The Burn Review and Giveaway

The Burn by Annie Oldham
★★★★☆
Release Date: September 27, 2011
Age: YA
Genre: Dystopian, Post Apocalyptic, Science Fiction, Action, Adventure, Suspense
Format Reviewed: ebook
Source: Author
Buy it: Amazon | Barnes and Noble

The Burn is full of nuclear fallout, roving gangs, anarchy, unreliable plumbing. That's what Terra's father tells her. She has lived her whole life in comfort in a colony at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. She hates it. And she would pay any price to leave. But when Terra finally escapes the colony, she finds out her father is right.
She finds a group of survivors that quickly become friends, and every day with them is a race for survival. When she witnesses and commits unspeakable acts, she has to decide where her loyalty lies: with the colony she despises or The Burn, where every day is filled with nightmares.

The Burn quickly became one of my favorite dystopian/post-apocalyptic reads. It's intense, emotional, suspenseful, and full of life. If you are a fan of Article 5 by Kristen Simmons, Legend by Marie Lu, Across the Universe by Beth Revis, Blood Red Road by Moira Young, and/or Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi don't miss this one!

Annie's world building in The Burn is exquisite. Every detail was thought of and the image in my mind, while not beautiful with rainbows and butterflies, is real and scary and concrete. The New America, the result of nuclear fallout and a raging World War III, is filled with darkness and misery. The people are fighting for their lives and trying to live a well life at any cost. The government has installed trackers in the citizens and they monitor their every move. It's barbaric and draining, this future is cruel and there are others who have escaped this reality and live a life under the water.

Last week I reviewed Annie Oldham's book, Bound, the difference in the two stories is remarkable. Her writing is fluid and the voices, style, and touch she puts on each is unique. Both feature a lot of action and a lead girl who goes through immense changes throughout each story. But, The Burn really took hold of me. There are enough shock inducing parts of this story to keep the reader's eyes glued to the book until the last page.

In the Colony under the ocean, where Terra is raised, she is trapped and dreams of the world above. Kind of made me think of The Little Mermaid (I really felt that way when she surfaces, read the book to see why). She finds someone she trusts and learns how to escape to The Burn. Even though she is warned that the world isn't stable, she still risks everything and sacrifices something dear to her, to make the journey herself. Her will is admirable, but her self preservation may be a little lacking. She's a brave girl, whether she admits it to herself or not, and is a strong character.

The Burn could easily be the beginning to an amazing series or a stand alone novel that is just as fantastic. Annie Oldham is an awesome writer and imaginative story teller with a lot to say. She builds up intense plots with unforgettable settings and I can't wait to read more of her work. Thank you so much to Annie Oldham for the opportunity to read this one and Bound. Both are wonderful reads that I hope I have convinced everyone to check out!

Giveaway

This giveaway is hosted by Annie and is for one ebook copy of The Burn!

Open internationally, must be 13 or older.

a Rafflecopter giveaway