Review: The Burn by Annie Oldham

The Burn by Annie Oldham

review

Title: The Burn

Author: Annie Oldham

Source: ebook from author for review

goodreads...

The Burn is full of nuclear fallout, roving gangs, anarchy, unreliable plumbing. That's what Terra's father tells her. She has lived her whole life in comfort in a colony at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. She hates it. And she would pay any price to leave. But when Terra finally escapes the colony, she finds out her father is right.
She finds a group of survivors that quickly become friends, and every day with them is a race for survival. When she witnesses and commits unspeakable acts, she has to decide where her loyalty lies: with the colony she despises or The Burn, where every day is filled with nightmares.

My Take...

Terra and her family lives below the ocean in a Colony built by the finest biologists and scientist of the world over a hundred years ago.  In school, she learns about The Burn; life above the water on land that was destroyed by multiple nuclear bombs. He teaches them of destruction, fighting, and anarchy of a crumbling government. But Terra sees more than what the teacher shows. She sees a new way of life, a life full of light unlike the dark ocean bottom she sees every day. Terra sees freedom most of all. So when Terra is offered a chance to escape the colony and flee to New America, she takes it. But she must sacrifice much in order for this once in a lifetime chance. Is life on The Burn everything she thought it would be or exactly what her teacher and father warned her about? Was Terra’s idea of freedom worth the sacrifice she took?

I wasn’t real sure how I would feel about this book when I started it, but I was quickly absorbed into the story. The author described everything so well the places and feelings were so vivid in my mind. The sacrifice that Terra made is something I don’t think I could have ever done. And she did it without hesitation. She truly is a brave girl who knew what she wanted. I really felt sorry for Terra as she made the decision to leave her family for The Burn. She had no idea what awaited her there but knew it had to be better than the confines of the Colony. I enjoyed the other characters as well. Dave, Nell, Red were all so great to her when they took her in. I can’t say I could relate to them, seeing as I have never had to fight every day for my survival. But hearing most of their backgrounds, they became more personal to me. I really cared what happened to each one of them.

The Burn was a fast paced read that grabbed my attention from the start and only got better as the story unfolded. The ending leaves you to believe the author will continue on with Terra's story...we can only hope! I love a good dystopian book and this one delivered.