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Burn
The past Janeal thought had burned away is rising from the ashes.
Years ago, the Gypsy Kumpania where Janeal Mikkado lived was attacked by outsiders. With her best friend about to be consumed by a fire, Janeal had two options: try to save her friend--at serious risk to her own life--or disappear with the million dollars that she had just discovered . . .
But the past is quickly coming back to haunt her. Both the best friend and the boyfriend that she was sure were dead have reappeared in her life, as has someone who knows about the money. There's a debt to be paid for the money she found, but there's an even greater debt she must face--and if the chaff isn't burned from her own heart, it will consume her.
388 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
168 people are currently reading
3162 people want to read
About the author
Ted Dekker
192 books9,964 followersTed Dekker is known for novels that combine adrenaline-laced stories with unexpected plot twists, unforgettable characters, and incredible confrontations between good and evil. Ted lives in Austin with his wife LeeAnn and their four children.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 296 reviews
August 22, 2014
Seventeen year old Janeal Mikkado wants nothing more than to leave her gypsy home. Salazar Sanso apprehends her one day and coerces her into a deal - he will spare Janeal's father, who is making a deal with the DEA, if Janeal can find the $1million her father is hiding. This leads to a explosive confrontation which changes her life - along with the life of her boyfriend, Robert.
DNF at page 193; skimmed the rest.
NOTE: I received this through the Amazon Vine Program. Trust me, that didn't help the rating of this book AT ALL. Not even the fact my dad is a fan of Ted Dekker helped the rating of the book.
My dad is a big fan of Ted Dekker. I thought, "Well, Dad likes Ted Dekker, I should give him a try to!" I inherited my love of science fiction and fantasy from Dad - why not a love for Ted Dekker too?
Perhaps if I had tried one of Ted Dekker's solo books or one that Dad recommended, I may have had better luck. But the book I got, "Burn", didn't impress me. In fact, it did the opposite of impress me - it anti-impressed me. I tried years ago to read this, but could never get much past the first chapter because it was so boring. But this year, my goal is get through my backlog of Amazon Vine ARCs and unread books on my bookshelf, so I settled myself down and read this.
I actually found, once I powered through the beginning, it wasn't half bad. The problem comes when Part 1 finishes and Part 2 begins. Part 2 is simply SO SLOW and BORING - basically the opposite of burn (anti-burn? smoulder?). Characters just wander around on the page, having mindless repetitive conversations that go nowhere. It's incredibly dry and dull.
Not to mention, while I never liked any of the characters, I didn't start to actively dislike them until Part 2. Janeal is a selfish brat in Part 1, but can you blame her for wanting to get out from her dad's wing and want to make her own way in the world? Especially when her community ostracizes her for being only half-gypsy? (How come this point is never made me obvious? Oh, right, it's a Christian book; "good Christian women" listen to their Daddies until they get husbands. I FORGOT.) I can't. Sure, her METHOD of accepting Sanso's offer (after his combination kidnapping/blackmail/"Offer you can't refuse") isn't awesome, but she's young, naive, and stupid. I'll give it a pass.
Part 2, though, it's obvious that the authors think that any successful, ambitious woman is evil. Janeal works her way to the top of a ludicrous "All Angles" magazine - a magazine I have trouble believing could tread that miraculous line between accommodating BOTH conservatives and liberals. She is unhappy and discontent, and you can see that in the abusive boyfriend who likes BDSM (I was about to rage about ANOTHER asshole boyfriend who participated in BDSM, but Janeal tosses his ass to the ground THANK THE MAKER), the fact she drinks a lot, the fact she has no regard for anyone else's personal life (by calling her personal assistant on his day off, hanging up on him, then calling him back), the fact that she constantly has migraines.
Compare that to Katie, who is a burn victim with scars and no hair, who lives peaceably in a women's commune. She is passive and demure, out of the limelight, content with her life, gentle, and sweet - basically, a "good Christian woman".
I think Robert was meant to be a Love Interest, but I thought he was absolutely awful. He was supposedly Janeal's girlfriend, all the while his actions to Katie made it seem that he was potentially fooling around with her. At the very least, he was pulling along two women. NOT COOL.
As for the baddies - laughable. Needed Snidley Whiplash mustaches to make the image complete.
Other than the poor way women are treated (one woman is body shamed as being so skinny, she obviously doesn't enjoy life), the story is just BORING. It just doesn't go anywhere fast. And that is my biggest problem with this book. I could handle the characters, even if I hated them with a fiery passion, as long as the story had movement forward.
Perhaps Ted Dekkery/Erin Healy fans will like more; if you are new to either, I wouldn't recommend this as the first book you try.
DNF at page 193; skimmed the rest.
NOTE: I received this through the Amazon Vine Program. Trust me, that didn't help the rating of this book AT ALL. Not even the fact my dad is a fan of Ted Dekker helped the rating of the book.
My dad is a big fan of Ted Dekker. I thought, "Well, Dad likes Ted Dekker, I should give him a try to!" I inherited my love of science fiction and fantasy from Dad - why not a love for Ted Dekker too?
Perhaps if I had tried one of Ted Dekker's solo books or one that Dad recommended, I may have had better luck. But the book I got, "Burn", didn't impress me. In fact, it did the opposite of impress me - it anti-impressed me. I tried years ago to read this, but could never get much past the first chapter because it was so boring. But this year, my goal is get through my backlog of Amazon Vine ARCs and unread books on my bookshelf, so I settled myself down and read this.
I actually found, once I powered through the beginning, it wasn't half bad. The problem comes when Part 1 finishes and Part 2 begins. Part 2 is simply SO SLOW and BORING - basically the opposite of burn (anti-burn? smoulder?). Characters just wander around on the page, having mindless repetitive conversations that go nowhere. It's incredibly dry and dull.
Not to mention, while I never liked any of the characters, I didn't start to actively dislike them until Part 2. Janeal is a selfish brat in Part 1, but can you blame her for wanting to get out from her dad's wing and want to make her own way in the world? Especially when her community ostracizes her for being only half-gypsy? (How come this point is never made me obvious? Oh, right, it's a Christian book; "good Christian women" listen to their Daddies until they get husbands. I FORGOT.) I can't. Sure, her METHOD of accepting Sanso's offer (after his combination kidnapping/blackmail/"Offer you can't refuse") isn't awesome, but she's young, naive, and stupid. I'll give it a pass.
Part 2, though, it's obvious that the authors think that any successful, ambitious woman is evil. Janeal works her way to the top of a ludicrous "All Angles" magazine - a magazine I have trouble believing could tread that miraculous line between accommodating BOTH conservatives and liberals. She is unhappy and discontent, and you can see that in the abusive boyfriend who likes BDSM (I was about to rage about ANOTHER asshole boyfriend who participated in BDSM, but Janeal tosses his ass to the ground THANK THE MAKER), the fact she drinks a lot, the fact she has no regard for anyone else's personal life (by calling her personal assistant on his day off, hanging up on him, then calling him back), the fact that she constantly has migraines.
Compare that to Katie, who is a burn victim with scars and no hair, who lives peaceably in a women's commune. She is passive and demure, out of the limelight, content with her life, gentle, and sweet - basically, a "good Christian woman".
I think Robert was meant to be a Love Interest, but I thought he was absolutely awful. He was supposedly Janeal's girlfriend, all the while his actions to Katie made it seem that he was potentially fooling around with her. At the very least, he was pulling along two women. NOT COOL.
As for the baddies - laughable. Needed Snidley Whiplash mustaches to make the image complete.
Other than the poor way women are treated (one woman is body shamed as being so skinny, she obviously doesn't enjoy life), the story is just BORING. It just doesn't go anywhere fast. And that is my biggest problem with this book. I could handle the characters, even if I hated them with a fiery passion, as long as the story had movement forward.
Perhaps Ted Dekkery/Erin Healy fans will like more; if you are new to either, I wouldn't recommend this as the first book you try.
July 14, 2019
An interesting read with a good plot twist. But won't be reading it again though.
