At the heart of Among the Burning Flowers is Marosa Vetalda – princess and heir to the Yscalin throne, but also: prisoner in her own home. While she is plotting to break free from her father’s control so she can become the ruler she always believed she was meant to be, the first sparks of draconic danger in centuries are stirring…

Before diving in, I’d like to give a full disclaimer: I have received an ARC of Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon via Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is marketed as an accessible and short entry to the world of the Roots of Chaos, which famously consists of chunky epic fantasy novels A Day of Fallen Night and The Priory of the Orange Tree. These books are epic, queer AF, inclusive and dense. Oh and did I mention chunky? So not the easiest of novels to get into… Since Samantha is currently continuing her The Bone Season series, further full-length stories from the Roots of Chaos cycle are currently on hold. However, being the queen that she is, Samantha is gifting her fans with a “short story” set within the Roots. Short being relative, because Among the Burning Flowers comes in at around 300 pages – so it’s still a full length novel.

As someone who has read both Roots of Chaos novels, I would argue that length wise, it is definitely a good entry into the world, but that does not mean that this is an easy book to get into. It’s been a while since I’d last read A Day of Fallen Night, so the first thing that struck me when I started reading was just how incredibly rich and detailed this world is – so much so that for the first 25% of the book we’re mostly being given exposé-- not by "tell", mind you. No, Shannon is showing us her world, and it is huge. Overwhelmingly so, I would argue, especially if you have no prior knowledge of the Roots of Chaos.

So even at 300 pages, Among the Burning Flowers is still a pretty daunting book. It is, however, definitely worth the pay-off. Samantha is a master storyteller and her prose is just gorgeous. So if you’re able to set aside the overwhelm and just trust the process, you’ll find yourself immersed and invested before long.

I really appreciate how effortlessly Samantha Shannon weaves queer identity, complex character backgrounds (not one of these characters is flat, y’all – they all have dimensions), politics and a giant looming threat into a relatively short and cohesive story. By the end I was so invested and so worried for Marosa’s and Estina’s fates, that the only option I had was to immediately jump back into The Priory of the Orange Tree and re-read that beast of a book.

Among the Burning Flowers is a gorgeous book, and a great addition to the Roots of Chaos, because it’s not just fanservice, it really does expand on the world and the characters we’ve seen so far! I also can't wait to see the illustrations that are going to be a part of this September release.

5 stars.

This was such an epic story from the first page!
There was so much focus of the characters and their development I felt it was really easy to follow.
I loved the way the threads interlinked, it made for an exciting read, building the suspense.
The world building was fantastic, SS paints stunning pictures of the landscapes and details of the smaller towns and villages creating a charming fantasy world.
There were a few powerful and emotive moments that really showed the strength of the human spirit. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

It has been a while since I last visited the Roots of Chaos universe, and boy did this remind me of why I love this series!

This story, while being very short, is still of epic proportion in terms with thorough world building and wonderful character development without feeling intimidating, as Shannon's other works in the series might due to their length. The story will draw you in and show more of events in Yscalin and Mentendon that lead up to the plot of Priory of the Orange Tree.

Stakes were high, the emotional impact was devastating, and I can't wait to dive back into PotOT for a re-read after this!

Thank you to Bloomsbury Publishing and NetGalley for this eARC in return for my honest review.

When I heard Samantha Shannon was writing a short(er) format book in the Roots of Chaos series, I simply had to sign up and read it as soon as I could. And this book was exactly what I expected it to be, in a good way! The details this book provides for the grand story that is told gives a lot of depth to what happens in Priory of the Orange Tree. I loved the main character Marosa and the care with which her struggles were described. I also greatly enjoyed reading about Melaugo and was sad when her PoV dropped off halfway through the book unexpectedly, as her perspective could have provided a lot of interesting view points as the story progressed. Nonetheless, a truly brilliant book!

