Bad Witch Burning by Jessica Lewis

 

Welcome Back, Booklovers! Bad Witch Burning was one that I hadn't hear much about and was a complete cover grab. I read Jessica Lewis's MG debut Meow or Never where she uses the pen name Jazz Taylor and thought that was a very cute contemporary about young girls navigating middle school life. I was interested in seeing what she would do in a supernatural/fantasy setting.

Katrell is a teen living in the hood with her single mother who is currently unemployed and heavily leaning on her to be the provider. Katrell busts her ass 30 hours a week in a low end burger joint just to keep the rent paid and some food on the table but it's never enough. On top of that her mother has Gerald, one of many in a string of horrible boyfriends in the picture. Gerald is a bum who eats all their food and barely works. On top of that he's abusive and Katrell fears having to live in the house with him. Katrell doesn't understand her mother's infatuation but is hoping she'll move on soon like she always does.

The one bright spot she has in her life. She has her sole friend Will who is there for her when life gets to be too much to bear. Will is a former foster child who has been through many of the same things. She worries about Katrell and does what she can whether it's offering her a hot meal or a place to spend the night.

Katrell has a special gift. She's not sure where it originated from but she has the ability to talk to ghosts. She makes extra money on the side writing letters that let people communicate with their dead loved ones. One day after a letter writing session she receives a warning from a ghost not to write any more letters as something big is about to happen.

Katrell is hurting and feeling broken after a blowout fight with Gerald results in the death of her beloved dog, Conrad. And despite the previous warning, she writes an emotional letter to her dog. She is shocked when Conrad ends up returning with no sign of being killed. Though he doesn't have a heartbeat and he's not his usual self. This leads Katrell to test out this newfound power which later leads her to charging people to resurrect their loved ones. She finally has a way to earn fast money quick and improve her lifestyle. But it doesn't take long for thing to get back quick with these remnants and soon Katrell finds her life spiraling out of control. 

This book was much darker than I expected but not dark as in dark magic in the very real depictions of violence, abuse, and neglect. At first when Katrell was talking about struggling to make ends meet  and going whole days without eating I was afraid this would be another YA where a poor character gets a come up and we ignore and wash over their neglectful parents abuse when they find a way out of their misery.  I had so many questions about why Katrell's mother didn't have them on government assistance at the bare minimum and why she expected her teenage daughter to take on the burden of providing for her and her man. And I was so glad that this book fully explored that toxic relationship.

Katrell truly believed that she had to love her mother because that's her mother. She made sure to hide the signs of parental neglect as much as she could making sure CPS never got involved. She has a great fear of being placed into the foster care system so much that she would rather take the abuse. It takes a lot for her to acknowledge that her mother doesn't give a damn about her despite Will pointing it out to her. But she has a guidance counselor at her school named Mike who observes how she's frequently absent from school, tired, and constantly hiding bruises. He is able to just offer her some kindness and show Katrell that she has adults in her life who care. And she had Will's adopted mother who cared more about her well being than her mother ever has. 

I could really hear Jessica Lewis' personal experience with these situations come through in her writing and I think made a world of difference. We always hear the writing advice to write what you know. But sometimes when I read books that tackle social issues I feel the writer is a little out of her element. It's been awhile since a book brought tears to my eyes but this story had that effect. Jessica Lewis manages to insert a bit of fantasy into a tough story about a young girl just trying to survive in a world that seems hopeless.