I am blown away by the world building and character development of this novel.

While the start felt a little slow for the first few chapters, when it picked up it had me absolutely hooked.

Mal's character has such beautiful depth, and then when Ash is introduced - the REAL Ash - I knew things were about to get really good. And I was right!

I can't say enough good things about this book - so I'm going to make a list of things I loved:
- character development
- Mal's entire family and their relationship
- side romantic plots
- creative and stunningly described inhabitants of the other kingdoms
(someone needs to do some fanart!!)
- captivating writing style
- unique plot and subplots
- beautiful love story

4⭐️

This book was truly captivating! The story follows Mal Blackburn, the fourth daughter of the Kingdom of Darkness. She has been sent to marry the prince from the Kingdom of Fire. However, her true mission is to kill the prince and break an ancient curse placed on the Kingdoms.

If you are a fan of dark fantasy, spice, enemies to lovers, magic, slow burn romance - you need this book!

Holy hell. A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash absolutely devoured me.

Dark magic? Wyverns? Forbidden love? Scheming, betrayal, political backstabbing? Yeah… this one had it ALL. I couldn’t stop reading. It grabbed me from page one and didn’t let go.

Mal Blackburn — the fourthborn princess from the Kingdom of Darkness — gets sent off to marry the Fire Prince to “unite” the kingdoms. Only… plot twist… she’s actually there to kill him, break an ancient curse, and save her people from a fate worse than death. And honestly? She might be one of my favorite fantasy leads ever. She’s ruthless, powerful, smart — no whining, no simpering, just straight-up badass.

The worldbuilding? Chef’s kiss. Wyverns, giant wolves, blood curses, kingdoms at war… and court intrigue that actually had me stressed. The perfect blend of violence, beauty, betrayal, and just enough soft moments to hit you right in the gut when you least expect it.

AND THE ENDING.
I won’t spoil anything, but — be warned — it’s brutal. It’s the kind of twist that has you screaming into your pillow at 2 a.m. And yes… I’m already counting the days until A Kingdom of Sand and Ice.

Also… unpopular opinion maybe? But I was WAY more invested in Kai and Alina than the main couple. Kai (Mal’s brooding brother with a heart of steel) and Alina had this slow-burn, tension-filled dynamic that low-key stole the show. He doesn’t just fall for her — he sees her, challenges her, and helps her break free from the cage her royal life trapped her in. I need more of them. Like… now.

If you’re into fierce heroines, enemies-to-lovers, forbidden romance, family drama, ancient magic, dragons, and political betrayal — this book’s gonna wreck you in the best way.

Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. Hands down one of my favorite fantasy reads this year.

The world building, the creative plot, the characters, this is the next fantasy book of the summer! I wish there was more people talking about it!
We've got a badass FMC and I love that the cover portrays that. This is an enemies to lovers, slow burn, betrayal, rebellion, twists, and so much more! Lets not forget all the different creatures like Wyvern, Valkyrie, and dragons (just to name a few). Definitely worth checking out!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the eARC.

I devoured this book. Everything about it was perfection. The cover is what drew me to it as I loveee character art on the front of covers!!

A bewitching gem among enemies-to-lovers tales, you are wondering until the last moment if they will fulfill the prophecy or find their own way to end the curse. To have glimpses into its origin story and star-crossed lovers thrown into the mix is also enriching. Solid world-building for sure. Thanks for this great experience!

I finished this book yesterday and i cannot stop thinking about it. This one really took me by surprise and i honestly loved it.
The world building is fantastic, so learn about the different realms and the people that live in them, the powers they have and obviously about the witches too. Then there are Dragons, Wyvern, Wolves, Phoenixes, basically magical creatures galore, which i was giddy about. There is a curse and prophecies that set the whole story in motion and what a wonderful adventure the book is.

There are two different romance storylines, one with an arranged marriage and the other is a forbidden love, both are so different and yet both are written so well.

There is a great found family element to this book which is always my favourite part of any book, but there are also lots of secrets and betrayals that keep the reader on their toes and all of the characters perspectives really grow and develop through the book which was really well done.

The story built really well throughout the book before reaching the climax and what an ending it was!! Wow.
I am now desperate for book two

I really enjoyed this book from the very beginning. Although at times I did find parts confusing the overall world building was really good and drew you straight in. I also loved the characters the FMC and MMC had you drawn into their story I can't wait to see what happens next.

