A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash tells the story of Mal and Ash, who are about to be married to bring the eight kingdoms closer together.

The story is told from many different perspectives, which I really enjoyed. I also loved the overall concept. However, I felt that much of the story was told rather than shown, which made the beginning less engaging for me. Additionally, the enemies-to-lovers storyline didn’t feel very believable.

The last 30% of the book was excellent and sets up the next book really well.

Thank you to the author and net galley for providing me with an e-ARC for an honest review

4⭐ Exciting first book in a series by an indie author to watch and cant wait for book 2!
Tropes:
📖 Enemies to lovers
📖 He falls first
📖 Shadow Mumma
📖 Some spice 🌶️
📖 Dragons and Wyverns
📖 Political scheming and secrets
📖 Magic

Plot (avoiding spoilers) :
Mal Blackburn is sent to marry the Cruel Prince of the House of Fire to rebuild alliences with another kingdom. However she is sent with the intention to kill him to break a secret curse places on the kingdoms.

What I loved:
- I loved the story of the side characters Kai Blackburn and Alina Acheron, in fact for me, they were the characters I felt the most invested in. I really hope that book 2 will show us more of their relationship and Alina's character growth.
- The FMC was the shadow mumma with the "burn the world for him" vibes
- The world building and back story was well crafted and kept my invested in the storyline
-excellent side characters as mentioned above (Wren was a personal favourite especially her relationship with Kage)
- the ending was excellent and I went straight to find out when book 2 will come out!

What I disliked:
- this may be controversial, but I didn't like the MMC as a character. I found the stutter very off putting (don't come for me) and didn't add anything to the storyline. I felt the switch from enemy to lover felt forced and out of the blue. I would have much preferred some angst between the MMC and FMC- writing in first person would have helped massively I think.
- The Tabitha sections at the beginning of the story didn't make much sense and I felt the time line was all over the place with that.. I found myself skipping these.
- The book was about 100 pages too long in my opinion. The pace felt quite slow at tine until the last 25%.

Overall take away:
This is an exciting first book in what I think will be a great series. It is definitely a book that felt like a slower introduction into an epic story line (gave from blood and ash vibes in that sense!) will I read book 2? Absolutely! Would I recommend this? Yes!

4.5⭐ Thank you to J.F. Johns & NetGalley for this eARC! Chaotic review ahead:

Firstly the cover?! Instant yes.

Mal Blackburn the fourth born of the Kingdom of Shadows is tasked to break a 100 year curse by murdering her betrothed Ash. The arranged marriage trope here is executed perfectly and I LOVED reading how this relationship unfurled. Despite this pairing being the main plot line I couldn’t help but love the yearning between Kai Blackburn, (the fierce protective brother to Mal) and Alina. Their story of duty vs desire was heartbreaking💔

This book felt like it had everything?
-Powerful FMC
-Multiple love stories to invest yourself in
-Sibling bonds to love
-So many mythical/ fantasy creatures
-Witches/ magic
-Rival kingdoms/ political alliances
-Interesting side characters

I really really enjoyed this plot and actually was engrossed in almost every character which I think has a lot to do with the multi povs!
I thought the 8 different kingdoms with various characters and overlaps between them would be confusing but I found it very game of thrones-esq and loved learning about the history between the warring kingdoms and how that impacts all the alliances.

Plot twist I didn’t see coming too?! ✔️

Finally, I loved the diary entries from Tabitha’s pov at the start of each chapter which tells her story around the curse 100 years prior in parallel to the main plot.

This is set out to be a very captivating and binge worthy series! Can I have the next book please🫢 xx

Wow, I was truly blown away by this book. It gives "Shadows Between Us" mixed with "A Touch of Darkness" with a sprinkle of Manon Blackbeak and FBAA romance. The FMC Mal and MMC Ash were likable and have a forced marriage relationship slow enemies to lovers that you can root for. I was completely obsessed, however, with two of the side characters more and would love to see more of Alina and Kai.
Plot was beautiful, spice was 🌶️🌶️🌶️/5 (we had an Elide Lorcan moment sadly) and I wish there was more, it wouldve definitely added to the burning chemistry. The story moved at a good pace and the world-building was manageable and not overwhelming at all.
I cannot wait for book 2 and book 1 hasnt even been published yet.
There's nothing I would change except to give me more spice! Well, maybe make the map more detailed too, like a true cartographer's map.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this.

