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A Shadow Bright and Burning

(Kingdom on Fire #1)

Jessica Cluess (Goodreads Author)

3.74 · Rating details · 14,387 ratings · 2,161 reviews

I am Henrietta Howel. The first female sorcerer. The prophesied one. Or am I?

Henrietta Howel can burst into flames. When she is brought to London to train with Her Majesty's sorcerers, she meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, young men eager to test her powers and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her. As Henrietta discovers the sec ...more

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Library Binding, 416 pages

Published September 20th 2016 by Random House BFYR

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· 14,387 ratings · 2,161 reviews

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Sep 25, 2016 Emily May rated it did not like it

Shelves: coverly-love, fantasy, young-adult, 2016

“Now, listen, Miss Howel. I’ve never seen another girl who could do what you’ve done, and I’ve searched for four years. I’ve never met another sorcerer who could burn and walk away unscathed.”

Maybe five or so years ago this book stood a chance. But, come on, there's not a single thing in A Shadow Bright and Burning that we haven't all seen before.

Limited world-building and a plethora of potential love interests fuel this derivative Victorian fantasy. It begins with a familiar premise: an orp ...more

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Oct 01, 2016 Jesse (JesseTheReader) rated it really liked it

(4.5)

Full video book review here: https://youtu.be/TDJD6KBqHJk ...more

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Dec 21, 2016 Christine Riccio rated it really liked it

Fun, solid beginning to a new fantasy series! I'm fascinated by he magical hierarchy. Here's my full booktalk/discussion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkg7j... ...more

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Oct 07, 2017 Hailey (Hailey in Bookland) rated it liked it

Shelves: fantasy, owned

This started off pretty strong, but then I quickly lost interest and it became just average. This reminded me of a lot of other books, including (but not limited to), Harry Potter, Jane Eyre, Mortal Instruments. It did have an interesting twist on those stories, especially concerning the whole flip on the typical 'chosen one' story. I liked the Victorian setting, but the world building was lacking, the MC made all decisions based on the character of Rook, a character that I felt like I never rea ...more

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Apr 18, 2015 Jessica ❁ ➳ Silverbow ➳ ❁ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: revolting, historical-fiction, fae, cover-whore, ya, the-book-boy-is-mine, that-bastard, rabid-reads-reviews, not-your-ordinary-creatures, fantasy

Reviewed by: Rabid Reads

I began reading A SHADOW BRIGHT AND BURNING with trepidation. I'd read the preview months prior, and at the time, I'd been greatly impressed, but since then I'd suffered numerous disappointments of the finished-product-not-remotely-living-up-its-promise variety.

And initially, my inner cynic taunted me, pointing out perceived flaws, whispering to get it over with and DNF already . . . Then a hobgoblin unexpectedly appeared, and I told my inner cynic to shut its trap.

B/c F ...more

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Mar 07, 2016 Rachel E. Carter rated it it was amazing

Shelves: have-paperback

How do I describe this book without breaking out into rabid fangirl status? UMMMM, how about THE INFERNAL DEVICES + THE BURNING SKY + PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (as in, Mr. Darcy). Yup, I went there. It's a Victorian England fantasy, and it was SOOOOO good.

description

Now, I'll be honest. Usually I don't like Victorian settings for my reads, something about society being too proper and women being too demure and I just get bored. Take Clockwork Angel -while I *love* certain aspects of that series, there were parts How do I describe this book without breaking out into rabid fangirl status? UMMMM, how about THE INFERNAL DEVICES + THE BURNING SKY + PRIDE AND PREJUDICE (as in, Mr. Darcy). Yup, I went there. It's a Victorian England fantasy, and it was SOOOOO good.

description

Now, I'll be honest. Usually I don't like Victorian settings for my reads, something about society being too proper and women being too demure and I just get bored. Take Clockwork Angel -while I *love* certain aspects of that series, there were parts that just dragged because of the time era and diction. In ASBAB? It never dragged. There were never any slow parts or mindless era-dropping paragraphs setting a scene with Victorian imagery/routine/etc. Every chapter felt important and no character too polite. It was still the Victorian era but it just felt modern and refreshing.

