This book was a solid, enjoyable read with some standout moments—but it didn’t completely blow me away and wasn't anything I hadn't read before. The plot had great potential, and there were definitely parts that had me wanting to find out more.

That said, there were a few things that held it back for me—maybe a slower pace in the middle, or characters I couldn’t fully connect with. Still, the writing was engaging, and I appreciated the main twist of the story and also the change in POV is something that I always enjoy.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC

First of all the cover is absolutely gorgeous. Beyond that story is essentially all over the place. The world building was a bit lackluster. The background had potential and the magic system was decent. There was potential there but it fell flat. However, there were points in this book where the character development/decisions became very annoying, rushed. Not exactly true enemies to lovers, which tends to annoy me. I felt the story was slow at times with the ending hitting you with so much action and whiplash. Overall, the pace was too inconsistent for me. It’s not always the best sign when the side characters take away from the main. The side characters I felt in some ways had more of a personality. Overall, it was meh. I can see how the ending set you up for continuation of the series so it may still be a few others cup of tea, but just not mine.

📚 Book Review: A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash by J.F. Johns
✨ Genre: New Adult, Romance, Sci Fi & Fantasy
📖 Page Count: Not sure
📅 Date Finished: 28 April
📆 Release Date: 31 May

⸻

📝 Synopsis (No Spoilers!)
Set in a world of eight kingdoms ruled by different magical beings, this fantasy novel follows Mal, the fourth child of a royal family, as she navigates a political marriage alliance that spirals into a gripping tale of magic, secrets, and betrayal. The dramatic, twist-filled plot and rich magical elements are what pulled me in.

⸻

💭 First Impressions
This was an eARC from NetGalley (thank you!) As a fan of Jennifer L Armentrout, I was drawn to the book by its premise and world-building—it sounded like the kind of sweeping, immersive fantasy I enjoy. The story opens with a secondary character (Tabitha Wysteria) whose diary excerpts break up the book, and it was instantly tragic and gripping. This kept up - I’ve got a few books on the go at the moment but this was the one I kept coming back to, wanting to know what would happen next.

⸻

👥 Characters
Mal is a strong and confident protagonist, though her character development felt quite static over the course of the story (a weird thing to say as a lot happens to her, but I don’t think her reactions to events change vastly from beginning to end). In contrast, Alina stood out to me with the most significant arc - changing and growing the most. I loved Kai’s character a lot - especially the cupcake moment and his relationship with Mal, and the Kai/Alina arc as well. But some characters I think could’ve been developed a bit more (especially Hagan, and Ash a little bit). And I think the Ash/Mal arc needed a little bit more seeding (especially from Mal’s perspective - why do her feelings change? I’m not sure). That said, it is quite a feat to have so many compelling ensemble characters in one book with multiple plots and subplots.

⸻

🌍 World-Building / Setting
The world-building is a definite strength. Each kingdom is distinct, and the lore behind the magical beings and alliances adds depth. I like the small details like how the food, fashion and culture changes in each court. You can definitely see elements/tropes from other books - I think there’s a bit of ACOTAR courts in the eight different kingdoms for example, and the marshlands at the beginning felt very Lord of the Rings. But it’s a well-constructed fantasy universe.

⸻

✍️ Writing Style
The prose leans toward the descriptive and traditional high fantasy style. It’s detailed and atmospheric. I tend to prefer a slightly more direct and punchier approach, but still found myself rushing through the book despite a bit more lyricism than I’d normally enjoy.

⸻

🔥 Favourite Moments / Quotes (Optional)
The ending. OMG. This is a book that you will close and then need to sit for a minute staring at a wall to emotionally process. It was a lot. Now I need the sequel, like right now.

Also I need to honourable mention Chapter 8. That chapter made me feel physically and emotionally unwell (in a good way!) I’ve mentioned elsewhere about drawing elements from other books, but I’ve never seen arranged marriage handled as stomach-churningly directly as here.

⸻

🎢 Pacing & Plot
The pacing was generally strong. While a few sections were slower due to the dense descriptions, the overall plot moved forward with intrigue, twists and high stakes. The ending, especially, amped things up significantly.

