Pattyn told him she was pregnant and he left in house to drive about four house to see her, and they both leave after school, and then something appalling happens. When I read that part I got heartbroken. I think they should have kept going on about what will happen with Pattyn and Ethan with their baby before the accident.
I learned that things will happen when the timing is right and to never give up in life. For life experiences I had a lot of bad times with personal reasons but after a while you just need to let it go and that you can’t do anything about it. It made me grow better as a person to know that whatever happens in life its not always your fault and to live life to the fullest.
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Jan 08, 2009 Kenna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So. . .interesting. Written in prose form made it fun to read. The story was a little off. Well, a sad story, but written from an LDS perspective. The author was WAY off on the LDS religion. Sounded more like FLDS to me. A lot of FLDS stuff happening. . .husband beating his wife/daughters, the Bishop/community members turning a blind eye because he's the man of the house and he must be right, husband decides if/when his wife can get a drivers license, girls are expected to marry and procreate, w...more

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Dec 21, 2011 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: ya, contemporary, poetry-verse, tough-subjects

Interested in more of my reviews? Visit my blog!

He was a dream. A safe dream.
Safe, because he was unattainable,
something to adore from afar.
Like a snow-drenched mountain
or an evening star.

The Storyline
17-year old Pattyn Von Stratten is the oldest child in a Mormon family which consists of an alcoholic and abusive father and an extremely overwhelmed mother. Unconsciously, she starts to rebel little by little from her strict family’s rules. After her father catches her in a moment of rebellion sh...more

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Jan 16, 2009 mary rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: anybody and everybody

Recommended to mary by: my cuz sara

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. wow, this book is... omg i cant even say it. this book hit me really hard, and i cried for hours. (no fuckin joke!) it made me relize that there is so much hate in this world and i think everybody needs to read this book. it is amazing and i couldn't put it down, why is it that whenever there is true love, it always has to end in some way. its not fair. why did ethan have to die, they were in love and its just not fair. her father was unbelievable! i don't understand y it had to end like that. i...more

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Jul 24, 2011 Elizabeth Wallace marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: note-to-future-self-don-t-read

An acquaintance recommended this book to me. Guess she didn't know that I'm LDS (Mormon).

Oops.

Burned does look decent, but just based on the description and the reviews I know the whole thing will probably just get on my nerves. I'm okay with understanding why people question my religion as well as stories of abuse. But what was the first thing people mention in their reviews? The main character is Mormon. Her life, as a Mormon, sucks because of ridiculous constraints which are implied to be pa...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Erica rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I started out liking this book because of the frank manner in which the main character (Patton) explains her life...but...I stopped caring after the constant selfishness and religion bashing. It occurs to me that this book this might be very offensive to some.

Also, the ending of this story is HORRIBLE! Apparently the author is setting it up for a sequel, but really??!! It closes on a very bad note with a terrible ending message to teenagers. Disappointed.

Biggest take-away: Don't get caught naked...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Ariana rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

"Burned" by Ellen Hopkins is an intense, emotional story about 16-year-old Pattyn Von Stratten, who resides in Nevada with her strict Mormon family. Aside from the tough rules of her religion, she is also forced to deal with her abusive alcoholic father. After rebelling against her church, friends, and family, Pattyn is sent away to live with her Aunt Jeanette for the summer, in hopes that she will improve her behavior. While she is there, she discovers hope, love, and her true personality. Alth...more "Burned" by Ellen Hopkins is an intense, emotional story about 16-year-old Pattyn Von Stratten, who resides in Nevada with her strict Mormon family. Aside from the tough rules of her religion, she is also forced to deal with her abusive alcoholic father. After rebelling against her church, friends, and family, Pattyn is sent away to live with her Aunt Jeanette for the summer, in hopes that she will improve her behavior. While she is there, she discovers hope, love, and her true personality. Although she has a fantastic new lifestyle, she comes to realize that pieces of her old life will always haunt her.

Seeing as how I have never read any books as deeply emotional as this one, the story took me by surprise (in a good way, of course). As I was reading, I experienced a roller coaster of emotion and thought. I think what made those feelings more realistic was that being a teenager myself, I could really understand Pattyn's thoughts and actions towards others. The plot was mysterious and dark, and at some points I was so anxious or terrifyed that I had to put the book down and take a few deep breaths before picking it back up. Ironic enough, it was also lovely and admirable, because it taught me how to appreciate everyone in my life and make the good moments last. The bittersweet qualities are something I have never encountered in my reading before, which is what made this book so unique and memorable for me. With all of that said, I also though that the writing was brilliantly detailed. It was written in the form of many poems, which once again, made it one-of-a-kind.