I want to thank Bloomsbury Publishing Plc and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

PS: I can't wait to see the illustrations mentioned!

e-arc provided by netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

samantha shannon has done it again!!! not that i ever doubted her. but it still must be said.

this is such a vital installment in the roots of chaos series. while not as grand in scope as the priory of the orange tree or a day of fallen night, it hits you in the heart just as hard. it was an immense pleasure to spend more time in yscalin, a part of the world only visited for a short time in the main installments, and get to know some of its characters better. of course, this only serves to cause you more pain as you think about them for an extended period of time, but if that is the price i must pay, so be it.

not only is this novel(la?) a great look at the goings-on in the background of tpotot, but it's also got some lovely references to previous installments. however, they don't have to be read in order to understand this book - an incredible feat, honestly, considering their scope and length.

if you've been afraid to pick up the roots of chaos, take this as your sign. please please please-

A few weeks ago, I bought The Priory of the Orange Tree and A Day of Fallen Night and have been pondering ever since which book I should read first. Thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, as soon as I got the opportunity to read an e-arc of Among the Burning Flowers, I knew that it would be my entry point to the Roots of Chaos universe.

Among the Burning Flowers is a short prequel to The Priory of The Orange Tree and it, mainly, follows Marosa Vetalda, Donmata of Yscalin. Aubrecht Lievelyn, the future High Prince of Mentendon and Marosa’s fiancé, and Estina Malaugo, a culler trying to survive.

I absolutely loved learning about this entire new universe and the world building was perfect. The characters were so well written and had a lot of depths and layers. I’m very intrigued about the Draconic plague, Fyredel, Estina and all the political strategies that are already taking place.

Learning about each of the characters over the course of a few years was very interesting and my heart broke for Marosa and everything she had to endure. She was so resilient throughout the whole book and was trying everything she could to free herself and her people.

It was the perfect introduction to the Roots of Chaos world and I can’t wait to read The Priory of the Orange Tree. I’m very excited to discover more about the characters I’ve just meet and, of course, to discover new ones, to see how they will all meet and interact together, etc.

Samantha Shannon is fast becoming one of my favorite author and I feel so lucky to be able to read her stories.

Once again a huge thank you to NetGalley, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc and Samantha Shannon for letting me read an advanced e-copy of this amazing book and I will run to recommend it to everyone!

I’ve read the first two books and loved them and this third instalment did not disappoint. I loved it. I had it read within a few days as I couldn’t put it down. The world building and characters are fantastic and I could picture the story as I read.

Only Samantha Shannon would make a 300 page story fly by, especially one where you already know where it's going. (Unless you're like me and in desperate need of a reread of The Priory of the Orange Tree.)

It truly is a talent to take characters like Marosa and Aubrecht, whom you know exactly how they will end up, and still inject a lot of stakes and heart-in-the-throat moments. This is beautifully written to build a sense of a dread and just truly enriches the stories of the Yscalin and Mentendon characters in a devastating way.

One of Samantha Shannon's greatest skills in how visual her writing is. You can so immediately picture the settings and the scenes as they play out, which, on top of her fantastic character work, makes a very immersive reading experience.

You can read this story before or after Priory, but I would recommend reading them in succession to one another - do what I didn't and help your memory! It's a tragic and enthralling story either way, but for the heaviest emotional impact, it's probably best to have Priory fresh in your mind.

I loved seeing more of Marosa and diving into her and her world. It was devastating, but man, what a character. Melaugo seemed promising as a character in her introduction chapter, but this was really Marosa's story.

A very high 4 stars. I just love this series so much, will read anything of it, and will reread this when it releases if only to take in the Rovina Cai illustrations that I cannot wait to see.

Thank you to the publisher, Bloomsbury, and to NetGalley for the ARC.

Thank you to Netgalley for the eArc in exchange for an honest review!

The way that my year was MADE with the notification I got that I could read this one early. I have grown such a soft spot for Shannon's writing after delving deep into the Roots of Chaos series and seeing her twice and just growing to love the way that she thinks.

This novella has been noted to be an accessible point into the series as it has been known that the 800-900 page behemoths can be a bit daunting, but in my personal opinion, I think that reading Priory should be a prerequisite as I know that if I read this raw, I would be quite lost with place names and characters.

It follows characters from Priory who were in the supporting cast: Donmata, Aubrecht, Melaugo, etc. It depicts the beginnings of the Second Grief of Ages and how Yscalin became the Draconic Kingdom it was known as in Priory. It was so interesting to learn more about Marosa and I definitely think that I could read more ONLY about her. My heart was in my throat the whole time.

Shannon has simply knocked it out of the park with her excellent depictions of relationships and political tension as well as amazing world building. Every word had me on the edge of my seat and I'm so upset that I didn't take more time to read this!

I am so excited to see the illustrations that my eArc showed. This has made me want to read Priory again which my TBR has NO TIME FOR!!!!!

