This was absolutely fascinating. At first, the writing style threw me and I wasn't sure I wanted to keep going. But then I kept reading. And reading. And I couldn't stop. I had to take a break for a Zoom call with my family, and then I immediately began reading until I had finished. I can't remember the last time a book had me so hooked.

Bright I Burn is the story of Alice Kyteler. I had never heard of her until now, but I ended up doing a dive into her life and I was truly impressed at the depth of Molly Aitken's research. Yes, she had to take a few liberties (I mean, it's 13th century Ireland, after all), but she told Alice's story in a way that the real woman was never able. I think what I loved most is that Alice is not a character meant to be loved. She is a hard woman and through no fault of her own. She was born into a time that saw women as property, valued only for their appearance and ability to bear children and never for their keen minds or courage.

Whatever fictitious tidbits Aitken had to implement, they added to the story. They gave Alice depth and meaning, and even as she was cold and cruel and calculating, I understood why. In order to survive, she had to be that way. But she was also human, and like all humans, susceptible to the pull of money. Why settle when you can scheme your way to more? How could it be evil when everything she did was to ensure her son would never want?

Were her methods morally questionable? Perhaps. But she's the kind of character you love to hate, while rooting for at the same time. I'm truly blown away by Bright I Burn, and I think this story will appeal to readers of both fiction and nonfiction. I can see the writing style being a turn off for some (it's an interesting deviation from the usual 'show don't tell' that somehow works) but the story and characters themselves are fascinating to the point where I couldn't put it down.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy!

Beautiful cover art, well written story, and eye opening! Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken is based on the story of the first recorded woman in Ireland to be condemned as a witch. Alice Kyteler is bright and brave and refuses to submit to a patriarchal society. She carves her own path and pays the price. Thank you Netgalley for my copy!

Thank you to NetGalley and Molly Aitken for an ARC of this title!

After reading the synopsis for this book I walked in expecting a "good-for-her" kind of tale. What I actually encountered was something much more nuanced - something that left me feeling a lot more yearning, bitterness, and sorrow for the real-life Alice, and the characters (particularly the women) who weaved in and out of this tale. I think that reading this title in Spring 2024 - when hard-fought basic human rights will soon be on the chopping block, and in a time when the son of a gifted scientist still feels it's necessary to reduce women to essentially "broodmares" (as Alice put it so many times throughout this book) has made reading this book much more poignant. It feels almost wrong to say I enjoyed watching Alice come into her own through this book - which, if you did not see, is set in 1200s Ireland - in the ways that she felt were available to her. But I did enjoy it, even if I can recognize that a lot of her actions would have been "wrong" in 2024.

This was a fascinating read and Alice is an alluring and compelling character. I imagine it wasn’t easy being a woman with ambitions in the 1200s and it was thrilling to read about Alice’s perseverance and commitment to fortune and power.

Thank you to Knopf and NetGalley for the opportunity to read a copy.

While only 4 people have reviewed this book, I’m still willing to accept I am the outlier. I am all for feminism and powerful women characters. The issue for me is that this book is poorly paced and choppy. Situations and narratives jump around, which is distracting to the overall story. I couldn’t go on reading around the halfway point, so this is a DNF for me.

I loved this quick read. I had never heard of Alice’s story, but have since gone down a further rabbit hole to read more about her after finishing this. Alice was written with such emotion and power in her voice and actions. Aitken’s research and care for her story are shown clearly in every detail of this book. Will be recommending this to others! Thank you for the ARC. :)

I'm not sure "fun" is the right word to use to describe the time I had while reading this, but it's the closest I can get.

Learning about real life Alice Kyteler felt like looking into my past, present, future self; felt like learning about my ancestors, and the ancestors of others. It was sad, terrifying, joyful, and insistent.

Molly's writing took a little getting used to, but it felt reminiscent to how I felt reading Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell and Weyward by Emilia Hart.

I'll probably think about this book for the rest of my life!

*I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Now this is the type of feminism I can read all day. After finishing the book, I did look up more information about Alice. The things she and her servants were accused of were insane. Molly Aitken's thorough research shines through and she did a great job giving a voice to a woman who was lost to history.

Thank you to Netgalley as well as Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for this arc

Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken is based on the story of the first recorded woman in Ireland to be condemned as a witch. Alice Kyteler is bright and brave and refuses to submit to a patriarchal society. She carves her own path and pays the price.

Bright I Burn is emotional and eye-opening. Alice is just the first in many similar stories throughout history. I found her to be an unapologetically strong character, determined to make her own happiness no matter what others thought.

Thank you, NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, for early access to read Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken in exchange for an honest review.