This just reminded me how teens can be so cruel. This follows Anna Clark as she moves to Scotland immediately following a major scandal back in England, only to have it follow her to her new school. Instead of running away, like she did before, Anna stands up for herself and to her classmates. 

An added element to the story was told through dreams that mirrored at village tale from the 1650's that Anna is researching for an assignment. The more she learns, the more connected she feels to Maggie.

I think this was just okay. I liked the journey Anna went through across the book as well as the relationships she built, but I think I wanted more. Everything felt very surface level. I wanted a more in depth look into her relationship with her mother and what her life was in England. I also feel like everything was way over-exaggerated—pretty unrealistic.  

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book had my attention from the very beginning. I really connected with the main character, Anna, and was so curious to find out more of her story. The historical aspects covered in the book were fascinating as well. I enjoyed reading about how the UK handled supposed witchcraft, and the tie ins with the historical character and the modern day character were fabulous. The best part for me, though, was the way the major social issues were handled. I love the feminist overtones in this book, and I think it is an important read for all women and girls, as well as boys!

Brilliant take on social media abuse when someone thinks she is sharing a photo with someone she loves and that person shares it with the world - and it shows up in multiple different ways on the Internet. Laura Bates compares it to the way women were treated 400 years ago when they got pregnant out of wedlock... because of course men weren't involved in that either. I had never put the two together and really enjoyed this book - especially because by the end three high school grils overcame a lot to stay friends and stand up for themselves in front of their school.

3.5 stars

I'm not entirely sure what I expected this book to be, but I was quite surprised with what I got. I think I just expected it to be more of a thriller, with more lyrical writing, based on the synopsis. And sadly it wasn't a thriller, nor did it have particularly noteworthy writing, sometimes the descriptions were extensive, but not in a beautiful way. These extensive descriptions also made the story drag a bit.

The story was mainly focused on Anna and her starting a new school/life in Scotland. Anna tries to be invisible at first, but things start to look up for a while, until her past catches up to her. What happened in her past was kept a mystery until much later on in the book and honestly, I thought that Anna had done something much worse, probably because I thought it was a thriller. The reveal was a bit disappointing to be honest, I think that the topic itself is an important one to shed light on, but it just didn't work that well for me here.

Nothing was sugar coated by the author and things got quite vicious and vulgar, when Anna's past came knocking. I was actually quite shocked at some of the things said, but I guess it's just realistic. Teenage life can be brutal and I think that this was captured well here for the most part, and this is why one of the later scenes, where there's a speech, was rather unrealistic. The speech in itself was very thought provoking though and was definitely a culmination of everything the author had been weaving throughout, the reactions to it were what was not very believable.

Although the story mainly followed Anna, there were parts where there were flashbacks to the past, as a result of Anna's history project. I did like these parts, the writing seemed stronger here and there was a real atmosphere created, that transported you to the time of witch-hunts. These sections did seem too long at times though and I think that they could have been even more effective if they'd been shorter.

In conclusion, I like the message that this novel offers, challenging how society views women, the double standards, the pressures that exist and how women can never truly satisfy everyone's expectations. I do think that these messages weren't filtered in that naturally at times though. It was a great idea to show the parallels between Anna and Maggie's situations, but the execution could of been a bit better. For example, I still don't really understand what was going on with the necklace and it was quite an important part of linking their lives. Despite my issues with The Burning, I would still recommend this as it has valuable subject matter, it just wasn't really what I was expecting.

***I received an ARC of this book in exchange for a truthful review.***

This book is a good, page-turning exploration of the power of cyberbullying in high school. Admittedly, I was more interested in the historical aspects of the book and wish it focused on those more, but the writing, for the most part, is so real that you can feel every moment of her panic as she gets pulled deeper and deeper into having to deal with this terrible secret of hers. Bates' writing puts you right beside our main character and you feel everything she feels through the whole book. The recent death of her father also lends a heaviness to it, tinging everything already happening with grief that both the main character and her mother realize they need to deal with by the end of the book.

