The book has a promising premise; a story about the afterlife and a main character trying to find where she fits within it as war looms on the horizon. It unfortunately, did not hold my attention throughout.

With thanks to Netgalley

All that will Burn is a good fantasy with a bit of mystery thrown in and I found that I really enjoyed it.

2 stars It definitely has a good hook, but the rest of the story dragged for me.

Sorry for the late review I’m getting through my backlog of books I’ve read!!

Language is important to me. I expect an author to have a basic grasp of grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure. I find that a writer who uses 'whom' improperly does so because it sounds posh, or intellectual and thus comes off as neither. I have been told that it is now permissible to end a sentence with a preposition; however, sticking a meaningless preposition at the end of a sentence indicates to me that the writer needs to read his or her own work before dumping it on an unsuspecting public. Put eyes on your work - friends, family, beta readers - and get a good editor.

I don't generally read the blurb of a book I am about to read. I really want to start cold and work my way into the story. ALL THAT WILL BURN made so little sense that I had to go back to the blurb before giving up.

Sorry, but this one goes on my DNF (did not finish) shelf.

Concept-wise, this book was absolutely interesting, but the overall transitioning and pacing of the book lacked context. It didn't fully embrace the details of what might have been a better idea. It focused so much on one aspect that it has forgotten about the other altogether.

REVIEW~

All I can say is that this book is nothing short of amazing. Epic? Absolutely! It is not your typical dark fantasy. Set in the afterlife, our protagonist, Sofia, traverses between good and evil in a story arc that takes her, and the reader, through a midst of emotions. I felt her longing to find answers, her fear, her expectations and wishes. She was truly a dynamic and perplexing MC. I loved her internal struggles and the development of her character!

I am getting ahead of myself. I am just so excited about this novel. The word building and quality of writing is wonderful. The author paints pictures of worlds, both literally and figuratively, that you can become submersed in. There is a talent here that is solid and the author is truly gifted.

The pacing was consistent and cogent. In fact, it was perfect and time elapsed quickly as I read. I hate cliché terms but I literally could not put this book down. (I burned dinner because of it.) The characters were so vivid and convincing, I believe this may be a new favorite book for me. I can hardly wait to read more from this author.

I could go on and on about the premise of the book, but the blurb surmises it well. The plotline is uncommon and exceptionally cultivated. The afterlife presented is sui generis and unexpected. It is good vs evil, but so much more. It explores the journey of Sofia from lost and unsure, to confidant and assertive.

I’ve already touched on the character development, which was phenomenal, IMHO. Thusly, suffice it to say that the characters were quite detailed. The setting was rich and spectacular. The author’s watercolor illustrations lend themselves well to the telling of the tale. And they are beautiful!

This was escapism at it’s best and such a joy to read. The subject matter, though caliginous, was so intriguing that I found myself visualizing and speculating myself, what it must be like. This story took the MC and the reader on a journey and it was brilliant.

5/5 stars for this imaginative and unorthodox novel.

I was given this book by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This review, or portions thereof, will be posted (when able) on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads, Kobo, IG, FB, Pinterest, Litsy, and my own blog.

Unfortunately, I am unable to provide links to all sites as I am using my phone.

On various sites I am:
Pinterest~ Pinterest.com/katskraps
Barnes & Noble~ Karyl-Ahn-white_7
Litsy~ Karylahn or Karyl White

I don't even know what to saw. It hooks you in thats for sure and it is way different from any other book. If you don't like to just jump in to the main character with no background dont read it.

All That Will Burn is an interesting story. Essentially, it's good against evil, and it's in the afterlife. The premise is unique. For the most part, I liked the story, and it held my interest. At times, I was a little lost, and I felt the ending was rather flat and lacking substance and drama. I found the characters engaging and likeable. The illustrations are lovely. It's a good read overall. Thanks to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Full review to come.
I deeply apologize, but life is a handful lately and I'm using all my free time to read, not review. I hope everybody understands.

Sofia washes ashore on a desolate beach with no memories other than her name. She soon stumbles upon a group of people just like her, but she's the only one who knows her name. In the wake of their growing distrust of her because of this, she leaves the group to wander the unknown world. Before long, she comes across an angelic figure, falls back in with the group she had initially stumbled across, and discovers she is in the afterlife. But because she is one of the named few, there are many who call for her exile from the city. However, those who see the potential in her allow her to train for the chance to become a Sanguinir, an angelic being, only to be drawn into the middle of the battle between the angelic beings and the darker, more demonic immuertes who seek to destroy the light.

Initially, I was drawn to this book because it was listed as being an illustrated novel. I've never come across an illustrated novel before, so I was curious about what it would look like and how illustrated it would be. While the illustrations were beautiful and a nice touch to the book, I don't feel they actually added anything to the story. There also weren't that many; at least, not as many as I would have expected in a book billed as an illustrated novel. Honestly, I could have done without them and it wouldn't have impacted my enjoyment or understanding of the novel.

