These Witches Don't Burn Paperback – April 28, 2020

High school lesbian witches, bisexual dads, transgendered coworkers- this book has something for literally everyone, which I liked, but I was left a little surprised at some points. At 30 years old, I feel like an old fuddy duddy. If I’d have tried to come out in high school it would have been met with only slightly less backlash than when I actually did come out in college. I’m so happy that times have changed and feelings & acceptance have evolved, but it’s a totally different world from when I was a young adult.Overall, this book was adorable and I’m already looking forward to its second act. The characters were endearing and relatable. The dialogue was fluid and fit these teenage girls perfectly. The twists & turns kept everything fast-paced and, even though the concept could be considered “far-fetched,” it was believable & entertaining. The witchcraft isn’t all spells & darkness like most witchy books and Sterling emphasizes the way their elemental magic *feels* within their bodies, which was a neat & interesting breath-of-fresh-air take.I’d recommend this to any young adult - he/she/they - and anyone with interest in witchcraft, teen drama, or the queer community. Five Rainbow Stars.

Wow. This book was a wild ride for sure - in an awesome way. Very action-packed, with mini cliff hangers at the end of each chapter. I think I read this book in about a week. I couldn't put it down and I cannot wait to read the next book in the series, "This Coven Won't Break."Main character Hannah Walah lives in Salem, Massachusetts, the infamous town of the Witch Trials in the 1600's. She, herself, is an Elemental Witch, descended from a coven of witches that survived the burnings. Not only is Hannah a witch, but she's part of the LGBTQA+ community, identifying as a lesbian.The story eludes that Hannah and her ex, Veronica, who is also a witch in the same coven, were once entangled with a coven with Blood Witches in New York. This frightened Hannah and after a strange ritual is happened upon in the woods at a summer bonfire, she fears that one of the Blood Witches may have found her again.Like any good heroine, Hannah does her best to figure out the identity of the Blood Witch in town before its too late, while juggling a part time job, summer parties, and relationship ups and downs.While tackling this mystery, Hannah is also figuring her own sexual identity out as well, being out to her close friends and family, most of whom are accepting of Hannah, but not all.And then, there is a slight twist of an even more dangerous enemy than the Blood Witches amongst the witches of Salem but I won't give too much away.....All in all, I gave the book a 4 star rating on Goodreads because I enjoyed the story, the drama, the modern style/issues tackled in the book and the twists and turns throughout. Also, I cannot remember the last time I sped through a book so fast. I highly recommend this one!

When my book group, the Lit Coven, (Google them if you're looking for a YA fantasy reading group!) decided to read this book, I was late to the party. I’d instituted a summer book buying ban and decided against reading anything I didn’t already own, but obviously I folded, (DUH) and bought this. It only took me reading the description before I was clicking BUY and devouring it upon its arrival.Okay, so let’s start with setting. I’ve only been to Salem three times, but Sterling put me back there pretty much immediately. From the touristy areas where all the witch shops are, to where the more suburban houses are, it was New England through and through. She did a great job at setting the scene and using the historic undercurrent to highlight the very real threat for her main characters in 2019. I loved how this modern day clan of witches lives and breathes the history of what happened in 17th century Salem, and Sterling’s writing made that happen for me.Another thing I quite enjoyed about this book are the very real and relatable characters in this book. Hannah is a solid main character. She’s, like many of the other MCs I tend to like, not perfect, but learning and growing. She relies on others, seeks truth, doesn’t just accept things as fact, and questions everything the adults tell her to believe. Go Hannah!She trusts her judgment and believes in her friendship with Gemma, even when she knows it goes against everything she’s ever learned. She trusts her heart and her mind. But she’s a teenager, so she’s also learning how to come to terms with heartbreak, and relationships. She’s also a really strong example of an unapologetic and badass lesbian. I love Sterling’s writing of her character.At one point, a side character,  Benton thinks he can persuade her to date him, and she’s like, um, “no dude, I’m gay.” The way Sterling injects the social commentary of turning girls straight here was so smooth and so easily done, just a quick conversation. Then it was done and handled, and then both Hannah and Benton move on, as friends.Morgan is also badass. She’s bi, and so cool. Hannah assumes she’s a lesbian, there’s a clarifying convo in there about assumptions, and then they move on and it’s literally no problem. Another cool move by Sterling. Morgan is confident, calm, and perfect for Hannah— the complete opposite of Hannah’s ex, Veronica.Veronica is the epitome of unhealthy relationship.———-Okay, hold up————Listen. I promise this book is about witches. But Sterling’s writing is SO GOOD we have to talk about how she writes these characters.Okay, back to Veronica. So unhealthy. Manipulating. Wishy washy. She wants Hannah back, but only so Hannah doesn’t have someone else. Ugh. But so well written. Isabel Sterling. You are so so good at writing characters and character interactions. For real.The plot itself is kind of like a mystery whodunit but with witches and a teenage love triange thrown in for good measure -- if you're into that sort of thing. As it’s in Salem, and it’s called These Witches Don’t Burn, there are some assumptions you can make, right? Someone wants to burn witches. So people are after Hannah - the witch. Despite, everything though, throughout the whole book, I wasn't actively trying to figure out who it was that was trying to hunt witches. I'm usually pretty good at guessing who the bad guy is, but this time, it took me a bit to figure it out.BUTI REALLY LIKED that. I liked not knowing. I didn’t want to figure it out. I wanted to enjoy the story and the mystery. I was so wrapped up in the characters and the drama of the romance and the family / clan dynamic that I didn’t guess who the witch hunter(s) was/were until the end.These Witches Don't Burn was amazing. I am putting it in my classroom with a big huge 5 Stars on it so my kids know it was an amazing read.

