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A Shadow Bright and Burning Title: A Shadow Bright and Burning Author: Jessica Cluess Publication Date: September 20th, 2016 Publisher: Random House Category: Young Adult Genre: Fantasy Star Rating: 4 out of 5 Synopsis: 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 secrets hiding behind the glamour of sorcerer life, she begins to doubt that she's the true prophesied one. With battle looming, how much will she risk to save the city--and the one she loves? My Thoughts:
For starters, I'd like to say that I think the cover of this book is absolutely gorgeous. You'll learn in the book what the flower on the cover means and I love that the characters chose it! Going into this book the only thing I really knew was that this was a fantasy/magic read. I saw this ARC swimming around on #booksfortrade on Twitter and just knew I had to trade for it. I'll have to admit, what drew me in was that cover! Magic, monsters, and a strong female character? How much better can it get? I really enjoyed this novel, I thought that the plot was amazing and it kept me turning the pages! Henrietta Howel, the main character is a witch, or is she? Howel has spent her life hiding her powers, in fear of being caught and killed because of them. One day, her best friend is attacked by monsters sent by the Ancients that are inflicting war over their realm. She is forced to use her powers to keep her friend alive, even though doing so means revealing her true identity to the one person she fear to do so in front of the most. Little does Henrietta know that that person has been looking for her for decades, and not to kill her. She is then taken in to learn that she isn't a witch but a lady sorcerer. "“Knowledge is as powerful as fire. The brighter it burns, the more it devours.” I loved Howel's character. Despite the fact Henrietta didn't have the best up brining, I was happy to discover that she wasn't the bitter type because of it and focused on making things better. She is a very empowering, determined individual who fights for her equality not only herself but others. She is a very genuine person who sees everyone as an equal, not who was born in a high position and who wasn't. She isn't afraid to sacrifice her self to do what's right for someone else and to set things right. When she has her eyes set on achieving something she does all she can to do so and I love that she knows there are absolutely no time for boy related distractions. A lot of this book is Henrietta trying to find herself and come to terms with who she really is. I don't typically have issues with this but I don't entirely know who I ship Howel with yet, I guess I'll have to wait and see has this series goes on. That being said there is sort of a love triangle? But not really.. It's more of a non existent love square? It's kind of hard to explain unless you've read the book. Although, there is no need to fear because even though there are love interests, you won't find a story about a girl compelled to pick or choose which guy she loves more and blah, blah, blah, so don't worry. This is a story mainly about the main character finding her place in a world that doesn't yet accept her. The world building in this Victorian-ear novel set in London is very vivid, which makes for a very captivating read! I felt that Cluess did a fantastic job describing the scenery and I had absolutely no problems imagining the disastrous state their world was in due to the Ancients and their looming demons. Nor did I have trouble picturing the terrifying demons themselves. The author makes very clear distinctions between the different types of magic users and those who live outside of the ward vs those who live inside of it. There is also a wide diversity of characters which you discover and meet while engrossing yourself in the adventure that is A Shadow Bright and Burning. I can't wait to get to know the brooding Blackwood better as the series goes on and what will become of the mysterious Rook! “It's easy to poke fun at the world and think yourself clever, but it's much harder to stand silent and endure.” In a lot of books, especially fantasy you usually find the imfamous trope of "the chosen one". As you begin this novel you think you're about to read another one of "those" book but as you continue it's the contrary! I found that to be very refreshing and intriguing! This is one book that definitely captures every fiber in your being and threatens to set it aflame!
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Short BiographyMy name is Devynn, I'm a 18 year old girl who resides in sunny Southern California. Most of my time is spent with my nose stuck in a book or on the back of a horse. I love the outdoors and hiking, specifically in the spring when everything is blooming and beautiful! Archives
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