This is a fantasy filled with enemies to lovers, curses, revenge plots, dragons and more!!! I still can’t get over the end of this books!! Need the second book ASSP. The world building was a little confusing, but the characters will pull you in. Our main characters are Mal Blackburn and Ash Acheron. Mal is a princess of the Kingdom of Darkness. She has to go through an arranged marriage to Ash Acheron, the Fire Prince. A prophecy puts them in each other’s paths. I enjoyed the dynamic between the two, especially as they got to know one another with feelings behind it. The enemies to lovers energy eats!! Looking forward to seeing where this series goes!!

Who doesn't love the start of a new obsession?! Here you go, everyone… You're welcome!

Mal Blackburn, princess of the Kingdom of Darkness, knows what she must do. She must go through with her arranged marriage to Ash Acheron, the Fire Prince. The prophecy demands it. But Ash isn’t the cruel, hardened prince of legend—he’s kind, and he looks at her with such softness. Ultimately with a war against the witches looming, Mal has to do whatever it takes to protect her people… even if that means killing the man she was never supposed to love.

Some books are a fast-paced romp, but this book holds weight. This book is rich, ominous, and as beautiful in its darkness as in its light. It is a complete and fully realized world that I soaked up and found myself languishing in. I took my time with this read, so I was able to absorb and digest every word and nuance.

First off, I love the dynamic: the dark princess forced to marry the light fire prince. You don’t see that often, and I adored the switch-up. Mal is stunning—both in her insecurities and in her confidence. She’s fierce and stabby, with a power she’s only just beginning to tap into. But her real strength lies in her heart. Ash is the classic hot, strong, golden-boy prince—but what makes him unforgettable are his vulnerabilities: his anxiety, his stutter. I loved seeing that kind of representation in a male main character. It made him feel so real.

Every character was treated with care and given a vibrant, distinct voice. When side characters don’t feel like side characters—and I’m eagerly scanning each scene for a glimpse of them—you’ve officially won me over. It takes a delicate hand to craft an intricate plot without letting it spiral into chaos, and this book nailed it. It was an intricately woven masterpiece.

And the ending? I was gasping, crying, pacing, yelling. At one point, my daughter crawled into my lap to comfort me. So, like I said earlier… obsessed.

I got an arc, but my rating/review are my own!

I was not expecting the last part of this book😮😮😮 normally this happens in book 3 in a series not in the first one 😮😮 was a good change!!
and all the plot twist's??? I'm still not over this book and i do infact need the next one asap!!!🤧🤧🤧


quotes:
••
"𝕾𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖇𝖊 𝖒𝖞 𝖜𝖎𝖋𝖊. 𝕴 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖓𝖔𝖙 𝖙𝖗𝖊𝖆𝖙 𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖉𝖎𝖘𝖗𝖊𝖘𝖕𝖊𝖈𝖙. 𝕾𝖍𝖊 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖇𝖊 𝖙𝖍𝖊 𝖋𝖚𝖙𝖚𝖗𝖊 𝖖𝖚𝖊𝖊𝖓."
••
"𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓭𝓸 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓪𝓼𝓴 𝓺𝓾𝓮𝓼𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷𝓼. 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓶𝓪𝓴𝓮 𝓭𝓮𝓶𝓪𝓷𝓭𝓼."
"𝓖𝓸𝓸𝓭 𝓷𝓲𝓰𝓱𝓽, 𝓕𝓲𝓻𝓮 𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮."
••
"𝕯𝖔 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖙 𝖘𝖔𝖒𝖊𝖙𝖍𝖎𝖓𝖌, 𝖕𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊?"
"𝕯𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊?"
"𝕰𝖝𝖈𝖚𝖘𝖊 𝖒𝖊?"
"𝖂𝖔𝖚𝖑𝖉 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖉𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖒𝖊?"
"𝕬𝖗𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖘𝖚𝖗𝖊 𝖞𝖔𝖚 𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖙 𝖙𝖔 𝖉𝖆𝖓𝖈𝖊 𝖜𝖎𝖙𝖍 𝖘𝖚𝖈𝖍 𝖆 𝖉𝖊𝖒𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖎𝖓𝖌 𝖕𝖗𝖎𝖓𝖈𝖊𝖘𝖘?
••
"𝓦𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻."
"𝓣𝓱𝓪𝓽 𝔀𝓸𝓾𝓵𝓭 𝓭𝓲𝓼𝓪𝓹𝓹𝓸𝓲𝓷𝓽 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂."
"𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓷𝓸𝓽 𝓶𝓪𝓻𝓻𝓲𝓮𝓭 𝓽𝓸 𝓶𝔂 𝓯𝓪𝓶𝓲𝓵𝔂. 𝓨𝓸𝓾 𝓪𝓻𝓮 𝓶𝔂 𝔀𝓲𝓯𝓮"
"𝓦𝓮𝓪𝓻 𝔂𝓸𝓾𝓻 𝓸𝔀𝓷 𝓭𝓻𝓮𝓼𝓼𝓮𝓼, 𝓹𝓻𝓲𝓷𝓬𝓮𝓼𝓼."
"𝓐𝓼 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝔀𝓲𝓼𝓱, 𝓱𝓾𝓼𝓫𝓪𝓷𝓭."
••

