Fire with Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

When sweet revenge turns sour… Book two of a trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian.

Lillia, Kat, and Mary had the perfect plan. Work together in secret to take down the people who wronged them. But things didn’t exactly go the way they’d hoped at the Homecoming Dance.

Not even close.

For now, it looks like they got away with it. All they have to do is move on and pick up the pieces, forget there ever was a pact. But it’s not easy, not when Reeve is still a total jerk and Rennie’s meaner than she ever was before.

And then there’s sweet little Mary…she knows there’s something seriously wrong with her. If she can’t control her anger, she’s sure that someone will get hurt even worse than Reeve was. Mary understands now that it’s not just that Reeve bullied her—it’s that he made her love him.

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, burn for a burn. A broken heart for a broken heart. The girls are up to the task. They’ll make Reeve fall in love with Lillia and then they will crush him. It’s the only way he’ll learn.

It seems once a fire is lit, the only thing you can do is let it burn… (Goodreads)

Well, let’s just set the record straight – I was not expecting half of what I just read. Seriously. This book was definitely better and more gripping than the first instalment was! I connected with the characters more and I felt more engaged with the story now that I know who all the characters are and what they are like – I think as soon as you get past the “getting-to.know-you” phase, this is a really good story!

I found that I liked Kat, Lillia and Mary more in this instalment than I did the first. I felt more connected to them on an emotional level because I felt there was more of a description and in depth this time around. I would have liked to have seen them more together and hanging around etc. since they are friends – however, I can understand the problem of hanging around in public.

Again, I was reminded of John Tucker Must Die through the whole revenge idea they had going on with Reeve. In a way, I felt sorry for him – even though he isn’t exactly the nicest of characters and the way in which he was stringing Rennie along was exactly what Lillia was doing. I also felt sorry for Alex as he was more of a collateral damage kind of figure – I felt that Lillia should have been honest with him from the very start; he didn’t deserve to be treated in the way in which he was after he helped her etc.

I liked the way in which the storyline with Mary developed throughout the book. i had already guessed earlier on within the book what was going on, but I still enjoyed reading the way in which it panned out. I don’t want to say too much, but I think that the authors have a whole lot of explaining to do with the amount of questions that they have just posed for the readers. I am looking forward to reading the next instalment (which I have! :-D) just to see how they explain themselves away!

If you haven’t read this book – then maybe you shouldn’t read this paragraph. Seriously, I was upset! I can’t believe what happened to Rennie! I mean, I already knew because I accidentally read the synopsis of the last book without even realising (I guess I am secretly blonde or something), but I wasn’t expecting it to go down the way it did! Even though Rennie was a diva and even though she annoyed the pants off of me most of the time, she didn’t deserve what she got at the end of that book. I felt sorry for people like Kat and Lillia – because even though they had been arguing etc, they were still her friends for a very long time.

I am going to crack open the last instalment right away, since I don’t think that I can wait that long to see how the next one goes down! I enjoyed this instalment much more than the first and gave it 4/5 stars! 🙂

Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Postcard-perfect Jar Island is the kind of place where nobody locks their doors at night, where parents can sleep easy, knowing their daughters are tucked away safe and sound in their beds.

But bad things can happen, even to good girls, and sometimes the only way to make things right is do something wrong.

Lillia used to trust boys, but not anymore. Not after what happened this summer. And she’ll be damned if she lets the same thing happen to her little sister.

Kat is through with being called a freak. She’s over the rumors, the insults, the cruel jokes made at her expense. It all goes back to one person – her ex-best friend – and Kat’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. Now that she’s back, he’s gonna be in trouble . . . ’cause she’s coming for him.

Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet revenge. And they won’t stop until they’ve each had a taste. (Goodreads)

I have had this book on my TBR for absolutely ages now – I can’t even remember adding it, it has been that long! I am glad i managed to find it on my monster list again after reading a review of the last book in the series. This book was mostly an enjoyable, fast read – but a little bit hard to get into at the beginning.

The book follows the POV of three characters seeking revenge on people who they believe have wronged them. Kat, Lillia and Mary team up together to exact revenge on Reeve, Rennie and Alex. What starts of as innocent fun on Alex soon turns sour as it goes way too far.

At the beginning I was almost reminded of John Tucker Must Die – for anyone who hasn’t seen this film, it is definitely worth the watch! It was a little slow at the beginning when we first got to know the characters we were reading. It was almost a struggle to actually carry on reading without going off and doing something else.

Having said that, the book picked up as the three characters started meeting up secretly and planning/carrying out their revenge. We began to see the characters from a new light and we were learning the reasons behind the revenge. While some of it is misplaced anger through misunderstandings, I could understand why Kat and Mary wanted revenge on Rennie and Reeve.

Toward the end, I felt like I was in a written, not so extreme version of Carrie. For anyone who hasn’t seen Carrie, she is a bullied teenager who has the ability to move things with her mind. I wasn’t expecting a paranormal aspect to the book whilst reading the synopsis and I am not entirely sure where the authors are going to go with this storyline. I am interested to find out and I am also interested to see if any of the other girls have some sort go weird ability.

While I mostly enjoyed this book, I was disappointed with the beginning of the book itself. I am looking forward to carrying on the series, however and seeing how the characters develop further. I gave this book 3/5 stars.

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is hosted by Tynga’s Reviews.

Hey guys! 🙂 I only have one book that I added to my shelf this week – but I am still excited to reading it all the same!

Postcard-perfect Jar Island is the kind of place where nobody locks their doors at night, where parents can sleep easy, knowing their daughters are tucked away safe and sound in their beds.

But bad things can happen, even to good girls, and sometimes the only way to make things right is do something wrong.

Lillia used to trust boys, but not anymore. Not after what happened this summer. And she’ll be damned if she lets the same thing happen to her little sister.

Kat is through with being called a freak. She’s over the rumors, the insults, the cruel jokes made at her expense. It all goes back to one person – her ex-best friend – and Kat’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. Now that she’s back, he’s gonna be in trouble . . . ’cause she’s coming for him.

Three very different girls who want the same thing: sweet revenge. And they won’t stop until they’ve each had a taste. (Goodreads)

Now, I have had this on my TBR for so long, I can’t even remember how I found it or what prodded me to add it to my monster list! I think it is about time that I took it off, don’t you think?

What did you guys add? Feel free to leave answers and links in the comments below! 🙂