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Atlanta Burns #2
The Hunt
It’s Atlanta’s senior year of high school, and she is officially infamous. Not only has she saved herself from a predator, brought down an untouchable dogfighting ring, and battled a pack of high-school bullies, but she’s also proclaimed to the Internet her willingness to fight for anyone who needs help. And Atlanta can’t believe what’s coming out of the woodwork. From an old friend to a troop of troubled girls with connections to a local fracking company, there’s definitely fire in the water. As always, the girl with the unforgettable name is not afraid to burn it all down if it means making things right. But as high school races toward its inevitable end and the hornets begin to swarm from all directions, Atlanta must decide how much of herself and her growing group of friends she is willing to risk…before it’s too late.
330 pages, Paperback
First published February 9, 2016
46 people are currently reading
703 people want to read
About the author
Chuck Wendig
182 books7,245 followersChuck Wendig is a novelist, a screenwriter, and a freelance penmonkey.
He has contributed over two million words to the roleplaying game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP).
He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is a fellow of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter's Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, will show at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, and their feature film HiM is in development with producer Ted Hope.
Chuck's novel Double Dead will be out in November, 2011.
He's written too much. He should probably stop. Give him a wide berth, as he might be drunk and untrustworthy. He currently lives in the wilds of Pennsyltucky with a wonderful wife and two very stupid dogs. He is represented by Stacia Decker of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.
You can find him at his website, terribleminds.com.
He has contributed over two million words to the roleplaying game industry, and was the developer of the popular Hunter: The Vigil game line (White Wolf Game Studios / CCP).
He, along with writing partner Lance Weiler, is a fellow of the Sundance Film Festival Screenwriter's Lab (2010). Their short film, Pandemic, will show at the Sundance Film Festival 2011, and their feature film HiM is in development with producer Ted Hope.
Chuck's novel Double Dead will be out in November, 2011.
He's written too much. He should probably stop. Give him a wide berth, as he might be drunk and untrustworthy. He currently lives in the wilds of Pennsyltucky with a wonderful wife and two very stupid dogs. He is represented by Stacia Decker of the Donald Maass Literary Agency.
You can find him at his website, terribleminds.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews
March 15, 2016
A friend from before. A friend who abandoned her when she was at her lowest comes to Atlanta for help. She's pregnant and it quickly becomes apparent she was drugged and raped. Atlanta agrees to help and finds herself sucked into an organised prostitution ring run by killers.
Facing one dead end after another, Atlanta does what she does best. Burn it all down and see who crawls out.
I'm so addicted to Atlanta Burns. She's a pill popping, shotgun wielding anti-hero who delivers her very own brand of justice. If Dirty Harry was a High School senior and female, he'd be Atlanta Burns.
Facing one dead end after another, Atlanta does what she does best. Burn it all down and see who crawls out.
I'm so addicted to Atlanta Burns. She's a pill popping, shotgun wielding anti-hero who delivers her very own brand of justice. If Dirty Harry was a High School senior and female, he'd be Atlanta Burns.
February 24, 2017
Atlanta Burns sets off another shit storm when her former BFF comes to her for help in finding out who got her pregnant. Seems there's a market for selling drugged teenage girls for one night stands and Atlanta stirs up a hornets nest trying to figure it all out.
Wow, once I start reading one of these, I can't stop until the final page is turned. They're so good!
Wow, once I start reading one of these, I can't stop until the final page is turned. They're so good!
September 25, 2020
Another great series from Wendig! This ended perfectly!
June 16, 2016
Check out more reviews like this at my blog The Reader Ramble.
It’s no secret I’m a Chuck Wendig fan. I made it pretty clear when I did my review for Star Wars: Aftermath. In that review I stated that I was kind of disappointed in how he wrote the teenager in that novel, and one of the reasons why was this series.
The Atlanta Burns YA series started out as a novella called Shotgun Gravy, and was followed by another called Bait Dog, both of them self published. I’d read them both, and thoroughly enjoyed them. Last year, Amazon’s Skyscape imprint smashed them together into Atlanta Burns, making it the first official novel in the series.