I was conflicted about this book. I found it extremely hard to connect to the characters and therefore the plot because I found myself skimming and overalls not enjoying the book. That’s not to say the plot wasn’t great because it has amazing potential and the author did something original with it.

I enjoyed this book. The world building was fantastic. The main FMC was strong, The world interesting and the last 100 pages, I could t put down. I loved the MMC, I liked the fact that he was strong and cold, but also that he is unique. I loved the sibling bonds and the chemistry between all of them. I loved that this book had twists and turns that leave you gasping.
I did struggle a bit with following some of the story, and found it could be a little confusing, however I cannot wait for the next one!

Five. Freaking. Stars. If I could give six I would. I am still getting withdrawal symptoms from the last hundred pages of this book.

The worldbuilding in this book is everything I could ever ask for. Dragons? Check. Wyverns? Check. Direwolves? Check. Pegasus? Check. Phoenixes? Check. Fae? Check check check. This world that JF Johns has created is astounding, and her ability to weave them all together so harmoniously just makes it all the more special. Each kingdom’s residents have a distinctive feature and unique magical trait that separates them from each other. Obviously the fae have pointed ears and are especially attuned to nature, the valkyries live on islands suspended above the mainland and remain neutral in conflicts, the witches have purple eyes and when they wield magic there’s green smoke, but the WYVERIANS and the DRAKONIANS have freaking horns.

This story centers around Mal Blackburn, the fourthborn child of Wyverian royalty (an anomaly) and her secret quest to fulfil her destiny as the cursed one meant to kill the chosen one - Prince Ash Acheron, heir to the throne of a rival kingdom - whom she is betrothed to.

This book is more than that though. We have our enemies to lovers, forbidden love, arranged marriages, yearning and slow burn, cursed one x chosen one tropes but not just from the MMC and FMC, but from the SLEW of other fierce, kickbutt FEMALE characters that makes this story all the more special.

One other thing that really stood out for me is the way JF Johns writes about the bonds between siblings. Almost all of the characters we meet in the book have a sibling or sibling(s) who are fully and truly on their side, and it’s great to see the sibling bonds running strong throughout the book.

Book 2: A Kingdom of Sand and Ice comes out September this year (2025) and I’m already stoked to read this given all the possible plot points the author has set up at the end of book 1. It is going to be another amazing ride for sure!!!

Mal Blackburn is a wyvern rider who has to marry the fire prince to form an alliance between the fire and darkness kingdoms after the 8 kingdoms have been at war to eradicate the witch kingdom. Mal however has her own agenda, if she kills the fire prince then she can end the curse.

There is so much depth to this story, great plot twists, betrayals and romance and I cannot wait to see what happens in the following book. I really liked the sibling element of this book, especially the relationship between Kai and Mal. I also liked how we got flashbacks about how the curse came about and the war between the kingdoms and the witches.

Thank you to J. F. Johns and NetGalley for this free arc in return for an honest review.

I AM UNWELL!!!

What a read! What a main character! I was drawn in from the cover alone, and it did not steer me wrong because this book was so much more than I expected and could have hoped for!

Mal Blackburn is such an incredible FMC. Forced into marriage with the feared fire prince, Mal knows that there is more than one way to fulfill a prophecy and sometimes it's at the tip of a blade. The fourth-born daughter of her kingdom, Mal grapples with her identity and place amongst her family. I loved that she was never treated as an outsider, but that her family showed her unconditional support while she discovered her inner strength and purpose.

Mal's brother Kai nearly stole the show for me, he is such a multilayered character who you cannot help but continually root for and the way he centred Alina!?! Chef's Kiss!

Between the wyverns, witches, court intrigue, the FMC's stabby intentions, the TENSION and prophecy, this book has something for every fantasy reader. Thank you to the author and NetGalley for the ARC, and the chance to live in this story in exchange for an honest review.

wow wow wow wow wow wow if this book is not in my top books of the year I will be so surprised

Mal was an amazing main character to follow & I really her, she had a similar personality to manon from from TOG and the addition addition of wyverns really enhanced that. It was very interesting now she fit into her family & how she felt like har only value was to agree to the arranged marriage.

Ash was also a lovely character to follow, a very interesting love interest who also had his own motives. I really liked how lovely they showed what i assume is anxiety & panic attacks surround his stutter & how he slowly learned he didn't have to hide it.

