Tonight, I Bleed

• Author: Katharine J. Adams
• Genre: Fantasy
• Publication Date: April 8, 2025
• Publisher: Orbit
• Series: The Witches of Halstett #2

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

A WITCH STANDS FACE-TO-FACE WITH DEATH AND BACK-TO-BACK WITH HER ENEMIES AS SHE IGNITES A MAGICAL REBELLION AND FALLS DEEPER INTO A SEDUCTIVE ROMANCE IN THIS UNMISSABLE SEQUEL TO TONIGHT, I BURN.

Penny Albright has burned night after night to keep her soul free of Malin’s contract. Now she’s at the stake again, and this time, it’s her free will about to burn as Hallstatt faces the Samhain ball where the Warden means to destroy magic and all witches who wield it. And attendance is mandatory.

When all seems lost, Penny turns to the Sorcerer, who is chained on the mysterious ninth floor of the library. He offers a deal: a legion to fight the Warden in exchange for her blood.

Just one drop into the eternal fires will end the Warden’s reign and set the Sorcerer free. But as Alice’s visions fail and the lifeline bond between Penny and Malin weakens, one drop of blood might destroy them all.

I was a bit fuzzy on the story, since I read the first book as an ARC as well. As usual, I did a reread on the audiobook and I discovered that I liked the first book even more the second time around, and then jumped into this one ready to love it. 

During my reread of book 1, I felt more strongly connected to Penny, and the story picks up right after the last one left off. The pace starts out strong and stayed pretty consistent throughout the story, with the exception of a bit in the middle that dragged a bit. But then it picked up the pace again, and I wasn’t complaining. 

I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book. Adams has a fantastic way of creating these characters who tug on my heartstrings, make me want to keep reading about them, and can even make me hate them with every fiber of my being. The Warden is probably one of the best villains that I’ve seen in a long time, and I could understand all the desperate measures the characters take in order to take him down. 

One of my least favorite parts of the story was the love triangle aspect. I’m not usually a fan of love triangles, and this one kind of left me cold. Penny’s relationship with Malin was giving me red flags, and I struggled to see the connection between these two at times. I liked the whole Penny-Alice connection, as two women who have had their names taken by the Warden, yet still maintain their identities. However, the relationship between Penny and Alice seemed more like the bonds formed between prisoners (probably because they are), but not heavy on the romance.

As far as my favorite aspect of the book, that would be the relationship between Penny, Ella, and Mila. They are sisters who survived, and she clings to those relationships with everything she has. These are the people who are the most important to her in the world, and they’re her biggest source of strength and support. I love seeing how the relationships deepen and evolve as the women become adults, get out of isolation, and face challenges.

Overall, this was a fantastic follow up to book 1, and by the end I felt more strongly connected to Penny. Adams does a fantastic job of elevating the world-building and showing us some more of the setting, as well as introducing a range of new characters. At times, I had a difficult time keeping up with the new characters, some of whom quickly became major players in the story. I’m looking forward to another new book in the series that has quickly become one that I treasure.  

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