I love the cover and the story! I really enjoyed the story line and the characters but felt like a few areas moved to quickly. Overall 4 out of 5 stars.

I was drawn in immediately with the world-building and the multiple 3rd person POV.

I felt the middle slowed down slightly, but the ending had me screaming.

I love a good romantasy with the plot being the main focus and the romance being the second, this was exactly that.

I am ready for book two!

In A kingdom of shadow and ash, We are following around 2 characters, Mal Blackburn and ash Acheron. In order to break the curse that was put on them, one of them has to kill the other. But you’ll have to read to find out where that takes us! 🤭 We get political intrigue, multiple pov and romances, magic dragon riding and so much more!

✔️ Romantasy
✔️ Arranged Marriage
✔️ Strong FMC
✔️ Wyverns & Dragons
✔️ Witches
✔️ Multiple POVs
✔️Enemies to lovers
✔️ Forbidden love

I enjoyed this read! Rating it 4⭐️ I love the dark, mysterious vibes, with a splash of sunshine. The Drakonians and wyverians couldn’t be more opposite, but they are united together through the marriage of our main characters. And through it all they learn that the other side is not as bad as the rumors had them believe But there are other threats among them!.

I did take a star away because to be honest the romance wasn’t slow burn the way I like. I thought it was very weirdly paced. The characters didn’t interact that much so it felt very rushed. Not only between Mal and Ash but also with Kai and Alina. Also scenes would change so suddenly that I got confused a few times. And I do think it could have used less description. The author liked to describe every detail! So this book could have been a good 100 pages less.

I did enjoy it though!

Thank you to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author for this ARC!

I was intrigued by the synopsis of this book so requested it, and was not disappointed. I love a story with indepth world building, it really was needed with this one to help flesh out the full background and different kingdoms.

It jumps to different POV's (not just MMC and FMC) so you do have to pay attention, but it does give more insight into what is going and more dimensional. It also gives you time to bond with some of the side characters, who I hope we continue to follow in the next book.

Our FMC, Mal, I feel is influenced by Maleficent. She is strong, opinionated, but willing to do what is required to protect her family and kingdom. She is very different to her family, but I like that she isn't completely outcasted as seen in other books. Ash isn't your typical MMC either, whilst he is strong and well trained, he does have a side he afraid of most to see and has deep insecurities that effect in the simplest of tasks, which makes him relatable to all.

I cannot wait for the second book and to see how the author continues the plot, especially after that ending!

- Enemies to lovers
- Forbidden love
- Multi POV
- Magical creatures (including dragons AND wyvern, yes there is a difference)-- Slow burn romance
- Court politics/intrigue
- Prophecies
- Arranged Marriage

Wow what a book. First of all, thank you to NetGallery and J.F.Johns for sending me this ARC.

I have loved it. The story is magnificent, the lore, the magic and the characters were everything. I cannot wait for the next book and that ending 👌🏼 glorious. What a turn of events.

Perfect for fans of romantic fantasy such as ToG, Fourth Wing and The Cruel Prince.

- Magic
- Prophecies/Cursed
- Arranged Marriage
- Dragons/Wyverns

I will 100% be purchasing a physical copy of this once available 👏🏻

I enjoyed this book. I was unfortunately no in the biggest fanatasy mood so this did take me quite a while to read. I will say two of my favorite fantasy things were included in this book: dark magic and wyverns. I am a big wyvern and dragon fan so that definitely added to my excitement that I was able to read this book early. The wyverns made an appearance very early on which I LOVED. Several authors wait to introduce the magical creatures in a book as you get to know the main characters. This author timed it perfectly. Mal the main character, was a badass. She was strong in her abilities and was such a fun main female character. The ending definitely hurt my feelings, but I loved it. I can not wait to read the sequel to this book and will be adding this book to my physical collection when it comes out in May!!

The beginning of this book started a bit slow, but in books like these, it’s always worth it for the world-building. As you progress through the book, everything starts to come together, and I couldn’t put it down.

