Burned to Ashes

by Karah Pensa

Nuclear war changed everything; the once normal world has been turned into a constant battle for life. The end of the war left the country in pieces. So for Neera, surviving is all that matters, until she finds something worth living for. When the city turns into a war zone, everything becomes even more difficult.
Burned to Ashes is a dual pov between Neera and Leander, two teens struggling for survival in a world where it's kill or be killed. This story follows the characters' struggle as they watch as many groups try to put the broken world back together, even though most of them are doing it wrong, and they cause even more destruction. How many will die before the world can finally be at peace?

Kindle Edition

Published September 13, 2025

Reviews

[Emmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I only started reading this because I saw one of the authors Instagram reels about it, and let me tell you I was not disappointed!! (May have listened to "Wait for me" from hadestown the entire book but that's semi-irrelevant) Reading this in one sitting was such a rollercoaster of emotions and dramatics but it was well written and fantastic! The plot twists were unexpected, to say the least and I loved every minute of it (Even while crying on the couch) As an aspiring teen author I hope one day I have the motivation to finish any of my drafts and go through the evidently lengthy process of getting it published!

[Damiana Hunt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burned to Ashes is a emotional rollercoaster, and is a 10/10 read. Going through the characters stories and seeing their struggles along the way helped shape each character into who they are, which also made the story unique and thrilling in its own special way. I 100% recommend to anyone!!!

[Annemarie Bracht · Rating 4 out of 5]

At first I thought that the story went a little fast, but that changed quickly. I liked how the Plot-twists weren’t obvious at all, I was really shocked!
There were some repeats in the words but I don’t care about that at all. As the plot was figured out perfectly, everything the characters did, made sense and there were no unnecessary scenes to confuse. This was the first book that I read in English and it was amazing for me!

Edit: it is now months later, but I can’t stop thinking about this book. That normally never happens to me- And definitely shows, that BtA is special. I am really close to re-reading it (I have never re-read a book before) 💕✨

[Chloe Liu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually don't read dystopian books that much, because I stick to fantasy most of the time, but I just had to pick up this one. Why? Well, the summary got me really intrigued. My mind went "ooh, this seems like something i would definitely like to read." And so, I did! Absolutely no regrets at all. The writing runs very smoothly, the characters are all likeable/relatable (well, the ones that are supposed to be likeable anyway lol) and the plot twist really shocked me. It's always a good book when you don't see that twist coming, no matter how hard you look. The story is written in a way meant to be engaging, the type of book that makes you want to never stop reading it, never put it down because you NEED to know what happens next, you just have to find out.
I recommend Burned to Ashes to all the fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian lovers, because even if you're like me and you haven't read much dystopian books, and you usually stick to just one genre, this one might just change your mind.

[LittleLovelyWriter · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been looking a long time for a really good dystopian novel, as I feel the quality has been declining in the recent years. Burned to Ashes, however, brought back the feeling that I got when I read The Hunger Games for the first time. The characters feel very relatable and real, which is something that cannot be said for many books. It was easy to get attached to them and very hard to say goodbye to the ones who didn’t make it to the end. The plot had me hooked from the beginning, and the unexpected twists and turns had be on the edge of my seat through the duration of the book. Burned to Ashes is one of those reads that will stay on my mind for a long time.

[Zoe L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book!
Burned to Ashes by karah Pensa is a dystopian books et in the future. It follows the story of Neera, age 15, and Leander, age 12. The book is really well written. It has action suspense, heartbreak, and happiness. I would recommend it to readers aged 12-17, because the main characters are teens. I cried twice becuase of this book, and I loved every inch. The ending was perfect, and all-in-all, this book was amazing. So go buy it. Now.

[Isabella Barbato · Rating 5 out of 5]

Karah is an amazing author who has her readers go on an amazing rollercoaster of emotions! You really have no idea where the story is going to go. The characters are well-developed, and their backstory is deep. She is a wonderful author who wrote a wonderful book! So proud of you, Karah!

[Kaylee Opalenik · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me hooked from the beginning, but once I reached about halfway through, it was hard for me to put the book down (which is a very rare occurrence for me personally) I would definitely recommend to anyone who’s looking for a book to read.

[Ella Jeffries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing!! Never a moment where I was bored. This book was completely action packed with so many emotional moments. I’m so impressed with Karah and I can’t wait for her next book!!

[Emelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book.

[pippvsmqximvs · Rating 4 out of 5]

i swear i'd write a solid review i just lwk can't see anything through tears rn.

okay guys im back dw.

i genuinely don't know where to start. i cried, i laughed, i screamed, i wanted to throw the book out of the window. when i first started reading this book, i was sick at home and this book lwk made me even more sick cause WTF. was that chapter six bro. (this review is so unserious i'm sorry you guys) and it's a fact that it's really hard for me to push through any book at all during school which probably sounds horrible (and it kind of actually is so) that's also one of the reasons why it took me lwk AGES to finish it. it wasn't because i wouldn't like the book it was just that i really didn't have much time to read during school. i loved the epilogue, the koen x neera x leander meetup made me cry cause WTF THOSE ARE MY BABIES BRO TFTFTFTFTFTFTFTFTF. tho i thought the ending (right before the epilogue i mean) was kind of rushed, i still liked how the things turned out. i also think that if you kill off too many characters in the story it stops being as hurtful as if would be if you'd kill off fewer people (who am i to say that tho when i lwk cried during most of the death scenes but still) sometimes i felt like some words repeated a lot, but i also think it's impossible to find synonyms to everything so, also i sometimes felt like the only emotion that the characters were feeling in the book was sadness, which is of course, absolutely acceptable because of the war and everything but i think a whole book can't contain a single a emotion, or well, most of the book, because then it sometimes felt like there was no hope for better days for them, well, ever, which was quite depressing and a little bit terrifying because i think the characters sometimes didn't have any hope at all for them to be okay again, because even though it's a war i think everyone needs some hope if you guys know what i mean yk.

ANYWAYS these were the only things that i wanted to point out, not even as a criticism really just something that i'd have maybe done differently. wow this is getting really long you guys. the last thing i wanted to say is that i couldn't be more grateful that i got to talk to the author of the book while i was reading it and could share my thoughts on it with her, actually even be friends with her. karah, i'm forever stunned by your insane work you did with burned to ashes and couldn't be more proud of you. i can't wait for what else you have to offer to this world. kisses xx