Book: Bound to Burn by S.E. Berkeley
Reviewed by Michelles_Cosy_Booknook
Rating: 3/5
When I read the synopsis for Bound to Burn, I could not have been more excited. The cover art. A S.E. Berkeley book. Witches. Curses. A bookshop. Why choose. It had it all.
I originally picked the book up two weeks prior but put it down at around the 35% mark because I felt my brain becoming muddled. There was a great deal to take in and I never knew what I was meant to be feeling - fear, humour, empathy...
I picked it back up again a few days ago and started back at the beginning. While I still struggled with the first half of the book, the story and the development between characters picked up after that. I enjoyed the tension between our three main characters, but I wouldn't say this book is a Why Choose in the conventional sense. If you are hoping for a spicy time, you aren't really going to get that here.
I enjoyed many aspects such as the story itself, the male main characters, the magic. I did not enjoy Aster. She quite frankly irked me most of the time. She made overly questionable choices, was too clumsy for it to be endearing, and some of her interactions just didn't hit the mark.
Will I be reading book two? You leave me with a cliffhanger like that, you best believe I will.
I would like to thank Second Sky and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read Bound to Burn before it's official release. All opinions and views are my own.
Bound to Burn by S.E. Berkeley releases on 18th June 2026.