Fire with Fire by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Fire with Fire by Jenny Han & Siobhan Vivian

Release Date: August 13, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Series: Burn for Burn, Book 2
Rated: YA 14+
Format: eGalley/ARC
Source: Edelweiss/Borrowed – thanks Riya @ The Teen Book Guru!
Buy: Amazon ● The Book Depository
Goodreads ● Website (Han) ● Website (Vivian)

Read my review of Burn for Burn HERE

When sweet revenge turns sour… Book two of a trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian.

Lillia, Kat, and Mary had the perfect plan. Work together in secret to take down the people who wronged them. But things didn’t exactly go the way they’d hoped at the Homecoming Dance.

Not even close.

For now, it looks like they got away with it. All they have to do is move on and pick up the pieces, forget there ever was a pact. But it’s not easy, not when Reeve is still a total jerk and Rennie’s meaner than she ever was before.

And then there’s sweet little Mary…she knows there’s something seriously wrong with her. If she can’t control her anger, she’s sure that someone will get hurt even worse than Reeve was. Mary understands now that it’s not just that Reeve bullied her—it’s that he made her love him.

Eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth, burn for a burn. A broken heart for a broken heart. The girls are up to the task. They’ll make Reeve fall in love with Lillia and then they will crush him. It’s the only way he’ll learn.

It seems once a fire is lit, the only thing you can do is let it burn...

My thoughts upon finishing this book were made pretty clear on twitter: HOLY MOTHER OF EFF. Fire with Fire was a thrilling follow-up to Burn for Burn, and unlike other series with second-book-hate-itus, I LOVED this one. It’s been a while since I’d read Burn for Burn, so I was worried that I would forget what had happened in the book. Turns out, I didn’t have to worry! Everything came rushing back to me and I realised that I was a fool for not picking up this book earlier. After the eGalley expired I was devastated. I’d only managed to get through the first couple of pages and it had disappeared. Luckily, a fellow book blogger had a copy and lent it to me, and since then it’s been waiting on my shelf, longing to be read. It’s only now, after exams, when I finally decided to pick it up and put it (and me) out of misery. I really regret not reading this earlier because WOW that was a rush.
Previous to this series I’d read Jenny Han’s Summer series (other than the final book), but I’d never read anything by Siobhan Vivian. A pity I haven’t read more by these two amazing authors because their collaboration is absolutely stellar! I fell in love with Burn for Burn and this was just a whole lot more amazing. I can only imagine how much more awesome Ashes to Ashes, the final book of the trilogy, will be, because it seems that each book just gets better and better.

I can’t really remember what I said about the characters in my review of Burn for Burn, so I don’t know whether my views on them have changed or not. My favourite character out of the trio is definitely Kat. She’s got a wicked sense of humour, a mouth that could only lead to trouble, and is a freaking bad-ass. However, I would definitely say that in this book, the most interesting story line would have to go to Lillia. The plot for revenge definitely centers around her involvement with it, and there’s a lot uncovered in this book. Mary on the other hand, sometimes I would love her character, other times I would hate it. She constantly moons after Reeve, and it gets a little annoying at times, but holy crap the twist at the end?! That’s something in her story that I absolutely did not see coming.
As for the guys in the book, we see another side to Reeve, which leads to some pretty confusing feelings – both for me and Lillia. Alex is still a sweetheart as he was in the first book, and I wish that one of the girls would just end up with him already *Team Kat*.

The book takes place just a few days after the last book, and so we can see the aftermath of what happened at the Homecoming Dance. Rennie becomes a complete bitch to Lillia, and her role in the story becomes a very complicated one that twists and turns, and it’s very difficult to pinpoint how exactly you feel about her in the end.
Speaking of the end: THE. END. WAS. AMAZING. Holy hells. If you’ve read the last book, you know that this is a contemporary book with a hint of the paranormal. Just... wow. I didn’t see that coming and by the time I wrapped up reading the book, my jaw was slack and my eyes were wide, because I don’t think anyone would have seen it coming. I remember seeing the reactions on twitter, so I thought that I would be able to guess what was going to happen at the end, but nope. Not even close.

Fire with Fire has topped its predecessor, as this bittersweet revenge story only brings more shocks and thrills to the table. Han and Vivian have co-authored an entrancing novel, one that seduces and bites with every twist, and leaves you hanging desperate for more with an astonishing ending that only promises more vengeance, justice, and fire.

If you like this, try...

• The Luxe by Anna Godbersen ● Goodreads
• Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard ● Goodreads
• Life by Committee by Corey Ann Haydu ● Goodreads