What do you think?
Rate this book
The Witches of Halstett #1
Tonight, I Burn
A thorn witch with the power to walk between the realms of Life and Death finds herself at the center of a magical rebellion—and a dangerous romance—that could destroy her coven and her soul in this dark and decadent debut.
Thorns, Tides, Embers, Storms, and Ores. All five covens are bound in servitude to the tyrant High Warden of Halstett.
Penny Albright is a daughter of the thorn coven, forced to patrol the veil between the realms of Life and Death. Each night, one thorn witch—and only one—must cross the veil by burning at the stake. Each morning, that witch draws on their magic to return. Failure to follow the rules risks the veil and risks them all.
But one morning, Penny's favorite sister Ella doesn't return. And that night, determined to find her, Penny breaks the rules. She burns in secret. And she discovers that all isn’t as it seems in Life or Death.
Her journey leads her to Malin, a devastating lord with too many secrets; to Alice, a mysterious captive prophet; and to a rebellion brewing in the shadows beneath the city. And as Penny's world splits, she’ll face a devastating choice. Because it’s not just her sister’s life that hangs in the balance. It’s the fate of all magic.
All it takes is one witch—and one spark—to set the world ablaze.
Thorns, Tides, Embers, Storms, and Ores. All five covens are bound in servitude to the tyrant High Warden of Halstett.
Penny Albright is a daughter of the thorn coven, forced to patrol the veil between the realms of Life and Death. Each night, one thorn witch—and only one—must cross the veil by burning at the stake. Each morning, that witch draws on their magic to return. Failure to follow the rules risks the veil and risks them all.
But one morning, Penny's favorite sister Ella doesn't return. And that night, determined to find her, Penny breaks the rules. She burns in secret. And she discovers that all isn’t as it seems in Life or Death.
Her journey leads her to Malin, a devastating lord with too many secrets; to Alice, a mysterious captive prophet; and to a rebellion brewing in the shadows beneath the city. And as Penny's world splits, she’ll face a devastating choice. Because it’s not just her sister’s life that hangs in the balance. It’s the fate of all magic.
All it takes is one witch—and one spark—to set the world ablaze.
448 pages, Paperback
First published October 31, 2023
211 people are currently reading
16401 people want to read
About the author
Katharine J. Adams
4 books177 followersKatharine worked in medical imaging until moving to the glorious Kapiti Coast in Aotearoa where she spends her days writing, playing taxi to her children, and making space for just one more book on overflowing shelves. She’s passionate about positive LGBTQ+ representation in literature and genuinely thought everyone secretly liked all genders for an embarrassingly long time. If she’s not out mountain biking or hiking with her family, she’s often found hiding in the garden where she accidentally kills more plants than she does characters in her stories.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 417 reviews
December 17, 2022
Full disclosure, as the author's agent I'm extremely biased. But I have no chill and I can't wait for you all to read this incredible book. Add it to your want-to-read shelf RIGHT NOW!
January 23, 2025
3 Stars
First I thought for a debut this book was really strong and I am really looking forward to see how this story progresses in future books. I also am really excited to see what else Katherine Adams creates. This fantasy story about witches was really unique and I haven't read anything quite like this before.
This story follow Penny and she is a Thorn Witch. There are different covens and each coven has a different magical trait. The thorn witches specifically burn alive to enter the veil the land of death. A man known as a Warden oversees all the covens. He is evil and depends on the Thorn Witches to keep him alive. His army keeps them in line. I considered his Army to be like zombies, their soul is cut from their life and their sole purpose is to serve the Warden.
I thought the writing on this book was really beautiful. It pulled me in early and I was captivated right away. I really enjoyed Penny and Malin's interactions and I was always looking forward when she would be meeting him again. I also thought the magic system of this world was very interesting. How each of the covens had their own powers, but the Thorn Witch power was definitely the most interesting to me. They had to burn and enter the veil to keep everyone safe. If they showed any fear during the process the risked summoning death wraiths.
The romance in this book had its ups and downs for me. For some reason I had a hard time truly ever connecting. It wasn't necessarily instant love but it did progress very quickly from this guy is scary to I want to kiss his face off. I think it would have been awesome to have a bit more interactions of them being uncertain and sassy to each other before it progressed further. I also was not so sure about the secondary romance, this one did feel it came out of no where. I do though really appreciate the polyamory of this story and it not being a love triangle. There was a lot of respect and love shown.
I will be keeping my eye out for other books by Adams. She did a beautiful job with this book and I think she will go really far.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit for this advance reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.
I will be posting my review to my bookstagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites close or on publication date.
First I thought for a debut this book was really strong and I am really looking forward to see how this story progresses in future books. I also am really excited to see what else Katherine Adams creates. This fantasy story about witches was really unique and I haven't read anything quite like this before.
This story follow Penny and she is a Thorn Witch. There are different covens and each coven has a different magical trait. The thorn witches specifically burn alive to enter the veil the land of death. A man known as a Warden oversees all the covens. He is evil and depends on the Thorn Witches to keep him alive. His army keeps them in line. I considered his Army to be like zombies, their soul is cut from their life and their sole purpose is to serve the Warden.
I thought the writing on this book was really beautiful. It pulled me in early and I was captivated right away. I really enjoyed Penny and Malin's interactions and I was always looking forward when she would be meeting him again. I also thought the magic system of this world was very interesting. How each of the covens had their own powers, but the Thorn Witch power was definitely the most interesting to me. They had to burn and enter the veil to keep everyone safe. If they showed any fear during the process the risked summoning death wraiths.
The romance in this book had its ups and downs for me. For some reason I had a hard time truly ever connecting. It wasn't necessarily instant love but it did progress very quickly from this guy is scary to I want to kiss his face off. I think it would have been awesome to have a bit more interactions of them being uncertain and sassy to each other before it progressed further. I also was not so sure about the secondary romance, this one did feel it came out of no where. I do though really appreciate the polyamory of this story and it not being a love triangle. There was a lot of respect and love shown.
I will be keeping my eye out for other books by Adams. She did a beautiful job with this book and I think she will go really far.
Thank you so much to NetGalley and Orbit for this advance reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.
I will be posting my review to my bookstagram page the.floofs.booknook and retail sites close or on publication date.
June 9, 2025
✩ 5 stars ✩
⤿ Thank you to Orbit Books for the arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Witchy books are always so much fun, and this book was no exception! In this book, there are five witch covens who work under the evil High Warden they are bound to. This story focuses on Penny who is from the thorn coven, her coven's job is to walk the veil between life and death to keep it safe. Each night, a witch must burn to reach the veil, returning the next morning by their lifeline supported by the rest of the coven. One night Penny's sister Ella doesn't return from her burning, and she is forced to take a bargain that may just take her life thread, but not before she has to spy on the Warden and his soldiers.
"But the power of magic is seductive. And men have always been inclined to bargain with death" (12)
The plot for this book was sooooo interesting, I truly don't think I've ever read anything like it before. Especially where the witches must burn every night to go into death and protect it from wayward spirits, I loved seeing this in action. While there were some classic tropes in here like pieces of rebellion, mysterious bargains, and most literally witch hunts. The beginning almost didn't grasp my attention, but once I got past the first chapter or two I was immediately sucked in and wanted to continue reading, practically at all times - even if it ended up taking me a while. While there were times for other readers that the plot might get repetitive, but I was just having too much fun seeing the mystery unravel to really care if some things got repetitive. The writing was also absolutely gorgeous and something that drew me in constantly.
The worldbuilding was something that while important in this book, did not feel like the main focus though there were some very important moments. The different thorn covens each have a similar history but a little bit different, and so I'm not entirely sure which is true yet. There's so much yet to learn about this world. Even towards the end, there was a lot of mystery left open for the continuation of the series, which makes me really excited to see what is coming down the line.
Penny was sort of like a typical main character in fantasy books, but yet she was very well-developed especially as the story went on. I loved seeing her grow more into herself and being able to make her own decisions and see the fallout from them. She's very powerful in herself and doesn't give herself a lot of credit for it, but I think she has even more room to grow considering the ending of this book. I really loved her perspective and know that the story would have been much different without her as the main character.