April 11, 2012
You know the saying… don’t judge a book by its cover? Well I usually do. Maybe it’s my artist sensibility, but good covers usually mean good books (because well published authors usually hire professional artists). This book has an incredibly appealing cover that gives you a sense of the duality and a character at odds. Let’s see what our reviewer thought.
Brought to you by OBS staff member Katlyn
http://openbooksociety.com/article/te...
Summary
The past Janeal thought had burned away is rising from the ashes.
Years ago, the Gypsy Kumpania where Janeal Mikkado lived was attacked by outsiders. With her best friend about to be consumed by a fire, Janeal had two options: try to save her friend–at serious risk to her own life–or disappear with the million dollars that she had just discovered . . .
But the past is quickly coming back to haunt her. Both the best friend and the boyfriend that she was sure were dead have reappeared in her life, as has someone who knows about the money. There’s a debt to be paid for the money she found, but there’s an even greater debt she must face–and if the chaff isn’t burned from her own heart, it will consume her.
Source: http://www.teddekker.com/
Review
Ted Dekker and Erin Healy join forces again after their co-author debut novel, Kiss. Dekker and Healy merged separate ideas into a cohesive novel full of suspense and the choices that people make to survive.
After reading the synopsis for Burn, I thought I had some general idea of where the book would go. I was wrong. These characters took me on a thrill ride that had me hooked until the last page.
The major theme of this novel was choices. The choice between right and wrong. And the choice between surviving and risking your life to save another. These just touch the tip of the iceberg the make up the difference choices that each of these characters face in the wake of a devastating tragedy.
The characters that Dekker and Healy seamlessly created were fantastically shaped. They were deep and complicated, but each were honest and true down to their soul. Janeal was responsible for so much pain and heartache at a young age that she turned into a hard, stubborn, and strong woman who had to make terms with the decision that has haunted her since that day. With the discovery of the two survivors, her best friend and boyfriend, Janeal sets off on a journey to attempt to exonerate herself from the many wrong-doing she committed. Robert and Katie each handled the tragedy in different ways and shaped their lives accordingly.
I don’t want to spoil too much of this book, but I highly recommend this adventure for the twists and turns that will make your head spin and keep you wanting more.
One thing I have to say that really resonated with me was the cover of this book. Before starting to read it, I was enticed by the visual of this woman who is seemed to be made up of fire and ice. You will just have to go out and get the book to understand the significance of this amazingly artistic cover.
http://openbooksociety.com/article/te...
Brought to you by OBS staff member Katlyn
http://openbooksociety.com/article/te...
Summary
The past Janeal thought had burned away is rising from the ashes.
Years ago, the Gypsy Kumpania where Janeal Mikkado lived was attacked by outsiders. With her best friend about to be consumed by a fire, Janeal had two options: try to save her friend–at serious risk to her own life–or disappear with the million dollars that she had just discovered . . .
But the past is quickly coming back to haunt her. Both the best friend and the boyfriend that she was sure were dead have reappeared in her life, as has someone who knows about the money. There’s a debt to be paid for the money she found, but there’s an even greater debt she must face–and if the chaff isn’t burned from her own heart, it will consume her.
Source: http://www.teddekker.com/
Review
Ted Dekker and Erin Healy join forces again after their co-author debut novel, Kiss. Dekker and Healy merged separate ideas into a cohesive novel full of suspense and the choices that people make to survive.
After reading the synopsis for Burn, I thought I had some general idea of where the book would go. I was wrong. These characters took me on a thrill ride that had me hooked until the last page.
The major theme of this novel was choices. The choice between right and wrong. And the choice between surviving and risking your life to save another. These just touch the tip of the iceberg the make up the difference choices that each of these characters face in the wake of a devastating tragedy.
The characters that Dekker and Healy seamlessly created were fantastically shaped. They were deep and complicated, but each were honest and true down to their soul. Janeal was responsible for so much pain and heartache at a young age that she turned into a hard, stubborn, and strong woman who had to make terms with the decision that has haunted her since that day. With the discovery of the two survivors, her best friend and boyfriend, Janeal sets off on a journey to attempt to exonerate herself from the many wrong-doing she committed. Robert and Katie each handled the tragedy in different ways and shaped their lives accordingly.
I don’t want to spoil too much of this book, but I highly recommend this adventure for the twists and turns that will make your head spin and keep you wanting more.
One thing I have to say that really resonated with me was the cover of this book. Before starting to read it, I was enticed by the visual of this woman who is seemed to be made up of fire and ice. You will just have to go out and get the book to understand the significance of this amazingly artistic cover.
http://openbooksociety.com/article/te...
July 31, 2015
Another amazing Dekker book, now with Erin Healy as Co-author. This book will make you want to choose the best of yourself.
Lectura increíble, si sabes tenerle paciencia.
Como una admiradora del trabajo de Dekker, a mi en lo muy particular me gusto mucho. Aunque tal vez el libro pudiera llegar a ser algo aburrido y lento para otras personas.
El libro habla mucho sobre las decisiones que tomamos, la forma en que las vemos...de forma moral, o practica...como una sola decisión puede afectar el resto que haremos en nuestras vidas, y como a pesar de eso puede llegar el arrepentimiento y las segundas oportunidades. También toca un poco el amor obsesivo que se puede tener por alguien.
Los personajes están muy bien pensados, a pesar de que tenemos dos lados opuestos completamente, Katie y Janeal, las dos de forma extraña se complementan. Y Robert es como la viva imagen de una persona común siempre a la deriva.
Creo que mi único problema es que hubo un momento en la historia como a la mitad de esta, en que las cosas se pusieron un poco aburridas, pero era necesario para poder entender el rumbo que toma la historia casi al final.
Como no es nada raro, en los libros de Dekker, siempre hay una super revelación que te hace cuestionar todo lo que ya habías leído, lo que te hace ver que sus historias están muy bien pensadas, y eso me gusta.
A partir de esa revelación tan intensa todo se vuelve implacable, y el final es muy bueno....
Dekker nos recuerda, de nuevo, que la bondad, al final siempre gana, esta ves de la mano de Erin Healy. Gran equipo, definitivamente leeré Beso, la otra novela que escribieron juntos.
En medio de todas tus malas decisiones, de tus malos pensamientos, de tus malas acciones, hay lugar para el arrepentimiento, para la paz interior que se alcanza con el y para la aceptación de los errores cometidos.
El dolor pasara. Arderá hasta que todo lo que quede sea lo único que importa: la mejor parte de ti, la única parte de ti misma que merece ser salvada.
La mejor parte.
La única parte.
El resto, los residuos, todo se consumirá en llamas.
Lectura increíble, si sabes tenerle paciencia.
Como una admiradora del trabajo de Dekker, a mi en lo muy particular me gusto mucho. Aunque tal vez el libro pudiera llegar a ser algo aburrido y lento para otras personas.
El libro habla mucho sobre las decisiones que tomamos, la forma en que las vemos...de forma moral, o practica...como una sola decisión puede afectar el resto que haremos en nuestras vidas, y como a pesar de eso puede llegar el arrepentimiento y las segundas oportunidades. También toca un poco el amor obsesivo que se puede tener por alguien.
Los personajes están muy bien pensados, a pesar de que tenemos dos lados opuestos completamente, Katie y Janeal, las dos de forma extraña se complementan. Y Robert es como la viva imagen de una persona común siempre a la deriva.
Creo que mi único problema es que hubo un momento en la historia como a la mitad de esta, en que las cosas se pusieron un poco aburridas, pero era necesario para poder entender el rumbo que toma la historia casi al final.
Como no es nada raro, en los libros de Dekker, siempre hay una super revelación que te hace cuestionar todo lo que ya habías leído, lo que te hace ver que sus historias están muy bien pensadas, y eso me gusta.
A partir de esa revelación tan intensa todo se vuelve implacable, y el final es muy bueno....
Dekker nos recuerda, de nuevo, que la bondad, al final siempre gana, esta ves de la mano de Erin Healy. Gran equipo, definitivamente leeré Beso, la otra novela que escribieron juntos.
