Kingdom On Fire Fanblog

Mostly made this because as far as I could tell there is barely a fandom for this book series and I find that unacceptable. Henrietta is pretty cool, but we don't like Blackwood here.

[kadiereads]

quick reviews of books i read this weekend

 1. A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess 

6/10 stars

okay i didnt HATE it but it wasnt my favorite. my least favorite trope in fantasy books is the childhood best friend being in a love triangle bc they never actually get the girl and are basically useless (when did this turn into a gale hawthorne call out post) but i liked rook’s character, i just did not like him and henrietta together. or henrietta and magnus. or anyone and henrietta. actually i ship henrietta with common sense. 

also it was like she would forget about rook for CHAPTERS then suddenly she’s breaking the ward for him? sis CHILL. the plot twists were nice but the whole thing with hargrove being like “your dad didnt drown” and henrietta being UNBOTHERED by it and being like “i dont care i just need rook who i neglected for the whole book”. is her father alive? what happened with her aunt? what was the whole thing???? henrietta i need ANSWERS not your weird shadow boy please.

2. Sick Kids in Love by Hannah Moskowitz

10/10

every time i read a contemporary im like wow that was so good i should read more and this one did not disappoint. i loved ibby and sasha’s relationship and character growth, especially isabel. it was SO good and perfect to just read real quick. definitely recommend 10/10 cute, sick jewish kids falling in love 

[ashadowbrightlyburning]

“I ship Henrietta with common sense” made me laugh so hard

[bookflix-squad]

Yes, of course. You died, and I’m giving you medicine to keep you dead.

Fenswick (A Shadow Bright and Burning)

[dkafterdark]

You young girls are all the same. ‘Oh, my life is so impossible. No boy will ever desire me, and I’ll live alone in a hovel with sixteen cats. Such is my woe.’

A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess

[aeylis]

A quick painting (by my standards) of Henrietta Howel from A Shadow Bright and Burning. It was a book that had its flaws but was ultimately an enjoyable read (and a really good debut novel!). Think Napoleonic Wars but instead of Napoleon the Brits are facing Lovecraftian horrors.

It helps that it was immediately clear that the Henrietta’s last name is a reference to Howl’s Moving Castle.

[ashadowbrightlyburning]

Pros and Cons

Reasons why I like A Shadow Bright and Burning: (aka why you should read it)

It has a very interesting plot, that turns a lot of cliches on their head.

e.g. the main character is NOT the chosen one, but originally everyone thinks she is.

The world building is incredible. Especially for ya. Generally I’m not very impressed with ya worldbuilding, but the monsters in here are creepy, and magic system is pretty cool. 

I’m a big fan of the magicians if you can’t tell from my blog

there are a lot of really funny lines in the books, so far as i’ve read

a few interesting character dynamics, mostly concerning family 

Magnus’s backstory

Did I predict more than half the plot twists? yes. were they still very enjoyable and satisfying to see happen? yes again. 

R’hlem (fantastically creepy looking villain)

Female friendship in book two!!!!

Things I don’t like about A Shadow Bright and Burning:

the title, i’m really not a fan of metaphoric titles and stuff like that, and it doesn’t seem to hold much connection to the storyline

i have to admit, the beginnings of both of the first two books threw me off. For some reason I really wasn’t keen on how they began, but they got better later on. 

Blackwood (in my mind he’s just a knockoff Mr. Darcy)

Some of the characters are a little flat

the usual “takes place in the 1800s and the main character is a girl so she has to prove to all the men how women aren’t weak, hysterical little creatures but can actually fight”

like it’s not that that type of storyline is bad, I’m just really sick of it, and I’m really sick of the main character being the only one to actually be a good female character. Luckily later on a few more good female characters arrive in book two, but book one is pretty lacking. 

Overall, it’s a pretty great series, and while it isn’t amazing, it is a lot better than a lot of ya I’ve read over the years. I could probably go into more depth as to why that is, but eh, I’m lazy this afternoon so that ain’t happening. 

[ashadowbrightlyburning]

Ngl, my favorite character so far is R’hlem. He might have no skin and only one eye, and goes around murdering people, but he’s still pretty cool. 

[ashadowbrightlyburning]

Question I have concerning the Kingdom on Fire Magic System:

If there can be on rare occasions female sorcerers, and there can be female magicians, does that mean that on really rare occasions there can be male witches? 

[ashadowbrightlyburning]

*Spoiler Alert I guess*

Honestly, I am not, and never have been a big fan of Blackwood. Rook has always been my favorite of the love interests, but it seems pretty clear to me that after book two there’s no way it’s gonna work out. So right now, I’m holding out for Magnus. He’s not my favorite, but I definitely like him better than Blackwood. 

[ashadowbrightlyburning]

A Collection of My Favorite Quotes from A Poison Dark and Drowning

“Is it broken?”

“No, it’s merely being played properly.” 

-------------------

“I’ve categorized everything by date. Come see.” Creating systems for things made me happy. When I was a little girl, I loved alphabetizing the Brimthorn library shelves. Sometimes, for a treat, I’d sort them by color. I’d tried to show Rook how fun it was, but he’d always fall to the floor and pretend to be dead. 

-------------------

“When you set fire to the rhododendron in the garden.” He looked rather proud. “I convinced Colegrind it was an exploding bird. ‘An act of God,’ he said.”

-----------------

All hail the Kindly Emperor. WITNESS HIS SMILE. 

(I have no idea what that means yet, I just finished book two, but dang is it creepy.) 

-----------------

The flute’s “music” had sounded like the demonic screams of a million cats burning in a furnace, but worse. 

----------------

“This interests me.” I shoved my papers under his nose. “There’s a skinless madman out there who wants us all dead. We’ve a carriage of otherworldly weapons, and a book that’s supposed to tell us how they all work. At the moment, skinless madmen, weapons, and books are about all I’ve time for. So if Magnus wants to marry a turnip on Thursday next, I will show up for the ceremony in my best bonnet. All right?”

----------------

“Password?”

“Shut up and let me in,” Alice said cheerfully.

“Correct password.” The ghost disappeared in a puff of smoke, and a door opened in the wall.