"A scorching series opener not to be missed." - Kirkus
A futuristic blend of Beth Revis's Across the Universe and Lenore Appelhans's Level 2, Burn Out will satisfy the growing desire for science fiction with a thrilling story of survival, intrigue, and adventure.
Most people want to save the world; seventeen-year-old Tora Reynolds just wants to get the hell off of it. One of the last survivors in Earth's final years, Tora yearns to escape the wasteland her planet has become after the sun turns "red giant," but discovers her fellow survivors are even deadlier than the hostile environment.
Holed up in an underground shelter, Tora is alone--her brilliant scientist father murdered, her mother and sister burned to death. She dreams of living on a planet with oceans, plants, and animals. Unfortunately, the oceans dried out ages ago, the only plants are giant cacti with deadly spines, and her pet, Trigger, is a gun--one of the bio-energetic weapons her father created for the government before his conscience kicked in.
When family friend, Markus, arrives with mercenaries to take the weapons by force, Tora's fury turns to fear when government ships descend in an attempt to kill them all. She forges an unlikely alliance with Markus and his rag-tag group of raiders, including a smart but quiet soldier named James. Tora must quickly figure out who she can trust, as she must choose between saving herself by giving up the guns or honoring her father's request to save humanity from the most lethal weapons in existence. (Blurb via Goodreads)
Purchase: Amazon + BN + The Book Depository
{Details} ebook, 272 pages. Expected publication:
April 8th 2014. Publisher: EgmontUSA. Source: Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Kristi Helvig and EgmontUSA
{Rating} 4/5 -- I really liked it!
{Review}
{Rating} 4/5 -- I really liked it!
{Review}
Action and excitement with a determined heroine; a fabulous start to an exciting new series."Six months and counting, yet not a whisper of a fellow human to be found." (page 1, line 1)
Tora is alone, likely the last person on earth, and facing imminent death. And then people show up. People she can't trust but people she must rely on if she wants to survive. And of course there's a cute boy... a cute boy that reminds Tora that although the world is ending she's still a teenage girl.
I liked Tora, her sarcastic voice, her dry wit. She's a strong girl, fighting to survive in the face of a desperate situation and to carry on despite the loss she has experienced. As if the fight for survival isn't enough her father has entrusted her with deadly weapons that everyone wants. The weight on her shoulders is immense and the choice she faces is impossible: her survival or risking her weapons falling into the wrong hands.
I liked the progression of the book, how Helvig slowly reveals the details, not just about the weapons and the world Tora lives in but also her past and life with her family. It kept me interested and turning the pages.
I don't want to give away details (go read Burn Out!) but there is action, adventure, super cool weapons, spacecraft and space travel, what's not to love? I'm so excited to see what happens to Tora (and everyone else) in book two.
