I love anything that Samantha Shannon writes and this was no different! I really enjoyed Priory of the Orange Tree, and this was the perfect addition to the world, set just 2 years later but so much had changed it was great.
I cannot wait to read more from this world

Welcome in another episode of: whatever Samantha Shannon writes, I love.
Maybe I’m biased at this point, or maybe it’s just that good and you’re missing out on.
The writing once again took me on a journey where everything hits, burns deep. I can’t explain it. This one was super short (which surprising when you know Shannon’s work), too short maybe? I mean, ngl, I wanted more. 288 pages flies by so quickly with Samantha’s prose that of course I wanted more even thought I know what comes next, where the story goes.

Among the Burning Flowers takes place around two years before the start of The Priory of the Orange Tree and tells the story of the Fall of Yscalin through 3 characters’ eyes. Marosa Vetalda (Donmata of Yscalin), Estina Melaugo (iykyk) and Aubrecht Lievelyn (future High Prince of Mentendon). I loved their resilience and their different upbringing. I also loved the references and additions to the lore I already know and love. I felt every blow like I was afflicted by the draconic plague myself and only deteriorating through the story. Now I obviously need a re-read. It’s been so long since I first read The Priory (back in 2020 so yeah, five years already!).

I would like to thank Bloomsburypublishing again this e-arc which I’m super grateful for!

Among the Burning Flowers is out September 11 so be prepared to get chills at the first sound of wings. I can’t wait to discover the illustrations by Rovinacai because yes, there would be illustrations!! I didn’t get to see those in the digital version of this arc so, surprise surprise! Since I feel like this universe deserves a bestiary I’m super excited to see some of the creatures portrayed as well. Though I could already and easily hear Fýredel's voice in my head.

Truly expected to love this book, but found it surprisingly difficult to summon up the interest in continuing at times.

This has nothing to do with the author's writing, as Samantha was as amazing as always (if only she would calm down with describing the food all the time). However, the magic of TPOTOT was somehow lacking in this one.

The storylines were tight, full of interesting dilemmas and dynamics for the characters to face, but I found it hard to be interested in all but one (DM). The characters were strong and full of purpose, but I found myself feeling like I'd seen them all somewhat before, in other fantasy books (especially Melaugo). It also didn't help that the stakes felt less knowing their outcome in TPOTOT at times (but can't blame that on prequels).

I think I just missed the feeling of being part of a bigger world that Priory gave, which can't be replicated in a much smaller book.

I've loved Samantha Shannon and the world of the Roots of Chaos since I read Priory, although I always found them a little intimidating because of the sheer size. Among the Burning Flowers comes in at a relatively more compact size which I loved but it definitely packed a punch. I quickly fell in love with Marosa and would read an entire ten book series about her and I can't wait to see what comes next in this universe!

Thank you to Bloomsbury for allowing me to read this book, I was so excited about it the day it got announced!

First off, Shannon is a masterful writer. Her attention to detail and keeping things believable and consistent throughout the story is incredible. It feels like (aside from the fantasy elements) something that could have happened in the real world.

Her descriptions of places are so breathtaking. It's one of the best parts about reading her books, just how much detail she packs in so that your mind's eye can really get to work and visualize these places as you read.

She also does what I feel few authors do well. She creates attachments to characters even with such few pages. The deaths of even some minor characters were incredibly sad and brutal. All of her characters have depths and backgrounds, and we eventually care about them.

The only bad thing for me about the books, which some people may care about - is the build up before the pay off. There is a lot of groundwork and backstory to lay down before the action and suspense kicks in - and for me, it does eventually pay off. When I really got into the "meat" of the story, I finished it in hours and had trouble putting it down. Shannon weaves an excellent tapestry of a story, creating multiple threads that come back together. The world ending threat and the bleak, brutal things that happen in the story put the plot on par with a fantasy classic - like Lord of the Rings.

Now that I have read the book, I only want more to read! I cannot wait for the next main installment of the series, and whatever other fantastic stories Shannon has to tell!

