Straight Reading from the Library: Burned by Natasha Deen

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READ THE BLURB

Two years ago, Josie Smith’s life went up in smoke. Literally. Everyone and everything she ever loved burned in a fire—one set by a crooked cop. To survive, Josie’s been living under the radar as a homeless kid while trying to find a way to knock the cop down a few notches and put her on the other side of the prison bars. But time’s running out. A pimp’s got his eye on Josie, and if she doesn’t get off the streets soon, she’ll be the one brought down. Her salvation and the key to the cop’s undoing seem to lie with a car thief and a rich kid. Trust and teamwork don’t come easily to Josie—in fact, they don’t come at all—but if she can’t find a way to make the team work and find justice for her family, she will get burned all over again.

READ THE REVIEW

This is a short easy read that reminds me a lot of a teenage version of Leverage, with people of different strengths and talents coming together to help people. This book services as an introduction-- I wish the author had gone into a little more detail on some of the different escapades, because they seemed like they were a little glossed over. However, it was interesting enough that I read it in one setting and I'm looking forward to reading more in the series.

I could so see this as a television show--there's action, a bit of romance, and a balanced team. I'm hoping that in future books in this series we can get a little deeper look at the characters. This one was told all in first person from Josie's point of view. We did get to see Josie and meet some of her "street team."

I'm sure there are many cases where these four can band together and we can see some new adventures from them. 3 stars.

READ AN EXCERPT

The wind coming off the ocean turned the night chilly. I tucked my bag close to my chest and hurried down the street. A sub and dessert for dinner. Last night, I’d had some pizza that someone had dumped in the garbage. Tonight, I wanted to eat by the ocean, to enjoy the rare joy of eating food that hadn’t been pre-chewed, to sit and watch the waves and pretend—just for a minute—that I was a normal kid with normal problems.

I walked down Hastings to Gore Ave. At least, I meant to. As soon as I approached the corner, my skin flashed cold. I caught a glimpse of a big, bald guy, and a two-headed eagle tattoo. It extended above the collar of his shirt and encircled his neck. He looked up, stepped forward. The action cast a shadow over the person he was with, left them a faceless figure. Every instinct told me to run. Twisting on my heel, I did a 180. A few steps down, I breathed a sigh of relief. Whatever was going down on the other side of the street, I wasn’t the target..

Then I heard the footsteps behind me.

Heavy, hard, and coming up fast.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Natasha Deen is the author of over a dozen books and divides her time between writing, presenting at schools, and speaking at conferences. Her previous novels include the CCBC Best Pick for Kids and Teens and 2015 Sunburst Award nominated Guardian, and the True Grime series. In her spare time she cuddles on the couch with her furry and non-furry family, and thinks the best way to beat writer’s block is with tea and cookies. Visit her at www.natashadeen.com.

Website: www.natashadeen.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/natasha.deen.9
Twitter: www.twitter.com/natasha_deen
Goodreads: www.goodreads.com/author/show/1314477.Natasha_Deen

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