I thought I was going to really like this one but unfortunately it fell flat :( The premise of this book was really cool, and the magic system and world was quite unique, but everything could have been better developed. The background on the crystals, for example, felt very incomplete. I also didn’t lovveeeee the romance in this one as it felt a tad bit rushed and like there was no real connection between either of the relationships.

This had a lot of potential but I don’t think I’ll be continuing.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!

Tonight, I Burn by Katherine J. Adams is a mesmerizing debut that grabbed me from the very first page and didn’t let go. Set in a dark, richly imagined world of witches, poison, and rebellion, this book is both atmospheric and wildly original. It’s like walking through smoke and candlelight—dangerous, seductive, and impossible to look away from.

The story follows heroine Iris, a woman bound by tradition and fire, navigating a society where witches are both revered and exploited. Adams weaves themes of power, autonomy, sisterhood, and identity into a gripping narrative that unfolds with cinematic beauty. Her prose is lyrical and fierce, her worldbuilding lush without ever feeling overwhelming. And the romance? Slow-burning, delicious, and filled with tension.

There’s an undercurrent of resistance and defiance that pulses throughout the story, making it feel especially timely and empowering. Iris’s journey is one of transformation in every sense, and I found myself rooting for her with every spark she struck.

Highly recommended for fans of dark fantasy, morally complex heroines, and witchy reads with depth and fire. Katherine J. Adams is a voice to watch—I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tonight I Burn by Katharine J. Adams is a gripping, atmospheric fantasy that weaves together passion, danger, and self-discovery. The story follows a young woman caught in a fierce struggle between love and power, with her own abilities and desires threatening to consume her. Adams’ writing is vivid and immersive, with a tension-filled narrative that keeps readers on the edge of their seats. The characters are richly layered, particularly the protagonist, whose journey of personal growth and the unraveling of dark secrets makes for an emotionally charged, page-turning experience. Tonight I Burn is a captivating blend of fantasy, romance, and suspense, perfect for fans of high-stakes adventures with deep emotional resonance.

This book had so much potential—a dark, gothic world, a unique magic system, and the promise of rebellion and romance. While Tonight, I Burn delivers on atmosphere and intriguing coven dynamics, it struggles with pacing and character development.

The world-building is fascinating but uneven. The thorn witches and their connection to death had me hooked, but the frequent info dumps made it hard to stay immersed. Penny, as the main character, often felt frustrating—her impulsive decisions were framed as bravery, but they sometimes lacked logic. The romance, while inclusive and full of potential, lacked emotional build-up, making the connections feel rushed rather than organic.

Despite these issues, the book’s intricate magic system and morally grey politics kept me engaged. The ending was strong, but overall, the story left me feeling more “meh” than mesmerized. If you love lush, atmospheric fantasy and don’t mind some inconsistencies, it’s worth a read—but it didn’t fully click for me.

Every night, a thorn witch burns to patrol Death and returns to Life the following morning to ensure the safety of the world. Penny is terrified to burn and escapes it…until her sister doesn’t come back to life the morning after burning. In secret, Penny burns and places the whole world at risk, only to find out that the whole world is already at risk.

I loved this book so much! It felt familiar and comfortable in a way that I couldn’t have dreamed of. Even though it was a warm hug of a fantasy story, it did such an excellent job capturing challenging topics and approaching them in new and interesting ways. The characters were extremely well developed, and I’m so looking forward to burning through the sequel as soon as I can get my hands on it!

This story brings on a whole new meaning to the story of witches burning. While history tells the tale of women being condemned for their magic and set to the pyre, this fantasy tale twists that and shows a world where death-walkers (specially gifted witches) must burn to connect with their gift, to be able to patrol and guard the veil between Life and Death.

🔥witches
🔥magic with a cost
🔥multiple love interests (kind of slowburn ménage vibes)
🔥hidden identities
🔥betrayal
🔥rebellion
🔥fairly unique magic system

I’m honestly so glad I took a pause when I hit that fantasy burnout way back when. It would’ve not done the book justice to keep reading at that time because this was truly such a good read. As soon as I had time to recharge my fantasy-reading battery and dive back into this world, I was hooked.

There is an incredibly fascinating magic system built for Tonight, I Burn that I just want to know more about. I want to learn more about its history. I want to know more about the different facets of each covens’ abilities. I just want more. The glimpses we see in this first book are so incredibly interesting, especially with our main character’s coven’s ability to essentially die every evening only to regenerate fully the next day IF they cross the veil back in time. I mean, they saying does go that magic requires sacrifice (at least for an effective magic system) and this one took the cake for the thorn witches’ sacrifice for such interesting magic.

In top of the Magic, this story also had a fascinating romantic setup. There is a love triangle but not in the way most would picture a love triangle to be. It was almost why choose in a way the further into the story you go, and I actually really enjoyed seeing that develop. Both love interests hold a piece of our FMC that gives her strength when she truly needs it to fight and I thought that was so important and also very found family which is another trope I enjoy.

I know this is only book one, so I’m really interested to see where the characters will go from here and how much more of the world and history will develop in the sequel(s).