En medio de todas tus malas decisiones, de tus malos pensamientos, de tus malas acciones, hay lugar para el arrepentimiento, para la paz interior que se alcanza con el y para la aceptación de los errores cometidos.
El dolor pasara. Arderá hasta que todo lo que quede sea lo único que importa: la mejor parte de ti, la única parte de ti misma que merece ser salvada.
La mejor parte.
La única parte.
El resto, los residuos, todo se consumirá en llamas.
May 10, 2010
In true Dekker style this book will have you on the edge of your seat as you flip the pages. ( I listened to this book on audio, so it had me gripping the steering wheel a little hard a points!) Much in the style of Thr3e by Dekker and Peretti, this book will have you guessing to the very end of what is going on and what will happen next. I have yet to find one of Dekker's books that is predictable. He seems to kill the people you think he will spare and swists the storyline in ways you never thought possible.
This thriller starts in the kumpania (community) of a Gypsy clan; but when love, money, and greed get the best of Janeal Mikkado the unthinkable happens. Not wanting to giveaway the story (not that I really could), I will stop before I say too much. I do have to say this book had a little bit more obvious faith message in it than most of the other Dekker books I have read. I don't know if that is an influence from Healy or not. I guess we will have to wait to read her first solo book Never Let You Go that came out the beginning of this month.
Reviewed by: Jeanette Blackson
This thriller starts in the kumpania (community) of a Gypsy clan; but when love, money, and greed get the best of Janeal Mikkado the unthinkable happens. Not wanting to giveaway the story (not that I really could), I will stop before I say too much. I do have to say this book had a little bit more obvious faith message in it than most of the other Dekker books I have read. I don't know if that is an influence from Healy or not. I guess we will have to wait to read her first solo book Never Let You Go that came out the beginning of this month.
Reviewed by: Jeanette Blackson
December 30, 2013
The latest tag-team effort from Dekker and Healy focuses on Janeal Mikkado, a young woman whose choices lead her to be faced with a life-or-death decision concerning her best friend...and what she does in that moment will alter the course of her life forever. Although conceptually intriguing, this book falls flat. The major ‘twist’ of this book is so improbable (and never fully explained) that it simply fails to hold together what little story there is.
April 10, 2010
Janeal is the manipulator, at first she denies what she is, and at first she telling the truth. But when circumstances spiral beyond her control, then she becomes what life forces to be. She learns quickly that looking out for herself needs to be her top priority. She believes that she's the only survivor from her father's Gypsy Kumpania.
Robert, Janeal's teen boyfriend, believes he is the only survivor from the massive fire and the destruction of their camp by the hands of drug lord Salazar Sanso. He has become the vengeance for the Kumpania. As a DEA agent, when he has the opportunity to capture Sanso, he'll go to any length to make it happen.
Katie, blinded by the fire that blazes for her everyday, has hidden herself away, thinking she too is the only survivor from the fall of the Gypsy camp. She's sightless and scarred, but far from helpless. She finds a place in the mountains and from there runs a halfway house for women, all the women who are in need help find Hope House.
Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy is an intriguing read, full of mystery, murder, and bad guys. Janeal (Jane/Janice) changes her name, educates herself (with Salazar's money) and becomes top dog at a major publishing house. She uses and abuses people to get where she's come to find to herself and she'll to almost anything to protect her new life and wealth. Money has become an important commodity her life. Robert gets a tip from the very man that destroyed his life that he's not the only survivor. Can Robert trust a murdering drug lord? When he stumbles upon Katie, the once unflawed beauty of the Kumpania, he believes this is the survivor that Sanso has alluded to. Little does he know that Janeal is orchestrating from depths in the background, determined to let nothing or no one disrupt the life she now leads. But there's something that no one knows, Katie may not be who she says she is, and who or what she is, is impossible to believe.
Burn was a fascinating read with twists, turns, manipulations, and misleading truths. Truthfully, at first I had trouble finding compassion for the characters. Janeal was a user, manipulator, and the only lesson from life she learned and kept true to is to look out for yourself. Robert, Janeal one time boyfriend, was falling out of love with her way back at the Kumpania, but refused to admit it, and I didn't know if he was afraid to quit wooing the leader's daughter or if he thought he could force her into becoming someone more like Katie who had no other ambitions other than the live in the camp the rest of her life. Of course all of his outlooks change after losing everyone and everything to the massive Kumpania fire. Katie was an innocent, I started out liking Katie, but even she had her faults. She was the redeeming character that saved the book for me, even if Robert was becoming fascinated with her while claiming to be there for Janeal. If you like mystery and intrigue, baffling twists of fate and faith, this is a must have book for you. It's exciting, fast paced, and even a little scary. I enjoyed the baffling mystery that the book turned out to be. It is a book that has to be read to believe.
Robert, Janeal's teen boyfriend, believes he is the only survivor from the massive fire and the destruction of their camp by the hands of drug lord Salazar Sanso. He has become the vengeance for the Kumpania. As a DEA agent, when he has the opportunity to capture Sanso, he'll go to any length to make it happen.
Katie, blinded by the fire that blazes for her everyday, has hidden herself away, thinking she too is the only survivor from the fall of the Gypsy camp. She's sightless and scarred, but far from helpless. She finds a place in the mountains and from there runs a halfway house for women, all the women who are in need help find Hope House.
Burn by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy is an intriguing read, full of mystery, murder, and bad guys. Janeal (Jane/Janice) changes her name, educates herself (with Salazar's money) and becomes top dog at a major publishing house. She uses and abuses people to get where she's come to find to herself and she'll to almost anything to protect her new life and wealth. Money has become an important commodity her life. Robert gets a tip from the very man that destroyed his life that he's not the only survivor. Can Robert trust a murdering drug lord? When he stumbles upon Katie, the once unflawed beauty of the Kumpania, he believes this is the survivor that Sanso has alluded to. Little does he know that Janeal is orchestrating from depths in the background, determined to let nothing or no one disrupt the life she now leads. But there's something that no one knows, Katie may not be who she says she is, and who or what she is, is impossible to believe.
Burn was a fascinating read with twists, turns, manipulations, and misleading truths. Truthfully, at first I had trouble finding compassion for the characters. Janeal was a user, manipulator, and the only lesson from life she learned and kept true to is to look out for yourself. Robert, Janeal one time boyfriend, was falling out of love with her way back at the Kumpania, but refused to admit it, and I didn't know if he was afraid to quit wooing the leader's daughter or if he thought he could force her into becoming someone more like Katie who had no other ambitions other than the live in the camp the rest of her life. Of course all of his outlooks change after losing everyone and everything to the massive Kumpania fire. Katie was an innocent, I started out liking Katie, but even she had her faults. She was the redeeming character that saved the book for me, even if Robert was becoming fascinated with her while claiming to be there for Janeal. If you like mystery and intrigue, baffling twists of fate and faith, this is a must have book for you. It's exciting, fast paced, and even a little scary. I enjoyed the baffling mystery that the book turned out to be. It is a book that has to be read to believe.
December 15, 2023
considered giving it 3 stars, but parts of this were exceedingly frustrating that it didn’t feel justified
April 7, 2010
Burn is a thrilling and unusual suspense novel with page-turning pace and a supernatural twist that I really didn't see coming. It's also my first Ted Dekker novel and although I was unaware at the time of reading, my first foray into Christian suspense. While the story drew me in from the first page, I wasn't able to make the emotional connection with the characters I had hoped for. The intensity and intricacies of the plot carried me through the pages to the totally unexpected and thematic ending.
I found Janeal to be an unlikeable protaganist and I think that may possibly be because the authors intended the reader to feel a little uncomfortable with the decisions Janeal made. Janeal's best friend Katie is much more relatable, as is her boyfriend Robert but once again, this may have been because I found their life choices more palatable. The antagonist, drug lord Sanso is the ultimate bad guy with no redeeming qualities whatsoever but fittingly evil. On a whole, the characters are strong and complex, but individually they're not as compelling as I would have liked.
