Fire with Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian

Fire with Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Burn for Burn #2
Release Date: August 13, 2013
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Source: Publisher (Edelweiss)
Goodreads Stars: 4.5
Rating: Essential
Buy it: Amazon UK

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... - Goodreads

I couldn't decide what to wear.

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My Twitter followers are aware that this book gave me many feels, but in the interest of preserving what little dignity I have left, I shall try to make this review as serious and professional as possible... Okay, that was an outright lie. Who did you think you were talking to? 

My feelings for Burn for Burn were nowhere near as intense as the emotional breakdown that Fire with Fire caused. The last time I liveblogged like that, I believe, was when I was reading Unbreakable by Elizabeth Norris, and that book has scarred me for life. If you can believe it, Fire with Fire is superior to Burn for Burn in several aspects. I still pretty much love both books equally, though, just for different reasons.

There was less of a revenge plot in this book, which is kind of what I was expecting after the ending of Burn for Burn. Surely the girls couldn't continue with their scheming after seriously injuring Reeve? But I was very wrong. They could definitely continue with their scheming, they just had to go about it differently. And the new method was to go after Reeve's heart.

Which brings me to the topic that I have been dying to rave about, and that I'm sure you've all been holding your breath for: Reeve and Lillia.

Well, now I'm just under too much pressure and I don't know how to form a proper sentence. They. Are. LEGIT. Or, rather, they were a ship in Burn for Burn, but in Fire with Fire they quickly sky-rocketed to OTP status. Their relationship is a complicated one. If you've read Burn for Burn then you'll know that Reeve has feelings for Lillia, but he suppressed them and kept them a secret because of the whole Guy Code. Basically, he did it for Alex because Reeve is secretly an amazing friend and I cannot. Anyway, yes, Lillia and Reeve gave me FEELINGS and I ended up word vomiting all over Twitter.

I cried several times. I know, it's shocking, right? I never cry! *shifty eyes* I just couldn't handle the heartbreak, especially when Lillia went through an inner struggle of staying loyal to the cause, or staying loyal to her heart. Oh my god, these two make me say totally cheesy things. I'm sorry.

There was some Reeve character development in there, which I had been hoping for ever since I finished Burn for Burn. With the third book, I'm crossing my fingers for even more of that, because he has a long way to go, and I also NEED some backstory regarding him and Mary. So far, we only have Mary's point of view, but I want Reeve's take on the matter.

This kind of brings me onto Mary, who was doing my nut in (I'm leaving this in for Christina, mwahaha). She's clearly not right in the head, and needs some serious help. I am a bit worried about everyone's safety when it comes to her, to be honest. Anyway, I don't like whiny or depressing characters, and Mary dished out the sadness in spades. I mean, sure, she had a horrible time when she was younger, but can I please have a break from the sob story? I realise that I'm not being very sympathetic, but meh. I can't help not caring.

I don't really have much to say about Kat. She didn't leave a huge impact on me either way in this one, although I enjoyed reading about her relationship with her mother, and what she went through when her mother was sick. Something I didn't like, however, was how quick she was to accept Rennie back into her life, in one way or another. That's all I'm going to say on the matter due to spoilers, but it was frustrating.

The ending of this book confused me greatly. It was suspenseful and shocking and awesome, but some bits confused me. Most of my confusion revolves around Mary, who I still suspect is off her rocker, but the authors are doing a pretty good job of trying to trick me into thinking she's some sort of witch or poltergeist. That's just a theory, though, don't worry. Some really weird paranormal-esque stuff happens and I can't tell if it's all in Mary's mind or not, since, you know, she is the one narrating those bits and unreliable narrators yadda yadda yadda.

I strayed off topic a bit there, but yes. The ending was confusing and I need to reread it when I get a hard copy of the book because I WILL FIGURE THIS OUT, DAMMIT.

I'll be re-reading this one a few times because a) I plan on writing down all the clues and making sense of them and b) I CAN'T GET ENOUGH OF REEVE AND LILLIA. It also helps that I was imagining Reeve to look like Gannicus. *swoons*

Jasprit @ The Reader's Den: 5 out of 5

Fauzan @ Wild Heart Book Reviews: 4 out of 5