Review: Flash Burnout by L.K. Madigan

(summary from goodreads)


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Telephoto lens. Zoom. In a shutter release millisecond, Blake’s world turns upside down. The nameless woman with the snake tattoo is not just another assignment. “That’s my mom!” gasps Marissa.

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Saturated self-portrait: Blake, nice guy, class clown, always trying to get a laugh, not sure where to focus.

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Contrast. Shannon, Blake’s GF. Total. Babe. Marissa, just a friend and fellow photographer. Shannon loves him; Marissa needs him. How is he supposed to frame them both in one shot?

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Chiaroscuro. Lightdark. Marissa again, overexposed. Crash and burn.

Talk about negative space.

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Review: After reading a bunch of paranormal books, it was nice to read a good contemporary novel, Flash Burnout. Not many female YA authors write in first person from a male's point of view, but Madigan accomplished this with flying colors. Blake sounded and acted like a normal teenage boy.

Although Blake's character had a strong voice and was well written I didn't like him much. I just didn't relate to him very well, but his brother, Garrett, however I enjoyed quite a bit. Garrett was a good combination of funny and serious. I didn't feel like I could connect or relate with shannon or Marissa, but I still understood what each was going through, if that makes sense. 

This is not an action book. It's about Blake trying to balance the two parts of his life, Shannon and Marissa, while doing the right thing by both of them. The first half of the book was really just learning about the characters and building up some mystery around Marissa's mom.


I was a bit disappointed with the ending. As far as I know this is a stand alone novel, but the ending left me wanting more. I still had questions about Marissa and her family, which were only briefly explained. 

Even though I found flaws in this book I still highly recommend it. It told a great story through both words and Blak'es photography, even though we never see the pictures.