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Cover of Kerosene

Kerosene

Chris Wooding (1999)

SubgenreYA Fantasy
Age groupYA 12-17
Content ratingPG-13
Pages (Quick Read (<250))
Setting
CSM age15
Goodreads3.6

Content levels

ViolenceModerate
Sexual contentNone
LanguageModerate

Protagonist archetypes

AntiheroTortured Protagonist

Synopsis

From GoodReads by Jinx:The:Poet—“ Kerosene is the dark story of a young man, named Cal, by day a quiet social outcast, by night... a frustrated, tormented pyromaniac, burning to feel control over something, anything, in his life and desperate to express himself. It begins as a habit, his playing with fire, but his desire to burn things soon gets out of hand as time goes on, especially when a girl he likes begins playing mind games with him and his only friend, Joel, begins drifting away. It is a story, with devastating consequences of how dark secrets can suddenly become destructive, however the ending was a bit hurried and inconsequential. Although the writing itself could at time be clunky, it was a very interesting and compelling read. I found Cal to be a highly relatable character, especially if one has been in his shoes, as a silent outsider, a lone misfit or a youth tormented with dark and destructive urges ignited from inner rage and powerlessness of teenage life. ”

Tags

Contemporary FantasyPsychologicalDark YA