The Hunt is the follow up I’ve been waiting for for a long time. I really like Atlanta as a character, and I wanted more of her. She’s both tough, but vulnerable. While she’ll knock your teeth out for just glancing at her wrong, Atlanta is undeniably fragile. She had difficulty connecting with people who aren’t “outcasts,” and doesn’t trust her mother due to her irresponsible parenting. To put it mildly.
One of my favorite things about Atlanta is that she doesn’t handle people well. She’s awkward, even around people she is trying to protect. There is a scene at the beginning where she saves a genderqueer person named Joey who prefers female pronouns from a bully. Atlanta, while accepting of Joey’s gender identity, stumbles over her show of acceptance. She botches it and sounds ignorant, but admits it. She knows she doesn’t know how to communicate with people. We know she accepts Joey because she’s genuinely sad when Joey stops being herself to stop being picked on. This is a great example of how Wendig handles the “humanness” of characters. There are little touches that round them out and make the multifaceted.
The plot focuses around Atlanta’s pregnant friend asking her to find the father of her child. This leads to Atlanta discovering a date rape-based sex ring tied to the usually under-aged girls in the surrounding area. This ties well into Atlanta’s habit of stumbling into shitty stuff adults do, only to get in way over her head at trying to stop said shitty stuff.
Now I know there are complaints among readers that Atlanta doesn’t get in enough trouble for her involvement in what goes down, but the book does address that. Atlanta is still a minor, and there is a cop that reminds her of that, but the same cop also acts as a mentor figure, trying to guide Atlanta towards better decisions.
In fact, a lot of the characters surrounding Atlanta feel just as well developed. Wendig is really good at making people who show up for only a few pages interesting. Most of this is in his descriptive prose filtered through his main scene character’s eyes.
Now, I’m trying to write a spoiler free review, so I won’t really go into detail about all the stuff I really, really liked. I’ll just end this by saying the book is a quick read, being shorter than some of his other work, and I highly suggest it for people tired of reading the same tepid YA stories. Atlanta doesn’t end up with a boy in the end, or entirely change society, but she grows up and makes friends along the way. And that makes it worth it.
There is another reason why I like Wendig’s books. He promotes closure between parents and children. What I mean by this is that there is usually some arc, whether the character is the parent or the child, where they usually try to reconcile or at least face the other party. It’s in his Miriam Black books, Mookie Pearl books, the Heartland Trilogy, Star Wars: Aftermath, and this. Most of the time the parents aren’t abusive, but were not great parents, and they end up reconciling with their child in some way. It’s often painful, and doesn’t always end happy, but when many stories have dead or absentee parents, or perfect flawless parents, its nice to see a theme of fractured parent/child relationships working to fix themselves to some extent. I highly suggest checking out his work just on this alone if you’re interested.
So, there you have it. Read Atlanta Burns if you aren’t afraid of hard themes.
It’s no secret I’m a Chuck Wendig fan. I made it pretty clear when I did my review for Star Wars: Aftermath. In that review I stated that I was kind of disappointed in how he wrote the teenager in that novel, and one of the reasons why was this series.
The Atlanta Burns YA series started out as a novella called Shotgun Gravy, and was followed by another called Bait Dog, both of them self published. I’d read them both, and thoroughly enjoyed them. Last year, Amazon’s Skyscape imprint smashed them together into Atlanta Burns, making it the first official novel in the series.
The Hunt is the follow up I’ve been waiting for for a long time. I really like Atlanta as a character, and I wanted more of her. She’s both tough, but vulnerable. While she’ll knock your teeth out for just glancing at her wrong, Atlanta is undeniably fragile. She had difficulty connecting with people who aren’t “outcasts,” and doesn’t trust her mother due to her irresponsible parenting. To put it mildly.
One of my favorite things about Atlanta is that she doesn’t handle people well. She’s awkward, even around people she is trying to protect. There is a scene at the beginning where she saves a genderqueer person named Joey who prefers female pronouns from a bully. Atlanta, while accepting of Joey’s gender identity, stumbles over her show of acceptance. She botches it and sounds ignorant, but admits it. She knows she doesn’t know how to communicate with people. We know she accepts Joey because she’s genuinely sad when Joey stops being herself to stop being picked on. This is a great example of how Wendig handles the “humanness” of characters. There are little touches that round them out and make the multifaceted.