The cast of characters was brilliant. No one can convince me that George Blackwell is not secretly a Mr. Darcy in disguise. His first condescending words describing Henrietta! Their argument at the dinner table over high vs lowborns! Their mutual (at first) animosity! His grudging respect of her as the book goes on! (view spoiler) Rook was more of a side-character -so while I felt pity, I recognize him more as what he will become (view spoiler) but Magnus was wonderfully charming (although he certainly had his faults). And I grew to love Agrippa (view spoiler) as the father Henrietta never had, and even the magician (forgot his fake name) who reminded me very strongly of Haymitch (not just the drinking, but also the desire to be good and still drive a bargain, not particularly cuddly but kind).

The world-building with the different races between magicians, wizards, and witches was kind of awesome. And the Ancients? They totally remind me of the Titans in Greek Mythology, or at least the ones I used to watch on the animated Hercules with some other movie, I don't remember. But I love the concept of being trapped in another world and then released to wreak havoc.

I have a theory who R'hlem really is, I had it about halfway through the book (view spoiler).

5 amazing stars. I can't read to read the next in series! ...more

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Oct 13, 2016 Nastassja rated it it was ok

Recommends it for: lovers of special snowflakes in books

Shelves: love-triangle, 2016, skipping-pages, will-not-continue-the-series, trilogy, snark-i-am-coming, annoys-the-hell-out-of-me, eye-rolling, fell-short-of-expectations, boring

Buddy-read with my special girls ( no pun here; they are really special and, though, they don't have magical powers, they'd kick any special snowflake's ass easily) Katerina & Vira. Also, please, go read my friend Mila's review to see a more positive and well-structured point of view on the book.

“How I do what I do, but not how to do what I do? What if what I do has to do with my knowledge of what to do, and doing requires only the knowledge of doing? What would you do then?”
I blinked.
“I belie

“How I do what I do, but not how to do what I do? What if what I do has to do with my knowledge of what to do, and doing requires only the knowledge of doing? What would you do then?”
I blinked.
“I believe you hurt my brain.”

I wouldn't say this book had hurt my brain, and there's no particular reason for displaying this quote above, I just liked it. That's it. Why can't I make something special, because I want to? I take an example from the author. Special snowflakes everywhere!

Special snowflake fact one: gosh, why does this book reminded me so much of almost every fantasy book I've ever read or heard of? Two major deja vu: Shadow & Bone and Harry Potter. The book started very similar to the first one, and in the middle turned into the second one. Plus add to the list an Infernal Devices, The Burning Sky and even Angelfall! And it's not the whole list! If only I paid closer attention, I'd find more, but I started skipping pages after 30% and missed some ~~important~~ moments.

Special snowflake fact two: the story in nothing new, though it filled with specialness (which I'll explain later). I wouldn't say the writing was bad - it was pretty decent; the story itself had some curious twists and turns, but somehow all this was annihilated by the heroine's dullness. I didn't feel life behind her voice. And to think about spending the whole book in her head, you'd hope there would be something to hold on to. But no such luck. It felt as if we were told about the world around in a mechanic manner: here we have magicians; they are bad guys. Here we have sorcerers; they are good guys. Here we have a special girl who will save the world. Here we have six guys and two of them will kiss the ground the heroine walks on. Here we have a childhood friend. She didn't have feelings for him before, except a sisterly bond, but now her heart flutters every time she sees him. Gosh, I wish you's just had a orgy, guys. But no, here we have a reputation to uphold.

I need to stop doing such writing or I'll bore myself to sleep. The point is - scattered facts and underdeveloped pieces turned this book into a porridge (pun intended as the heroine's magical stave is called Porridge. The girl named it herself. Wanted to feel special).

Special snowflake fact three: the author turned every potentially interesting character into a sniveling lot, and made the ones who were supposed to be unimportant into special snowflakes (view spoiler) I wouldn't mind a change in characters if it was done gradually and properly, not because the author just wanted to move the plot forward at whatever cost.

Special snowflake fact four: Did you read the annotation? Remember those words:

As Henrietta discovers the secrets hiding behind the glamour of sorcerer life, she begins to doubt that she's the true prophesied one.

Maybe it's my fault, because I saw in these words what I wanted to see, and the more disappointed I was. I wanted a girl who was prophesied to be the one and only, but turned out the wrong person, and in order to prove herself she's worth something, she fights evil with ordinary magicians like herself, and on her path she makes mistakes, falls in love, develops friendships and so on. You can create an amazing character-development from such setting. But look what we've got in this book: a girl is prophesied to be the savior. She goes to train her specialness. Everyone strokes her ego - the girl can't go to toilet without anyone mentioning how important and special she is, even bathtubs sing serenades to her. Slowly she turns from pretty to beautiful, smart, brave, delicate, strong, powerful... Then turns out she's not the girl from the prophesy (here I almost exhaled in relief - almost). She's better. She has powers from both sides, and who needs a sorcerer savior when you can have a magician-sorcerer savior. Special offer: two for the cost of one. Even the skeptic ones bow to her now.