I would read 100 books in the Roots of Chaos series; they are truly the pinnacle of epic fantasy. Among The Burning Flowers welcomes the reader back into the world of Priory of the Orange Tree, but takes us aside to the POV of characters we didn’t get to hear from in Priory, and help us understand some of the secrecy, politics and characters whose decisions shaped the plot of the series. I just adored the descriptions of all the draconic creatures and how the humans interacted with them. It has made me desperate to reread the whole series again and hope that there are many more to come. Truly spectacular.

🌋 Among the Burning Flowers by S.Shanon is pure molten lava. It's the smell of a kingdom burning under the gaze of the Nameless One with no hope of salvation. The flowers crumble and with them, hope.

🌋 This besieged kingdom, abandoned and deprived of its faith, follows the destiny of Marosa Vetalda: princess of Yscalin and recluse. We also follow in the footsteps of Estina Melaugo, a wanted criminal and hunter of draconic creatures. Finally, we follow the viewpoint of Aubrecht Lievelyn, Marosa's fiancé and heir to the Mentendon throne, powerless in the face of tragedy.

🌋 Their paths hardly cross, but they all share the same despair. They don an armor of courage in their own way, to save what they can. Melaugo is entertaining, touching, a little broken. I enjoyed her romance with a prostitute who turns out to have a larger role. Her desire for a quiet life warmed my heart. As for Aubrecht, his tearing between happiness and duty makes him sympathetic, but his final decision is painful.

🌋 My favorite character is Marosa. I loved her evolution in so few pages, her resilience and resistance. All her dreams of love and freedom went up in smoke in the blink of an eye but she stood tall for her kingdom.

🌋 Her audacity in the face of the Nameless One had me shaking. This book finally embodies the monstrosity of this character that I'd never really grasped before. It's violent and agonizing. The fall of a kingdom is painted with a rare intensity.

🌋 His relationship with his father was chilling. The pattern is simple enough, but it's worked and nuanced enough to make it stand out from other conflicted father-daughter relationships I've read. The fact that the Nameless One, the very embodiment of evil, chooses to possess him speaks volumes.

🌋 I'd missed this universe. There are elements of Priory lore (a sister! a sister!) but also nods to my favorite book (: A day of fallen night). As usual, I loved the geopolitical stakes and court intrigue.

🌋 The tension, crescendoing, overwhelmed me; beautiful passages. The sulphur was suffocating on this mountain and yet, I still wanted more.

My thanks to @bloomsburypublishing @netgalley

French version :

🌋 Among the Burning Flowers de S.Shanon est de la pure lave en fusion. C’est l’odeur d’un royaume qui brûle sous le regard du Sans-nom sans espoir de salut. Les fleurs s’émiettent et avec elles, l’espoir.

🌋 Ce royaume assiégé, abandonné et privé de sa foi, suit le destin de Marosa Vetalda : princesse d’Yscalin et recluse. On suit aussi les pas de Estina Melaugo, criminelle recherchée et chasseuses de créatures draconiques. Finalement, c’est le point de vue de Aubrecht Lievelyn qu’on accompagne, fiancé de Marosa et héritier du trône de Mentendon, impuissant face à la tragédie.

🌋 Leurs chemins ne se croisent que peu mais ils partagent tous le même désespoir. Ils revêtent une armure de courage à leur manière, pour sauver ce qu’ils peuvent.
Melaugo est divertissante, touchante, un peu brisée. J’ai apprécié sa romance avec une prostituée qui s’avère avoir un rôle plus large. Son désir d’une vie tranquille m’a réchauffée le coeur. Quant à Aubrecht, son déchirement entre bonheur et devoir le rend sympathique mais sa décision finale est douloureuse.

🌋 Mon personnage préféré est Marosa. J’ai adoré son évolution en si peu de pages, sa résilience et sa résistance. Tous ses rêves d’amour et de liberté sont partis en fumée en un clin d’œil et elle reste debout pour son royaume.

