Tonight, I Burn

• Author: Katharine J. Adams
• Genre: Fantasy
• Publication Date: November 7, 2023
• Publisher: Orbit
• Series: Thorn Witch #1

Thank you to Orbit and Angela Man for sending me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A thorn witch with the power to walk between the realms of Life and Death finds herself at the center of a magical rebellion—and a dangerous romance—that could destroy her coven and her soul in this dark and decadent debut. 

Thorns, Tides, Embers, Storms, and Ores. All five covens are bound in servitude to the tyrant High Warden of Halstett. 

Penny Albright is a daughter of the thorn coven, forced to patrol the veil between the realms of Life and Death. Each night, one thorn witch—and only one—must cross the veil by burning at the stake. Each morning, that witch draws on their magic to return. Failure to follow the rules risks the veil and risks them all.

But one morning, Penny’s favorite sister Ella doesn’t return. And that night, determined to find her, Penny breaks the rules. She burns in secret. And she discovers that all isn’t as it seems in Life or Death. 

Her journey leads her to Malin, a devastating lord with too many secrets; to Alice, a mysterious captive prophet; and to a rebellion brewing in the shadows beneath the city. And as Penny’s world splits, she’ll face a devastating choice. Because it’s not just her sister’s life that hangs in the balance. It’s the fate of all magic. 

All it takes is one witch—and one spark—to set the world ablaze.

i’m always so hopeful when I start reading a book by a debut author, because some of the debut books I’ve read lately have been so good! Have you guys noticed that too, or is it just me? But it’s like getting to find a potential new favorite author.

In Tonight, I Burn, Adams creates a complex and interwoven system of magic that is connected to various aspects of nature—thorns, tides, embers, storms, and ores. Each of the different types of witches accesses a different type of magic, and serves a different purpose in society, but all are forced to serve the Warden, one of those villains you love to hate. He’s awful through and through with absolutely no redeeming characteristics. The thorn witches, which is the group that our MC Penny belongs to, has the job of monitoring the veil between Life and Death. Only one witch is allowed to cross the veil at a time, and this is done by being burned at the stake. My only complaint would be that there was a bit of info dumping, and it makes this a bit confusing. Since this is already a pretty complex world, it would be much more helpful to have it be included more organically in smaller and more digestible amounts.

I loved getting to know Penny. She’s incredibly loyal to her sisters, and will do anything for them. So when one of her sisters fails to return from Death one night, Penny breaks the rules and goes after her. But as she finds her sister, she discovers secrets that could change her entire world. Sometimes Penny made some choices that felt dumb to me, but then I had to remember that she grew up basically enslaved to the Warden, so she’s relatively sheltered, and often acts on impulse without always thinking things through, which can be frustrating to me as a reader, but makes sense to how she grew up.

The connections between the characters were great. The way that Penny and Malin interacted kept me entertained, and I also liked the bond that developed between Penny and Alice, which was softer and less antagonistic. I especially liked that rather than a love triangle dynamic, the author adopted a polyamorous approach instead, although I didn’t quite feel that the romance was fully developed in either case—it wasn’t quite instalove, but it didn’t quite make it to believable in either case. But I still liked the fact that there were both a male and female romance involved in Penny’s arc.

The plot was a pretty exciting one. I was invested in the story and the characters pretty quickly, and read this one in record time. It was an intriguing read and I’m already excited for book two to come out, because I seriously need to know what happens next! If you’re in the mood for a fast-paced story, full of action and intrigue, with revolution and romance, this is the story for you.

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