For Girls Who Walk Through Fire

by Kim DeRose

Those who would suppress and destroy you stand not a chance when confronted with the power that lies within these pages . . .

Elliott D’Angelo-Brandt is sick and tired of putting up with it all. Every week, she attends a support group for teen victims of sexual assault, but all they do is talk. Elliott’s done with talking. What she wants is justice.

And she has a plan for getting it: a spell book that she found in her late mom’s belongings that actually works. Elliott recruits a coven of fellow survivors from the group. She, Madeline, Chloe, and Bea don’t have much in common, but they are united in their rage at a system that heaps judgments on victims and never seems to punish those who deserve it.

As they each take a turn casting a hex against their unrepentant assailants, the girls find themselves leaning on each other in ways they never expected—and realizing that revenge has heavy implications. Each member of the coven will have to make a choice: continue down the path of magical vigilantism or discover what it truly means to claim their power.

For Girls Who Walk Through Fire is a fierce, deeply moving novel about perseverance in the face of injustice and the transformational power of friendship.

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Witches, Contemporary, Audiobook, Fiction, Feminism

320 pages, Hardcover

First published September 5, 2023

About the author

Kim DeRose writes dark, magical stories about strong, magical girls. She grew up in Santa Barbara, California, where she spent childhood summers reading books and writing stories (which she was convinced her local bookstore would publish). She now lives in New York City, where she spends all seasons reading books and writing stories. Kim earned her MFA in film directing from UCLA, and currently works in digital media. When she’s not reading or writing she can be found listening to podcasts on long walks, drinking endless cups of coffee, and spending time with her family.

You can visit her online at www.kimderose.com or find her on Instagram at @kimderosewrites

Reviews

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The world used to set fire to witches, but now it's time that we witches set fire to the world."

This story of teen survivors of SA learning witchcraft to exact revenge in the name of justice grows more riveting with every passing chapter. DeRose deftly handles the difficult subject matter, showing just enough to make the situation clear without overdramatizing, being too graphic, or in any way sexualizing SA.

So many important points arise from this book: The myriad forms in which SA can occur. What it means to violate another person's body. How the justice system continually fails victims. How society blames victims. How far reaching the painful aftermath of a perpetrator's actions are. The importance of community and the strength found in supporting each other without judgement, and more. And amidst all of this is a story of unlikely friendship, dark sisterhood, and witchy rituals.

In the right hands, this would make for an incredible miniseries.

[Emms-hiatus(ish) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Please be aware that this book is infuriating, rage inducing, and very, very triggering.

Rape, assault, molestation, non consentual images and videos released. Add in not being believed, having a judge give a slap on the wrist because the rapist just made a one time mistake and has such a bright future ahead of him, and all the other BS women contend with and this book is rough.

It's also very good. The first half focuses mostly on revenge, which I ate up. The last bit focuses on healing and taking back their power in positive ways that don't poison the soul.

[Abby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oops I read this in one sitting. And cried both sad and happy tears. And now want to give all my female friends hugs.

[Charlotte Kersten]

This was my choice for the Hidden Gem bingo square and I’m pleased to report that I definitely think it’s accurate to call this book a hidden gem! In many ways it’s one of those books I’ve come to call “Charlotte Catnip” books because it follows a diverse group girls finding solidarity and healing after sexual violence through their developing relationships with each other. Each girl’s situation is explored in its uniqueness, including her personal outlook, the specific impacts of her trauma, her family dynamics, and more. I really enjoyed reading about each one of them, and I loved seeing how their relationships developed over the course of the book.

I also really like how the book explores anger, revenge, and injustice post-assault because it’s very real about difficult questions and holds a lot of complicated experiences in mind at once. The book does a great job of showing just how enraging and disempowering it is to know that perpetrators are so rarely held accountable in a way that changes anything and that rape culture is deeply engrained to keep shaming/blaming/silencing survivors.

At the same time, it explores the possibility that a fixation on individual punishment/revenge may not always bring survivors the peace of mind that it feels like it will; however, this never feels preachy or condescending or dismissive in the way that it often is when someone tells you that “revenge is a life well-lived” because they just want you to shut up and get over it. The ultimate conclusion the book comes to, I think, points to the importance of widespread cultural change and feminist solidarity to enact that change - basically emphasizing the importance of primary prevention and showing how survivors can be foremost in that movement thanks to their own wisdom, strength, and healing.

The question that people always come back to when you have conversations about sexual violence, justice, and reform - “Well, okay, but what do we actually do with the people who still commit sexual assault??”- doesn’t get a conclusive answer here, for those who might be hoping for that, but I don’t necessarily see that as a weakness because of how much other ground gets covered and how much more space it’d take to chew that over properly.

The book is also written in a really fun, casual conversational style with a lot of parentheticals and asides that really let the characters’ voices and strong emotions/opinions shine. There are a lot of quirky details, media references and jokes that make it fun to read, and the author does a great job of evoking the setting of rich, beautiful Santa Barbara as a complex place beneath its idyllic and sun-soaked appearance. I guess I can't say for sure how it would land for a younger reader, but it never really felt like it verged into cringey "How do you do, fellow teens?" territory with any of this.

