diff --git a/src/pragma.rs b/src/pragma.rs
index a28c8d7..52d334a 100644
--- a/src/pragma.rs
+++ b/src/pragma.rs
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ impl Sql {
                 self.push_real(r);
             }
             ValueRef::Text(s) => {
-                let s = std::str::from_utf8(s).expect("invalid UTF-8");
+                let s = std::str::from_utf8(s)?;
                 self.push_string_literal(s);
             }
             _ => {
diff --git a/src/types/serde_json.rs b/src/types/serde_json.rs
index 54275dd..7460b31 100644
--- a/src/types/serde_json.rs
+++ b/src/types/serde_json.rs
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ impl ToSql for Value {
 impl FromSql for Value {
     fn column_result(value: ValueRef<'_>) -> FromSqlResult<Self> {
         match value {
-            ValueRef::Text(s) => serde_json::from_str(s),
+            ValueRef::Text(s) => serde_json::from_slice(s),
             ValueRef::Blob(b) => serde_json::from_slice(b),
             _ => return Err(FromSqlError::InvalidType),
         }
diff --git a/src/types/url.rs b/src/types/url.rs
index 6d96028..1c9c63a 100644
--- a/src/types/url.rs
+++ b/src/types/url.rs
@@ -14,10 +14,12 @@ impl ToSql for Url {
 impl FromSql for Url {
     fn column_result(value: ValueRef<'_>) -> FromSqlResult<Self> {
         match value {
-            ValueRef::Text(s) => Url::parse(s),
-            _ => return Err(FromSqlError::InvalidType),
+            ValueRef::Text(s) => {
+                let s = std::str::from_utf8(s).map_err(|e| FromSqlError::Other(Box::new(e)))?;
+                Url::parse(s).map_err(|e| FromSqlError::Other(Box::new(e)))
+            }
+            _ => Err(FromSqlError::InvalidType),
         }
-        .map_err(|err| FromSqlError::Other(Box::new(err)))
     }
 }
 
diff --git a/src/types/value_ref.rs b/src/types/value_ref.rs
index 01542d4..9a48bcf 100644
--- a/src/types/value_ref.rs
+++ b/src/types/value_ref.rs
@@ -54,10 +54,9 @@ impl<'a> ValueRef<'a> {
     /// `Err(Error::InvalidColumnType)`.
     pub fn as_str(&self) -> FromSqlResult<&'a str> {
         match *self {
-            ValueRef::Text(t) => match std::str::from_utf8(t) {
-                Err(e) => Err(FromSqlError::Other(Box::new(e))),
-                Ok(r) => Ok(r),
-            },
+            ValueRef::Text(t) => {
+                std::str::from_utf8(t).map_err(|e| FromSqlError::Other(Box::new(e)))
+            }
             _ => Err(FromSqlError::InvalidType),
         }
     }
@@ -131,10 +130,7 @@ impl<'a> ValueRef<'a> {
                 );
                 let s = CStr::from_ptr(text as *const c_char);
 
-                // sqlite3_value_text returns UTF8 data, so our unwrap here should be fine.
-                let s = s
-                    .to_str()
-                    .expect("sqlite3_value_text returned invalid UTF-8");
+                let s = s.to_bytes();
                 ValueRef::Text(s)
             }
             ffi::SQLITE_BLOB => {