I tried to read A Shadow Bright and Burning multiple times and couldn’t make it through. This one’s not for me.

I apologize for not reviewing this book, my request was sent by accident and I didn't know it's a sequel at the time. I am sorry for the inconvenience.

New twists, new revelations, new complications to the Harem. Manages to keep its high stakes engaging and an unsettling end to keep interest high. The romantic shenanigans are wearing rather thin two books in, though.

Jess does it again! She has built such a rich world for her characters to live in that flipping through pages transports you there are the reader.

I really enjoyed reading this book! I read this book in one sitting because I could not put the book down, I highly recommend reading this book!

A Poison Dark and Drowning was even better than A Shadow Bright and Burning (not so creative with the titles, though. How does one even keep track of which is first? But I digress.). There were so many reveals for a second book in a trilogy, which I liked. This wasn't a bridge, but an actual worthwhile installment. Recommended!

Action-packed sequel!
Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review A Poison Dark and Drowning by Jessica Cluess!
Nettie is officially a sorcerer and while she’s at her first meeting, an Ancient sends a message requesting that the sorcerers give Nettie up. Many revelations occur and much action takes place in this second book of the Kingdom on Fire series. Betrayal, loyalty, bravery, forgiveness and power bring this story to life. So much takes place that I feel like anything I share would spoil the story. Nettie’s friends have secrets and burdens of their own, most of which are revealed. Complex and character developing best describes A Poison Dark and Drowning, 5 stars!

A review of this title is avaliable through Goodreads - and later through my blog. The Goodreads link is available below!

Bloody, magical, monstrous, romantic and utterly heartbreaking. This book takes everything I loved from the first book and elevates it to a whole new level. All the stakes are raised, relationships are tested and secrets are revealed. I can't decide if this book stole my heart or ripped it out of my chest. I loved it! If you read the first book definitely pick up this sequel! And if you haven't read the first book, you really should. It's a YA must read!!

The Kingdom on Fire books are truly something else. They have magic, romance, and a kick ass heroine who might possibly give Katniss Everdeen a run for her money. Henrietta and the boys are back in this action packed sequel and left me breathless. Quite literally. Which makes waiting for the next book that much more tortuous.

I'm being dramatic but can you blame a girl? There's so much that happened that I don't even know where to begin. We meet some new characters along the way, and then there's that romance thing. The one where there could be three suitors. I'm not a fan of this. At all. I have a general idea of who she may end up with but as of right now, the romance aspect isn't for me. I'm really loving everything else though.

Okay, I lied. I totally care about who she ends up with and I do have a guy in mind for who I want it to be. But for now I'll keep hush on who that is. Anyways, magic and fighting in books is all good and entertaining. So if you haven't yet started the first book...I highly suggest doing so. While I think parts in this story were slow at times, I enjoyed it very much and can't wait for the next one.

I need to apologize to this book. The beginning started out intriguing, but a little slow, so I accused it of having Second Book Syndrome. But I was SOOO wrong. The last 100 pages were SUPER EPIC INTENSE and had me GASPING AND FLAILING AND CRYING AND SCREAMING. I’m emotionally exhausted from this book, and I’m diving RIGHT into book three because I NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!!!!!!!

For the most part, the characters remained steady in their development. I think they grew a LOT near the end, but they otherwise were on point with where they were in book one. I still adore Henrietta, though I didn’t always agree with her or her choices in this book. She’s still bold and fierce and I LOVE that she’s … not what she thought she was… I don’t know how else to say that without spoilers, so.. If you read the book, you know what I mean. She defies a certain trope.

I STILL love Magnus and STILL want him and I Henrietta to be End Game. But, just as I said in my review of book one, he did have some moments where I hated him and the way he behaved and the way he treated Henrietta. I’m anxious, re: the way his story ended. And I’m nervous to see where it’ll go from here. I’m still a bit confused on how I feel about Blackwood. He was kind of an ass in this book, so I don’t like him as much as I did in the first book. But I’m still intrigued by him… is that weird??

I LOVED Maria. Right off the bat, I liked her but didn’t trust her. And then I had a super wild-ass theory about her and then I WAS RIGHT AND I CAN’T WAIT TO SEE WHAT THIS MEANS FOR HER IN BOOK THREE I’M SO INTRIGUED I NEED TO SEE WHAT HAPPENS NEXT!!!!!!!

I still don’t really like or care about Rook, and I don’t ship him and Henrietta. And I know it wasn’t his fault (not completely), but he did some pretty unforgivable stuff in this book… I’m a little bit curious to see what happens with him in book three, but I also can’t see him possibly getting any redemption, particularly after that one incident…

The revelations in this book – especially, as I mentioned, in the last 100 pages – were INSANE and INTENSE and CRAZY, but also super intriguing – and many of them made complete sense. I had another wild-ass theory regarding one of the Ancients and in that I was right as well and !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I LOVED Faerie. It was dark, twisted and creepy and I LOVE dark Faerie realms. It gave me Wintersong vibes, to a certain extent. Also, Holly Black/Tithe vibes.

Overall, this book was a bit slow in the beginning, but the ending absolutely made up for it. I HIGHLY recommend IT!!!