Burn had an intense thematic undercurrent that got me thinking about the message the authors were trying to convey. Burn is about choices, about life-altering decisions and the consequences that arise from those decisions. Decisions that must ultimately be faced, no matter how far or fast you run or how well you hide from them initially. It's about the capacity we all have for loyalty or betrayal. If choices were presented as purely good or evil then the choice for Janeal may have been easier but as in life, this novel explores the grey area in between. The cover of Burn is striking and the significance is clear after reading the novel.
I found Janeal to be an unlikeable protaganist and I think that may possibly be because the authors intended the reader to feel a little uncomfortable with the decisions Janeal made. Janeal's best friend Katie is much more relatable, as is her boyfriend Robert but once again, this may have been because I found their life choices more palatable. The antagonist, drug lord Sanso is the ultimate bad guy with no redeeming qualities whatsoever but fittingly evil. On a whole, the characters are strong and complex, but individually they're not as compelling as I would have liked.
Burn had an intense thematic undercurrent that got me thinking about the message the authors were trying to convey. Burn is about choices, about life-altering decisions and the consequences that arise from those decisions. Decisions that must ultimately be faced, no matter how far or fast you run or how well you hide from them initially. It's about the capacity we all have for loyalty or betrayal. If choices were presented as purely good or evil then the choice for Janeal may have been easier but as in life, this novel explores the grey area in between. The cover of Burn is striking and the significance is clear after reading the novel.
January 15, 2010
I won this book to write a review, I probably would have never chosen this book on my own. It is labeled as "fiction Christian suspense." The first part of the story ends when a resident camp is destroyed by a fire set by a drug lord. Fearing for the safety of survivors, the authorities say all were killed. The rest of the book tells how the survivors evade the drug lord and reunite. This was an o.k. book - nothing great, not bad.
May 13, 2016
Definitely not my favorite Dekker book.
December 26, 2021
My feelings are a bit mixed...
The cover is not only eye-catchingly stunning, but it turns out to suit the story theme itself in ways I rarely see achieved with cover designs. The theme focuses heavily on the dual nature of humanity (good vs. evil/benevolent vs. self-serving), and to some extent, the dual nature of fire (destruction vs. refining.)
The story itself is told primarily from the POV of Janeal... though it alternates some with her prologue boyfriend, Robert, her best friend Katie, and even a bit here and there with the villain. The setup is a bit slow, and it's difficult to connect with the characters--Janeal being especially unsympathetic, tragic backstory aside. Robert comes off as largely bland, and Katie is painfully demure. So it was more out of interest in the plot that I kept reading.
Having not really cared for another collaboration between the same authors, I was really hoping this one would pan out more favorably. But I'm sorry to say I cared far more about certain characters receiving some come-uppance than I did about cheering for the protagonists. There were some vivid descriptions, keenly relevant commentary on news media, and the bit of touching on Roma culture was interesting... but the pacing was slow throughout most of it, the twist was arrived at pretty easily, and much of the emotional conveyance didn't strike quite right to be believable.
I might need to give one of the co-author's solo works a read, just to be fair.
The cover is not only eye-catchingly stunning, but it turns out to suit the story theme itself in ways I rarely see achieved with cover designs. The theme focuses heavily on the dual nature of humanity (good vs. evil/benevolent vs. self-serving), and to some extent, the dual nature of fire (destruction vs. refining.)
The story itself is told primarily from the POV of Janeal... though it alternates some with her prologue boyfriend, Robert, her best friend Katie, and even a bit here and there with the villain. The setup is a bit slow, and it's difficult to connect with the characters--Janeal being especially unsympathetic, tragic backstory aside. Robert comes off as largely bland, and Katie is painfully demure. So it was more out of interest in the plot that I kept reading.
Having not really cared for another collaboration between the same authors, I was really hoping this one would pan out more favorably. But I'm sorry to say I cared far more about certain characters receiving some come-uppance than I did about cheering for the protagonists. There were some vivid descriptions, keenly relevant commentary on news media, and the bit of touching on Roma culture was interesting... but the pacing was slow throughout most of it, the twist was arrived at pretty easily, and much of the emotional conveyance didn't strike quite right to be believable.
I might need to give one of the co-author's solo works a read, just to be fair.
April 11, 2021
Very intense, jaw-dropping read. A paranormal tale of choices, one Judas, the other John.
November 25, 2015
Janeal Mikkado grew up as an interloper in her families Gypsy Kumpania, because her mother was white. The fact that her father is their leader is probably the only reason she is tolerated. When she meets Salazar Sanso, a powerful criminal mastermind, she is pulled into his web of greed, and deceit. Sanso wants Janeal to steal a million dollars her father has in cash, given to him by the DEA to turn over Sanso. In exchange he will spare her fathers life. He doesn't care about the money itself, he has plenty, but it's counterfeit, and he doesn't need anyone, especially the DEA (who stole the money from him) finding out about his money making operations. When Janeal decides that money is exactly what she needs to leave her Kumpania behind, and start over, Sanso does not take this lightly. He burns their entire camp killing everyone there, over one hundred people. Sanso traps Janeal, her bff Katie, and her father in their community building, kills her father in front of her, and leaves the two girls to die. Janeal must make the decision to rescue her friend, knowing that neither will make it out, or leave her friend behind, grab the hidden money and run.
Burn ended up being totally unexpected. You know how you usually have a good idea about where a book is going, maybe a few twists and turns along the way but the general idea.. I thought I knew with Burn. I can't even give a hint to the surprise without giving away too much. I only gave it 3 stars because it was only a 3 star book in my opinion. I wasn't attached to any of the characters, and didn't really care how/where they ended up. It's just that where they ended up was surprising. That doesn't mean that I won't look at Dekker's other books after reading this one.
***Spoilers***
This is where it gets twisted, because Janeal does choose to save herself, and the money over the life of her friend Katie. Everyone in the camp dies, and she approaches Sanso one last time with an offer he can't refuse. She wants to make an even trade, his one million counterfeit dollars, for one million clean money. He agrees, and they make a deal not to seek each other out in the future. Fifteen years goes by, and Janeal has made quite the life for herself in New York. She took the million and is now worth much more. Her entire life is thrown sideways when she sees her ex boyfriend, Robert, who should have died in the fire, working for the DEA on the biggest capture of his career, Salazar Sanso. She is worried that Sanso will give her up, and he tries by telling Robert that he isn't the only living survivor. Robert goes searching for any burn victims brought in in the area that lived, and finds Katie, badly burned, blind, and running a halfway house for women. It turns out though that Janeal was given two choices during the fire, one of her chose wrong, and the one who chose right didn't save Katie in the end, but has been living as her since. There are two Janeals, the good, and the bad. In the end of the book, Sanso strikes again, and Janeal is forced again to make the decision to save herself or Katie (good Janeal). This last time she does the right thing, but doesn't live through it. Katie is then awarded everything Janeal owned, allowing her to keep continue helping women in need.
Burn ended up being totally unexpected. You know how you usually have a good idea about where a book is going, maybe a few twists and turns along the way but the general idea.. I thought I knew with Burn. I can't even give a hint to the surprise without giving away too much. I only gave it 3 stars because it was only a 3 star book in my opinion. I wasn't attached to any of the characters, and didn't really care how/where they ended up. It's just that where they ended up was surprising. That doesn't mean that I won't look at Dekker's other books after reading this one.
***Spoilers***
This is where it gets twisted, because Janeal does choose to save herself, and the money over the life of her friend Katie. Everyone in the camp dies, and she approaches Sanso one last time with an offer he can't refuse. She wants to make an even trade, his one million counterfeit dollars, for one million clean money. He agrees, and they make a deal not to seek each other out in the future. Fifteen years goes by, and Janeal has made quite the life for herself in New York. She took the million and is now worth much more. Her entire life is thrown sideways when she sees her ex boyfriend, Robert, who should have died in the fire, working for the DEA on the biggest capture of his career, Salazar Sanso. She is worried that Sanso will give her up, and he tries by telling Robert that he isn't the only living survivor. Robert goes searching for any burn victims brought in in the area that lived, and finds Katie, badly burned, blind, and running a halfway house for women. It turns out though that Janeal was given two choices during the fire, one of her chose wrong, and the one who chose right didn't save Katie in the end, but has been living as her since. There are two Janeals, the good, and the bad. In the end of the book, Sanso strikes again, and Janeal is forced again to make the decision to save herself or Katie (good Janeal). This last time she does the right thing, but doesn't live through it. Katie is then awarded everything Janeal owned, allowing her to keep continue helping women in need.
