Arson (Arson, #1) in And So It Begins Reading Challenge

Jul 27, 2012 Carrie Ardoin rated it really liked it

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Arson Gable is 17 years old and doesn't have anything he enjoys in life. He lives out in a dilapidated house with his senile grandmother. He works at a thankless job where his boss and co-workers are rude. He has a crush on the most beautiful girl in town who is obviously out of his league. There also happens to be the fact that he can create fires with his mind. Arson's convinced he has nothing to live for, until Emery Phoenix moves in next door. With her face hidden behind a mask, Arson finds Arson Gable is 17 years old and doesn't have anything he enjoys in life. He lives out in a dilapidated house with his senile grandmother. He works at a thankless job where his boss and co-workers are rude. He has a crush on the most beautiful girl in town who is obviously out of his league. There also happens to be the fact that he can create fires with his mind. Arson's convinced he has nothing to live for, until Emery Phoenix moves in next door. With her face hidden behind a mask, Arson finds out that Emery has just as many problems as he does. Could the two of them possibly find an escape in each other?

This book was so dark and mature, I almost don't think it should be classified as YA. It is definitely different than any other YA book I've read, and that's a good thing.

You won't find any goody-two-shoes characters here. Everyone in this story is somehow damaged. God, Arson's life sucked. I wanted to feel pity for him, but I don't think that was somehow fitting. He was so obviously being played by Mandy...but I think he knew it, and it didn't matter to him because he had some positive human interaction. Never mind that it wasn't real.

Emery is not only physically flawed, she is emotionally damaged as well. Her parents' marriage is dissolving, and neither of them have exactly been good role models for her. As a result of both Arson's and Emery's lack of social interactions, neither one of them quite knows how to treat the other. They certainly don't fit the typical YA relationship mold. They are often awkward around each other and one of them always says the wrong thing.

I guess, from the title, I would have expected more action scenes involving fire. But Arson is a book about its' characters more than its' plot. Readers experience points of view from several people, and it is fascinating to see the inner workings of some of their minds. Not that knowing their internal monologues justifies some of their horrible actions, but it does give more insight into their personalities.

My jaw was wide open during the last few chapters of the book. The ending was definitely unexpected and I can't wait to see what happens next. Estevan Vega's writing is lyrical and mature, so it will be my pleasure to read more of his work. ...more

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Aug 05, 2011 Darlene rated it really liked it

Shelves: for-review, read-in-2011, ebook, book-tours

I received this e-book for review from Partners In Crime Tours as part of the author's virtual book tour. I did not receive any compensation for my review, and the views expressed herein are my own.

Arson is a 17-year-old boy who has an unusual ability: He can make fire! He needs to remain in control of his emotions to avoid something disastrous from taking place.

Raised by his senile and abusive grandmother, Arson lives like a hermit only leaving home to work at the ice cream parlor or go to scho ...more

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Dec 04, 2011 Nicole rated it liked it · review of another edition

Find more of my reviews on my blog, The Reader's Antidote

This novel was really slow-going at first. I didn't quite understand what was going on. Also, I think the parts of this book that really ticked me off were when Arson's grandmother was beating him and putting him down all the down. It made me wonder what was wrong with her for treating her own grandson like that. You can hold grudges, but to hold onto something that long against your own kin is unacceptable. So already we feel bad for Arso Find more of my reviews on my blog, The Reader's Antidote

This novel was really slow-going at first. I didn't quite understand what was going on. Also, I think the parts of this book that really ticked me off were when Arson's grandmother was beating him and putting him down all the down. It made me wonder what was wrong with her for treating her own grandson like that. You can hold grudges, but to hold onto something that long against your own kin is unacceptable. So already we feel bad for Arson. On top of that, his nickname isn't just a nickname. Arson can light things on fire just by thinking about it. And sometimes without even thinking about it. He gets a sudden urge to set things aflame, and in order to let it out, he jumps into the lake he lives on with his grandmother. That's where Emery finds him.

I thoroughly enjoyed Emery and Arson. They bantered back and forth a lot to diffuse the tension between them, but it was difficult when Arson still had feelings for the school tease, Mandy. I felt so bad for Arson, with Mandy taking advantage of him all the time. Come to find she just wanted to add him to her collection because she thought he liked to light things on fire. Ironically, Arson hates fire. But all Emery sees is the guy she likes getting all flustered for a beautiful girl that doesn't wear a mask. Oh, yeah, did I mention that Emery, the new neighbor girl, wears a leather mask to cover her face (can you say creepy) because of an accident that happened when she was younger. I imagine it's the mask on the cover. Again, super creepy. But Arson doesn't seem to mind. In fact, he forgets about her mask and even Mandy completely. That is, until she invites both Emery and him to a bonfire. Not good.

Having the other relationships be so important in this book really kept me reading. I wanted to see what would happen with Emery's parents, and to learn more about Arson's grandmother. All in all, I enjoyed the last half. The first half was Arson basically torturing himself over who he is and I found myself not caring. But when Emery stepped into the picture, I was easily reading through the book. If you're looking for a unique YA paranormal novel, this is right up your alley! ...more

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Nov 27, 2012 Quantum Thief- Behind the Mask marked it as to-read

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Feb 16, 2012 Avital marked it as to-read

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