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Burning Blue
When Nicole Castro, the most beautiful girl in her wealthy New Jersey high school, is splashed with acid on the left side of her perfect face, the whole world takes notice. But quiet loner Jay Nazarro does more than that—he decides to find out who did it. Jay understands how it feels to be treated like a freak, and he also has a secret: He's a brilliant hacker. But the deeper he digs, the more danger he's in—and the more he falls for Nicole. Too bad everyone is turning into a suspect, including Nicole herself.
288 pages, ebook
First published October 25, 2012
90 people are currently reading
4074 people want to read
About the author
Paul Griffin
231 books266 followersPaul Griffin lives, writes, and trains dogs in New York City. His previous novel, The Orange Houses, was an ALA Best Book for Young Adults Top Ten, an International Reading Association 2010 Notable Book for a Global Society, a Chicago Public Library's Best of the Best Book of 2009, and an Amelia Bloomer Project Award winner.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 516 reviews
January 30, 2013
I’m enough of a cynic these days to greet reference to the theme of inner beauty with an eye roll. In my experience, much of the messaging around the nature of true beauty is either trite or saccharine and comes with generous helpings of condescension or overt moralising. I need another “lesson” on the superficiality of judging someone’s appearance like I need another makeover montage in a high school rom-com. So while the blurb of Burning Blue piqued my interest, the mention of “the notion of where beauty lies” triggered an alarm bell.
Despite, or possibly because of, that early misgiving, Burning Blue exceeded my expectations. It’s a taut, compelling mystery that examines the social, physical and psychological ramifications of an act of shocking cruelty. If the novel does not entirely succeed in answering the question of why someone would perpetrate such a crime, it admirably examines the effects, and the fact that support and empathy can be found in unlikely places.
Griffin does an excellent job of reinvigorating the somewhat tired and over-used character archetypes of the mysterious, loner guy and the beautiful, popular girl. Ostensibly, Jay Nazarro and Nicole Castro fall neatly into these stock roles - Jay is an outsider from the wrong side of the tracks and Nicole is a pageant-winning beauty queen – yet their characterisation is substantially developed and layered. As the story progresses, they are each shaded and defined with strengths and flaws; Griffin peels back layers of their outward image to reveal the vulnerabilities and motivations beneath.
Jay suffers from seizures induced by a head injury and is returning to school following an incident in his freshman year, when he experienced an attack during a pep rally. A skilled hacker, Jay becomes consumed with identifying Nicole’s assailant and in the process of his investigations and burgeoning friendship with Nicole, is compelled to consider whether victim and perpetrator could be one and the same.
Jay and Nicole have convincing chemistry throughout the novel, and I don’t mean this merely in the romantic sense. While Jay admits early in his narration to being attracted to Nicole, the dynamic that develops between them is complex and believable, based on their mutual recognition of a shared experience, what it is to be labelled and isolated. Griffin succeeds in showing why these two teenagers are drawn to each other, and also the fragile balance of trust that tempers their connection. The dialogue is sharp and intelligent; much of the humour comes from the passages of conversation between the characters, and occasionally Jay’s own dry observations.
Related primarily through Jay’s first person account, the story is fleshed out with excerpts from Nicole’s journal and her psychiatrist’s notes. These secondary channels of communication are used sparingly, to provide detail that Jay couldn’t possibly know, but also to remind the reader that Jay’s observations are fallible. While I found Dr Nye’s (fortunately few) portions of the novel to be less realistic, the voices of both Jay and Nicole are well-rendered and distinct. Griffin has a firm grasp of Jay’s astute, yet guarded, commentary and also captures Nicole’s raw, more emotive language.
This isn’t a novel that bludgeons the reader with a lesson about it being what’s inside that counts. While it would have been easy to draw a painfully laboured parallel between Nicole’s scarring and the relative depth of physical beauty, the novel fortunately avoids any too obvious clichés. Of course, that’s still a theme in the book – that a person is more than the sum of their physical attributes – but it’s handled in an accessible manner. Further, I appreciated the fact that Griffin points out that even those we consider to be inwardly beautiful are not free from their own issues or faults. It’s evident from the novel that idealising a person on the basis of their appearance or their personality is to do them an injustice.
A more shrewd reader than I may succeed in unravelling the mystery sooner, but I was kept guessing up to the end. On a slower read through, perhaps I would have picked up on more clues or questioned some of the more obvious conveniences in the plot, but honestly I read this so fast I didn’t have time to scrutinise for weaknesses in the action. (Also, I’m not a hacker [sorry!] so I have no idea how feasible Jay’s exploits in technological espionage really are). I consider it worth mentioning, however, that I didn’t want to put the book down. I thought the tension was particularly good, Griffin maintains a steady, steep build up that feels in keeping with Jay’s own increasing sense of urgency and subsequent sleep deprivation.
Finally, I would recommend reading the author’s comments in the acknowledgements and notes (not before you finish though, or you will completely spoil the book – you have been warned) as it gives his decision to write this particular story some greater context. As to whether he adequately unpacks the questions raised (could I be more ambiguous?), reader mileage will vary. I don’t think this was necessarily the most nuanced analysis of the motivations behind such an abhorrent act – yet I do think that he handles the repercussions thereof in an effective manner. It’s a sensitive and insightful portrayal of teens dealing with trauma in their own way, framed in a twisted, suspenseful thriller.
Despite, or possibly because of, that early misgiving, Burning Blue exceeded my expectations. It’s a taut, compelling mystery that examines the social, physical and psychological ramifications of an act of shocking cruelty. If the novel does not entirely succeed in answering the question of why someone would perpetrate such a crime, it admirably examines the effects, and the fact that support and empathy can be found in unlikely places.
Griffin does an excellent job of reinvigorating the somewhat tired and over-used character archetypes of the mysterious, loner guy and the beautiful, popular girl. Ostensibly, Jay Nazarro and Nicole Castro fall neatly into these stock roles - Jay is an outsider from the wrong side of the tracks and Nicole is a pageant-winning beauty queen – yet their characterisation is substantially developed and layered. As the story progresses, they are each shaded and defined with strengths and flaws; Griffin peels back layers of their outward image to reveal the vulnerabilities and motivations beneath.
Jay suffers from seizures induced by a head injury and is returning to school following an incident in his freshman year, when he experienced an attack during a pep rally. A skilled hacker, Jay becomes consumed with identifying Nicole’s assailant and in the process of his investigations and burgeoning friendship with Nicole, is compelled to consider whether victim and perpetrator could be one and the same.
Jay and Nicole have convincing chemistry throughout the novel, and I don’t mean this merely in the romantic sense. While Jay admits early in his narration to being attracted to Nicole, the dynamic that develops between them is complex and believable, based on their mutual recognition of a shared experience, what it is to be labelled and isolated. Griffin succeeds in showing why these two teenagers are drawn to each other, and also the fragile balance of trust that tempers their connection. The dialogue is sharp and intelligent; much of the humour comes from the passages of conversation between the characters, and occasionally Jay’s own dry observations.
Related primarily through Jay’s first person account, the story is fleshed out with excerpts from Nicole’s journal and her psychiatrist’s notes. These secondary channels of communication are used sparingly, to provide detail that Jay couldn’t possibly know, but also to remind the reader that Jay’s observations are fallible. While I found Dr Nye’s (fortunately few) portions of the novel to be less realistic, the voices of both Jay and Nicole are well-rendered and distinct. Griffin has a firm grasp of Jay’s astute, yet guarded, commentary and also captures Nicole’s raw, more emotive language.
This isn’t a novel that bludgeons the reader with a lesson about it being what’s inside that counts. While it would have been easy to draw a painfully laboured parallel between Nicole’s scarring and the relative depth of physical beauty, the novel fortunately avoids any too obvious clichés. Of course, that’s still a theme in the book – that a person is more than the sum of their physical attributes – but it’s handled in an accessible manner. Further, I appreciated the fact that Griffin points out that even those we consider to be inwardly beautiful are not free from their own issues or faults. It’s evident from the novel that idealising a person on the basis of their appearance or their personality is to do them an injustice.
A more shrewd reader than I may succeed in unravelling the mystery sooner, but I was kept guessing up to the end. On a slower read through, perhaps I would have picked up on more clues or questioned some of the more obvious conveniences in the plot, but honestly I read this so fast I didn’t have time to scrutinise for weaknesses in the action. (Also, I’m not a hacker [sorry!] so I have no idea how feasible Jay’s exploits in technological espionage really are). I consider it worth mentioning, however, that I didn’t want to put the book down. I thought the tension was particularly good, Griffin maintains a steady, steep build up that feels in keeping with Jay’s own increasing sense of urgency and subsequent sleep deprivation.
Finally, I would recommend reading the author’s comments in the acknowledgements and notes (not before you finish though, or you will completely spoil the book – you have been warned) as it gives his decision to write this particular story some greater context. As to whether he adequately unpacks the questions raised (could I be more ambiguous?), reader mileage will vary. I don’t think this was necessarily the most nuanced analysis of the motivations behind such an abhorrent act – yet I do think that he handles the repercussions thereof in an effective manner. It’s a sensitive and insightful portrayal of teens dealing with trauma in their own way, framed in a twisted, suspenseful thriller.
December 2, 2012
Rating: 3.75(?) Stars
Where do I start when it comes to Burning Blue? It's different. In a genre of literature so popular, it's hard to find anything similar to it. It's part mystery, part romance, and part something else entirely. I can't quite wrap my head around it to be perfectly honest. On one hand, I loved it. It was intriguing, kept me flipping the pages, and startled me with its eventual revelation. On the other hand, I was expecting something a little different when I went into it. Although there are such few male-narrated novels out there, this was one instance where I felt like having a male-narration was just easier when in reality, I wanted the female protagonists inner perspective so badly. Yet, at the end of the day, Burning Blue is the type of book I can only regard with warmth since truly, it's a book I can't imagine not recommending.
Nicole Castro: gorgeous, model, beautiful, smart, sweet, kind. Burned. When a mysterious attacker throws acid on Nicole Castro, the most beautiful girl in town, not to mention one of the nicest people as well, it's all the people of Nicole's suburban town can talk about. When Jay coincidentally bumps into Nicole, just days after the attack, he can't help but feel for her. Unlike most of the residents of their town who pity Nicole and only wish to see the scar beneath her bandages, Jay knows what it feels like to be treated as a freak, an outsider - after all, he's lived like that his whole life. Thus, when an unlikely friendship strikes between the two, Jay knows he has to find out who did it. Who threw the acid at Nicole? Surprisingly though, sometimes, the answers are staring you in the face all along...
Burning Blue is one of those novels that starts out unusually slow, only to pick up and leave you flipping the pages, eagerly wanting to find out more. While the mystery behind Nicole's acid thrower is the obvious forefront of the novel, I was pleased to see the amount of depth it covered as well. Jay, the narrator of our story, has a strong and distinct voice, one that is a touch snarky, kind, and afraid. It is Jay, better than anyone else, who understands what Nicole is going through for he too has been marked out, labeled, and ridiculed in his past. As a victim of bullying, amongst other issues, Jay and Nicole bond through their understanding of one another. Yet, what I loved most about their friendship was that it didn't blossom overnight. If anything, these two had their own mix of troubles, hurdles to cross, and efforts to make to find true friends in one another. Yes, there is an undercurrent of romance between the two, but it's subtle and I appreciate that Griffin never allowed the potential romance to dominate the novel and turn it cliche. Everything was balanced out in such a way that spoke volumes about the writer's skill.
