Into The Fiery Woods

The Kingdoms Set Ablaze #1

by Riley Taylor

On Lady Guinevere’s twentieth birthday, she shall be wed to the elderly Lord Arthur, and she doesn’t even know. When Prince Stark discovers this, he knows he must save his beloved. They’ve not been allowed to speak one word to one another since they turned thirteen, but consequences be damned, he finds a way to meet with her. However, the plans they made in those fleeting secret meetings are disrupted when Gwen arrives at his bedchamber in the dead of night, covered in blood. Upon fleeing the castle, they travel to the dangerous Land of Flames, a lawless land governed by the magic of an ancient mage, long since dead, hoping to find safety from his father on its outskirts. There, they uncover a dark conspiracy, and embark on a mission to save the kingdom from the king’s treacherous knights.
The fate of all in Ailon rests upon their shoulders, and with their closest allies, they must risk everything to prevent the fall of the kingdom.
Into the Fiery Woods is a romantic, queer, and dark fantasy that follows a group of determined young people fighting to save their kingdom from peril, but also, to reshape it for the better.
This novel contains very dark themes suitable for readers eighteen and over. (This includes misogyny, homophobia, and SA, among others.

Genres: Fantasy, Queer, Adult

397 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 4, 2025

About the author

Riley Taylor grew up in Scarborough, constantly reading and dreaming of being an author. She is currently a university student doing a joint degree in Creative Writing and English Literature. She loves everything about words, art, and nature. When she isn’t writing, she tends to be found drawing, reading, or cooking. Riley currently writes epical YA fantasy books (The Poison Princess series), as well as Medieval-inspired adult fantasy (The Kingdoms Set Ablaze).

Reviews

[IbbieReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the delight of being an ARC reader
for this book..

And it ripped me to shreds and put me back
together again and gave me mushy feelings and
spicey feelings and made me angry and joyful.

This book has a very very heavy theme of sexual
assault throughout and in previous times that's
something I'd DNF for because it never sat right with
me in books, but then I saw a SA survivor on social
media talking about how she *does* want to see it
in books so she can see herself represented and
feel less alone. And that hit me hard.

It made me realise that my issue wasn't the idea of
any SA survivor representation in books, but the way
I had only seen it so far where its about the (usually)
FMC getting SA'd and it somehow being about the
(usually) MMC's character development?!!?!?
Or it's used to show how he's "one of the good ones"
and how lucky she is and all she's thinking about is
how he's so good for not SA-ing her and the whole
"WHO DID THIS TO YOU?? I'LL KILL THEM RIGHT
NOW AND NOT ACTUALLY PROVIDE YOU WITH ANY
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT DURING THIS VULNERABLE
TIME".
But *this* book I think is exactly what we need.
If you can stomach the trauma, the healing is so
cathartic and everything we'd want. Supportive
community that doesn't center themselves in the
survivors trauma or healing. It's fantastic.
And talks about taboo things like pregnancy after
SA.

I also loved how this author described things.
The disclaimers I usually had to add in myself for
my brains sake were already there. Like how during
a when a character was on her period, it wasn't just
mentioned once for realism and then abandoned
We heard about leaking and cramps etc.
And things like characters being kissed up walls and
the internal thoughts saying "I allowed him to push
me against the wall".

Stuff like that. My brain got to relax into the story
and it was wonderful.

[Diane Tempeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is feminine rage wrapped in a gentle package. I love how many important topics are touched on and I really like the way the characters handled certain things the way we all wish it would happen in the real world!
Riley Taylor has a talent for description and when reading this book you'll practically be able to watch it like a movie in your head. The characters are diverse. There's love, there's hate. There are scenes that will make you kick your feet and giggle and others that will make you want to throw the book across the room.
The main romance is a beautiful true love slow burn and the side romances are SO sweet. There are some rough moments though, so make sure to read the trigger warnings. The book is so worth reading if you can.
Into the Fiery Woods is the perfect book for readers looking for a bit of spice, a lot of politics, and a touch of magic!

[Brandon Forlow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was such a good read. It’s really dark at times, but in a super interesting way that doesn’t leave you feeling sad in the end. Eliza’s revenge was perfect!
While I absolutely loved Gwen and Stark’s romance, I thought Erebus and Lucien were super cute and so sweet together. I know there’s going to be a short story collection at some point, so I can’t wait to read more about them!
This book has bi, gay, lesbian, and non-binary rep and I had such a good time reading it.
It’s the perfect book for someone looking for something queer, medieval, and extremely romantic.

[Timothy Jameson · Rating 5 out of 5]

10/10, loved it :)

[Flora · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! All the romances and the characters were honestly just so sweet and some of them (Adrastos, my fave hehe) are just so downright cool it makes me annoyed I can't step into the world for a bit just to meet them. Although the descriptions are so good you pretty much can.

As much as it was a very sweet read, it also dealt with a lot of serious topics (frequently SA), but I felt it handled them in a meaningful and tasteful way and it didn't feel like they were just thrown in there.

Overall I'd definitely recommend to anyone looking for good queer representation or just anyone who enjoys fantasy in general.

[Riley Taylor]

Writing this book is an absolute labour of love. This book covers some topics that I think are very important right now, and while it has very dark moments, I think it's balanced out with the sweet, romantic, and happier moments in a way that makes it more palatable as well as enjoyable. There are moments within this book designed to make you think, to make you feel for the characters, but other moments intended to be cathartic. Overall, this book is a queer, romantic, slightly spicy and also very dark delve into historical-inspired fantasy with feminist themes throughout.
Please check the content warnings before you read this book!