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foxwish's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
The characters weren't very compelling, the magic was interesting and story was okay but Veronica is abusive, manipulative and hypocritical and I hated reading about her, and because Hannah isn't over her ex, she spends a lot of time thinking about Veronica.
Many of the characters are stupid, including Hannah herself and every single responsible adult character that just let Hannah and Veronica wander about and do whatever they want despite the danger to their lives. Gemma's dialogue in particular got worse as the book went on, becoming extremely generic, Morgan was fine but it felt like she was just there to make the point of not all insert group of people only portrayed as being terrible up to this point are bad.
I will happily praise how this book deals with a teenager grieving though, it felt realistic, you can tell how raw Hannah is at that point and her actions are driven by those feelings.
Many of the characters are stupid, including Hannah herself and every single responsible adult character that just let Hannah and Veronica wander about and do whatever they want despite the danger to their lives. Gemma's dialogue in particular got worse as the book went on, becoming extremely generic, Morgan was fine but it felt like she was just there to make the point of not all insert group of people only portrayed as being terrible up to this point are bad.
I will happily praise how this book deals with a teenager grieving though, it felt realistic, you can tell how raw Hannah is at that point and her actions are driven by those feelings.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Grief, Car accident, and Death of parent
Moderate: Homophobia, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Lesbophobia, Sexual violence, Medical content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Cursing, Stalking, and Biphobia
sapphic_in_the_stacks's review
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
Moderate: Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
shockyreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Blood, and Car accident
Moderate: Death of parent, Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Animal death, Grief, Gun violence, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Medical content, Lesbophobia, and Homophobia
karapillar's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Death of parent, Grief, Hate crime, Kidnapping, Violence, Stalking, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
caitlinemccann's review
adventurous
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? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, and Grief
Moderate: Alcohol and Toxic relationship
amandalorianxo's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Now I came in expecting a light cozy mystery with witches and lgbtq rep. This book is definitely not cozy, has a handful of tragic moments in addition to homophobia & manipulative ex’s who gaslight/emotionally damage their ex girlfriend’s. Hannah on her own of course has a lot going for her as do Gemma and Morgan. Unfortunately, a few of the plot lines I kind of sort of already saw planned out when certain key words from the dialogue jump out at you. Overall, I do wish there had been more people of color (for a novel set in what I assume is “present day” Salem you would think more diversity in skin tone would have made an appearance ? But you write what you are familiar with and possibly Sterling wasn’t ready yet to write a poc character.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief
Moderate: Death
Minor: Blood, Kidnapping, Homophobia, and Car accident
lindseyhall44's review
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
These Witches Don’t Burn follows Hannah, an elemental witch living in Salem, who must uncover the truth behind mysterious events affecting her her and her coven. Of course, amateur sleuthing is not a one woman job, and she must team up with a band of unlikely allies: her (recently) ex girlfriend, non-witch best friend, and new crush. Easy right?
I read this book as one of my fall reads, and would absolutely recommend (especially the audiobook). The characters are fleshed out and complex, the plot is engaging, and the relationships are heartwarming to read. However, the writing may not be for everyone, but I did not have too much of a problem with it.
This is a thriller, which I did not necessarily realize when picking it up, so please check trigger warnings before reading.
I read this book as one of my fall reads, and would absolutely recommend (especially the audiobook). The characters are fleshed out and complex, the plot is engaging, and the relationships are heartwarming to read. However, the writing may not be for everyone, but I did not have too much of a problem with it.
This is a thriller, which I did not necessarily realize when picking it up, so please check trigger warnings before reading.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Murder, Medical content, Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, and Grief
theespressoedition's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
So, the story behind reading this book goes a little something like this:
1) I saw the cover for the sequel, loved it, and added it to my TBR (completely unaware that it was a sequel).
2) Upon finding out it was a sequel, I removed it and added the first book in the series to my TBR.
3) It happened to be available on Libby at the start of October, so I checked it out as an audiobook.