I’ve read a few books with a rape revenge plot at this point in my reading project, and I think this is the one that feels the most successful to me so far. Needless to say it aligns most closely with my complicated feelings about the topic instead of playing it totally straight, but I also think its readability and spunkiness set it apart too. I mean it totally earnestly when I say that I think this book would have been really helpful for a younger version of myself to read, and that’s probably the highest compliment I could give to a book like this!

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book seems to come from a good place. It wants to say that revenge won't make you whole. The problem is that the context is all wrong. I love a story about a character so obsessed with revenge they lose themselves. The problem is that these girls have had their senses of self taken from them already. I love the theme that revenge is not justice. The problem is that the justice system consistently fails victims of sexual assault, something the book is well aware of. I think that, ultimately, this wants to be a story about using one's power for good, which would work far better as a metaphor if the characters did not come into that power through sexual assault.

Ultimately there was no justice and that's a huge problem in a book like this.

It also tried to do too much. This book wants to be the wokest wokeness to ever woke. And I say that as someone who values inclusivity! The problem is that it was more concerned with saying the right things than telling a good story. Also, when you go out of your way to show off your diversity cred, your diversity failings become even more glaring. The Harry Potter references throughout the book were borderline insulting; there's no way the author isn't aware of JK Rowling's rampant transphobia, and there are plenty of magic books for young readers that aren't written by TERFs. (The works of Tamora Pierce and Diane Duane still exist, last I heard...)

Further, several of the punishments doled out to rapists amounted to becoming disabled. Literally, one of them became blind, another became incontinent and had difficulty walking. In a way, I get it; the intent of the curse wasn't blindness, in that instance, but not being able to play sports. It's clear the messaging wasn't intended to be, "Rapists deserve to be punished with disabilities." As that's literally what happens, however, the problematic note is worth making.

Finally, the way the author keeps mentioning what song her character is listening to is really annoying. If you don't know the songs, it's just distracting. Honestly this feels like something that originated as a fanfic and hasn't been adequately adapted.

The bones of book aren't bad. It just needed to be honed into a stronger narrative. It wants to be Promising Young Woman and The Craft and The Brave One, and instead it was just... messy.

[Patty (IheartYA311) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strong start but story stalled halfway through. Pacing was inconsistent. The plot was decent but the ending was a bit of a let down.

[Dana K · Rating 4 out of 5]

“And I'm sick of hearing things like living well is the best revenge."

——————-

Elliot is a teen regularly, attending a sexual assault support group. But she is tired of the inaction and resilience required by survivors. When a highly publicized case results in the perpetrator going free, she decides she has had enough. It’s time to take action. She decides to unearth book of her late mother’s promising spells that will give the justice she desires. She decides to do form a coven with the other survivors, and one by one day are given spells by the book. As their attackers are impacted, they begin to wonder if revenge was the right path overall.

This book obviously deals with a very sensitive subject, and we are given a scene of assault to match each girl. So prepare yourself for that. But the first half is a fabulous revenge filled girl power action. The second half is a socially responsible YA novel helping these girls focus on the right path to healing. I thought the novel balanced fun with serious quite well. It has a positive message wrapped in an entertaining package.

Thanks to Booksparks for the gifted copy as a part of #FRC2023. All opinions above are my own.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the plot/concept of this book. Women who were wronged and sought out their own vengance and revenge through witchcraft....sounds badass. Unfortunately, the style this was written in left me wanting more. And I couldn't really form a strong connection with any of the characters. Still, I enjoyed it enough to finish it.

[Lee [Bibliophile Tings] · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you so much to Union Square & Co. for sending me a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

“I’m sick of hearing things like, living well is the best revenge…What I want is some actual change. What I want is for these assholes to finally get what they deserve. What I want is justice.”

I must admit, I was not a fan of the whole “using magic as a means of revenge”. I was with Kaylie from the beginning. The spells weren’t going to change anything; they wouldn’t erase the pain, the problems, or the memories.

That being said, I loved that the book is about the coven regaining their power after sexual assault. That message really resonated with me.

“Here was the truth of walking through fire: it was excruciating, and it burned, and it turned you to ash. But flames did more than burn. Flames also brought light…witches weren’t only meant to burn—witches were meant to rise.”

Out of the core four, Bea and Elliot have a special place in my heart: Bea, because our stories are very similar, and Elliot because she seemed like somebody I would be friends with.

I understand why the girls only met for coven-related reasons, but I wanted there to be more budding friendship moments. Elliot, Bea, Chloe, and Madeline were so different from each other. I never felt that they truly became friends. They supported each other, but they weren’t close. I’m a softie, okay. I wanted more bonding.

All in all, For Girls Who Walk Through Fire made me feel strong and seen.

Bottom line: It’s about young female witches taking back their power. What more could you want?

⸻ᥫ᭡
my blog!

