Burned by Ellen Hopkins

[slmeeks]

Pattyn is a nice Mormon girl in an ever-growing family of 9. As the eldest, she spends most of her time taking care of her siblings, going to school, attending church, and sneaking off in the desert for shooting practice. Everyone thinks her family is normal, but behind closed doors are dark secrets. Pattyn gets into trouble with her abusive and alcoholic father and is sent to live with her aunt for the summer as punishment.

Pattyn falls in love with her new surroundings. She bonds with her aunt and the country lifestyle. This visit opens her eyes to a new world and also a new love, which also makes her question her spirituality. Pattyn feels like everything is ripped away when it is time to go home after the amazing summer, but she has no idea of the heartaches to come.

I rate Burned by Ellen Hopkins 3 out of 4 stars because it is an amazing book, but I was expecting more from this author. Ellen Hopkins is known for her dark story lines and playful word placement. I have been a fan of hers since her first book, but I feel this is not her best work. The story line is not near as gritty as others and honestly, I love the darkness of her stories. There is no line that cannot be crossed.

Burned is not only a coming of age story, but a story of pain, love, and heartbreak. I like how not only is Pattyn faced with normal teen issues like puberty and first love, but she also struggles with an abusive father, trying to uphold her faith in times of weakness, and caring for what in her opinion are way too many siblings. I love the honesty and how everything about Pattyn is raw and real. I am sure every Mormon girl has the same thoughts and concerns as Pattyn. It is only human after all.

Maybe I am just being over critical because I have been a fan of Ellen Hopkins for so long, but this particular book felt a little slower than her others. It was even somewhat predictable up until a giant surprise at the end, which is not at all the normal Ellen Hopkins style. Normally you get surprise, after shock, after suspense with her stories. However, there was a perfect set up for the sequel called Smoke, so I still have hope that the story line will pick up.

[Becca360]

I am Sasha Allen Hopkins fan heart storylines are the show amazing they go from the most realest situations bra and meet them about every single thing you could ever have burned in a different type of book today's wrote by her but it is definitely definitely a very good one if you can relate to the different situations in the book

[HSpence87]

Agree. I love Ellen, but this one was just a tad bit dry at times. Still a great read though!

[Gabbysmommy26]

I honestly love every one of Ellens books I've read my very first book I read was Crank and ever since then I've been hooked