Book Review: Burn by Julianna Baggott

Burn by Julianna Baggott

Rating: 4/5

I’ve been sitting on this review since I read the book in December, first because I was too excited and then because I had trouble putting into words my thoughts on the ending. Burn is the third book in the Pure series following siblings Pressia and Partridge. You can see my review for Pure linked below. Rather than getting into the story and ruining the first two books for those who haven’t read them, I want to talk about creating worlds and finishing series.

Baggott’s books are immersive; her world is diverse, complete, and entirely believable. The book takes place after a disaster ruins the earth. Those who had connections took shelter in “the Dome” and were protected, but must live in the Dome until the earth repairs itself. Those outside the Dome have been fused, melting into the ground or becoming part of objects around them. Like Hillary Jordan’s When She Woke, you can see how the world ended up like it does in Burn. A catastrophic event caused by scientists to rid the world of impurities doesn’t seem all that farfetched. This strikes me as wholly dissimilar from the world of books like Divergent and The Hunger Games. Don’t get me wrong, both trilogies are interesting in their own right, but it is so difficult to see our world in them.

Unlike with other series’ endings (cough*Allegiant*cough) the story continues right to the end. Baggott manages to wrap up her story with enough feeling and strong prose that you’re riveted until the last page. Because a trilogy finishing strong is so rare, Burn is even more enjoyable.