[ɠιɳα ☠️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Men violate women all the time and receive zero consequences for it—and Elliot D’Angelo-Brandt is done. So done that she decides to take matters into her own hands. If America’s judicial system won’t punish these monsters, she will. And how? By witchcraft, of course.

Together with three other sexual assault survivors, Elliot forms a coven with the goal to seek retribution from the boys who took advantage of them. And the spells they conjure are perfect—each more sinister and violent than the last. But as their powers grow stronger, their bodies begin to wither, leading the coven to question whether or not they should continue on their path for vengeance before it ultimately consumes them…
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This book was an absolute YES for me. Getting back at rapists by hexing them has to be one of the most delicious revenge concepts. I love DeRose’s ingenuity with the plot, with how it starts with four seemingly broken girls that go on a journey of feminine empowerment together, and ends with them giving into the battles with their demons. I also love that she got heavy with retributive justice and merged it with witchcraft—like if Immanuel Kant starred in The Craft. This was an absolute gem of a debut novel. I highly recommend it and look forward to reading future books by DeRose.

[Sharaya Milton · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book covers an important topic with a twist of magic, that I think (and hope) would be accessible to the younger audience that it's targeting. For my part, I really like the concept of using magic to take vengeance into your own hands and exploring the question of whether it's helping and what kind of magical cost is worth it. However, I wish that there was an aged-up version with older characters and a better developed story. The magic wasn't well defined and you never really figured out how it works. Further, there was a lot about magical vengeance, but healing was glossed over. The ending wrapped up a little too quickly in a nice little bow. As an aside, I would have loved to see what happened if they had accidentally targeted the wrong person, and then had to deal with the consequences of hexing an innocent. It would have been an interesting scenario to explore.

However, the author did a great job of including diverse stories of SA. The girls each had their own unique story and it's important to acknowledge that each counts as SA. The resulting doubts, trauma, and worries that each girl experiences is also well done.

[Danielle Nichole · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The world used to set fire to witches. But now it's time we witches set fire to the world."

5 stars. But will not be rereading. Lots of trigger warnings in this one and the reality of this book was hard to get through. SA victims rarely get proper revenge, even with the help of a coven and magic incantations. I don't know how people can be complicit in things like this or defend the scum that do this. It makes me sick how true to life this book was.

Read by Mia Hutchinson-Shaw. #booksin25

[Colleen Tryner · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book uses magic as a tool to explore what it looks like to get revenge. The victims, and MCs in the book, are teen girls that have experienced SA. They’re in group therapy together trying to work through what that’s like when they’re faced with the opportunity to punish their abusers. The book explores that revenge and how it impacts the girls, and what their path is to healing.

I think this YA novel takes an important look at unfortunate truths young women can be faced with.

[Danielle Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book but some parts annoyed me

[Aurora · Rating 4 out of 5]

CW: Graphic descriptions of sexual assault, a few shaming comments (refuted), parental death abandonment (both in the past)

I liked this book a lot, and it had a really powerful message, but I had a couple issues with it.

First, it was in third person, and I really feel like that held it back. You can certainly develop a strong connection with characters in third person, but it felt like they were being held at a bit of a distance here. One specific example—all the girls were experiencing symptoms of PTSD, and they talked about those symptoms several times, but it never really broke through the narrative. We know Elliott (who we spend the most time with) has night terrors, carries self-defense items, and is afraid of being out alone at night, but we never really feel her anxiety, especially since she puts up a very stoic and apathetic front. Bea's came through some, and Chloe's insecurities were there, but I really didn't feel much from Madeline at all besides her desire for revenge.

Second, I'm not sure we needed detailed descriptions of what happened to each girl. This is a tough call that has to be made in any media dealing with sexual assault, and there are arguments to be had on either side, so I'm not making a blanket statement here that it's never warranted. But we know from the beginning that each of the girls has experienced sexual assault in some way, and especially with the removed third person writing, it felt gratuitous to fully detail each experience. I wouldn't go quite so far as to say they were sexualized, but Chloe's and Madeline's—both of which involve specific initial consent (though Chloe was too intoxicated to truly give it) that was then violated—certainly toe that line. There's also the issue that it adds a high potential for being triggering to people who would benefit most from reading the book. So I think the assaults either should have been a little less vividly detailed in how they were described or they should've just been left vague in general.

Those are the two main issues. I could nitpick some things, but nothing else stands out as being that big of a deal.

On the positive side, each of the girls grew to realize they had people who supported them. That's such a huge thing in recovering from trauma in general, and sexual assault specifically. Elliott's grandmother initially doesn't seem very supportive—though it's worth highlighting that she's the one who brought Elliott to the support group—but she's called out for it. They also learn (as you probably expect from the description) that they are stronger than they realize and can move forward. The ultimate takeaway of the book (which I'll put in spoiler tags in case you really don't want anything spoiled, but it's not some shocking reveal) is seeking revenge is still focusing your energy towards the person who harmed you, and it's healthier and more helpful to instead put it towards yourself and your healing, and towards how you can make a difference in the world, and it's handled in a really supportive way that doesn't make it feel patronizing or dismissive. The pain is real and it matters and the impulse to get back at the person who assaulted you is real and valid, and the thing that matters the most is you—your sense of self, your power, your future.

