Mind the cliff - this ends in a major cliffhanger! Other than that though it was a good fantasy with a bit of romance. Thank you so much to the publisher for allowing me to be an ARC reader. Will definitely be interested in reading the sequel

Where do I even begin ??!!!!
This book took me through a rollercoaster of emotions and honestly I loved every second of it. From the beautifully descriptive world building to the extensive different characters we meet through out the book, I just loved it all.

Each and every character was such a fun experience to get to know with all their different personalities and pov’s. At first I thought it was a bit much since we get like 4-5 different characters pov, but honestly it ended up making the book that much more enjoyable since we could see the story unravel from all different perspectives. It did take me a few chapters to be fully immersed in it but it definitely got easier as I went on.

THE PLOT TWISTS !!!! OMG I don’t even know how to explain the emotions I went through especially in that last 10% of the book ….. 🤯🤯🤯 really trying not to spoil anything here but when I tell you please just persevere, if you feel like you want to dnf … DONT ! I promise it’s so worth it.

It truly is a beautiful enemies to lovers, slow-buurrrnnnnn, with revenge and dark magic and if you enjoy any of those tropes then you’ll love this. It is also so much more than just a romantasy. There is so many different elements to it, like political intrigue almost like a high fantasy story, as it has so many different kingdoms all with their own unique lands and laws and people. There’s the story line of war and power which took me a little while to figure out who was who but I got there in the end 😅.

There’s some spice in it as well and I think it was the perfect amount for this story. It wasn’t too explicit like some adult fantasy books I’ve read I’d give it a 2/5 on a spice rating. The perfect amount to keep you giddy and content. I just loved Ash Acherons character, whenever that man said a sentence my heart just melted for him 🤭

I cannot wait for this to be out in the world for everyone to enjoy and hopefully love as much as I did and just remember not everyone is who they seem to be 😏🤫❤️‍🔥

A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash by J.F. Johns is the first book in the Kingdom of Gods series and if you like Fantasy with a bit of romance, consider picking this one up.

Mal Blackburn is our fmc and she belongs to the Kingdom of Shadow. Although she is something of an anomaly. See, she was born a fourth child of the king and queen and they never have a fourth child so Mal has never really had a place. But because the eight kingdoms have not spoken for one hundred years after destroying the land of the witches, Mal now has a task and role. She will end the feud between the kingdoms by marrying the fire prince. There's just one problem - Mal has been told a prophecy and that she is a key to it all. To end the curse that was placed on the kingdoms, Mal has to kill the fire prince, not marry him.

The Fire Prince - Ash has secrets but he is known across the lands for being cruel. If people only knew the truth. He hides behind that reputation so no one will ever know that he can't speak well in front of audiences. He has always relied on his sister to get him through situations he can't handle and when he is introduced to Mal, he knows things won't be easy but he's drawn to her.

As Mal and Ash begin to grow closer, the question becomes whether Mal will be able to do what she needs to do to end the curse or if her feelings for Ash will get in the way. Add to that, the witches, who have been looking for revenge against the kingdoms since everyone turned on them one hundred years ago, are getting stronger and it becomes clear that they are a bigger danger than anyone truly thought they were.

This one was a bit of a slow start for me. It's about 30% before Mal is even ready to leave her kingdom so you spend quite a bit of time in her head learning about her and her kingdom. Which is fine but just be prepared. Additionally, you get a lot of different perspectives in this book. Not only do you get Mal and Ash but you also get Kai (Mal's brother), Alina (Ash's brother), Vera (A witch), and a whole host of others...it was a lot of varying perspectives around what was going on.

Overall, it was a good start to this series and I will pick up the next book of the series to see what happens next. There was an interesting twist at the end that made it hard to put down and based on who was left, I need to know what their next move is. If you're looking for a Fantasy that has dragons, wyverns, action, and romance, consider picking this one up.

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for providing me with an earc for an honest review. This book comes out on May 31.

