Publishers Weekly - Audio
01/06/2014
In this sequel to Hopkins’s Burned, the story of Pattyn Von Stratten continues as she struggles to start anew after the deaths of her abusive father; her lover, Ethan; and their unborn child. On the run, Pattyn winds up in California and takes work on a ranch as she works to overcome her isolation and rebuild her life. Hopkins’s novel comes to life here thanks to the team of LaVoy and Thaxton. Each narrator ably captures the essence of the book, infusing the prose with emotion and providing unique and appropriate voices for the characters. A Margaret K. McElderry hardcover. (Sept.)
Booklist
"Hopkins' riveting story line is full of the perpetual premonition of danger, and the simple free-verse format belies the complexity of both plot and craft...a compelling and thought-provoking read."
starred review VOYA
"The book is rife with real issues and demanding attention, leaving the reader to realize that when the smoke clears, redemption is always possible. In the end, voices are heard that refuse to be silenced and the empowerment that comes with the character’s decisions transcend the page and leave much to be discussed and contemplated among readers."
Booklist
"Hopkins' riveting story line is full of the perpetual premonition of danger, and the simple free-verse format belies the complexity of both plot and craft...a compelling and thought-provoking read."
From the Publisher
"A strong, painful and tender piece about wresting hope from the depths of despair."
Kirkus Reviews
Two sisters wrestle with guilt and fear after one kills the father who battered them. Readers last saw 17-year-old Pattyn at the cliffhanger ending of Burned (2006), immediately after her beloved boyfriend and their unborn baby were killed in a car wreck. Stunned with grief and fury, and with nothing left to lose, Pattyn vowed to shoot her long-abusive father, whom she blamed for the accident. This much-desired sequel begins two weeks later--and Dad's dead. Escaping town, Pattyn meets a warm, welcoming family of mostly undocumented farm laborers. They find her a ranch job, where she hides from law enforcement. Meanwhile, 15-year-old Jackie is stuck at home, narrating her own half of the story. Through free-verse poems thick with the weight of trauma, the shooting's details emerge. A schoolmate raped Jackie; blaming Jackie, Dad broke her ribs and loosened her teeth; Pattyn's gun stopped Dad forever. Now Pattyn faces "blood-caked nightmares," while Jackie fights a mother and two LDS church leaders who insist she forget her rape. Waiting for the past to "tackle [them] from behind," both girls struggle toward fragile new connections and inner strength. The lives of undocumented Americans, a renegade hate movement and a wild horse wary of trust are all organic to the plot. A strong, painful and tender piece about wresting hope from the depths of despair. (author's note) (Verse fiction. 13-17)