I do not know if the author has experienced sexual assault. A lot of times they'll say so in an afterword or in the acknowledgments, but she didn't (nor should she have to). But as someone who has, I do think the effects were portrayed well, even if the third-person writing made it harder to connect with. The aftermath, the time it can take to truly even begin to recover, and the various ways people can respond were all represented accurately and thoughtfully.

I also want to quickly highlight the fact that Chloe is a Korean-American who was adopted into a white family living in a predominantly white community, and the book does a good job at exploring her feelings around that and how complicated it can be to navigate. Likewise, Bea is Black and there is discussion of how that impacts her and her family's lives in general, as well as how it affects her experience with sexual assault specifically, especially since the person who assaulted her was white, increasing her fear of not being believed or taken seriously. And though it gets far less discussion, she's also gay, and has delayed telling her family because the assault (which she's also keeping secret from them) has complicated her feelings about her sexuality (in the general sense) and because she feels conflicted about telling them one secret but not the other. These make the characters more complex and real, but also show some of the ways different identities intersect with the experience of assault and symptoms of PTSD.

[Becky'sBookBlog · Rating 4 out of 5]

For Girls Who Walk Through Fire is a story filled with feminine rage & friendships, that talks about how we each deal with our trauma in different ways, no one better than the other, it exudes the anger that we all feel when we’re made to believe that these kinds of actions are ‘our fault’ and not those of the perpetrator. It’s angry and healing all in one and I absolutely loved it. I will say that this book should some with some hefty trigger warnings about rape, sexual assault, child abuse, all of which are talked about on page and in a fair amount of detail.

Elliot is sick of being asked how she feels, of people assuming that talking about her attack will make her feel better, what she wants is action, results, she wants to make the person who hurt her feel even a smidgeon of the pain she feels on a daily basis. Luckily she finds others who feel the same way, Madeline, Chloe, Bea & Elliot don’t have a lot in common, but their need for revenge runs deep, so when Elliot unveils a spellbook she found in her late mums things, one that promises exactly what the girls are looking for, their coven is founded. As they each take a turn hexing their assailants, they start to realise that although revenge is certainly sweet, it also comes with ramifications that they didn’t expect. They have to make a choice. Continue down the path of revenge, or learn to claim their own power.

For Girls Who Walk Through Fire is a story about how we cope with sexual assault. It shows multiple viewpoints, from those who decided to take their attacker to court, to others who didn’t feel they could tell anyone about it, didn’t think they would be believed. DeRose makes it very clear that there is no hierarchy when it comes to abuse, every characters trauma is dealt with equally, even if it would be seen as lesser in the law, which is something I enjoyed. It does get explicit in parts, for parts of the hexes the characters have to relive their trauma, but this isn’t a book about abuse, though it deals with it heavily, it’s a book about healing, about, not moving on exactly, but relearning to love yourself, accepting it wasn’t your fault and trying your best to move on from it.

DeRose really focuses on the female friendships. These girls couldn’t be more different from each other, but they all have one thing in common, one thing that outweighs all their differences. I would have enjoyed seeing them open up to each other a little more, not about their trauma, just each other, because their relationship seemed solely built around the coven and a need for revenge, rather than budding friendships. But I loved how supportive of each other they were, how accepting, never judging, just being there whenever needed, to talk, to vent, for revenge.

And speaking of revenge, I thought the author dealt with it exceptionally well. It’s a hard topic to talk about, one that’s always going to be divisive, as it is in the book. We initially see the characters jump head first into their revenge plot, but as the story, and the strength of the revenge and hexes starts to increase, we see some of them start to question whether this is the right option, they feel good in the moment, but as time passes they start to realise that it hasn’t changed how they feel about the attack. Whereas others are asking whether what they’re doing is enough, they feel that the spells aren’t providing enough damage to make up for the harm caused to them. I thought, for such a tough topic, it was dealt with incredibly well. The author gave time to both sides, allowing them both to be ok, acceptable options, but in the end, showing how freeing it can be ok to accept your trauma, to talk about it, because that release of not being the only one to know, or having others to rely on and believe can lift a weight off you never knew you were carrying.

This is a story teeming with female empowerment, allowing characters to go on their own journey, supporting each other and never lessening or trying to one up another’s trauma, and though it does deal heavily in revenge, the overall message is one of healing. DeRose’s writing style brings an emotional and heightened sense to the story and because of this it’s one I struggled to put down. As I mentioned above, there are some serious trigger warnings which readers should be aware of, but it’s a story filled with hope and healing and one I think teens in general, but especially those who have suffered abuse will appreciate.

[Marcella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Girls coming together as witches... in a revenge-style coven? YES.
It was beautiful but bittersweet, given the theme and all the flashbacks stories. I love the undertone of friendship and love and silver linings, but my heart broke so many times while reading it. I could feel the rage, the shame, the "wrong" feeling of being accused of something that is not your fault... but I especially LOVE the witches-sisterhood bond between the characters.
It was so good!