One thing I did think could be maybe expanded on a little bit was “themes”. I think there was a sprinkling of some very interesting themes: the power of storytelling and fake narratives; gender dynamics and sexism; hurt people hurt people. But it felt like just a sprinkling. I wonder if these will get picked up and expanded in the sequel.

⸻

📚 Overall Thoughts
I really loved this book. This is a great pick for fans of immersive fantasy worlds and twisty plots. I’d recommend this book to fans of Jennifer L Armentrout, Sarah J Maas and Game of Thrones, but I think to bump up from a 4 to 5 star rating I’d want it to have something that made it really unique, as I felt like lots of elements were drawn from lots of different existing tropes. Sometimes I wanted a slightly leaner writing style, but I recognise that could just be personal preference and you might lose some of the lyricism. But more widely the plot and character arcs for supporting characters were excellent.

⸻

⭐ Rating: 4/5 stars

Mal Blackburn, is forced into a political marriage with the notoriously cruel Fire Prince, she enters the lion's den with a deadly mission: assassination. Her determination to end a curse, a truth dismissed by most, adds a layer of intrigue and raises the stakes considerably. Mal is not simply a pawn; she's a woman with a purpose, driven by a secret that could either save or doom everyone around her. This internal conflict, coupled with her "witch eyes" and connection to the forbidden past, makes her a compelling and relatable protagonist.
The plot unfolds with a satisfying blend of political intrigue, simmering romance, and magical elements. The world-building is rich, painting a vivid picture of the eight kingdoms, their histories, and their prejudices. The shadow of the destroyed witch kingdom hangs heavy over the narrative, adding a sense of underlying dread and the potential for explosive conflict.
Overall, its an engaging read and one I highly recommend!

Dragons, wyvern, witches and shadows… what more could you want from a fantasy! This was a fun and intriguing read, with many twists and turns and an ending that left me longing for the next book!

I thought this was a really interesting story that took elements from many favourite fantasy books and created this fun, new story. The world building was really vivid and really added to the dark magic vibes, I found this so easy to picture, and I liked the contrast in scenery when we went to the fire kingdom. I liked the different characterises between kingdoms and I felt each character had a really vivid and unique voice. I kind of wish the magic system was explored more. Other than the witches and a few powers that seemed linked to certain characters, I felt unsure of where exactly the magic fit into

Firstly, thank you for gifting me an ARC to read and review. I hope to read more of the author's future releases!

A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash is a beautifully written fantasy romance full of magic, tension, and forbidden love. It follows Mal, a fourth-born daughter from the Kingdom of Darkness, as she’s pushed into a political marriage with the son of the Kingdom of Fire, Ash. At the centre of a prophecy which mentions a curse placed many years ago, the two strive for peace amongst the kingdoms that were once there before the witches were eradicated. Or so everyone believed.

Written in third person, the book gives an outward view into the different kingdoms, primarily focusing on the Kingdom of Darkness and the Kingdom of Fire. Our main character Mal, is born as the fourth born and with purple eyes (which seems indicative of Mal having the magical abilities of a witch), not only does it defy the previous tradition of only having 3 children, but also leaves questions such as if she is cursed.
Ash, one of two children from the Kingdom of Fire, is a well-built, golden-haired man with his own problems. From childhood, he has struggled with his stutter and therefore chooses to be a man of few words. Known by Mal for his reputation of being ruthless and cruel, but that is not what Mal finds when she is finally in his presence.

Personally, I loved the multiple viewpoints of the different characters, however, I would have preferred if Alina (Ash's sister) and Kai's (Mal's brother) story were its own book. The tension between the two was gripping. I would love to know more about the two of them outside of the glimpses we get of them. The same for Kage (Another one of Mal's brothers) and Wren (A seer from a neighbouring kingdom). I do not believe it took anything away from the story; the different viewpoints of each character gave insight.

Dragons, wyvern, witches and shadows… what more could you want from a fantasy! This was a fun and intriguing read, with many twists and turns and an ending that left me longing for the next book!

