I was really looking forward to a fun, witchy, queer YA romance/teen drama with this one but those pieces never quite came together for me. Honestly with all the never-fully-expanded-upon references to what happened between Hannah and Veronica and to some of the witch lore I thought I missed a whole first book! It ended up keeping my interest when the pacing of the mystery of who’s after the coven picked up but I don’t think I’ll read the sequel.

I really enjoyed this book and found that the storyline and the characters surprised me so much more than I thought they would. I LOVE that there is a gay romance in this book as there aren't enough books available that are LGBTQ centered.

Good storyline and the characters really grabbed my attention. It's dramatic and kept me guessing. Based on teh cover, this isn't the book I was expecting and I'm so ok with that!!!

I think this would be a fantastic movie and can see this on the big screen easily.

BOOK REPORT for These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling

Cover Story: Tarot Darkness My Old Friend
BFF Charm: Yay
Swoonworthy Scale: 4
Talky Talk: No Initiation
Bonus Factor: Queer Witches
Relationship Status: I Think I’m In The Wrong Coven

Cover Story: Tarot Darkness My Old Friend

Not gonna lie, this cover was 100% the reason I jumped at the chance to review this book. I loved the main characters illustrated on tarot cards so much! Unfortunately, there was little tarot-reading in the actual book, but it still had me wishing for a tarot deck illustrated with fictional teen witches on the cards.

The Deal:

Hannah is your run-of-the-mill seventeen-year-old girl, living in Salem, Massachusetts and working at a touristy magic shop while dealing with a vindictive ex-girlfriend who also happens to be in her coven of Elemental Witches. Okay, so Hannah isn’t even remotely your run-of-the-mill seventeen-year-old girl. She was born and raised into that witchy lifestyle, and she has to keep it a secret from every non-witch in her life for risk of having her grandmother, the Supreme Lady Ariana, take away her magic for good.

But when a typical high school party is interrupted by a bloody animal sacrifice, Hannah starts to fear that a Blood Witch has come to Salem. Elemental Witches can control air, fire, earth and water, but Blood Witches are a terrifying, different sort of witch. And as dark magic starts to appear around town and Hannah finds herself thrown into dangerous situations, she realizes that she might be the Blood Witch’s target. She must hunt down and find the person who is causing all this chaos, before that person hurts Hannah or the people she loves.

BFF Charm: Yay

Hannah seemed cool enough, I guess? To be honest, I felt like I didn’t get to know her as well as I would’ve liked, being so busy with deathly Blood Witches and whatnot. She was a good friend and daughter, a faithful member of her coven, and self-assured in her queerness, which were all BFF Charm-worthy traits. I would’ve liked a bit more time to see Hannah in her normal life to understand more about her, though, which I’ll talk more about below.

Swoonworthy Scale: 4

Hannah’s ex-girlfriend Veronica is a member of her coven, and one of the only people outside of Hannah’s immediate family who knows her secret, so there’s sort of no escaping her. Which turns out to be SUPER unfortunate both for Hannah and for the reader, because Veronica is the worst. She’s toxic, she’s manipulative, she’s vindictive and borderline abusive, and honestly, I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to like her or not! I understand that sometimes exes are still in our lives and, you know, if they’re a member of your coven, it’s hard to quit them for good, but there were times when I wondered if Veronica would end up being the love interest!

There’s also Morgan, the new girl in town who catches Hannah’s eye. There was potential for a lot of swoon here, but I felt like it was squandered. They went from being introduced to kissing to dating with little to no tension or build up, and I never really felt the emotion between them.

Talky Talk: No Initiation

Sterling throws the reader headfirst into the story, which reads like a contemporary with a few moments of magic mixed in. There were times when I had to check to make sure that I wasn’t reading a sequel, because I felt like the story moved at a breakneck pace. Every few pages some Big Action-y Thing happened—attacks, sacrifices, fights—that made the book feel like an Avengers movie. I really would’ve liked a bit more characterization and backstory, because without it, the book felt like a lot of ‘what’ with very little ‘why.’ I didn’t know Hannah or Veronica well enough to understand why Hannah would’ve dated someone so terrible, or if Veronica actually had a side I didn’t get to see. I didn’t get enough time with Morgan to understand why Hannah liked her so much, or see enough of the coven to understand how important Hannah’s witchcraft was to her. The plot itself didn’t feel like anything revolutionary, and I never thought the writing was stand-out enough to make up for that.

Bonus Factor: Queer Witches

Listen, I am always down for a witch story, and I really liked that Sterling is giving the reader representation without making this an issue book. Bonus points for being set in Salem! I would’ve liked even more detail about Hannah’s witchiness and queerness.

Relationship Status: I Think I’m In The Wrong Coven

As much as I love a witchy book, I just couldn’t connect with this one. Maybe I’m a Blood Witch instead of an Elemental, because I really wanted to dig in and get to know these characters and all the details of their witchcraft and life in Salem. Instead, I just wasn’t feeling the magic.