While I absolutely loved "A Shadow Bright and Burning", I felt "A Poison Dark and Drowning" is a solid sequel yet doesn't provide the same luster and excitement as the first book. Overall, the tone of this sequel was decidedly darker and gloomy. There were very few fun, light moments within this book. I also felt that the characters had such drastic changes in their behavior and demeanor. I've also since learned that Jess Cluess has absolutely no qualms with killing our darlings. I was shocked by many of the deaths and twists in this story, and it is ultimately why I continued reading. Overall, the end of the book does set up for a blockbuster finale, so I will be reading "A Sorrow Fierce and Falling".

Boring and full of cliches, I did not enjoy book 1 or this sequel. However, if anyone read and loved the first one, they're bound to love and enjoy this one too.

Did not finish.
I couldn’t get into the story, I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters after book 1 and I felt that book 2 wasn’t as strong as it had to be in order to gain my interest again.

I really enjoyed this installment of the series by Jessica Cluess and I can't wait to see where she goes with the next book. There was plenty of action and progress in this book that sometimes I fear is missed in second books but no worries here. It picks up shortly after the end of book one and Henrietta is on a mission to find a cure for Rook whilst the country is at war with the Ancients. There are a number of twists and turns in this book and they kept me turning the pages to see what was going to happen next. I'll definitely be picking up the next book in this series!

All I can say is - GIVE ME BOOK THREE NOW! If that doesn't sum up how I feel about this book, I don't know what will!

Before I read A Poison Dark and Drowning, I reread A Shadow Bright and Burning, which very much held up. These books are just so much fun, with a well-drawn cast and world building/plotting that just keep better. They’re even fun when they stab you in the feels, which A Poison Dark and Drowning very does.

I continue to love the way that Cluess plays with the idea of the Chosen One trope. Now, Henrietta’s pretty sure that she isn’t the chosen one of the prophecy, and she’s really not sure what to do with herself. Also, she’s not sure how to balance being both magician and sorcerer. The girl’s a hot mess basically, but at least she has chemistry with basically every other character. Unfortunately, her lack of security manifests in refocusing on her relationship with Rook, aka mentally rolling back to the last time she knew who she was. Rook continues to just be the worst.

There’s so little I can talk about without spoilers, but MY GOD do I want to talk to people about this book, because I really have no idea what to expect from book three, and it BURNS. View Spoiler » The plot moves at a brisk, unputdownable pace, and absolutely everyone faces massive amounts of pain and terrible choices, which is ideal in a fantasy tbh.

Often, fantasy trilogies struggle with that middle volume, feeling like they’re marking time, drawn out and slow. That absolutely does not happen here. Though it’s Henrietta’s POV, there’s such a strong character arc for her whole crew, which I love. Blackwood, my darling, we need to have a talk. Magnus, my baby, take this gigantic hug. I also absolutely love that the solution for how to defeat their enemies comes with a massive cost. Absolutely nothing comes easily, and it’s beautiful and terrible.

This series continues to improve. Those who loved A Shadow Bright and Burning will be thrilled with this installment (though also in pain), and people who were on the fence may be won over by this new level of intensity.

Sort of a cross between Pride and Prejudice and Harry Potter; where there is society there is trouble and where there is magic, there is even more trouble! Henrietta is on a mission to protect her childhood best friend and also stay true to her new ones as well. Absolutely love Jessica Cluess' style of writing! A definite must read for fans of Cassandra Clares Infernal Devices trilogy!

3.5 stars

I don’t know why I took so long to read this one. I had enjoyed the first book and jumped into this one without a fresher of any kind.

I still like Henrietta. She means well, but maybe doesn’t go about doing things in the best way. I didn’t care for her lying and believing that she knew the best way to do everything. I really liked the addition of Maria and look forward to seeing what she brings to the last book. And of course the many many boys were delightful.

Plot wise, it did get a bit repetitive here and there. There were some great reveals, shocks, and answers, but it still left quite a set up for the next book. I’m eager to see how everything plays out.

Overall, it was a solid second book that kept me entertained. Now, when’s book 3 out?

**Huge thanks to Random House Books for Young Readers for providing the arc free of charge**

Why Did I Read?
I really enjoyed the first book in the series, A Shadow Bright and Burning and have been eager to see what is going to happen next!

My Thoughts:
So one of the main things that I really love about this series is the backdrop of Victorian England-- but with magic! Magicians and sorcerers and monsters and hints of other worlds out there. It appeals to my love of all things fantasy combined with historical fiction plus Victorian England era. It's a lot of my favorite things all together.

In Poison Dark and Drowning we get a more expansive look at this world and a little more history behind magicians, sorcerers and witches. I loved all of that because it's just so interesting! I like knowing more about the magic and the events that have led Henrietta to this point.

The story itself is fast paced and I found myself engrossed and turning the pages as fast as I could. I liked seeing the progression of some characters as well! The one thing that really holds me back with this series is Henrietta's love...shape. I was just getting a bit of love interest whiplash when reading. I'll be honest, I'm just not a fan of Rook and the beginning of the book just made me even more meh on him. I liked Blackwood in the first book but then things happen in this one... *being purposefully evasive for spoiler reasons* And honestly as a whole, I like Magnus the best. I'm really interested to see what becomes of all this in the last book! But because of the love shape incongruity... it really knocked my enjoyment of the book down slightly. You know me. I like those slow burn, epic fantasy romances.

In Short...
I really enjoyed this sequel and can't wait to see how it all ends! Magic, sorcerers, Victorian England - it's all a few of my favorite things! Toss in an exciting plot and you've got this great series! I highly recommend for fantasy fans - who maybe won't mind a bit of a love-shape.