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simplybeing_'s review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
One of the best reads I had in 2021! (Like top 5!)
Content Warnings
Minor: Abandonment, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Animal cruelty, Blood, Bullying, Child abuse, and Death
corvidprince's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book needs a massive trigger warning. The plotline was enjoyable, but personally, I really struggled with just how graphically domestic violence, child abuse, abandonment, etc. are described. It was very hard for me to get through, but not because the book was bad, it was just very heavy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, and Animal death
Moderate: Abandonment and Suicidal thoughts
shadeyc's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This was not what I expected. TRIGGER WARNINGS: physical and mental abuse/child abuse/parental abuse, abandonment, death of animal on page, gore.
I am mad at this book. I am mad at the blurb writers. Again - this was NOT what I expected.
This is incredibly well written and powerful, and made me cry multiple times.
However, WHERE THE HELL ARE THE CONTECT WARNINGS!?!?!?! THOSE NEED TO BE AT THE BEGINNING. SEE ABOVE - YOU'RE WELCOME.
I expected to have some fun with some drama and tense shit and reveals and magic and then satisfaction. But no, I got ambushed by a story about abuse and abandonment that just happens to have resurrection in it. I'M MAD. AND SAD. BUT MOSTLY MAD.
Read this book, it's really good, but read it KNOWING what you're getting into. I feel like my rating could be higher if it wasn't so upset.
The characters are devastatingly human and suck you in. It's worth it. but protect yourself first.
I am mad at this book. I am mad at the blurb writers. Again - this was NOT what I expected.
This is incredibly well written and powerful, and made me cry multiple times.
However, WHERE THE HELL ARE THE CONTECT WARNINGS!?!?!?! THOSE NEED TO BE AT THE BEGINNING. SEE ABOVE - YOU'RE WELCOME.
I expected to have some fun with some drama and tense shit and reveals and magic and then satisfaction. But no, I got ambushed by a story about abuse and abandonment that just happens to have resurrection in it. I'M MAD. AND SAD. BUT MOSTLY MAD.
Read this book, it's really good, but read it KNOWING what you're getting into. I feel like my rating could be higher if it wasn't so upset.
The characters are devastatingly human and suck you in. It's worth it. but protect yourself first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Child abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Minor: Bullying and Gun violence
booktribe's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, Murder, and Abandonment
bookswhitme's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Abandonment, Animal death, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Grief, Gun violence, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, and Violence
betweentheshelves's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
From the characters to the world building, there is a lot to like about this book. I also think teens will relate to Katrell and a lot of the struggles she goes through in the book. Lewis does a great job building the suspense, as you know that there are definitely going to be consequences to raising the dead. Overall, I really enjoyed this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, and Physical abuse
Moderate: Bullying, Abandonment, and Child death
Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, and Murder
lanidon's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
I feel the need to clarify that my rating has nothing to do with the quality of the book. This book had a profound negative impact on me mentally. I don't believe the synopsis accurately gives an impression of this book, which may lead some to read it and have the same reaction.
This book is incredibly dark in a very real way. The magic is a side plot in a story about very depressing real world issues that have personally affected me. Please read the content warning and know just how dark this book is before going in. Specifically, if you cannot handle depictions of verbally, physically, and financially abusive parents then do not read this book.
I think using "black girl magic" as buzzwords for this book does both the story and black girls a great disservice. That movement was started to reframe the narrative around black girls and women. The marketing team fundamentally misunderstood that and stripped all meaning from it to instead describe a black girl literally doing magic.
I regret reading this book, I truly do. That being said, I can see the value others have found in this. It is well written. The plot is interesting and unique. The friendship between the two main characters is genuinely heartwarming and wonderful, I wish it were the center of the book. All that being said, only read this if you have the emotional strength to handle a very bleak and depressing depiction of something that may hit close to home.
This book is incredibly dark in a very real way. The magic is a side plot in a story about very depressing real world issues that have personally affected me. Please read the content warning and know just how dark this book is before going in. Specifically, if you cannot handle depictions of verbally, physically, and financially abusive parents then do not read this book.
I think using "black girl magic" as buzzwords for this book does both the story and black girls a great disservice. That movement was started to reframe the narrative around black girls and women. The marketing team fundamentally misunderstood that and stripped all meaning from it to instead describe a black girl literally doing magic.
I regret reading this book, I truly do. That being said, I can see the value others have found in this. It is well written. The plot is interesting and unique. The friendship between the two main characters is genuinely heartwarming and wonderful, I wish it were the center of the book. All that being said, only read this if you have the emotional strength to handle a very bleak and depressing depiction of something that may hit close to home.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Death, and Physical abuse
Early on in the book, the MC's mother's boyfriend shoots her dog in retaliation for her "misbehaving." There are multiple graphic scenes of both the mother and the boyfriend abusing the MC in various ways. There is no tag for this, but the mother is financially abusive towards her daughter. She forces her to completely financially support the family while still in high school and takes every cent she has so she cannot escape. This is central to the plot and recurrentidreaminbooks's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, Child abuse, Physical abuse, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Abandonment, Blood, Child death, and Violence
Minor: Drug use
utopiastateofmind's review against another edition
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.5
(Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher. This has not impacted my review which is unbiased and honest.)