This book was okay. The writing style made it easy to read and the concept was interesting, but there was nothing epic about this book. No epic romance, no epic journey to self discovery, it just could have been so much more.I also found the storyline to be very predictable, and I felt like the author “tells us” instead of “shows us”.This is a respectable YA book and overall enjoyable,

Llegó muy bien empaquetado, sin ninguna marca.Es pasta dura y no tiene ningún diseño debajo del forro.

This was everything I wanted "When We Were Magic" to be and more. In fact, my previous disappointment definitely had some impact on why I absolutely LOVED "These Witches Don't Burn," especially when comparing two books about gay witches. The cover is deceiving, making it appear like everything is all fun and games, but there's also a lot of serious themes tied to the plot. This novel takes readers on an emotional rollercoaster. That said, the author found a great balance of light and darkness. I enjoyed every minute and am off to order the sequel right away.

The perfect read for an autumn afternoon! Stunning witchy vibes, intriguing plot, relatable characters, and great queer representation! Definitely recommend if you are looking for lesbian spooky books.

If I would have had books like this in my teens, my life definitely would have been easier. The story is great and queerness is honest, realistic and sweet. Cant wait to read more like this!

Sono stati due gli aspetti che mi hanno attirata: l'ambientazione magia/streghe e il fatto che la Sterling sia un'autrice e attivista queer, specializzata in libri con relazioni FF per un target giovanile.La storia si svolge (manco a dirlo) a Salem, dove, a dispetto del celebre processo per debellare la stregoneria svoltosi nel1692, una congrega di streghe è rimasta da secoli prolifica e attiva, per quanto nascosta ai Reg (i semplici umani senza poteri magici).Si tratta di streghe Elementali, quindi legate ai poteri della natura (gli tipi sono quelli delle Streghe Incantatrici e delle Streghe di sangue), che conducono una vita ordinaria, pienamente calate nella società: così la protagonista, Hannah, frequenta il penultimo anno dell'high school, lavora nel tempo libero allo Fly by Night Cauldron, un negozietto specializzato in souvenir per turisti e aspiranti Wicca, si dibatte nei dilemmi di tutte le adolescenti. Ovvero, come sopravvivere alla rottura della prima vera storia d'amore.Se infatti i suoi genitori non hanno battuto ciglio alla sua rivelazione di amare le ragazze, sono ora perplessi di fronte al suo stato di malinconica prostrazione per essere stata scaricata. Anche perché la bellissima Veronica si è già messa con un'altra e non nasconde la sua felicità.E questo non è l'unico problema di Hannah: mentre teme di essere inseguita da una Strega di sangue con cui ha avuto una scaramuccia, si trova di fronte a strani incidenti e poi a una scia di attentati e di morte, con l'inquietante minaccia di un Cacciatore di streghe in giro per la città.Nel complesso, non male, anche se mi aspettavo di più.Tra gli aspetti positivi, segnalo senza dubbio il messaggio, la naturalezza con cui vengono affrontati problemi quotidiani legati alla sessualità e la posizione contro ogni discriminazione, non importa che tu sia lesbica o strega. Anche se, per assurdo, la congrega tollera le relazioni ff, ma non quelle miste streghe/ Reg ☹️ che restano vietate.Tra gli aspetti negativi, devo invece rilevare uno sviluppo della storia un po’ banale.Ok, è uno YA, quindi certe dinamiche le posso capire, però la protagonista passa dall'avere 17 anni, guidare, avere le sue frequentazioni a comportarsi come fosse una dodicenne, continuando a svenire o a finire in ospedale, e a non combinare molto se non subire cosa le accade.Sostanzialmente, la congrega si salva dal pericolo che incombe solo perché i nemici sono degli incapaci.E poi lo stile è davvero semplice, con personaggi secondari appena abbozzati e un wordbuilding appena accennato, dove il lettore deve ricostruire da solo un po' tutto.Bonus: livello di inglese facile.