The plot focuses around Atlanta’s pregnant friend asking her to find the father of her child. This leads to Atlanta discovering a date rape-based sex ring tied to the usually under-aged girls in the surrounding area. This ties well into Atlanta’s habit of stumbling into shitty stuff adults do, only to get in way over her head at trying to stop said shitty stuff.
Now I know there are complaints among readers that Atlanta doesn’t get in enough trouble for her involvement in what goes down, but the book does address that. Atlanta is still a minor, and there is a cop that reminds her of that, but the same cop also acts as a mentor figure, trying to guide Atlanta towards better decisions.
In fact, a lot of the characters surrounding Atlanta feel just as well developed. Wendig is really good at making people who show up for only a few pages interesting. Most of this is in his descriptive prose filtered through his main scene character’s eyes.
Now, I’m trying to write a spoiler free review, so I won’t really go into detail about all the stuff I really, really liked. I’ll just end this by saying the book is a quick read, being shorter than some of his other work, and I highly suggest it for people tired of reading the same tepid YA stories. Atlanta doesn’t end up with a boy in the end, or entirely change society, but she grows up and makes friends along the way. And that makes it worth it.
There is another reason why I like Wendig’s books. He promotes closure between parents and children. What I mean by this is that there is usually some arc, whether the character is the parent or the child, where they usually try to reconcile or at least face the other party. It’s in his Miriam Black books, Mookie Pearl books, the Heartland Trilogy, Star Wars: Aftermath, and this. Most of the time the parents aren’t abusive, but were not great parents, and they end up reconciling with their child in some way. It’s often painful, and doesn’t always end happy, but when many stories have dead or absentee parents, or perfect flawless parents, its nice to see a theme of fractured parent/child relationships working to fix themselves to some extent. I highly suggest checking out his work just on this alone if you’re interested.
So, there you have it. Read Atlanta Burns if you aren’t afraid of hard themes.
January 9, 2019
Atlanta Burns again
Book 2 in the Atlanta Burns saga is as good as the first one. Since I read Book 1 quite a while ago, it took me a little while to remember the characters and catch up. There could have been a quick backstory rundown for those of us with rotten memories, but other than that, it was fast-paced with great characters and dialogue. Atlanta is an implausibly independent high school girl, but I completely bought her character anyway because of her mixture of snark, bravado, fear, and grit. Definitely start with Book 1, but be sure to follow up with Book 2. Both are great reads.
Book 2 in the Atlanta Burns saga is as good as the first one. Since I read Book 1 quite a while ago, it took me a little while to remember the characters and catch up. There could have been a quick backstory rundown for those of us with rotten memories, but other than that, it was fast-paced with great characters and dialogue. Atlanta is an implausibly independent high school girl, but I completely bought her character anyway because of her mixture of snark, bravado, fear, and grit. Definitely start with Book 1, but be sure to follow up with Book 2. Both are great reads.
August 12, 2017
If I was teaching a class on similes and metaphors, I'd have my students read Wendig's work. This book, like Atlanta Burns is chock full of great ones like "cheap pink wine that tastes like Kool-Aid mixed with some stripper's perfume." Another fascinating, dark adventure with a compelling character. I wish her gang got to do more than just give her advice and the super complex mystery gets solved with lots of hazy details (what was the deal with Samantha's parents?) but overall a strong follow up to the first book.
November 29, 2017
Just a damon good story!
I've been enjoying Chuck's stories now for a while . The Heartland trilogy is really a spectacularly well done and well thought out series of stories . I just wish he'd add more to those. Keep it up Chuck!
I've been enjoying Chuck's stories now for a while . The Heartland trilogy is really a spectacularly well done and well thought out series of stories . I just wish he'd add more to those. Keep it up Chuck!