In addition to Jay's narration, we are treated to small glimpses of Nicole's voice through diary entries that are scattered throughout the novel. It was here that my minimal issues with the novel began to creep forth, but it never become truly grating until the very end of the story. You see, Nicole's diary entries barely give us access into her head. It is Nicole who has acid splashed on her face and while we witness more into her psych than other outsiders, since we are privy to Jay's unique perspective, it still remains to be an outside perspective. Through Jay, we feel for Nicole and understand her predicament and grow to admire her courage in the face of her tragedy, but do we really know the girl beneath? Not really. Frankly speaking, I wish we did. Burning Blue is a stand-alone and, as such, it wrapped up perfectly, but I found myself wishing for more of Nicole's dark, gritty, and even depressed perspective into this issue. It made me curious to know what she was going through and while I'll definitely give Griffin props for writing a unique outsider perspective that was this thoroughly enjoyable, it still left a little to be desired.
Well, that minor qualm aside, Burning Blue truly did have a plethora of redeeming qualities. Jay won me over with his narration and Nicole won me over with her budding friendship with Jay, but even more than that, the mystery in this novel fascinated me. More than a who, my mind was churning through the possibilities of why? By rendering someone else disfigured, you aren't making yourself any more pretty, so why do it in the first place? I was so impressed by Griffin's discussion of this issue, amongst others dealing with beauty, and the eventual revelation came as a complete shock. A complete shock. I've read my fair share of mystery novels and I'm sure if you look through my reviews, half of them will complain about having predicted the plot beforehand, but not this one. I love that feeling of being utterly surprised and if for nothing else, it's worth reading this book just for the mystery and the psychology behind it. If you're even remotely interesting in humanity and the types of issues that compel people to do the terrible things they do, you can't afford to miss out on this one.
Overall, Burning Blue was a thoroughly impressible novel. I found myself strangely attached to all the characters - even the plethora of secondary ones - and I am thrilled to report that not only is the plot unpredictable, but this contemporary fails to fall back on typical tropes and cliches such as the Absent Parent Syndrome. Family is another important aspect to this novel and if I had the time, I could go on about all the themes this book espouses. Yet, more than that, it makes you think. In my opinion, it could have been even more provocative had we seen more of Nicole's perspective, but there's always wishing for a sequel from her PoV in the future...who knows? Either way, Burning Blue is an intriguing new contemporary you won't want to miss out on.
You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.
Where do I start when it comes to Burning Blue? It's different. In a genre of literature so popular, it's hard to find anything similar to it. It's part mystery, part romance, and part something else entirely. I can't quite wrap my head around it to be perfectly honest. On one hand, I loved it. It was intriguing, kept me flipping the pages, and startled me with its eventual revelation. On the other hand, I was expecting something a little different when I went into it. Although there are such few male-narrated novels out there, this was one instance where I felt like having a male-narration was just easier when in reality, I wanted the female protagonists inner perspective so badly. Yet, at the end of the day, Burning Blue is the type of book I can only regard with warmth since truly, it's a book I can't imagine not recommending.
Nicole Castro: gorgeous, model, beautiful, smart, sweet, kind. Burned. When a mysterious attacker throws acid on Nicole Castro, the most beautiful girl in town, not to mention one of the nicest people as well, it's all the people of Nicole's suburban town can talk about. When Jay coincidentally bumps into Nicole, just days after the attack, he can't help but feel for her. Unlike most of the residents of their town who pity Nicole and only wish to see the scar beneath her bandages, Jay knows what it feels like to be treated as a freak, an outsider - after all, he's lived like that his whole life. Thus, when an unlikely friendship strikes between the two, Jay knows he has to find out who did it. Who threw the acid at Nicole? Surprisingly though, sometimes, the answers are staring you in the face all along...
Burning Blue is one of those novels that starts out unusually slow, only to pick up and leave you flipping the pages, eagerly wanting to find out more. While the mystery behind Nicole's acid thrower is the obvious forefront of the novel, I was pleased to see the amount of depth it covered as well. Jay, the narrator of our story, has a strong and distinct voice, one that is a touch snarky, kind, and afraid. It is Jay, better than anyone else, who understands what Nicole is going through for he too has been marked out, labeled, and ridiculed in his past. As a victim of bullying, amongst other issues, Jay and Nicole bond through their understanding of one another. Yet, what I loved most about their friendship was that it didn't blossom overnight. If anything, these two had their own mix of troubles, hurdles to cross, and efforts to make to find true friends in one another. Yes, there is an undercurrent of romance between the two, but it's subtle and I appreciate that Griffin never allowed the potential romance to dominate the novel and turn it cliche. Everything was balanced out in such a way that spoke volumes about the writer's skill.
In addition to Jay's narration, we are treated to small glimpses of Nicole's voice through diary entries that are scattered throughout the novel. It was here that my minimal issues with the novel began to creep forth, but it never become truly grating until the very end of the story. You see, Nicole's diary entries barely give us access into her head. It is Nicole who has acid splashed on her face and while we witness more into her psych than other outsiders, since we are privy to Jay's unique perspective, it still remains to be an outside perspective. Through Jay, we feel for Nicole and understand her predicament and grow to admire her courage in the face of her tragedy, but do we really know the girl beneath? Not really. Frankly speaking, I wish we did. Burning Blue is a stand-alone and, as such, it wrapped up perfectly, but I found myself wishing for more of Nicole's dark, gritty, and even depressed perspective into this issue. It made me curious to know what she was going through and while I'll definitely give Griffin props for writing a unique outsider perspective that was this thoroughly enjoyable, it still left a little to be desired.
Well, that minor qualm aside, Burning Blue truly did have a plethora of redeeming qualities. Jay won me over with his narration and Nicole won me over with her budding friendship with Jay, but even more than that, the mystery in this novel fascinated me. More than a who, my mind was churning through the possibilities of why? By rendering someone else disfigured, you aren't making yourself any more pretty, so why do it in the first place? I was so impressed by Griffin's discussion of this issue, amongst others dealing with beauty, and the eventual revelation came as a complete shock. A complete shock. I've read my fair share of mystery novels and I'm sure if you look through my reviews, half of them will complain about having predicted the plot beforehand, but not this one. I love that feeling of being utterly surprised and if for nothing else, it's worth reading this book just for the mystery and the psychology behind it. If you're even remotely interesting in humanity and the types of issues that compel people to do the terrible things they do, you can't afford to miss out on this one.
Overall, Burning Blue was a thoroughly impressible novel. I found myself strangely attached to all the characters - even the plethora of secondary ones - and I am thrilled to report that not only is the plot unpredictable, but this contemporary fails to fall back on typical tropes and cliches such as the Absent Parent Syndrome. Family is another important aspect to this novel and if I had the time, I could go on about all the themes this book espouses. Yet, more than that, it makes you think. In my opinion, it could have been even more provocative had we seen more of Nicole's perspective, but there's always wishing for a sequel from her PoV in the future...who knows? Either way, Burning Blue is an intriguing new contemporary you won't want to miss out on.
You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.
September 23, 2012
To sum the story up, Burning Blue is your typical love story, when the school outcast and the popular drama queen fall in love. Right? Right? That's what Burning Blue is about, but it's so much better than that.
When acid is thrown on her face, Nicole, the most popular, wealthy, pretty girl in the school, watches her life change right before her eyes. Jay, who suffered from a seizure during freshman year, knows what its like to be stared at like a freak.
I personally, really liked the story. The characters are reasonable, and they don't make you want to strangle them because of their stupidity. Nicole, for being the "rich snotty person," is actually quite nice, and gives advice to people on their problems. As said in the book, she takes their problems and sort of makes them her own. And that's a good thing, right?
The story line was original, and it kept me guessing the whole time. I had no idea who attacked Nicole until the very end. There are so many plot twists and jaw dropping moments, by the end of the book you'll still be staring at it, awestruck.
So you might be wondering, if I loved the book so much, why only four stars? Here's my reason:
There were plot holes. I felt like somethings didn't add up, and i didn't understand some things at times. Maybe it was just me, but some parts were confusing.
There needed to be more romance. Ok sure, I'm a teen and I'm a girl, which means i love romance, stereotypical girl. And yes, this story is written by a guy, so he probably won't look manly if he's writing about two people exchanging spit. So yes, its understandable.
Other than that, I really liked this story. I read it quickly and enjoyed every single page of it. Defiantly, I'm going to read more of his books.
When acid is thrown on her face, Nicole, the most popular, wealthy, pretty girl in the school, watches her life change right before her eyes. Jay, who suffered from a seizure during freshman year, knows what its like to be stared at like a freak.
I personally, really liked the story. The characters are reasonable, and they don't make you want to strangle them because of their stupidity. Nicole, for being the "rich snotty person," is actually quite nice, and gives advice to people on their problems. As said in the book, she takes their problems and sort of makes them her own. And that's a good thing, right?
The story line was original, and it kept me guessing the whole time. I had no idea who attacked Nicole until the very end. There are so many plot twists and jaw dropping moments, by the end of the book you'll still be staring at it, awestruck.
So you might be wondering, if I loved the book so much, why only four stars? Here's my reason:
There were plot holes. I felt like somethings didn't add up, and i didn't understand some things at times. Maybe it was just me, but some parts were confusing.
There needed to be more romance. Ok sure, I'm a teen and I'm a girl, which means i love romance, stereotypical girl. And yes, this story is written by a guy, so he probably won't look manly if he's writing about two people exchanging spit. So yes, its understandable.
Other than that, I really liked this story. I read it quickly and enjoyed every single page of it. Defiantly, I'm going to read more of his books.
December 6, 2012
Colour me impressed and more than slightly surprised. Why, this... Yes, this was the kind of reading experience I wanted out of Shift. And my disappointment over that one's turn out is something I still grumble over to this moment. I’m not grumbling over this one though, as most aspects of BURNING BLUE had me thoroughly engaged. I was asking things, questioning things, thinking that so and so was doing this and that then seeing this is why’s and that’s how come’s. I thought I had things pegged, then moments later I’d be back to doubting my conclusions as well as doubting the conclusions Jay’d come up with.
How does one sum this one up when it’s mainly a mystery, but so much more? The relationship that grows between the two: one a misfit who’s so self conscious about not being in control of his body; the same kid relating to the other one on this level where they both have a need to be separate from the rest? Match made in heaven or not? Considering he’s accustomed to it all while she’s new to it. Her past after all had her cast as perfect: intelligent, rich and … beautiful.
It’s that last bit that starts the story too. What’s to be done when the thing that identified her is gone? It’s a question she deals with… but it’s not the central question of the book. Mostly this is about him wanting to figure out who, how and most importantly WHY.