July 30, 2024
Burn is a novel that has the classic Ted Dekker formula — fast-paced action, supernatural plot twists, characters with complex motivations — but somehow manages to make those elements boring and unsatisfying. Burn has its moments of greatness, but overall, it never achieves the incinerating excitement the plot demands.
As a teenager, Janeal Mikkado is the daughter of the leader of a band of Roma Gypsies in Santa Fe, and she is unexpectedly contacted by enigmatic drug lord Salazar Sanso to help him retrieve one million dollars of counterfeit money before her father makes an ill-fated deal with the DEA. Janeal makes a terrible choice and absconds with the money as Sanso burns her entire camp to the ground, believing that she is the only survivor of the inferno. However, fifteen years later, Janeal, armed with a new identity as a powerful newspaper executive, discovers that Sanso has been captured by a DEA agent who happens to be her old boyfriend Robert Lukin, another survivor of the Mikkado Massacre. As Janeal tries to ensure her own safety by dealing with both Sanso and Robert, she encounters yet another survivor of the massacre: Katie Morgon, her former best friend whom she left to die the blaze. Her friends' survival, however, is nothing compared to the shocking truths Janeal will learn about herself the longer she fights to preserve her own safety.
I tried to read Burn back in 2015, then again in 2022, but I always got bored with the second act of the book and didn't finish it. I got bored during the second act this time, too, but I pushed through because I really wanted to see if it got any better. As with all Ted Dekker novels, Burn has an intriguing concept and some really exciting moments, particularly in the first act of the novel. Dekker (and his co-writer Erin Healy) do an excellent job of building suspense through the palpably hot atmosphere and the tense relationships, but that suspense fizzles out once we jump fifteen years into the future. The rest of the book seems to be building to a dazzling conclusion that will mirror the first half, but Dekker and Healy do not quite deliver, finishing with a rushed conclusion that doesn't feel satisfying.
The three main characters — Janeal, Katie, and Robert — do not quite reach their full potential but are actually well-developed for the most part. Janeal is the most complex character in the book, constantly struggling with her own deep-rooted flaws while not being willing to give up what she values most (success) in order to do the right thing. Her journey is interesting and keeps Burn from being completely boring, . Robert is strong as well as the DEA agent obsessed with tracking down Sanso and then losing his purpose once Sanso is caught; Robert's strength dwindles, however, when he encounters Katie and starts questioning everything he has ever known. I never could quite connect with Katie, mainly because she seems to have no personality flaws (except, of course, for her past). She is a good example of righteousness and forgiveness, but her chapters seem to drag on in a repetitive cycle of conversations.
That's the primary problem with Burn: everything after 100 pages or so revolves around the same few plot points without going anywhere. Also, as usual for Ted Dekker's works, the novel builds up to one singular spectacular twist — but the twist is revealed halfway through the book with no further developments, and it's so easy to guess that I was actually thinking, "Is this really all there is?" So many questions are raised but never even addressed, which frustrated me to no end.
The dynamic between Janeal and Salazar Sanso is what redeems Burn, in my opinion. Dekker and Healy really turn up the heat with the sizzling attraction between this hardened drug lord and the woman he becomes fascinated with. Their dynamic is fresh, exciting, and easily the most entertaining aspect of the book. I do love a good villain-hero romance, even when it's as twisted as this one. I also love the amount of suspenseful atmosphere the authors generate, even in boring stretches of story, as well as some of the clever plot developments and what Dekker and Healy describe as "a battle between the light and dark halves of a heart."
Even though I liked the overall concept and some dynamics, there were a lot of other things about Burn that bugged me. Dekker and Healy really struggle with writing dialogue that sounds realistic, as it usually comes off as kitschy banter or heavy-handed symbolism. Lots of side characters are introduced — Milan Finch, Brian Hoffer, Alan Greenbrook, Harlan Woodman — but never play a role in the actual story, and Callista Ramirez, who could have been such an interesting character, gets some of the worst characterization I've ever seen. The plot moves unbelievably slowly for 2/3 of the book, then rushes the conclusion to an unforgivable degree, with no real resolution for any of the characters. Even with the slow-moving plot with occasional bursts of action, I could have gotten into the story more if we could have had some real emotionally-charged scenes, but many the interactions feel surface-level and forced.
I almost hesitate to even classify Burn as a Christian novel, since the faith-based aspects of this story are so scarce you could easily overlook them. Katie is a Christian and runs a halfway house that uses biblical counseling, but other than a few minor speeches from her, Dekker ad Healy do not emphasize any Christian theology or messages. In fact, the big plot twist results in a bit of a Christian conundrum: Maybe I missed some fantastically deep Christian message in Burn, but Dekker usually handles his religious overtones much more carefully.
Burn isn't a bad book, per se — it's actually very interesting if you are looking for something slower-paced but full of suspenseful flair. Dekker and Healy play off the myth of the Phoenix and the story of Grand Duchess Anastasia in some ways, but their combined writing style just isn't strong enough to carry a plot that could have been so complex and nuanced. I wish I liked Burn better: I feel like a traitor rating my man Ted Dekker's work at only three stars.
As a teenager, Janeal Mikkado is the daughter of the leader of a band of Roma Gypsies in Santa Fe, and she is unexpectedly contacted by enigmatic drug lord Salazar Sanso to help him retrieve one million dollars of counterfeit money before her father makes an ill-fated deal with the DEA. Janeal makes a terrible choice and absconds with the money as Sanso burns her entire camp to the ground, believing that she is the only survivor of the inferno. However, fifteen years later, Janeal, armed with a new identity as a powerful newspaper executive, discovers that Sanso has been captured by a DEA agent who happens to be her old boyfriend Robert Lukin, another survivor of the Mikkado Massacre. As Janeal tries to ensure her own safety by dealing with both Sanso and Robert, she encounters yet another survivor of the massacre: Katie Morgon, her former best friend whom she left to die the blaze. Her friends' survival, however, is nothing compared to the shocking truths Janeal will learn about herself the longer she fights to preserve her own safety.
I tried to read Burn back in 2015, then again in 2022, but I always got bored with the second act of the book and didn't finish it. I got bored during the second act this time, too, but I pushed through because I really wanted to see if it got any better. As with all Ted Dekker novels, Burn has an intriguing concept and some really exciting moments, particularly in the first act of the novel. Dekker (and his co-writer Erin Healy) do an excellent job of building suspense through the palpably hot atmosphere and the tense relationships, but that suspense fizzles out once we jump fifteen years into the future. The rest of the book seems to be building to a dazzling conclusion that will mirror the first half, but Dekker and Healy do not quite deliver, finishing with a rushed conclusion that doesn't feel satisfying.
The three main characters — Janeal, Katie, and Robert — do not quite reach their full potential but are actually well-developed for the most part. Janeal is the most complex character in the book, constantly struggling with her own deep-rooted flaws while not being willing to give up what she values most (success) in order to do the right thing. Her journey is interesting and keeps Burn from being completely boring, . Robert is strong as well as the DEA agent obsessed with tracking down Sanso and then losing his purpose once Sanso is caught; Robert's strength dwindles, however, when he encounters Katie and starts questioning everything he has ever known. I never could quite connect with Katie, mainly because she seems to have no personality flaws (except, of course, for her past). She is a good example of righteousness and forgiveness, but her chapters seem to drag on in a repetitive cycle of conversations.
That's the primary problem with Burn: everything after 100 pages or so revolves around the same few plot points without going anywhere. Also, as usual for Ted Dekker's works, the novel builds up to one singular spectacular twist — but the twist is revealed halfway through the book with no further developments, and it's so easy to guess that I was actually thinking, "Is this really all there is?" So many questions are raised but never even addressed, which frustrated me to no end.