I thought this was a really interesting story that took elements from many favourite fantasy books and created this fun, new story. The world building was really vivid and really added to the dark magic vibes, I found this so easy to picture, and I liked the contrast in scenery when we went to the fire kingdom. I liked the different characterises between kingdoms and I felt each character had a really vivid and unique voice. I kind of wish the magic system was explored more. Other than the witches and a few powers that seemed linked to certain characters, I felt unsure of where exactly the magic fit into the story and who could do what. I think if there had been less characters this maybe could have been explored in a bit more detail.

The multi character pov really helped to add depth to the story, but I do agree with some in that the jumping between characters was maybe a bit too frequent and sometimes stilted the pace of the story.

I found the second half of the book much better than the first. I found some of the sentence structure a bit clunky, and the pace felt off in places. However after the halfway mark I think the author really got into her groove with the story and it seemed to flow much better. The plot really started to move, and the twists in the last quarter or so were really satisfying. Looking forward to book 2!

4.5!!!!
incredible.
I ate this up!
world building, enemies to lovers, I simply need more asap! It was so good!

Thank you NetGalley for this arc!

A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash was just, WOW. What a read. Where to start?! Dark magic, wyverns, a crazy plot with forbidden romance, this checks ALL the boxes for me.

I mean, c'mon, dragons will get me every time😂

The world building, it's there. Magic and mayhem, wyverns and ancient curses, it hooked me from the start. There is so much intrigue twisted with secrecy and rebellion, I couldn't put it down.

That ending was brutal😭 all I will say is that I need the next part!!

This has the potential to become a really good series!!
I think it has a really interesting world, I enjoyed the descriptions of each kingdom and how different they are from each other - from the weather, to their values/norms, to their people, etc. I loved the Wyvernian siblings, they might be my favorite characters in this book. Mal, the FMC, she's wonderful!
The pacing did feel a little off at times but I think that might have to do with the fact that it is written in 3rd person and has multiple POVs. It did get a little confusing/overwhelming at times.
I loved Mal and Ash's relationship build up but when it finally happened, I did get a little disappointed. I wish it had been more fleshed out on page than it was. When they first get together, it goes from 0 to 100 real quick. It felt too insta-lovey for me, which I'm not a fan of.
I did also enjoy how we got little snippets of Tabitha's diary entries, those were really interesting.
I'm intrigued to see where this story goes!

Thank you to the author and to NetGalley for giving me an arc!

This book had me reeling the entire time! From the love stories throughout to the twists of the plot - I was hooked from the first page! With bated breaths, I’ll be waiting for A Kingdom of Sand and Ice!

From the first stunning chapter header I was hooked. The artwork immediately grabbed my attention, a beautiful mixture of whimsy and magic...but then I met Mal.



If somehow Manon Blackbeak and Karlach (Baldur's Gat 3) met, fell in love and impossibly conceived... that badass, iron willed baby would be Mal Blackburn. It's honestly so refreshing to have such a fleshed out FMC. Mal is not just a passenger in her own story, she is driving her own destiny and giving tough as nails Lzzy Hale vibes whilst doing so. If Mal has a million fans, I'm one of them.; if she has one fan, it's me; if she has no fans, I am dead.



Our MMC? Again, another exciting change of pace. Ash is a misunderstood sweetheart, he's a darling golden retriever man, with insecurities that immediately endear him to the reader. Now, I love my morally grey shadow daddies as much as the next girl, but Ash? Swoon. Having a misunderstood loverboy as our male lead was such a balm.



Genuinely, I liked the way all the characters were written and the dynamics between them felt super organic. I could spend this entire review effusively listing all the positives about each character. It'd get boring, so let's move on...



The writing style is fantastically descriptive, but not overly flowery. The way the world and setting is described is extremely immersive and left me wanting to learn more about each of the eight kingdoms. Right now, it's definitely a trend for there to be multiple kingdoms/courts with distinct powers, ecologies and cultures, and A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash definitely has this. Luckily, in Kingdom of Gods it seems that so far there is a deeper relationship between the kingdoms and cultures. The people of the nations all look very different depending of where they hail from, which leads to that classic Fantasy trope of subtle racism and sexism(although not so much from our protagonists) - I really enjoyed the explorations of misogyny in particular.