I enjoyed this book. Fun, entertaining. Really love Mal as a main character. I'm not too keen on Ash but we will see with the sequel. There is also another couple besides the two main characters which is nice. I kind of like that couple love story development more. I can't gice it 4 stars cause I was bored at some points cause it took awhile to arrive to the plot. But I still enjoyed this book.

I enjoyed some parts of this, though it does seem pretty similar to other well-known fantasy series. There were almost too many characters in this for my liking. It wasn't hard to keep up with, but I found myself disconnected from them. There are abrupt changes between chapters and POV's, and it made the story feel disjointed at times. The vibe is dark and dreary and this ends in a brutal cliffhanger. I'm not sure if I would recommend. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

First I want to say a 3 star read is still a good read. Second I want to say thank you to NetGalley for the e-ARC

A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash by J.F. Johns delivers total fantasy vibes—think royal drama, magical secrets, and that classic chosen-one energy we all know and love. The cover was the first thing that pulled me in—beautiful and atmospheric, it set the perfect tone for what was to come.
The world-building was thoughtful and immersive; you can tell a lot of care went into crafting this kingdom. While the pacing started off slow, once the story found its rhythm, it became genuinely hard to put down. Not every chapter was a page-turner, but there were definitely moments that pulled me in and kept me engaged.
The main character had some strong moments, and there's clear potential for even more depth as the series continues. Though it’s not my favorite fantasy read, it’s a solid addition to the genre with some unique elements and enjoyable twists.

Thank you to NetGalley for gifting me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 Stars!

Firstly, a huge thank you to NetGalley and J.F. Johns for the opportunity to read an early copy of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash. I really did not think that I'll be accepted for the request and I have to say that I was very shocked of how good the book had turned out to be!

A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash starts off strong with a witch’s curse that instantly pulled me in. The story is written in third person but with multiple POVs, which I really liked because it gave me a look into different characters’ thoughts and made the story feel bigger. What I loved the most was the snippets of Tabitha's diary entry at the start of every chapter and hearing about her story breaks me truly.

Let's talk about the characters:
- Mal: I loved her! She’s strong, knows what she wants, and doesn’t just follow what others tell her to do. She’s also surrounded by a super loving and supportive family, which was such a nice surprise in a fantasy book. Her bond with her siblings and parents felt so real and warm.
- Ash: This character was surprisingly soft-spoken and not cruel like how other houses had perceived him to be. And you know what we love about imperfect characters??? Ash has a stutter and he always fear others judging him, I feel so personally connected to his character because of this!
- Kai and Alina: My favorite in this book! I love that we get to see quite a lot of the second lead couple in this book because their own story is so intriguing. The dynamic between them is actually more interesting than our main couple in my opinion, but nevertheless I enjoyed both very much. I didn’t expect to get so attached to them, but wow. Their slow-burn, forbidden tension?? It wrecked me in the best way. Their tension was on another level!

What hit hard in this book was how Mal is suddenly thrown into the Drakonian world, with the marriage oath, where women are treated SO differently.In Drakonian society, women are expected to obey the men, stay quiet, and basically just fall in line. The complete opposite of how Mal was raised — with independence, respect, and the freedom to choose her own path. Watching her confront that oppression, push back against it, and REFUSE to accept that this is “just how things are”? Gave me chills. You can really feel her frustration and how deeply wrong it all is. This part of the world building added so much weight to the story.

Also, can we talk about how well this book is written?? The way scenes are described made everything play like a movie in my head, and I have to say that barely happens with me. The world feels alive. From the clothes to the dragons to the political system.

The pacing in this book was done very nicely, and the last ten chapters were INTENSE. I was glued to the page. The twists, the reveals, Mal’s true identity?? I gasped. And that ENDING.

Some other comments I have:
- Spice: Barely there but done perfectly. Subtle, emotional, and totally earned.
- Quotes: So many lines that hit deep! Especially the ones from the male characters. They are all SO DOWN BAD for their love interests and it’s everything.
- Cover: GORGEOUS! Mysterious, magical, and stunning. I need this on my shelf ASAP.