Malin was my favorite character of the entire book, he was so mysterious through all of it and as the story implied, he was 'deliciously dark.' I mean come on, when you describe a man smelling like chocolate and midnight rain you can't expect me to not fall in love with him immediately. Especially when he lives in a manor, in death, that will adjust itself to your desires and emotions. He is introduced really early on and becomes an integral part of the story, particularly with figuring out some of the mysteries with the High Warden and witch covens. I loved the complexities of his character and was ecstatic that he was so important.
Alice is essentially a 'doll' of the High Warden forced to weave together pieces of fabric and yarn to depict the future, which only she can see. She's also very mysterious, but not my favorite character of the main three. However, she is very quiet and observant, proving she is skilled in more than just loom weaving for the Warden. I think there's definitely room for more of her growth and attention to her story in the books to come, and I am completely ready to keep an open mind.
An important part of this story that I will mention and not go into too much detail about, this book has a great representation of both a bisexual main character and a polyamorous relationship. The second is something that I've never actually read about in a book before but is something I want to explore more, both for a diversity reason and my interest in how it's represented in literature. I think the romance was done pretty well, I just wish there had been a bit more development for one half of the polyamorous relationship, though I understood what brought them together.
Other characters in this book were interesting to read about as well, some of my favorites included Tobias and both of Penny's sisters (Ella and Mila). As the story got to the halfway point, most of the attention was turned to the three characters I mentioned, but lots was going on behind the scenes that they didn't know about. Even the High Warden himself was a cool villain, maybe not the best I've ever read but considering he had a whole army of Gilded with him, it made him all the more intimidating. There are lots of side characters, so I'm sure I'm going to forget some before reading the next book whenever it comes out, but I'm still excited to see them all again eventually.
The ending of this book is crazy, and not what I was expecting even though maybe I should have haha. It's very much a cliffhanger but I can't wait to hopefully continue this series eventually, it was a great ending for a great read.
↬ [TW: torture, death of loved ones, blood and gore]
⤿ Thank you to Orbit Books for the arc through netgalley in exchange for an honest review!
Witchy books are always so much fun, and this book was no exception! In this book, there are five witch covens who work under the evil High Warden they are bound to. This story focuses on Penny who is from the thorn coven, her coven's job is to walk the veil between life and death to keep it safe. Each night, a witch must burn to reach the veil, returning the next morning by their lifeline supported by the rest of the coven. One night Penny's sister Ella doesn't return from her burning, and she is forced to take a bargain that may just take her life thread, but not before she has to spy on the Warden and his soldiers.
"But the power of magic is seductive. And men have always been inclined to bargain with death" (12)
The plot for this book was sooooo interesting, I truly don't think I've ever read anything like it before. Especially where the witches must burn every night to go into death and protect it from wayward spirits, I loved seeing this in action. While there were some classic tropes in here like pieces of rebellion, mysterious bargains, and most literally witch hunts. The beginning almost didn't grasp my attention, but once I got past the first chapter or two I was immediately sucked in and wanted to continue reading, practically at all times - even if it ended up taking me a while. While there were times for other readers that the plot might get repetitive, but I was just having too much fun seeing the mystery unravel to really care if some things got repetitive. The writing was also absolutely gorgeous and something that drew me in constantly.
The worldbuilding was something that while important in this book, did not feel like the main focus though there were some very important moments. The different thorn covens each have a similar history but a little bit different, and so I'm not entirely sure which is true yet. There's so much yet to learn about this world. Even towards the end, there was a lot of mystery left open for the continuation of the series, which makes me really excited to see what is coming down the line.
Penny was sort of like a typical main character in fantasy books, but yet she was very well-developed especially as the story went on. I loved seeing her grow more into herself and being able to make her own decisions and see the fallout from them. She's very powerful in herself and doesn't give herself a lot of credit for it, but I think she has even more room to grow considering the ending of this book. I really loved her perspective and know that the story would have been much different without her as the main character.
Malin was my favorite character of the entire book, he was so mysterious through all of it and as the story implied, he was 'deliciously dark.' I mean come on, when you describe a man smelling like chocolate and midnight rain you can't expect me to not fall in love with him immediately. Especially when he lives in a manor, in death, that will adjust itself to your desires and emotions. He is introduced really early on and becomes an integral part of the story, particularly with figuring out some of the mysteries with the High Warden and witch covens. I loved the complexities of his character and was ecstatic that he was so important.
Alice is essentially a 'doll' of the High Warden forced to weave together pieces of fabric and yarn to depict the future, which only she can see. She's also very mysterious, but not my favorite character of the main three. However, she is very quiet and observant, proving she is skilled in more than just loom weaving for the Warden. I think there's definitely room for more of her growth and attention to her story in the books to come, and I am completely ready to keep an open mind.
An important part of this story that I will mention and not go into too much detail about, this book has a great representation of both a bisexual main character and a polyamorous relationship. The second is something that I've never actually read about in a book before but is something I want to explore more, both for a diversity reason and my interest in how it's represented in literature. I think the romance was done pretty well, I just wish there had been a bit more development for one half of the polyamorous relationship, though I understood what brought them together.
Other characters in this book were interesting to read about as well, some of my favorites included Tobias and both of Penny's sisters (Ella and Mila). As the story got to the halfway point, most of the attention was turned to the three characters I mentioned, but lots was going on behind the scenes that they didn't know about. Even the High Warden himself was a cool villain, maybe not the best I've ever read but considering he had a whole army of Gilded with him, it made him all the more intimidating. There are lots of side characters, so I'm sure I'm going to forget some before reading the next book whenever it comes out, but I'm still excited to see them all again eventually.
The ending of this book is crazy, and not what I was expecting even though maybe I should have haha. It's very much a cliffhanger but I can't wait to hopefully continue this series eventually, it was a great ending for a great read.
↬ [TW: torture, death of loved ones, blood and gore]
October 12, 2023
This is going to be a rather hard review to get from thoughts into words, so hopefully tomorrow I’ll have something coherent.
(Full review): I wanted to like this book, but there were just some things made it rather flat for me. 🙁
While the premise sounded great, I thought the world building was rather confusing at times. At times I thought it made sense, and then an info dump would happen, and I’d be lost all over again. While I’m good with info dumping here and there, this just felt like random snippets that felt rather out of place to me. 🤷🏻♀️
Penny as a MC was sometimes frustrating. She made some really confusing choices and then was praised for being brave when I agreed with her sister, Ella, that she was being rather dumb. That and she just felt so desperate to prove herself that this probably drove her to do these things. 🤨
Her love interests were also rather odd. For both, I felt like the attraction was there, but no growth to show how they came to love each other. It just happened suddenly and that kind of irked me not to see them fall for each other. I wanted that bisexual polyamory relationship to work out, but it just fell flat for me. 😬
But I will say that what redeemed the book for me in a way was the intricate magic system. I found the covens fascinating and the use of absolutely morally grey characters within the coven hierarchy and the Warden incredibly well crafted, but I wish we could’ve gotten a little more information as to how thorn witches came to have their name and how their relationship with death has evolved over time. 🥀
In the end, I was just left with a rather “meh” feeling when I really wanted to like it. The ending was definitely worth pushing through to the end, but I can see why some people might like this book; sadly for me, it just didn’t click. 😢
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Overall: 3/5 ⭐️
(Full review): I wanted to like this book, but there were just some things made it rather flat for me. 🙁
While the premise sounded great, I thought the world building was rather confusing at times. At times I thought it made sense, and then an info dump would happen, and I’d be lost all over again. While I’m good with info dumping here and there, this just felt like random snippets that felt rather out of place to me. 🤷🏻♀️
Penny as a MC was sometimes frustrating. She made some really confusing choices and then was praised for being brave when I agreed with her sister, Ella, that she was being rather dumb. That and she just felt so desperate to prove herself that this probably drove her to do these things. 🤨
Her love interests were also rather odd. For both, I felt like the attraction was there, but no growth to show how they came to love each other. It just happened suddenly and that kind of irked me not to see them fall for each other. I wanted that bisexual polyamory relationship to work out, but it just fell flat for me. 😬
But I will say that what redeemed the book for me in a way was the intricate magic system. I found the covens fascinating and the use of absolutely morally grey characters within the coven hierarchy and the Warden incredibly well crafted, but I wish we could’ve gotten a little more information as to how thorn witches came to have their name and how their relationship with death has evolved over time. 🥀
In the end, I was just left with a rather “meh” feeling when I really wanted to like it. The ending was definitely worth pushing through to the end, but I can see why some people might like this book; sadly for me, it just didn’t click. 😢
Thank you to Orbit and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review.
