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.

Yscalin is a beautiful land that faces unimaginable danger as the fire dragons begin to stir amid the machinations of unseen forces, and political alliances and enmities heat up accordingly.

Two very different perspectives on how the world should be are at loggerheads in this story set in the time before Samantha Shannon's Priory of the Orange Tree saga. And in the telling of this tale, she proves once again why her books have become an international phenomenon.

Well worth reading, this story is likely to be a surefire hit with fantasy book lovers.

This is my first book by Samantha Shannon and I really enjoyed it. Whilst it is part of a series I think it fits well as a stand alone without needing to read the others first. I like the writing style and I am looking forward to reading the others now.

Samantha Shannon never misses. Among the Burning Flowers was such a rich, emotionally layered read—it somehow felt both intimate and epic. Even though it’s technically a prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree, it works beautifully as a standalone or a soft intro to the series. It’s under 300 pages, but Shannon still manages to deliver powerful character arcs and stunning world-building.

Marosa’s storyline in particular hit me hard—being trapped in a political prison masquerading as a palace, her growing dread, her quiet resilience. The scene with Fýredel? Haunting. And Aubrecht’s side of things added so much heartache in the best way. Estina’s arc took me a bit longer to warm up to, but by the end, I understood exactly why she mattered.

Honestly, this novella made me want to reread Priory just to catch all the connective threads. If you’ve ever been curious about diving into this world but found the size intimidating, this is the perfect place to start.

Well, thank you SO much for this ARC. I absolutely love Samantha Shannon’s writing and this is no exception.

It’s a prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree (taking place not long before Priory, rather than several hundreds year earlier like A Day of Fallen Night) so there are characters that will be familiar to you if you’ve already read Priory. Although if you haven’t read either of this series, Among the Burning Flowers could be a good place to start if the length of the other novels is a bit daunting since it’s just under 300 pages.

I was actually quite glad for a shorter read but I ended up wishing it was longer - I’d have gladly read more about any of the characters here, especially Marosa and I’ll probably pick TPoTOT up again soon.

Anyway, whether or not you’ve not the Roots of Chaos books, I’d recommend this (and if you haven’t read Roots of Chaos already, you’ll want to once you finish this). Easily 5/5

Another absolute winner from Samantha Shannon.

Burning Flowers is a brilliant entry point into the universe of The Priory of the Orange Tree. Though technically a prequel, it works beautifully as either a standalone or a starting place for new readers. At just under 300 pages, it’s far more digestible than Priory, and offers a rich introduction to the world, lore, and tone of the series without the initial intimidation of a doorstopper novel.

For returning fans, there's plenty to enjoy—familiar names, narrative threads that echo events in Priory, and a deeper look into characters who didn’t have their own perspectives in the main book. But what really impressed me is how effortlessly it stands on its own. The multiple points of view are handled with care, and the interwoven narratives lay compelling groundwork for what's to come. Finishing it left me itching to revisit the main novels all over again. Whether you're new to the series or a longtime reader, this novella offers a satisfying and engaging glimpse into a world well worth exploring.

I enjoyed this for many reasons.

It is a prequel to The Priory of The Orange Tree, and it really helps set up several events that happen, and gives you some backstory to characters who's POVs you don't get in Priory. However it's also a really approachable starting point for the series. Burning Flowers is a novella at about 300 pages, so it means that if the though of Priory is too daunting a place to start. This is a really good entry point as it sets up the world and can be read as a standalone, and you can get a feel for the history and writing style before going onto Priory.

I enjoyed it as there were links to things and characters we saw in Priory so I got something out of it as a long time fan, but it's also written in a way you can go into with no prior knowledge and it completely holds it own as a story. And I imagine had I read that first I'd have had to dive into Priory to see where it all goes from there!

I enjoyed all the different POVs and how they link and weave together to lay some amazing foundations, and it was so nice to dive back into this world again. It makes me want to go back and reread the other two again!