Now one could cry impossible over him being boy -genius and her being too good to be true, but Jay is a different sort. As he’s telling the story, I was buying it, even with his super hacking skills and sleuthing wannabe moments. A bit Nancy Drew (or should I make that Hardy Boys?) him these skills and knowing all these other things as well as wanting to take it upon himself to right a wrong, but that’s me looking back on things, looking for something to nitpick over because while I was reading it, I actually didn’t mind any of those improbable (much.)
And then there’s Nicole… he relates to her on a certain level. Relating to one who on the surface seemed all about the surface, and what’s left to said girl when said surface is stripped away? (*Shakes head* Wait, I think I just confused myself there.) You think you know who they are and you think you know who’s behind it all. You’d be wrong. The guy, the girl and the rest of them when it’s one thing then another and it’s all WTF as in… Seriously, WTF did I just read? (Also, dude…can we get a cover change please?)
3.9999/5
How does one sum this one up when it’s mainly a mystery, but so much more? The relationship that grows between the two: one a misfit who’s so self conscious about not being in control of his body; the same kid relating to the other one on this level where they both have a need to be separate from the rest? Match made in heaven or not? Considering he’s accustomed to it all while she’s new to it. Her past after all had her cast as perfect: intelligent, rich and … beautiful.
It’s that last bit that starts the story too. What’s to be done when the thing that identified her is gone? It’s a question she deals with… but it’s not the central question of the book. Mostly this is about him wanting to figure out who, how and most importantly WHY.
Now one could cry impossible over him being boy -genius and her being too good to be true, but Jay is a different sort. As he’s telling the story, I was buying it, even with his super hacking skills and sleuthing wannabe moments. A bit Nancy Drew (or should I make that Hardy Boys?) him these skills and knowing all these other things as well as wanting to take it upon himself to right a wrong, but that’s me looking back on things, looking for something to nitpick over because while I was reading it, I actually didn’t mind any of those improbable (much.)
And then there’s Nicole… he relates to her on a certain level. Relating to one who on the surface seemed all about the surface, and what’s left to said girl when said surface is stripped away? (*Shakes head* Wait, I think I just confused myself there.) You think you know who they are and you think you know who’s behind it all. You’d be wrong. The guy, the girl and the rest of them when it’s one thing then another and it’s all WTF as in… Seriously, WTF did I just read? (Also, dude…can we get a cover change please?)
3.9999/5
June 27, 2017
Beauty. Love? Friendship? Revenge.
•Nicole is beautiful, if you value beauty in looks. As a person, she seems to be a decent book human being so that's a larger plus.
•Nicole has just been splashed with acid and the culprit has not been seen or found. (I was a teeny bit iffy with that because of a reason.)
•One thing I would have liked to see more of is Nicole's trama and her reaction to it. She seems sad and all but, I honestly didn't feel her anger, her feeling the gravity of the incident, her happiness? I felt a little reaction but, I wish there was been more emotions.
•The detective work seemed to tie up nicely but, I wish there was more. Don't get me wrong, I liked how this played out but, while the pacing was good, I felt that each character's emotions were just a little there. I wanted a little more suspicion, more anger, a tantrum at maybe someone ruining your life, more grief for how everyone is reacting even though you're doing fine, more diverse morals so there could be more suspects?
•The writing was good. I didn't have to skim, there was a little intrigue, the romance wasn't too overwhelming, and each character didn't sound too much alike.
Overall this was a good story, it could use a little more emotion but, I still liked it.
3.5/5 burning bright stars rounded up because of those good twists!
(Also that cover. 0-0) (Goals!)
•Nicole is beautiful, if you value beauty in looks. As a person, she seems to be a decent book human being so that's a larger plus.
•Nicole has just been splashed with acid and the culprit has not been seen or found. (I was a teeny bit iffy with that because of a reason.)
•One thing I would have liked to see more of is Nicole's trama and her reaction to it. She seems sad and all but, I honestly didn't feel her anger, her feeling the gravity of the incident, her happiness? I felt a little reaction but, I wish there was been more emotions.
•The detective work seemed to tie up nicely but, I wish there was more. Don't get me wrong, I liked how this played out but, while the pacing was good, I felt that each character's emotions were just a little there. I wanted a little more suspicion, more anger, a tantrum at maybe someone ruining your life, more grief for how everyone is reacting even though you're doing fine, more diverse morals so there could be more suspects?
•The writing was good. I didn't have to skim, there was a little intrigue, the romance wasn't too overwhelming, and each character didn't sound too much alike.
Overall this was a good story, it could use a little more emotion but, I still liked it.
3.5/5 burning bright stars rounded up because of those good twists!
(Also that cover. 0-0) (Goals!)
January 11, 2013
When I first heard of Burning Blue, I thought it was just a romantic story between a hacker and a popular girl. I assumed it would be something fairly predictable, like a girl got into an accident and then she met a guy, and this guy – probably handsome, strong and protective – would offer her a shoulder to cry on, and then they’d live happily ever after. But Burning Blue is a lot more than a romance. It has mystery, something that I wasn’t able to resolve (well, it’s more like I made a guess in a wrong direction quite early on in the story) and when things are revealed in the end, I felt like I didn’t quite see that coming (not because I guessed things wrong but more because the characters were not just black and white, they were all shades of grey).
I really like the characters in the book. They all have something that they’d like to hide. They all feel unsafe to share their secrets, and I guess because of their desperation of wanting to hide what they don’t want to get exposed, they all act in ways that are deceptive, somewhat hurtful and inauthentic.
What I love about Burning Blue is that in the story, Jay (the hacker) goes about doing his investigation to find out who hurt Nicole not because he wants to make himself look like a hero. He does it because he feels it’s the right thing to do. I also like that we get to see why Jay has become the version of who he is when he becomes acquainted with Nicole at school after her accident. Probably because of his past, his way of extending his support for Nicole is not exactly forthright, but I like that he is sincere and caring. I especially like how his action is always louder than his words when he is interacting with others in the story.
Because the characters in the story are not pure evil or pure good, they feel real to me. It’s like I can relate to their sense of desperation, their loathing of self, their wanting to be different. I can feel how eager they want to shatter the masks that they’ve been wearing and yet they’re afraid the exposure of their authenticity would cost them dearly. I really like how the story explores into the vulnerability of our human nature, and if you like stories that explore the frailties of human nature, I think you’ll love Burning Blue.
--
This review was originally posted on my blog.
I really like the characters in the book. They all have something that they’d like to hide. They all feel unsafe to share their secrets, and I guess because of their desperation of wanting to hide what they don’t want to get exposed, they all act in ways that are deceptive, somewhat hurtful and inauthentic.
What I love about Burning Blue is that in the story, Jay (the hacker) goes about doing his investigation to find out who hurt Nicole not because he wants to make himself look like a hero. He does it because he feels it’s the right thing to do. I also like that we get to see why Jay has become the version of who he is when he becomes acquainted with Nicole at school after her accident. Probably because of his past, his way of extending his support for Nicole is not exactly forthright, but I like that he is sincere and caring. I especially like how his action is always louder than his words when he is interacting with others in the story.
Because the characters in the story are not pure evil or pure good, they feel real to me. It’s like I can relate to their sense of desperation, their loathing of self, their wanting to be different. I can feel how eager they want to shatter the masks that they’ve been wearing and yet they’re afraid the exposure of their authenticity would cost them dearly. I really like how the story explores into the vulnerability of our human nature, and if you like stories that explore the frailties of human nature, I think you’ll love Burning Blue.
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This review was originally posted on my blog.
October 29, 2012
WOW!!! THAT WAS ONE HELLUVA RIDE!
What can I say? This book is a GEM! and Paul Griffin, you're a genius *hands down*
Everyone should read this.
Two thumbs up!
What can I say? This book is a GEM! and Paul Griffin, you're a genius *hands down*
Everyone should read this.
Two thumbs up!
October 26, 2012
This is one of the books I picked up at TLA. The publicist told me she was excited about the new Paul Griffin, "of course," and I admitted I'd never heard of him. She handed me an ARC of BURNING BLUE so that I could rectify my mistake. I am very happy she did, because BURNING BLUE is a terrific book.
Now, don't confuse BURNING BLUE with MY LIFE IN BLACK & WHITE. Both feature beautiful girls being disfigured, have color titles, and were published by one of Penguin's young adult imprints, but have little else in common. BURNING BLUE is a thrilling mystery, not an introspective character study. Someone threw acid in Nicole Castro's face, and Jay Nazarro wants to know who. That's right - despite the girl on the cover, the narrator is a boy.
Jay is returning to public school after two years of being homeschooled after a video of one of his epileptic fits went viral. He meets Nicole in the school psychologist's office - they're in a swanky school district - shortly after the attack. The two become friends, after a rocky start, initially attracted by someone else who has issues being looked at in public. I absolutely loved their relationship. It's a little sexy, as there is obviously something between them, but it stays platonic. Above all else they become friends. Friends with the potential for more, yes, but it's a very sweet friendship and feels more authentic than an actual romance would.
Jay is pretty compelling on his own, as any good detective should be. I'd read a series about hacker detective Jay Navarro. He's good looking, but too socially awkward to notice or do anything about it if he did. He's willing to stand up to bullies, even if it means his own reputation takes a dive. But he isn't perfect. He's got little respect for privacy and interferes sometimes when he'd be better off trusting (or helping) the police. He might be good at helping Nicole recover, but he can still say thoughtless things that hurt her.
As for the crime itself - wow. Griffin does not back away from the darkness. BURNING BLUE is a book driven by violence, and the many motives violence. Despite that, BURNING BLUE isn't a dark book. It's quite often funny and the characters are more often good people than bad, no matter that they might seem sinister at first. The only way to discover who attacked Nicole is to treat everyone as a suspect, but the truth is the vast majority of people wish her nothing but the best. I liked that BURNING BLUE delved into tough issues without being cynical. It's a book with heart.
BURNING BLUE will appeal to both genders. Fans of mysteries and contemporaries will both enjoy the story within its pages. And I nominate Jay one of the most swoon-worthy heroes of the year, even if he isn't a werewolf/vampire/merman/other-tortured-creature-of-the-night.
Now, don't confuse BURNING BLUE with MY LIFE IN BLACK & WHITE. Both feature beautiful girls being disfigured, have color titles, and were published by one of Penguin's young adult imprints, but have little else in common. BURNING BLUE is a thrilling mystery, not an introspective character study. Someone threw acid in Nicole Castro's face, and Jay Nazarro wants to know who. That's right - despite the girl on the cover, the narrator is a boy.
Jay is returning to public school after two years of being homeschooled after a video of one of his epileptic fits went viral. He meets Nicole in the school psychologist's office - they're in a swanky school district - shortly after the attack. The two become friends, after a rocky start, initially attracted by someone else who has issues being looked at in public. I absolutely loved their relationship. It's a little sexy, as there is obviously something between them, but it stays platonic. Above all else they become friends. Friends with the potential for more, yes, but it's a very sweet friendship and feels more authentic than an actual romance would.
Jay is pretty compelling on his own, as any good detective should be. I'd read a series about hacker detective Jay Navarro. He's good looking, but too socially awkward to notice or do anything about it if he did. He's willing to stand up to bullies, even if it means his own reputation takes a dive. But he isn't perfect. He's got little respect for privacy and interferes sometimes when he'd be better off trusting (or helping) the police. He might be good at helping Nicole recover, but he can still say thoughtless things that hurt her.