The dynamic between Janeal and Salazar Sanso is what redeems Burn, in my opinion. Dekker and Healy really turn up the heat with the sizzling attraction between this hardened drug lord and the woman he becomes fascinated with. Their dynamic is fresh, exciting, and easily the most entertaining aspect of the book. I do love a good villain-hero romance, even when it's as twisted as this one. I also love the amount of suspenseful atmosphere the authors generate, even in boring stretches of story, as well as some of the clever plot developments and what Dekker and Healy describe as "a battle between the light and dark halves of a heart."
Even though I liked the overall concept and some dynamics, there were a lot of other things about Burn that bugged me. Dekker and Healy really struggle with writing dialogue that sounds realistic, as it usually comes off as kitschy banter or heavy-handed symbolism. Lots of side characters are introduced — Milan Finch, Brian Hoffer, Alan Greenbrook, Harlan Woodman — but never play a role in the actual story, and Callista Ramirez, who could have been such an interesting character, gets some of the worst characterization I've ever seen. The plot moves unbelievably slowly for 2/3 of the book, then rushes the conclusion to an unforgivable degree, with no real resolution for any of the characters. Even with the slow-moving plot with occasional bursts of action, I could have gotten into the story more if we could have had some real emotionally-charged scenes, but many the interactions feel surface-level and forced.
I almost hesitate to even classify Burn as a Christian novel, since the faith-based aspects of this story are so scarce you could easily overlook them. Katie is a Christian and runs a halfway house that uses biblical counseling, but other than a few minor speeches from her, Dekker ad Healy do not emphasize any Christian theology or messages. In fact, the big plot twist results in a bit of a Christian conundrum: Maybe I missed some fantastically deep Christian message in Burn, but Dekker usually handles his religious overtones much more carefully.
Burn isn't a bad book, per se — it's actually very interesting if you are looking for something slower-paced but full of suspenseful flair. Dekker and Healy play off the myth of the Phoenix and the story of Grand Duchess Anastasia in some ways, but their combined writing style just isn't strong enough to carry a plot that could have been so complex and nuanced. I wish I liked Burn better: I feel like a traitor rating my man Ted Dekker's work at only three stars.
February 4, 2022
I am always reluctant to categorize Ted Dekker as a “Christian author” because this tends to close off a good many readers who are not eager to read preachy novels. This is not the best Ted Dekker novel I have read but, as usual, Dekker does a fair job of presenting moral dilemmas in a manner that makes one think without feeling “God shoved down one’s throat” – this title seems to ride that line of “preachy” more than some of his other titles. Maybe the “not his best” verdict comes because I am not clear on Healy’s artistic voice: I have not read the first novel that he wrote with Erin Healy, Kiss , and her first solo novel will publish in May 2010.
I continue to recommend Dekker novels, especially Thr3e, House, and Adam , to older teens. The combination of thriller with good vs. evil messages is a unique one and it is nice knowing that one can safely recommend an author of thrillers knowing that the gore will not be excessive and the underlying message is what resonates in the end.
One of my favorite reader's advisory stories is when I was helping a mom of a high-school sophomore find new reads for her son. As I showed her some popular and classic teen titles, I learned that the mom was struggling in finding books that represented their Christian values but that her son would still read. So I said “Let me tell you about an adult author whose books cross over well for older teens.” I went into my Dekker-spiel (it starts with “he is a Christian author but let me expand on that a bit”) and the mom got quieter and quieter. I paused and said, “Is it sounding like your son would not enjoy this type of book?” And the mom said “No, that is not it. My husband and I found one of his books in my son’s room. I read the back and the first chapter and then we grounded him because the book was obviously full of violence – he knows we don’t allow him to view those types of books and movies. My son claimed he saw the book in the Christian book store and then borrowed it from a friend – we didn’t believe him.” The mom quickly excused herself and went to the other side of the library where her son was watching his younger sibling in the picture book area. I watched their exchange from a distance … then, before they left, the son came up and thanked me for telling her about Dekker. I was absolutely thrilled I got to “rescue” this teen and help mother and son come to a peace about his reading selection!
I continue to recommend Dekker novels, especially Thr3e, House, and Adam , to older teens. The combination of thriller with good vs. evil messages is a unique one and it is nice knowing that one can safely recommend an author of thrillers knowing that the gore will not be excessive and the underlying message is what resonates in the end.
One of my favorite reader's advisory stories is when I was helping a mom of a high-school sophomore find new reads for her son. As I showed her some popular and classic teen titles, I learned that the mom was struggling in finding books that represented their Christian values but that her son would still read. So I said “Let me tell you about an adult author whose books cross over well for older teens.” I went into my Dekker-spiel (it starts with “he is a Christian author but let me expand on that a bit”) and the mom got quieter and quieter. I paused and said, “Is it sounding like your son would not enjoy this type of book?” And the mom said “No, that is not it. My husband and I found one of his books in my son’s room. I read the back and the first chapter and then we grounded him because the book was obviously full of violence – he knows we don’t allow him to view those types of books and movies. My son claimed he saw the book in the Christian book store and then borrowed it from a friend – we didn’t believe him.” The mom quickly excused herself and went to the other side of the library where her son was watching his younger sibling in the picture book area. I watched their exchange from a distance … then, before they left, the son came up and thanked me for telling her about Dekker. I was absolutely thrilled I got to “rescue” this teen and help mother and son come to a peace about his reading selection!
March 1, 2010
I didn't know this was considered Christian fiction until just recently and I never noticed the fact that Thomas Nelson was a Christian publisher. I don't read a lot of Christian fiction, again not for any particular reason. I read books based on my interest in the synopsis, and this one definitely grabbed my attention. However, I didn't get a real sense of the Christian faith or religion while reading. There is some reference to God but I personally felt it was more of a spirtual thing for the characters. Anywho, I don't want the fact that BURN was put in this genre to discourage those who are wary of it. The suspense/thriller aspect of the book was very entertaining and enjoyable!
But I must say I didn't enjoy BURN as much as I was hoping for. While there was plenty of fast-paced action in the story, I found myself lacking a real connection with the main character Janeal Mikkado. And the huge twist/climax in the plot (which I can't reveal to you) kinda threw me off kilter. It's hard to discuss without giving things away. I will say the idea of this book is entirely unique, at least to me, but something I had trouble accepting.
Janeal Mikkado, along with the other characters, are first introduced when she's a teenager living with her gypsy kumpania (or community) as an outsider. She has this longing to explore the world and get far away from the people she's been around her entire life. But her boyfriend, father, and best friend don't really see things the way Janeal does. After a dark, handsome, and mysterious man comes into her life claiming the only way to save Janeal's father is to betray him... Janeal is faced with a decision that will forever alter her life. A decision that will forever haunt her no matter how hard she tries to run from it.
I didn't want to give much more of the plot away so I'll leave it at that. I'd definitely say give this one a go if your a suspense/thriller kind of reader. I don't know how this book holds up to Ted Dekker's other books however.
But I must say I didn't enjoy BURN as much as I was hoping for. While there was plenty of fast-paced action in the story, I found myself lacking a real connection with the main character Janeal Mikkado. And the huge twist/climax in the plot (which I can't reveal to you) kinda threw me off kilter. It's hard to discuss without giving things away. I will say the idea of this book is entirely unique, at least to me, but something I had trouble accepting.
Janeal Mikkado, along with the other characters, are first introduced when she's a teenager living with her gypsy kumpania (or community) as an outsider. She has this longing to explore the world and get far away from the people she's been around her entire life. But her boyfriend, father, and best friend don't really see things the way Janeal does. After a dark, handsome, and mysterious man comes into her life claiming the only way to save Janeal's father is to betray him... Janeal is faced with a decision that will forever alter her life. A decision that will forever haunt her no matter how hard she tries to run from it.
I didn't want to give much more of the plot away so I'll leave it at that. I'd definitely say give this one a go if your a suspense/thriller kind of reader. I don't know how this book holds up to Ted Dekker's other books however.
February 6, 2010
This book is fast paced, and action packed with a touch of the supernatural thrown in to heighten the suspense. It is in a genre I don’t usually read, Christian Suspense. For me it was a relief that the first mention of a Christian precept didn’t appear until about halfway through the book.