I also loved all of the side characters, but we got so many POV's they didn't even feel like side characters, they were all so fleshed out had there own personalities and there own things going on.

This world already feels so big even from just this book & we only properly saw 2/8 kingdoms so I'm so excited to see even more with the characters we follow in the next book.

The plot was so vast and there was so much going on but it was all introduced slowly and in a way where it never felt overwhelming.

Absolutely loved it, Such an easy 5 stars!!

Thanks to @netgalley ,and the author for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Feel like this would be good for romantasy starter people who enjoy lighter easy to follow fantasy. For me it lacked the emotional depth and character building that im used to.

A slightly darker 'romantasy', I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this book to be honest but I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Slightly slower paced at the start due to world building but it is solid, complex and morally grey characters which is always fun. I did find myself sometimes a little confused by the multiple POV's but, honestly, that may just be a me problem.
Fae, Wyverns, Phoenix's, witches...honestly, a pinch of everything.
A solid start to a series.
Thankyou for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Dark and addictive!

Enemies to lovers, forbidden love and a strong, fierce FMC - SIGN ME UP!

Great plot and so very beautifully written, I was hooked from the start. Simply amazing.

Thank you John. F. Jones and Netgalley for giving me a digital copy of this gem.

Not going to lie, when I read the sentence "The forrest of Silent Cries was silent" on page 12 I did not have much hope left for a pleasant reading experience. Luckily that ended up being by far the worst (and to be honest also kind of funny^^) offense on these 576 pages.

Aside from some steamy scenes, this book felt more Young Adult than I had expected. I had a hard time figuring out why I felt that way. Looking back, I think it is mostly rooted in how their lives seem so dictated by their parents.I am aware that is part of the conflict, but until we saw some rebelling much later in the story, it at times felt like I was reading about young teenagers, especially when it came to Mal and Ash. There is definitely a narrative divide between the reigning royals ("the parents") and our main cast ("the kids").

Now, don't get me wrong, I love a good YA novel (even though I want to reiterate that in the end, this is not YA!). One of the things that I have observed is that they often go hard on the world building and that is very much a focal point for A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash as well. Oftentimes, it feels like you are right there with them and within just a few pages I could easily imagine the world the author was describing. I enjoyed the immersion, even though I have to admit that sometimes it was almost too much. Some paragraphs absolutely packed with adjectives could have given way to more smooth story telling. Regardless, if you want to see a story come alive around you, this one is for you.

Looking at the relationship of our MCs, I want to compliment the author on creating a great setting for the enemies to lovers trope. Not just a simple misunderstanding. No, she wanted him dead and she was going to get it done herself, no matter what. In the end though, they went from enemies to full on lovers pretty quickly. Some will disagree with me there, since there is definitely plenty of internal monologue. And who would blame Ash? I would also fall in love with Mal walking into the arena like a literal goddess. Still, some more development in their actual communication would have made this even stronger.

Overall: I will be reading book two in the series, so that probably already speaks for itself ;) I might have some small gripes with the very enthusiastic world building and how our MCs found their way to each other, but the vibes are all there! The story is good and it hooked me enough to want to know what happens next. Really looking forward to some more witchy action!

A solid 3.5 stars ★★★⯪☆

A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash swept me into a richly magical world filled with wyverns, dragons, Valkyries, witches, and more — and I genuinely think this one is underrated.

The plot blends court intrigue, prophecy, and a cursed kingdom, with an arranged marriage trope that feels refreshingly different (she actually has a choice!). I especially loved the character development — not just for the main couple, but for the supporting characters as well. The world expands naturally through their stories, which added a lot of depth.

Also… can we talk about the iconic quote?

“He is my husband. I shall sit on him however pleases me.”
Instant favorite.

The last 10% totally caught me off guard with a twist I didn’t see coming — and now I’m so ready for book two.

📚 Tropes & Highlights:
• Prophecies & curses
• Magical creatures galore (wyverns, Valkyries, dragons)
• Arranged marriage with agency
• Political/court intrigue

I really enjoyed the premises of this book.

Unfortunately, I was unable to truly get invested. I felt there was too much going on with so many characters I struggled to know which one was the sibling, what each problem they each had etc.


I could see this being good for fans who enjoy very complex storylines. In my opinion however, I felt it was just too much all at once for the first book in a series.