tropes:
☆🍁 dark romantasy
☆🍁 enemies to lovers
☆🍁 forced proximity
☆🍁arranged marriage
☆🍁 magical creatures
☆🍁 dark magic
☆🍁gods
☆🍁prophecies
☆🍁3rd multiple povs

Oh I loved this book so much 🤎
The story revolves around Mal Blackburn who has to marry the fire prince (Ash Acheron). She is an anomaly as wyverians don't have more that 3 children and she is 4th with the eyes of a witch. Mal accepts because she believes in the prophecy of the chosen and the cursed, her being the chosen and Ash the cursed, and she has to plunge a dagger in his heart.
Mal leaves her home with all her siblings and meets all the other princesses and princes (the lands have been kept separated since the great war so they don't know eachother).
Once Mal gets to know Ash more she falters in her decision of killing him and their love story is so sweet.
The prophecy is very vague and nobody knows what's going on exactly but it's so sweet to see them work it out together, and it has such a plot twist at the end. I loved how it unraveled.
This story is dark, pacing is very good, multiple POVs, it has magic, gods, curses, shadow familiars, dragons, wyverns, fae, great female characters and lovely men who like strong women. There is just so much that happens in this book. I don't think I was bored once.
Would recommend 1000000%
4⭐️ because sometimes the writing style breaks you out of the story, and 5 stars I reserve for great classics. But I think that's just me. Would read again, and considering getting a physical copy 🤎

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5 stars)

This fantasy was so cool and addictive! A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash is packed with everything I love—curses, revenge plots, enemies-to-lovers vibes, and DRAGONS. Mal Blackburn is the kind of fierce, complicated heroine I instantly root for, and the slow burn tension between her and the fire prince? Chef’s kiss. 👑🔥

The world-building was dark and atmospheric without being overwhelming, and the twists kept me on my toes. Everyone’s hiding something, which made it impossible to stop reading. If you’re into witchy power plays, morally grey royalty, and fantasy that feels fresh but easy to get into, this one definitely deserves a spot on your TBR!

3.5 ⭐️
This was a difficult book to review because there are a lot of things that I like and enjoyed along with a few that I didn’t. This book started out as a real slow burn with a lot of character-driven story progression but the last 30% was explosive with so much happening it was hard to keep up with.

This was a fun, explosive start to a romantasy series. It had all the elements one needs in a fantasy including court intrigue, romantic tension, familiars, dragons, wyverns, witches, and a decent story line that keeps you intrigued and constantly guessing what’s to come.

The main characters romance plot was just ok and, although it’s supposed to be enemies to lovers, it didn’t really feel like that. There just wasn’t enough yearning and chemistry between them. I wanted more from them as the main characters of the story. The better love story came from the secondary characters and I kept wanting to read more about them than the actual main characters.

One of my critiques here is the author’s writing style. It’s written in 3rd person POV and jumps around to a lot of different characters without much of an indication as to who we’re initially reading about. Her writing left a lot to the imagination with things left unsaid and needed to be inferred by the reader. It felt disjointed at points in that some passages were full of detail that allowed the words to easily lift off the pages to form vivid and descriptive images of the story, while others left too many words left unsaid. It was a bit strange and hard to get used to, particularly towards the end where so much is happening.