Each of the kingdoms is associated with its own magical creature (yay!). Mal has a wyvern, Ash rides a dragon and we also see rideable dire wolves and pegasi. I love a mythical beast, and I honestly wish we saw more of them. I also can't wait to see more of the creatures from the kingdoms that we didn't spend much time with.



One last thing... Those twists at the end? They came thick and fast, and whilst I'd hoped for one and dreaded another that came to be, there was one or two that I did not see coming. I really enjoyed them and how they left things at the end of the novel, especially as it set things up for the rest of the series without actually leaving us with a cliffhanger per se. Phenomenal, start to finish I loved this book!

“I do not mind starting another Great War for you, princess.” 🤭

*Received as an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review/feedback*

A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash completely stole my soul from the very first page!! Dark magic, wyverns, ancient curses, forbidden love, political scheming—this book had EVERYTHING I crave in fantasy and more!! Mal Blackburn is the definition of a powerful, unapologetically fierce heroine and I was OBSESSED with her from the start. The tension, the danger, the magic—I could not put this down!

The world-building was absolutely unreal—giant wolves, wyverns, cursed kingdoms, hidden magic, and court intrigue?! My fantasy heart was LIVING!! This story had me clutching my Kindle like my life depended on it. The ending left me SCREAMING and desperate for book two. If you love badass heroines, enemies-to-lovers tension, forbidden magic, and brutal fantasy worlds—you NEED this book in your life!!

Pick this up if you love:
✨Strong, badass heroines
✨Enemies-to-lovers romance
✨Forbidden love
✨Magical creatures, ancient curses, and dragons
✨Court politics & high-stakes betrayal

Technically I gave this book a 4.5 but I rounded up here!

This book made me feel every emotion from start to finish. I absolutely loved every second and I don’t know how I’m going to patiently wait for the next installment. Johns’ writing is detailed and beautiful, engaging every part of your imagination. There were times I truly felt transported into her world. As it is the first book, there is a lot of character introductions and world building, but it is not heavy handed or bogs down the story, it flows through the book.

The characters are complex, flawed, and utterly immaculate. Told in 3rd person and from multiple POVs, I was initially worried that I would favor certain POVs over others. This was not the case, and I found myself rooting for each character’s unique journey and development arc. I particularly loved Kai’s (Mal’s brother) POV and his sweet sibling relationship with Mal. Mal is the perfect badass female heroine. She’s sassy, wild, complex, kind, and will kick your ass. Initially, I thought I would hate the perfect, rule-following Fire Princess Alina (Ash’s sister). But she very quickly became one of my favorites as she struggles with her royal duty, desires, and changing identity.

The one character I wanted more from was Ash. While I loved his character’s inclusivity in the book, his POV was less represented. BUT he has so much potential; I hope the next book will delve more into him.

The romances (yes, plural!!) are the slow and sensual burns of my dreams. The latter half of the book has more explicitly sexual content, but it’s not overbearing and the story’s arc still shines. With that, there’s not much action in the first half, but the world building, the characters and their interactions are vivid and dynamic, making the book interesting from start to finish. And it all still flows really well into an earth-shattering climax that will leave your jaw on the floor. There were a couple revelations that I did not see coming and I am LIVING for it.

If you loved Throne of Glass, ACOTAR, or the Bridge Kingdom, this book is definitely for you!

What an amazing book! There were some parts when it slowed down a bit but overall it was a great read! The story had me hooked as soon as I realized that we have a world filled with different creatures and kingdoms. From dragons, to wyverns, from draconians to witches. The world building was mesmerizing. The author vividly describes the landscape and everything around them.
As for the characters, I loved being able to know why and how every character was acting through out the story.
The multiple pov's were also amazing. Absolutely loved reading the development of Mal and Ash's relationship!. Literally making us "beg" for them to start talking with each other, properly. Can't wait to see how will they be on the next book, but I still want to know about Kai and Alina, because I loved them too. I cannot wait for the next book.