As for the crime itself - wow. Griffin does not back away from the darkness. BURNING BLUE is a book driven by violence, and the many motives violence. Despite that, BURNING BLUE isn't a dark book. It's quite often funny and the characters are more often good people than bad, no matter that they might seem sinister at first. The only way to discover who attacked Nicole is to treat everyone as a suspect, but the truth is the vast majority of people wish her nothing but the best. I liked that BURNING BLUE delved into tough issues without being cynical. It's a book with heart.
BURNING BLUE will appeal to both genders. Fans of mysteries and contemporaries will both enjoy the story within its pages. And I nominate Jay one of the most swoon-worthy heroes of the year, even if he isn't a werewolf/vampire/merman/other-tortured-creature-of-the-night.
November 1, 2012
booknook — Young Adult book reviews
Wow, I absolutely ADORED this book!
Burning Blue is told from two main points of view: Jay and entries from Nicole's diary. There are a few others as well (like notes from the therapists), but those two are the key ones. Jay was a fabulous narrator! I adored his quirky, sarcastic, nerdy kid personality. He was fun, engaging, and funny without trying to be! Even though he acted like a stupid boy sometimes, I loved being in his head.
This book kept me guessing until the very end. It read very much like a detective book, but instead of following around cops, we were following around a teenage hacker who decided to take the investigation into his own hands. You guys know how much of a nerd I am, so the fact that Jay is a hacker made me love this book even more! In order to help solve the case, Jay hacks into e-mail accounts, police databases, Facebook accounts, the DMV, and cell phones. It's awesome!
All along the way, I was constantly speculating about who was responsible for splashing Nicole with acid. I had a million theories, but my list was much like Jay's list: everyone was marked as "maybe." No one ever stood out to me as the obvious person behind it. That's what made this book so intriguing and awesome: it kept me completely guessing. I was feverishly turning the pages, desperate to gather more clues to piece together the truth.
On top of the mystery, we have a beautiful romance in Burning Blue . Without the whole acid situation, it might be a typical "loner boy falls in love with most popular girl in school" kind of book. But because of the incident, it's so much more than that. There's heartbreak, loss, happiness, and two people coming together with horrible pasts under horrible circumstances. And somehow, there's beauty in that. Nicole and Jay are so perfect for each other and I LOVED their slow-brewing romance!
The end, in particular, is so powerful and full of emotion! There are loads of twists and turns and secrets to uncover. But what makes Burning Blue really powerful is how real it is. The author's note at the end talks about where Paul's inspiration for the book came from and it's really quite sad and intense. It really shows us that there's some serious psychology going on here and that there are some motives we can't even begin to fully understand.
Wow, I absolutely ADORED this book!
Burning Blue is told from two main points of view: Jay and entries from Nicole's diary. There are a few others as well (like notes from the therapists), but those two are the key ones. Jay was a fabulous narrator! I adored his quirky, sarcastic, nerdy kid personality. He was fun, engaging, and funny without trying to be! Even though he acted like a stupid boy sometimes, I loved being in his head.
This book kept me guessing until the very end. It read very much like a detective book, but instead of following around cops, we were following around a teenage hacker who decided to take the investigation into his own hands. You guys know how much of a nerd I am, so the fact that Jay is a hacker made me love this book even more! In order to help solve the case, Jay hacks into e-mail accounts, police databases, Facebook accounts, the DMV, and cell phones. It's awesome!
All along the way, I was constantly speculating about who was responsible for splashing Nicole with acid. I had a million theories, but my list was much like Jay's list: everyone was marked as "maybe." No one ever stood out to me as the obvious person behind it. That's what made this book so intriguing and awesome: it kept me completely guessing. I was feverishly turning the pages, desperate to gather more clues to piece together the truth.
On top of the mystery, we have a beautiful romance in Burning Blue . Without the whole acid situation, it might be a typical "loner boy falls in love with most popular girl in school" kind of book. But because of the incident, it's so much more than that. There's heartbreak, loss, happiness, and two people coming together with horrible pasts under horrible circumstances. And somehow, there's beauty in that. Nicole and Jay are so perfect for each other and I LOVED their slow-brewing romance!
The end, in particular, is so powerful and full of emotion! There are loads of twists and turns and secrets to uncover. But what makes Burning Blue really powerful is how real it is. The author's note at the end talks about where Paul's inspiration for the book came from and it's really quite sad and intense. It really shows us that there's some serious psychology going on here and that there are some motives we can't even begin to fully understand.
November 3, 2013
Where shall I start with this book , I picked it thinking it was a romantic novel with bit mystery , but it totally surprised me , with male narration , when the story was based on the female lead , only Paul Griffin could pull out such a stunt & gets success .
The best part of it was he built it around the realistic characters , keeping the romance to minimum , yet you fall in love with the chemistry.
Jay loner by choice , yet circumstances played role in his choices , smart & perceptive , & part of me loved him even more because I am bit of impressed with his cool hacking skills , & his firmness on finding out the culprit.
Nicole , beauty queen , nicest girl, becomes victim of acid thrown on her face, how she deals with it & her pain , but elaborated in such a simple notes & her conversations , it looks so real.
Their friendship , their fears , the bond , & the other characters playing their roles, everything fits in without the jumping or rushing down , it might have been slow in the beginning , only to pick up later & leave you flipping the pages.
The twist and turns keeps you surprising & confuses you , until in the end it all fits. You would than know the clues were right in front of you.
Its a breath taking- mesmerizing story , with pure friendship blossoming into love , and with all those twists it just got into my one of the favorite novels.
The best part of it was he built it around the realistic characters , keeping the romance to minimum , yet you fall in love with the chemistry.
Jay loner by choice , yet circumstances played role in his choices , smart & perceptive , & part of me loved him even more because I am bit of impressed with his cool hacking skills , & his firmness on finding out the culprit.
Nicole , beauty queen , nicest girl, becomes victim of acid thrown on her face, how she deals with it & her pain , but elaborated in such a simple notes & her conversations , it looks so real.
Their friendship , their fears , the bond , & the other characters playing their roles, everything fits in without the jumping or rushing down , it might have been slow in the beginning , only to pick up later & leave you flipping the pages.
The twist and turns keeps you surprising & confuses you , until in the end it all fits. You would than know the clues were right in front of you.
Its a breath taking- mesmerizing story , with pure friendship blossoming into love , and with all those twists it just got into my one of the favorite novels.
July 26, 2014
This book was amazing. It tells the story from both sides, and Griffin captures the emotions of the characters well. The mystery adds the perfect, suspenseful note.
July 30, 2021
[YA novel, Adult reviewer]
YA VERDICT: 3+ stars (ignoring the technical goofs).
ADULT VERDICT: 2 stars.
IN SHORT: A teen girl is attacked, a male classmate/friend plays amateur detective. Plenty of suspects. Will the two teens fall in love, or will the crime and fallout destroy everyone?
DETAILS (may contain mild spoilers):
YA VERDICT: 3+ stars (ignoring the technical goofs).
ADULT VERDICT: 2 stars.
IN SHORT: A teen girl is attacked, a male classmate/friend plays amateur detective. Plenty of suspects. Will the two teens fall in love, or will the crime and fallout destroy everyone?
DETAILS (may contain mild spoilers):
November 11, 2012
Originally posted at: http://iliveforreading.blogspot.sg/20...
Paul Griffin's Burning Blue caught my eye with it's stunning cover and its premise. I've heard of the acid attacks against women in Pakistan and other developing countries... but never of one in an American high school. I was definitely intrigued.
I loved this book. I devoured it, literally flipping pages, insistent to figure out who the person behind the acid attack was before the story ended and found my attempts were a fail: the ending totally caught me off guard. Usually, I can figure out who is guilty, but with this book? Nu-uh. Caught by surprise and it made sense, tagging along with the plot. Some of the details were easy to guess, but the end was just mind-blowingly off my final suspect.
❝Because I'll never have it.
Because I'll never be it.
Because after a little test run, I find that I like the sound.
The hissing.
She will burn.❞
I like that the book (like the quote above) is somewhat like a collection of "evidence" pertaining to this case, as well as two perspectives. You have the emails from the attacker, then you have bits of Nicole's diary (her perspective), and then we have Jay's point of view, the main plot and story. I liked looking at both sides of the story, more so when there was a huge development, or when Nicole was hiding something from Jay. It totally built up the suspense and left me grasping for more!
If you haven't guessed by now, our two main characters are Jay and (surprise!) Nicole. I really thought that these characters were unique to others within the YA genre. Like Jay for example, has seizures and is a loner, yet he's on the wrestling team, a hacker, gets quite a large amount of attention from girls, and can seriously throw a punch. Nicole is your popular girl, but not in the way you'd think. These characters were so easy to connect to, and empathize with– I wanted their story to go on!
Burning Blue is a story which I wish I hadn't devoured so quickly. I wish that savored the rich descriptions more, and prolonged the speed at which I was reading. I can only blame myself for this. It's an amazing thriller– the kind which makes your eyes bulge out and your heart beat loud as a drum. Paul Griffin's writing twists and turns, erratic yet intensely compelling, leading you to an end which leaves your mouth hanging agape. Loved it!
▪▪▪Thank you to Jessica Shoffel from Penguin for sending me Burning Blue for review!▪▪▪
Paul Griffin's Burning Blue caught my eye with it's stunning cover and its premise. I've heard of the acid attacks against women in Pakistan and other developing countries... but never of one in an American high school. I was definitely intrigued.
I loved this book. I devoured it, literally flipping pages, insistent to figure out who the person behind the acid attack was before the story ended and found my attempts were a fail: the ending totally caught me off guard. Usually, I can figure out who is guilty, but with this book? Nu-uh. Caught by surprise and it made sense, tagging along with the plot. Some of the details were easy to guess, but the end was just mind-blowingly off my final suspect.
❝Because I'll never have it.
Because I'll never be it.
Because after a little test run, I find that I like the sound.
The hissing.
She will burn.❞
I like that the book (like the quote above) is somewhat like a collection of "evidence" pertaining to this case, as well as two perspectives. You have the emails from the attacker, then you have bits of Nicole's diary (her perspective), and then we have Jay's point of view, the main plot and story. I liked looking at both sides of the story, more so when there was a huge development, or when Nicole was hiding something from Jay. It totally built up the suspense and left me grasping for more!
If you haven't guessed by now, our two main characters are Jay and (surprise!) Nicole. I really thought that these characters were unique to others within the YA genre. Like Jay for example, has seizures and is a loner, yet he's on the wrestling team, a hacker, gets quite a large amount of attention from girls, and can seriously throw a punch. Nicole is your popular girl, but not in the way you'd think. These characters were so easy to connect to, and empathize with– I wanted their story to go on!
Burning Blue is a story which I wish I hadn't devoured so quickly. I wish that savored the rich descriptions more, and prolonged the speed at which I was reading. I can only blame myself for this. It's an amazing thriller– the kind which makes your eyes bulge out and your heart beat loud as a drum. Paul Griffin's writing twists and turns, erratic yet intensely compelling, leading you to an end which leaves your mouth hanging agape. Loved it!
