Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

These Witches Don't Burn by Isabel Sterling

5 reviews

annorabrady's review

dark emotional mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This book went in many different directions. I almost DNF'd at the beginning then the story started to pick up. And I got into it until I got blindsided by

the parental death. As someone who unexpectedly lost their mom in the last year, that definitely threw me back into the trauma

. 

Overall, I'm not sure how I feel about the story. I gave it a 3 because it was entertaining enough. But this isn't one I am going to revisit. 

If you have emotional triggers, be aware and proceed with caution. This hits on a lot of things that could get people. I've done my best to list the ones I can remember. 

As an aside, this book is not diverse. Beyond the romance and the ex, there's one closeted character who gets little page time and one gay character who gets an even smaller part. Then there's nothing. Everyone is white. If there aren't white characters, they're not described. In real life, Salem has close to 18% of their population identifying as latine and nearly 4% as black. Surely there could have been a friend, family member, or other recurring character who wasn't white. 

After giving myself time to think about it, I genuinely don't understand the purpose of killing off her father beyond shock value. It didn't add anything to the story. She learned nothing new – he died while trying to give her a clue but didn't actually say anything – and her actions didn't change.

It also would have made more sense narratively if he hasn't died, especially in terms of Victoria being left alone after getting her magic back. 

Hannah would have saved Victoria regardless of her father's death. She was just as invested in the identity of the witch hunter before and after his death. And his death didn't add to any of her struggles or character development. He just died. And then he had a funeral. And she said she was upset about it.

Losing a parent changes you. Especially if it's a parent you have a good relationship with. It fundamentally changes so much of your life, your beliefs, and your priorities. And I saw none of that reflected in what Hannah did at the end of the book. Hannah was still the same character, she was just down a parent.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Grief, Medical content, Murder, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gun violence, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Lesbophobia, Medical trauma, Outing, Panic attacks/disorders, Police brutality, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, and Toxic friendship

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. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Murder, Medical content, Death of parent, Death, Gaslighting, and Grief

ka_ke's review

emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

These Witches Don’t Burn is a fun read. It has excellent LGBTQIA+ representation and quite the diverse cast of characters. It’s an excellent pallet cleanser between heavier books and the speed makes it easy to get through. That being said, it is very simple and borderline predictable. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Murder, Toxic relationship, Blood, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Medical content, Cursing, Gaslighting, and Grief

Moderate: Death of parent, Death, Injury/Injury detail, Gun violence, Outing, and Homophobia

moonstruck_next_friday's review

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted mysterious 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

A good mix of spooky themes and lesbian fluff. It’s so much fun to hate Veronica and root for Morgan. There’s a couple good twists at the end too. Even though “These Witches Don’t Burn” came out before the prequel “This Spell Can’t Last”, I highly recommend reading the prequel first it’ll give great context for the characters actions and decision making. Can’t wait to read the sequel!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Car accident, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gore, Death of parent, Grief, Homophobia, Kidnapping, Medical content, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Gaslighting, Lesbophobia, Murder, Sexual violence, and Torture

arsenelouppain's review

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent

Moderate: Violence and Gaslighting

Minor: Blood