“I'm a mix of both races, but I was born a magician. You have to know the truth." My heart pounded as I waited for his reply.

He was silent a moment. Then he said, "We need you. That's what is important. The rest is titles." Gently, he took my hand in his own. It wasn't a romantic gesture; it was deeper than that. We sat side by side, our burdens eased, if not lifted.”

Who cares about fucking titles, when there's such specialness involved! The years-long hatred toward magicians is forgotten, and even her Majesty Queen says the kingdom needs our special snowflake, and lets her decide which title to give herself: A special magician snowflake or a special sorcerer snowflake. Guess what the girl chose? Of course, the prophesy must be about her and if not, she'll make it about her, so we have a new sorcerer snowflake!

I don't know about you, but all this special business is rather dull. Plus, I can predict which major events are going to happen in book two, and I don't even need special powers for it. The story tried to be as dodgy as possible, and every time someone tried to say something important, things happened: someone interrupted, or the one, who was supposed to say the thing, vanished, and so one. But these tricks were more annoying than intriguing, and felt like author's desperate attempt at preserving readers' interest at any cost. I didn't give a damn about any of them. I'll probably read the spoilers, shrug and move on to something more exciting.

Special snowflake verdict: A Shadow Bright and Burning is not a bad book; if you haven's read thousands upon thousands of books about special girls and boys, you'll probably like this one. As for me, I am too jaded and too bored to buy something with words "special" in it. Just give me ordinary and make it unique, and I am yours for fangirling.

...more

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Aug 23, 2016 Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ rated it liked it

Shelves: regency-or-victorian-fantasy, fantasy, arc, ya-fantasy

$1.99 Kindle sale, Sept. 7, 2017. The second book in this series will be published later this month.

3.5 stars. Full review, first posted on Fantasy Literature.

In this Victorian-era fantasy, sixteen year old Henrietta Howel, who is now a teacher at the Brimthorn orphanage in Yorkshire where she has spent the last eleven years, has developed an ability to magically set things on fire. She believes this marks her as a witch or magician, who are imprisoned or put to death in England since a horri ...more

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May 17, 2018 Yusra ✨ marked it as dnf

DNF @ 31%
honestly, I’ve lost all interest and I’ve never been so bored. might pick this back up in the future, might not, who knows at this point. the only bright point was magnus I guess. I tried to read this for 12 days and it’s just not working.

a pal read™

...more

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Sep 04, 2016 Ben Alderson rated it really liked it

Really good debut from Jessica!

I love the more fantastical take on England. And obvs, anything with witches and soccerours I am going to love!

A burning YA novel that stands for equality, inner strength and embracing your insecurities!

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Jan 12, 2021 Brittni Kristine rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: entirely-meh

2.5

This book is about an orphaned girl who has the power of fire. In this world, witches are executed, magicians are oppressed, and sorcerers get royal treatment. Our main character, Henrietta, is discovered and taken away to hone her powers and become a member of the queens order of sorcerers, but we find out she may be mislabeled.

This rating was a struggle for me, because this was an easy read and there were parts I did in fact enjoy. You can really tell, however, that this was one of the au 2.5

This book is about an orphaned girl who has the power of fire. In this world, witches are executed, magicians are oppressed, and sorcerers get royal treatment. Our main character, Henrietta, is discovered and taken away to hone her powers and become a member of the queens order of sorcerers, but we find out she may be mislabeled.

This rating was a struggle for me, because this was an easy read and there were parts I did in fact enjoy. You can really tell, however, that this was one of the authors earlier works. I told my partner at one point that I can relate to the way she writes, because it’s how I write. ... but there’s a reason I’m not an author.

She focuses heavily on dialogue, and basically everything else falls to the wayside. Our main character has a childhood best friend who is clearly supposed to be the main romance, and we ✨almost never see him✨. The love interest literally lives next door and somehow the author couldn’t fit him into the book.

There’s also next to no world building or descriptions of the settings. The characters seem blind with the shocking lack of descriptions. Which, again, I understand. As a writer I hate descriptions. But as a reader I can’t forgive the complete lack of them.

