November Book Review

By Sophie Bruff

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

About two months ago, I visited Barnes and Noble’s “Book-Tok” section and bought everything with a pretty cover. I approach every book from this section with apprehension, because this curated selection of buzz worthy books is often filled with disappointment, despite raving reviews from influencers. I have been making my way through my giant stack of paperbacks, and the month of October was the perfect time for some spooky reads. Even though Halloween is over, witchy books and mysteries can be read all year round.

These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling is the story of a teenage witch, Hannah, in Salem, Massachusetts. The story begins when a murdered animal is found in the woods next to a pentagram, and Hannah is convinced it is the work of a “blood witch.” Blood witches are basically a rival gang for her clan, the elemental witches. As Elementals, Hannah and her ex, Veronica, can control water, earth, air, and fire. With a single drop of a person’s blood, a blood witch can control the person. (A lot like the blood-benders from Avatar the Last Air Bender.) One of the main plot points of the book, aside from Hannah’s love life, is the existence of a blood witch in town who is out to kill. However, as the story progresses, it gets much darker.

I had high hopes for this book since it’s been floating through my recommended Instagram reels a few times. After you accept some of the absurdity of plot devices and writing, the book is filled with lore that is easy to learn and the suspense keeps you second guessing yourself. In all honesty, even though it has only been a couple weeks since reading These Witches Don’t Burn, I am not able to recall the majority of the plot, which I think is pretty telling. The story definitely picks up the pace towards the end, but I am not sure if it was for the better. It’s always said to never judge a book by its cover and I must admit, I always do, and this one is quite misleading. While the art is nice, the cover fails to communicate the plot’s darkness. I do like the title of the book, and there was a nice “ah-ha!” moment towards the end of the book related to it. However, the cover art and the back cover blurb do not prepare the reader for the violence and heavy themes that crash down at the end. I would check Goodreads for possible content warnings.

The book had potential and was marketed as a queer teen witch fighting for her safety, but it did not live up to what I had hoped. I did get invested in the story and read the whole thing in one sitting, plus some parts of it made me cry. Overall it was just okay.