Hi Ridgewood, reading this book. I loved having the dragons and the forbidden magic and just the whole magical universe. This author created. The tension, and probably almost between the main character is kept me on a razors edge guessing out what would happen. I really enjoyed the main female in the journey. She takes Miss book and also all the mature birdies. She gains as her story progresses. I've f the plot was done really well in a way that was both whimsical for fantasy, but also not overly shocking.

This is a really strong debut, and I cannot wait to read what comes next. I think Adams has a lot of talent: the writing here is excellent, the story is compelling, the world and magic system are unique, and the characters were well-crafted. Penny was such a great main character and I loved her growth throughout the novel.

The romance was fine and was honestly the only source of real quibbles for me. One relationship felt more like insta-love, and the secondary relationship came out of nowhere (to me). However, I do think the polyamory rep was well-done and portrayed with a lot of respect and care.

I am very much looking forward to the next book in this series and am really interested to see what Adams does in the future.

DNF at 20%. I love witchy books and Orbit tends to put out the kind of fantasy that appeals to me. However, I’ve tried reading this book several times since I first requested it. I found it very slow and uninteresting. I’m finally giving up on it.

Katharine J. Adams’s Tonight I Burn is a gripping and atmospheric thriller that weaves together mystery, suspense, and a touch of the supernatural. The novel centers around a series of chilling events connected to a dark secret and an ominous prophecy. As the protagonist delves deeper into the mystery, they uncover layers of intrigue that blur the lines between reality and the paranormal.

Adams excels in creating a tense, immersive atmosphere that keeps readers on edge. The pacing is tight, with a plot full of unexpected twists and turns that maintain a high level of suspense. The characters are complex and flawed, adding depth to the story as they grapple with their own personal demons alongside the unfolding mystery.

Tonight I Burn combines psychological tension with eerie, supernatural elements, making it a compelling read for fans of dark thrillers and mysteries. The novel’s ability to evoke a sense of dread and its intricate plot twists make it a standout in the genre.

I loved the coven- family relationship. The idea of suffering through a burning to "walk" the spirit world is horrifying to me but was well-described. The world building was enjoyable but at times very info-dumping. The relationship between the sister's was beautiful but our MC made so many truly dumb choices that I was checking out towards the end.

This was cute and cozy. I enjoyed it. I love a good high stakes book and this check that box. I have a sister that I would burn the world to ash for so I related to the FMC quite a bit and I really liked this.

Tonight, I Burn by Katharine Adams is a riveting tale set in a world where the five covens—Thorns, Tides, Embers, Storms, and Ores—are all bound in servitude to the tyrannical High Warden of Halstett. Adams masterfully crafts a wicked story about witches and their intricate covens, drawing readers in with a rich tapestry of details. The depth of emotion and the vivid descriptions of the surroundings make the narrative truly immersive. I was completely captivated by how Adams brought this dark, enchanting world to life, making it a must-read for fans of witchcraft and fantasy.

I absolutely loved this! It did take me a while to get into. A bit of a slow burn, but I thoroughly enjoyed all of the characters. I’m excited for the next installment!

OMFG! I binged though this story and IMMEDIATELY ordered a physical copy.

I'm sad I waited so long to read this one, but it's now one of my new favorites. The story, the characters and the writing were all phenomenal. Penny and Malin are EVERYTHING.

This is the Witch book I've been waiting for. I used to read so many when I was younger and have been disappointed with so many through the years. This one NAILED IT.

It was unique and so well thought out and written. I don't want to give anything away for this one. It's better to just read it if your a Witchy fan.

WHEN DO I GET THE NEXT PART!?

Tonight I Burn by Katharine J. Adams is a book where I liked all the individual elements, but didn’t like how those elements worked in conjunction with each other. It’s queer, witches, high fantasy, and a rebellious sort of book. But when put together, these elements that I commonly look for in books fall very flat.

The plot itself is very intriguing. We have family based covens that are ruled by a mysterious and ill ward. These covens don’t interact with one another, but they work side by side to serve the ward. Penny is a young witch from the Thorn coven, whose magic allows her to walk the veil between life and death. But there are many rules when it comes to the veil, and when Penny breaks those rules, she finds herself in the midst of a brewing rebellion.

I loved the plot in theory, but in execution not so much. Penny seems to be the type of character whose decisions don’t really make an impact on the plot. She seems to be stumbling from plot point to plot point, the world moving around her while she's left behind. For this reason, I find Penny to be very two dimensional, and would rather have been following one of her other sisters (whose decisions does seem to be moving the plot forward)

I also find the romance, and also how it is balanced within the story, to be sort of odd. Penny has two love interests which will ultimately lead to a polyamorous relationship. Except I'm very confused on why that is the case. I understand the romances individually (although both were more lustful than romantic), but now how the other two would benefit from the polyamorous relationship. I think Adams tried to make sense of this (which failed) and spent too much time on the romance and distracted from the plot.

I forgot to leave a review for this, but I really enjoyed it! It's been out for ages, so I won't say much more than I need to for my star rating. <3

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’s didn’t let me down!

Addictive! It kept me up all night! The way the characters interact and move together kept me engaged! I loved that we learned information as the characters did. I did see some things coming but others definitely shocked me! Definitely recommend if you like fantasy!

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]