A Shadow Bright and Burning (Kingdom on Fire, #1)

by Jessica Cluess

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 executed, she's invited to train as one of Her Majesty's royal sorcerers.

Thrust into the glamour of Victorian London, Henrietta is declared the chosen one, the girl who will defeat the Ancients, bloodthirsty demons terrorizing humanity. She also meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, handsome young men eager to test her power and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her.

But Henrietta Howel is not the chosen one.
As she plays a dangerous game of deception, she discovers that the sorcerers have their own secrets to protect. With battle looming, what does it mean to not be the one? And how much will she risk to save the city—and the one she loves?
 
Exhilarating and gripping, Jessica Cluess's spellbinding fantasy introduces a powerful, unforgettably heroine, and a world filled with magic, romance, and betrayal. Hand to fans of Libba Bray, Sarah J. Maas, and Cassandra Clare.

• ISBN10: 0553535900
• ISBN13: 9780553535907
• Publish Date: 20 September 2016
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Imprint: Random House Books for Young Readers
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 416
• Language: English

Reviews

[Ashley]

I stopped reading after 50-ish pages. Nothing against the book, but it was too juvenile for my tastes. It's YOUNG young adult. Think the border between middle grade and young adult.

I enjoyed this. There's not anything particularly original but it's an enjoyable mishmash of all my favourites. There's a real fairytale/folklore vibe happening - it reminded me a bit of Howl's Moving Castle. Okay I'll admit, it's probably just because Howl Howel. But whatevs.

I liked Henrietta. She was unsure of herself but a survivor and I liked that she was willing to lie to protect Rook and save them both. I liked Rook and Lilly - although I guess I don't really know all that much about them either. Blackwood and Eliza were not bad but weren't really developed enough for me to have any strong feelings. I didn't like Magnus. The romance between Henrietta and Magnus was weak and annoying. I didn't like how it ended either - seemed way too dramatic to declare he couldn't let her go - they really didn't seem that close. But sometimes I forget how young adult novels can be. But there also wasn't too much of it and it didn't impact the story too much.

There were quite a few loose threads and I hope they're explored in the sequel. It was never really explained why or what it could mean to have matching stave designs or how Henrietta recognised Sorrow-Fell. The thread about Henrietta's past and why she was abandoned was never really touched on again either. I did like that gender equality issues were brought up (I'm female - obviously it's a concern) but it was a bit too heavy handed in the execution. It felt preachy.

My favourite parts were the interactions between Henrietta and Hargrove. I liked their magic lessons - it was pure fantasy and I loved it. I also enjoyed the interaction between Henrietta and Fenswick (the doctor/hobgoblin) and I really hope we see more of him.

It seems to be a rich and diverse fantasy world (or perhaps just very busy) but the world building was a bit sparse on details at times - I'm not sure I really understood all the particulars of who was what and where and why. But it kept my attention and kept me reading. I was interested to know more and will definitely read the rest of the series.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

[ladygrey]

It turns out I rather enjoyed this book. At first I wasn't quite sure. It's rather dark and the monsters are kind of disgusting.

But the characters build and grow until by the end I was quite invested in the lot of them and eager to read the next book. It moves quickly enough that it was a pretty fast read. And the story turns quite a few times so that a lot happens. But what I think I appreciated most was how Cluess built a bit of mystery into character's actions that kept me reading to what to find out what was going on. Then she provided the needed explanations in a satisfying way.

The rather glaring flaw is Rook. He's all well and good as a plot device. And Henrietta's affection for him is established nicely in their history and then threaded throughout the story and it impacts her current choices and thoughts. The problem is the reader never really gets to know *him.* Henrietta's always talking about how she cares about him and how important he is and we believe her. But... they don't interact that much. Some, but not enough.

In contrast, she's interacting with Magnus and Blackwood all the time. They are well established characters that the reader knows and becomes invested in them. Rook, however important he is, is a pale character filtered dimly through Henrietta. He needs to be as important to me as he is to her.

And right now, I'm kind of ok if he goes dark and she ends up with Magnus.

The world is well established and there are enough mysteries lingering, and I like the characters enough to draw me into the next book. Even though I suspect it's all going to go horribly wrong...

[Beth C.]

An enjoyable, entertaining read with a female character who is learning to be strong in a world controlled by men. A few twists kept me going, the characters are well done, and I'm looking forward to reading book 2 :)

[Chelsea]

Actual Rating 2.5

I'm finding this a hard review to write. There was nothing overly wrong with this book, I think I just didn't connect with it because it was SUCH a typical YA fantasy. Nothing about this book felt original. I'm also getting really tired of the "chosen one" trope and it's used quite a bit in A Shadow Bright and Burning. Normally this would be exactly my kind of book but it just didn't work for me at all.

