Burned

Retribution

by Natasha Deen

Josie Smith’s life went up in smoke. Literally. Everyone and everything she ever loved burned in a fire—one set by a crooked cop. To survive, Josie’s been living under the radar as a homeless kid. For the last year, she’s been trying to find a way to knock the cop off her hero’s pedestal and put her on the other side of the prison bars. Her salvation and the key to the cop’s undoing seems to lie in a girl urban climber, a hacker, and a privileged rich boy. Trust and teamwork isn’t come easily—in fact, it’s not coming at all—but if Josie can’t find a way to make the team work and find justice for her family, she just won’t be burned. She’ll be scorched.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary

168 pages, Paperback

First published October 13, 2015

About the author

Natasha Deen's family moved from Guyana, South America to Canada to escape the country's political & racial violence. She loved growing up in a country of snow & flannel, but often felt out of place. Thank goodness for books that showed her being different could also mean being awesome. Natasha lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her family where she spends A LOT of time arguing with her cats and dogs about who’s the boss of the house. Visit her at www.natashadeen.com.

Reviews

[Jimmy Clifford]

Burned (Retribution) is a book about a girl who lost many of her possessions in a fire. She plans to get revenge on the person who caused this mess. While she is living in the streets, she faces many challenges and has to overcome obstacles. I enjoyed reading this book because it was a quick read and I found it exciting. I recommend this book to someone looking for a short book.

[Gary Gentile · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book Burned by Natasha Deen is an easy fictional mystery read. The plot is very interesting and really pulls the reader in. the book shows the difference between revenge and justice when the character Jodie Smith is searching for revenge on the cop who killed her family. Id recommend this book to teens and adults because of the imagery and details in the novel.

[Georgia Cozzitorto · Rating 1 out of 5]

the book burned is about a girl who has lived on the streets for the past 2 years and she wants to get back at a cop who killed the rest of her family in a house fire but she does not know how she is going to do it because she needs help but she does not trust anyone to help her because the people are weird and she feels that there isn't any way that they can help her because she does not trust them. There is a certain way that she has to act to fit in there she is at and the way that she has to act is a way that is sneaky and not her. she feels weird in the situation that she is in and like the rest of her life will just be a joke.
through out the book she begins to realize that she was someone who does not trust anyone any longer because of one bad experience that she had in her life and that if she continued to live her life like that it was not going to be good for her. So she started to trust more people and began to change her ways a little bit and trusted the help of others rather than just relying on herself
I did not hate this book but I did not love it the way that things were explained and the way that they talked about things were weird. the book however did help me to realize that all because of one bad time in your life you have to keep going and not let things like that get in the way of you living your life the best that you can because in life there are things that are going to happen to you but you cannot just quit and stop trying because of it.

[Paul Vender · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burned by Natasha Deen has a very good plot to the story. Josie who is the main character has to figure out how to bring the cops down who burned her house down. Not only did the cops burned her house down but her mother and father died from it that were trapped inside. Josie is planning to seek revenge of the cops who did this to her family but now living in the street for the pass few years Josie has a hard time trusting anyone. Just like in other Natasha Deen books it seems the main Character haves to find people to work with just like in this book as well. Josie will seek out the perfect members to get the revenge she was waiting for all this time. Overall out of all the books I have read from this author I would say this would have to be my favorite because of all the surprises it has in the book throughout the story. Overall I would recommend this book to read

[Sara Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think everyone has experienced the want for revenge, whether it be the person who cut you off, the ex who dumped you on valentines day, or the nagging boss. Everyone has daydreamed of all the ways they would like to put them in their place. This is a great book for vicarious release of all those imaginings. You probably shouldn't follow through with your revenge plans in real life, but in this story Josie blazes that trail for you. She is a thought to be dead teenager living on the streets. Camouflaged as a man for protection she sets up the series of events necessary to take down the dirty female cop, and former acquaintance who killed her family and friend in a fire. With some help from a few unlikely friends Josie is on the path to Justice, but will her life be the price? you'll have to check it out for yourself to find out! I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway, but even if you didn't snag a free copy, it is definitely worth checking it out. This was a pretty quick read <200 pages so it won't take you too long to get through. There are 2 other books in the trilogy, but they are all independent stories and can be read in any order. This was a fantastic way to spend a rainy afternoon and I look forward to spending another one with Unleashed Retribution soon!