As an adult, I was, of course, sitting here the whole time wanting to scream at her just to tell her caring, loving mom what's going on. It's one of those books where there wouldn't be a book if there was just normal communication between a parent and a teenager, but I also understand that Bates was focusing on the shame of such an experience as well.

Overall, this was a good YA book exploring themes of consent, grief, and gossip in a high school girl's life.

First and foremost I would like to thank NetGalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Because fire is sneaky. You might think you've extinguished it, but one creeping red tendril, one single wisp of smoke is enough to let it leap back to life again. Especially if someone is watching, waiting to fan the flames.

It’s taken me a very long time to write this review, mostly because I am so upset that this book turned out the way it did.

Writing

Unfortunately, while this novel started off strong, it delved into some very cliché teen writing, sounding like one of those tumblr posts that ends with “and everyone clapped”. There is literally a scene where the main character stands on a lunch table, makes a big speech, and people begin to form a group behind her in a show of support. Which is absurd at best, and would never happen outside of movies.

Story

The story feels very much like a backdrop for the preaching tone of the novel. While it touches on some very important themes, it reads much more like one of those PSA/anti-bullying movies they show at school. Anna and her mother move to a new country in an attempt to outrun some horrible things that happened in Anna’s past. Mainly cyber-bullying and sexual harassment, which fall more than a little flat with the author’s seeming lack of understanding of how social media works. While she describes the most commonly used apps by teenagers, Snapchat and Instagram, she describes them working like Facebook does. The story feels like an out of touch adult trying to use teenage slang to talk to younger folks.

Overall

It’s very disheartening because this book touches on very important themes, and has representation for various illnesses/disabilities.

It’s clear that the story that Anna researches for her school project is a foil for what happened in her life.

In the end, I’m just sad that this book did not live up to my expectations.

The Burning is a story that shows the relationship between the modern rumor mill and the witch trials of the past .

Anna and her mother move to Scotland, hoping to find peace with the death of Anna's father, and to escape the devastating results of cyber bullying that they faced in England. Anna has learned the hard way that once a rumor is started, it can be difficult to prove to the world that one small action only makes up part of the truth. "When did the rest of me disappear?"

When Anna begins school in Scotland, a history project spurs her to investigate the life of a woman who was accused of witchcraft in the 1600's. Anna's research on this mysterious woman will show her that the destructive powers of rumors are timeless, which helps her cope with her own situation.

This is an insightful, powerful, and emotional look into how drastically a life can be damaged by gossip and one sided stories. It's also a story of grief, and the power of friendship. The Burning is an excellent look into many facets of life and how the past is often repeated in modern times.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Fire and Laura Bates for the advanced copy of The Burning in exchange for my honest review.

Girls are like marshmallows”

This is a great book about slut-shaming and women coming together in solidarity. It’s a social commentary piece on how boys should be held responsible and how it takes two to tango. It dives into the heartache and the social injustice that women face everyday just by being women.

The book opens with Anna moving to a new country and finding new friends. It’s pretty intriguing since you don’t know why she moved but it gets better as the pieces come together. What I will say is that most of her later problems in the book could have been avoided if her and her mum had a better relationship and they felt they could talk to each other.

It is nice to see Anna find friends and see the value in them, but I genuinely enjoyed Anna’s parallel to her subject for the history project-Maggie the maybe witch. They faced similar prejudice and to have Anna gain strength through Maggie’s story was interesting to see.

In the end, what killed this book for me was the way it was so easy for Anna to develop feelings for Robin. It wasn’t realistic and it took away from the story.

“We are the granddaughters of the witches you burned. And we’ve had enough”

A gripping story of a teenage girl being shamed and tormented for sharing a photo of herself with a boy who then shared it with the world. There was so much going on in this book and not all of it easy to handle but it was written with passion and the overwhelming message was absolutely clear that misogyny is still a huge problem and needs confronting. Very thought-provoking and also enjoyable. There were times when I thought parts seemed unrealistic in the new fake profiles being created and the amount of abuse being sent but apparently this was all based on other experiences and nothing was exaggerated.