I’m not usually a fan of third-person books, but this one completely pulled me in. The characters were strong leads, and I think the author wrote them perfectly.

The ending surprised me. I thought I knew what was going to happen, but it was so well-written that it completely threw me off.

I’ll definitely be recommending this book to anyone who will listen.

Wow. That ending was insane. Highly recommend. I think anyone who loves Throne of Glass for its interconnected storylines with the ensemble of characters would love this. Not because the storylines are at all similar to ToG but I feel like the overall story will have an amazing arc the way ToG did.

This book is one of my favorites of the year. I loved all of the fantasy elements with the different species and kingdoms. It was done so well. I would’ve liked a little more relationship building between Mal and Ash so it didn’t feel so insta-lovey but still enjoyed it.

I loved the ending! I was trying to piece it together as the story went along and thought I had an idea but I was wrong. I’m also so confused how she came to be with them being locked away! Cannot wait for book 2 because I need answers as to how all these events were set into motion.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the review copy.

This book had a bit of a slow start but once it got going I could not put it down! Magic, creatures, war, kingdoms, love, revenge, and prophecies?! AMAZING GIVE ME 10. The characters were fun, flawed, vibrant, and I loved getting to have the different POVs.
If you want an amazing adventure in a fantasy world filled with magic and chaos, this is the book for you. There is so much lore to unpack and delve into. The romance is also so good and complex. I can’t wait until the next one to learn more about everyone and unravel more about Tabitha, the history of all the kingdoms, and the war with the witches.
I genuinely LOVED this book and think back to it often. Probably one of my favorites. Do yourself a favor and read this book, you won’t regret it.

I’ll admit, this book took me a long time to get read—5 weeks to be exact—and it was hard for me to get into. The world-building was simple enough for a fantasy but for some reason I was having a hard time understanding it. Honestly I think I was in a book hangover after reading Fearless and wasn’t reading to get into another book so soon.

I read chapters here and there and put the book down for a while around about 30% through the book, but over the last 4 days I binged the rest! Enemies to lovers is my favorite trope, and while I usually do not enjoy third person books, this one was so good! And it made so much sense as to why it was third person in my opinion. There were so many characters and small sub-plots occurring in this book, it was necessary that it was third person.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait to see what comes next in the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and J.F. Johns for allowing me to receive and ARC for this book—the cover art is BEAUTIFUL.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in advance. The cover was what got my attention at first, then I read the synopsis and I was sold. I was so happy to get the chance to read it.
Oh what a world! The world building is incredible: the many kingdoms, how different they are from each other and their traditions.
I love our main characters but the prophecy made me worried for them. The last 50 pages or so left me speechless. So much happened! Like Hagan WTF? Alina 😱😱 and that revelation about the Seer, I didn't see that coming.
Uau I definitely can't wait to read the next one.
I give this an easy 5 stars 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

Okay first I would like the thank NetGalley and the author J.F. Johns for sending me the eARC of this book!

4.25⭐️
The cover and synopsis drew me in right away. I will say I have not read any of her other books so this was my first time experiencing this world, magic system and characters and I have to say it was very easy to follow along as I got further into the book. The beginning was a bit slow at parts BUT as I got further into the book everything started to piece together and really made me obsessed with everything in the book. The 3rd person POV threw me off for a bit because there were multiple POVs and I’m usually not one to like 3rd person POV but I loved this book and how everything was written.

I loved Mal and everything about her character. She was such a strong, fierce, smart and powerful main character and I honestly cannot wait to see what she will do in the second book!

Ash was such a great MMC. I loved how it showed his vulnerability and how he embraced his life challenges. The way he and Mal’s relationship formed and their love was just so admirable.

Other characters I loved were Kai and Kage(Mal’s brothers) and Alina(Ash’s sister).
I absolutely LOVED the yearning with Kai and Alina. I almost liked them a little more at times than the main characters. I really hope we see more of them together in the second book!

If you like
•Enemies to lovers
•He falls first
•Magical creatures
•3rd person POVs(multiple)
•Dark magic
•Dragons
This is definitely for you!