Overall: 3/5 ⭐️
November 16, 2023
Tonight, I Burn
by Katharine J. Adams
Fantasy
NetGalley ARC
Publication Date: November 3, 2023
Orbit Books
Ages: 16+
The five covens are bound to their tyrant ruler High Warden of Halstett. Penny and the rest of her Thorn coven are forced to patrol the veil between Life and Death and the only way to get there is to burn alive. They can come back by following their lifeline unless they don't follow the rules.
But when Ella, Penny's closest sister, doesn't return, Penny breaks the rules and burns for her first time by herself, and finds Ella and a secret that could help end the Warden's control.
While the plot is the norm for most fantasy stories, this world and its witches are creative, but sadly time wasn't taken to really explain this world and its history, let alone the covens. It was brushed upon but the author never went any deeper than general highlights, giving me not much to feel for this world or its inhabitants.
Don't get me wrong, this story was good, but because it lacked details, backstory, and a deep dive into the important aspects: the crystals, the covens, magic, the death realm, and the gilding, it fell short of being great!
And for the romance, it was lame. I did not see a connection between two of the characters, which makes me think that it was only added last minute, because, to me, it read as if it was intended to be a best friend relationship instead of romantic. And for the other relationship, while there was more building up their connection, it flattened really quickly.
Sadly, this failed to reach the potential it could have.
Will I read the next book in the series? Maybe, but I won't go out of my way to find it.
Because of violence and two scenes that I rolled my eyes and skimmed, I can only recommend this for readers 16 and older.
3 Stars
by Katharine J. Adams
Fantasy
NetGalley ARC
Publication Date: November 3, 2023
Orbit Books
Ages: 16+
The five covens are bound to their tyrant ruler High Warden of Halstett. Penny and the rest of her Thorn coven are forced to patrol the veil between Life and Death and the only way to get there is to burn alive. They can come back by following their lifeline unless they don't follow the rules.
But when Ella, Penny's closest sister, doesn't return, Penny breaks the rules and burns for her first time by herself, and finds Ella and a secret that could help end the Warden's control.
While the plot is the norm for most fantasy stories, this world and its witches are creative, but sadly time wasn't taken to really explain this world and its history, let alone the covens. It was brushed upon but the author never went any deeper than general highlights, giving me not much to feel for this world or its inhabitants.
Don't get me wrong, this story was good, but because it lacked details, backstory, and a deep dive into the important aspects: the crystals, the covens, magic, the death realm, and the gilding, it fell short of being great!
And for the romance, it was lame. I did not see a connection between two of the characters, which makes me think that it was only added last minute, because, to me, it read as if it was intended to be a best friend relationship instead of romantic. And for the other relationship, while there was more building up their connection, it flattened really quickly.
Sadly, this failed to reach the potential it could have.
Will I read the next book in the series? Maybe, but I won't go out of my way to find it.
Because of violence and two scenes that I rolled my eyes and skimmed, I can only recommend this for readers 16 and older.
3 Stars
August 30, 2023
I had really wanted to enjoy Tonight, I Burn, and, in fairness, I did like some aspects; however, there was quite a lot that didn't work for me. For the positives, I actually really liked the concept of the book. The author wasn't afraid to write truely villainous characters (which did get gruesome at points). I appreciated the evilness of some of the characters and the morally gray of others. I liked the concept of witches walking into death each night. The manor in death was one of the strongest written parts of the book.
Now, for the things that didn't work. The world building was a bit all over the place for me. There were a lot of information dumps; however, they felt incomplete. For example, the crystals were never completely explained nor was the gilding process (from selection on who was to be gilded through the actual gilding). The characters also felt incomplete and not fully developed. Both Alice and Malin were lacking background, which left their actions/decisions very confusing. The author attempted at some romantic scenes; however, they felt forced and awkward, especially towards the end. Finally, the pacing was inconsistent; there were parts that dragged on and then parts that were almost too fast (skipping over a lot of important details).
Overall, while the concept of the book has a lot of potential, there was just a lot that didn't work for me.
Now, for the things that didn't work. The world building was a bit all over the place for me. There were a lot of information dumps; however, they felt incomplete. For example, the crystals were never completely explained nor was the gilding process (from selection on who was to be gilded through the actual gilding). The characters also felt incomplete and not fully developed. Both Alice and Malin were lacking background, which left their actions/decisions very confusing. The author attempted at some romantic scenes; however, they felt forced and awkward, especially towards the end. Finally, the pacing was inconsistent; there were parts that dragged on and then parts that were almost too fast (skipping over a lot of important details).
Overall, while the concept of the book has a lot of potential, there was just a lot that didn't work for me.
February 15, 2024
I really like this, but I wish it had better pacing. I really got into it after watching Howls Moving Castle and reading with those vibes.
March 14, 2024
I was given the opportunity to read this ARC from NetGalley!
I am definitely one of those people who ✨judge a book by its cover✨ and in this case, it didn’t let me down!
I am definitely one of those people who ✨judge a book by its cover✨ and in this case, it didn’t let me down!
October 23, 2023
"Reading is a faith requiring suspension of belief in a shrine of knowledge and imagination."
Thorns, Tides, Embers, Storms, and Ores. All five covens are bound in servitude to the tyrant High Warden of Halstett.
Penny Albright is a daughter of the thorn coven, forced to patrol the veil between the realms of Life and Death, keeping it safe and whole. Each night, one thorn witch—and only one—must cross the veil by burning at the stake. Each morning, that witch returns with the help of their magical lifeline. Failure to follow the rules of Death risks them all.
But one morning, Penny's favourite sister Ella doesn't return. And that night, determined to find her, Penny breaks the rules.
What she finds in Death is a manor that shouldn't exist, home to the devastating Lord Malin, who shouldn't be there. Malin offers Penny a dangerous deal: Ella's freedom in exchange for information about the High Warden.
But all isn't as it seems in Life or Death. Penny's bargain leads her to Alice, a mysterious captive prophet… and to a rebellion brewing in the shadows of their city. And as Penny's world splits between her growing love for the ethereal Alice in Life and her attraction to the seductive Malin, in Death, she'll face a devastating choice.
Because it's not just her sister's life that hangs in the balance. It's the fate of all magic.
This is addictive reading. Katharine J. Adams is English, but she lives in NZ now so we are claiming her. She is ours. You can't have her back, soz. Penny, our master MC, is a headstrong YA, who has her fears but beats them for the people she loves. The cast of side characters are *chefs kiss*. Magnifique! The romance line was SO refreshing. I am not going to over explain it for fear of spoilers, but oh, love something that challenges the status quo of romance writing. Everyone is just way too cool in this novel. The plot is thrumming, like woah nelly. My only critique is that the ending almost played out a bit too fast for me, I had to reread lines to make sure I understood where I was going, but it was a small thing. I am enamoured. The cliffhangers got me gasping, when is the next book coming out? Totally invested in this beautifully creative and unique high fantasy.
Thorns, Tides, Embers, Storms, and Ores. All five covens are bound in servitude to the tyrant High Warden of Halstett.
Penny Albright is a daughter of the thorn coven, forced to patrol the veil between the realms of Life and Death, keeping it safe and whole. Each night, one thorn witch—and only one—must cross the veil by burning at the stake. Each morning, that witch returns with the help of their magical lifeline. Failure to follow the rules of Death risks them all.
