Friday 12 June 2020

Burn by Patrick Ness – review


An all-consuming story of revenge, redemption and dragons from the twice Carnegie Medal-winner Patrick Ness.

“On a cold Sunday evening in early 1957, Sarah Dewhurst waited with her father in the parking lot of the Chevron Gas Station for the dragon he’d hired to help on the farm.” This dragon, Kazimir, has more to him than meets the eye. Sarah can’t help but be curious about him, an animal who supposedly doesn’t have a soul but is seemingly intent on keeping her safe from the brutal attentions of Deputy Sheriff Emmett Kelby. Kazimir knows something she doesn’t. He has arrived at the farm because of a prophecy. A prophecy that involves a deadly assassin, a cult of dragon worshippers, two FBI agents – and somehow, Sarah Dewhurst herself. 

From the bestselling author of the Chaos Walking trilogy comes a heart-stopping story of fanaticism, hope, bravery and impossible second chances, set in a world on the very brink of its own destruction.

Patrick Ness is an insta-buy author for me. His books are different from any other author’s, with inventive plots that always take me by surprise and characters that feel real.

This book plunges you straight into 1950s America. It’s so evocative of the time and place and somehow the introduction of dragons fits into the world really well!

Another thing I liked about this book is how the different characters’ story lines are woven together. I loved how fleshed out the characters are and how their qualities are revealed and developed as the book goes on.

The book draws on different genres to create a tense plot. I find it hard to put down Patrick Ness’s books and I forced myself to savour this one and make it last.

I was excited to read Patrick Ness’s take on dragons from the moment I heard about Burn and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s another brilliantly original, memorable book.

If you liked the sound of this book, try Release or The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness.

Thank you to Walker Books for the review copy!



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