The pacing of the story also felt off as if it didn’t flow naturally, it felt choppy with some parts very slow-going while others that went for fast if gave me whiplash. It just felt a bit fragmented.

With all that being said, I’ll probably still read the next book because the cliffhanger has me intrigued enough to want to know what happens to these characters.

A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash is a romantasy with all of the elements we love as readers. A fierce wyvern-flying heroine, a brooding and misunderstood prince. An ancient curse and, of course, all manner of political intrigues between the Kingdoms.

I had a little trouble getting into the world building in the beginning (because I came off a string of contemporary romances.) But quite quickly, both the characters and world building became the things to pull me in.

The writing was beautiful, and it painted a very vivid picture in my head. The phrasing was almost poetic at times. It helped me become invested in the characters and their outcomes.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

Where to begin? I haven’t felt this kind of feral, page turning rush from a fantasy since One Dark Window by Rachel Gillig. This book resurrected me from the ashes and launched me straight into a kingdom brimming with secrets and slow burn peril.

The multi-POV format was chef’s kiss. Each perspective added richness and tension, layering the stakes and hinting that something BIGGG is stirring just beneath the surface. You could feel that buildup. And the love interests? Plural, of course. There’s a whole buffet of brooding, bold, morally grey delights to swoon over and I clearly wasn’t just rooting for one.

The world-building had bite. The magic system? Dark, dangerous, and delicious. And the characters? Fierce, flawed, and entirely unforgettable.

If I had to dock a point anywhere, it’d be the character names. A few of them felt a little too familiar, like echoes of other fantasy books. However, It didn’t take away from the thrill, but it did occasionally make me laugh.

Still, this book is fantastic. It’s fast paced, moody, sexy and cinematic as hell. I turned the final page breathless and desperate for the sequel. I immediately texted my book chat about this as soon as I was done!

The following review was posted to Goodreads on May 31, 2025:

"5 ⭐️

I can't even express how devastating it is to have loved a book THIS much but to be left with THIS big of a cliffhanger and have to wait so long for the next installment of the series -- meanwhile the first book only just released today. Okay, the pity party is over, but truthfully this was such an excellent read. Calling all Romantasy lovers, I have found your next summer read! I know we say not to judge a book by its cover, but in this case, the gorgeous cover art does match the incredible read within.

This is an enthralling story that will have you discovering an intriguing and fairly unique world and magic system in the most beautiful way. J.F. Johns' writing style is so immersive and lyrical, and there were some super surprising twists that had me gaping in shock. The characters have so much depth and, as a sister of someone with a speech impediment, the MMC having a stutter added a powerful personal connection for me that I wasn't anticipating. The author represented him struggling with his stutter and how others perceive him because of it so beautifully that it brought me to tears a couple times.

I will say that, while romance is definitely a part of this book, I would not say it is only one of the main plot points as this definitely leans a bit more into high fantasy than some of the other Romantasy books I've read. It's very plot forward and character driven, but there are a few romances going on throughout the story that are really beautiful. This book was light-er on spice, in my opinion, making it a 1.5 or 2 on the 🌶️ scale as well.

This story ends on such a crazy cliffhanger, that leaves me so ready for book #2. Thank you so much to NetGalley and J.F. Johns for the opportunity to read this ARC of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash!"

This review can also be found here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/7515694480

I absolutely devoured this book and truly have no negative feedback. I fell in love with these characters and this story so quickly and the author's writing style to thank for that. It was an absolutely beautiful read and I am already very emotionally invested in the characters. Can't wait to read book #2!

📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖

A Kingdom of shadow and ash
𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠: DNFed - 10%
𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐞: Low key... IDK didn't make it far

I really wanted to like this story becuase the cover is beautiful and the summary sounded amazing! I mean, who doesn't like a good enemies-to-lovers romance? Plus I really enjoyed the original witches' journal entries at the beginning of the chapters.

However, I only made it 10% in the book, and I think that the FMC mentioned she had purple eyes and was different than her family 1 time every other page.... I was so annoyed. I get it you had purple eyes like the witches. Move on with the story.