[Pine Reads Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Because here was the truth of walking through fire: it was excruciating, and it burned, and it turned you to ash. But flames did more than burn. Flames also brought light. And witches, Elliott had decided, were like the mystical Phoenix bird. Witches weren’t only meant to burn—witches were meant to rise.”

Elliot wants revenge. In the aftermath of the assault that has drastically altered the course of her life, she is tired of just talking and wants to take action into her own hands. To do this, Elliot decides to team up with three other girls from her survivor support group: Madeline, Chloe, and Bea. Seeing a similar spirit in these girls, Elliot forms a coven with them, aided by a mysterious spell book she discovered in her late mother’s possession. The girls each take turns using the book to hex their assailants and acquire justice. However, as their magic progresses, they must deal with the ramifications that come with seeking revenge.

For Girls Who Walk Through Fire is a moving and emotional portrait of trauma, healing, and girlhood. DeRose’s book highlights the power of female relationships, and the connection forged between Chloe, Bea, Madeline, and Elliot is made all the more powerful by the diversity of their perspectives. Initially seeming to have very little in common, these girls forge a bond ignited by their collective rage and desire for justice. While this bond is created in the spirit of revenge, it is strengthened and maintained by their vulnerability with one another.

Bound together by a magical spellbook, each girl sets out to curse the man who has assaulted them. I was hesitant to embrace the vigilante spirit that underpins the beginning of the novel, concerned about the message that Elliot promotes: revenge through violence is the only way to heal from trauma. However, as the novel progresses, Elliot and the rest of her “coven” undergo beautiful character development that transforms how they view healing.

In a story at times so bleak, some things I found incredibly heartwarming were the relationships between characters. Elliot’s relationship with her father provides particularly emotional and touching moments in the novel as well. The girls’ resolutions are ongoing but satisfying, as each of them show progress in their paths to healing. I appreciated the parallels that the end of the novel drew to the beginning, especially with Elliot back in the support group but having shed her bitterness in favor of a desire to do good.

I would recommend this book to all young adult readers, as it offers an important and moving portrayal of the struggles and power inherent in being a woman and the strength it takes to heal.

Pine Reads Review would like to thank NetGalley, SparkPoint Studio, and Union Square & Co. for sending us an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Any quotes are taken from an advanced copy and may be subject to change before final publication.

Follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and Facebook @pinereadsreview, and check out our website at www.pinereadsreview.com for reviews, author interviews, blogs, podcast episodes, and more!

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the concept behind the book, but found it overall to be a bit juvenile and trying too hard to be woke. It is YA though, so it makes sense.

[Nel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Many thanks to Union Square & Co. for sharing this unexpectedly sobering young adult novel. This gifted novel, along with a couple of others, came as surprise book mail, and although it was a book I wouldn't normally choose, I was captivated from the start.

The story follows Elliott, a teenage victim of sexual assault, who comes upon a spell book that once belonged to her departed mother. After recruiting fellow victims from her support group to join her coven and cast spells on their perpetrators, she is ultimately surprised to learn what her true heart's desire is.

Having known absolutely nothing about witches and how covens work, I was a bit apprehensive about the content, but ultimately, the message was one of redemption and hope. Kim DeRose did an excellent job expressing the wide range of emotion that sexual assault victims undergo. The novel was all at once disheartening and empowering.

⚠️Trigger warnings: sexual assault, death of a parent

For more of my reviews, please check out my blog at www.mamasgottaread.blogspot.com or follow me on Instagram at www.instagram.com/mamasgottaread.

[Charlie Helton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Looking for a witchy read this spooky season, look no further. This YA contemporary fiction has you covered. This group of girls come together in a support group for sexual assaults of teens and they are sick and tired of talking about their feelings and want revenge. They form a coven and soon take action against the ones that hurt them. Except, is revenge really the pathway to healing? Things get a little out of control and they find themselves learning some hard lessons and discover how to truly claim their power. This was such a fun read bringing an interesting twist on the #metoo movement in a way that is moving, empowering, and healing. There are some triggers if that is your thing. I absolutely devoured this book in two days I could not put it down. Highly recommend!

[Shirley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book that centers on female rage, revenge, and witchcraft?! Say less.

Not only is this work important due to its concept and themes, but the writing is fantastic--flows well, easy to read, and hard to put down.

The author has given heart and voice to many stories that need to be told and need to be heard. This book should be required reading for all kids (boys, girls, nonbinary children) to read and internalize.

(Trigger warnings for mentions of sexual assault, but the book focuses on the survivors and how they come together to deal with and overcome trauma.)

[sevenofcrows · Rating 2 out of 5]

I understand what this book was trying to do, and I loved the original plot. Getting revenge on bad people can be cathartic for some people and even the idea of it, and yes it was a smart decision for them to decide to heal instead. However, it framed the justifiable anger they all had as wrong and bad. Should they have been going after people? nooo. But they’re allowed to be angry about it and have to work through that before healing-it felt like the villainized the one character who was still angry in the end.

