Burn For Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

I received this galley in consideration for an honest review.

Burn For Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan VivianBurn For Burn by Jenny Han, Siobhan Vivian
Series: Burn For Burn #1
Published by Simon & Schuster on September 18, 2012
Genres: Young Adult, Paranormal
Goodreads
five-stars

Postcard-perfect Jar Island is home to charming tourist shops, pristine beaches, amazing oceanfront homes—and three girls secretly plotting revenge.
KAT is sick and tired of being bullied by her former best friend.
LILLIA has always looked out for her little sister, so when she discovers that one of her guy friends has been secretly hooking up with her, she’s going to put a stop to it.
MARY is perpetually haunted by a traumatic event from years past, and the boy who’s responsible has yet to get what’s coming to him.

None of the girls can act on their revenge fantasies alone without being suspected. But together…anything is possible.

With an alliance in place, there will be no more “I wish I’d said…” or “If I could go back and do things differently...” These girls will show Jar Island that revenge is a dish best enjoyed together.

 

I was very excited to hear that two gifted storytellers were teaming up to write a book, but when I heard it was all about revenge, I thought – even better!  Revenge is such a layered and complicated issue.  It’s so tempting to hurt those that have wronged you, yet it almost always backfires or ends up not being worth the fallout.  Burn For Burn brought three girls together, each with their own very good reasons to want revenge.  After reading about their pasts, I was ready to sign up for the revenge team, myself.  Lillia, Kat and Mary have each been hurt terribly and, as a reader, you will definitely be on their side.  However…..

(There’s always a “however”, isn’t there?)  However, the aspect of this book that I found so brilliant was that I started feeling sorry for the people that were marked for revenge.  This was especially surprising because the reasons for the revenge were totally understandable.  Yet, here I was, feeling such deep sympathy for the people that were targeted and wishing I could just make everyone hug it out.  A story that seemed black and white became gray and I loved my conflicted feelings and the turns that the story took. Lillia, Kat and Mary each have secrets that make their worlds close in around them, as secrets are want to do.  It might seem like the idea of revenge would open them up and help them move on, but as it consumes them and they become deeply entrenched in the idea of getting back at those that hurt them, the reasons start to crumble around the edges and expose the raw places in everyone’s lives.

As a triumvirate, these three girls come from extremely different cultural and socioeconomic backgrounds.  It’s a source of tension between them, but it also serves to make their interactions very interesting to read.  Each character has a voice in the story and the different perspectives played a big role in making this book so brilliant.  Add a touch of the paranormal and I could not put this book down.  I was not happy with the ending, but that is only because I have to wait for book two!

 

 

five-stars

About Jenny Han

Jenny Han was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. She went to college at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and she went on to graduate school at the New School in New York City, where she received her MFA in Writing for Children. She lives in Brooklyn.

About Siobhan Vivian

Siobhan Vivian is the author of THE LIST, NOT THAT KIND OF GIRL, SAME DIFFERENCE, and A LITTLE FRIENDLY ADVICE. She also co-wrote BURN FOR BURN, the first novel in a planned trilogy, with her best friend JENNY HAN. She currently lives in Pittsburgh.

Kate


41 responses to “Burn For Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

  1. This book sounds so intriguing, and the fact that you enjoyed it so much makes me want to read it even more! Lovely review! 🙂

  2. I’ve been excited for this book since I heard about. Jenny and Siobhan are 2 of my favorite authors. And your review makes me that much more anxious to get it. Thanks for the chance to win.

  3. I love in your review where you say that you began to feel sorry for the people who were targeted for revenge. I think it might seem like a good idea at the time, but even bullies have feelings, too.

  4. I cannot tell you how much I want to read this book. I’m very curious about it! I loved Summer series by Jenny. I’m so happy to see that you love it! Great review!
    Thanks for the giveaway! 🙂

  5. Sounds very interesting. I like that there’s grey choices- not everything is black and white. Glad you enjoyed the story and thanks for the giveaway!

  6. You are correct, Kate.
    We may want revenge and seek revenge, but usually no good comes from that search.
    Great review.
    Thank you for sponsoring this Giveaway!
    Patricia

  7. I actually saw several reviews of this book already and they were all positive. But it was now that I decided to add the book to my wish list, you had me with “a hint of paranormal”! I love paranormal! Also, great review 😉

  8. I really like the way this book turned out. It’s a very interesting story, and the cast of characters is truly fantastic! I loved the trio best of all because, even though their plans for revenge were sometimes more extreme than I could bear, I could still understand each of their motives 😉

  9. Enjoyed Siobhan Vivian’s past work, so am excited to read this novel. Am always interested when authors collaborate on a novel. Thanks for the giveaway!

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