Also, I’m still not sure where I land on this, but I don’t think I really vibe with a white author writing a black main character and then having all the characters around her comment on her skin being too dark and how so many colors “don’t flatter her skin tone”. If the story centered around her peers being racist, sure, keep that in. But it didn’t at all. The focus was entirely on her gender, everyone thinking she’d fail because she was a woman. Her race never had anything to do with the storyline, so in the end the comments about her color had no purpose and just made me uncomfortable.

Because it’s such an easy read, I may eventually end up reading the second, but it won’t be anytime soon. If you want to pick up a book by this author, do House of Dragons! It was my favorite read last year, so she clearly does improve in her writing. ...more

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Mar 28, 2018 sam rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: read-historical-fiction

Rating: 3.5/5

It took me soo long to get into this one hence the rating but once I did, I couldn't put it down. The average rating for this one wasn't very high so I was hesitant to pick this one up. But, after I stared at the cover for a good 15 minutes I decided that I wasn't going to leave it on my tbr pile any longer.

Henrietta is a 16 year old that can burst into flame. She isn't afraid to stand up for the people who don't know how and believes men and woman should be equally represented in t ...more

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May 13, 2016 ☆☽Erica☾☆ rated it it was ok

Shelves: ya-fantasy

Dnf at 30%

This was utterly unoriginal and boring. An assortment of love interests, bland writing, super special MC, and lack of world building. It's more of the same stuff we all know.

One extra star because I liked how she named her magic wand "porridge." ...more

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Apr 27, 2016 Stacee rated it really liked it

Shelves: read-in-2016

Fantasy and magic are always hit or miss with me, but I was excited about the synopsis and couldn't wait to get it in my hands

I love love loved Henrietta. She's smart and strong and stands up for what's right, even if society thinks it's wrong. I enjoyed being in her head and was rooting for her from the very beginning. There's a good cast of characters here and I'm eager to see how they show up in future books.

There were sections that did drag a bit, but for the most part I was captivated. I l ...more

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Oct 14, 2016 Katerina Kondrenko rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: genre-fantasy, motives-british, read-with-buddies, pov-female-only, 04-out-of-10, imo-here-i-quit, friendship-bromance, read-in-english, characters-charming-fox, characters-mary-sue-marty-stu

4.5 out of 10

Ревью в моем блоге/This review on my blog
Living A Thousand Lives (please use Chrome/Yandex browser or Android/IOS to see the page; otherwise, spoiler-tags I use to make my post compact may not work)

Short-Soundtrack:
L.M. - Bright Shadow

Genre: historical fantasy, YA
Stuff: magic, creepy beasts, superpowers
Fail: writing style, romance in general
WOW: hot scene with one of LI, a few twists
POV: 1st-person, female
Love-Geometry: hard

Quote-Core:
“Knowledge is as powerful as fire. The b
...more

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Jan 11, 2015 Rachel (APCB Reviews) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-releases, 2016-debuts, fast-read, wishlist-own, 2016-standout

ASBAB is one of those books that I eagerly anticipated from the very first pitch. My excitement grew to a feverish pitch that led up to that final moment, holding a physical ARC in my hands!! I tore through this book; I laughed, I gasped, I frantically messaged Jessica with emojis and thoughts and theories. I couldn't help myself! This book plagued my thoughts and emotions the second I started. At first glance ASBAB plays off of all the normal tropes, but what it really does is turn the tropes o ASBAB is one of those books that I eagerly anticipated from the very first pitch. My excitement grew to a feverish pitch that led up to that final moment, holding a physical ARC in my hands!! I tore through this book; I laughed, I gasped, I frantically messaged Jessica with emojis and thoughts and theories. I couldn't help myself! This book plagued my thoughts and emotions the second I started. At first glance ASBAB plays off of all the normal tropes, but what it really does is turn the tropes on their sides and then punts them across the field for good measure.

Jessica Cluess's debut novel, A Shadow Bright and Burning, will definitely burn brightly and capture the attention of the bookish world. With enchanting displays of magic, complex and untrustworthy characters, terrifying beasts, brooding love interests, and a lovely time period, this book has so much going for it.

England is plagued by Ancients, horrifying beasts that plot to lay waste to all of England and wreak havoc on the people. Jessica created such an intricate web of villains with extensive history and elements to back it up. I really enjoyed learning about these monsters and their eerie ways. Jessica also creates a fascinating magical world, which I loved learning about. There is definitely more to it than what meets the eye.