🌋 Son audace face au Sans-nom m’a faite trembler. Ce livre incarne enfin la monstruosité de ce personnage que je n’avais jamais réellement saisie avant. C’est violent et angoissant. La chute d’un royaume est peinte avec une intensité rare.

🌋 Sa relation à son père était glaçante. Le schéma est assez simple mais il est assez travaillé et nuancé pour qu’il se distingue d’autres relations père-fille conflictuelles que j’ai pu lire. Le fait que le Sans-Nom, l’incarnation même du mal, choisisse de le posséder, en dit long.

🌋 Cet univers m’avait manqué. On reprend des élément du lore du Prieuré (une soeur! une soeur!) mais il y a aussi des clins d’œil à mon tome préféré (: UJDNT). Comme d’habitude, j’ai adoré les enjeux géopolitiques et les intrigues de cour.

🌋 La tension, en crescendo, m’a bouleversée ; des beaux passages. Le souffre était étouffant sur cette montagne et pourtant, j’en veux encore.

My thanks to @bloomsburypublishing @netgalley

Amazing as always. What a wonderful read. Thank you to the writer, publisher, and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

Among the Burning Flowers is haunting, heart-wrenching, and utterly unforgettable. Samantha Shannon gives us a novella that’s equal parts intimate character study and grand fantasy prelude.

Every scene builds the slow dread of dragons stirring—and with it, the inevitability of tragedy. From the fiercely sharp Estina to the imprisoned but determined Marosa, every POV brings something to the table.

The world-building is elegant, the emotional arcs cut deep, and the illustrations are a visual feast. A must-read for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree, and a perfect jumping-on point for new readers.

4/5 stars – I loved it.

Rare are the prequels that live up to the works they are based on. Even rarer are those that surpass them.

Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon is indeed superior to her much-beloved Priory of the Orange Tree, a book I found beautifully inventive and well-written but plagued by pacing problems.

The third entry in the Roots of Chaos series takes place several years before the events of Priory and mainly follows two very different female protagonists in the kingdom of Yscalin, arguably the most fascinating region of this richly detailed fantasy world.

While Princess Marosa has to helplessly look on, while her populace is tormented by the dragon spawn, dragon hunter Melaugo is on the run from the law, looking for her next meal.

While both characters are very well written, Melaugo gets forgotten by Shannon after the halfway point - a missed opportunity.

With just 288 pages, AtBF moves at a much higher speed than Priory and is an ideal starting point to get into the series. While there are nods to readers already familiar with later events, newcomers feel nonetheless welcome and will witness some truly epic and shocking scenes.

With great prose and interesting insights into the motivation of one of Priory's most fascinating characters, AtBF is an easy recommendation for avid fantasy readers.

not as satisfying as the other parts unfortunately, but i really liked going back to this world to a point where i’m considering a tpotot reread. if this was just 200 pages longer and gayer it would’ve been sooooo good tho.

very excited to see the illustrations in the final version! ty netgalley for the arc.

It's so good to be back in the world of the priory!! Among the Burning Flowers is a fantastic addition to the Roots of Chaos series, I really appreciated all of the additional context and background we got on the characters. I absolutely flew through this, as always it was incredibly well-written and engaging and I didn't want to put it down.

My only disappointment is that there wasn't more! Going into it I knew it was a novella, and I was really intrigued to see how that would affect the book when it's so different from the length of the first two in the series, but in the end I wasn't a huge fan. I don't know if it's Samantha's writing style or just the Roots of Chaos series but I feel like it suits a longer format, I felt like I was just getting my teeth into it when it came to an end.

However, saying all that, it had me desperate to re-read Priory of the Orange Tree! I am so jealous of everyone who hasn't read it yet as I think that Among the Burning Flowers is the perfect entryway into the Roots of Chaos series and I think I would've loved to have read this first, it leaves you wanting more.

I expected that I would love this book before I opened Page 1. I adored Priory and A Day of Fallen Night and this book is a brilliant addition to the collection. It had me captivated from the opening page and kept me enchanted right through to the end

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I ADORED priory and also Samanthas other books so I knew I'd love this.
I thought it was a brilliant 'prequel' that gave us a lot of information about things which happened just prior to priory.
Fantastic.