But one morning, Penny's favourite sister Ella doesn't return. And that night, determined to find her, Penny breaks the rules.
What she finds in Death is a manor that shouldn't exist, home to the devastating Lord Malin, who shouldn't be there. Malin offers Penny a dangerous deal: Ella's freedom in exchange for information about the High Warden.
But all isn't as it seems in Life or Death. Penny's bargain leads her to Alice, a mysterious captive prophet… and to a rebellion brewing in the shadows of their city. And as Penny's world splits between her growing love for the ethereal Alice in Life and her attraction to the seductive Malin, in Death, she'll face a devastating choice.
Because it's not just her sister's life that hangs in the balance. It's the fate of all magic.
This is addictive reading. Katharine J. Adams is English, but she lives in NZ now so we are claiming her. She is ours. You can't have her back, soz. Penny, our master MC, is a headstrong YA, who has her fears but beats them for the people she loves. The cast of side characters are *chefs kiss*. Magnifique! The romance line was SO refreshing. I am not going to over explain it for fear of spoilers, but oh, love something that challenges the status quo of romance writing. Everyone is just way too cool in this novel. The plot is thrumming, like woah nelly. My only critique is that the ending almost played out a bit too fast for me, I had to reread lines to make sure I understood where I was going, but it was a small thing. I am enamoured. The cliffhangers got me gasping, when is the next book coming out? Totally invested in this beautifully creative and unique high fantasy.
August 13, 2023
KJ … can I call you KJ?
Girl…
You served this up on a golden dinner platter.
I did not think this was going to be half of what it was. Shockingly, happily, I was soooo wrong.
I can’t even think of anything to compare it to because it was just so brilliant. I love a good witch coven story like the rest of em, but this was fiery and FIERCE.
The sisterhood between Ella and Mila and Penny was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. I was torn between feeling bad for Mila and questioning her motives at the same time. Tobias is just a warm chocolate chip cookie, but like crunch on the edges because he’s so badass too. Of course I’m obsessed with Malin he’s dark and sultry and seductive and mysterious and AGHHH. And Alice… she’s just this whimsical flaunting fairy of future weaving perfection. I swear the Warden was President Snow in my head the whole time because of his putrid festering.
No joke, I think I convinced myself I can smell it. I just put in a new glade air freshener to cleanse my poor nose.
At no time while reading this did I guess anything correctly. The last page had me going NOOOOOOOO WAY.
KJ, I admit, I already tried to get in good graces with your agent for the ARC sequel, but I’m on my knees in front of your throne begging for it now. I have no shame.
I will burn, I will bleed, I will banish myself from existence for it.
Please?
Thank you to NetGalley, KJ, her editor, and publishing for the opportunity to read this masterpiece.
Girl…
You served this up on a golden dinner platter.
I did not think this was going to be half of what it was. Shockingly, happily, I was soooo wrong.
I can’t even think of anything to compare it to because it was just so brilliant. I love a good witch coven story like the rest of em, but this was fiery and FIERCE.
The sisterhood between Ella and Mila and Penny was heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time. I was torn between feeling bad for Mila and questioning her motives at the same time. Tobias is just a warm chocolate chip cookie, but like crunch on the edges because he’s so badass too. Of course I’m obsessed with Malin he’s dark and sultry and seductive and mysterious and AGHHH. And Alice… she’s just this whimsical flaunting fairy of future weaving perfection. I swear the Warden was President Snow in my head the whole time because of his putrid festering.
No joke, I think I convinced myself I can smell it. I just put in a new glade air freshener to cleanse my poor nose.
At no time while reading this did I guess anything correctly. The last page had me going NOOOOOOOO WAY.
KJ, I admit, I already tried to get in good graces with your agent for the ARC sequel, but I’m on my knees in front of your throne begging for it now. I have no shame.
I will burn, I will bleed, I will banish myself from existence for it.
Please?
Thank you to NetGalley, KJ, her editor, and publishing for the opportunity to read this masterpiece.
December 29, 2024
Where do I even begin?
This book is nothing I expected to to be it was by far more.
The sisterhood of Mila, Ella's and Penny is both heartwarming and heartbreaking at same time. I had a love hate relationship with Mila never knowing what her true motives where. Tobias is supposed to be a brute but in reality is just a giant teddy bear.
Malin the dark mysterious man with questionable motive as well. Alice, dear sweet Alice a true form of perfection.
This book left my screaming, crying, laughing and just begging for it not to end. I can not and will nit have enough of this book. It has become one of my all time favorite reads, and I will rush my but to the book store on launch to have this psychical book in my hands.
I will sell my soul to be an ARC reader for Tonight, I Bleed. You could even bleed me dry just let me read the book first.
This book is nothing I expected to to be it was by far more.
The sisterhood of Mila, Ella's and Penny is both heartwarming and heartbreaking at same time. I had a love hate relationship with Mila never knowing what her true motives where. Tobias is supposed to be a brute but in reality is just a giant teddy bear.
Malin the dark mysterious man with questionable motive as well. Alice, dear sweet Alice a true form of perfection.
This book left my screaming, crying, laughing and just begging for it not to end. I can not and will nit have enough of this book. It has become one of my all time favorite reads, and I will rush my but to the book store on launch to have this psychical book in my hands.
I will sell my soul to be an ARC reader for Tonight, I Bleed. You could even bleed me dry just let me read the book first.
January 14, 2026
Todas las cosas tienen un precio.
Todo es inútilmente complicado.
Lo que no deja de ser un fastidio, porque siempre me quejo del worldbuilding insuficiente en las novelas de fantasía romántica, y aquí estoy yo, quejándome.
Hay cinco aquelarres de brujas, que tienen prohibido relacionarse entre si, de Minerales, de Tormentas, de Mareas, de Ascuas, de Espinas.
Nuestra prota es una bruja de espinas, Penny, eso quiere decir que, puede morir en la quema, visitar la muerte mas allá del velo, y resurgir de sus cenizas a la mañana siguiente.
Está el malo, el Custodio, con su ejercito de Dorados (humanos y brujos a los que se les ha arrebatado el alma), que tiene a las brujas esclavizadas.
Hay una resistencia, que quiere derrotar al Custodio...
Un grimorio misterioso y muy muy perdido, que tiene los hechizos necesarios `para forjar el cuchillo que se cargará al Custidio, y otras cosas mas...
Hay cristales de colores que contienen las líneas vitales de la gente.
Y las hermanas de la prota, Mila y Elle, algo cansinas, y, Alice, la Tejedora de Muerte y Toby...
Y luego está Malin, que vive mas allá de la muerte, que también quiere derrotar al Custodio, pero no, si significa la pérdida de Penny.
Y un triángulo amoroso, que igual en los siguientes libros se convierte en una relación poliamorosa (que sería de lo mas interesante, la verdad, una siempre puede soñar)
Tiene todos lo números para que me gustase mucho, mucho... y me ha dejado de lo mas fría... y eso que aquí las brujas arden un día sí y el otro también.
Todo es inútilmente complicado.
Lo que no deja de ser un fastidio, porque siempre me quejo del worldbuilding insuficiente en las novelas de fantasía romántica, y aquí estoy yo, quejándome.
Hay cinco aquelarres de brujas, que tienen prohibido relacionarse entre si, de Minerales, de Tormentas, de Mareas, de Ascuas, de Espinas.
Nuestra prota es una bruja de espinas, Penny, eso quiere decir que, puede morir en la quema, visitar la muerte mas allá del velo, y resurgir de sus cenizas a la mañana siguiente.
Está el malo, el Custodio, con su ejercito de Dorados (humanos y brujos a los que se les ha arrebatado el alma), que tiene a las brujas esclavizadas.
Hay una resistencia, que quiere derrotar al Custodio...
Un grimorio misterioso y muy muy perdido, que tiene los hechizos necesarios `para forjar el cuchillo que se cargará al Custidio, y otras cosas mas...