The Burning by Laura Bates is a powerful, painfully, beautiful story about a girl who has moved schools to start over after a painful experience at her old school. Unfortunately her past seems to have followed her and Anna now needs to find her voice.
***
This book is so incredible. I finished in a couple hours, I couldn’t stop reading it. My eyes are red and scratchy from crying throughout (no, it’s not just my allergies kicking in) and my throat kept getting clogged. Anna is going through a painful experience. Her agency is taken from her, images of her body are being used without her consent and in crude ways and kids being kids are being cruel about it. She is in a new school, far from what she knows after a recent loss of her father and she is not in an okay place. Anna has a pretty great outcome at the end of this, but the reality is not many who go through this do.
This is a tough book to read, no two ways about it but it’s an important read that takes on a very tough topic. Bullying, sexual harassment, etc need to be discussed, the right people (ie not the people who were wronged) need to be punished, schools need to move forward with the times and have policies that handle this better. This is a book that needs to be read! Ms. Bates is amazing for taking on such a tough topic.
***
I liked how the story also includes the history project that Anna is working on, where she starts looking into a woman who was accused of witchcraft. A lot of women were accused of witchcraft for various reasons and it worked really well into what Anna was going through and giving her that sense of other women have been where she’s at, and she may feel like it but she’s not alone. .
I also really, really liked that the author also included a list of resources if you are going though or have gone through what Anna has gone through. It’s incredibly important and a nice touch to have that there.
***
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher I was able to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I read some reviews of this book and a lot of people said that they felt that this story wasn't necessary or some of the reactions and actions were a bit outdated. The funny thing is a lot of the people who wrote those reviews were adults. People have to remember these type of books aren't meant strictly for adults. Teenagers would identify with this story because this stuff really happens. Bates adapted relevant issues and turned them into a modern day witchhunt, something that girls and women go through every day. As soon as I started reading, I had a hard time putting it down. Anna's emotions and torture felt so real to me. I love the aspect of Anna researching another woman's tale. It put a different spin on these kind of stories. It makes young female readers to research their past to understand their future more.

“The Burning” is a page-turner about a teen named Anna who must abruptly move away from her big city to a small coastal town in Scotland. While still healing from the untimely death of her father, she’s also trying to outrun bullying and nasty gossip at her prior school that she hopes won’t follow her to her new home.

As Anna begins to put down roots and begins to make friends, the past comes back to haunt her - in more ways than one. A school project leads her to uncover the story of a local woman named Maggie from centuries ago who was accused of witchcraft. Maggie’s torture and humiliation touch a nerve in Anna as it becomes clear that both have paid an enormous price for being young women who have dared to come into their sexuality. The depiction of bullying is brutal and realistic. Bates doesn’t pull any punches as we come to understand why Anna fled her hometown.

The highlight of “The Burning” is its depiction of female friendships. Anna’s new friends Cat and Alisha are full, three-dimensional characters with wit, talents and flaws. Some of the greatest tension in the book comes from the fear that Anna’s past will somehow drive a wedge between the three.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to teens. It offers insights into present-day misogyny and bullying, along with a visceral illustration of how such cruelty has echoed throughout modern history.

Teen angst with witchy vibes? Sign me up. Right on trend but this story will be interesting throughout the years. Timeless.

I was interested to see what Laura Bates' foray into young adult fiction would look like and I cannot say that I was surprised. The weaving of the historical sections with the modern day storyline was adequately done, but at times the main storyline felt torture porn adjacent and I found myself considerably underwhelmed by the ending of the book.

A good ole mystery, wrapped with teenage angst, and maybe some slight witchiness. This is The Burning. It kept me entertained, which is the whole point, of course. The story was decent, and I was looking forward to reading it every night (until done - obviously). The main character and her story seemed very true to today's social media society, and how you're not someone until you're online. And even then, your presence is everything.