I adored Priory of the Orange Tree, and loved A Day of Fallen Night even more, so I was beyond excited to be back in this rich and intricate world expertly crafted by Samantha Shannon. Among the Burning Flowers is an excellent novella that brought greater clarity and context to Priory through the backstories of the Donmata Marosa Vetalda and Estina Melaugo. I love Shannon's prose and the policltical intrigue she is able to weave. I also love her interpretation of Draconic creatures and mythology, which I find so unique. I can't wait for the next instalment in this series!

This was everything! I feel like Samantha Shannon is a household name at this point but if you’ve never read her books before; this would be a great start. It’s short, illustrated, it’s a prequel with fairly developed world building, characters and magic systems.
It’s a good place to start with the world of priory.

Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you as ever to NetGalley for the wonderful opportunity to read this book early (this was a pinch me I must be dreaming moment) - also, it's St George's day, so this feels like a perfect day for this review!

Set in the same world as Priory of the Orange Tree, this book is a prequel to the story, and tells the tale of the fall of Yscalin. We meet the Donmata, the secluded Yscalin princess; her betrothed, Aubrecht the prince of Mentendom; and Melaugo, a culler on the run in Yscalin.

Prequels are interesting to me, because you probably already know how the story ends. I loved getting additional back story to some of these characters, and to get some closure for characters mentioned in Priory.

This is also a much shorter book than Priory, but still has the beautiful world building, language and depth of character. If you were intimidated by Priory, this is a fantastic place to start, and fall in love with Shannon's writing. Even knowing the ending, I found myself moved to tears.

A masterclass in how a novella should be done, Among the Burning Flowers is out in September.

4.5/5
This was my first time reading a Samantha Shannon book and I was a bit intimidated going in to it due to the size of other books by this author and by the fact that so many people adore this author.
I found with this book, as with most high fantasy I've read, it did require a fair bit more of my concentration especially during the world building. However I know this is a part of a lot of fantasy books so I was more than happy to persevere.
I found this story to be really compelling and loved being swept along with the story. I also found it easier as the story went on to follow who was who and were places where etc.
I was watching the % left of the story getting smaller and smaller wondering how this story would resolve and I was a little bit shocked when it was left on a cliffhanger. Although I assume we will follow the same story/world in the subsequent books so now I need to go and buy those and immediately read them as I am hooked!

Well, now I need to go back & do a reread of The Priory of the Orange Tree as it's been so long since I read it & I really loved it.

For me, this had a slow start, but I think it's due to getting back into the swing of the world & the way this is written. It is descriptive fantasy with all the long character & place names you'd expect from that. However, once you're in this, it really flows. For Samantha Shannon, this is a short read (just under 300 pages) & it is reflected in the number of characters being smaller than normal, with this book only following three. These characters are really well developed, though & she does write a fantastic, strong female lead.

Chronologically this is the middle book in the series, 500 years after A Day Of Fallen Night & set immediately before Priory & I don't think the reading order actually matters (although I haven't read A Day of Fallen Night yet).

If you like your fantasy high & want to get sucked into a new world, then this is a great place to start.

I love the Roots of Chaos series so much, I immediately knew I had to request an ARC for this. So massive thanks to NetGalley, Blooomsbury Publishing PLC and Samantha Shannon for the ARC.

Now, this is a novella, its only ~300 pages compared to its 800+ sister books and is set after Fallen Night but before Priory. You definitely shouldn't just read this though because I don't think it'll make as much sense or pack as much of a punch without the other books. But you should definitely add this to your TBR as it was incredible.

I loved everything about this. The storyline was fantastic and the characters were interesting and really easy to love/hate. The links in to the other 2 books were great and I particularly loved the ending. The writing style is still what we love and expect from Samantha Shannon and I genuinely have nothing bad to say about this book except I wish it was longer!

I am dying for the illustrations because they're not in the ARC and it's going to be an absolute work of art.