Our main character Henrietta Howel is a stubborn and determined young lady. I liked her well enough as a main character, but I genuinely felt more emotion towards many of the other characters. There's charming Magnus, brooding Blackwood, loyal Rook, shy and gentle Dee, kindhearted Agrippa, hilarious Hargrove, and more. I love that Jessica doesn't paint any of these characters as all good or all bad. Each character makes tough choices that sometimes surprise both the characters and the readers and definitely alter our perception of them. I feel like it's a great way to build character.

This book hooked me in from the very beginning, and I was so into the story that I flew through it. I did feel that the book slowed a bit in the middle, but I hardly minded at all. Interspersed with action scenes every so often, this book entertained for sure and kept my heart racing. Jessica's writing is addictive and easy to follow. She also naturally blends in her sense of humor, which was a definite plus for this book. What I also love about ASBAB is the twists and turns. Shocking moments abound! The deceptions and betrayal run deeply in the veins of this story, and I wouldn't have it any other way. The setting is also beautiful, and I love the witty manner in which everyone converses. Also this book gives off some slight Pride and Prejudice vibes!

I'll admit that the romance in this book is light and mostly a tease; everything is still up in the air. I see so many ships forming and sinking, and my heart is just confused! I won't say it is a love triangle exactly, everyone's feelings are all tossed about. Either way it's entertaining, and I can't wait to see where Jessica takes it. As great as romance is though, the real winner is the friendship and camaraderie in this book. I love how the Sorcerers that Henrietta trains with stand with and support one another.

Jessica casts so many tendrils and plants so many clues that will grow in the following books. I can't wait for the next installment in this enticing fantasy series, and I'll spend my time alternately pining for the next book and theorizing until I can read it. ...more

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Nov 07, 2017 Vicky Again marked it as yikes

since the author said "no teens are on Goodreads" I felt the need to actually write a review for this book, instead of just leaving it at 1 star

this book...was not fun. to be honest, the magic was cliché, the story was boring, and I wanted to take a nap rather than keep reading.

it's a MIRACLE that I didn't DNF this. only through sheer willpower did I continue, and wow do I regret it.

there are just...so many better books out there. please, don't waste your time on this. if you need recommendatio ...more

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Jan 28, 2017 Rebekah rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, fantasy, ya-addiction, 2017, clean

I read this book in one sitting, no joke. one sitting! WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO PICK UP THIS BOOK! I LOVED IT!

First off, I love the setting of this book. I love the era. I love the dresses the balls, societies decorum, the maids, the manners, the curtesy. So overall I enjoyed the world building. This is set in England...if magic existed back then...

This story is about a girl who thought herself to be a witch, witches are hunted and executed due to something one did long ago that has recked

I read this book in one sitting, no joke. one sitting! WHY DID IT TAKE ME SO LONG TO PICK UP THIS BOOK! I LOVED IT!

This story is about a girl who thought herself to be a witch, witches are hunted and executed due to something one did long ago that has recked havoc on England. The Ancients have entered our realm and the humans are in a constant war to keep them back. They are evil and there are so many of them. Each Ancient is unique and grotesque, each so different from the next but are taking and destroying lives. So this girl named Henrietta has kept her powers hidden, but when a sorcerer sees her light herself up on fire without being singed to save her childhood friend Rook, the sorcerer thinks she is the prophesied one. Henrietta can control fire and all the other elements that would make her a sorcerer.

Henrietta leaves to become a sorcerer and takes Rook with her to keep him safe as he is Unclean due to an Ancient attack when he was a boy that left him terribly scarred.

When she arrives in London she meets other boys who are also training to be sorcerers and she has to try and make herself fit in.

I LOVE that Henrietta is her own. She's smart and strong and stands up for what's right, even if society thinks it's wrong. I enjoyed being in her head and was rooting for her from the very beginning. She's a wonderful strong female character and I liked her throughout the whole book.

I absolutely loved the boys at school, each it's own character that plays a part in the story. I loved each of their voices and what-not.

There is so much to this story that I'm sorry I didn't pick this book up sooner! I can't wait for book two and can't wait to read more about each of these characters.

I was pleased at the twist and turns of the story I totally didn't see coming, I so appreciate the romance, it is so complicated that I'm so unsure of where it's going to go with whom and how it's all going to unfold. I loved that the romance did NOT overwhelm the story and take away from the overall plot.

