a dark and atmospheric dystopian story about survival, trust and sapphic romance in a broken world ⭐ 3.5 out of 5 stars | dark | dystopian | emotional | mysterious | sapphic | | Book Series: Standalone | [ E BOOK ] | advanced review copy (ARC) | 🌿 General Info We Call Them Witches by India Rose Bower is a dystopian horror fantasy with sapphic romance elements. The book combines survival, mystery and emotional tension in a dark post apocalyptic setting and is a rather short and fast paced read with 288 pages. 🌿 Story & Plot Two years ago, mysterious monster like creatures appeared and destroyed almost all of humanity. The remaining survivors now call them “Witches”. Sara lives constantly on the run with her family, surviving through old rituals, herbs and protection circles that keep the creatures away. Everything changes when Parsley suddenly appears. She has no memories, seems completely mysterious and immediately raises suspicion. At the same time, a sapphic romance slowly starts to develop between Sara and Parsley, while Sara’s younger brother gets taken by the Witches, forcing them to leave their safe zone behind and enter the dangerous outside world. I was honestly really intrigued by the concept from the beginning. Around the first 20%, I was genuinely excited to see where the story would go and what secrets this world was hiding. The atmosphere felt tense and eerie in a way that immediately pulled me in. At the same time, I have to admit that parts of the story confused me a little. The constant switches between present and past sometimes interrupted the flow for me, and there were moments where plot points suddenly happened without enough explanation. Especially the situation with Parsley talking to herself about Sara while everyone immediately assumes something romantic is happening felt a bit random at first because we as readers still lacked context. The romance itself also felt a little too surface level for me. I liked the idea of Sara and Parsley together, but there were not enough meaningful interactions between them before the emotional connection suddenly appeared. It sometimes felt more like the romance existed because the story wanted it to instead of naturally growing over time. The first half of the book is rather quiet and straightforward, almost moving from one situation directly into the next without many side plots or deeper explorations. But once the tension started increasing in the second half, I definitely became more invested again. The dangerous outside world, the mysteries surrounding the Witches and the growing suspense kept me reading. There is also a twist towards the end that I genuinely did not expect. Sadly, it did not fully hit emotionally for me because I never completely connected with the characters. I think the shorter page count made it difficult for me to truly warm up to everyone before the big emotional moments happened. Still, overall, I think this was a solid and enjoyable read with a really interesting premise and a strong atmosphere. 🌿 Characters Sara is a determined and protective protagonist who is trying to survive in a terrifying world while also keeping her family safe. Parsley is mysterious from the very beginning, and I really enjoyed the uncertainty surrounding her character because it constantly made me question whether she could actually be trusted. Even though I liked both main characters individually, I struggled to fully connect with them emotionally. Their relationship had potential, but I wanted more slower and intimate moments between them to really feel their bond grow naturally. The side characters worked for the story, but because the book is rather short, I never became deeply attached to them either. I think with more pages and more character focused moments, the emotional impact of the story could have been much stronger for me. 🌿 Writing Style The writing style is easy to read, fast paced and very atmospheric. India Rose Bower creates a world that feels dangerous, unsettling and constantly tense. The story flows quickly and keeps you curious, even during the quieter parts. At times, the timeline jumps and sudden plot developments made the story feel slightly confusing, but overall it was still an engaging reading experience. 🌿 Cover The cover fits the story perfectly. It immediately gives off dark, mysterious and slightly eerie dystopian vibes, which matches the atmosphere of the book really well. 📌 Pinned Thought A dark and atmospheric dystopian story with an interesting concept and strong tension, but I wished for deeper character development and a slower romance progression. 💬 Question for the comments Do you also struggle connecting emotionally with characters when a book is very short and fast paced 📖