Review: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Burn for Burn #1

Release Date: September 18^th, 2012

Number of Pages: 368

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers

Source: ARC from BEA

BIG GIRLS DON'T CRY...THEY GET EVEN. Lillia has never had any problems dealing with boys who like her. Not until this summer, when one went too far. No way will she let the same thing happen to her little sister. Kat is tired of the rumours, the insults, the cruel jokes. It all goes back to one person– her ex-best friend– and she's ready to make her pay. Four years ago, Mary left Jar Island because of a boy. But she's not the same girl anymore. And she's ready to prove it to him. Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet, sweet revenge. And they won't stop until they each had a taste.

I’m a sucker for revenge books. I’m not one to usually seek revenge, so maybe that shy I like them so much. Or maybe it’s because everyone knows that revenge almost never goes according to plan. In Burn for Burn, we meet three girls who seem to have nothing in common, except they all have been wronged. Yet, even it their all their differences, they end up together getting the revenge the think they deserve.

Lilia, Kat and Mary couldn’t be more different, and I think that’s one of the big reason I liked it so much. We have Lilia: the popular girl, the cheerleader, and the girl that seems to have everything she could possibly want. Then you have Kat, the outcast, and Mary, the new girl if you want. Mary who came back after years and years to get revenge on the boy who made her childhood a living hell. They are all brought together to help one and another get the revenge they deserve. This gives us a great mix of drama, and newfound friendships.

I was surprised at first by some of the reason the girls wanted to seek revenge, especially on the first victim. I get that they feel like they were wronged, but I was curious as to why they didn’t check their facts a little more before really bringing on the punishments. Okay, maybe not for the two other victims, since I think they do deserve to be punished on some level, but still. I have to say that it all made me expect things to not go according to plan, and not to be all it seems. Appearance can be deceiving after all.

Okay, I have to talk about the paranormal aspect of this book, since I know that many were wondering about, and so was I before I started the book. I mean, when you read this summary, you wouldn’t really expect to have this little touch of paranormal added into the mix, but I’m really curious to see how it will affect the next book, since I didn’t feel it made that much difference in this book, except for one scene. It wasn’t something that put me off; it was more something that left me wondering what was the importance of it. Other than that, this book was a perfect mix of revenge, drama and friendship that will please many readers.