Tonight, I Burn is the fantasy debut by Katharine J. Adams set in the grim, rigidly controlled city of Halstett which is ruled over by the immortal tyrant High Warden. Our protagonist Penny Albright is the granddaughter of the former Thorn Queen whose coven is now under the Warden’s thumb, forced to artificially prolong his lifespan and shield him from Death. Sheltered within the walls of the Colligerate from the age of eight when her village was burned and her coven taken as the ‘honoured guests’ of the Warden, Penny has seen nothing outside the compound walls—but once she burns for the first time and crosses into Death, her world expands dramatically, leading her inexorably down a path of intrigue and rebellion, romance and heartbreak.
The author has created a unique magical system in which witchcraft comes in five forms—ember, ore, storm, tide and thorn. The first four are relatively self-explanatory with ember witches having power over fire, ore witches controlling earth, storm and tide witches commanding the wind, currents and sea. Silver-eyed Thorn witches are bound to Death and in this magical dystopia, the only two futures possible to death-walkers are being burned periodically on a pyre to patrol the veil between Life and Death or being added to the ranks of the Warden’s Gilded, his soulless mindless army whose free will have been torn away. Living in fear under a totalitarian regime is no kind of life, but Penny doesn’t dare dream of thwarting the Warden or her ferocious grandmother who now staunchly serves him…until the morning her beloved sister Ella fails to return from her burning and Penny is compelled to break the rules of Death to save her.
At the heart of this story is a strong theme of sisterhood which is examined between Penny and her sisters Ella and Mila as well as between the covens who have been forced into servitude. Under the Warden’s cruel reign, it’s easier to turn on one another at the first hint of rebellion in the interests of self-preservation and so witches remain aloof and indifferent to those outside their covens. Or so Penny thinks until she is brought into the Resistance and discovers a small community of witches across all covens working together to try and overthrow the Warden. Her unsanctioned forays into Death to bring Ella back have drawn unwanted attention and Penny must juggle evading the Gilded, striving to remain under the Warden’s radar, placating the Resistance and honouring the desperate bargain she made with the darkly alluring, mysterious stranger she met in Death in order to free her sister.
The romantic arc in Tonight, I Burn is refreshing; Penny is unabashedly queer with an attraction to both men and women, and at no point is this shown as problematic. In a world as gloomy and regimented as hers, any shred of happiness is cherished regardless of who it’s between and it makes sense that the characters are too busy just trying to survive their daily life to have hang-ups about sexual orientation. Her love interests are Malin, the enigmatic handsome man impossibly residing in Death, and Alice, the ethereal captive Spinner whose loom reveals secrets about the future. Penny’s attraction to each of these characters is a neat reflection of her dilemma being caught between Life and Death with one foot in each realm. The ultimate resolution is so much more satisfying than the usual cliché love triangle that has been done time and again in other novels, and the author’s approach shows a care and respect between all three characters that is enjoyable to witness.
Readers will be captivated by the beautiful, evocative prose that draws you into Penny’s chaotic world of burning witches, a Spinner weaving murky fates, nightly forays to the cool grey sands of Death and dangerous plots to oust a tyrant from power. With creative worldbuilding, tantalising mysteries and interesting, ever-shifting relationship dynamics, Tonight, I Burn is a delightful dark romantic fantasy that will enchant you from the first page.
Tonight, I Burn is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore, as of November 7th 2023.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
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.
