Review: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Title: Burn for Burn
Author: Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Rating: ★★ (2/5 Stars)
Hardcover, 358 Pages
Published September 2012
Book #1 in the Burn for Burn Series, I guess????*

Before I start reviewing this book, I'm going to give you all a plot summary so you can at least understand some of this book (and then maybe sorta kinda maybe agree with me on why it wasn't one of my favorites):

"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 going to be completely honest: I picked this book up at my library because I was browsing the YA new book section and the other book that I wanted to borrow was taken out. Bummed, I decided to look for something else to read--and Burn for Burn's cover definitely caught my attention.

After I read the description, I thought to myself that this was going to be a cool, sneaky, mysterious story about three girls getting revenge on three people who definitely deserved it. I guess you can say that's the case, but towards the end, it wasn't.

Throughout the duration of the book, I was pleased and found nothing that made me unhappy...Lillia, Kat and Mary all had legitimate reasons to want to seek revenge on Alex, Rennie and Reeve (quick side note: what kind of names are Rennie and Reeve?), and their revenge plots were legitimate things that were pretty awesome, funny, and could really happen. It wasn't unrealistic in that sense, not at all. It was pretty good. Very well written realistic, young adult fiction.

That is, until Han and Vivian decided to throw in a bit of a supernatural twist. *Shakes head and sighs* Yep, they did it, folks--they threw a supernatural element into a perfectly fine book.

Can you guess what that did?

IT RUINED IT.

**Okay, this next part will contain a few spoilers, so consider yourself warned!!!!***

I liked the book just fine until the authors decided to give Mary some weird supernatural abilities. I never thought much about how all of the lockers in the hallways slammed when she screamed Reeve's name--I thought that part was metaphorical and wasn't to be taken seriously. Then, when Rennie fell off the top of the cheer pyramid, it couldv'e just been creative irony and such. Why couldn't they just chalk it up to irony and leave it at that, instead of deciding that Mary is using some freaky voodoo supernatural powers?!

Lastly, the ending of this book was extremely unsatisfying for me. They go to the homecoming dance, yeah, yeah. They give Reeve the ecstasy, like planned. Uh huh. But then he has a seizure, breaks his leg, is possibly dead, Mary makes the lights explode, Lillia is homecoming queen, and the book's last words are that they hope they don't get caught.

??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

That's literally my reaction. Nothing else to say.

*I said "I guess" because Goodreads says in parenthesis that this book is (Burn for Burn, #1), but the end of the book doesn't have any indication of another book coming out, even though it left us on a bit of an awkward cliffhanger.