Burnt Land by Tua Harno
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

*I received a review copy of this title

First off, the concept of this book really drew me in and kept me there almost through the end. I felt that although the book was strong at least 3/4 of the way in, the ending left me disappointed. Sanna’s story is engaging although her relationships with men feel rather triggered I think Tua did an excellent job of exploring Sanna’s motivation and providing her with meaningful growth. Tua maintains an excellent tension between characters throughout the book and I found myself unable to put the book down.

However, as Burnt Land neared it’s conclusion I felt that Tua struggled with how to resolve the tension she created. For the majority of the read I felt this was a 4-5 star reading experience. The ending (without spoilers) felt that it needed a longer book in order to reach the resolution it did–at least for me. Functionally the pacing felt rushed toward the end while it had been a wonderfully meandering journey for much of the story.

Sanna’s story and journey was visceral, intriguing and enjoyable in so far as she seems weak and vulnerable at the start but she still has the capacity to bring you in because she doesn’t wallow in self pity. Sanna wants to solve her problems and in that sense she puts herself into situations which feel tenuous and dangerous–which is the book’s tension and savior. Although the ending left me a bit underwhelmed and even a little frustrated I enjoyed the rest of the story enough that I’d recommend Burnt Land to anyone who enjoys character growth and exploration.

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