A Great Read!
Bad Witch Burning is a realistic tour along the jagged paths of a being a teenager with a power that could lead her out of poverty. It showcases the good and bad of family and defines it from a child’s perspective.
At sixteen, Katrell has a lot on her plate and handles it the best way she can. Being a child yet filling the role of an adult is heavy. Add to that an ability she’s born with minus training, she’s groping in the dark, literally.
Money is mobility and power for Katrell. The need to survive forces Katrell to make hard choices. Watching the character maneuver through her world was a little painful, but understandable because of her limited scope of the world. Her world doesn’t follow the generic path.
Bad Witch Burning is an inside look at the dysfunction of family. The author gives the reader a panoramic view of motherhood. We get a view from the heart and eyes of a child, outsiders, and glimpses from the mother. It’s a rich story which also explores the dual nature of friendship. It’s both fragile and life saving.
Poverty ain’t easy. Getting out of it is just as hard. But with the right people around you, it can be done.
I closed the book, satisfied with the ending, but wondering if there will be a deeper look into the origin of her power. Either way, I’m okay with never knowing.