I cannot wait to get my hands on the physical book when it comes out as a trophy!

This book was good to me. I really enjoyed it.

Mal, is a wyvern. She's one of the free people known for their violence and feared by all. For the peace of the eight kingdoms, she is destined to marry Ash, The fire prince.
The two are opposites in every way, from their appearance to their customs. But this marave must take place, and more than that, Mal must kill the prince to guarantee peace for the eight kingdoms.

𐙚 Arranged Marriage
𐙚 Forced promity
𐙚 Curse / Prophecy
𐙚 Slow Burn
𐙚 Multiple Pov
𐙚 Political plot

I really enjoyed this read and the way we get to know this mon of its characters. I loved discovering Mal and seeing how strong, powerful and independent she was.
And I loved even more the contrast with Ash, who remains just as strong, but who brings that "innocence" you wouldn't expect from him.
I think the blend of the two is just perfect, and I so wish I could have read more of them, more of their budding relationship.

The whole time I was reading, I was trying to guess where the story was going to take us, I was trying to guess the ending, and at no point did I suspect what was going to happen. It was just so well orchestrated.

The fact that there were several installments was great, as we discovered several characters and several stories, especially about the secondary characters who aren't so secondary anymore.

I really enjoyed reading about Kai and Aline, and loved their relationship as much as Mal and Ash's. Alina is searching and living for herself, and it was lovely to see. Alina is looking for herself and trying to live for herself, and that was lovely to see.

I can't wait to read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and J.F. Johns for an ARC of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash.

I was hooked from the very beginning. I loved the world the author created. It was reminiscent of all of my favorite fantasy books, while also being so unique in its own way. The kingdoms and houses reminded me of Game of Thrones, which I LOVED. The magic, the mystical creatures, a badass FMC, and a slow-burn enemies-to lovers - what more could you ask for?

I was constantly engaged, and devoured this book. Every twist was perfect, and left me wanting more. I can see this book being one of the next big romantasies on BookTok. Overall, I really loved this book and cannot wait to read the rest of the series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an EARC of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash. This definitely started off a little slow but then got really good at the end. I definitely would be interested in reading the next book. I love that Mal was show as a strong lead and not someone soft. The only thing I wish the book had was the new characters name when it switched story lines. Overall fun book with lots of opportunity for side stories.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author, J.F. Johns, for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Wow. Where to start? This book is a lot to unpack, from the kingdoms to the houses, to their pets, to their magic.

This book has everyone’s favorite tropes and creatures all wrapped up in one neat little package. Wyverns, dragons, Pegasus, valkyries, witches, wolves, shadow pets, and more? While the pacing did not always “flow”, never once did I lose interest. The world building is exceptional, I felt like I was there with the characters and could connect on an emotional level to what was going on at the time. Speaking of characters, the story is written from 3rd person POV. I would normally love this, but it could get confusing at times. There were the 2 main POVs that you would follow of Mal and Ash, but at times there could be up to 6 or so POVs that were read throughout the book.
The side characters all get their moments, and you get to fall in love all over again. There is chemistry, there is action, there is betrayal, and the slow-burn romance killed me.

I was jaw-dropped, I shed tears, I laughed, but mostly I gasped. Book two has a LOT of potential.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!
I can totally see this book blowing up on BookTok—it has everything fantasy fans love. There are wolves, wyverns, witches, dragons… all the magical creatures you could want! And yes, it’s definitely a romantasy.

Mal is the fourth-born in the powerful Blackburn family, which is super rare. She’s always felt different from the rest of them—and it turns out, she is. When she’s told she has to marry the heir to the Draconian throne, she’s not exactly thrilled. But Mal has her own plan… even if things don’t go the way she expects.

I don’t want to give too much away, but this was such a fun, fast-paced read. I’m already excited for the next book in the series!

