High school can be the best and the worst of times. It's where you can make lifelong friends and pick up lifelong traumas. Add to that the sheer confusion of growing up in a female body, and all the pressures and developments that brings with it, and you have a veritable roller coaster of emotions. In The Burning Laura Bates shows us the dark underbelly of these experiences, while also giving us a historic perspective. Thanks to SOURCEBOOKS Fire and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 

The Burning focuses very strongly on the ways a female body is policed, but does so from the perspective of the young girls themselves. Bates makes very clear the pull to both sides that I think all girls have felt. On the one hand there is the thrill of revealing, teasing, playing, giving what is asked for. On the other hand there is the need to protect, to cover up, to hide away, to be safe and respected. The middle ground between these two sides is as sharp as the edge of a knife and we never quite find the balance. We are either too slutty or too stuck up and it is a constant back and forth, all with the secure knowledge that whatever happens, it will probably be blamed on you. I would attach a warning to The Burning, however, as its descriptions of revenge porn and bullying are rather intense. It is good that Laura Bates doesn't shy away from the horror of its pervasiveness and the ease with which it is spread these days. But it could prove triggering for some readers, hence my warning. However, Bates does her best to infuse The Burning with a sense of hope as well.

Anna and her mother have left everything behind to start anew. As the reader you don't know why immediately, but there are enough hints that perceptive (female) readers will be able to pick up on the why pretty quickly. Anna's history comes to haunt and traumatize her, as well as those around her, and it becomes clear that it is impossible for her to be considered innocent. As her own life spirals, she finds fortitude from a history project, for which she selects to research Maggie. Maggie herself was at the centre of a scandal, accused of witchcraft, and as her narrative intertwines with Anna, the latter gains a newfound strength from this connection to the past. I really enjoyed the way Bates brought together past and present. Although vastly different situations, something is gained from both Anna and Maggie's narratives, even if it is quiet strength in the face of an oncoming storm. It also highlights other themes in The Burning, which is the need for solidarity between women, the need for institutional support and the holding accountable of men's actions. 

Laura Bates tackles a number of difficult themes in her novel which could have easily overwhelmed the plot. What impressed me was the way that Bates managed to keep the tone and message appropriate for a younger audience without drawing a veil over the more horrifying aspects of sexual harassment. The novel's language is straightforward and simple but at times also deeply lyrical, especially in Maggie's passages. Bates allows her characters to be teenagers while her adults are also allowed their full breadth of emotions. I will admit I was slightly biased in The Burning's favour as it's set in Fife. At one point Anna visits the St. Andrews' University Library and I was hit by a major wave of nostalgia. I was gripped by The Burning and found myself unable to put it down. I became rather attached to its characters and, despite its difficult topics, I found myself warmed by the reading experience.

The Burning is a great read that tackles difficult themes. It is a very timely read that, although not a manifesto, does its part in spreading awareness and bringing hope. 

This review will be featured on A Universe in Words from 6/7/2020

I very much enjoyed this book. The writing is good, the characters are believable and the story is so so important.

I love how Anna's story intertwines with Maggie who's persecuted for witchcraft in the 17th century. I work with Scottish archives and can say that Laura Bates her done her homework and made kirk session records more interesting and accessible than I ever thought possible! It feels like there's a touch of magical realism to the story, but not so much that it's cheesy. It's perfect.

I thought the parallels between what Anna is going through - - persecuted and "slut shamed" by her peers - - and what Maggie went through was a very clever way to tell the story. The setting in a wee coastal village in Fife is also beautifully drawn. It's nice to see some YA set in Scotland! Though maybe NetGalley has the US version of this book up? There were a few times when "pants" and "trash" stood out like a sore thumb.

All in all a great read tackling some really important issues, ancient and modern.

A book that drew me in.A book of issues teens face today particularly cyber bullying.This book would be perfect for teen book clubs so much worth discovering.#netgalley#sourcebooks

My Review: Important Message, Not-So-Great Delivery

The Pros: What worked for me

I liked the main character of the story. Her fears, her anxiety, her behaviour … it all made sense and it made me really understand her and empathize with her.

I also think the intent behind the story was really good and important. The author of this novel is the founder of the Everyday Sexism project – and it really shows! The author takes every opportunity to highlight gender disparities that are present from a young age and how detrimental this can be to female development and self-esteem. This is something I support and can really get behind.