Hay cristales de colores que contienen las líneas vitales de la gente.
Y las hermanas de la prota, Mila y Elle, algo cansinas, y, Alice, la Tejedora de Muerte y Toby...
Y luego está Malin, que vive mas allá de la muerte, que también quiere derrotar al Custodio, pero no, si significa la pérdida de Penny.
Y un triángulo amoroso, que igual en los siguientes libros se convierte en una relación poliamorosa (que sería de lo mas interesante, la verdad, una siempre puede soñar)
Tiene todos lo números para que me gustase mucho, mucho... y me ha dejado de lo mas fría... y eso que aquí las brujas arden un día sí y el otro también.
December 29, 2023
Review originally on
JamReads
Tonight, I Burn is the first book in the dark and romantic fantasy series Thorn Witch, the debut of Katharine J. Adams, published by Orbit Books. A character driven story about rebelling against the established powers and the prize paid for it, narrated with the really peculiar voice of the main character, Penny, and a really interesting world-building centered about witchery.
If I can define this book with one word, it would be intense. From the first moment, when Ella is stranded in the Death, to her first time burning, and onwards, we can see how Penny has a fire inside, a flame that will impulse her to take difficult decisions if needed; she risks her own if that means bringing hope to the others. In this novel, Penny shines with her own light, bringing many feelings with her actions, and sharing her own interior world with the reader.
While the secondary characters are relatively less important at the start, outside of Ella, who represents a big anchor for Penny, and will become the spark which ignites Penny's flame, they gain relevance in parallel with the plot, going from the small to the big, from the coven to a general revolution. Adams makes us care about them.
Outside of these aspects, Adams has created a deeply detailed world, centered around witchery, power and the different covens; a world whose hierarchy has grown until becoming oppressive, creating the necessity of a revolution that changes it. Following Penny's into the Death's realm is a weird and oniric experience, complementing the material side of the world-building.
I can totally recommend Tonight, I Burn if you want to read an intense fantasy debut, which ends letting all set for a second book that hopefully will be ready next year. In the search of also some queer fantasy with witchery? You have the answer here.
Tonight, I Burn is the first book in the dark and romantic fantasy series Thorn Witch, the debut of Katharine J. Adams, published by Orbit Books. A character driven story about rebelling against the established powers and the prize paid for it, narrated with the really peculiar voice of the main character, Penny, and a really interesting world-building centered about witchery.
If I can define this book with one word, it would be intense. From the first moment, when Ella is stranded in the Death, to her first time burning, and onwards, we can see how Penny has a fire inside, a flame that will impulse her to take difficult decisions if needed; she risks her own if that means bringing hope to the others. In this novel, Penny shines with her own light, bringing many feelings with her actions, and sharing her own interior world with the reader.
While the secondary characters are relatively less important at the start, outside of Ella, who represents a big anchor for Penny, and will become the spark which ignites Penny's flame, they gain relevance in parallel with the plot, going from the small to the big, from the coven to a general revolution. Adams makes us care about them.
Outside of these aspects, Adams has created a deeply detailed world, centered around witchery, power and the different covens; a world whose hierarchy has grown until becoming oppressive, creating the necessity of a revolution that changes it. Following Penny's into the Death's realm is a weird and oniric experience, complementing the material side of the world-building.
I can totally recommend Tonight, I Burn if you want to read an intense fantasy debut, which ends letting all set for a second book that hopefully will be ready next year. In the search of also some queer fantasy with witchery? You have the answer here.
October 5, 2023
Holy cow this book blew me away. So amazing! And a debut too!?
I'm definitely feeling like it's more adult than YA (which it's apparently being marketed as) but it felt more dark and there was a lot going on in the background. One thing that did bug me a little bit is the relationship, their feelings felt a little bit out of the blue. But I can't wait to see the continuation of it in the next book! I've been following the author's instagram and she posted a spoiler regarding this that I don't feel has been confirmed yet in the whole of the first book, which is a little bit frustrating, but I'm still super excited
The magic in this was awesome, life threads and walking in Death to help people cross. Seems super violent though, how they need to burn to get there.
Can't wait for a sequel, thanks to Hachette and Moa Press for sending me an arc for review!
I'm definitely feeling like it's more adult than YA (which it's apparently being marketed as) but it felt more dark and there was a lot going on in the background. One thing that did bug me a little bit is the relationship, their feelings felt a little bit out of the blue. But I can't wait to see the continuation of it in the next book! I've been following the author's instagram and she posted a spoiler regarding this that I don't feel has been confirmed yet in the whole of the first book, which is a little bit frustrating, but I'm still super excited
The magic in this was awesome, life threads and walking in Death to help people cross. Seems super violent though, how they need to burn to get there.
Can't wait for a sequel, thanks to Hachette and Moa Press for sending me an arc for review!
May 20, 2024
A suspenseful romantasy with an incredible world of magic.
Penny is a thorn witch following the kingdom’s tyrannical leader’s instructions until those rules mean her sister will die. Penny finds her world upturned, bound by promises and blood oaths, who can she trust.
I was sent the audio version of this book by the author in exchange for my honest views.
The narrator is absolutely superb, jumping from one character’s speech to another seamlessly, young to old, male to female. A couple of times I missed what was said when the character whispered and this book’s in-depth magic structure really needs 100% of your concentration so unfortunately at times I got a little lost.
However, an intriguing and fascinating tale that I enjoyed.
Penny is a thorn witch following the kingdom’s tyrannical leader’s instructions until those rules mean her sister will die. Penny finds her world upturned, bound by promises and blood oaths, who can she trust.
I was sent the audio version of this book by the author in exchange for my honest views.
The narrator is absolutely superb, jumping from one character’s speech to another seamlessly, young to old, male to female. A couple of times I missed what was said when the character whispered and this book’s in-depth magic structure really needs 100% of your concentration so unfortunately at times I got a little lost.
However, an intriguing and fascinating tale that I enjoyed.
November 6, 2023
Thank you to Orbit Books and NetGalley for the free eARC. This is my honest opinion.
"History has a nasty habit of erasing lost people from its pages."
Wow, this is a very different story than I thought it was, but it was amazing. I loved that it blends together: magic, a library, and the idea of Death being a place. Penny is a Thorn witch with the powers of death walking, when her older sister doesn't come back after a night of death walking, she breaks rules to go into the veil to fund her and stumbles upon a huge mystery.
Highly recommend for lovers of Sorcery of Thorns, For The Wolf, Vespertine.
4.75 out of 5 stars, there are 2 steamy scenes, but nothing too descriptive. There are multiple side characters who are apparently part of the LGBQTIA community (no specific labels are ever mentioned).
"History has a nasty habit of erasing lost people from its pages."
Wow, this is a very different story than I thought it was, but it was amazing. I loved that it blends together: magic, a library, and the idea of Death being a place. Penny is a Thorn witch with the powers of death walking, when her older sister doesn't come back after a night of death walking, she breaks rules to go into the veil to fund her and stumbles upon a huge mystery.
Highly recommend for lovers of Sorcery of Thorns, For The Wolf, Vespertine.
4.75 out of 5 stars, there are 2 steamy scenes, but nothing too descriptive. There are multiple side characters who are apparently part of the LGBQTIA community (no specific labels are ever mentioned).
October 21, 2023
Thank you NetGalley and Orbit Books for an eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Tonight, I Burn is a fast reading fantasy with an interesting magic system and a lot of promise that ultimately fell flat for me.
The magic system Adams created here was very neat, if a tad underdeveloped (how are crystals made?? I’m still a little unsure). I liked the feel of the world she created, and I thought her take on death magic/death adjacent magic was fun. I thought some of the concepts were really interesting, too, like Gilding, the library, and why Penny’s grandmother keeps healing the Warden. I thought it was really neat to see Penny cross over into Death, and I did think that the premise she set up for the story was overall interesting, and I definitely think it’ll be appealing to readers.