Thank you to @netgalley and the author for the ARC 💜
When I saw this cover, I immediately had to request to read this! And it did not disappoint.
You get a Princess who is an anomaly amongst her people and a misunderstood prince who she is forced to marry. When the two find out about a prophecy that involves them, all hell starts to break loose.
Most of the exciting stuff happens towards the end, as it happens with most slow burn books and it ends on a cliff hanger, which makes me even more ready for book 2.
I loved the world building in this too and would actually love a novella or such going more into depth regarding each kingdom and its people.
This story is done through a 3rd PPOV which was interesting considering the amount of characters we’re introduced to. I don’t think I’ve read many Fantasy books with that POV but it did not take away from the storyline.

I’m going to be completely honest I had an absolute blast reading this book. Is it perfect? No. But come on.Witches, dragons, wyverns, SNAKES SO BIG YOU CAN RIDE?? Oh also enemies to lovers, multiple love stories happening at once, goth kingdom, etc. The FMC Mal is fantastic and is so unapologetically herself. Her siblings are just as easy to love. I feel like it’s hard to bring a true sibling relationship to life on paper but this author was able to do so easily.
I don’t want to say too much as it would give so much away but if you loved Manon Blackbeak from Throne of Glass you’ll love this book. And Mal’s brother Kai gives off heavy Cassian vibes.
This author is not afraid to do what needs to be done when it comes to the story
Completing this book while a severe thunderstorm was occurring was fantastic. I’m excited for the rest of the series!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DJMO84pRUjP/?igsh=MWNoY3J3OWxlcGIxag==

This was such an immersive high fantasy romance book. This book has a little bit of everything.
Strong FMC🏋️‍♀️
Disability Representation ♿️
Fae🧚
Dragons 🐉
Wyverns 🐦‍🔥
Witches & Warlocks 🧙‍♀️
Spies 🕵️‍♂️
Plot Twists🌪️
Spice 🌶️

This book was paced very well where the story wasn’t dragging but it didn’t feel rushed either. There are a lot of descriptions in this book, which is to be expected from the first book of a high fantasy series. It made me feel like I was there in the story. There was spice but it wasn’t overdone. There also wasn’t a lot of repetition of the same wording. I absolutely loved Mal our main FMC. She’s so full of inner strength and not afraid of embracing herself.
I gave this 3 🌶️’s which in my ratings list is a ‘few graphic scenes’. This is a 4 ⭐️’s or otherwise known as ‘I couldn’t put it down’.

This is written in third person with multiple POV’s. Therefore there are multiple romances going on, and you’re able to get inside more people’s heads.
You mainly have Mal, Kai, and Kage Blackburn from the House of Shadows. Then you have Ash and Alina Acheron from the House of Flames. You also get to experience some side characters point of views like Wren and Hessa.

🐦‍🔥Mal Blackburn is a Wyverian, born an anomaly as the fourth child (with the usual three) in the Kingdom of Darkness - House of Shadows. She has purple eyes, which is a trait of the witches that have been seeking revenge for years. 🧙‍♀️A seer tells Mal in order to break the curse of the witches she has to kill the Prince of Fire. Then the prince’s family proposes an oath marriage of allegiance, to hopefully start making peace between the houses.

🐉Ash Acheron is a Drakonian, from the Kingdom of Fire - House of Flames. He is the Fire Prince with a vocal disability in the form of a stutter. This is hidden from his court as it makes him appear weak. Ash tries to keep his distance from Mal, even if he is intrigued by her strength. Women from his court are not brazen, and do not fight for themselves.

Kai and Alina feel a pull between each other that she tries to deny. Kai goes back and forth between embracing his desires, and staying away from her. At first I did not think that I would enjoy Alina’s POV based off the fact that she seems like the perfect spoiled princess. My love for her snuck up on me. I couldn’t imagine having to be forced into something you’re not. I am looking forward to seeing her personal growth.

Overall I loved this book and will be needing it physically because the cover is absolutely beautiful. I can’t wait to see all that will be revealed in the next book, and how the ending information will be taken into heart. Keep your eye out for J.F. John’s work!