December 28, 2019
I think I loved this one even more than the first book! Everything that you expect of Atlanta Burns & her Group, while maintaining a realistic edge. Too realistic at times when Atlanta/Chuck is describing Whitey's sleep farts & my dog is doing the same thing at that moment lol
December 18, 2017
Solid YA ala Wendig. I bought this and started reading it before i realized it was book 2 of a series. Great read on it's own, will go back and read the first one and any more that follow.
January 13, 2018
Heavy stuff. Chuck knows how to write tense scenes.
February 17, 2018
We need more Atlanta Burns books!
April 28, 2018
Atlanta is a quirky character and it is fun to read about her escapades. I feel it is a great book for teenagers.
April 13, 2018
This sequel keeps the reader motivated and has a well-developed plot. Again it edges on fantasy in how the main character cheats death or at least months in the hospital.
November 26, 2017
Second entry in the Atlanta Burns series; better than the first
In far too many series, there is a huge fall off with the second volume....leaving the reader on the fence about whether to give the third volume a try. No fences here--if anything volume two is better than the first entry.
Atlanta Burns and her mom are living in rural Pennsylvania. Atlanta burning is a tough kid, as we learned in the first book: taking no chit from anyone, and willing to stand up for other marginalized kids. As the second volume opens, she has converted this instinct into a for profit business--charging kids to protect them from school bullies.
Then her nice little business is up ended as an old friend resurfaces, pregnant, and desperate to find out who the father is. As Atlanta begins to dig in, she discovers a local fracking company seems to be involved....both in the pregnancy and in Atlanta's personal life.
From there, we embark on a rip roaring ride through drugs, prostituiton, and murder. Hold onto your hat.
In far too many series, there is a huge fall off with the second volume....leaving the reader on the fence about whether to give the third volume a try. No fences here--if anything volume two is better than the first entry.
Atlanta Burns and her mom are living in rural Pennsylvania. Atlanta burning is a tough kid, as we learned in the first book: taking no chit from anyone, and willing to stand up for other marginalized kids. As the second volume opens, she has converted this instinct into a for profit business--charging kids to protect them from school bullies.
Then her nice little business is up ended as an old friend resurfaces, pregnant, and desperate to find out who the father is. As Atlanta begins to dig in, she discovers a local fracking company seems to be involved....both in the pregnancy and in Atlanta's personal life.
From there, we embark on a rip roaring ride through drugs, prostituiton, and murder. Hold onto your hat.
September 25, 2017
Wendig is the ultimate expository writer-- no unnecessary words or phrases, just clean crisp writing to suck the reader into his stories. Atlanta is irreverent, snarky, and courageous. She is afraid of things, but determined to do what needs to be done. There's enough young teen angst and naivete to get her in trouble, but she has surprising allies to help when things are tough. I've loved this writer for quite awhile, and while he doesn't write "pretty" he writes raw, gritty, stories I wish my brain worked like his- I'm so jealous of how uses words to set a scene. Awesome.
August 21, 2025
I powered through this book in the space of an evening. You do have to have read Atlanta Burns to understand a lot of the interpersonal relationships, but it feels a lot better paced that the first book in the series which was a lot.
There's still a heck of a lot going on in this one, but the adults seem to have it a little bit more together (mostly, not entirely) and the ending is more hopeful than the first book in the series. I'd like to read more with Atlanta Burns, but she's been through enough trauma for more than a life time.
There's still a heck of a lot going on in this one, but the adults seem to have it a little bit more together (mostly, not entirely) and the ending is more hopeful than the first book in the series. I'd like to read more with Atlanta Burns, but she's been through enough trauma for more than a life time.
May 11, 2017
Love this series and Atlanta, even if it's really dark and brutal sometimes. This one was somewhat lighter than the first book, which I appreciated, although still about child rape and prostitution so, you know, NOT A LIGHT READ. However, it was nice to see Atlanta's life moderately improve. The ending felt a bit fast, but if there will be no more (which I'm not sure there will), I appreciate that things resolved in a better place and I could see a future for Atlanta as well.
July 3, 2017
While this was a fantastic sequel, it didn't quite reach the amazing quality that Atlanta Burns brought for me. We've still got Atlanta, and she's still kick-ass-amazing, but, I dunno. There was something about it that made me like it a little bit less.