4) After listening to it, I was immediately thankful for the fact that I'm not a cover-buyer and that I wait to purchase books after I've read and loved them.
5) As fun as the cover is, I was not the biggest fan of the book itself (and I'm still debating whether or not to read the sequel).
This book wasn't a fun read in the slightest. It featured incredibly toxic characters in even more toxic relationships. It had a huge focus on death and grief that really altered the vibe of the book at a certain point. There were so many dark, heavy moments that it took away from any of the interesting, mysterious plotlines. The entire time I was listening, I kept hoping that it would pick up and things would be more of the typical "YA pep" I was in the mood for, but instead, I felt very melancholy by the end.
This just wasn't for me. I think the writing was good and so I gave it stars for that, but I just didn't enjoy the story much at all.
1) I saw the cover for the sequel, loved it, and added it to my TBR (completely unaware that it was a sequel).
2) Upon finding out it was a sequel, I removed it and added the first book in the series to my TBR.
3) It happened to be available on Libby at the start of October, so I checked it out as an audiobook.
4) After listening to it, I was immediately thankful for the fact that I'm not a cover-buyer and that I wait to purchase books after I've read and loved them.
5) As fun as the cover is, I was not the biggest fan of the book itself (and I'm still debating whether or not to read the sequel).
This book wasn't a fun read in the slightest. It featured incredibly toxic characters in even more toxic relationships. It had a huge focus on death and grief that really altered the vibe of the book at a certain point. There were so many dark, heavy moments that it took away from any of the interesting, mysterious plotlines. The entire time I was listening, I kept hoping that it would pick up and things would be more of the typical "YA pep" I was in the mood for, but instead, I felt very melancholy by the end.
This just wasn't for me. I think the writing was good and so I gave it stars for that, but I just didn't enjoy the story much at all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Murder
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, and Lesbophobia
bookcheshirecat's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
“She'll never understand. The realization washes all the fight out of me, leaving behind only heartache. I gently pull my wrist from her grip. "Because," I say, my voice so soft it's nearly swallowed up by the trees, "I'm standing here, telling you how much you hurt me, and you can't hear it." Tears fill my eyes. I've lost the strength to hide them. "You broke my heart, and you didn't even notice. How can I ..." My throat closes up, I look away. "How could I ever trust you to put the pieces back together?”
➽ These Witches Don't Burn is perfect if you love small-town Fantasy books and all things witchy! The story follows Hannah, an Elemental Witch who has to keep her identity hidden from normal humans like her best friend Gemma. I loved the magic system in this story, as there are different witch covens, from Casters to Elementals to Blood Witches. The latter have a bad reputation though and are seen as monsters. That's why Hannah is horrified that one of them might be running around in Salem! I really liked her friendship with Gemma and the blossoming romance with the new girl in town, Morgan. The story also explores the toxic relationship with her ex-girlfriend Veronica, who still hasn't understood how much she hurt Hannah and keeps trying to get back together with her. The bad guy was a bit predictable, but overall I loved the small-town and witchy vibes!
➽ These Witches Don't Burn is perfect if you love small-town Fantasy books and all things witchy! The story follows Hannah, an Elemental Witch who has to keep her identity hidden from normal humans like her best friend Gemma. I loved the magic system in this story, as there are different witch covens, from Casters to Elementals to Blood Witches. The latter have a bad reputation though and are seen as monsters. That's why Hannah is horrified that one of them might be running around in Salem! I really liked her friendship with Gemma and the blossoming romance with the new girl in town, Morgan. The story also explores the toxic relationship with her ex-girlfriend Veronica, who still hasn't understood how much she hurt Hannah and keeps trying to get back together with her. The bad guy was a bit predictable, but overall I loved the small-town and witchy vibes!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Grief, Violence, Death, Murder, Toxic relationship, and Hate crime
Minor: Homophobia
rain_baby's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Animal death, and Car accident
Moderate: Death of parent, Cursing, Toxic relationship, and Grief
Minor: Biphobia and Blood