A Shadow Bright and Burning Book Review

A Shadow Bright and Burning (Kingdom on Fire, #1)A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

One of my fave booktubers gushed about this book, and I just was not feeling it. Maybe because this book read more like a middle-grade novel? Although it was well written, I did not connect with any of the characters. It does, however, have an interesting magic system with cameos by classical magical creatures like trolls and elves. The mix of mystical gods, portals, magicians, etc, just felt like a hodgepodge of myth and magic. All this takes place in Victorian England, which as a history buff, all seems very appealing. The heroine’s struggle of being a teenage girl thrust into a male-dominated role as a sorcerer was interesting. However, her tendency to running away or out of a room during confrontations was a bit annoying and reminiscent of my nine-year-old daughter. I listened to this book on Scribd which probably made the book more entertaining than actually reading it.

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The Poppy War by R.F. Kuang Review

The Poppy WarThe Poppy War by R.F. Kuang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Look, I was in L-O-V-E with this book, to the point that I neglected my family to keep reading. Then something happened. I fell out of love, and I had to make myself finish this book. Rin went from this rationally irrational teenage go-getter to irrational foolish and full of rage. For the simple fact that I hated that digression, I give Kuang props for creating such a flawed character and being able to disappoint me so well. The writing is excellent , and I’m digging the historical fiction-ness (China/Japan) of this book, that’s mixed with a magical pantheon.

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