Burned (Burned #1)

Ellen Hopkins has done it again! The stories that she brings to life are amazing! These are stories that we as readers can really relate to. I always find myself so engrossed in her books that I feel like I have lost a friend once they have ended. I felt that the only reason this book deserved a 4 star instead of a 5 was because of the way the book ended. I was shocked and uncertain of how to feel with this ending. I felt that Ellen gave her readers the power to imagine their own ending for this incredible book, but I felt that I understood the characters pain too much to envision a better outcome.

Pattyn is a teenage girl suffering teenage problems plus some. Her family is Mormon and her father is an alcoholic and abusive. Pattyn does not agree with her families way of life. She wants a better life for herself, but it seems that everyone has turned their backs to her suffering. It is hard to complain and speak to people who turn their heads and see no problem with what is happening at home. Pattyn begins to rebel and act out for the attention she so anxiously craves. The outcome to these rebellious acts leads to one of the best experiences in her life.

Pattyn is sent to live with her Aunt Jeanette (Aunt J) for the summer. Her Aunt J is like no one she has ever meet before. I loved her aunts character! She is strong, open minded, laid back, and understanding. Pattyn has never met anyone like her before! Although Aunt J seems so at peace, even the happiest person has some demons in their closet. Pattyn grows closer and closer to her aunt as the summer progresses. Pattyn finds herself growing as a person and experiencing things she never thought she would. The best experience she has is meeting and falling in love with Ethan.

Ethan is the kind of guy every teenage girl dreams about. He is handsome, has morals, is a good country boy, and stands by Pattyn through her hard times. He introduces her to love and a world were Pattyn realizes just how special she is. Their love was romantic and a once in a life time love. When it was time to say goodbye at the end of the summer, they were forced to go their separate ways with more holding them together than the love they shared.

Pattyn’s return home from her summer of wonder leads to pain and abuse. Her father has become more out of hand, and her fear of no help in sight keeps her complacent. When Pattyn discovers she has more than just herself to protect, she turns to Ethan for help. This is when everything spirals out of control.

OMG make sure you have your tissues at hand when you are nearing this ending. The story grips you and drags you through the emotional roller coaster until the end. I could not detach myself from the sadness I felt at the end of this book. Ellen sure knows how to write a compelling story! I fell deep for Ethan. He was such a great guy! I also felt for Pattyn and her struggles in life. I could not imagine being in her shoes. Her conflicts were really touching. I would highly recommend Ellen’s books to readers. She is an outstanding author and her stories…. they are memorizing!

I sat down, right before dinner, meaning to read a few of the poems in Burned, just see what Ellen Hopkins was all about. Two hours later I was still reading, captivated by Pattyn von Stratten’s voice, her situation, her timid yet strengthening rebellions. 300 pages were gone, and I’d forgotten all about my dinner. I was quite convinced that Hopkins had found a lifelong fan in me (I still think that.)

Pattyn, the oldest of 7 daughters, is suffocating. She’s from a strict LDS family, and her dad drinks and beats his wife. Abruptly, Pattyn realizes that she is a sexual being, and that realization turns her worldview inside out. She finds a non-Mormon boyfriend, gets drunk, becomes a girl worth being friends with in the estimation of her peers. And then her dad finds out about what she’s been doing. Pattyn is sent to live on her aunt’s ranch in Nevada, where she meets Ethan and learns that, if there is a God, He’s definitely not the God her father believes in.

Up until this point, I absolutely loved Burned. The scenes where Pattyn lost control of her temper and talked back to her dad and the local bishop? Priceless scenes, proof that Pattyn von Stratten was a lady you didn’t want to mess with, in spite of her circumstances. Watching her become her own person on her aunt’s ranch was wonderful, too, though not quite as breathtaking.

It was in the last 200 pages or so where I fell out of love with this book. With Ethan on the scene, Pattyn’s thoughts went from intriguing to lovestruck. Because this novel is in poetry format, things became cheesy quickly. At one point, Hopkins compared having sex to sliding down a rainbow. Ew? And when Pattyn left the ranch, she became depressed, talking about how she needed Ethan more than life, how she loved him and would die without him. I willingly admit that I have limited tolerance for angst—especially poetic angst.

The the end—bing, bang! Book: done. It was too fast, too abrupt. I never felt the emotional backlash of what happened to Pattyn. It was rushed.

So in spite of a fantastic start, Burned wasn’t quite a perfect read, and I was a teensy bit disappointed that things turned out that way. I was all set to love this book wholeheartedly and I couldn’t do that. However, I was still massively impressed with this one, and I’m going to make a point of picking up more novels by Ellen Hopkins in the future. Any woman who can render emotion so beautifully on the page, make it so easily accessible, is the kind of person whose writing I want to experience more than once.

Reader reviewed by Katelyn (The Bookshelf Sophisticate)

Now with this being the 7th and newest installment in the House of Night series it might be a little different from some of my other reviews, mainly because I don't want to accidentally include any spoilers and ruin it for readers who haven't had the chance to read the previous installments. I fell in love with the House Of Night series from the very beginning and I know that I'm not alone in my enthusiasm. If you haven't read this series you should, end of discussion.

I will say this for those readers out there who are familiar with Zoey Redbird and the rest of the House Of Night crew...Burned was not a let down in any way, shape or form. It had everything I wanted and hoped for from it. The suspense, the mystery, the romance and all the problems that usually go hand in hand with that, lol. I laughed at the characters' witty humor and even found myself close to tears at one point, I can totally be a sucker like that. But what I'm trying to say is that it had it all, everything you could ask for from the series.

P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast took me and I'm sure everyone who reads this book on a non-stop journey that will have you feeling like you're a character in the story yourself. We went to the "Otherworld", an island in Scottland, Venice, Italy, and of course good ole' Tulsa, Oklahoma. It was fantastic and memorable, a story that has stayed with me long after I finished the last page. This mother and daughter writing team really know how to weave a YA novel that will keep readers hooked and always wanting more, more, more! Once again I've found myself wishing that the next installment was coming out tomorrow so that I never have to stop reading.

One snippet I will mention * BEWARE OF A POSSIBLE SPOILER* I am and have always been on TEAM STARK...yes I felt the need to put that in all caps, it shows how much I adore him! This was the first book in the House Of Night series that I really felt did him justice, and gave him the spotlight he so rightly deserved, lol.

Will Zoey be able to pull herself together (literally)? Will Stark and the rest of her friends manage to break through to her and ger their high priestess back? Or will the Neferet and Darkness claim a victory that will leave all of us "insignificant" humans in danger? I guess you'll have to read and find out, because I'm sure not telling!