Overall I couldn't put it down, everything about it was perfect, the pace, the world building, the character development, the imagination, the creepiness of the Ancients and their history and story I loved it, I loved it all!

Sexual Content: mild
Language: mild
Violence: moderate
Drugs/Alcohol: mild

*A HUGE Thank you to Random House/Blogging for Books for this book, which I got in exchange for an honest review*

...more

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Apr 14, 2016 Allison rated it it was amazing

What is it with all these historical fantasy novels trying to ruin my life over the past year??????

Henrietta is amazing, ballsy, clever, and imperfect. She's pretty much a VICTORIAN LADY HUMAN TORCH. And wait til you see the adorable name she gives her stave (like a Harry Potter wand, but much cooler and really cute in a weird mostly inanimate magical object way). She wears pretty dresses, battles otherworldly demons, and isn't afraid to put a man firmly in his place. Or several men. Which leads What is it with all these historical fantasy novels trying to ruin my life over the past year??????

Henrietta is amazing, ballsy, clever, and imperfect. She's pretty much a VICTORIAN LADY HUMAN TORCH. And wait til you see the adorable name she gives her stave (like a Harry Potter wand, but much cooler and really cute in a weird mostly inanimate magical object way). She wears pretty dresses, battles otherworldly demons, and isn't afraid to put a man firmly in his place. Or several men. Which leads me to the fact that there are a ****ton of menfolk. Forget love triangles. It's not that. I hope people don't say that (even though there's nothing wrong with a well-done love triangle, lbr). It's not even a quadrangle. IT'S JUST SO WELL-DONE. THERE'S FRIENDSHIP W MENFOLK AND BROODY MENFOLK AND ANNOYINGLY CHEEKY MENFOLK AND MENFOLK WITH DARK TERRIBLE DEMON-Y POWERS AND MENFOLK I SHIPPED WITH EACH OTHER. There's set-up for future shenanigans and goodness and THERE'S ONE ULTIMATE SHIP but I can possibly forgive you if you don't agree with me. There are too many men and it's pretty much totally ok for once.

I'm a sucker for historical fantasy of any kind, but sometimes the world-building is a little lazy and/or haphazard. (I love the Lovegrove books but I always felt there was too much magical folk **** going on. Like yes, we get it, this isn't a Care of Magical Creatures course curriculum.) The ANCIENTS ARE....I want fanart. I'm untalented at anything besides yelling so someone else can do it, but I'd love if we got some quality artwork of them. Or maybe it's better to just kinda let your brain do its worst. I mean, one of them is a skinless man. And he isn't even the worst. Bruh. If I have one qualm it's the inclusion of the Fae? But I feel like that will be a bigger deal later? Or have something to do with the Ancients? Or maybe I missed something in the novel and I'm an idiot.

There's tons of action and twists. There are quite a few "OH ****" moments. The dialogue between characters is witty and clever and a few times *clutches chest*.

Basically...get this book. I mean also Tamora Pierce gave it a blurb so why are you even reading MY review.

...more

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May 10, 2017 ambsreads rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: annoying-female-leads, d-n-f, historical-fiction, romance, buddy-read, dnf-2017, magic, annoying-male-leads, fantasy, high-fantasy

BUDDY READING WITH:
my favourite person in the world
the one who can read like 10 books at a time
and the one who shares a name with my ex-boyfriend

DNF @ 25%

I'm sorry guys. I can't. This could single handily be one of the worst books I've read this year. I was rolling my eyes at every paragraph and honestly wishing someone would punch every single character.

Caitlin also supported this DNF so I love Caitlin.

So, to continue my lazy review format, here's some points;
- oh the tropes
- so many trop ...more

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Nov 24, 2015 Cindy ✩☽♔ rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: love-triangle, fantasy, otps-feels

"I am Henrietta Howel. The first female sorcerer in ages. The girl who can control flames. The one who will defeat the ancients. The prophesied one. Or am I?"

A highly addicting, victorian fantasy. This book has all the classic elements one has come to expect from magic, fantasy books but is also sprinkled with delightful surprises.