Among the Burning Flowers is another prequel to The Priory of the Orange Tree, but it is set very close to the happenings in Priory - contrary to the prequel A Day of Fallen Night, which takes place a few hundred years earlier.

We follow 3 POVs throughout this novella - Marosa Vetalda, the crown princess of Yscalin, Aubrecht, (soon-to-be) High Prince of Mentendon and Marosa's fiance, and Estina Melaugo, a culler living in Yscalin.

My favorite POV to follow is Marosa's. We see firsthand how the so strategically advantageous position of Carscaro is looking like a prison nightmare as soon as the dragons woke up. Her situation was so unique and her position during <i>Priory</i> is so much clearer now. I felt so sorry and bad for her throughout, seeing her dreams of escape from her controlling father being crushed again and again... and all her other hopes of getting news out, or help from outside being dashed.
The most memorable scene was of her in the cave with Fyredel - I saw in my eARC that we will get an illustration in this section, and i can just feel that this will be a stunning one!

Aubrechts history and perspective of the happenings are equally soul-crushing as Marosa's. The yearning for peace and his familys health and safety are palpable throughout. The novella takes place over a few years of time, and to see him try again and again to get help to Marosa, only to fail over and over... it was heartbreaking.

Estina's POV and story was quite a struggle for me to follow - at first I was not sure why her POV was included at all, since she was so removed from the happenings in Mentendon and Carscaro. It is the only section that kept this book from a full 5 star read.
Only towards the end of her section did I realized that was was the eye of the people of Yscalin, how they felt and experienced the rise of the Draconic Kingdom, and the overtaking. The love story between Estina and her lover, reuniting and rekindling their connection after so many years of estrangement and hurt was a balm on my crushed soul.

The writing in this novella was captivating! I finished it way too quickly in about 2 settings. Trying to spread it out over a longer time to really savour it did absolutely not work! I wish we could have seen even more of Marosa's POV from the timeline of the Priory, but I guess we do need some things left to our imagination.

Knowing what happens after does in no way diminish the enjoyment i had in this story. It is a great companion piece that slots neatly in.

I'm giving this fully deserved 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 for GR. An absolute must-read for fans of Roots of Chaos!

Wow! This had questions about Priory I didn't realise i had! It flows so well and explains what happens before the start of Priory Of The Orange Tree. I love how Samantha Shannon writes this series, all her characters are so fleshed out (pardon the pun) and the amount of lore and ties to all the different lands/characters link together.

Very much looking forward to my physical copy arriving in September to see what the artwork and map looks like

What a joy it was to return to the incredible world of The Priory of the Orange Tree. Among the Burning Flowers sees the first sparks of danger that threaten to consume the world in The Priory of the Orange Tree.
First off, I devoured this book so fast! It's just under 300 pages, and I flew through them. Samantha Shannon’s writing is once again absolutely phenomenal, lyrical, and so immersive that you can’t help but fall right in.

This is a story about resilience in the face of overwhelming odds and a deeply tragic tale. I especially loved uncovering more about the pasts of familiar characters like Aubrecht and Marosa. Learning more about Marosa in particular was fascinating. She’s such a layered, powerful character, and this book gives her the space she deserves.
Reading this has made me want to experience The Priory of the Orange Tree all over again. Everything feels even richer after reading Among the Burning Flowers. If you're wondering where to begin your journey in this world, I’d recommend starting with A Day of Fallen Night, then moving on to Among the Burning Flowers, before diving into The Priory. You'll appreciate all the depth even more.

Thank you netgalley for the e-arc!

Im new to the Priory world so this was a nice point to start, the other 2 books were always intimidating somehow to start.
But now, I just cant wait to start in the priory of the orange tree.
Definitely a recommendation for people who want to get started in the series.

The FMC got my attention right away , she got me pulled in her situation and I just wanted to dive in and not stop to see why this is happening and what will happen next. The worldbuilding even in the short book was already so good , also the characters were already well written

Im a big fan of The Bone Season but I guess this series will be on whole other level.