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Title: A Shadow Bright and Burning
Subtitle: Kingdom on Fire, Book 1
Author: Jessica Cluess
Narrator: Fiona Hardingham
Format: Unabridged
Length: 12 hrs and 49 mins
Language: English
Release date: 09-20-16
Publisher: Listening Library
Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 175 votes
Genres: Teens, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Publisher's Summary:
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' spellbinding fantasy introduces a powerful, unforgettable heroine and a world filled with magic, romance, and betrayal. For fans of Libba Bray, Sarah J. Maas, and Cassandra Clare.
Critic Reviews:
"Henrietta is pragmatic and bitingly funny, and she more than holds her own in a man's world. Cluess gamely turns the chosen-one trope upside down in this smashing dark fantasy." (Publishers Weekly)
Members Reviews:
perfect for this time of year
This book is a perfect mix of magic, mystery, friendship (just thinking about what Rook and Henrietta have gives me all the warm feels) and creepiness (I say this as someone who absolutely can't handle horror so some people probably won't find this all that creepy but there was one sentence that really creeped me out, just thinking about the words and the way the narrator said them gives me chills). If people are looking for romance they really aren't gonna find any here, I mean there is kind of romance but also not, it can easily be dismissed and I liked it like that. I liked the fact that in my opinion it was all about friendship, the friendship between Rook and Henrietta but also the friendship between Henrietta and the other sorcerers. I did have some problems with Henrietta, but nobody is perfect. Overall I really liked it and recommend it to everyone!
Definitely has potential...
Any additional comments?
I liked the overall concept of this story although sometimes the characters annoyed me. I think I like one of them and then they go and do something stupid and have to redeem themselves. It was really up and down throughout the entire book but I think it has a lot of potential to become a great series.
Meh. Pride and prejudice meets Harry Potter? Not really
The story started off great. But it ended up dragging. I actually skipped through the last 1.5. The story has promise, and might come together next book. But I hate when a mystery drags on too long. The relationships didn't develop enough and romance some what flat. I'm shocked I'm not really giving it a good review. Because I love Fiona Hardingham. I could try to rethink k this book. It just seemed like they had a great idea but then met writers block and we had to sit through it too.
Excellent
This is the best story and narration that Ive experienced in a long while.