I would reccomend "Burned" to anybody in my age group or older, mainly because it can get to be graphic and violent, and also contains many drug/alcohol references. I would especially reccomend this book to anyone like me who enjoys reading stories that make you think. The plot and characters were literally stuck in my head for days after I finished reading, and in that time I realized how grateful I am for the life I have. This story is great for anybody looking to step out of their comfort zone and read something surprising and fast-paced.(less)

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Apr 01, 2009 H rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 19, 2013 Marvin Smith III rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I thought that this book was very good. I liked some of the twists and turns it had. What struck me about this book was the format it was written in and also how it can be relatable to some people. This book really gets you hooked into it and it keeps you wanting to read more because of the storyline and how the main girl in this story goes through a lot of struggles in her life whether it be at home or at High School. I feel the plot of this story is very engaging because it brings you in based...more

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Apr 19, 2013 Marisa rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This novel by Ellen Hopkins is actually a book that I enjoyed very much. It is about a young girl in high school who is Mormon and has to live with a family with very strong Mormon beliefs. She is an extremely sweet girl named Pattyn but is forced to live with an alcoholic abusive father and a careless Mother who only focuses on breeding babies instead of actually taking care of her kids. Pattyn is eventually forced to move to her Aunts farm for a little while and she ends up meeting a wonderful...more This novel by Ellen Hopkins is actually a book that I enjoyed very much. It is about a young girl in high school who is Mormon and has to live with a family with very strong Mormon beliefs. She is an extremely sweet girl named Pattyn but is forced to live with an alcoholic abusive father and a careless Mother who only focuses on breeding babies instead of actually taking care of her kids. Pattyn is eventually forced to move to her Aunts farm for a little while and she ends up meeting a wonderful boy who she falls in love with. Although you may think the story is just like all of the other love stories but you will be surprised to find out that this book is not. Ellen Hopkins' Burned captured my attention through its deceiving and surprising story line.
This book is written in a very interesting way. Each page design is different as if the author were writing different poems. I do like that the author wanted to be different and edgy and that makes me respect her as an author. I don't exactly know why she decides to write this way but from what I have noticed she writes all of her novels like this.
The author does a great way of making you feel emotion towards Pattyn and all of the unfortunate events she is placed through. I really enjoyed the characters of Pattyn and her Aunt because of how genuine and caring they seem to be. But just as there are extremely likable characters in the book there are also ones that are extremely dislikable such as a character we meet in the beginning who essentially rapes Pattyn and leaves her out to dry. Not only him but also meet Pattyn's father who beats her mother, her sister, and her as well. And on top of it all, crazy enough, her own Pastor takes her fathers side over hers when he knows that she has been beaten.
The book talks all about Mormonism but it somewhat depicts it in a bad way. Im not sure what the religion is really like but from the novel it suggests that the women in the family were only good for breeding children and sons. In the book the Pastor even takes the side of the abusive father and doesn't seem to think that anything is wrong with beating children or women. I would like to know more about why the Author chose Mormonism and what her reasons were for negatively representing it.
I recommend this book to any teenagers that like love stories but not with a typical ending. It really was a great read and i also recommend any of the other books written by Ellen Hopkins because they truly make you want to keep reading. Each book is about hardship and struggle and they all end with a great ending.
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Mar 13, 2013 Bobby rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Burned By: Ellen Hopkins
Book Review
The book Burned By: Ellen Hopkins in my opinion is one of the best book that I have read. It is best read by a high school student because they can relate to this book the most, but younger adults could relate to this story by their experiences that they had in high school.
This book started out with the main character Pattyn Von Stratten just a regular girl, but at her house she was the one who had to do everything and take care of everyone because her dad wa...more Burned By: Ellen Hopkins
Book Review
The book Burned By: Ellen Hopkins in my opinion is one of the best book that I have read. It is best read by a high school student because they can relate to this book the most, but younger adults could relate to this story by their experiences that they had in high school.
This book started out with the main character Pattyn Von Stratten just a regular girl, but at her house she was the one who had to do everything and take care of everyone because her dad was an alcoholic and her mom would just sit on her chair and be lazy. Pattyn was the oldest of her siblings and she had the most responsibility she loved being at school because she was away from her alcoholic dad and her dad also abused all of them in the house, because she had a brother but he got killed in war and he was the only person keeping their dad normal. As soon as her brother died, their father started drinking and taking all of his frustration out on everyone that lives in the house.
So Pattyn used school as a getaway spot way from home, because she gets tired of her dad and wants to be away. But when she gets to school she has this boy that she has a crush on but he is popular and Pattyn is popular at all she only has one friend and that’s her sister, but Derek, the guy she has a crush on always walks past her and he has a beautiful girlfriend. But one day after school Pattyn’s dad takes her out to the sand dunes and shoots targets and she ends up getting pretty good at it, so her dad starts to like her just a little bite. One day she went out by herself and Derek and his friends and girlfriend were out riding 4-wheelers. They stopped and started talking to her and asked if they could try to shoot and she said yes so they all started hanging out more, and Pattyn started dating one of Derek’s friend.
One day she started getting in trouble and her dad was getting mad at her and couldn’t deal with her anymore because Pattyn’s mom was pregnant again; but this time with a boy so her dad didn’t want anyone to mess this birth up. So one day at school Pattyn gets into a fight and her dad had enough, so he sent her to live with her aunt in Texas.
But I’m not going to give away the rest book and be the Spoiler guy, Haha! But this is a really good book and I hope that my book review kept you guys interested in the book and makes you go out and read it because it is one of the best books that I have ever read! Ellen Hopkins is a great author and all of her books are great, but this book, I just wanted to read over and over again. Please go out and read it!!
-B.S.(less)

