From the Bookshelf of Addicted to YA…

Burn for Burn (Burn for Burn, #1)

Jenny Han,

Siobhan Vivian

Start date: March 1, 2015

Finish date: March 31, 2015

Discussion: Series

Why we're reading this: It won the poll for the themed BOTM
Theme: Diverse characters
[close] It won the poll for the themed BOTM
Theme: Diverse characters

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What Members Thought

Jun 30, 2014 Colette rated it did not like it

Did not enjoy.

1 like · Like · see review

Dec 25, 2013 Sasha rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult, poc

Everyone loves a good revenge story. When coupled with three-dimensional characters who genuinely spark sympathy from the reader despite their flaws, you have the markings of a compelling plotline. This is exactly what Burn for Burn does so well, making it a quick and enjoyable read.

As the book opens, we are introduced to our three main characters, Lillia, Kat, and Mary. Lillia is the girl with it all, a popular it-girl with friends she is starting to realize aren’t who she thought they were. Ka Everyone loves a good revenge story. When coupled with three-dimensional characters who genuinely spark sympathy from the reader despite their flaws, you have the markings of a compelling plotline. This is exactly what Burn for Burn does so well, making it a quick and enjoyable read.

As the book opens, we are introduced to our three main characters, Lillia, Kat, and Mary. Lillia is the girl with it all, a popular it-girl with friends she is starting to realize aren’t who she thought they were. Kat is a girl who is angry at life, but mostly at the girl who was her friend but dumped her as they got older. And Mary was bullied so much as a child that she had to leave Jar Island, where the story was set. All three girls have their own vendetta to exact upon the people who wronged them, and this is what draws the unlikely trio together.

Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian have an excellent way of capturing the teenage voice. Each chapter takes on the perspective of one of our respective lead girls, and always leads to an interesting look inside these girls’ heads as to what motivates them to band together to plot their revenge. All three girls reminded me of various “teenage girl” tropes that we see in movies or books all the time. Lillia is the “poor-little-rich-girl” who discovers that her life of popularity and obviousness is not the life she wants to lead after all. Kat reminded me so much of Janis in Mean Girls. And Mary, oh Mary—she reaches full-blown Carrie by the end of this book. I kid you not—there are some hinted elements of the supernatural that I wasn’t quite sure were real or imagined, given Mary’s relatively unreliable narration. That being said, of the three, I felt like Mary had the most reason to want revenge in the first place, particularly as certain details are revealed about her situation that make your heart break for her and wish a world of pain on the boy who ruined her life. I really liked the organic budding friendships between the three girls as well—another high point of the novel.

As for the plot itself, while I love the weak and downtrodden people rising up against their oppressors and all that, I found some details lacking in substance. So, in sum, while the revengenda was the driving force behind the novel, the other parts, like the really forced semi-love-pentagon thing that was going on between several characters at some point, fell flat and took away from the quick pacing of the revenge scenario. Maybe it was because many of the characters outside of the main trio were obnoxious and easy to dislike, but I didn’t really care about their problems and any time the book tried to bring them up I nodded off. Something I did like was how the book raised a very important question about revenge—how far is too far? And at what point do you become just as bad as the person who wronged you in your quest to make things “right”? The girls toe this line throughout the novel and made me wonder if their revengenda was actually harming them more than it was cathartic.

The ending was rather abrupt because of the cliffhanger, which left me somewhat annoyed that we didn’t get to see all three plots pay off in the way they should have. At the same time, the ending obviously set up the tensions for the next book, and the way this book ended, I have a feeling that Lillia, Kat, and Mary are going to be in a huge pile of trouble. Overall, Burn for Burn is a page-turning read that will have you rooting for the main characters and hoping that they don’t lose sight of who they are along the way.

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Dec 27, 2014 Christine rated it liked it

Everyone keeps raving about how different this YA series even if it's about those popular high school cliques and popular girls seeking revenge on their frenemies. The ending of this book sounded promising. I'm hoping the next book will be better. ...more

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