Reviews - The Burning | The StoryGraph

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443 reviews for:

A smart and moving novel of sexual bullying. The protagonist invites empathy from the reader in an almost palpable way. The connections between historic and modern harassment of women are illustrative. A young adult novel, of course, but a deep one.

alos3478's review against another edition

5.0

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative mysterious 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: Complicated

jennamo's review against another edition

4.0

Laura Bates is the founder of the Everyday Sexism Project, and her previous books have mostly focused on sexism and gender bias, so it’s no surprise the plot to her YA debut book also includes this.

Anna and her mum move to Scotland to try and escape the sexual harassment and abuse Anna is facing. The story does an excellent job of showing what it is like for a teenage girl, the victim blaming that occurs in most of these cases and the double standards when it comes to teenage girls and teenage boys’ sexuality.

Throughout the book, Anna is researching witches for a history project, so we jump back in time to Maggie, a young woman accused of being a witch. I wasn’t sure about this to begin with, but the more I read about Maggie, the more interested I was in her story.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book.

laplantec's review against another edition

4.0

Strong, contemporary YA issues-driven novel with themes easily connected to The Crucible and the Salem Witch Trials and to current social media troubles. Connects women who were persecuted hundreds of years ago for behavior that was deemed sinful (motherhood out of wedlock) with girls being shamed and bullied online, pictures being shared with their knowledge, deepfakes. Takes place in England and Scotland, but still relatable. Some dialogue or scenarios feel a little unbelievable but overall it hits the theme fully.