The Cons: What I didn’t like

The writing style, while setting a decent pace, used way too many metaphors – and some were even in conversations! No one speaks like that in real life, and it would definitely not be teenagers!

I didn’t like that the author essentially made almost all of the male characters in this book negative figures. While I am a feminist and strongly advocate for women’s rights, I’m also uncomfortable with the idea that all men are the problem. The book oversimplifies this by really dramatizing the behaviours of certain characters, which I didn’t like at all. Simply put, I don’t want to read a book that screams “men are trash”. 

This novel was trying to do way too much. What started off as a novel about a girl desperate for a fresh start quickly shifted into a monologue-style novel about girls struggling for acceptance while dealing with their newfound sexuality, and then it would shift again to a fantasy-historical story where our protagonist is able to see “visions” of a woman accused of being a witch (and even here, there was juvenile writing about how it was all the fault of men). I wish the author had just stuck to one thing and done a good job developing it.
Even if the author had just stuck to Anna’s story, the author would have struggled to edit things down to be concise. There are so many feminist issues being addressed from leakage of nude photos and the judgement behind that to consent to abortion to grief. For such heavy topics, there was a lack of proper gravitas and development. 

The ending of the novel was also pretty cringy and it just didn’t help this book at all.

While I will always support books that promote themes of gender equality and feminism, at the end of the day, I’m reviewing the quality of the novel as a whole. And this book just didn’t cut it. For those reasons, I’m giving this 2/5 stars.

A stunning novel that weaves together the history of witch hunts and the current reality of social media and how often both can be used to punish women for choices they make with their own bodies and how they define their self worth. When Anna and her mother relocate to Scotland after her fathers death and a scandal at her old school they are both anxious for anew start. But the internet, and some people, forgets nothing and soon Anna finds herself overwhelmed. Woven into Anna’s story is that of Maggie who may or not have lived in Anna’s house but Maggie needs to get her story out and maybe Anna can help. A poignant commentary on the power of rumor, suggestion and mob mentality and why women are punished for the crimes against their bodies and not the men who perpetrate them.  A fantastic book for a book club read as so much to discuss!

This started off as a great premise, dealing with slut-shaming and cyber bullying, but the supernatural elements pulled me out of the story. I think this would’ve been better as a coming of age story, dealing more with the main character dealing with the bullying after moving to a new school. 

I enjoyed the parallels made between Anna and the woman she was researching, but that’s about where my enjoyment ended. I think the author was trying to tackle too much in one book and I couldn’t really place a finger on what the story was trying to be.

I appreciated this story of a mother who moves her children to a new country, Scotland, to try to protect her daughter from the bullying directly and through social media techniques previously. As a teen who is facing the ongoing bullying over a single event that labeled her as a "slut" and other negative terms, she is trying to rebuild her life in her new town. One of the assignments she is given is to research a town person whose history might be unique or interesting. She chooses a woman accused of witchcraft and this leads her down fascinating roads. Unfortunately, she is unable to keep the separation between her prior life and her current life. This leads to an interesting story and conclusion.
Overall, this was a good book and I listened to part of it on audiobook which enhanced the story.
I recommend this, especially for YA readers who want a unique story that takes on the issues of bullying and harassment that teens often face.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy.
#TheBurning #Netgalley #SourceBooksFire

I have a soft spot for Scotland and I will always enjoy a book set there! This one was interesting because we get to learn a little bit about the witch burnings that occurred in their history. 

There are two different POVs in The Burning. In modern day we have Anna who is running from nasty rumors and a stained past in England. In the 17th century we have Maggie, who is put on trial as a witch when her rapist dies on a sea voyage. I found both POVs heartbreaking. 

The only thing this book is lacking a bit is a little bit more of Maggie. I really enjoyed her parts, but they definitely felt second to Anna’s. 

I definitely recommend this one!

Anna and her mom have moved to Scotland to start over after a horrible few months when Anna's dad died and then she was the victim of bullying and...I don't think it's technically revenge porn but it's very close. (She listened to her boyfriend and sent sexy pictures; they did not say secret.)

I don't want to jinx myself but I am on a real run of amazing books. I think my current favorite genre is "feminist YA contemps" and this is an amazing example. I love Anna and her mom, and I felt awful every time her past came up. I don't think the whole "boys are studs; girls are sluts" idea is particularly new and yet every time it feels like a necessary conversation. (Maybe this generation is the one that will get it right? I hope.)