At the beginning we find out Henrietta has the magical power of bursting into flame while her clothes don't burn off her. That would be too inconvenient for this story and there was absolutely nothing inconvenient about the entire plot. Anyways, Henrietta gets swept off to live in a fancy house with the other sorcerers because she's *gasp* the only female sorcerer living. Not to mention the only female character in the whole book? Enter special snowflake trope. Her character at the start of the book wansn't too bad but the farther the story went the more annoying she got. She started off strong and lost her character along the way.

I also need to talk about the weird love triangle (square?) we had going on. I'm still not sure who the actual love interest of the story was? There were way too many guys interested and Henrietta just kind of floated from boy to boy without anything actually happening. I guess it makes sense sine there was apparently no other girls in this fantasy world. Magnus somehow does a complete 180. He's cocky and fun at the start and eventually turns into a total ass (that's all I can say without spoiling anything) but then he and Henrietta are bffs again by the end. It makes no sense.

Basically this whole book felt like little pieces of one big story without all the connecting elements that would make it a full story. Too many little things were going on and the important things, like the information about the ancients, were just kind of thrown into the story at random moments with not enough detail. If you've never read much YA fantasy then you might like this one. Otherwise, this book wasn't anything special.

[Joséphine]

Actual rating: 2.5 stars

Initial thoughts: Perhaps fantasy novels set in Victorian times aren't meant for me, or maybe, monsters with tentacles simply leave me cold. Either way, I thought A Shadow Bright and Burning was a decent book, even if I'm not interested in the sequel. On one hand, there's quite a feminist undercurrent as Henriettta fights for her place among the ranks of sorcerers as one of the rare women with such magic; on the other, I couldn't care less about the three or four potential suitors. They were distracting, if anything, and not very interesting characters to boot.

[cornerfolds]

Read more of my reviews at Cornerfolds.com!

DNF @ 40%

*Review to come!*

[Kait ✨]

I had such high hopes, but I HATED this book. I read a review by Gillian that was so happy and positive I think it skyrocketed my expectations a little too high.

The writing is just SO juvenile — I feel like Cluess has just started writing creatively (which I believe is true, actually?). It all feels so stilted, she does so much TELLING it makes me crazy, the pacing feels very uneven, and the characters do things for reasons I can’t discern. The premise is cool but literally everything else was unbearable — I read this book two to four slow pages at a time. I cannot in good conscience recommend this.

The one thing I enjoyed was that I felt like the relationship with Henrietta and Her Majesty’s sorcerers was reminiscent of Rory and the boys of The Life and Death Brigade (which was fun!). Only problem was, the writing is so bad that relationship was wholly unbelievable to me.

[Stephanie]

I didn't hate this. The plot was good, but I struggled to connect with the characters. They all felt a little cookie cutter/trope-y to me. Hmm.

[Briana @ Pages Unbound]

A Shadow Bright and Burning uses some YA fantasy tropes, but still manages to be a fun and creative read. Though readers will be introduced to character types they may have seen before--the overly charismatic flirt, the wise teacher, the girl prophesied to change their world--minor twists and tweaks will allow readers to still fall in love with them all. Henrietta herself may be the biggest draw here. Sure, she's the "chosen one" and a bit of a special snowflake at times, but she also has real flaws and real doubts, which she combats with a spunky attitude and a willingness to work hard to achieve goals.

The plot follows Henrietta as she trains to become a sorcerer, the first female one in ages, and looks forward to a future where she can help her kingdom fight the monsters that have taken over the seas and most of the large towns. The pacing is occasionally slow, but this often made up for with interesting characters and world-building. There's a nice Victorian vibe to the book, as well, and the opening scenes in Henrietta's orphanage may bring to mind echoes of Jane Eyre--if Jane Eyre were in possession of some powerful magic.

Speckled in with the adventure are some serious conversations: the divide between the rich and the poor, the hard decisions the sorcerers must make about which lives to save, and the prejudice facing all magic workers who are not sorcerers. Henrietta's world has magic, but it's not often beautiful. It's dark and full of secrets.

A Shadow Bright and Burning, overall, is a solid fantasy adventure. It has a determined protagonist, real danger, and a hint of romance to come in the sequels. YA fantasy fans will probably enjoy this take on magic.