▪▪▪Thank you to Jessica Shoffel from Penguin for sending me Burning Blue for review!▪▪▪
December 18, 2012
This is only my second book review so bear with me.
To start off, it was quite plain and I couldn't relate even a bit with the characters. In fact, I hated them most of the time.
I hated the shallowness of Jay Nazarro(main character), I mean honestly, how much did he really have to go on as motivation for Nichole other than the fact that he found Nichole "soo beautiful" just as every other guy in his school had? Even after the incident, Jay just couldn't get enough even while knowing next to nothing about her and I'm not sure why.
He was absolutely obsessed and it was sickening, especially the way that he utterly fell for Nichole's sudden attraction to him. And this was simply due to no other boy being capable of just looking at her without freaking out. This, I found, was unfair because at this point Nichole was pretty much just using him as a support system.
Keep in mind, before all of this occurred, he'd been as invisible to her as a dust particle floating in the air. Maybe she'd noticed once, but that's like noticing said dust particle in a single ray of sunlight and then never noticing again.
Nichole Castro was your typical "beauty queen". She was popular, rich, and everyone liked her. She had the dude and the looks to back her up. She was just "perfect", so I don't blame Jay for giving in to her advances. However, what really irked me about her was that she was just too perfect. She was friendly, sweet and not at all like the bitchy beauties portrayed in the movies. She would even go out of her way to embarrass herself for others in order to help them and yeah that's all perfectly fine, but where I come from, terribly unrealistic.
Other than all of that though, Burning Blue was an easy read. I sped through this book mostly just wanting to see if it gets better at all which I suppose it did. There were some moments when I was really into it and nights that'd I'd spent staying up to read it, and then there were other moments when I kept getting side tracked with lack of interest and had to force myself to continue reading just to get a few more pages in.
As for the plot, it was interesting. Definitely something that I appreciated and the end did positively baffle me.
This was an okay book. Wouldn't read it again but I might recommend to someone else if the opportunity ever rose. I don't know, maybe it was just me and not the book being boring, but needless to say I'm glad that it's over.
To start off, it was quite plain and I couldn't relate even a bit with the characters. In fact, I hated them most of the time.
I hated the shallowness of Jay Nazarro(main character), I mean honestly, how much did he really have to go on as motivation for Nichole other than the fact that he found Nichole "soo beautiful" just as every other guy in his school had? Even after the incident, Jay just couldn't get enough even while knowing next to nothing about her and I'm not sure why.
He was absolutely obsessed and it was sickening, especially the way that he utterly fell for Nichole's sudden attraction to him. And this was simply due to no other boy being capable of just looking at her without freaking out. This, I found, was unfair because at this point Nichole was pretty much just using him as a support system.
Keep in mind, before all of this occurred, he'd been as invisible to her as a dust particle floating in the air. Maybe she'd noticed once, but that's like noticing said dust particle in a single ray of sunlight and then never noticing again.
Nichole Castro was your typical "beauty queen". She was popular, rich, and everyone liked her. She had the dude and the looks to back her up. She was just "perfect", so I don't blame Jay for giving in to her advances. However, what really irked me about her was that she was just too perfect. She was friendly, sweet and not at all like the bitchy beauties portrayed in the movies. She would even go out of her way to embarrass herself for others in order to help them and yeah that's all perfectly fine, but where I come from, terribly unrealistic.
Other than all of that though, Burning Blue was an easy read. I sped through this book mostly just wanting to see if it gets better at all which I suppose it did. There were some moments when I was really into it and nights that'd I'd spent staying up to read it, and then there were other moments when I kept getting side tracked with lack of interest and had to force myself to continue reading just to get a few more pages in.
As for the plot, it was interesting. Definitely something that I appreciated and the end did positively baffle me.
This was an okay book. Wouldn't read it again but I might recommend to someone else if the opportunity ever rose. I don't know, maybe it was just me and not the book being boring, but needless to say I'm glad that it's over.
December 5, 2012
Normally, I am pretty onto it when we get new books in the library but the day we got this book I must have been away. I saw this come through the returns slot at work and as soon as I saw the cover I knew I just had to read it. At first glance, I thought this book was going to be a dystopian sort of novel similar to Robin Wasserman's Lia Series with Frozen, Torn etc but it turned out to be a mystery novel as the main character Nicole Castro - the most prettiest girl is attacked and half her face ends up burnt by acid , school bullying has taken to a new level in Burning Blue as along with her newfound friend Jay . Nicole will discover who did this too her , if there is a serial acid thrower on the loose and why it was done and what she did to ever deserve something like this ?
This novel also shows that when the going gets tough, it is the time where we discover who our true friends are and who really does like us for simply being ourselves and who is in it for the other benefits like the perks of popularity.
A great read and I look forward to discovering other books by Paul Griffin.
This novel also shows that when the going gets tough, it is the time where we discover who our true friends are and who really does like us for simply being ourselves and who is in it for the other benefits like the perks of popularity.
A great read and I look forward to discovering other books by Paul Griffin.
October 8, 2015
This was a book club pick, not picked by me, and I wouldn't have read it otherwise. That being said, it ended up being pretty good. It's about a high school beauty queen who is burned in an acid attack and a boy who is obsessed with finding out who did it. The mystery was good and had me guessing until the very end. But the whole story was just too sad. It's not the type of thing I like to read.
July 11, 2017
A fantastic mystery with interesting characters and more interesting plot twists. Definitely an author I'll be reading more of. Could barely put this one down!
June 25, 2018
This book was amazing. Hard hitting and emotional.
May 9, 2020
The cover intrigued me so I started reading. Nicole is the school's acknowledged queen until an unknown assailant throws acid in her face. Jay is the school pariah because of an accident caused by his epilepsy freshman year. These two make contact in the office of the school psychologist. Jay's kindness lures Nicole to trust him. In turn, he want more than anything to find the Recluse who assaulted Nicole. I was surprised that I liked this as much as I did because it didn't have any of the topics that I usually like. I think it was the character of Jay who a genuinely good guy. I also found the information about hacking quite disturbing. Is someone checking what I am writing right now?
September 30, 2014
Burning Blue materialized into an intoxicating blend of romance, mystery, thriller, and the not-so-typical throes of "high school" drama. I soaked it all in and more; but what really gripped me was the powerful and impressive message behind the story. And that's why I really appreciated and enjoyed the narration from the male (Jay's) POV.
I never really bought into the whole beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, don't judge a book by its' cover, age old, clichéd proverbs when I was in high school. I used to think, only extremely ugly people would agree with that. But I was so young then, impressionable, and shallow. Now I know though, just how wrong I was.
Of course, to a certain extent, looks matter. It certainly is a big deal in our society today, but I also realize that how females AND males define "beauty" are constructed through social norms/pressures, the male gaze, popular media, and so forth. Key word being: constructed. And whether or not you conform or rebel against this 'normalized' standard of beauty, doesn't matter; you're either beautiful by societal standards, or you're not. But we all know, beauty is skin deep. It’s so much more than how big your boobs are, how flat your tummy is, or how long and tanned your slender legs are. And as cliché as it sounds, it's true; so it's important to send this message to young girls, teens, and women. And that’s why the male perspective packed such a powerful punch, for me anyway.
Because we see Nicole through Jay's eyes. All her physical (and other) imperfections and flaws, in contrast to her previous "perfectly beautiful" self. Yet Jay doesn't fall in love with the latter version of Nicole. It's the imperfect, flawed, scarred version of Nicole he sees, and comes to love.
Likewise, Nicole doesn't judge Jay on the basis of his long, stringy, greasy hair, and loner status. Would she have seen him differently if she didn't get acid thrown on her face? If she didn't all of a sudden become disfigured? I'm not sure. Maybe, maybe not. But who in real life is perfect after all? Who isn't broken in some way?
This sends the right kind of message to both males and females. And the whole notion of beauty being subjective is reaffirmed, which I truly appreciated.
Neither Jay nor Nicole were perfect; and the closer you think you get to solving the mystery, you're sucked into a deeper, darker kind of madness. And when it finally hits you, it's totally unexpected and revolting. It's quite disturbing, actually. But within all the chaos, madness, pain, and brokenness, you see that sliver of hope - of recovery, love, and beauty. And that's what will stick with you.
Overall, it's a really dark book: often times depressing, mainly frustrating, sometimes scary, but the end result was worth it. Hope was worth it. Real love, not the lust-love, or the honey-moon stage love, or the fantasy love- but the real thing, when you wholly accept a person, love their guts inside and out, the ugly and the uglier -- was worth it. And beauty, true, inner beauty that girls and women should aspire to (not the constructed, objectified version of beauty plastered on billboards and popular media) - was worth it.
I say, take a chance & read it. NOW. And not just for the mystery, or the romance, because as well fleshed out as those aspects were, the message of the book was what made Burning Blue so special. And unique.
***
"I didn't feel sorry for Nicole Castro. I felt hope for her. She wasn't a victim or a snob, a pageant queen or an athlete, a scholar or a saint or any of the other things I'd labeled her over the past few months. She was Nicole, and she was beautiful." -Jay
***
Thanks again, Rachmi, for another great recommendation! This one's going in my 'favorites' shelf. ;-)
I never really bought into the whole beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, don't judge a book by its' cover, age old, clichéd proverbs when I was in high school. I used to think, only extremely ugly people would agree with that. But I was so young then, impressionable, and shallow. Now I know though, just how wrong I was.
Of course, to a certain extent, looks matter. It certainly is a big deal in our society today, but I also realize that how females AND males define "beauty" are constructed through social norms/pressures, the male gaze, popular media, and so forth. Key word being: constructed. And whether or not you conform or rebel against this 'normalized' standard of beauty, doesn't matter; you're either beautiful by societal standards, or you're not. But we all know, beauty is skin deep. It’s so much more than how big your boobs are, how flat your tummy is, or how long and tanned your slender legs are. And as cliché as it sounds, it's true; so it's important to send this message to young girls, teens, and women. And that’s why the male perspective packed such a powerful punch, for me anyway.
Because we see Nicole through Jay's eyes. All her physical (and other) imperfections and flaws, in contrast to her previous "perfectly beautiful" self. Yet Jay doesn't fall in love with the latter version of Nicole. It's the imperfect, flawed, scarred version of Nicole he sees, and comes to love.
Likewise, Nicole doesn't judge Jay on the basis of his long, stringy, greasy hair, and loner status. Would she have seen him differently if she didn't get acid thrown on her face? If she didn't all of a sudden become disfigured? I'm not sure. Maybe, maybe not. But who in real life is perfect after all? Who isn't broken in some way?
This sends the right kind of message to both males and females. And the whole notion of beauty being subjective is reaffirmed, which I truly appreciated.
Neither Jay nor Nicole were perfect; and the closer you think you get to solving the mystery, you're sucked into a deeper, darker kind of madness. And when it finally hits you, it's totally unexpected and revolting. It's quite disturbing, actually. But within all the chaos, madness, pain, and brokenness, you see that sliver of hope - of recovery, love, and beauty. And that's what will stick with you.
