3.5
These Witches Don't Burn follows Hannah, an elemental witch through her journey to uncover the looming threat against her coven that has made itself known. While trying to figure out who is behind the danger, she has to deal with her toxic ex, her family's disbelief of said threat, and ensure that no "regs" she's close to find out about her witchy ways. Hannah's in a race against time to discover who is targeting witches; the lives of her coven and ~regs~ she is close to depends on it.

This was a really cute read! I was looking for something with more of a whimsical beat (Cackle by Rachel Harrison type of energy, if you will) and while this didn't really satisfy that I did enjoy it. I'm unsure of when this book was written/published but I love the sexuality representation throughout. There are characters who are bi and lesbian and the author does a fantastic job of highlighting their struggles throughout the novel. Along with this, there is a trans character named Cal, and Sterling frequently names people with them pronouns if the reader is unaware of their pronouns. This was refreshing and I love that this is becoming the norm in works I reach for.

The characters in this book are extremely likable. They're all complex and nuanced, and Sterling does a great job of supplying background information and linking past events that perfectly explain each character's unique traits. With that being said, the plot of the book was murky and overall a lot to sift through. At first, Hannah and Veronica have multiple theories about the threat that is upon them, one of which involves a trip out of town. This is mentioned frequently throughout the book but, it's never truly connected to anything. I also felt that the reveal of a blood witch was sort of anticlimactic and predictable. Finally, the looming threat was very obvious if the reader paid attention. I figured out the culprit about 1/2 way through the book, and the little clues along the way only confirmed my suspicions. These Witches Don't Burn give off a massive YA vibe with darker elements. YA is normally.....N E V E R my jam (sorry ya'll), this worked better than any YA-eqsue book I've tried to get into. Because of the flatness of the plot, I'm not sure if I'd recommend this per se, though I didn't hate to read it? If you like a Riverdale-ish type beat & witches, you'd probably enjoy this.