[Stella Evans · Rating 1 out of 5]

note to the author: i don’t care what clothes the characters are wearing and i especially don’t care what songs they’re listening to

[Desert Luna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have some mixed feelings about this book.
On the one hand, I love the energy of using witchcraft to inflict pain on people who commit sexual assault.
On the other, I understand on some level the message this book was going for, that focusing on revenge isn't exactly constructive and it means you're dedicating a lot of energy toward someone who does not deserve to be the focus of your energy.
But, at the same time, like...I do feel like rapists deserve to suffer.

I like that the girls eventually were able to start healing and stop blaming themselves for what happened, to see that in no way was any of it their fault. I like that they were able to open up to the people that love them and be honest with them. I like that some of them were able to do the difficult thing and get the closure (close to it) of cutting someone off who continuously hurt them and sort of undermined them. I like the bond they developed.

But at the same time I personally would not have felt even the slightest bit bad about being responsible for exploding some dude's organs or making all his teeth fall out.
Does it suck that the one guy's kids are traumatized now? Yeah, in an ideal world that wouldn't have happened, but I don't really have any sympathy for him or even really for his wife. I have no sympathy for the parents of any of the boys, either, especially not the ones who continued to support their son even after a rape trial.

Revenge seems to be a kind of interesting and consistent theme in a lot of the media I consume these days, and a lot of the time the message seems to be that revenge isn't constructive or helpful and in fact can be entirely consuming. In some cases I absolutely agree, at least in the instance of one or the other party having some sort of moral justification for what they did. But rape never has a moral justification. You can say "I killed him because he killed my dad" and it can be like "Okay, that's actually kind of fair. We ARE perpetuating a cycle of violence, and it will destroy both of us, but I totally understand." That's not the case with rape.

I mean, does anyone ever look at Inigo Montoya's relentless pursuit of revenge and call it wrong? He killed the Six Fingered Man in the end and it was sick. Because the Six Fingered Man killed his dad in cold blood, and the SFM is evil, and does terrible things.

I'm not sure I'd go as far as to say rapists need to be completely vilified and reduced to less than human (caricatures, like the SFM), because we still need to be able to examine as a society how the way the current system works can create and enable rapists, and what needs to be done in childhood (from the very beginning) to instill the values of bodily autonomy and respect necessary to prevent rape from happening.

But they still should, absolutely, suffer in agony for the rest of their lives. And if we acknowledge that the justice system often fails at doling out a "correct" punishment (which is a whole other aspect of the system)...then yes, I would advocate for making them suffer through witchcraft.

So I feel like this book brings up a lot of things to consider, there are aspects of it that I do like, but I can't say I agree with "we felt poisoned by what we were doing" because, I just feel like if it was me in their shoes, I would not feel bad about exploding some dude's spleen with magic.

Is revenge and hatred a destructive thing to carry around all the time? Yeah. But Elliott is also right in that sitting around in group therapy doesn't really dole out the justice many of us view as necessary in a society that mostly functions based around "the consequences of one's actions."

I will also point out that constantly referencing Harry Potter just felt kind of...inappropriate to me. Obviously as a franchise it has had huge impacts in the way many of us view magic and witchcraft these days. But...was there *no other* magical series Bea and her brother could've connected over? Even a made up one? I can't tell specifically *when* this book is supposed to take place, but surely in this world Bea knows how evil JK Rowling is? This is probably something I could write an essay on, but this notion that Rowling invented witchcraft in modern form actually pisses me off. Look, I'm not some die-hard Ursula K Le Guin fan, but doesn't she literally have a quote about how what Rowling did wasn't even necessarily original? At a certain point, we as a society need to accept that Rowling has now done more damage than her mediocrely written franchise has served any good. Find other books focusing on witchcraft. Le Guin literally has one herself.

I don't know. I have mixed feelings.

[Cordelia Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 Great spooky fall book with witches and sisterhood-but not for the faint of heart.
I liked this book. Dare I say, I quite liked this book, but it’s random acts of violence along with the trigger warnings inherent with the subject material made it an odd read I wouldn’t recommend to any of my high school friends. My biggest critism is that this book should have been marketed as horror rather than low fantasy. It would have made many of its elements make more sense and attracted a crowd willing to look past the ethically questionable parts of the book. I’m going to do a spoilers section in the plot and the rest non spoilers.

CHARACTERS:
Elliot is soooooo pretentious for a modern teen. I get that she’s a self insert for the author but he whole “I only listen to old music I’m so retro everyone sucks” shtick gets real annoying real quick. Bea and Chloe have my own heart no notes. I’ll get to Madeline later no need to spoil her yet. The book felt a tad overstuffed with parents and friends of all the girls, but it didnt detract too much from the story.