Thank you, Netgalley, for the opportunity to read this, but it wasn't for me, sadly.

Holy crap, what an amazing fantasy romance novel! I started it this morning and finished it in 6 hours, and I loved every minute of it. This book is classified as New Adult, Fantasy, and Romance and it fulfills all of those labels perfectly. This book made my chest hurt and my heart pound. The writing style is absolutely lush, everything is described beautifully but it's not tedious. The magic and and lore? Stunning. Tropes: slow burn, arranged marriage, enemies to lovers, and chosen one. I need the next book in the series yesterday. I truly don't understand how this author hasn't been snapped up by a big 5 publisher yet? Believe every good review you see, read this book, you will not regret it!

Thank you to the author J.F. Johns for providing a review copy of this book at no cost and with no obligation. I reviewed this book voluntarily, and all opinions are my own.

💥💥💥 Book Review 💥💥💥

A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash
By. J.F. Johns
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Stars

This book is one of the best Romantasy books that I have read in awhile. Do Not let this book pass you by. You will not regret it. The writing style is astonishing. The author brings the reader into the story with amazing world building and that you are experiencing the characters emotions/challenges firsthand.
A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash is a dark, addictive fantasy that had me at the first page. Every box was checked. If you like- dark addictive magic, murder, betrayal, political games, romance, spice, danger, far, witches, wyvern, witches, and dragons.
This story revolves around an arranged marriage between kingdoms and an ancient curse. There were so many plot twists that I did t see coming and had me absolutely screaming at my kindle. The cover art is what hooked me from the start. The second book needs to come out now! Lol Dont let this book drop to the waist side. Go read it NOW!! Everyone needs to have this book on there TBR!

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

This book? It ate. I was locked in from the first cursed marriage threat and never looked back. The pacing is fast, the world-building is layered but digestible, and the vibes are dark, tense, and magic-soaked. Mal is a sharp, emotionally guarded heroine who’s absolutely done with everyone’s bullshit, and I loved her for it. The whole “I might have to kill my husband” plotline? Instantly iconic. There’s betrayal, tension, political scheming, and just enough commentary on power and patriarchy to keep my little rage-fueled heart happy. I’m feral for the sequel. Let’s burn it all down.

Holy heck!

From the very first chapter, I knew this was going to be a five-star read - and it absolutely delivered! The story bursts from the first page with relentless energy, keeping you hooked with action, intrigue, banter, romance, and edge-of-your-seat suspense in equal measure.

What really stood out to me was the vivid, immersive writing—especially the Homeric similes, which painted stunning scenes in the book. The character dynamics shine - especially the sibling teasing which felt genuine and heartwarming. And the banter between characters? Top-tier. I couldn’t help but grin through every single interaction. The romantic tension was perfectly executed, with slow burns, sparks flying, and multiple romance threads to keep you emotionally invested (Kai, in particular, has my heart).

The story follows Mal, the FMC—a strong, unapologetic badass who you’ll root for every step of the way. Mal carries the weight of kingdoms on her shoulders: a prophecy, a curse, and a dark task that will test her, forcing her to make a terrible choice.

If you're craving a high fantasy that balances epic world-building with heart-clenching romance, this one’s a must-read. With tropes like enemies to lovers, court intrigue, slow-burn romance, and betrayal, I implore you: pick this one up. You won’t regret it. I’m already itching to dive into the next book— the twists at the end had my mouth gaping on the floor, goosebumps lining my skin and my head spinning. That cliffhanger? Brutal!!! It is going to haunt me until 'A Kingdom of Sand and Ice' is released!

This story was definitely giving me some A Court of Thorns and Roses vibes with all the different kingdoms, magic, a curse, etc., but also different enough that I didn't feel like I was reading the exact same story all over again!

This was incredible! From the start of the story I was intrigued with the world: the different kingdoms and their people, magic, curse and all the politics. I loved the world and all the magical creatured (companions), the writting style took some time to get used to, but it was amazing how so many storylines worked perfectly together. I loved all romance storylines and while Mal and Ash were the main focus of the story - I absolutely fell for Alina and Kai story. I also hope to see the romance storyline for Kage. Pretty please? The ending was insane and I need to know what happens next to all the characters who survived the hell the ending gave us.