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Mar 13, 2013 Charliemoushey rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Book review
Burned
The book Burned, is by Ellen Hopkins. This book is only one of the many books from Ellen. It is a very good read. It is intended to reach out to a high school reader. There is a lot of suspense in dealing with family and relationship issues. There is also some profanity, drug references and sexual images being portrayed in this novel. It is any easy book to relate to. There are also parts in the book where the main character is in danger from both animals and people.
The main st...more

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Feb 06, 2013 Chris Myers rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Spoiler alert

Ellen Hopkins writes beautiful prose and she creates wonderful characters, so where did the book go wrong for me.

The book is about a teenaged Mormon girl interested in sex. She hates her abusive dad and her mom because to the MC, she's nothing more than a baby-maker.

The book was pretty good until the end. I've only read 2 of Hopkins books, and if I would've read them prior to my teenager reading them, she would not have been allowed to read any of Hopkins' books. Here's why. The pro...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Stephanie Reiner rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult

So this book, I REALLY loved. I mean from start to finish, I was captured. Pattyn knew that what is going on in her household is not right. I was glad that she had the chance to go away, but of course going away doesn't mean your past no longer follows you. Pattyn is brought back to horrible things, things I could never even imagine. Ms. Hopkins, once again captured an experience so vastly hidden, yet exposed. I love how Ms. Hopkins can capture the reader and make them fall right into Pattyn sho...more

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Dec 09, 2012 Anna Wooten rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I love Ellen Hopkins' books- they're all so emotionally powerful. Pattyn knows that her family is highly dysfunctional and rightly rebels against the roles set forth for her by example of her parents. When she goes to live with Aunt J, she becomes what she wants to be: an independent girl, free to love. Her love for Ethan and Aunt J is never really poisoned either, as is her love for her mother or her first boyfriend. She is never betrayed by the people who truly care about her and that she trul...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Fidelity rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: i-wish-i-didn-t-read

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Well, wow. Okay. There are a few main problems I had with this book, so here goes (in no particular order. Sort of):

1. The inaccurate portrayal of the Mormon religion. Other reviews can clearly describe this much better then I can, but Hopkins' description isn't where anyone should look for an accurate description of Mormonism.

2. Cliche writing style. "Making love" "Furnace lips" Yeech!

3. No character development. So, Pattyn gets sent away to her amazing and wonderful Aunt (who is almost too per...more Well, wow. Okay. There are a few main problems I had with this book, so here goes (in no particular order. Sort of):

1. The inaccurate portrayal of the Mormon religion. Other reviews can clearly describe this much better then I can, but Hopkins' description isn't where anyone should look for an accurate description of Mormonism.