[E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Burned" by Natasha Deen is a contemporary young adult story that is part of the ‘Retribution’ series that also includes the titles “Exposed” and “Unleashed”. It is an exciting and stark tale that is full of unexpected twists and turns and follows the adventures of Josie, who is trying to find justice for her murdered family. She acquires unlikely allies through a combination of coercion and persuasion, and somehow they become a team, out to right wrongs and using an impressive collection of mad skills to achieve their goals.


This story captures your attention from the start, and stars a girl who is self-reliant, creative, and full of determination. I love that she is a combination of bravado and compassion who faces a horrendous set of circumstances yet doesn’t stop trying. The others who become part of her team are just as interesting and I am fascinated by the concept that each story in the trilogy can be read in any order. I enjoyed the adventures in this fast-paced tale and would definitely be interested in reading more tales about these inventive and resilient kids who search for justice.



A copy of this title was provided to me for review

[Julia Damatto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burned is a book full of emotions and heavy situations.
The plot is fast paced, with really developed characters and complex situations, the story is packed with action, tense moments, suspense and a great amount of revenge, a real page turner.
Josie is a survivor with an only motivation: Revenge and it's going to be a long road until redemption. Will she succeed?
Highly Recommended
*I received a Free copy in exchange for an Honest Review*

[Mave · Rating 4 out of 5]

It 's a short but addictive read, especially suitable for teenagers.
Josie is a girl living among the homeless. She pretends to be a boy and lives of petty theft and gimmicks. The only thing she wants to accomplish is to take revenge on cop who has killed her family.
The decision to write this novel from the point of view of Josie made the story more engaging. Josie is an independent and determined girl, she was able to react with great strength and courage to a really terrible situation.
It 's a well-written story, with lots of action and plot twists, maybe hardly realistic but very exciting.
This book is part of a trilogy but I've only read this one and I had no problem to understanding this story
I recommend it especially to adolescents
I received an advanced readers copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Austin Sicko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Josie has been living on the streets for several years. Ever since a crooked cop, Meena Sharma, burned down Josie's house and shot her family. Josie needs revenge. She needs to avenge her family. Throughout the story, Josie runs into a bunch of problems. She has to provide for herself while still working on her plan to get revenge. Josie runs into a lot of problems along the way, some of them life threatening. She has to build up the courage and find the right people to help her. The way she avenged her family was unexpected and she hadn't realized until the end of the book that she was falling in love.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burned is part of retribution trilogy. The best thing is that these books can be read in any order.
Burned is about Josie who has a vendetta against a cop who murdered her family. She becomes homeless, dresses, and acts like a boy to stay undetected.
For two years she plans on a way to bring the cop down. Does she?
A good read from start to finish. Teens as well as adults will enjoy this book.a

[Rachel Seigel · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are reading the entire series, this works best as the middle book, and includes events from the other two books. It also does the best job of explaining how the characters meet & suggests future books. As a stand-alone, Jo is an interesting character with a powerful motive & it is a swift read perfect for readers looking for a quick, exciting read.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very well balanced book with some extreme emotional tear on the heart strings. Some holy crap what did I just read to can't put the book down moments. Not a slow boring book for those who like those types of books, this book is very fast paced, a major page turner, and a few choice words... Yep, it's got it all to make you feel it all!


*Received for an honest review*

[Judith Graves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had a fantastic time working with Natasha and Sigmund on the Retribution Trilogy - BURNED is going to set your reading on fire!

[Gloria Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

very interesting kept me entertained

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part of a trilogy that can be read in any order. I enjoyed this book. It was another quick and easy read.

[Kathryn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not great.

[Liza · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good, fast paced book. I can't wait to read the others in the series.

[Bryce]

It was a good book it was about a girl names Josie and she is trying to get revenge on this girl that killed her whole family and burned down her house and he girl was close friends with her family and he basically killed her family cause she didn't want her own daughter to die, also the fire was so that there was no trace. At the time Jo out with her friends and when the girl finished what she did Jo somehow saw her face will she was walking a way. Jo became homeless and lived on the streets for 6 years straight, she survived and her image was a boy not girl so people wouldn't mess with her. Story goes on Jo finally brings justice to that girl killed her family and the story was supposed to end with her dying at the end because she was tortured to near death and was tied up to burn to death but she was saved. She finally lived a good life and is now in a group of kids that bring justice but work in the shadows, the group reminds me of Sherlock Holmes.