A Shadow Bright and Burning

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 show more 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. show less

I'm not normally a fan of historical fantasy, especially not YA historical fantasy, but I saw this cover and went "Yeah... I totally want to own that". Thankfully, the interior is just as lovely as the exterior.

Personally, I love the "is the chosen one the actual Chosen One" plot and I loved how Howel struggled to find her place amongst all the boys. I've seen reviews that bash the prudishness of our characters... but y'all, she's wearing petticoats and needs a chaperone. If we're sticking with the historical element, this is pretty much right on the money.

I can't wait to start the second book in this series!

I loved, loved, loved this book. The audiobook is narrated by Fiona Hardingham who created distinct character voices and I can’t recommend enough reading the book in this format. This is the first in a Young Adult magical realism series called Kingdom on Fire. Several years ago a witch and magician opened a portal that allowed the Ancients, heinous otherworldly monsters, to enter our world. As punishment for this serious infraction, witches have been outlawed and magician’s rights have been seriously curtailed. Henrietta Howell is a young woman who fears that her magical affinity for fire means that she is a witch, but she is soon brought into the world of sorcery. She has much to learn to pass her Commendation, and about her own show more past.
Howell is a great character whose big heart makes her a hero, though her fears sometimes cause her to make poor choices. I love imperfect heroes like her. The supporting cast of characters bring humor and intrigue and animosity to the story in varying degrees. The second book in the series, A Poison Dark and Drowning, came out in September 2017 and I simply cannot wait to dig in. show less

Henrietta is a lone female in the company of males who fight a magical battle against the ancients in the young adult fantasy. The uncertainty and trials of finding her place in a male dominated world contrasts with the typical romantic themes where a male runs to rescue her. The story is a theme of self-discovery and independence that teenage and young adult women will find appealing. Henrietta’s acceptance of obvious peer pressure seriously undermines her ability to taken seriously. She made real strides in independence but continues to suffer and face self-doubt when faced with social norms. A theme that is still common to females today.

I really enjoyed the world built by Cluess and her writing was easy to read and follow. However, some of the archaic misogyny - while presented in and for the purposes of historical accuracy - was a little jarring and unnerving. I found a lot of Henrietta's ideals and thought processes made me wish she was a little more developed as a modern character and not like something out of a British historical melodrama. There are also some racist and classist ideas represented in the writing that, while again historically accurate for the time this was inspired by, brought me out of the story with shock. I still overall really enjoy the book and plan on moving on to the sequel just released but felt that these things could have been edited out show more in a way that kept the historical aspects still there. show less

Henrietta Howel can set herself on fire. Along with all the other problems brought on with self immolation is one unfortunate fact: women in Victorian England aren’t allowed to do magic.

Welcome to a lovecraftian Victorian England, where a witch opened a portal into another dimension, setting free the Ancient Ones, hideous monsters bent on the submission and eradication of the human race. (Male) sorcerers are tasked with trying to hold the monsters at bay, and any magic outside the narrow confines of their purview is punishable by ugly death.

Henrietta Howel grows up in Jane Eyre-esque poverty at a charity school for girls, trying to keep her firestarter tendencies under the radar. But when a visiting sorcerer discovers her magical show more abilities, the cat is out of the bag. Rather than be put to death, she is brought to London to fulfill an ancient prophecy which will pit her against the Ancient Ones as humanity’s last hope. But is she really the chosen one?

All in all I found this book to be an engaging and fast-paced read. Cluess borrows elements from several sources (Jane Eyre, Harry Potter, and Lovecraft being the most obvious), but she is able to make the combination work (and let’s face it, bringing Jane Eyre into the Cthulhu mythos is not a task for the faint of heart). Parts of the book were genuinely creepy, especially the familiars, humans transformed by the ancient ones to do their bidding. The major flaw in this book comes from the overdone romance angle, as our heroine has not one, not two, but three possible romantic entanglements within the book. Is it too much to ask for the protagonist to stand on her own for a bit before delving into the pathos of teenage love?

Ah well. In all, this book was very enjoyable and I look forward to the next in the series. I think Cluess has a promising future ahead of her.

A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. A Shadow Bright and Burning is currently available for purchase. show less

I don't give out a lot of fives and this may only be technically a four, but I really, really liked it. I liked the world, I liked the characters, I liked the writing and I especially liked the relationships between the characters. In fact, I'm looking forward to seeing how those relationships play out even more than how (or if) the Ancients are defeated. (Please, please, please don't turn the friendship between Blackwood and Henrietta into something romantic. It's perfect just as it is.) I cannot wait to get my hands on book two in this series.