Still, I really struggled with the writing in this. I don’t always enjoy first person writing, but I found this one to be kind of frustrating with the combination of info dumps and just… generally young feeling writing. I don’t know why so many exclamation points are used throughout the book, but I found it really distracting. Being in Penny’s head felt like being in the head of a very young person, despite the fact she’s on the verge of turning 21. There were multiple times where I felt I strongly agreed with other characters that she was making poor choices, and I definitely struggled with her because I felt that way throughout the text. A lot of her choices, reasoning, and logic felt too rash and teenage-like to me, and it definitely made it hard to enjoy reading from her perspective. I also didn’t really love the dialogue between characters, which I felt was a little too immature for what I’d been expecting.
I also found that, despite the info dumps, a lot of the world still felt a little underdeveloped to me, and there’s definitely aspects of this world I want to know more about. Some I can understand as being saved for the second book, but others (like how crystals are grown) should’ve been more fleshed out. I also thought that the romance in this was interesting and had a lot of potential, and I was excited about the poly relationship, but it also missed the mark for me—I didn’t really feel like anything had developed, and so I am unsure how we got from point A to point B.
Overall, I had really hoped to like this book and I think there are some genuinely interesting things here, but I really did not gel well with the actual writing style/prose at all, which made this a difficult read despite it reading quite quickly. I do think there’s an audience who will love this, and I think if it interests you it’s worth a shot, but definitely not one for me.
Tonight, I Burn is a fast reading fantasy with an interesting magic system and a lot of promise that ultimately fell flat for me.
The magic system Adams created here was very neat, if a tad underdeveloped (how are crystals made?? I’m still a little unsure). I liked the feel of the world she created, and I thought her take on death magic/death adjacent magic was fun. I thought some of the concepts were really interesting, too, like Gilding, the library, and why Penny’s grandmother keeps healing the Warden. I thought it was really neat to see Penny cross over into Death, and I did think that the premise she set up for the story was overall interesting, and I definitely think it’ll be appealing to readers.
Still, I really struggled with the writing in this. I don’t always enjoy first person writing, but I found this one to be kind of frustrating with the combination of info dumps and just… generally young feeling writing. I don’t know why so many exclamation points are used throughout the book, but I found it really distracting. Being in Penny’s head felt like being in the head of a very young person, despite the fact she’s on the verge of turning 21. There were multiple times where I felt I strongly agreed with other characters that she was making poor choices, and I definitely struggled with her because I felt that way throughout the text. A lot of her choices, reasoning, and logic felt too rash and teenage-like to me, and it definitely made it hard to enjoy reading from her perspective. I also didn’t really love the dialogue between characters, which I felt was a little too immature for what I’d been expecting.
I also found that, despite the info dumps, a lot of the world still felt a little underdeveloped to me, and there’s definitely aspects of this world I want to know more about. Some I can understand as being saved for the second book, but others (like how crystals are grown) should’ve been more fleshed out. I also thought that the romance in this was interesting and had a lot of potential, and I was excited about the poly relationship, but it also missed the mark for me—I didn’t really feel like anything had developed, and so I am unsure how we got from point A to point B.
Overall, I had really hoped to like this book and I think there are some genuinely interesting things here, but I really did not gel well with the actual writing style/prose at all, which made this a difficult read despite it reading quite quickly. I do think there’s an audience who will love this, and I think if it interests you it’s worth a shot, but definitely not one for me.
November 6, 2023
I've become a lot pickier when it comes to requesting review copies than I used to be. I wanna make sure I still feel like reading them once the release date nears. However, when I tried to not request this book, I kept on thinking about it. So, eventually I decided to request my copy through Netgalley anyway and luckily Orbit granted me a copy. So, since the book is releasing tomorrow, this weekend it was finally time to dive in.
I had high expectations when starting this book, but now I finished I feel like those high expectations were never met. I think that's firstly because the writing style doesn't fit the kind of story that is being told. The writing is beautiful. Each and every sentence is a piece of art. I can already imagine loads of people will find some new favorite quotes in this book. But, I also think the heart and soul of the story got buried beneath the words and are now very hard to find.
Since the writing was flowery it was sometimes really hard to really understand what was going on. I'd even say that despite the huge amount of words used to describe everything in this book, the explanations of the world, the magic and what is going on are not clear enough to make me understand everything. Therefore the entire story feels a little wobbly. Everything is possible, because it feels like the rules and limitations are very unclear.
The same seems to happen with the characters. I don't doubt that underneath all the words some amazing characters are hidden, but for some reason it doesn't feel like I really get to meet them. That's partly because all those words are used to tell more than they are used to show and therefore we never get the chance to feel this story. The romance therefore falls a little flat and it never felt like I could form a bond with the characters.
I'm pretty sure that readers who enjoy beautifully written stories and who prefer a good plot over bonding with characters will love this book. I'm sadly not one of those readers.
I had high expectations when starting this book, but now I finished I feel like those high expectations were never met. I think that's firstly because the writing style doesn't fit the kind of story that is being told. The writing is beautiful. Each and every sentence is a piece of art. I can already imagine loads of people will find some new favorite quotes in this book. But, I also think the heart and soul of the story got buried beneath the words and are now very hard to find.
Since the writing was flowery it was sometimes really hard to really understand what was going on. I'd even say that despite the huge amount of words used to describe everything in this book, the explanations of the world, the magic and what is going on are not clear enough to make me understand everything. Therefore the entire story feels a little wobbly. Everything is possible, because it feels like the rules and limitations are very unclear.
The same seems to happen with the characters. I don't doubt that underneath all the words some amazing characters are hidden, but for some reason it doesn't feel like I really get to meet them. That's partly because all those words are used to tell more than they are used to show and therefore we never get the chance to feel this story. The romance therefore falls a little flat and it never felt like I could form a bond with the characters.
I'm pretty sure that readers who enjoy beautifully written stories and who prefer a good plot over bonding with characters will love this book. I'm sadly not one of those readers.
August 15, 2023
Tonight I Burn quickly and easily became one of my favorites of all time.
The world in which these witches live is oppressive and heavily controlled. Penny is on the verge of a monumental time in her life, and right before it can happen, her life takes a hard and dramatic turn. She quickly realizes things are much worse than she ever thought, but she might be the only one who can fix it and set everything right again.
This is a great story of a world unraveling, Penny discovering her own strength, and finding love and friendship along the way.
Just a chapter into the book and I knew this was going to be a book that was written beautifully. At many points, I felt like I was reading poetry, which I absolutely adored.
Katharine J Adams did incredibly with painting scenes and making you feel all the hope, euphoria and distrust alongside Penny. My heart hurts from all of it, but in a good "damn that rollercoaster was fun" kind of way, and I'm excitedly awaiting the next book.
*many thanks to the author and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book*
The world in which these witches live is oppressive and heavily controlled. Penny is on the verge of a monumental time in her life, and right before it can happen, her life takes a hard and dramatic turn. She quickly realizes things are much worse than she ever thought, but she might be the only one who can fix it and set everything right again.
This is a great story of a world unraveling, Penny discovering her own strength, and finding love and friendship along the way.
Just a chapter into the book and I knew this was going to be a book that was written beautifully. At many points, I felt like I was reading poetry, which I absolutely adored.
Katharine J Adams did incredibly with painting scenes and making you feel all the hope, euphoria and distrust alongside Penny. My heart hurts from all of it, but in a good "damn that rollercoaster was fun" kind of way, and I'm excitedly awaiting the next book.
*many thanks to the author and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book*
November 15, 2023
This had all the right ingredients and should have been amazing, but in the end it just felt “meh”. It started off strong and I wanted to keep reading. But around 60% I was bored. I ended up skimming the last 40%. I feel like I didn’t miss anything. The FMC was kind of dumb and made some confusing and questionable choices to be “strong” and “brave”. Her choices just showed how she lacks critical thinking skills. The characters lacked depth, and the romance was just there for the sake of adding a romance. I was really looking forward to this one, and I’m bummed it missed the mark for me. I can see how others really liked it. Like I said, everything was there, it just wasn’t executed properly. I’m on the fence if I’ll continue the series or not.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 13, 2025
I LOVED this!!!! I’ve had my eye on it for months before it was released and picked it up off my shelves one night when I couldn’t find anything that hooked me in. This book became my addiction for the next few weeks whenever I had a spare moment. I loved the magic system and all the unique elements this story included. Penny was such a great main character to follow and I grew to care for her family and friends quickly. I can’t wait to see what happens next in this world!
