Review: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Girls get mad.
They also get even.
But when they do, expect hell.
And you think boys are evil... when girls decide to unleash their vengeful side, there is no stopping them.

The good, the misunderstood, the meek. When these three girls got together because of the people that wronged them, all sorts of things happen. They seek vengeance, and they are going to get it.

Title: Burn for Burn (Burn for Burn #1) by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Release Date: February 18th 2013
Published by: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Source: Publisher (Thanks Kat!)
Buy: Amazon | Book Depository

Summary:

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.

Have you ever had someone you love but hate at the same time? Lillia felt that for Rennie. Rennie who always gets what she wants without thinking of the consequences, the one who wants to rule the school, the one in love with the quarterback, the reckless one who made Lillia do something she regretted. Kat was once Rennie's friend until Lillia came along, and Rennie threw her out of the friendship circle before she knew what hit her. Rennie wasn't satisfied with that and even wrecked Kat's reputation. And then there's Mary, once a Jar island native who left because of the suffering she had in the hands of the very same quarterback Rennie would do anything to have, Reeve. The fate of these three people are all tied together by one person: Rennie.

I have mixed feelings for this novel overall, because what do you really get out of revenge and can you really get away with it? Aside from satisfying and justifying the hate and resentment you feel for the other person, it sucks you into a black hole filled with consequences you might not be ready for and feelings that might lead you to thinking and doubting if what you're doing is right in the first place. Getting back at other people is never easy. And when I think about it, these type of complications shown in the story is what made me like it a little bit. When you know you're doing something wrong and you try to think that it's right because you think the other party deserves it. I was more confused because Burn for Burn controls your feelings and swings it back and forth from hating Rennie, Reeve and Alex to contemplating whether they deserve what they're getting or not. You get to think what was right, what was wrong, and where draw the line. It's also one of those books where it puts to the reader the question "Does something wrong, when done for good reasons, can be considered right?".

Kat, Lillia and Mary... such an unlikely trio, and the differences in each of their characters, aside from the obvious contrast of their personalities and lives, are what made this book an enjoyable read. I cannot say I adore them, but if there ever was an unexpected set of people to gather and seek to get back on other people, it's the three of them. Miss Goody Two Shoes Lillia's reason were at least admirable and noble, at first. Kat's is the least likable of all, the fuel that adds to the fire of their vengeful plots, that tough attitude rubbed me off the wrong way. She made me feel like Lillia was exchanging an evil friend for a more destructive companion. And Mary, who I felt pity for and wished she'd be something more, because she can be if she wants to.

Ugly, dark feelings like hatred and resentment, a lot of it, for the characters and the unfair treatment of all of them, will sweep you along with this book's thrilling story line. Throw in a dash of envy, a ton of lies, paranoia, over protectiveness and a whole lot of miscommunication and you will get quite an entertaining, somewhat challenging read. Starting out from a mere prank until it escalates to something more daring, more dangerous will make the readers excited, more curious of what the girls' next move will be. Readers will get a certain kind of buzz reading of how these girls put the wheels of their revenge in motion. Conniving, stealing, deceiving and a whole lot of faking, where the characters aren't what they always seem to be, Burn for Burn is quite interesting. It's the kind of read where you just want to sit back and watch as everything unfold and you wait for when the climax, what the three characters seek, the ultimate revenge, happens and you wait some more to see what kind of destruction they have brought upon themselves and to everyone else, whether they realize it or not.

It's a good read! When you talk about revenge, you want the whole plot to be consistent and coherent enough for the readers and both Jenny and Siobhan had that well written and the reasons for which it must be done were buried deep within the storyline. This single minded thirst for revenge is what all the readers will think about aside from all the contradictory feelings they will have for the characters.

Content (plot, story flow, character):
Burn for Burn would've been an explosive novel were it not for the fact that I felt blindsided of the developments that seem to have come out of nowhere for Mary. I'm undecided if introducing the paranormal side of the story will make the story better, or if it was even a good idea to add it. It was more or less Carrie like, that ending. I'm going to sit back and watch how these development will affect the girls very fragile, rocky bonds with each other, especially when they know they've gone too far.

Shining: Worthy of a Goddess' Love!

Book Cover:
Cute cover, eh?