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The Burning by Laura Bates


A rumour is like a fire. You might think you’ve extinguished it but one creeping, red tendril, one single wisp of smoke is enough to let it leap back into life again. Especially if someone is watching, waiting to fan the flames ...

New school.
Tick.
New town.
Tick.
New surname.
Tick.
Social media profiles?
Erased.

There’s nothing to trace Anna back to her old life. Nothing to link her to the ‘incident’.

At least that’s what she thinks … until the whispers start up again. As time begins to run out on her secrets, Anna finds herself irresistibly drawn to the tale of Maggie, a local girl accused of witchcraft centuries earlier. A girl whose story has terrifying parallels to Anna’s own…


I really enjoyed this novel for a variety of reasons. I loved the contemporary story within the novel following Anna after her transfer to a new life to escape a mistake from her past. Seeing her settle in and then deal with situations as her past starts to haunt her was fascinating. The look at the everyday sexism young girls can face was really eye opening.

I also got quite geeky about the historical element of the story which Anna researches across the story. It was really fascinating looking at the parallels and comparisons that could be drawn between the treatment of witches in the past and treatment of young women now.

A really thoughtful novel which I really enjoyed.

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