A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess

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.

Reviewed by Joséphine on

3 of 5 stars

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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.

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 6 June, 2017: Finished reading
  • 6 June, 2017: Reviewed