Review: Burning Blue by Paul Griffin

Burning Blue
Paul Griffin
Publisher: Dial
Release Date: October 25, 2012

How far would you go for love, beauty, and jealousy?
When Nicole Castro, the most beautiful girl in her wealthy New Jersey high school, is splashed with acid on the left side of her perfect face, the whole world takes notice. But quiet loner Jay Nazarro does more than that--he decides to find out who did it. Jay understands how it feels to be treated like a freak, and he also has a secret: He's a brilliant hacker. But the deeper he digs, the more danger he's in--and the more he falls for Nicole. Too bad everyone is turning into a suspect, including Nicole herself.
Award-winning author Paul Griffin has written a high-stakes, soulful mystery about the meaning--and dangers--of love and beauty.

This is my first novel by Paul Griffin, so I wasn't sure what to expect. Burning blue looked like a really intense mystery and I was excited to dive into it. 

Jay is a very stand-offish person, and for good reasons. I actually ended up really liking Jay once I got to know him. One thing I loved about Jay (and this novel) was that he was a super-smart hacker. This aspect was really unique and I enjoyed it. I just wish that the novel focused more on this aspect than it did. 

And Nicole. I wasn't sure how I would feel about her upon starting this novel. I didn't want to like her. But, as Jay got closer to her and as I got to know her more, I did end up liking her. 

As far as the mystery goes, I really enjoyed it. Burning Blue was a very addictive read. Even though it wasn't filled with edge of your seat action, it was still a very quick read. And even though I thought I had everything figured out, Burning Blue still brought twists and surprises. 

Overall, I ended up really enjoying Burning Blue. Paul Griffin is an excellent story-teller and her's an author to watch.