Jeneal Mikkado, is a 17 year-old member of a gypsy ‘kumpania’ (community). She is thrust in the middle of a struggle between her father who is the leader of the camp and a drug kingpin, Salazar Sanso. A fire breaks out at the camp when Sanso confronts her father about his double dealing with the DEA. Jeneal is forced to make a wrenching decision in the midst of scenes of a violent massacre. Everyone is led to believe that there are no survivors of the night’s violence.
Fast forward fifteen years. Jeneal built a new life for herself under an assumed name using money she wrested from Sanso the night of the inferno. But she hasn’t found peace in the ensuing years. She is thrown back into chaos when Robert, the boyfriend she thought had perished in the fire, captures Sanso during a DEA bust. Without giving away all the plot twists, from here on out it is a fast and bumpy ride for everyone involved.
Evil, in the form of Sanso, is drawn with a heavy hand. He’s a character with no redeeming qualities. Jeneal struggles with her ongoing attraction to him when they meet again after his arrest. Ultimately, she’s given a chance to make a different decision than the one she made on the night of the massacre. Will she choose the dark or the light this time? The storyline was engaging and kept my interest throughout. However, I wish the story wasn’t drawn so starkly in black and white; evil versus good. I believe that for most people the choice would be easy if the only options presented were good or evil. It’s those gray areas in between that are harder to sort out.
Jeneal Mikkado, is a 17 year-old member of a gypsy ‘kumpania’ (community). She is thrust in the middle of a struggle between her father who is the leader of the camp and a drug kingpin, Salazar Sanso. A fire breaks out at the camp when Sanso confronts her father about his double dealing with the DEA. Jeneal is forced to make a wrenching decision in the midst of scenes of a violent massacre. Everyone is led to believe that there are no survivors of the night’s violence.
Fast forward fifteen years. Jeneal built a new life for herself under an assumed name using money she wrested from Sanso the night of the inferno. But she hasn’t found peace in the ensuing years. She is thrown back into chaos when Robert, the boyfriend she thought had perished in the fire, captures Sanso during a DEA bust. Without giving away all the plot twists, from here on out it is a fast and bumpy ride for everyone involved.
Evil, in the form of Sanso, is drawn with a heavy hand. He’s a character with no redeeming qualities. Jeneal struggles with her ongoing attraction to him when they meet again after his arrest. Ultimately, she’s given a chance to make a different decision than the one she made on the night of the massacre. Will she choose the dark or the light this time? The storyline was engaging and kept my interest throughout. However, I wish the story wasn’t drawn so starkly in black and white; evil versus good. I believe that for most people the choice would be easy if the only options presented were good or evil. It’s those gray areas in between that are harder to sort out.
August 31, 2013
I must stop buying books for their covers.
This book dragged. As a rule, Ted Dekker is usually not my style, but the cover was just so damn beautiful I had to buy it. Plus, it was on clearance at Mardel. But when I got to reading it, this book was like dead weight. The beginning was infuriatingly sexist, with the Gypsies not believing in showing anything below the waist (including feet). Doesn't stop them from fornicating like rabbits, but it's still "taboo" to see. The second part of the book was mind-numbing and full of paranoia. The third part was actually entertaining, which brought it from 2 stars to 3.
Janeal was a hardcore bitch. At no point up until the end do I even remotely like her. She's selfish, rude and trifling.
Robert I think I kind of fell in love with. Well, in the second part and on, I did. In the beginning, when he was a teen, I found him grating and cold. He turns out to be a really stand-up guy with a big, soft heart, and I wanted to just give him a big kiss and tell him everything would be okay.
Katie was almost too perfect to be true, despite being blind and disfigured. You could tell it wasn't an act, and she was pretty genuine in her kindness, but it got old fast.
The plot was dull. There's a crazy drug lord, people living in hiding and a whole lot of guilt flying around. Most of the book was Janeal manipulating everyone around her into doing whatever she wants them to do, like her own little flying monkeys. It wasn't until the end, when the shooting started, that I actually kind of woke up and went, "Oh! Nice!"
The book is supposed to teach us kindness and selflessness and love. And to praise God for what we have. I appreciate all of its intent; it was just boring. This was another I finished just because I despise leaving books unfinished.
This book dragged. As a rule, Ted Dekker is usually not my style, but the cover was just so damn beautiful I had to buy it. Plus, it was on clearance at Mardel. But when I got to reading it, this book was like dead weight. The beginning was infuriatingly sexist, with the Gypsies not believing in showing anything below the waist (including feet). Doesn't stop them from fornicating like rabbits, but it's still "taboo" to see. The second part of the book was mind-numbing and full of paranoia. The third part was actually entertaining, which brought it from 2 stars to 3.
Janeal was a hardcore bitch. At no point up until the end do I even remotely like her. She's selfish, rude and trifling.
Robert I think I kind of fell in love with. Well, in the second part and on, I did. In the beginning, when he was a teen, I found him grating and cold. He turns out to be a really stand-up guy with a big, soft heart, and I wanted to just give him a big kiss and tell him everything would be okay.
Katie was almost too perfect to be true, despite being blind and disfigured. You could tell it wasn't an act, and she was pretty genuine in her kindness, but it got old fast.
The plot was dull. There's a crazy drug lord, people living in hiding and a whole lot of guilt flying around. Most of the book was Janeal manipulating everyone around her into doing whatever she wants them to do, like her own little flying monkeys. It wasn't until the end, when the shooting started, that I actually kind of woke up and went, "Oh! Nice!"
The book is supposed to teach us kindness and selflessness and love. And to praise God for what we have. I appreciate all of its intent; it was just boring. This was another I finished just because I despise leaving books unfinished.
February 9, 2011
Ambition, envy, betrayal, jealousy, and greed - all active and well in each persons heart are allowed to run free in the main character of Burn, the newest novel by Ted Dekker and Erin Healy.
Janeal Mikkado is young and ambitious. Only 17 when the book opens, Janeal is confronted with a choice that later shapes her life and impacts every other person she loves.
She makes an unwise choice. Her heart is not in check and she chooses money over her family, her friends, and her own life. She leaves her friend to die in a fire and walks away to start a new life with a new name.
For fifteen years, Janeal pursues every imaginable idea or dream she wants. But, her life is about to change. When she learns that the person she thought she left to die in the fire, Katy Morgan, actually survived, she sets out to secure her new life by whatever means possible.
"There are two chambers in every heart, one for Judas and one for John. One must be driven out or both will die."
What follows is what I've come to expect from Ted Dekker. His work makes the almost imaginable believable and weaves the essence of truth throughout. This is the second novel from Ted Dekker and Erin Healy. As in their previous work Kiss, I sense that Erin Healy brings great depth to the story line, especially from the female characters.
Pick this one up. If you've every been pursued by unresolved issues in your past and attempted to repress them only to realize you cannot outrun the choices you've made, you will like this novel. I recommend it highly.
Janeal Mikkado is young and ambitious. Only 17 when the book opens, Janeal is confronted with a choice that later shapes her life and impacts every other person she loves.
She makes an unwise choice. Her heart is not in check and she chooses money over her family, her friends, and her own life. She leaves her friend to die in a fire and walks away to start a new life with a new name.
For fifteen years, Janeal pursues every imaginable idea or dream she wants. But, her life is about to change. When she learns that the person she thought she left to die in the fire, Katy Morgan, actually survived, she sets out to secure her new life by whatever means possible.
"There are two chambers in every heart, one for Judas and one for John. One must be driven out or both will die."
What follows is what I've come to expect from Ted Dekker. His work makes the almost imaginable believable and weaves the essence of truth throughout. This is the second novel from Ted Dekker and Erin Healy. As in their previous work Kiss, I sense that Erin Healy brings great depth to the story line, especially from the female characters.
Pick this one up. If you've every been pursued by unresolved issues in your past and attempted to repress them only to realize you cannot outrun the choices you've made, you will like this novel. I recommend it highly.