Still, things are terrible and Atlanta has to go back to her vigilante justice-style of living--and this time the terrible things happening hit closer to home for Atlanta, which was an interesting dynamic. This terrible thing that was happening was something that Atlanta could relate to on a little more of a rawer level, and I appreciated that. I also appreciated the fact that, while I wouldn't be disappointed with more Atlanta Burns, this wrapped up nicely. This is the end of a story. It wraps everything up without being 'skipping into the sunset'--it shows a good future for the characters without being too kitschy.
Also, Guy remains my favorite. You know what I'd go for? A spin-off novel like, centered around Guy.
Overall, though, pretty good. Wendig continues to deliver.
Still, things are terrible and Atlanta has to go back to her vigilante justice-style of living--and this time the terrible things happening hit closer to home for Atlanta, which was an interesting dynamic. This terrible thing that was happening was something that Atlanta could relate to on a little more of a rawer level, and I appreciated that. I also appreciated the fact that, while I wouldn't be disappointed with more Atlanta Burns, this wrapped up nicely. This is the end of a story. It wraps everything up without being 'skipping into the sunset'--it shows a good future for the characters without being too kitschy.
Also, Guy remains my favorite. You know what I'd go for? A spin-off novel like, centered around Guy.
Overall, though, pretty good. Wendig continues to deliver.
March 12, 2017
I think I'd be enjoying books more if Atlanta had super-powers; something to explain why her life is a constant over-the-top mess and yet she always emerges both victorious and relatively unharmed. They're fun (in a bleak, depressing, the world-is-shit kind of way), but I honestly can't tell if the setting is meant to be tongue-in-cheek or not.
July 8, 2017
Another Winner!
Atlanta Burns is a kick ass hero teen. I almost didn't read the first book in the series because it was marketed as a YA novel. I'm glad that didn't let that stop me. I hope that Chuck Wendig plans on writing more novels in this series. I'm anxious to see Atlanta's life choices.
Atlanta Burns is a kick ass hero teen. I almost didn't read the first book in the series because it was marketed as a YA novel. I'm glad that didn't let that stop me. I hope that Chuck Wendig plans on writing more novels in this series. I'm anxious to see Atlanta's life choices.
July 22, 2017
I received a copy of this for free through Goodreads First Reads
I really enjoyed this YA novel. It's very different from other YA novels that I have read. Atlanta is one of the most fun characters I've encountered in a long time. Overall a very quick, easy, fun read.
I really enjoyed this YA novel. It's very different from other YA novels that I have read. Atlanta is one of the most fun characters I've encountered in a long time. Overall a very quick, easy, fun read.
September 13, 2017
A slick, engrossing, page-turning story. It also didn't give me as many queasy moments as the first one, which I appreciate. Although if a book can make you feel such visceral anger and loathing that the first one did, its a powerful one.
July 26, 2023
Atlanta Burns is like a comic book superhero or something, if that superhero were a teenage redhead with a thick Southern twang shooting things up in Pennsylvania. I really liked her arc with Arlene in this novel.
Also: This book took me one year, one month, and one day to read, and I didn’t even plan it like that.
Also: This book took me one year, one month, and one day to read, and I didn’t even plan it like that.
September 11, 2017
Great quick read
Another engaging book. 😁 I'm pleasantly surprised again by this series. The vigilante teenaged avenger keeps you flipping pages. Great read.
Another engaging book. 😁 I'm pleasantly surprised again by this series. The vigilante teenaged avenger keeps you flipping pages. Great read.
November 12, 2017
I needed to read something straight-forward and fun. Chuck Wendig can always be relied on for just that combination. I actually liked The Hunt even more than the first book.
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July 12, 2021
very good, not quite as intense as the first book
December 26, 2022
Entertaining.
September 14, 2025
Excellent, fast paced read, with plenty of bite. Classic Chuck Wendig!
June 10, 2024
Chuck Wendig does it again. I've been slowly working through his catalogue. While I read this to totally out of sequence, I'm totally amazed how much Wendig packed into one or two books. From a noir-ish teen heroine to a truly gritty plot, this book packs a punch in the best way possible!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 51 reviews