This is a basic good vs. evil type of story that just happens to take place in the afterlife. Honestly, I think the idea was interesting, but the execution was a little lacking. It was absolutely an interesting take on what might happen after death, but any fantasy world could stand in for the afterlife in this book. Simply put, it was a unique idea, but I didn't feel it was any different from any other world in any other fantasy book. Besides, outside of the angels and demons and mentions of limited immortality, I often forgot it took place in the afterlife. The world building was actually quite adequate, but I still only came away with hazy images. In a sense, the world is rich, detailed, and interesting, but descriptions felt a little lacking.

This is dark fantasy. It explores characters with a darker nature and the deformation of souls to form the monstrous immuertes. The beginning chapters were so graphic and horrific that I thought it was actually a horror book. However, as I read on, and definitely nowhere near nighttime as I scare very easily, the horror elements almost completely vanished and it turned into little more than a standard fantasy novel. By the end, even though the horror elements had returned, it was not quite as horrific as the beginning and I struggled to see this as dark fantasy.

During the last quarter, the story really came together and made sense. There were hints of Sofia's life before death and her family throughout the story, but it never made a lot of sense until the end. I did find the family connections a little too convenient, and a little absurd that so much of the story hung on them when this was supposed to be a battle greater than Sofia. But it did tie the story together and the end was actually rather satisfying. The prologue (that I had completely forgotten about during most of the book) finally made sense. I hate when the prologues have little to do with the meat of the story, so was glad to be able to ruminate and realize it was a nice piece.

To be honest, this book took me weeks to finish. I was intrigued by the illustrated dark fantasy nature of this book, but it really turned into a slow read for me. It's not that it was bad; it just wasn't my cup of tea. I contemplated abandoning it several times, but am glad I finished it as I really enjoyed how it ended. Unfortunately, though it may have been explained somewhere, I still don't understand why Sofia could not be burned.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Post date: 1/18/19
Blog: thelilycafe.wordpress.com

I don't think I'll ever been less interested in a book. From page one I felt very lost, because we were just dumped into the main character's life and I had no clue what was happening. Nothing was ever explained and that caused me to lose interest pretty quick.

Also, nothing significant was really happening and I've never felt more bored while reading something. At no point during this book was I interested or feeling for Sofia because we never really got to know her so I didn't end up calling if something happened to her.

This wasn't the book for me and I was disappointed.

From the opening violent scene, I could not finish this dark book. Perhaps when I am better prepared for a dark boom, I will finish it,

Thankyou to NetGalley and the author, Judd Mercer, for the opportunity to read a digital copy of All That Will Burn in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I found the storyline to be well written and interesting. I liked the character build with Sofia. Overall, it was a good story but for me, I felt something was missing.
Worth a read for fans of the genre.

3.5*

'From the ashes, a legend will rise.

Amidst an eternal war between good and evil, headstrong Sofia explores the afterlife in search of her lost past in this illustrated dark fantasy epic.'

Mercer succeeds in creating and ethereal, mysterious atmosphere.
I like the authors imagining of an afterlife that isn't 'sunshine-and-daisies' but rather 'a-lot-of-blood-and-violence.'

My biggest issue was a feeling of never quite comprehending how it came to be or what Sofias backstory was. I understand that it's meant to be mysterious, like I said, that is one of this novels strengths, however, I personally have a preference for character driven stories and there wasn't enough information to remain fully invested in Sofia as a character throughout.

Regardless, this is a very well written novel and I'd recommend 'All That Will Burn' for fantasy fans who are interested in angels and demons with a twist (And some truly stunning artwork to accompany it.)

~ Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this title ~

"From The Ashes A Legend Will Rise".

I mean between that, the title and the book cover I was like okay let's do this.

Its got great suspense. Loved Sofia as a character and the world building is amazing. Would definitely recommend!!

4 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

This was a well crafted story, but I couldn't get fully invested in it. The characters were well written, it has an interesting premise and the writing is good. I can't quite put my finger on it but it just didn't quite work for me.

This was great fun! I loved the beginning, an excellent example of how to write a character that has no idea of what is going on without confusing or annoying the reader.
Sophia awakens in the sea, with no memory but a name. This is then the story of what she does next, and what she finds out.
A very simple premise, but then you're drawn into a large scale fantasy novel with beautiful and madly colourful winged creatures and depraved and twisted beasts. Splendid!
I loved the descriptions, the vivid imaging of the world, and the illustrations were superb.
A highly recommended adventure of one person struggling to make sense of the place she finds herself in.
My only quibble is that the ending was a little weak, after such excellent exposition. Bordering on trite. But! Nevertheless, a highly successful read.

Amazing! I'm not the biggest fan of fantasy but the concept was so interesting and I loved how the story went.

This is a story of a woman named Sofia who enters a different world. Her encounters in the world are unlike anything I've ever read with different creatures and beings. She spends most of the story understanding where she is and why she's there. Although Sofia interacts with several people, the story never fully embraces another character until the very end. The first 50 pages lock you into Sofia. The story is breathtaking at first. However, the rest of the book lacks detail and transitions to help the reader fully understand the story of the Afore. Towards the end, the story bounces a little too quickly. It was hard to keep reading the short bursts of storyline. This story brings a new depth to life after death. You won't put the book down at first. Hang in there for the middle because the end leaves you thinking about life and death in many ways.