Final Thoughts: A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash gave me everything. From a strong heroine, emotional slow-burn romances, a rich magical world, to the serious commentary on power and gender roles. The tension. The twists. The characters I can’t stop thinking about. I’m so excited for what comes next.

If you love these tropes, you need to read this book!
🖤 Dragons / Wyverns / Magic
🖤 Enemies to lovers
🖤 Slow burn
🖤 Arranged marriage
🖤 Forbidden romance
🖤 Found family vibes + sibling love
🖤 Down bad male characters

Wow! This book was incredible!

The world in which the book is set is so unique and well crafted. It was fascinating to read about!

The story is full of tropes we all love and i love that multiple POVs are followed so we can see multiple different stories unfold weaved within the main plot.

The main characters are fab, and I especially love the portrayal of the MMC and his speech impediment. I thought this was a really lovely change to the usual types of MMC’s we always get from books❤️

And that ending😱 incredibleee!!

Thankyou so much to netgalley and the author for letting me read this early!! I cannot wait to see what else this series has to offer!

I actually enjoyed this more than I expected to! I thought the writing was good, with lots of good description and world building. I liked the characters and the plot was easy to follow and I thought it was interesting. We follow our FMC who has to marry the prince to keep peace, but there are other intentions from both sides behind this! I loved the influence from other well known fantasy books I’ve read, and I am a sucker for anything that has witches / wyrverns / dragons etc!

My only criticism is I would have liked the pace to be a bit quicker as it was a little slow at times but other than that it was a solid read for me!

Thank you to NetGalley for proving me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first ever Arc read, and I was NOT disappointed!

The STUNNING cover had me requesting this book as soon as I seen it!! I have not read any J. F. Johns books before.

The beginning was a bit slow for me, I would say the first 30%-50%ish I was not sure how this was going to go. But I would say after that I was basically transported into the book and couldn’t put it down. I love third person writing so I enjoyed the writing in this book and thought it was pretty well written. This book has dark magic, hidden & unknown identities, arrange marriage, wyverns, dragons, witches, and fae and tons of magical creatures.

The FMC Mal was great, I loved her and really connected with her character. She was bad ass, fierce, sassy, and smart! I’m not sure I loved our Mmc Ash… I loved the vulnerability we see from him but I think it was almost a bit too much. Mal was just saving his ass much too often. I wanted to see the same fierceness and ability to hold his own and I think that fell a little flat for me.

I feel like I was left craving for more relationship building between them and I just never got it. It felt YA but with 2 “spicy” scenes and I don’t know that I would really call them spicy. There just wasn’t that SIZZLING connection between them for me.

Overall this had a slow start but such a strong finish! I think this was well written and I hope to get my hands on a physical copy for a shelf trophy!! Thank you for allowing me to read this!

A Kingdom of Shadow & Ash by J.F. Johns

Thank you NetGalley & J.F.Johns for allowing me the opportunity to be an ARC reader for this book.
This book took a minute to hook me but once it did I couldn’t put it down. The stunning cover is what drew me to this book.
Lots of twists & turns, secrets & betrayals.
The way this book goes from person to person and kingdom to kingdom made it hard for me to truly connect with the book which is what dropped my rating a little.
It is a great read just stick with it I’m hoping the second book goes more in depth with certain characters and their history’s like Tabitha and more detail about the different kingdoms.

Thank you to J. F. Johns & Netgalley for this ecopy.

I have not read anything else by this author, but it is mentioned that this particular novel is part of their Eternal Darkness universe, which could be why some things don't seem fully fleshed out.

I was thoroughly enjoying the first about 60% of the book. I was intrigued to find out more about the world, and Mal and her kin. I did not mind the world building at all and the last 15% also had me enraptured. HOWEVER -- the 70-85% mark seemed out of the blue for me. I don't know if I missed context or just wasn't connecting with Mal & Ash's relationship well, but it gave off insta-love aspects after they were supposed to hate each other. Like they fought once and that's all it took for Mal ?? Seemed a little out of character for me personally, so I was entirely thrown off by that.