Ethics/plot:
Ok this is where it gets weird. The plot is about a group of girls who experienced sexual assault forming a witch coven and taking revenge on their rapists. Which I thought I would be fine with. But apparently wasn’t on an ethical level






SPOILERSSPOILERSSPOILERS


It really bothered me that the first spell was about physical pain and was (quite horrifyingly) extreme and not incredibly related to the assult that took place, but the fourth spell caused the perpitrators to feel the full guilt for what they'd done (a much more fitting punishment in my opinion) and we were supposed to be like "thats too far"? What? Also maybe I'm under the mysogynistic propoganda thumb but I really couldnt get behind the vigilante justice bit in general, it made me uncomfortable. I quite liked the plot-the lore of the magic book isn't gone into, but I was quite frankly ok with that, it wouldn;t have added to the story very much anyway. It irked me a bit that madeline just disappeared with it at the end (I felt like we should have at least gotten some sort of resolution wiht her a WE WILL RETURN thing) but her character in general felt like a very good representation of white girl activism taken to the exreme, which I appreciate, and her arc made sense.



SPOILERS OVER


Sensative Topics
This has got a warning for cursing, violence, and of course, rape. It's all delt with in a way that is as barebones as possible because it's NOT THE POINT. I thought the sexual assault was handled well, both in that it wasn't the most important thing about the girls or even nessisary to understanding their character fully, and in that the girls all experienced a form of sexual assault that wasn't what people would think of instantly as rape. It all felt very realistic and well delt with. Despite the dark subject material it leave you with a good taste in your mouth


It wasn't one of my all time greats and I would feel weird giving it as a rec because subject matter but it was a good spooky season read.

[Sarah (sarahs_shelves_sc) · Rating 5 out of 5]

**This YA book should definitely come with a trigger warning for sexual assault, as there are descriptions of what exactly happened to each girl. **

Elliott, Madeline, Chloe, and Bea meet at a support group for sexual assault survivors. Elliott is frustrated with the fact that these girls are forced to deal with their trauma day after day, while oftentimes the perpetrators get away with a slap on the wrist or with no punishment at all. When she finds an old spell book, she asks the other girls to form a coven with her and get revenge on the boys and men who have done them wrong.

This was such a unique tale of witchcraft, focused on feminism, female rage, and fighting misogyny. It was a powerful story about the emotions that survivors of SA hide inside, and all of the questions they may continue to ask themselves months or years later. The girls are so full of frustration over the fact that nothing ever happens to the men, that girls are forced to think about things like how they dress and what they say when really boys should learn how not to be rapists. It really made me think about how the media shows these cases, about the me too movement, and about our broken system. My heart hurts for anyone who has been a victim of this type of assault.

The four girls were great main characters with such differing personalities. I found it interesting that the girl filled with the most rage was the girl who looks the most buttoned up on the outside, with a huge contrast to her inner personality. The coven really needed all four of these personalities - the skeptic, the one who goes all in on witchcraft, the one pulsing with anger, and the one who had the idea and organizes it all. The bond between the girls grows as they slowly become more than a coven, as they become friends.

The witchcraft aspect brought me The Craft vibes, with these girls unsure what their powers would be and unsure what would happen. I could see this book making a fantastic movie with its heroines that you feel so much sympathy for and the incredible and dramatic tale of revenge. This was a great debut and I will absolutely read whatever the author writes next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Union Square & Co for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have some objections to the metaphysics in this one. Apparently, instead of forming a coven and using the book, the girls could have bought a gun and capped these [REDACTED] and they wouldn't have suffered anything (maybe guilt). But using the book, and the spells that they don't really have any control over, causes physical harm. Well, whatever mystical force is getting so judgemental on them doesn't do squat do any of the men/boys choosing to rape, so what is the difference supposed to be? Is wanting revenge (because we see explicitly how the justice system fails) that much worse than actively causing harm? Or are we supposed to think of the girls the way their abusers do, as people not worthy of consideration? Given the ending, I feel like the author would tell the women who insisted on confronting Larry Nasser with his crimes that they should concentrate on healing themselves and not give him any more mental space. Whereas I think that [REDACTED] should have to listen to them every day if that's what they wanted.

Also, the way the magic changes at the end to bring them their heart's desire is just too reminiscent of The Secret to me. Ugh.

I confess I am much more bitter in my old age; when I first read The Fresco a couple of decades ago I thought the aliens taking anti-abortion politicians at their word and using them as a painful part of an alien lifecycle was going a bit far but these days I'd like to flag the aliens down. They can start in Texas.

[Mandi · Rating 2 out of 5]

For Girls Who Walk Through Fire follows Elliott D’Angelo-Brandt and three other girls from her support group for survivors of sexual assault to do what Elliott has been dreaming of for months: take revenge on the ones who hurt them. Armed with a mysterious spell book that belonged to Elliott's dead mother, the girls create a coven and set out to perform some witchy vigilante justice.

I'm really sad to admit that I just wasn't very impressed with this book, which is honestly shocking! As a reader, I love witches, I love feminist stories, and I love feminist witches. Genuinely, everything lined up so that I should've been in love with the story, but it just fell flat for me.

All four girls have their own distinct personalities and issues, but the book hesitates to explore the depths of their lives, which just keeps it super shallow. I'm also super disappointed that the girls really don't ever become friends, which is lampshaded by each of them that they wouldn't have hung out if not for this. But their dynamics as a coven and between individuals isn't explored really at all, which is incredibly disappointing. That relationship(s) is key to this book, but it's not really there. Outside of the coven, I liked Kaylie, who, along with Mary, seemingly represented the best way of dealing with your trauma and rebuilding your life. (Also, I want to give her a hug.)