How wonderful to return to this world! The world building is, as always, phenomenal, and the character work is great. Marosa's story was so interesting, and my favourite part of the story!

Wow, wow, wow. This was phenomenal - just as I thought it would be! I would read anything Samantha Shannon writes. Seriously, this is exquisitely crafted. It’s shorter than Priory but it hits just as hard. The world building is masterful, and the story is so beautiful and devastating and haunting! I don’t know how she does it, but I got so attached to these characters within so few pages. Her prose is spectacular, the pages truly flew by. I genuinely can’t recommend this book enough - there’s epic fantasy and court intrigue and high stakes and all the tension! This is a must-read for fans of The Priory of the Orange Tree!

This book was my attempt to get back into this rich and vast world by Samantha Shannon. After reading POTOT I had a bit of trouble, finding the world intriguing, but the story lacking in pacing and being unnecessarily complicated at times.

So this novella was just perfect, and I have to say I really enjoyed everything. It's dual POV, and while I was more interested in the monster slayer than the princess, I enjoyed both.

It's perfect to get me remotivated for the Roots of Chaos series.
However, if you are already a fan and have devoured the books before, I think this is a great way to get more of this world you adore and love.

I hope there are more stories in this series, because to me it seems endless and with a lot more to tell.

4,5/5 stars

Thank you @netgalley and @bloomsburypublishing for the eARC!

#AmongTheBurningFlowers #RootsOfChaos #Netgalley #Bookstagram

Samantha Shannon can write anything and I will fall over myself to purchase. This was incredible and actually made me want to reread TPoTOT. I think because of the size of this book it allows Shannon to be even less wordy and keep the story tighter. As much as I loved TPoTOT it felt so long with so many characters and had I read this before... I might have had liked it even more!

Among the Burning Flowers, written as a companion novella to The Priory of the Orange Tree, is the perfect way to dip your toes into the Roots of Chaos series (without the daunting page count). However, for me, it was a great refresher as to why I love this series.

The characters we meet in this are incredible, with writing that helps you understand and feel the emotions they are experiencing. I marvel at the way Shannon's mind works to create the expanse of this world and the characters it contains.

With little references to A Day of Fallen Night, and mention of characters from The Priory of the Orange Tree, it's a wonderful addition to the Roots of Chaos world, and also contains a not so subtle nod to Scion and The Bone Season series.

I could have read a thousand more pages through Marosa's eyes. Among the Burning Flowers not only recharged my adoration of this world but also made me really want to reread Priory and ADOFN.

i couldn't have been more thrilled to get an early copy of this. priory was one of my favorite books i read last year and to see a bit more of what was going on during the events.... delicious. fabulous!

Another triumph from Shannon! I am not a massive fan of a novella, I was glad that this one was Shannon-scale and was hefty enough 😂. I really enjoyed getting a better look at some of the characters who were not explored in priory! I did enjoy the new storyline with the new characters but did not enjoy that quite as much as the other aspects of the book! I cannot wait for Shannon’s next book and would definitely recommend to anyone who can’t face the massive tome that is priory 😂.

When I woke up and looked at my phone and saw the approval for this ARC I thought I might still be dreaming. Fortunately not only was it not a dream but the reality was as good as a dream.

Among the Burning Flowers is perfect. For those who’ve been on the fence about reading this series it’s the perfect start. It’s not an intimidating size (iykyk). The world building is always perfect by Samantha Shannon but this novel is best. A great introduction for new readers, a perfect refresher for those who’ve been away and with Easter eggs for avid readers. The characters are perfect and I already miss them.

Reading this ARC made me want to reread the Priory of the Orange Tree and I will definitely be buying the physical copy.

A story of human resilience in the face of the first sparks of danger that threaten to consume the world. Read through the gripping and tragic events from the wakening of the first fire breathing dragons. Beautifully written and an exquisitely crafted beginning to the series.

𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐦𝐬𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚 𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐩𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐆𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐀𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐛𝐲 𝐒𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐡𝐚 𝐒𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧

set in Yscalin before Priory, this one’s about the quiet crumbling before the fall—
a trapped princess writing secret letters, a monster-hunter weighed down by guilt,
and a reformist prince trying (and failing) to fix a kingdom built on rot.

queer love? yes. betrayal? obviously. doomed vibes? off the charts.
less war, more warning.
less firestorm, more slow burn.

quietly devastating. gorgeously doomed. i loved it.
thank you to the publisher for providing the ARC.

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