TW: animal death, parental neglect
Bad Witch Burning put my heart through the emotional wringer. From Lewis exploring toxic family members to the fear and doubts of letting people in? Everything is emotionally intense and gripping. Katrell's story of how she is put into the parental role - when no child should have to be - and the desperation of poverty. We are able to see Katrell on the page in all her mistakes, loves, and doubts. To witness her emotional journey and character arc.
There are moments that break your heart from the small all the way to the large. From the internal narration in our own heads, to the fights with our best friends, to the toxic relationship with her mother. Bad Witch Burning is a book that has us fall so deeply in love with the characters, all their nuances and intricacies, and then watch the action take off. I struggle to figure out whether I love the story line - the supernatural - or the characters more. But they work so seamlessly together to create a narrative you can't put down.
TW: animal death, parental neglect
Bad Witch Burning put my heart through the emotional wringer. From Lewis exploring toxic family members to the fear and doubts of letting people in? Everything is emotionally intense and gripping. Katrell's story of how she is put into the parental role - when no child should have to be - and the desperation of poverty. We are able to see Katrell on the page in all her mistakes, loves, and doubts. To witness her emotional journey and character arc.
There are moments that break your heart from the small all the way to the large. From the internal narration in our own heads, to the fights with our best friends, to the toxic relationship with her mother. Bad Witch Burning is a book that has us fall so deeply in love with the characters, all their nuances and intricacies, and then watch the action take off. I struggle to figure out whether I love the story line - the supernatural - or the characters more. But they work so seamlessly together to create a narrative you can't put down.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Animal death, Domestic abuse, and Gun violence
adancewithbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Thank you to Delacorte Press, Random House Children's and Netgalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review. This does not change my opinion in anyway.
Trigger/Content Warnings: Death of a Dog | Parental Neglect | Domestic Abuse | Physical Abuse | Emotional Abuse | Violence to a minor | Gun Violence
If you've taken a look at the trigger warnings for this book you will know right away this is a book that broke my heart. And it will break your heart too because everything about this book is so real. The author confirms she's dealt with similar situations in her own life in the past in the foreword. And you can tell.
Katrell can talk to the death with the help of letters. She doesn't mind and it earns her an extra penny to help pay with the rent. Which she mostly pays on her own. Her home situation is terrible. Her mom has no job and keeps with a dead beat guy who beats Katrell. They expect her to work and make money so they have a roof over their heads and can do 'fun' things. Katrells only break comes from her friend Will who lives with foster parents who adopted her. She is safe there, but only Will knowns the truth about her home situation.
After a horrible incident Katrell accidentally raises someone from the dead. And she realizes she can earn a lot more money to keep a house and maybe even get out of poverty. You can imagine how well that went.
So much about this book broke my heart. Of course we have the big themes but more than that it was the broken hearted girl in Katrell that she didn't want to show. The girl that couldn't believe Wills mom would hang up one of her pieces of poetry. The girl that didn't think she was worth of any kind of love. What her mom did to her was unforgiveable. But Katrell went back because that is the loyalty of a child to their parents. She didn't want to get her mom into trouble so she never said anything to the social worker at her school. Everything about this book was real and it hurt.
The only thing I have is that I would have liked a bit of world buiding on the magic. I realize this is obviously not the focal point of this book but if you are going to use it try and put in a little more. It was just a little too thin.
Having said that this book is heart breaking and so well written. One that you won't forget after reading.
Trigger/Content Warnings: Death of a Dog | Parental Neglect | Domestic Abuse | Physical Abuse | Emotional Abuse | Violence to a minor | Gun Violence
If you've taken a look at the trigger warnings for this book you will know right away this is a book that broke my heart. And it will break your heart too because everything about this book is so real. The author confirms she's dealt with similar situations in her own life in the past in the foreword. And you can tell.
Katrell can talk to the death with the help of letters. She doesn't mind and it earns her an extra penny to help pay with the rent. Which she mostly pays on her own. Her home situation is terrible. Her mom has no job and keeps with a dead beat guy who beats Katrell. They expect her to work and make money so they have a roof over their heads and can do 'fun' things. Katrells only break comes from her friend Will who lives with foster parents who adopted her. She is safe there, but only Will knowns the truth about her home situation.
After a horrible incident Katrell accidentally raises someone from the dead. And she realizes she can earn a lot more money to keep a house and maybe even get out of poverty. You can imagine how well that went.
So much about this book broke my heart. Of course we have the big themes but more than that it was the broken hearted girl in Katrell that she didn't want to show. The girl that couldn't believe Wills mom would hang up one of her pieces of poetry. The girl that didn't think she was worth of any kind of love. What her mom did to her was unforgiveable. But Katrell went back because that is the loyalty of a child to their parents. She didn't want to get her mom into trouble so she never said anything to the social worker at her school. Everything about this book was real and it hurt.
The only thing I have is that I would have liked a bit of world buiding on the magic. I realize this is obviously not the focal point of this book but if you are going to use it try and put in a little more. It was just a little too thin.
Having said that this book is heart breaking and so well written. One that you won't forget after reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Animal cruelty, Domestic abuse, Abandonment, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gun violence
Parental Neglect | Violence to a Minor