Overall, it's a really dark book: often times depressing, mainly frustrating, sometimes scary, but the end result was worth it. Hope was worth it. Real love, not the lust-love, or the honey-moon stage love, or the fantasy love- but the real thing, when you wholly accept a person, love their guts inside and out, the ugly and the uglier -- was worth it. And beauty, true, inner beauty that girls and women should aspire to (not the constructed, objectified version of beauty plastered on billboards and popular media) - was worth it.
I say, take a chance & read it. NOW. And not just for the mystery, or the romance, because as well fleshed out as those aspects were, the message of the book was what made Burning Blue so special. And unique.
***
"I didn't feel sorry for Nicole Castro. I felt hope for her. She wasn't a victim or a snob, a pageant queen or an athlete, a scholar or a saint or any of the other things I'd labeled her over the past few months. She was Nicole, and she was beautiful." -Jay
***
Thanks again, Rachmi, for another great recommendation! This one's going in my 'favorites' shelf. ;-)
November 13, 2014
I went into Burning Blue with only the barest idea of what the story was about. It was the best way possible for me to experience this thrilling novel, as I was glued to the pages and could not stop reading. It’s not just the fact that there’s a dangerous edge to Jay’s attempt to solve the mystery. It’s also the fact that, even when I felt like I’d figured things out, the author constantly managed to shock me, confuse me and keep me running after all the answers. I haven’t ever encountered the likes of a novel like Burning Blue before, but I’m encouraged to read more like it now.
It’s rare when I encounter a male main character that I really like. Fortunately, Jay falls under that category! He was fascinating to watch whenever he employed his expert skills as a hacker, as readers can tell that he’s fully confident in his capabilities. This is perfectly balanced with his awkwardness in a social sense, as he’s usually a loner and the type to blend in with the crowd. I thought adding in the fact that he was prone to seizures was fairly interesting as well, as it provides an unexpected dimension to him. While he’s not particularly relatable, I did think he was interesting and that was enough.
Though most of the novel is told from Jay’s perspective, readers are given a glimpse at things from Nicole’s perspective. She could have just been your typical beauty queen, popular girl cliché if the author had not decided to include her thoughts, particularly in her journal entries, so I appreciated that. Nicole seemed like she had it all, the lucky girl blessed with popularity and good looks. But there were things lurking beneath the surface of that perfect veneer that surprised me, and it helped me to feel more compassionately towards her character.
Though the characters are solidly written, it is really the story that marvels me. Though the book mostly covers the aftermath of the acid-burning incident, there was still a lot of action. The stakes were surprisingly high for Jay, Nicole and everyone included as a suspect, which I thought was interesting and exciting. Clues were slowly pieced together to reveal new angles or suspects, and this was done at a pace that never made the story slow down or feel sluggish. I was wholly invested in figuring out this mystery along with Jay, but I never suspected how twisted everything could be in the end! I was not able to guess any of the reveals at all, so the author definitely kept the mystery under wraps for the readers until the last possible moment.
I certainly did not expect to enjoy Burning Blue as much as I did, but after reading it, I can highly recommend this contemporary YA thriller to other readers. The clues are laid out carefully, the sleuthing wonderfully paced and when the resolution came about, it was highly unexpected. Burning Blue is one fantastic novel, with twists and turns that refuse to let you go until you finally reach the very last page. It has really opened my eyes to the endless possibilities of good YA thrillers/mysteries, and I look forward to reading more of this YA sub-genre.
(Review also on the blog)
It’s rare when I encounter a male main character that I really like. Fortunately, Jay falls under that category! He was fascinating to watch whenever he employed his expert skills as a hacker, as readers can tell that he’s fully confident in his capabilities. This is perfectly balanced with his awkwardness in a social sense, as he’s usually a loner and the type to blend in with the crowd. I thought adding in the fact that he was prone to seizures was fairly interesting as well, as it provides an unexpected dimension to him. While he’s not particularly relatable, I did think he was interesting and that was enough.
Though most of the novel is told from Jay’s perspective, readers are given a glimpse at things from Nicole’s perspective. She could have just been your typical beauty queen, popular girl cliché if the author had not decided to include her thoughts, particularly in her journal entries, so I appreciated that. Nicole seemed like she had it all, the lucky girl blessed with popularity and good looks. But there were things lurking beneath the surface of that perfect veneer that surprised me, and it helped me to feel more compassionately towards her character.
Though the characters are solidly written, it is really the story that marvels me. Though the book mostly covers the aftermath of the acid-burning incident, there was still a lot of action. The stakes were surprisingly high for Jay, Nicole and everyone included as a suspect, which I thought was interesting and exciting. Clues were slowly pieced together to reveal new angles or suspects, and this was done at a pace that never made the story slow down or feel sluggish. I was wholly invested in figuring out this mystery along with Jay, but I never suspected how twisted everything could be in the end! I was not able to guess any of the reveals at all, so the author definitely kept the mystery under wraps for the readers until the last possible moment.
I certainly did not expect to enjoy Burning Blue as much as I did, but after reading it, I can highly recommend this contemporary YA thriller to other readers. The clues are laid out carefully, the sleuthing wonderfully paced and when the resolution came about, it was highly unexpected. Burning Blue is one fantastic novel, with twists and turns that refuse to let you go until you finally reach the very last page. It has really opened my eyes to the endless possibilities of good YA thrillers/mysteries, and I look forward to reading more of this YA sub-genre.
(Review also on the blog)
February 2, 2013
The beginning of Burning Blue was a little rough for me. I really liked Jay as a narrator – he was interesting and I loved his voice - but the way he told the first events as if he were there was distracting. He starts off by saying "From what I heard..." then goes on to say students were drenching Nicole in water after the incident, what the exact words she said were etc. I'm glad we got a clear picture of that huge moment considering acid being thrown in Nicole's face is the jumpstart to Burning Blue but it didn't make logical sense to me and it put a wedge between Jay and I. To be honest it made me suspect that he attacked Nicole which might have been Griffin's intention. I also wasn't a fan of Jay's 'future narrating' either. To me it's like giving spoilers away, it does nothing for me in the sense of heightening the anticipation since I find it so annoying.
"I had the opportunity to see him in action—see him by proxy rather, but I’ll get to that, to him, later."
"I should have figured it out right there. Nicole’s secret. Looking back, maybe I knew."
I really enjoyed that the attacker was communicating through email and that Jay was an adept hacker. Despite my slight narrating misgiving when it came to suspecting Jay, I liked that he seemed to be piling evidence against himself to start with (tech savviness, borderline obsession with Nicole, black outs, etc). Definitely enough to make you wonder if Jay is a lying narrator... haven't had one of those in a long time.
I absolutely loved how Griffin flawed and built his characters. A lot of the time, especially in YA novels, I find myself put off by the more flawed characters because they're often harsh stereotypes (for example a goth girl who no one understands with stringy dyed hair, loads of piecing, combat boots etc.) or just generally obnoxious. Griffin amazed me with his ability to skirt those stereotypes and actually create unique, flawed, believable teens.
Nicole's journals provided wonderful insight into her mind. It was really interesting to see her from Jay's point of view and then get into her own mind. I'm actually not crazy about multi-point of view books when there's a mystery involved but choosing to show Nicole's thoughts via her diary entries kept me in Jay's presence while giving me Nicole as well. I really liked that.
I'll admit that I picked this up after seeing a few people label it as romance. I'm a huge sucker for YA (non-angst) romance. I'm not sure I would haven given Burning Blue that label but the between friendship and romance relationship shared between Jay and Nicole was immensity satisfying and beautiful to follow.
The mystery... I loved how Griffin ended Burning Blue. The mystery was wrapped up beautifully with the perfect culprit. I never expected it but it made so much sense and I couldn't have been happier with how it ended. I feel a little guilty saying that but as a mystery lover it was just so great.
- - -
For more reviews from me, please visit Bitten Books
"I had the opportunity to see him in action—see him by proxy rather, but I’ll get to that, to him, later."
"I should have figured it out right there. Nicole’s secret. Looking back, maybe I knew."
I really enjoyed that the attacker was communicating through email and that Jay was an adept hacker. Despite my slight narrating misgiving when it came to suspecting Jay, I liked that he seemed to be piling evidence against himself to start with (tech savviness, borderline obsession with Nicole, black outs, etc). Definitely enough to make you wonder if Jay is a lying narrator... haven't had one of those in a long time.
I absolutely loved how Griffin flawed and built his characters. A lot of the time, especially in YA novels, I find myself put off by the more flawed characters because they're often harsh stereotypes (for example a goth girl who no one understands with stringy dyed hair, loads of piecing, combat boots etc.) or just generally obnoxious. Griffin amazed me with his ability to skirt those stereotypes and actually create unique, flawed, believable teens.
Nicole's journals provided wonderful insight into her mind. It was really interesting to see her from Jay's point of view and then get into her own mind. I'm actually not crazy about multi-point of view books when there's a mystery involved but choosing to show Nicole's thoughts via her diary entries kept me in Jay's presence while giving me Nicole as well. I really liked that.
I'll admit that I picked this up after seeing a few people label it as romance. I'm a huge sucker for YA (non-angst) romance. I'm not sure I would haven given Burning Blue that label but the between friendship and romance relationship shared between Jay and Nicole was immensity satisfying and beautiful to follow.
The mystery... I loved how Griffin ended Burning Blue. The mystery was wrapped up beautifully with the perfect culprit. I never expected it but it made so much sense and I couldn't have been happier with how it ended. I feel a little guilty saying that but as a mystery lover it was just so great.
- - -
For more reviews from me, please visit Bitten Books
October 6, 2012
The one thing that jumped out at me almost immediately was the writing. It was beautiful, lyrical, just stunning writing. But the thing about the writing is that while it had that poetic feel to it, it didn’t have much dialogue in the first half of the story and that honestly bored me. Without dialogue, the story just loses its interest and tension. I ended up reading 10 or so pages per day instead of the 150+ I usually read. When the action did start to pick up, I found it harder and harder to close the book. The ending? Totally unexpected. I can’t believe that it was that person who wanted Nicole’s face ruined! Gasp!
This is my first contemporary thriller (yes, I know!) and I’ll definitely picking up more soon. It was filled with anticipation as you tried to figure out on your own and realized you were completely wrong. The funny thing about Burning Blue is that (SLIGHT SPOILER) Paul Griffin actually insinuated that it was this person and then had Jay dismiss the notion. And of course, I fell for that old trick because there was just so much proof that it wasn’t that person. Sigh. We gullible readers.
I loved reading from Jay’s POV. He was an awesome character who wasn’t very naïve and didn’t fall for as much, being the super smart hacker he is. This book just racked up another point with Jay! As for Nicole, I loved her personality and how she handled getting burned. I mean, she kept it together when I would’ve hidden away and refused to come out ever again. But I felt her as too perfect, you know? She was popular, super pretty, and super nice. She handled everything well, was the go-to girl for everything, barely anyone hated her, etc. And I’m not saying that every pretty girl has to be mean, but she was just too good to be true, you know? Anyhow, she was an enjoyable character who stood strong throughout the entire story, so I can’t complain too much!
