While violence runs rampant throughout New York, a teenage girl faces danger within her own home in Meg Medina's riveting coming-of-age novel.
Nora Lopez is seventeen during the infamous New York summer of 1977, when the city is besieged by arson, a massive blackout, and a serial killer named Son of Sam who shoots young women on the streets. Nora’s family life isn’t going so well either: her bullying brother, Hector, is growing more threatening by the day, her mother is helpless and falling behind on the rent, and her father calls only on holidays. All Nora wants is to turn eighteen and be on her own. And while there is a cute new guy who started working with her at the deli, is dating even worth the risk when the killer likes picking off couples who stay out too late? Award-winning author Meg Medina transports us to a time when New York seemed balanced on a knife-edge, with tempers and temperatures running high, to share the story of a young woman who discovers that the greatest dangers are often closer than we like to admit — and the hardest to accept.
Title: BURN BABY BURN
Author: Meg Medina
Source: eARC via the Publisher
Publisher: Candlewick Press
Publication Date: March 8, 2016
I liked this one a lot but it almost felt like there was too much on the front end and not enough on the latter end to really make the story feel complete for me. I thought that a lot of the narrative of this one was leading up to something more from the Son of Sam or at least from Hector but it didn't feel like the ending gave me enough based on how much tension and build up there was for the rest of it.
I liked Nora's character especially at the end when she finally realized all the good parts of herself that I had already known. I also really liked that she was good at something untraditional for females in narrative. Most authors make their female characters like reading or writing but Nora was good with her hands and didn't necessarily want to go to college and I loved that. More of this please.
And while I felt like I was in New York during this time period, I didn't really feel the tension of the "I could be the next death" from Nora. Yes she covered up and wore hoodies, etc. but she still went and did things she knew she shouldn't be doing. It just felt idk like there wasn't really the tension there. I also had guessed about Hector from like 12% and thought that his story arc was a little lacking.
But this is a GOOD book. It is a good coming of age novel and while I had a hard time getting into it, I did end up enjoying myself at the end.
I definitely want to read this!! I love fiction that includes True Crime.... and also NYC in the 70's??? Yes please!! I love when YA features a time period that isn't overdone!
ReplyDelete