I wasn't a fan of Alina & Ash's sibling relationship from the start. It gave off that Alina was in love with her brother more than just cared about him fiercely in my opinion. She just seemed too jealous with no real cause because Mal quite literally wasn't doing anything but being forced into a marriage. Especially at he beginning. I get that Alina was helping him speak because of his stutter and it was all for his image, it just seemed like a lot.

I felt like there was just one too many POVs; I do understand why there are so many, it was just a lot for a first book that I wasn't anticipating. Wren's POV with her wordage absolutely sent me off the edge. I understand having a character with an accent, but there were a whole lot of "ye"'s, "ya"'s and various cut back language that just was hard for me to read honestly. It's like if someone with a Scottish accent actually wrote down exactly, word for word what they were saying without "proper" english language sentence adjustment. Just was not for me.

I very much loved the history and world building / family lore we got from the Kingdom of Shadow / the Blackburns. The wyverns were a hit for me and I genuinely loved that every kingdom had their own animal or thing that was attributed to them, like the dragons and the basically pegasus'; loved those details.

A LOT happened at the VERY end that had me hanging on to every word. Some twists and turns I definitely didn't see coming which I always enjoy. in books. J. F. Johns writes very poetically, so there is lots of descriptive language and breaking down of visual things, which I definitely appreciated.

I will be interested to see where this story goes!

Why can I only do 5 stars?

I was so excited to get this ARC and get into reading. The cover art sucked me in and the story never disappointed.

Sure, parts of the plot gave me deja vu from other romantasy reads - but let’s be real, I didn’t care.

This book is my ROMAN EMPIRE! I spent 10 minutes just saying, “I am not ok” when I finished.

Every character is unique and well defined. Johns gives you time with so many of the players in the story that you don’t feel like book is all about 1 person.

And the world building is WOAHHHHH. The magic, the creatures, the different races of people. So perfectly detailed and presented.

There is intrigue, there is love, there is loss, there is betrayal, there is deceit. I will never stop recommending this book.

This book dared me to stop reading ... and I couldn’t. I’ve never made some many highlights in a book before. My only problem is .... where is book 2?

It took me a little while to get into this book and fully understand the magic system, but once I did, I was hooked. What started as a slow burn quickly turned into an emotional rollercoaster I couldn’t put down.

Mal, the fourth-born royal of the Wyvarian kingdom, is sent to marry Prince Ash of the Fire Kingdom in a last-ditch effort to repair a broken alliance. But beneath the political arrangement lies a deeper, more dangerous purpose—an ancient curse that Mal knows is her responsibility to break. Determined to remain distant and complete her mission quickly, she plans to be in and out of the Fire Kingdom within two weeks, even if it means plotting her new husband’s death before they’ve ever met.

Ash is a mystery. He comes across as cold and cruel at first, but it soon becomes clear that his silence is not due to indifference—his voice itself is dangerous. The more he speaks, the more risk he poses, making his quiet demeanor a form of protection, not detachment. And yet, from the beginning, Ash is drawn to Mal. Slowly, carefully, he steps out of his comfort zone to connect with her, and what follows is a gorgeously written, slow-building romance full of tension and tenderness.

As Mal and Ash begin to unravel each other’s walls, the stakes only rise. Bound by duty yet torn by love, both are faced with the knowledge that only one may survive. With the curse’s deadline looming and the Witch Kingdom rising in power, choices must be made—and sacrifices are inevitable.

If you’re looking for a fantasy romance that blends high stakes, rich lore, and unforgettable characters with just the right amount of spice, this book delivers in every way.

I was so excited based on the blurb, the cover and the comps, to start this book. This was comped to be "Perfect for Fans of Fourth Wing, The Bridge Kingdom, and Serpent & Dove!", with two feuding kingdoms, and a marriage between a shadow princess and fire prince to end that feud. So I went in expecting spicy romantasy, with hot tension, lot's of chemistry, and a little bit of cool magic. I think that was my first mistake. The comps really do a disservice to this book, sadly. Because this was nothing I was expecting, and kinda in a bad way.

