Thursday 13 August 2015

Review: Burn by Paula Weston

Burn by Paula Weston
Publisher: Orion Children's Books
Publication Date: 6th August 2015 
My rating: 4 stars  


Gaby thought her life couldn't get more complicated. She was wrong. She's not the teenage backpacker she thought she was. She is one of the Rephaim, descended from fallen angels. The brother she thought she'd lost is alive. And the heavenly war is escalating. Now Gaby's remembered everything. But as she struggles to come to terms with her new memories, will what she knows save the people she loves . . . or doom them?

I am the pickiest reader ever when it comes to reading YA paranormal reads, over the last few years there’s only been a handful that have totally blown me away and left me wanting more. I’m thrilled to say Paula Weston’s Rephaim series has continually shone for me. With each book in the series I’ve never been disappointed, as Weston’s known how to up the ante, in turn increasing my levels of anxiety every time I pick one of these books. But I wouldn’t have it any other way; I love getting lost in the fantastic world of rephaim that Weston has created, revelling in new discoveries that Weston throws our way and of course swooning away over my beloved Rafa.

The way Weston left us teetering on the brink with that killer ending in Shimmer I didn’t know how I was going to cope. What had gone down all those years ago? Could it ruin all the friendships and temporary truce that had been made? I was honestly preparing myself for the worst. I loved how Weston gave us the story in Shimmer, with us getting to know the entire back story, I was eager about staying in the present with Gaby and needing to know what would go down with all the repercussions. However learning the past and Gaby’s memories was central to making sense of everything. And although it broke my heart seeing everything unfold, it gave me a better understanding of why we’re given several warnings from certain characters time and time again. I was eager to know what went down between Rafa and Gaby, but was hoping against hope that what had taken place wasn’t too detrimental that things couldn’t be fixed between them again. The slow burn relationship between Rafa and Gaby was one of my highlights of this entire series, so I was praying that with Gaby’s memories returning this wouldn’t mean the end of their relationship so far. I’m not going to say what exactly goes down, but there were a lot of tense moments along the way that had my poor heart teetering along the brink.

Rafa and Gaby’s relationship was a top priority in this book for me, as it’s one of the best relationships and romance that I’ve seen in a while. However the sibling relationship between Jude and Gaby was also wonderfully done by Weston in the series so far, so I was eager to find out what had gone down between these two in the past too. I’m not the most patient reader in the world, so waiting to see how things would turn out could be a killer at times, but Weston managed to mix up the anticipation of what was about to go down and story building really well. Weston once again was able to weave a gorgeously written story, she has introduced such a great set of characters over four books, that I have got to know and care about that I have eagerly anticipated spending time with them once more when a new book is about to be released. These are characters that everyone should meet and I know for sure I will not forget in a long time because of the great impression they have left with me and of course this is one series that I will come back to and read time and time again. Weston truly gave it all with this final book. I’m glad that she didn’t wrap things up quickly like most series book endings I’ve read lately, but she kept my anxiety levels up until the very end. Weston gave me everything I could have wanted and so much more with Burn and with the entire series overall. I for one can’t wait to see where she will take us next with her future books.



15 comments:

Carina Olsen said...

Yay :D Stunning review Jasprit. <3 So glad you liked this final book. I have yet to start this series.. but I own all four, and I'm excited to try it :D YAY for loving the romance so much, sigh. <3 I cannot wait to read it and love it too, hopefully. Thank you for sharing about this book sweet girl :)

Joy said...

I need this book so I can finally read Shimmer. I'm glad it met all the high notes for you, Jas. Especially with the romance. I'm a big fan of this pairing, and I'm looking forward to reading more about the sibling relationship as well.

Great review, hun!

Anonymous said...

Jasprit, I'm so happy this was such a success for you. I need to read Shimmer before I can start this one, but I''m excited to see that so many things worked for you. I love the romance in this series a lot too so I'm eager to see how everything wraps up. And I'm glad to hear about the siblings relationship too. We need more of those in YA!
Beautiful review!

Keertana said...

I felt the same way about this, Jasprit! Weston kept me guessing till the end for all the final pieces and I was really pleased with how the romance and other relationships resolved themselves. So, so excited for whatever Weston writes next--I hope she announces it soon because I need more from her! ;)

Jenny said...

This is one of the series I've told myself again and again that I'm going to get to and I still haven't done so. WHAT IS MY PROBLEM JASPRIT!!! I need to make time for Rafa. NEED TO!!!!

Piecraft Bucharest said...

Oh, it's so nice to come across a series that doesn't lose steam as it proceeds! I'm glad this has turned out to be such a gem for you, Jasprit. I feel the same about Samantha Shannon's Bone Season :) A very thoughtful review.

Anonymous said...

I'm also very picky with YA paranormal reads - so glad this series has worked for you! I've had it on my radar for a while, but have yet to pick up the first book - think it's about time I gave it a go!

Unknown said...

I'm so happy this didn't disappoint you either! It was a very satisfying conclusion, and I will miss these characters dearly. I was very mad at Rafa after finding out what happened, but I loved the maturity with which Paula Weston/Gaby handled it.

Lovely review, Jasprit!

brandileigh2003 said...

Sounds like a great couple and nice to hear that their relationship got top priority

Faye M. said...

I've been seeing this book around, especially when Melanie @ YA Midnight Reads raved about it in Twitter! I really need to get my ass to the bookstore or to Amazon to get a copy, especially since you're so picky with PR ;) I like picky people! That way I always get ensured that the books I get that are recommended by them are good! I can't wait to get to that sibling love, though - sibling relationships are always such a pleasure to read.

Faye at The Social Potato

Tanja - Tanychy said...

I've just got Shadows the first one in this series and I plan to read it next. I keep hearing how great this series is and it's been a while since I had read about my little angels. So we shall see. I'm glad that you're still enjoying this one. Great review, Jasprit :)

Jenny said...

I've been waiting for this final book Jasprit! Now I can safely binge read the whole series and I won't have to stress over those cliffhangers ;-) I cannot wait to meet Rafa and Gaby and swoon over their romance! So glad this final book was exactly what you wanted it to be:)

The Readdicts said...

You're not alone, Jasprit. I am super picky when it comes to YA PN as well. It's great that you gave this one a chance and ended up liking it. Maybe I should too. Lovely review, girl!

Sarika @ The Readdicts

Ksenia said...

Wonderful review, Jasprit! So glad to hear this book lived up to your expectation, so many series burn and crush. I’ve been waiting for the release of Burn, so I can binge read the whole series.

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