Review: Burn for Burn by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Author: Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian
Narrator: Joy Osmanski, Madeleine Maby, Rebekkah Ross
Title: Burn for Burn
Publication: September 18, 2012
Publisher: Simon& Schuster
Length: 7 hrs:1 min
Source: Publisher

Synopsis

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.

Thoughts: 

Book: I liked the flow of the book much more; the pace was quicker and steadier. The writing is good and the characters are believable. I do not like how Rennie treats her friends or how Lillia lets her have so much control over her life. High school and its social politics are so stupid. Rennie comes from a different background than Lillia, who is rich. She is jealous of what Lillia has and that does not excuse her cruelty to other people. She puts me in the mind of that mean cheerleader from the original Bring it On movie or any mean girl movie. It's so funny how she thinks she's above everyone else and nothing can touch her because she is the in crowd queen but Kat intends to knock her off her high horse and give Rennie what coming to her. Kat appears to be rough around the edges, she's sensitive but bold. I can understand her feelings of betrayal as Rennie and she has more gumption than Lillia and Mary for revenge. She never deters or doubts what she has planned.

Lillia is in the middle of all this. Everyone that is being targeted is a part of her inner circle. Her reason for seeking revenge has to do with her sister, Nadia, who she believes is being taken advantage of and she swore that she would never let her go through the night she will never forget, no matter what Rennie says, something did happen. She has her sights set on one unsuspecting boy, Alex, and he has no idea what she has in store for him. Lillia surprised me in how she changes in this book, she still comes off as the naive perfect little rich girl but she may just have some fight in her. Of the three she has the most to lose and she does have doubts about completing the plan once she sees the effect it's having on Alex but once things get set in motion there is no turning back and Kat is having none of that. 

Mary, the new girl, has a past with the high school quarterback, Reeve. He ruined her life, and nearly caused her death...but I don't think he cares about that. He is more concerned with his reputation than some fat girl’s feelings. Mary is a pushover, she lets him treat her horribly at school because she thinks they are friends when they are alone but he is just setting her up to tear her down and once he's ripped her to shreds, she unravels into a dark place. She returns to Jar Island to set things right and meet up with Kat and Lillia forming a bond in revenge. What happens next is shocking because there really is something off about Mary.

Vengeance can be sweet but as things fall apart, it can turn sour before they know it. Things are not as clear as these ladies think they are. And when the pieces crumble they much hope that they don't lead a trail back to them. I wasn't expecting the supernatural aspect in this one, I was thinking it was just going to be a contemporary book, so now I'm wondering how this is going to work out in the rest of the series.

Audio: I much preferred the book to the audio. I just didn't feel drawn into the experience as much. This audio is multi-voiced with three female narrators portraying Kat, Lillia and Mary. They all have distinguishable voices and they sound as if they are the voices of teenagers. The pace balances with the flow of the story. For me, I don't think it translates well as an audio. However, the sound quality is good and the narrators do a good job, I just found it distracting trying to keep up with the dialogue when the chapters changed, especially if I missed them saying who was speaking at the beginning of each chapter. Overall, it was an okay listen.