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annsephine's review
3.0
3.5* I liked the book, but I found some points a bit unnecessary, like the death that occurs towards, as well as some things being a little predictable. Overall I liked it, I wanna read the second book just to get a closure on the story, but it's not something I would reread.
janagaton's review
2.0
boooorrrriiiingggg. i much preferred The Coldest Touch by this author, and I will not be continuing with this series
readtomea97's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Lesbophobia, Toxic relationship, Homophobia, Gun violence, and Grief
sadkitty's review
4.0
Rating 3.5/5
When I first started reading These Witches Don't Burn, I picked it up only because spooky October was around the corner and I needed the supernatural elements in my life.
At first, the story seemed bleak. Hannah trying to get over her ex- that is Veronica and with Veronica, she's everything you can imagine the perfect crush to be. She was Hannah's best friend since childhood. And she graduates as the valedictorian. There are memories only those two share. Hannah's the typical YA protagonist trying to stand up for herself when she can't.
But then, there's this part where the threats become real. The danger is real. And although the words aren't mentioned, we all know from history what the threat is all about.
Somewhere along the way, friendships and other relationships get involved. Hannah spirals into this thought of thinking that she doesn't know who around her really loves her and who wants to hurt her. This fear is the driving force for me. I actually got a kick out of reading this part.
The emotions are there. A bit flowery in description sometimes, which I don't like, but it's not like you can always put your emotions to words.
Hannah's character development is really something to look forward to. But there are still things I wish were more.
There should have been more of Hannah's sarcastic remarks from the get go rather than showing her as just a scared girl who wanted all her life to learn advanced magic.
The action was breathtaking. I also liked the way they tried to explore the various relationships forming and breaking around our main character.
I like the freaking regret. When the protagonist feels the desperation to go back into the past and change something but she can't. She just can't. And i love it.
That brings to notice the vulnerability of being human and i love this book for it.
When I first started reading These Witches Don't Burn, I picked it up only because spooky October was around the corner and I needed the supernatural elements in my life.
At first, the story seemed bleak. Hannah trying to get over her ex- that is Veronica and with Veronica, she's everything you can imagine the perfect crush to be. She was Hannah's best friend since childhood. And she graduates as the valedictorian. There are memories only those two share. Hannah's the typical YA protagonist trying to stand up for herself when she can't.
But then, there's this part where the threats become real. The danger is real. And although the words aren't mentioned, we all know from history what the threat is all about.
Somewhere along the way, friendships and other relationships get involved. Hannah spirals into this thought of thinking that she doesn't know who around her really loves her and who wants to hurt her. This fear is the driving force for me. I actually got a kick out of reading this part.
The emotions are there. A bit flowery in description sometimes, which I don't like, but it's not like you can always put your emotions to words.
Hannah's character development is really something to look forward to. But there are still things I wish were more.
There should have been more of Hannah's sarcastic remarks from the get go rather than showing her as just a scared girl who wanted all her life to learn advanced magic.
The action was breathtaking. I also liked the way they tried to explore the various relationships forming and breaking around our main character.
I like the freaking regret. When the protagonist feels the desperation to go back into the past and change something but she can't. She just can't. And i love it.
That brings to notice the vulnerability of being human and i love this book for it.
lot_be's review
adventurous
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
A nice fun book with an intresting story. Loved reading it as a little break from the difficult story's I have been reading.
There weren't realy any characters I feel very strongly about. I feel like I only just started reading the book and still have way more to learn. Still I'm not really willing to read the sequal any time soon...
The writing style wasn't anything special either. It really was the mystery aspect of the story that made it a good read.
There weren't realy any characters I feel very strongly about. I feel like I only just started reading the book and still have way more to learn. Still I'm not really willing to read the sequal any time soon...
The writing style wasn't anything special either. It really was the mystery aspect of the story that made it a good read.
thephdivabooks's review
3.0
Centering on teen witch Hannah, whose powers gain strength from the elements, this is the first in a YA series that centers around a coven of witches who may not be as safe as they thought!
The book opens in the aftermath (I should say wreckage) of Hannah’s break-up with her first girlfriend and fellow witch, Veronica. Whatever went down between these two was explosive, and for about the first half I actually felt like I started in the middle of a story, rather than the beginning. I did see the Sterling went back and wrote a mini-prequel that explains the Manhattan trip that led to the break-up, and it would have been great if that could have been part of this book.
In addition to her break-up troubles, Hannah also becomes convinced that a blood witch (one of the three types of witches in this world) may be after her and her coven. The problem is, no one believes her besides Veronica, and they aren’t exactly on speaking terms.
I really liked the world Sterling created here, and I loved having such a female-dominated cast of characters. In addition to women running the coven, I really enjoyed having an LGBTQ+ lead—it felt different than the standard teen witch book and added a layer of complexity to the story.
I did feel that the first half was a bit heavy on the teenage angst and light on the witch-y fun. It was jarring to see how much the break-up impacted Hannah because we never really saw her and Veronica together. I think had I had that context it would have helped me connect with Hannah a bit more in the first part. I will say by the second half I really got into the story, and couldn’t put it down for the last section.
This was a fun fall read!
The book opens in the aftermath (I should say wreckage) of Hannah’s break-up with her first girlfriend and fellow witch, Veronica. Whatever went down between these two was explosive, and for about the first half I actually felt like I started in the middle of a story, rather than the beginning. I did see the Sterling went back and wrote a mini-prequel that explains the Manhattan trip that led to the break-up, and it would have been great if that could have been part of this book.
In addition to her break-up troubles, Hannah also becomes convinced that a blood witch (one of the three types of witches in this world) may be after her and her coven. The problem is, no one believes her besides Veronica, and they aren’t exactly on speaking terms.
I really liked the world Sterling created here, and I loved having such a female-dominated cast of characters. In addition to women running the coven, I really enjoyed having an LGBTQ+ lead—it felt different than the standard teen witch book and added a layer of complexity to the story.
I did feel that the first half was a bit heavy on the teenage angst and light on the witch-y fun. It was jarring to see how much the break-up impacted Hannah because we never really saw her and Veronica together. I think had I had that context it would have helped me connect with Hannah a bit more in the first part. I will say by the second half I really got into the story, and couldn’t put it down for the last section.
This was a fun fall read!
sanne6je's review
3.0
3.5 stars.
This is a fast paced story about witches and feels like a combination of YA contemporary and fantasy. I really liked this book despite my rating. I’m a fan of well explained fantasy so that is where this book was lacking big time. But if you’re a fan of fast YA romance with a dash of fantasy, look no further.
I do have to add that sometimes the plot was so fast that I didn’t realise something big was happening since it wasn’t explained well enough. This happened at least 3 times making me wonder if it was just me or the book.
I will definitely pick up book two. It contains LGBTQ+ characters that are witches which checks at least two of the boxes of books I like.
This is a fast paced story about witches and feels like a combination of YA contemporary and fantasy. I really liked this book despite my rating. I’m a fan of well explained fantasy so that is where this book was lacking big time. But if you’re a fan of fast YA romance with a dash of fantasy, look no further.
I do have to add that sometimes the plot was so fast that I didn’t realise something big was happening since it wasn’t explained well enough. This happened at least 3 times making me wonder if it was just me or the book.
I will definitely pick up book two. It contains LGBTQ+ characters that are witches which checks at least two of the boxes of books I like.
kittyhearted's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75