The plot moves quickly but is somewhat repetitive. We don't really get breaks to explore the characters' thoughts or feelings in much depth as we go from witch casts spell -> effects of spell -> consequences -> next witch's spell. It's not until near the end of the book that we get something more, but it's underdeveloped and I wish we had more to go off of with the ending. I liked how each girl responded differently to the spells, along with the differences of the spells and their effects.

I appreciate the way that each of the girls' assaults are considered valid and awful, despite the way that they're incredibly different in how they knew the rapist and what exactly happened to them. That sounds bad, but it's the way that there's no comparison between what happened and that DeRose condemns it all equally. That said, honestly, I don't know how well I like that each girl has to fully relive the scene of her rape to cast a spell for her justice. Not just the character in-universe reliving it but also the reader being forced to be in that headspace. I'm not sure how to put it in words, but it just felt... not great. Additionally, I truly feel like DeRose didn't actually consider Madeline's ending fully. Yes, the girls are able to begin the healing process by allowing others in and sharing/seeing their experiences, but it's worth noting that Madeline is the only one whose experience was heavily rooted in something intimate and vulnerable being publicly shared against her will. It felt like her pulling away was meant to be her leaning too much into her desire for vengeance and disregarding the people who want to help her, but it was an experience that would have presumably revictimized her in the same way that she already was before. I also feel like it was an incredibly missed opportunity to have Madeline begin healing because she's the character most explicitly linked to Catholicism and purity culture and the preconceived shame of premarital sex, and in a book about dealing with the aftereffects of rape, I wish that Madeline's healing could've begun as well.

This book also tries to tackle more than it can really spend time on. While it focuses on the impact of sexual assault, it also very briefly tries to touch on race, class, and sexuality, but it all falls flat when those themes are swept under the rug. Bea briefly discusses police discrimination as a Black woman, but then nothing is mentioned when she volunteers to distract a security guard by having him chase her. Class is brought up multiple times, but all four girls are from incredibly wealthy families, and it doesn't actually have an impact. Representation and acknowledging privilege is great, but I wish that authors knew that they could focus on one element at a time instead of just haphazardly throwing in mentions of the others to appear 'woke' without actually considering those elements at play in the book.

This sounds really negative, and it's not intended to be! I like what DeRose is trying to do with this book, but just parts of it fell flat for me. I think that I'd just have liked that additional depth to the characters and storyline for this one to land better for me.

12/04/25 - it's been over a year since I read this book, but I sometimes remember it and honestly, it makes me so angry. Madeline's ending is flat out intolerable to me, and I honestly find it antithetical to the entire book's thesis. I genuinely think that DeRose was trying to have Madeline leaving the coven as a symbol of her refusing to let go of her need for revenge and refusal to heal, but the problem is that she's the ONE CHARACTER whose sexual assault and trauma was directly connected to it being publicly shared without her consent. The climax of the girls' bond and journeys involve them seeing the assaults, which is retriggering specifically to Madeline due to her being a victim of revenge porn. DeRose doesn't seem to acknowledge or even realize this at all! Madeline's actions are entirely justifiable, and the idea that she has to be revictimized AGAIN to let go of her need for revenge or to begin healing is an incredibly disgusting idea for survivors. And because she refuses to be victimized again in this manner, the narrative actually fucking punishes her. Out of all four girls, she is the only one to not unlock her magic. She doesn't have a coven anymore, and she doesn't have a support system. Hell, Elliott is focused on getting the spell book back from her in the end, not the fact that she was nearly victimized in the exact same way as before. If she had given any other character that backstory, or if any other character occupied Madeline's space in the narrative, then it would be a whole different situation. But it's not, and so instead, in a novel meant to be about girls regaining the power that was stolen from them, we have a character punished for lashing out about it happening again because she didn't take it. What a message for this book. Removed another star from this because of that, so right now, it's two out of five, but I honestly am still considering rating this one star purely because of that ending. We'll see, because I may come back in another year still being furious about it!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two things can be true: a book can be riveting, interesting, and all around a good book, but also be hard to get through. Typically I would fly through a book like this - it appeals to who I am as a pseudo-goth elder millennial: witchcraft, sisterhood, and vengeance, oh my! Unfortunately, the cause of their pain that led them on their path to those things is painful and awful and tragically, oh-too-relatable for many, many women. Delving into the violence, trauma, and aftermath of assault, while necessary not only for the plot to talk about but for the world at large to talk about, isn't easy. Spreading this book out over a week made it easier.

All that said, this is an overall uplifting look at life after trauma and what life can be, for good or worse. It handles a tough topic with grace, empathy, and sensitivity and has a really good message about speaking truth about abusers and breaking the cycle of silence and abuse. I think it would be a great read for all women but especially young women, and I would like my daughters to read it when they are a bit older - sometimes art can say things that we can't hear when our parents tell us :)