Mini Review: Obscura Burning by Suzanne van Rooyen

Summary/Cover Image from Goodreads:

The world's going to end in fire…and it's all Kyle's fault.

Kyle Wolfe's world is about to crash and burn. Just weeks away from graduation, a fire kills Kyle's two best friends and leaves him permanently scarred. A fire that Kyle accidentally set the night he cheated on his boyfriend Danny with their female friend, Shira. That same day, a strange new planet, Obscura, appears in the sky. And suddenly Kyle's friends aren't all that dead anymore.

Each time Kyle goes to sleep, he awakens to two different realities. In one, his boyfriend Danny is still alive, but Shira is dead. In the other, it's Shira who's alive...and now they're friends with benefits. Shifting between realities is slowly killing him, and he's not the only one dying. The world is dying with him. He's pretty sure Obscura has something to do with it, but with his parents' marriage imploding and realities shifting each time he closes his eyes, Kyle has problems enough without being the one in charge of saving the world...

Mini Review: 

When I first heard about Obscura Burning, all I could think about was how different it sounded from what's currently on the YA market. That and the cover which I think is gorgeous. I just love all the colors used. Anyhow, Obscura Burning ended up being a so-so book for me. On one hand, I have to give props to Suzanne van Rooyen for creating such a twisted yet interesting and unique book. However, at the same time, I wasn't always wasn't the biggest fans of the characters, and that brought down my enjoyment quite a bit.

To make this quick, I'm going to list the things I liked and didn't like....

Things I Liked: 

1. The premise: If you want something totally out there and unique, give this one a try. Seriously, I've never read anything quite like it, and I don't think I ever will again.
2. The writing: Suzanne has such a way with words. I loved the descriptions and the way she captured the scenes. 
3. The setting: I've never read a book that took place in New Mexico before so that was new as well. 
4. The sci-fi/thriller aspects: Both really managed to keep the book moving at a good pace.

Things I Didn't Like:

1. The characters: It's not that I didn't like them per say, but I just had the hardest of times relating to them, especially Kyle. He was just all over the place for me, and he was kind of whiny to tell the truth.
2. The ending: Okay this one is more of a love/hate aspect. It was different that's for sure....not what I was expecting. However, on the other hand, it just a little too messed up and indefinite for me. 

In all, the likes out weight the dislikes, as you can see above. It was a different book as mentioned before, and if you're looking for something that will leave you shocked and mystified, I say give it a try. 

Grade: B

Obscura Burning (Amazon, Goodreads, BN)  is now out. 

Source: Author