Tonight, I burn by Katharine J. Adams
Penny is a young witch living with her mother, grandmother, and sisters in a coven of Thorn witches. Their role in their warped and damaged world is to repair the veil between life and death, as instruments of the Warden, a man whose power plays can only be described as evil. The Thorn witches can only do their job by passing into death themselves, through a process of immolation - ritual burning. A return to life after their journey into Death is possible but fraught with risks, and Penny is looking ahead to her first burning with trepidation. Her coven is also responsible for transforming others in their world into virtual puppets to the Warden - masked and diminished, and sadly less than they were. So much has been damaged in the world of magic and Penny seems to have more power than most to affect a possible repair, but first it seems that she has to rescue someone close to her. Unfortunately though, she places herself in greater danger and makes a risky covenant with a formidable, but intoxicatingly magnetic person existing in Death. What begins with a burning, escalates into something that blazes in intensity and power for Penny and all who exist in Life. There is no turning back.
This is an intense fantasy saga embroiled in the black and sombre environment of witches, dark magic, and death - not a happy place for this reviewer! Despite that, there is the redeeming aspect of characters who love, who display loyalty, who fight for the good of others, and who go to extreme lengths to overthrow authority that does not consider those around them. There is even romance within this dark tale (that almost extends to the erotic at some points, with both same-sex and heterosexual attraction and expression - there is more than one way to burn!). The dark journey into death is also quite confusing and the fantasy world created by Adams is intensely complex, and so this book is only for those with mature fantasy interests - there are no magic wands or fairy dust in this magical world. The plot begins in a very intense way and there is no let-up in the intensity as more and more complexities are woven into Penny’s role as potential rescuer, and in the restoration of her world. There is violence and danger scattered throughout the story, and readers will champion the fearful Penny as she faces up to her role in overcoming what seems to be an awful future. And this is only Book 1! Although I am not a fan of this kind of darkly magical and depressing fantasy, I accept that there will be some who will find Adams’ fantasy story writing craft as compelling and will become trapped within the pages of her Thorn Witch Trilogy as they follow Penny’s journey. This is not a light-hearted or child-friendly fantasy.
Themes: Witches, Fantasy, Magic, Death, Power, Fear, Rebellion and resistance, Romance, Same-sex-attraction.
Carolyn Hull