Edit, second read: Reread as an audiobook in anticipation of book 2. Definitely enjoyed this more the first time around. The voice of the audiobook was a bit annoying and made some parts cringey. I’ve lost motivation to continue with book 2 but will try to jump in again soon.
Edit, second read: Reread as an audiobook in anticipation of book 2. Definitely enjoyed this more the first time around. The voice of the audiobook was a bit annoying and made some parts cringey. I’ve lost motivation to continue with book 2 but will try to jump in again soon.
November 17, 2024
I couldn't put this book down!
I've found so many fantasy books at the moment all follow such a similar storyline, and all the world's are starting to blend into one. However, this books world was completely different from anything I had ever read. The fantasy elements were amazing, and I absolutely loved the characters. I'm really looking forward to the next book!
I've found so many fantasy books at the moment all follow such a similar storyline, and all the world's are starting to blend into one. However, this books world was completely different from anything I had ever read. The fantasy elements were amazing, and I absolutely loved the characters. I'm really looking forward to the next book!
November 10, 2023
Video review: https://youtu.be/agj8KT8ON1Y
I received this very pretty book as an Arc from Netgalley and Orbit Books. Firstly I loved the cover. The description while intriguing enough to pick up didn't really stick in my memory though. Not sure why and possibly nothing against its layout just didn't click. The book overall worked pretty well as a set-up book.
In this story, we follow Penelope Albright. She is the granddaughter of the Thorn Queen. Being the youngest she doesn't have to worry about being heir to the coven though. No, Penny has other issues arising. The book is set just a few days before her 21st birthday. Penny is filled with worry about having to walk into death for the first time. All the witches live in fear but Penny is still young enough to have hopes. Early on we also see her desire to be good enough for her grandmother mixed with a streak of rebellion in what she'll say.
What is this walking in death you might ask? Well as thorn witches they have the unique ability to step into the land of death at the time of their passing. Then at the next dawn, they cross the veil back into the living. Normally this is done by burning at the stake or taking a poison that burns you from the inside. There is also a spell that must be said to part the veil. Only thorn witches have this power; as well as the ability to heal the tears in the veil. This is one of the reasons they are the Warden's prized possessions.
When Penny was younger they lived in a beautiful little village near a wood. Now the Warden controls most of the world and it has become desert waste. He keeps all the witches inside his fortress. There are five different covens of witches in this world. Thorn witches who walk with death. Storm witches who manipulate the weather. Tide witches who obviously work with water. Ore witches shape heavy metals into things of beauty or horror. Ember witches can control the flames. Before being brought to live together they were mostly spread across the continent and only rarely came together for gatherings of leaders. They each have a slightly different creation story which must be passed down orally now. This is due to the Warden purging history of any truth except his own.
Through a good portion of the book, there were additional snippets of stories at the end of chapters. These would be from fairytales or altered books, it always gave an account of where it was from. This will give clues as to what had happened and a truth in the background. At some point, it did stop putting them in though. Thinking back to how the beginning prologue sounded it does seem to clash slightly but fairytales are not really historical truth I suppose.
The romance spoken of in the description. Well, it was something. Don't expect it to be a spicy fantasy because that is not its focus. Will there be a scene or two, sure. There is more intense longing and staring though as the plot moves along. For me this was fine. The part that didn't feel right was more so how it jumped from just being attacked to love without much real interactions.
Since this is put out by Orbit Books it is being sold as adult fantasy. The feel of the book is more new adult range, could even say leans YA at times. Mostly because Penny has been so sheltered that she is naive in thinking. While at the same time, she has had to face the horror of her village being destroyed and slowly losing her family. When having to face her own struggles Penny does freeze but finds the strength to keep going and overcomes these problems more than once.
This is the first book in a planned trilogy. For most of the story, it is doing a good job working on its own. Then there is the end. I liked the world and magic we were seeing set up. The plans being laid out and covens coming together are great. We were put on a timetable so yes things did have to happen urgently. However, the end didn't flow the same as the rest of the book. There are other ways to set up for the second book.
Overall I feel that this was a solid first entry. There were parts that could have been stronger but it was engaging. I liked Penny as a character. Hopefully, through the trilogy, she will grow into a strong person. If the book is going to continue along this romantic angle maybe it could find a better balance.
I received this very pretty book as an Arc from Netgalley and Orbit Books. Firstly I loved the cover. The description while intriguing enough to pick up didn't really stick in my memory though. Not sure why and possibly nothing against its layout just didn't click. The book overall worked pretty well as a set-up book.
In this story, we follow Penelope Albright. She is the granddaughter of the Thorn Queen. Being the youngest she doesn't have to worry about being heir to the coven though. No, Penny has other issues arising. The book is set just a few days before her 21st birthday. Penny is filled with worry about having to walk into death for the first time. All the witches live in fear but Penny is still young enough to have hopes. Early on we also see her desire to be good enough for her grandmother mixed with a streak of rebellion in what she'll say.
What is this walking in death you might ask? Well as thorn witches they have the unique ability to step into the land of death at the time of their passing. Then at the next dawn, they cross the veil back into the living. Normally this is done by burning at the stake or taking a poison that burns you from the inside. There is also a spell that must be said to part the veil. Only thorn witches have this power; as well as the ability to heal the tears in the veil. This is one of the reasons they are the Warden's prized possessions.
When Penny was younger they lived in a beautiful little village near a wood. Now the Warden controls most of the world and it has become desert waste. He keeps all the witches inside his fortress. There are five different covens of witches in this world. Thorn witches who walk with death. Storm witches who manipulate the weather. Tide witches who obviously work with water. Ore witches shape heavy metals into things of beauty or horror. Ember witches can control the flames. Before being brought to live together they were mostly spread across the continent and only rarely came together for gatherings of leaders. They each have a slightly different creation story which must be passed down orally now. This is due to the Warden purging history of any truth except his own.
Through a good portion of the book, there were additional snippets of stories at the end of chapters. These would be from fairytales or altered books, it always gave an account of where it was from. This will give clues as to what had happened and a truth in the background. At some point, it did stop putting them in though. Thinking back to how the beginning prologue sounded it does seem to clash slightly but fairytales are not really historical truth I suppose.
The romance spoken of in the description. Well, it was something. Don't expect it to be a spicy fantasy because that is not its focus. Will there be a scene or two, sure. There is more intense longing and staring though as the plot moves along. For me this was fine. The part that didn't feel right was more so how it jumped from just being attacked to love without much real interactions.
Since this is put out by Orbit Books it is being sold as adult fantasy. The feel of the book is more new adult range, could even say leans YA at times. Mostly because Penny has been so sheltered that she is naive in thinking. While at the same time, she has had to face the horror of her village being destroyed and slowly losing her family. When having to face her own struggles Penny does freeze but finds the strength to keep going and overcomes these problems more than once.
This is the first book in a planned trilogy. For most of the story, it is doing a good job working on its own. Then there is the end. I liked the world and magic we were seeing set up. The plans being laid out and covens coming together are great. We were put on a timetable so yes things did have to happen urgently. However, the end didn't flow the same as the rest of the book. There are other ways to set up for the second book.
Overall I feel that this was a solid first entry. There were parts that could have been stronger but it was engaging. I liked Penny as a character. Hopefully, through the trilogy, she will grow into a strong person. If the book is going to continue along this romantic angle maybe it could find a better balance.
November 28, 2023
3.5
First I thought for a debut this book was really strong and I am really looking forward to see how this story progresses in future books. I also am really excited to see what else Katherine Adams creates. This fantasy story about witches was really unique and I haven't read anything quite like this before.
