Burning

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Burning by Danielle Rollins is a YA/Juvenile horror/supernatural story set in a detention center for girls. At least that's what it's marketed as.

Plot: Angie is a three year inmate at the Brunesfield Correctional Facility and is struggling to keep her record clean so she'll be allowed to go home in just a few months. Then a bus arrives with a new girl who looks too young and frightened to be placed in the facility, let alone the highest level of security. A new doctor at the facility, Dr Guien, asks Angie to help Jessica adjust in exchange for a shortened sentence, however as the two girls interact, it becomes clear Jessica isn't normal and strange things start happening at the facility.

Spoilers Alert!

While I read this book in one sitting and found it enjoyable, I feel like it's marketing is a misrepresentation. Some of the subjects-- though handled in a vague enough way that readers piece things together on their own-- are darker and more serious than those found in most Juvenile fiction, the writing itself is a little too simple for YA. Maybe early YA readers would enjoy it more? The horror was a bit obvious and not really done well. There is a supernatural element but it's not really explored other than Jessica is considered a pyretic (able to control heat and fire) and Dr. Guien wants to study her. Many of the secondary characters are flat and interchangeable and some are just names put onto dialogue in order to make the facility seem filled. There is also a minor romantic plot that is questionable and weak at best.

We start out with the idea that monsters are more interesting than heroes. Immediately after this, the plot begins and follows Angie as she works to get out of the facility as quickly as possible. Despite this book being 343 pages, there isn't much that happens outside of building character connections, and this isn't always done well. Since Jessica is only 10, I'd hoped Angie would take on more of a sisterly role (since she's constantly mentioning her brother Charlie) but this doesn't happen. Her friends Issie and Carla are pretty interchangeable and don't help the plot much. And character back story doesn't always feel earned. We're told Angie's never told any of the other girls why she's in juvie, yet when Jessica is frightened, Angie reveals everything to her. Why? It doesn't feel earned.

There is a major twist with Dr. Guien also being a pyretic that did catch my by surprise, especially since it's revealed this power isn't genetic. She's constantly trying to discover where Jessica got this power, and Guien does show she's far more skilled and powerful with it than the girl. I don't think there were any clues throughout the book about this reveal, so I'm not sure if there was any set up for this and i missed it or if Rollins decided Guien needed to be more of a threat than she already was.

This twist does beg the question, how did Guien get her powers and why is she trying to study/kill Jessica for being another pyretic? Is there something bigger going on that Rollins plans on revealing in another book or was this part not planned for?

Jessica does die at the end of the book and Angie gains her powers but this is within the last couple of pages. The idea of becoming a monster is brought up again, and a revenge plot is teased, but then the book ends. Rollins does have a second book, Breaking, that I haven't read yet but there seems to be some debate as to how closely tied to two are. 

Like I said, I read this book in one sitting. It's actually surprising how much you can read without realizing it. however, this isn't the greatest thing I've ever read. I wished the mystery and horror was built up a little more and I would have liked to see the idea of "monster" played with a little more. Finally, I had more questions than answers by the end. This book feels like a prequel for a per-existing world without that world being established. I do recommend this to anyone who wants something quick and easy with a few scares, but if you're looking for horror, look elsewhere. I'm planning on reading Breaking at some point just to see if these two are really worth the time.