Name: Ari Rose's review of Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado
Item: Burn Down, Rise Up
Rating: 2.5
Author: Ari Rose

Vincent Tirado

Mysterious disappearances. An urban legend rumored to be responsible. And one group of friends determined to save their city at any cost. Stranger Thingsmeets Jordan Peele in this utterly original debut from an incredible new voice. For over a year, the Bronx has been plagued by sudden disappearances that no one can explain. Sixteen-year-old Raquel does her best to ignore it. After all, the police only look for the white kids. But when her crush Charlize's cousin goes missing, Raquel starts to pay attention--especially when her own mom comes down with a mysterious illness that seems linked to the disappearances. Raquel and Charlize team up to investigate, but they soon discover that everything is tied to a terrifying urban legend called the Echo Game. The game is rumored to trap people in a sinister world underneath the city, and the rules are based on a particularly dark chapter in New York's past. And if the friends want to save their home and everyone they love, they will have to play the game and destroy the evil at its heart--or die trying.

Burn Down, Rise Up

Genesis (@whisperingchapters)

Im sorry to say I didn't really enjoy this book. I didn't find the characters very interesting, even with Raquel seeming to have supernatural powers, but I'm not a teenager anymore so maybe it's just that. The mystery of the echo was interesting enough  to keep me going. But not enough to hold my attention, to be honest. I actually was most intrigued by the corduroy jacket guy than literally anyone and anything else. 

Ari Rose

This book is outside my genre of comfort, but I loved it! A compelling & interesting horror with mystery, historical references, & mysticism. 

Coley Lehman

Amanda

Wow. This book took me for a wild ride. I can't say I enjoyed all of it, but I did learn things about the Bronx that I didn't know before. It's probably more of a 3.5 rating than a 3. If your into YA horror/distopia/adventure stories, then it might rate even higher for you. 

The idea of the game and the Echo were very cool. I really liked the world-building around it. I wasn't a huge fan of the formatting of the story, it kept losing me for some reason. But the story was a good one. I'd be very into reading other Echo stories set in other countries. This would make a wild Japanese drama.

june

ARC provided by Netgalley and Sourcebooks FIRE
Trigger warnings: violence, racism, gore

This book is a thrilling ride that have you hooked from the first page. This is Raquel, whose mum got infected with black mold and linked it with the disappearance of many people that has been going on since last year. She starts to investigate them along with her crush, Charlize. They both played the "echo game" to stop the disappearances.

I liked how the conflict and world-building have a connection with the history of the Bronx. liked that it was well-grounded in the history of the Bronx. One thing I disliked about this book was how rushed her fight with the Slumlord was, but I loved how she managed to plan and overcome it.

Zoe Smolen

I was a little hesitant about this book because I had heard some iffy reviews from colleagues, but I'm so glad I went ahead and picked his one up! 

This book is such a clever book in how it intertwines the history of the Bronx with the game played in the novel. It seamlessly blends real-life horror with speculative horror. 

The echo game felt like a real game that would be played by teens. The rules around the game were kind of vague, but I think that added to it feeling like an authentic internet lore-based game (think Bloody Mary/The Elevator Game). 

The biggest reason this wasn't a five-star read was there were just too many easy resolutions where Tirado wrote the characters out of a corner. Not a big deal - but was something I noticed. 

The audiobook narrator was fantastic and did such a great job with all of the voices. 

Thanks to the publishers for a an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado

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Genesis (@whisperingchapters) &
Burn Down, Rise Up by Vincent Tirado