I loving all the books I am reading lately about strong, independent woman thinking outside the box and being far ahead of their time. And I love seeing confident, ...more

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Aug 13, 2018 Vaishali • [V.L. Book Reviews] rated it liked it

Shelves: read-in-2017, hardback

Rating: 3 stars

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Jan 08, 2018 Dana rated it it was amazing

Shelves: young-adult, historical-fiction, favourites, fantasy, mystery, up-all-night, love-triangle, the-price-is-right, buy, satellite-mind

Wow, I'm breathless. I can't remember the last time I devoured a book with such relish. It was as if the author reached into my brain, picked out everything I love in a book and put it all together in one story, just for me! It's insane, not even does it have all the elements that I love in a book, but it also has the right amount of each. And to think this sat so long on my tbr list because the cover didn't grab me!

If you like any of the following things read this book now!

Magic!
Ancient myste ...more

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Aug 02, 2016 Michael rated it it was amazing

Shelves: read-2016

THIS WAS SO GOOD HOLY COW.

This book was like Avatar the last Airbender if it was set in 1700's London AND I DIDNT KNOW HOW MUCH I NEEDED IT.

I can't remember the last time I gasped out loud so many times while reading a book. Honestly though.

The story was action packed and engaging right from the start and somehow managed to keep up the pace throughout the entire book. Cluess built such an interesting world, I was blown away by it all. I have so many unanswered questions and SO much excitement fo ...more

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Oct 09, 2015 Sandra marked it as to-read

Shelves: young-adult, fantasy-hf

Sounds like this

but in a female version set in Victorian London with sorcerers.

HELL. YEAH. ...more

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Nov 24, 2016 Lauren rated it really liked it

Shelves: books-i-own, 2016, fantasy, gorgeous-covers

I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed this book!! I actually liked Henrietta as a main character and that doesn't happen often with me and female characters. But I loved her from the start.

The world building in this story was phenomenal, such an interesting and in depth world that was absolutely fascinating. There were a couple things that bothered me just in general about the time frame and stuff because it's set in London, but with magicians and sorcerers and witches, so it was unclear about whe ...more

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May 19, 2017 Suzzie rated it really liked it

Got distracted with my literature review so didn't get to read this book at the pace I wanted. This was a very entertaining book and a great start to the series. I found the characters very enjoyable. Looking forward to see how the story continues and the characters develop. ...more

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Sep 03, 2016 Alyssa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-releases

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess
Book One of the Kingdom on Fire series
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Publication Date: September 20, 2016
Rating: 4 stars
Source: ARC sent by the publisher

Summary (from Goodreads):

I am Henrietta Howel.
The first female sorcerer in hundreds of years.
The prophesied one.
Or am I?

Henrietta Howel can burst into flames.
Forced to reveal her power to save a friend, she's shocked when instead of being ...more

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Mar 31, 2017 Eilonwy rated it really liked it

Shelves: can-t-wait-for-books-two-and-three, fast-paced, diverse-characters, better-than-i-expected

Orphaned Henrietta Howel has a gift: the ability to light herself on fire. In an alternate Victorian England where men can be magicians and sorcerers but women shouldn’t be, her gift must be kept hidden. But one day a sorcerer comes to the school where she grew up and now teaches, discovers her ability, and tells her of a prophecy that says a magical girl will save England from the Ancients, seven demons that hold the land and coastal seas under their malevolent power. He takes Henrietta to Lond

...more

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Nov 06, 2016 Fafa's Book Corner added it · review of another edition

DNF

Mini review:

I have been seeing this book everywhere. I had initially wanted to read it earlier. I lost all interest when I read Lola's review. I decided to give it a go because it was on sale. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy it.

The writing style was terrible. There wasn't any real flow to the sentences so it read badly. I can't say much for the plot as I didn't get that far.

It's up to you whether you want to read this. ...more

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topics	posts	views	last activity
YA Buddy Readers'...: A Shadow Bright and Burning (Kingdom on Fire #1) by Jessica Cluess - Restarting June 29th 2020	63	227	Jul 03, 2020 11:27PM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA Girl in an orphanage accidentally magically sets things on fire, hides powers but gets caught. [s]	5	22	Mar 31, 2020 11:57AM
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Young Adult Science fiction a girl in her twenties teaching at a school. She has to wear all gray. She has a best friend who was scarred by an ancient god. Its based in London but in the future. [s]	3	38	Jun 14, 2018 06:10AM
Reading & Rambling: A Shadow Bright and Burning Liveshow	5	8	Mar 14, 2018 02:18PM
Reading & Rambling: A Shadow Bright and Burning Discussion \|\| Jan/Feb 2018 book	9	16	Feb 02, 2018 03:36PM