A kingdom of shadow and ash tried to be romantasy, and at the same time have politics, lush world building, lot's of povs, and interesting prophesies. And I think that's were it failed. I loved the premise, and the world building. Eight different kingdoms, with special magic systems, different species of magical animals, different customs - and a war hundred years ago, that stopped all communication between them, until Mal is set to marry the Fire Prince. It sounds so good right?

But in reality we get, a lot of pov characters, a prophesy that doesn't really make sense, little to no romance and tension/chemistry between characters*, slow explaining of everything, and 400 pages of nothing happening. I didn't care about any of the characters, or their motivations. Very many of the characters had a very black/white morals or thinking. And most had no reasons or motivations to do what they did. Because of that it felt like there was no clear plot at the starting 60% of the book.

And the book was so slow. Everytime I felt that something was happening, it just ended abruptly. it took around 80% of the book that something actually happened. Sadly, because I didn't really care about lot of the characters, I didn't care about the plot twist and revelations of the end either.

*more about the romance: the little romance we have, seem to be hate to love, in literal days, because to my understanding this whole book happens in the span of like two weeks. we don't get to see any tension, any crushes on anything like that. All the couples that just need to love each other or be together, are together instantly when needed, with no proper back up. Also one character - Wren - acts and feels like a child (I don't know if her age is actually mentioned, but based on the way she is talking about her little sisters and brothers, I feel like she has to be at least 18) , but also to my understanding is to be a love interest to an adult.

I'm so sad that this book didn't end up be what I was hoping for, but if you're looking for a fantasy book, with politics, prophesies and a hundred year old curse, this might be for you. Just don't go into this book thinking it will be similar to fourth wing.

2,5 stars.

Honestly.. the fact that they eat rotten food is really gross. 😅
However the plot, especially in the later half of the book is what made me stay up too late reading to see what's next.

ARC provided by NetGalley (thank you!)

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Firstly the cover is stunning. I’m definitely purchasing the physical copy as a trophy for my shelves!

I really enjoyed my time reading this book. I loved all of the characters we followed especially Mal. I felt like I could put this down! I cannot wait for the second book!!

Kingdom Of Shadow & Ash

⭐️4 stars!

♦️ Badass, likable FMC
♦️ Witches, wyverns, dragons, & dark magic!
♦️ 3rd person POV
♦️ Arranged marriage/forced proximity
♦️ Enemies to lovers

Mal is the 4th child of the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Shadow. This is unusual, as traditionally in their kingdom royalty only had 3 children. Mal agrees to marry the prince from a kingdom they have rivaled, the Kingdom of Fire. However she knows once she married him, she’ll have to kill him to break a century long curse. As the story goes on, more questions come up about Mal, the Prince, the curse, and who to trust.

This story really hooked me in! It is in 3rd person POV, which typically I struggle with but didn’t bother me here. You’ll like this if you enjoy court/political intrigue with fantasy, forbidden love, and enemies to lovers. The minor characters and side plots in this story stand out. Both the FMC and MMC have strong sibling bonds that I loved and add emotional weight. There are clear seeds planted for future character arcs, especially for more of the minor characters, and I’m excited to see where the series goes!

At times, the pacing felt uneven and the characters a bit flat, but the ending really picked up with a twist that left me eager for more. I’ll definitely continue the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I freaking loved this book! It had everything I love in a romantasy!

This story was so complex, with so many sub plots. I found myself with emotional connections to so many of the characters. The world building and back story is very well done, detailed but not overwhelming or repetitive. We follow Mal Blackburn, the youngest daughter of the King and Queen of the Wyvernians, who is to be given in marriage to Ash Archeron, the Fire Prince of the Draconians, to help establish peace. She's been told her whole life that he is ruthless, but obviously there's more to the story. We are quickly swept into a tale filled with surprises as we follow the political machinations of the witches, Wyvernians, and Draconians.

I loved the romance in this book. It started out slow burn, with our characters really getting to know and understand each other. With twists I didn't see coming, this book kept me on the edge of my seat!

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this book at 20%. The writing was a struggle to get through for sure. It felt very green in my opinion.