2. Cliche writing style. "Making love" "Furnace lips" Yeech!

3. No character development. So, Pattyn gets sent away to her amazing and wonderful Aunt (who is almost too perfect). And what does she learn from her lessons of how to be something bigger then what her religion destines her too (see 1...) ? Apparently nothing, because she goes off and becomes codependent on Ethan.

4. Yay sexy cowboys. Yaay. Every teenage book, for some reason, can't be complete without the love story. Hopkins did it awkwardly. I can tell you how Ethan's lips feel on Pattyn's and how many times they had sex (innumerable) but I couldn't tell you a single facet of EITHER of their personalities. Yet somehow, Pattyn falls in love with this beautiful boy and now can't live without him. What about getting out of your "religion" and becoming individual? Yay, she found stupid teenage "I think i love you after I just met you" love! The whole relationship was meaningless besides sex, and don't even get me started on how ridiculous it was that Kevin and Aunt J can love each other forever now. Blah.

5. Wait, what? So much stuff simply did not fit. The random tangents about nuclear fusion in Nevada were interesting but didn't have any place in this novel. The fact that the family abuse didn't get reported to the authorities doesn't seem legitimate. I completely understand the families embarrassment, but the actions of the Bishops and everyone turning a blind eye wouldn't happen in an LDS church. And then, Pattyn is pregnant. The condom breaks, ok it's plausible. Based off of the tons of literature she's read and a general understanding of society, I don't see how Pattyn couldn't of understood this danger. She wants sex very badly but doesn't understand much about it. She knows she doesn't want a baby, but she goes on to have sex countless times and that's what her relationship becomes. Ugh, gross!!

6. Cheap thrills. So she gets pregnant and then calls Ethan at school to come and take her away. She is overheard, and because of this her father finds out and Ethan and her are tracked down and get In a car accident. Ethan dies with the baby so she kills everyone in her church out of revenge. -_- it was original, I guess. Maybe if Pattyn didn't have a conversation in front of others about it then none of that would of happened. Why didn't she call Aunt J, who loved and adored her and obviously saw some facet of her personality I didn't see at all.

7. So, what did I learn? Don't ever have sex or you will get pregnant? Mormons are awful terrible people? Fall in love with cowboys instead of paving your own way- rely on him always? I closed this book sad for any girl facing this problem who decided to read this book, because they will find their imminent answer is to kill everyone in their church.

I'm sorry to those who liked the book, but it rubbed me the wrong way in every way, leading to this scathing and not as eloquent as I had hoped review. (less)

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Nov 27, 2012 Claudia Delgado rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Ellen Hopkins had me hooked on all her serious of books. From Crank through Glass, I was reading them all throughout my junior year in high school. I saw it for m self within the students how popular and interesting they had become. Out of all those books, one book that I still remember clearly with detail of beginning, middle and end, is Burned.That book is in my top 3 book of my list. I found it fascinating and quite interesting how the author can really describe with details and emotion the m...more

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Sep 28, 2012 Danielle Fizzy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Sep 28, 2012 Mikya Schneider rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It’s one of my favorite books. I really like the set up of this book.
Hopkins book shows the life of a Mormon girl; Pattyn Scarlet Von Stratten. Pattyn is tired of the Mormon lifestyle and rebels against her family and the rules of her home and church. Her father spends most of the time drunk and angry and her mother has a whole household to take care of.
After Pattyn gets in a fight and breaks glass, her family has had enough of her rebelling so they send her to live with her Aunt, out in the m...more

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Sep 20, 2012 Kiera Pulham rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Review:
A girl in sent to go live with her aunt that she has never met, and from what she has heard about her she is a little nerves. She goes, and she helps out with the farm and she ends up meeting a boy and they become really close. At the end of the summer her parents tell her that she has to come home. She is no way ready and doesn't want to leave him or the community.
When she gets home there is a lot of crazies and everyone is mad at everyone. She calls her boyfriend one day and they ru...more

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About Ellen Hopkins

Ellen Hopkins is the New York Times bestselling author of Crank, Burned, Impulse, Glass, Identical, Tricks, Fallout, Perfect, Triangles, Tilt, and Collateral. She lives in Carson City, Nevada, with her husband and son. Hopkin's Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and Pinterest pages get thousands of hits from teens who claim Hopkins is the "only one who understands me", and she can be visited at ellenhopkin...more

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Quotes from Burned

“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 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 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 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?” — 215 people liked it

“in a woman's womb.
another chance.
to make the world better.” — 163 people liked it

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Burned (Burned #1)

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