The romance was my favorite part! It definitely wasn’t insta-love and Jay and Nicole got to really know each other before they fell and it was so darn sweet! I could actually believe that they cared for each other and it wasn’t forced like I thought it may be, so you can imagine my relief! I sort of wish I was in that situation. Without the acid. And pain. And hacker stuff. Ok, so maybe not.
Overall, I was definitely impressed by Burning Blue and you can bet I’ll be checking out more of Paul Griffin’s stuff! This is definitely one to pick up when you get the chance! It’ll keep you on our toes and shock you with the ending! ACK! I still can’t really believe it!
This is my first contemporary thriller (yes, I know!) and I’ll definitely picking up more soon. It was filled with anticipation as you tried to figure out on your own and realized you were completely wrong. The funny thing about Burning Blue is that (SLIGHT SPOILER) Paul Griffin actually insinuated that it was this person and then had Jay dismiss the notion. And of course, I fell for that old trick because there was just so much proof that it wasn’t that person. Sigh. We gullible readers.
I loved reading from Jay’s POV. He was an awesome character who wasn’t very naïve and didn’t fall for as much, being the super smart hacker he is. This book just racked up another point with Jay! As for Nicole, I loved her personality and how she handled getting burned. I mean, she kept it together when I would’ve hidden away and refused to come out ever again. But I felt her as too perfect, you know? She was popular, super pretty, and super nice. She handled everything well, was the go-to girl for everything, barely anyone hated her, etc. And I’m not saying that every pretty girl has to be mean, but she was just too good to be true, you know? Anyhow, she was an enjoyable character who stood strong throughout the entire story, so I can’t complain too much!
The romance was my favorite part! It definitely wasn’t insta-love and Jay and Nicole got to really know each other before they fell and it was so darn sweet! I could actually believe that they cared for each other and it wasn’t forced like I thought it may be, so you can imagine my relief! I sort of wish I was in that situation. Without the acid. And pain. And hacker stuff. Ok, so maybe not.
Overall, I was definitely impressed by Burning Blue and you can bet I’ll be checking out more of Paul Griffin’s stuff! This is definitely one to pick up when you get the chance! It’ll keep you on our toes and shock you with the ending! ACK! I still can’t really believe it!
November 29, 2016
In 'Burning Blue', Nicole's beauty used to make heads turn wherever she went but after half of her face is severely disfigured in an acid attack, she gets attention for all the wrong reasons. However, loner Jay relates to her as he is constantly bullied for his seizures. His curiosity about who had thrown the acid at Nicole gradually deepens and soon he begins to fall for her. Is the worst over? And more importantly, who had committed such a terrible crime?
From the very beginning, I found the story to be engaging thanks to the author's simple yet descriptive prose. It was easy to warm up to Jay as he acknowledged the fact that he was an outcast without feeling sorry for himself. Instead, he knew how to deal with the same old bullies. He had no problem interacting with most people either. Best of all, he was a great hacker. I did feel that this was a little too convenient since he could easily sit in front of a computer and get some answers instead of having to go out and sneak around. But there's no denying that his ability was cool.
I liked that prior to the acid attack, Nicole wasn't one of those typical gorgeous, rich and bitchy girls. She was actually down-to-earth and sweet. The few times where the author focused on Nicole and how she had a hard time even looking at her own reflection were well done. I would have liked more of such scenes because for the most part, Nicole seemed to lack emotions considering the brutality of the attack. I couldn't feel her pain, sorrow and anger. If anything, Jay's emotions were conveyed a lot more effectively.
The pool of suspects was pretty satisfying. The mystery behind the identity of the acid thrower was a somewhat challenging one to decipher. Could it be Dave - Nicole's boyfriend? Or any girl who's jealous of her? Or Cherry - the girl who works at Starbucks and is obviously crushing on Jay? Or perhaps even a teacher? In terms of motive, jealousy appeared to be at the top of the list. I enjoyed how Jay peeled back each layer to get closer to the truth. The answer was shocking and I liked how the explanations tied up all loose ends. Despite that, I was a little disappointed since I was hoping it'd be .
Overall, 'Burning Blue' was a wonderful page-turner thanks to its well-executed suspenseful mystery coupled with a likeable lead character. The message about beauty was also delivered perfectly without coming across as preachy.
From the very beginning, I found the story to be engaging thanks to the author's simple yet descriptive prose. It was easy to warm up to Jay as he acknowledged the fact that he was an outcast without feeling sorry for himself. Instead, he knew how to deal with the same old bullies. He had no problem interacting with most people either. Best of all, he was a great hacker. I did feel that this was a little too convenient since he could easily sit in front of a computer and get some answers instead of having to go out and sneak around. But there's no denying that his ability was cool.
I liked that prior to the acid attack, Nicole wasn't one of those typical gorgeous, rich and bitchy girls. She was actually down-to-earth and sweet. The few times where the author focused on Nicole and how she had a hard time even looking at her own reflection were well done. I would have liked more of such scenes because for the most part, Nicole seemed to lack emotions considering the brutality of the attack. I couldn't feel her pain, sorrow and anger. If anything, Jay's emotions were conveyed a lot more effectively.
The pool of suspects was pretty satisfying. The mystery behind the identity of the acid thrower was a somewhat challenging one to decipher. Could it be Dave - Nicole's boyfriend? Or any girl who's jealous of her? Or Cherry - the girl who works at Starbucks and is obviously crushing on Jay? Or perhaps even a teacher? In terms of motive, jealousy appeared to be at the top of the list. I enjoyed how Jay peeled back each layer to get closer to the truth. The answer was shocking and I liked how the explanations tied up all loose ends. Despite that, I was a little disappointed since I was hoping it'd be .
Overall, 'Burning Blue' was a wonderful page-turner thanks to its well-executed suspenseful mystery coupled with a likeable lead character. The message about beauty was also delivered perfectly without coming across as preachy.
October 11, 2012
It did not take long for me to read this book, that is how much I enjoyed this! Awesome love story about a popular girl and a not so popular boy that fall in love. This story was moving and brilliant that I could not put it down.
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Nicole Castro is the popular girl in school, tall, beautiful blonde that is captain of pretty much everything in school. Nicole's life is great, she is graduating soon and nothing was going to get in her way, Or so she thought. Until one day Nicole is attacked by someone who threw acid in her face and that is the day Nicole's life changed. Nicole is now disfigured and has turned from the school's most popular to the school's FREAK show.Now anti-social Nicole meets outcast Jay, who really doesn't mind being a loner because he has really bad seizures and is terrified of attention due to his last episode that happened during a prep rally in front of the whole school and he doesn't want that to happen again.
I really LOVE the dialogue because it made me laugh most of the time. It was very hip to today's talk and I LOVED it. The book is mainly in Jay's POV which I like because I probably would of been bored out of my mind so I liked getting into Jay's head and see him slowly fall in love with Nicole, it was so great :) I liked the authors writing and didn't think I was because I really don't read books by men(I don't know how it happened) but he proved me wrong! I love his writing and will most certainly read more of him in the future!
I also enjoyed the mystery part of this book, I COULD NOT FIGURE IT OUT!!!! Ugh and I usually can figure out books but not this one! This book kept me guessing all the way till the end and I was very surprised when everything was revealed and I just couldn't believe it. There are alot of twists and turns that you will not be able to put this book down until you find out WHO DID THIS TO NICOLE.
I recco this to anyone that is into finding love and the bad guy. Cool read I REALLY enjoyed this one!
-Alice
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GIFSoup
Nicole Castro is the popular girl in school, tall, beautiful blonde that is captain of pretty much everything in school. Nicole's life is great, she is graduating soon and nothing was going to get in her way, Or so she thought. Until one day Nicole is attacked by someone who threw acid in her face and that is the day Nicole's life changed. Nicole is now disfigured and has turned from the school's most popular to the school's FREAK show.Now anti-social Nicole meets outcast Jay, who really doesn't mind being a loner because he has really bad seizures and is terrified of attention due to his last episode that happened during a prep rally in front of the whole school and he doesn't want that to happen again.
I really LOVE the dialogue because it made me laugh most of the time. It was very hip to today's talk and I LOVED it. The book is mainly in Jay's POV which I like because I probably would of been bored out of my mind so I liked getting into Jay's head and see him slowly fall in love with Nicole, it was so great :) I liked the authors writing and didn't think I was because I really don't read books by men(I don't know how it happened) but he proved me wrong! I love his writing and will most certainly read more of him in the future!
I also enjoyed the mystery part of this book, I COULD NOT FIGURE IT OUT!!!! Ugh and I usually can figure out books but not this one! This book kept me guessing all the way till the end and I was very surprised when everything was revealed and I just couldn't believe it. There are alot of twists and turns that you will not be able to put this book down until you find out WHO DID THIS TO NICOLE.
I recco this to anyone that is into finding love and the bad guy. Cool read I REALLY enjoyed this one!
-Alice
October 5, 2018
I loved Paul Griffin's Stay with Me. One of the best teen novels I've read for a long time, heart breaking and authentic. Burning Blue is quite different - a teen whodunit.
Beautiful, popular teen Nicole is in the high school corridor when someone sprays her face with acid. Another student, Jay, uses his hacking skills to try and find out who could do this. Jay is nick-named Spaceman, a result of his epilepsy. The loner hacker and the school beauty queen form a friendship, supporting each other through their family problems, school lives and their respective healing.
This is a complex novel, a page turner with a large cast of characters, and therefore suspects. Griffin knows his readers and his characters - they live and speak as genuine, contemporary teens. Which is my one small gripe. As a children's and teens librarian, I'm often asked to recommend books for prodigious readers who are very young teens, with parents don't think they are ready to read about sex. And so the two sexual references in the book mean I can't recommend it to anyone under 14. Take out the sex and I could. Whether a 13 year old can quite understand or empathise with some of the characters I'm unsure about, but they can certainly enjoy the mystery element.
The sexual references aren't really necessary to the plot line, and while they shine some light on one character's motivation, it still could have been left out. I'm not advocating censorship, just lamenting how difficult it is to find a good novel to commend to parents and young teens (as opposed to the pulp in a series that we do end up recommending). Jay writes he's hardly been kissed but has received a couple of hand jobs from a girl: another character laments to a boy that "she's good enough to suck his dick but not good enough to be seen with". (I haven't got the book with me so might have misquoted). Griffin has worked with teens - comments like this add to the authenticity but are also saddening.
But I don't want to end on such a note. I've seen the book reviewed as a crime novel in reviews aimed at adults, noting that it's teen but a satisfying read for adults too.
Beautiful, popular teen Nicole is in the high school corridor when someone sprays her face with acid. Another student, Jay, uses his hacking skills to try and find out who could do this. Jay is nick-named Spaceman, a result of his epilepsy. The loner hacker and the school beauty queen form a friendship, supporting each other through their family problems, school lives and their respective healing.
This is a complex novel, a page turner with a large cast of characters, and therefore suspects. Griffin knows his readers and his characters - they live and speak as genuine, contemporary teens. Which is my one small gripe. As a children's and teens librarian, I'm often asked to recommend books for prodigious readers who are very young teens, with parents don't think they are ready to read about sex. And so the two sexual references in the book mean I can't recommend it to anyone under 14. Take out the sex and I could. Whether a 13 year old can quite understand or empathise with some of the characters I'm unsure about, but they can certainly enjoy the mystery element.