Highly recommended.

On the latest Teen Title Talk, Courtney and Erin dive into two fascinating reads: Birdie and Me by J.M.M Nuanez and The Burning by Laura Bates. Join in to hear what they thought of these two very different but equally compelling reads: http://teentitletalk.podbean.com/

The Burning had so much promise. It had such a strong message about slut-shaming, bullying, and social media and how it affects the victims of sexual crimes. The delivery of these messages; however, left me feeling disappointed with it's poor execution. 

This book was a slow read that was made even slower with the jumps back in time to story of a woman who was burned at the stake for being a witch. I felt like the two stories were disconnected. I saw what the author was trying to do, I just didn't think it was done particularly well.

(This will be posted on my blog on May 15)

This was a really intense, anxiety-inducing read for me, but at the same time I couldn’t put it down.

I did think there would be more of the story about Maggie (the woman accused of witchcraft in the 17th century) in this story, but as a subplot it added an interesting parallel to Anna’s story. I guess I just thought, based on the synopsis, that it would be a bigger part of the story.

I liked this book, and I know it might not seem realistic to some readers in the sense of its resolution, but I wanted to read something that offered some hope, which this book did in the end, despite the bleak subject matter and the torment that Anna suffers.

A past and present story all in one.... count me in. This isn’t my typical read but I was sucked into it from the very beginning. This story is so riveting that I just couldn’t put it down. This book shows just how much women truly go through with the shaming that comes from sexuality.

This book brings up important challenges that students face, and gives a look at sexism through the lens of being a teenager. The plot got a little messy and complicated about midway through. Overall an interesting book.

Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read and review this title. I will review this title at a different date.

I had this book sitting in my kindle for months before I was able to read it. As soon as I opened it I couldn't put it down. This Burning is a wonderful book that I feel everyone should read. Laura Bates ties cyberbullying and witch-burning together, showing the readers that they are exactly the same only difference is one is happening today. 

As a woman who feels very strongly about advocating for yourself and reading how Anna was being treated killed me but as the story goes you can see the character development, the strength she needed to push all the bullying aside, and take back her life. 

The reason why I would recommend this book to everyone is because we all know a person that has been burned due to some rumors or is dealing with one right now. This book can help so many people. 

The few things I didn't like about the book is it started very slow and had some stuff that didn't need to be put in. The ending felt rushed and I would have wished that the author addressed what happened to the students that were bullying Anna.

I meant to write about this book earlier, but as we all know, life is weird at the moment and I missed the pub date. Better late than never though! The Burning by Laura Bates was a great read! I love how the author compares slut shaming to witch hunts. The beginning of the book annoyed me a little, because the main character talks about something big that happened to her, but she doesn’t mention what it is. I prefer knowing what the main character knows, and having to find stuff out about the other characters. However, this got resolved not too far into the book, which left me just enjoying it a lot.

I struggled with this book— and yet I still liked it a lot??

It was a little slower than I wanted it to be, which was frustrating all around until it picked up in the second half, but as for the rest of the story and characters— yeah, consider me a fan. I love how the author chose this topic and how she chose to use it also, making many profound and clear statements on the reality of rape culture and victim blaming. I love seeing more of this in fiction. Will be definitely be following the author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

From the get-go we know Anna has secrets. She keeps referencing something that happened at her old school. Something bad enough for her to move away, change her name, and start over. Even give up having a phone and a social media presence. I love/hate books like that. I honestly love it, but my curiosity gets the best of me. Its SO HARD not knowing! I think this is a big part of why I flew through it. Once we found out what the secret was, the book started really gaining steam and going much more quickly.

On top of Anna’s story, we also see her researching a woman who lived in her village in the 1600s that was tried and convicted of witchcraft. At some points, I thought this was more interesting than Anna’s story. I loved the glimpses into the past and all the research she did. Honestly, I want a book just about Maggie!

Laura Bates did great touching on slut shaming. It’s the whole focus of the novel. She did a great job of showing what happens to victims and those around them like friends and family, victim blaming from men and women, and the awful aftermath.

This was a great feminist read. I recommend it to anyone who loves ya feminist contemporaries.

A little slow and not as engaging as I was hoping for! Just not the book for me sadly. I think it needed more character development; just couldn’t get into it.