This story follow Penny and she is a Thorn Witch. There are different covens and each coven has a different magical trait. The thorn witches specifically burn alive to enter the veil the land of death. A man known as a Warden oversees all the covens. He is evil and depends on the Thorn Witches to keep him alive. His army keeps them in line. I considered his Army to be like zombies, their soul is cut from their life and their sole purpose is to serve the Warden.
I thought the writing on this book was really beautiful. It pulled me in early and I was captivated right away. I really enjoyed Penny and Malin's interactions and I was always looking forward when she would be meeting him again. I also thought the magic system of this world was very interesting. How each of the covens had their own powers, but the Thorn Witch power was definitely the most interesting to me. They had to burn and enter the veil to keep everyone safe. If they showed any fear during the process the risked summoning death wraiths.
The romance in this book had its ups and downs for me. For some reason I had a hard time truly ever connecting. It wasn't necessarily instant love but it did progress very quickly from this guy is scary to I want to kiss his face off. I think it would have been awesome to have a bit more interactions of them being uncertain and sassy to each other before it progressed further. I also was not so sure about the secondary romance, this one did feel it came out of no where. I do though really appreciate the polyamory of this story and it not being a love triangle. There was a lot of respect and love shown.
I will be keeping my eye out for other books by Adams. She did a beautiful job with this book and I think she will go really far.
First I thought for a debut this book was really strong and I am really looking forward to see how this story progresses in future books. I also am really excited to see what else Katherine Adams creates. This fantasy story about witches was really unique and I haven't read anything quite like this before.
This story follow Penny and she is a Thorn Witch. There are different covens and each coven has a different magical trait. The thorn witches specifically burn alive to enter the veil the land of death. A man known as a Warden oversees all the covens. He is evil and depends on the Thorn Witches to keep him alive. His army keeps them in line. I considered his Army to be like zombies, their soul is cut from their life and their sole purpose is to serve the Warden.
I thought the writing on this book was really beautiful. It pulled me in early and I was captivated right away. I really enjoyed Penny and Malin's interactions and I was always looking forward when she would be meeting him again. I also thought the magic system of this world was very interesting. How each of the covens had their own powers, but the Thorn Witch power was definitely the most interesting to me. They had to burn and enter the veil to keep everyone safe. If they showed any fear during the process the risked summoning death wraiths.
The romance in this book had its ups and downs for me. For some reason I had a hard time truly ever connecting. It wasn't necessarily instant love but it did progress very quickly from this guy is scary to I want to kiss his face off. I think it would have been awesome to have a bit more interactions of them being uncertain and sassy to each other before it progressed further. I also was not so sure about the secondary romance, this one did feel it came out of no where. I do though really appreciate the polyamory of this story and it not being a love triangle. There was a lot of respect and love shown.
I will be keeping my eye out for other books by Adams. She did a beautiful job with this book and I think she will go really far.
April 15, 2025
4 stars -- This was a really solid debut featuring witches, coven intrigue, a fantasy/dystopian world, and a fresh magical system (magical crystals! walking in death!) I listened to this one and enjoyed the narration a lot.
I enjoyed following along with our FMC, Penny, as she tries to navigate walking in Death night after night. Torn between her family, her magic, and the realm of death, she endures a lot in a short span of time. Parts of this world didn't feel fully fleshed out yet (I suspect will become clearer in book two), but a lot of this did really feel unique.
The female relationships in this are strong. There's a clear sense of the characters working together to fight the evil Warden who pulls the strings in this world. I liked Penny and her sister Ella's interactions, just as much as I enjoyed Alice and Malin's bits.
Now, the romance aspect of this book is interesting! I think some of it almost moved too fast for the rest of the book's pacing, but if Adams is setting us up for what I think she is, I am for it. I think it also makes a lot of sense with the plot elements so I am looking forward to starting book 2 to see if I guessed correctly.
Honestly, Orbit continues to be one of my favorite publishers for fantasy and sci-fi. I routinely find really enjoyable reads from this imprint that pushes the boundaries of fantasy and their audiobook versions of the books are consistently well done.
I enjoyed following along with our FMC, Penny, as she tries to navigate walking in Death night after night. Torn between her family, her magic, and the realm of death, she endures a lot in a short span of time. Parts of this world didn't feel fully fleshed out yet (I suspect will become clearer in book two), but a lot of this did really feel unique.
The female relationships in this are strong. There's a clear sense of the characters working together to fight the evil Warden who pulls the strings in this world. I liked Penny and her sister Ella's interactions, just as much as I enjoyed Alice and Malin's bits.
Now, the romance aspect of this book is interesting! I think some of it almost moved too fast for the rest of the book's pacing, but if Adams is setting us up for what I think she is, I am for it. I think it also makes a lot of sense with the plot elements so I am looking forward to starting book 2 to see if I guessed correctly.
Honestly, Orbit continues to be one of my favorite publishers for fantasy and sci-fi. I routinely find really enjoyable reads from this imprint that pushes the boundaries of fantasy and their audiobook versions of the books are consistently well done.
February 6, 2024
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!
Okay, so, I enjoyed this - the magic system was interesting and pretty original. I like that the world is revealed to us fairly slowly, and we follow along with a rebel resistance to a magical dictatorship.
However, I felt like I needed a lot more details on this world. I feel like some authors avoid info-dumping, but I don't mind that and I think for this book I needed more of it. There definitely was some explanation of the lore and the events leading up to where the story starts, but I was confused at times. Sometimes I do read too fast and miss details, but that's not what happened here as I kept finding things I didn't fully understand.
Also, I have to say I wasn't very invested in any of the characters (they felt a little two-dimensional) so it took me a long time to read this. I think it was also a little too long, some of the trips into Death felt repetitive.
Overall, I did enjoy this but I probably won't be reading the sequel - we'll see!
Okay, so, I enjoyed this - the magic system was interesting and pretty original. I like that the world is revealed to us fairly slowly, and we follow along with a rebel resistance to a magical dictatorship.
However, I felt like I needed a lot more details on this world. I feel like some authors avoid info-dumping, but I don't mind that and I think for this book I needed more of it. There definitely was some explanation of the lore and the events leading up to where the story starts, but I was confused at times. Sometimes I do read too fast and miss details, but that's not what happened here as I kept finding things I didn't fully understand.
Also, I have to say I wasn't very invested in any of the characters (they felt a little two-dimensional) so it took me a long time to read this. I think it was also a little too long, some of the trips into Death felt repetitive.
Overall, I did enjoy this but I probably won't be reading the sequel - we'll see!
November 14, 2023
a kiwi author with a cool cover?!
idk how i feel about this one. it was hard for the first 20% until things picked up. then it was good for a while before i just got bored. i finished it last night and i already don't remember what happened in the second half. i could've gone without reading this book entirely. it had a good magic system though. very well thought-out and detailed. the characters weren't very memorable/likeable.
idk how i feel about this one. it was hard for the first 20% until things picked up. then it was good for a while before i just got bored. i finished it last night and i already don't remember what happened in the second half. i could've gone without reading this book entirely. it had a good magic system though. very well thought-out and detailed. the characters weren't very memorable/likeable.
November 17, 2023
A fantastic new fantasy with incredible worldbuilding, a unique magic system, and a rewarding romance. I found this book addictive right from the first chapter and that hook never let up. As the story progresses and we learn more about planes of existence and the people in them, how they use magic and the edges of death to manipulate the system of oppression they find themselves in - I couldn't put this book down, I was always hungry for more. And I don't want to spoil anything, but the romance in this book turned out very differently than I expected it to, but in the best way possible. And that ending????? That ending?????
I've already been recommending this book as often as I can and I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel to come out!
Special thanks to Orbit for an ARC!
I've already been recommending this book as often as I can and I absolutely cannot wait for the sequel to come out!
Special thanks to Orbit for an ARC!
December 16, 2023
I feel like this should've been about 100 pages shorter tbh
November 3, 2024
that wasn’t an ending
Displaying 1 - 30 of 417 reviews