The sexual references aren't really necessary to the plot line, and while they shine some light on one character's motivation, it still could have been left out. I'm not advocating censorship, just lamenting how difficult it is to find a good novel to commend to parents and young teens (as opposed to the pulp in a series that we do end up recommending). Jay writes he's hardly been kissed but has received a couple of hand jobs from a girl: another character laments to a boy that "she's good enough to suck his dick but not good enough to be seen with". (I haven't got the book with me so might have misquoted). Griffin has worked with teens - comments like this add to the authenticity but are also saddening.
But I don't want to end on such a note. I've seen the book reviewed as a crime novel in reviews aimed at adults, noting that it's teen but a satisfying read for adults too.
May 11, 2014
This book is a result of walking into a library with your eyes shut and pulling a book off the shelf. I was pleasantly suprised. At first I was
"This is okaay."
Then "why am I reading about a typical school day where nothing much is ACTUALLY happening."
It got better with "Hmm this character is interesting."
I was then hooked: "I really love Jay!" <- main character (he's probably on my top 10 of favourite book personalities) I preferred Nicole's part over Jays for the first quarter of the book but then as I got more wrapped up in the SPIDERS WEB (cough cough reference) I would rather read about Jays POV.
Then it just went uphill from there. The book's about a hacker helping a popular school girl who was the victim of an acid attack. You go through the plot and find out who the attacker is. (Who- by the way- was SO obvious yet I did NOT see it coming!) The end....
.... OR SO YOU THINK! You're lead to believe there's another mind behind it. Your brain goes into over load trying to figure out who it is. It's *this person*, oh wait- it's not-! It's this guy! Wait-no. It's HER!
...oh... It's not. The master behind the attack is then finally revealed (I have to admit, I saw this one coming a few chapter before. Maybe others won't pick up on it but there were a few clues thrown at you.)
What made the book complete? In the end Jay cut his hair!!!!!!
It was a great book. Not on my OMGODS IM BUYING THIS AND READING IT AGAIN AND AGAIN! But more of a yeah, it was really cool. I don't read this type of genre but at one point I was doing my chores, then brushing my teeth and after ,eating dinner, all whilst reading this, to finish it. I needed to know the ending! I'm surprised it's not more popular!
P.s you don't get the title until much later! It was sort of depressing but folded into the book perfectly. It really got you thinking. You understood. (At first you sort of think therapist no.2 is a bit evil- but he knows what's up.)
"This is okaay."
Then "why am I reading about a typical school day where nothing much is ACTUALLY happening."
It got better with "Hmm this character is interesting."
I was then hooked: "I really love Jay!" <- main character (he's probably on my top 10 of favourite book personalities) I preferred Nicole's part over Jays for the first quarter of the book but then as I got more wrapped up in the SPIDERS WEB (cough cough reference) I would rather read about Jays POV.
Then it just went uphill from there. The book's about a hacker helping a popular school girl who was the victim of an acid attack. You go through the plot and find out who the attacker is. (Who- by the way- was SO obvious yet I did NOT see it coming!) The end....
.... OR SO YOU THINK! You're lead to believe there's another mind behind it. Your brain goes into over load trying to figure out who it is. It's *this person*, oh wait- it's not-! It's this guy! Wait-no. It's HER!
...oh... It's not. The master behind the attack is then finally revealed (I have to admit, I saw this one coming a few chapter before. Maybe others won't pick up on it but there were a few clues thrown at you.)
What made the book complete? In the end Jay cut his hair!!!!!!
It was a great book. Not on my OMGODS IM BUYING THIS AND READING IT AGAIN AND AGAIN! But more of a yeah, it was really cool. I don't read this type of genre but at one point I was doing my chores, then brushing my teeth and after ,eating dinner, all whilst reading this, to finish it. I needed to know the ending! I'm surprised it's not more popular!
P.s you don't get the title until much later! It was sort of depressing but folded into the book perfectly. It really got you thinking. You understood. (At first you sort of think therapist no.2 is a bit evil- but he knows what's up.)
December 17, 2012
Nicole was a beautiful girl, the prettiest in the school. But that all changed when someone threw acid in her face at school. Nicole didn’t know who did it, because she didn’t see anything other than the bottle aimed at her face. Her boyfriend was nearby, the janitor seemed to know not to touch her, and a teacher was around too. Quiet loner, Jay decides to figure out who did this. He sees beyond her wounds, realizing that there is a lot more to Nicole than her lost beauty. Jay is a hacker, able to get into government databases and trace people’s activities online. As he gets closer to the truth of the attack, he and Nicole grow closer too. Now he has everything to lose, especially as Nicole seems to be a suspect herself.
Griffin nicely creates a lot of tension and mystery in this story of disfigurement and beauty. Told from Jay’s point of view with insets from Nicole’s journal, this novel asks difficult questions about beauty, what lies beneath it, and the envy that it produces. The question of who attacked Nicole stays in Jay’s focus, but the reader will equally enjoy the growing relationship between Jay and Nicole.
Jay is a fascinating character. He is a hacker who pretends to know nothing about computers. Some of his online conquests seem a bit to simple and easy, but with that aside, the hacking forms an intriguing basis for a detective to work from. He is able to make breakthroughs and discover information that otherwise would be impossible. But beyond the actual hacking, Jay lives a tattered life with his father after his losing his mother, and struggles with epileptic seizures. His is a life lived alone by choice, until Nicole enters it.
A strong introverted and geeky character at its heart, this novel is a fine mystery but much more too. Appropriate for ages 13-16.
Griffin nicely creates a lot of tension and mystery in this story of disfigurement and beauty. Told from Jay’s point of view with insets from Nicole’s journal, this novel asks difficult questions about beauty, what lies beneath it, and the envy that it produces. The question of who attacked Nicole stays in Jay’s focus, but the reader will equally enjoy the growing relationship between Jay and Nicole.
Jay is a fascinating character. He is a hacker who pretends to know nothing about computers. Some of his online conquests seem a bit to simple and easy, but with that aside, the hacking forms an intriguing basis for a detective to work from. He is able to make breakthroughs and discover information that otherwise would be impossible. But beyond the actual hacking, Jay lives a tattered life with his father after his losing his mother, and struggles with epileptic seizures. His is a life lived alone by choice, until Nicole enters it.
A strong introverted and geeky character at its heart, this novel is a fine mystery but much more too. Appropriate for ages 13-16.
August 16, 2012
As soon as I read the synopsis for Burning Blue I knew I had to check it out— seriously how awesome does it sound?!
So, I’m glad to say that the story did not disappoint! It was suspenseful and funny and a little bit frightening and I couldn’t put it down! I HAD to find out who was responsible for splashing Nicole with the acid. HAD TO!
I adored the way this story was written. It's told from Jay’s point of view but there are also glimpses into Nicole’s thoughts through her journal entries and I think that helped me as a reader be able to connect with both of them. I absolutely loved Jay and Nicole. They both have so many issues yet they’re such down to earth, nice, sympathetic, sincere people that you can’t help but like them!
Like, seriously, Nicole was amazing. She had his horrific thing happen to her and her life changed drastically but she held it together SO well. I don’t know how she stayed so strong, especially with the media covering the story and stalking her around town. Ugh. I was annoyed for her!
And then we have Jay who’s a hacker extraordinaire and basically a little detective himself, trying to solve who did this awful thing to Nicole. And he was a really good friend to her as well. Their scenes together were absolutely adorable; and even though there were plenty, I wish there would’ve been more! Every scene they were in together made me giddy! I was rooting for Jay and Nicole from the very first page!
Overall, Burning Blue is a story that’ll keep you on edge and keep you guessing. I did NOT see the ending coming AT ALL. The person that actually hurt Nicole?! TOTAL EFFIN’ SHOCK! LIKE, WHOA. ehem *zips lips* that's all i'll say..
If you’re looking for a quick, suspenseful read with a dash of romance I HIGHLY recommend Burning Blue!
So, I’m glad to say that the story did not disappoint! It was suspenseful and funny and a little bit frightening and I couldn’t put it down! I HAD to find out who was responsible for splashing Nicole with the acid. HAD TO!
I adored the way this story was written. It's told from Jay’s point of view but there are also glimpses into Nicole’s thoughts through her journal entries and I think that helped me as a reader be able to connect with both of them. I absolutely loved Jay and Nicole. They both have so many issues yet they’re such down to earth, nice, sympathetic, sincere people that you can’t help but like them!
Like, seriously, Nicole was amazing. She had his horrific thing happen to her and her life changed drastically but she held it together SO well. I don’t know how she stayed so strong, especially with the media covering the story and stalking her around town. Ugh. I was annoyed for her!
And then we have Jay who’s a hacker extraordinaire and basically a little detective himself, trying to solve who did this awful thing to Nicole. And he was a really good friend to her as well. Their scenes together were absolutely adorable; and even though there were plenty, I wish there would’ve been more! Every scene they were in together made me giddy! I was rooting for Jay and Nicole from the very first page!
Overall, Burning Blue is a story that’ll keep you on edge and keep you guessing. I did NOT see the ending coming AT ALL. The person that actually hurt Nicole?! TOTAL EFFIN’ SHOCK! LIKE, WHOA. ehem *zips lips* that's all i'll say..
If you’re looking for a quick, suspenseful read with a dash of romance I HIGHLY recommend Burning Blue!
August 7, 2012
Ever since he had a seizure in front of the entire student body his freshman year, Jay Nazarro has pretty much kept to himself. Too embarrassed to come back to school after the incident, Jay convinced the school and his dad to let him homeschool for the rest of his freshman year, and sophomore year as well. But now at the beginning of his junior year the adults have decided that he needs to get back in the mix and start doing the college prep thing. Unfortunately a lot of people still remember the pep rally, and those who weren't there can find it on you tube, so Jay does a lot of sitting in the back of the class and never speaking up. He also had to agree to see the school counselor regularly. Behind his quiet facade is a brilliant mind however, and he's also a secret computer hacker extrordinaire. He likes to hack into people's phones and then forward their texta to the appropriate people (generally those who are being talked about or made fun of by their "friends").
At the beginning of the school year, someone threw acid in the face of the most popular and beautiful person in school, Nicole Castro. No one saw who did it, but Nicole's left eye and perfect face would never be the same. Jay and Nicole definitely didn't run in the same circles, but when he sees her in the counselor's office one day and they strike up a brief conversation he decides that he wants to find out who did this to her and why. As Jay and Nicole strike up a tentative friendship, and he uses all his hacking skills to try to find Nicole's attacker, he is unwittingly putting himself in grave danger. Great story of suspense!
At the beginning of the school year, someone threw acid in the face of the most popular and beautiful person in school, Nicole Castro. No one saw who did it, but Nicole's left eye and perfect face would never be the same. Jay and Nicole definitely didn't run in the same circles, but when he sees her in the counselor's office one day and they strike up a brief conversation he decides that he wants to find out who did this to her and why. As Jay and Nicole strike up a tentative friendship, and he uses all his hacking skills to try to find Nicole's attacker, he is unwittingly putting himself in grave danger. Great story of suspense!
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