July 7, 2013
I was torn between 2 and 3 stars for this. Then I tried to imagine how I'd feel about it if the cover wasn't so captivating, and I gave it a 2.
It was not bad. And since Erin Healy is a new and different writer, perhaps I should have been prepared for it to be more different than I expected from the many other things I've read by Ted Dekker. But for some reason I was thinking it wouldn't really matter. Oh well.
First of all, multiple-year jumps in a story are always jarring and I always feel cheated no matter how good the rest of the story is. And I just read another book with a huge jump. But aside from that, I just felt like it took forever to get to the point, or to the action. The first 100 pages were well and good, but then that was over and there was the time-jump, and then I felt like I was just floating around, just waiting for the point. Those 150 pages weren't bad, but it was kind of like like the small talk you have with someone before a meaningful conversation that you know is coming and you just want to get to the point. (I know I keep saying "the point," but that's what I'm feeling.) And I don't think the rest of the action or the resolution made up for the waiting.
I keep feeling the need to emphasize that it wasn't bad. It was just underwhelming for me, compared to what I expected.
It was not bad. And since Erin Healy is a new and different writer, perhaps I should have been prepared for it to be more different than I expected from the many other things I've read by Ted Dekker. But for some reason I was thinking it wouldn't really matter. Oh well.
First of all, multiple-year jumps in a story are always jarring and I always feel cheated no matter how good the rest of the story is. And I just read another book with a huge jump. But aside from that, I just felt like it took forever to get to the point, or to the action. The first 100 pages were well and good, but then that was over and there was the time-jump, and then I felt like I was just floating around, just waiting for the point. Those 150 pages weren't bad, but it was kind of like like the small talk you have with someone before a meaningful conversation that you know is coming and you just want to get to the point. (I know I keep saying "the point," but that's what I'm feeling.) And I don't think the rest of the action or the resolution made up for the waiting.
I keep feeling the need to emphasize that it wasn't bad. It was just underwhelming for me, compared to what I expected.
March 14, 2013
SPOILER ALERT!!!!
The ending blew the rating imo. I should have expected a somewhat surprising end from just reading the cover, but that was too much of a stretch. I've decided I don't have to like (or even respect) the main character of a story, but I still want justice dammit! She got off too easy for her immature actions of a 17 year old. Yes, I know, expecting maturity at 17 isn't the norm in the 21th Century, but I still hold 17 year olds accountable for things like, oh....I don't know...causing the death of their fathers! When the authors tried to bring in a different "side" of her as an adult, I still couldn't forgive her for her selfishness as a teen. Personally, I can relate to a risk-taking teen life (uh hum...) but going off with a man who told you "You must go with me to save your father's life" is ludicrous..even for the most stupid teenage girls! Well, if a book is considered worth a read because it elicits a strong emotion from the reader...including frustration...than I recommend it. Otherwise, read one of Dekker's excellent works like BoneMan's Daughters or The Bride Collector..now those are great reads.
The ending blew the rating imo. I should have expected a somewhat surprising end from just reading the cover, but that was too much of a stretch. I've decided I don't have to like (or even respect) the main character of a story, but I still want justice dammit! She got off too easy for her immature actions of a 17 year old. Yes, I know, expecting maturity at 17 isn't the norm in the 21th Century, but I still hold 17 year olds accountable for things like, oh....I don't know...causing the death of their fathers! When the authors tried to bring in a different "side" of her as an adult, I still couldn't forgive her for her selfishness as a teen. Personally, I can relate to a risk-taking teen life (uh hum...) but going off with a man who told you "You must go with me to save your father's life" is ludicrous..even for the most stupid teenage girls! Well, if a book is considered worth a read because it elicits a strong emotion from the reader...including frustration...than I recommend it. Otherwise, read one of Dekker's excellent works like BoneMan's Daughters or The Bride Collector..now those are great reads.
February 1, 2011
The story sucked me in quickly, the characters captured me fully, the suspense kept me guessing and the ending left me regretting my decision to finish this book. I don't know if they wrote themselves into a corner, or weren't sure what to do with the characters to put together a happy, thought provoking ending; either way it fell short of my expectations.
The theme of the book was very well thought out and perfectly executed. I never had a doubt about the message the authors were trying to convey to the reader. However, the ending was like spilling a year old fat free chocolate sauce over a masterfully baked cake. You can take a lot of good from it, but are left wondering why they went in the direction that they did.
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys thought provoking, spiritually derived, plot twisting thrill rides. I would not recommend this book to someone who reads a book for a good story and characters that stick with you.
The theme of the book was very well thought out and perfectly executed. I never had a doubt about the message the authors were trying to convey to the reader. However, the ending was like spilling a year old fat free chocolate sauce over a masterfully baked cake. You can take a lot of good from it, but are left wondering why they went in the direction that they did.
I would recommend this book to someone who enjoys thought provoking, spiritually derived, plot twisting thrill rides. I would not recommend this book to someone who reads a book for a good story and characters that stick with you.
August 7, 2011
An action-packed story full of mystery that kept me on my toes. My only complaint was that it took me a bit to get into the story because I found the protagonist difficult to connect with and was frustrated by her choices. Despite this, it kept my attention. Midway through, a typical Dekker twist gave the payback I needed to consider this book a win.
I can say without a doubt that I am a fan of the Dekker/Healy combined efforts. Kiss is one of my favorite books and Burn, while not surpassing its predecessor, was a close second. As most of Dekker's books do, Burn tackles tough questions. Specifically, it explores the idea of regret and handling mistakes of the past. Everyone is given a choice, and though we can't change the past, we can decide how it will effect our futures.
This was another book that made me say, "I love Ted Dekker."
I can say without a doubt that I am a fan of the Dekker/Healy combined efforts. Kiss is one of my favorite books and Burn, while not surpassing its predecessor, was a close second. As most of Dekker's books do, Burn tackles tough questions. Specifically, it explores the idea of regret and handling mistakes of the past. Everyone is given a choice, and though we can't change the past, we can decide how it will effect our futures.
This was another book that made me say, "I love Ted Dekker."
June 18, 2010
Alright, so this book was defiantly good, but I had some issues with it. I loved the characters and the idea (and the book cover), but the ending and the lack of explanation really irked me. I expected some big, blowout ending that would downright knock my socks off. That's how the authors seemed to set up the plot, at least. But, as I read the last page, I found myself surprised. Nothing was explained, and I though there would be at least five more chapters to wrap things up. But, no. Dekker seems to like to write great plots and mediocre endings. But, anyways, it was good. It had great, average and boring parts, but it was still an overall good read! I recommend it.
November 8, 2015
RESEÑA COMPLETA
Encontré algunos comentarios por allí, de personas que creen que Beso y Llamas son una bilogía pero eso NO es cierto. Ambas fueran escritas por los mismos autores pero tienen historias completamente diferentes y no se relacionan entre sí.
May 3, 2012
I enjoyed this book up until the last 1/3 of it. It was an intriguing book with a great story line and fascinating characters. Until It got weird with the split person. Once he got into the two people being the same one. One being the good half and one being the bad. It just lost me for interest and believablity both. I finished the book, but was disappointed that this was the way he chose to decide on ending and resolving this book.
Not a favorite.
Not a favorite.
August 29, 2012
An enjoyable book. It was a little hard to follow at times. Sometimes even after rereading a page I wasn't sure what happened. I mostly figured it out after the story continued on. You can always count on Ted Dekker to throw in something unexpected and thought provoking.
The book is definitely geared for adults or should I say grownups. There is nothing sleazy, only the situations and issues are not relate-able to kids and young adults.
The book is definitely geared for adults or should I say grownups. There is nothing sleazy, only the situations and issues are not relate-able to kids and young adults.
April 17, 2012
in the beginning this book had a lot of potential. however in the middle the authors decided to throw in a plot twist that I personally thought was stupid. I think the book would have been better without it. from there the book was very predictable and uninteresting
July 28, 2012
I didn't like it. I don't appreciate his writing style. It was hard to follow. And the premise of the book was stupid. The story line was light and the characters were shallow. I'll give a couple more of his books a try, but I'm not expecting much.
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