Review on Burn Out

What would you do if you lived in a world where the sun burns you? And I'm not talking about a little sun burn. I'm talking about a burn that blisters, a burn that kills. We complain about the heat all the time, but if we lived in a world where you can't go outside, we'd certainly appreciate the 100 degree weather.
I read... Burn Out by Kristi Helvig!!!



Format: Hardcover/e-book
Pub. Date: April 8th, 2014
Summary:
"A scorching series opener not to be missed." - Kirkus

A futuristic blend of Beth Revis's Across the Universe and Lenore Appelhans's Level 2, Burn Out will satisfy the growing desire for science fiction with a thrilling story of survival, intrigue, and adventure.

Most people want to save the world; seventeen-year-old Tora Reynolds just wants to get the hell off of it. One of the last survivors in Earth's final years, Tora yearns to escape the wasteland her planet has become after the sun turns "red giant," but discovers her fellow survivors are even deadlier than the hostile environment.


Holed up in an underground shelter, Tora is alone--her brilliant scientist father murdered, her mother and sister burned to death. She dreams of living on a planet with oceans, plants, and animals. Unfortunately, the oceans dried out ages ago, the only plants are giant cacti with deadly spines, and her pet, Trigger, is a gun--one of the bio-energetic weapons her father created for the government before his conscience kicked in.

When family friend, Markus, arrives with mercenaries to take the weapons by force, Tora's fury turns to fear when government ships descend in an attempt to kill them all. She forges an unlikely alliance with Markus and his rag-tag group of raiders, including a smart but quiet soldier named James. Tora must quickly figure out who she can trust, as she must choose between saving herself by giving up the guns or honoring her father's request to save humanity from the most lethal weapons in existence.
My rating: 3 out of 5 heat waves!
My recommendation: Anyone who likes dystopian novels!
My review:
My copy was provided by Netgalley.
Tora lives in a world where the sun escalated into a red giant much faster than anyone expected. Several people died from the extreme heat. You could either brave the heat and possibly die or you could somehow gain access to another planet, but only certain people can escape. Tora lives in an underground shelter all alone after her father was murdered and her mother and sister died. She tries to protect her arsenal of weapons, but when mercenaries come to take the weapons by force, Tora must rely on others, including Markus, to survive and she must decide if she's willing to give up her weapons.
This book sounded really good and original. There are a ton of sci-fi books out, but this is the first time for me reading about the sun becoming a red giant. I thought this book would be fun and have some awesome futuristic weapons. While the book did have these weapons which made the book awesome, the characters were not that great.
I didn't like Tora at all. It seemed like she was always whining in the book and could never keep her mouth shut. She's the only one who can control the weapons and no one else knows this. Tora then tells her enemy this and this makes her extremely invaluable. She just made stupid decisions throughout the whole book.
Tora never accepted any help from others even when it could have saved her life. She was kinda bland and so were the other characters. I felt as if there was too much romance and lust going on in the book and not enough plot or storyline.
I have so many questions about James and the others. I want to know who they're working for, why they're doing what they're doing. None of my questions were answered and it left me confused, wondering why all these characters are resorting to stealing from a teenage girl.
The book did have all the aspects of a sci-fi novel and I loved them. You got the futuristic weapons, the action, the technology, and the spaceships. The book never had a slow moment. It was action packed and I couldn't put it down.
Even though I didn't like the characters, I did enjoy the book and it was an okay read.