The Burning comes out 4.7.2020.

4/5 Stars

The Burning is a great story to help young adults learn that a simple picture taken and sent to someone they trust can turn into something that will haunt them for years to come. It is also a great lesson on bullying and how to treat people. How to stand up to bullies and how to remember that any one of us can be hurting for any number of reasons and not to believe everything people say about someone.

Because fire is sneaky. You might think you've extinguished it, but one creeping red tendril, one single wisp of smoke is enough to let it leap back to life again. Especially if someone is watching, waiting to fan the flames.

I loved this book with all my heart. I'm always on the look-out for feminist literature for teens and young adults. The fact that this also tackles sexual and online abuse is brilliant; there is a need for literature that discusses the dangers and consequences of these topics, and how best to deal with them.

This book has a somewhat slow start. The first 30% of this book, I feel like absolutely nothing happens, except that Anna continually alludes to a distressing and regrettable past, but doesn’t enlighten us on what that could be. It got slightly annoying, before things finally started happening in the book. That being said, it wasn’t too hard to get through. The author’s voice is easy and fluid to read. By the end, I really enjoyed this book.

However, I feel like the depth of the situation is a little bit unrealistic. There is a lot of cyber bullying, as well as verbal bullying in person. I just do not feel like the gravity of this situation would have been expected in real life. I think these type of things would blow over faster and not be as lingering, or detrimental, from place to place. Kids just don’t care that much about things to linger on them for weeks at a time, and I don’t think ALL kids would be so horribly mean, like in this book. I’m sure situations of this gravity, have and do exist, but I just don’t see it following her from one country to another. It does show well, though, how easy it is for social media to blow things out of proportion, and how others may not see it happening; a serious situation that needs to be considered for kids in our world nowadays.

I especially enjoyed the historic plot line throughout the novel. The Salem Witch Trials had always been a period of interest for me, and being able to see, at least a slight view of this in the UK was very interesting! I like how it was bit uniquely interwoven through a contemporary story.

This was a powerful and compelling story of one girl's struggle to reclaim her own body under the pressure of systemic misogyny. When Anna begins a new school and a new life in Scotland, she is hoping to leave the torments of her past life behind; but rumours are like fire and they spread.

The Positives: I thought the dual stories of Anna in present day and Maggie in 1650 worked really well in tandem to highlight that women have always been subject to the power of men. The message in the story is very powerful and is repeated frequently, which often made some of the book hard to read, as the situation was rage inducing, to say the least. I felt an overwhelming sense of injustice for both of the women in this story and found myself becoming increasingly angry at the hypocrisy on show. I really loved the friendship between Anna, Kat and Alisha and how their closeness demonstrated the power to be found in women supporting each other, rather than tearing each other down.

The Negatives: I felt that all of the adults, with the exception of Glen, were pretty ineffectual in the story, which rang a little bit false to me. I also thought that some of the response seemed overly extreme, particularly given that Anna had moved away from the original source.

Overall, this was a really compelling and important novel and I would recommend it to any and all women.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This book tackles very important issues that teens deal with all of the time, and I think that it is a good book for young teens, but it does read a little like an over the top cliche teen movie. Which is sometimes exactly what people want to read - something different but not too far off from their lives.

The issue I had was that I often found myself saying, "do teenagers REALLY act like this?!" I know some of them can act genuinely horrible like this story, but school-wide abuse seems a little far fetched. Maybe if this story were set in an earlier time, it would have made more sense, even though part of it is about social media. The story the main character researches and has flashbacks of felt very believable and almost more relevant.

Now, I still think it was a good book with some excellent points. I enjoyed the friendships and how the character deals with their own issues. I loved the historical plotline. I loved the mom talking to the school.

I think this one will be perfect for students who like realistic fiction and lots of drama. Thank you, NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read this one!