*Thank you to Netgalley for sending me a copy for an honest review.*

We follow a teen elemental witch named Hannah, who lives in Salem. There are 3 types of witches, Elemental, Casters and Blood-witches. After a scary encounter in a school trip with a Blood-witch in New York. Hannah has a scary feeling that there’s a Blood-witch hunting her in her town, after evidence of dark magic starts showing up.

I really enjoyed this book for a light read. It was fast paced but it dragged a bit in the middle of the book. I feel like there was enough witchy things happening and not enough magic happening. The areas where there was supposed to make you tensed up felt really underwhelming. This book didn’t do much for me and I wish I had enjoyed my time a lot more reading it. There wasn’t nothing really new with the story and the story was done so many times before already.

I did enjoy a lot of the action going on in the book, but it was more teen drama then anything else. I also enjoyed the fact that it was lgbtq+ friendly. I like the relationship between the main character and her best friend I felt like it was truly genuine.

I do recommend this book if you want something light and not too witchcrafty. If you know what I mean.

Happy happy book birthday to These Witches Don’t Burn by Isabel Sterling (the first in a series I do believe!). I have been looking forward to reading this one for a while, and let me tell you, it didn’t disappoint.

Hannah is an Elemental witch. The real deal, coven and everything. Unfortunately, her ex-girlfriend, Veronica, who dragged her out of the closet and then broke her heart, is a member of her coven. Hannah’s been doing an okay job of avoiding Veronica until a bonfire party one night reveals a ritual that may suggest a Blood Witch out for revenge is in town and has a beef with the two girls. They’ll have to work together to uncover the truth, all while Hannah is trying to get over Veronica and Veronica is trying to win Hannah’s affections once more.

This book was a lot of fun, but fair warning, it does get pretty dark. When a battle wages in the witching world, everyone might not make it out alive. There is a lot of heart, though, and very real issues throughout the book. Getting over your first love is no joke, and though I don’t typically enjoy love triangles, the romantic plot-line in this story only tiptoes around it, so I didn’t mind it.

I love the witching world that Sterling creates. There is a strong history and foundation within the coven and outside magical characters who come into the story. This book works really well as a standalone, so don’t worry about a cliffhanger, but Sterling did set it up solidly for more books, and I for one can’t wait.

I have read a lot of solid, witchy books lately, and I am happy to include this among them. It’s out today, and if you like queer witches with a lot of action and a dash of mystery, check it out at your favorite local bookstore, or request a purchase/place a hold on a copy at your local library.

Sterling does a fabulous job of incorporating existing legends into this new page-turning story about modern-day witches in Salem, MA. Perfect for fans of Sabrina and The Craft, as well as teen readers who love magic, mystery, and romance!

The world needs more Sapphic witches, and Isabel Sterling delivers! An engaging story with intriguing characters mixed with an incredible cliff hanger makes this a must read. I loved this world so much and want to actually go to Salem and read it all over again.

I LOVED this book! I wasn't expecting to find a new series that I'm now officially obsessed with, but this was it. I'll read anything and everything about teenage witches & wizards, even the books that border on cheesy -- but this was not your typical teenage-witch book. I was fully swept into Hannah's world and fell in love with the characters. I'm already ready for the sequel!

I very much enjoyed reading this book! The witch world created by the author was unique and interesting. There are 3 types of witches: elementals, casters and blood. It is a very LBGTQ friendly story.
Hannah has a broken heart. Her ex, Veronica, keeps popping by the shop where she works and is in the same coven. They are both casters. When strange things begin to happen around town, the girls wonder if the conflict they walked into during the past summer with a blood witch has followed them home. The mystery deepens and things get scary as people start to die. Can Hannah trust Veronica to help her solve the mystery? Can they save their coven? Hannah's best friend, Gemma, wants to introduce her to a new girl in her ballet class. This is a fun read and I would recommend it!
#TheseWitchesDon'tBurn #NetGalley

A great book even though I wished we could see more of the magic/witchy stuff. I loved the romance and the mystery part and like the original twist on the witches coven !

This book was a lot more fun than I thought it would be! I loved the queer rep and the compulsive readability -- I think many of my students will adore this one and fly right through it. It's one of those books you start and then have trouble putting down.

This book was so much fun. The prose was engaging and easy to read (and funny! Exactly like a teen's voice), the characters felt realistic, and the suspense kept me on the edge of my seat. I don't read a lot of paranormal/witchy things, and this was a really cool introduction to that world. I can't wait to read the sequel!

This wonderfully queer witch story is both dark and uplifting, fresh and fun, full of heart, toxic first loves, and the excitement of new possibilities. Definitely a must read for LGBTQ teens looking for something more lighthearted, though it was perfectly heavy at times, too.