I'm giving this all the stars! I'm yelling at you to read this book, my only issue is I wish I could go into the next book.

So many plot twists I didn't see coming and had me absolutely floored/screaming. I just want to ramble on and on about this book, but you need to trust me and read it for yourself.

✨Vibes✨
-Dragons and other fantasy creatures
-100 year curses
-Sibling bonds and complicated family dynamics
-3rd Person POV

The pace was a little off at first - or at least it felt so. We spent what seemed like a lot of time dealing with all the other kingdoms envoys, following them rather than developing the main characters and their relationship. The payoff however, is well worth it. This is more than just a romance, there is high stakes political manoeuvring with massive betrayals and things never being exactly what they seemed.

The secondary couple, Kai and Alina, were more interesting to me, but my favourite character, by far, was Kage. My heart was pounding a couple of times when he was in peril and nothing better happen to my cold boy or I will riot.

As with these kind of books, the pace really picked up in the last 100 or so pages and it went on a brutal series of twists, some I saw coming, some I thought had no real foreshadowing and some that honestly took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting a certain event in the dining room to happen, that's for sure.

Roll on book 2, the last pages changed everything again and we need to know what happens next!

4 stars for sure 😍

First of all, thank you very much to J. F. Johns and NetGalley for giving me access to the ARC.

What a journey it was! An amazing one, I’m glad to say! The story got me “trapped in” as soon as I realized that we have a world filled with different creatures and kingdoms. From dragons, to wyverns, from drakonians to witches…it was awesome. The world building is mesmerizing, we can clearly imagine the world through the authors vivid and rich descriptions.

As for the characters, I just loved being able to think and feel how every single one of them was acting and seeing everything that was happening along the story. The multiple pov’s were a plus to me. Absolutely adored reading the development of Mal and Ash’s relationship! All the details mentioned by the author, such as small actions or physical reactions of them both, made the outcome of their relationship excellent. Literally making us “beg” for them to start talking with each other, properly. Can’t wait to see how will they be on the next book, but I still want to know about Kai and Alina, because I loved them as well, and think they have potential to keep growing in story terms. I cannot wait for the next book.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book to fantasy lovers! Here you can find an interesting story filled with magic, diverse creatures, multiple characters pov’s, rich and vivid world descriptions and a hint of political intrigue.

To say this book left me breathless would be an understatement! The Curse of Fire and Secrets is hands down one of my favorite reads of 2025. From the gripping enemies-to-lovers romance to the rich tapestry of political intrigue, this story is pure magic. The immersive world-building, complete with mythical creatures and diverse kingdoms, had me hooked from start to finish.

Mal Blackburn stands out as a fierce and unforgettable protagonist. Her loyalty and growth throughout the story, particularly in her relationship with Ash, tugged at my heartstrings. Ash, the kind of MMC you can’t help but want to protect, brings a quiet strength and emotional depth that had me sobbing. Their love story is beautifully built on tension and mutual trust, making every moment between them impactful.

The multiple points of view enrich the narrative, allowing glimpses into the lives of secondary characters. I was completely enchanted by the Wyvernian family—their deep, unconditional love and individual quirks made them a joy to read about. Kai, with his smug charm, and Kage, the brooding brother, both left me wanting more and eagerly anticipating the sequel.

This is the type of fantasy world I would happily live in, thanks to its depth of lore and history. The cliffhanger ending has left me yearning for the next installment, and I can't recommend this book enough, especially for fans of Fourth Wing and ACOTAR. Five stars, without hesitation!

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy—I needed this sequel yesterday!

When I started the book I got a little scared, as it begins with a quick overview of all of the kingdoms, their houses and its members. And, it was a lot to take in.

The book is written in 3rd person pov, and we follow multiple people’s story, which was a bit confusing at times. I had to go back once or twice to see what was happening to whom.

I love my new shadow mommy, Mal. She is clever, fierce as fudge and can take care of herself just fine. She is not some scrawny thing that picked up a bow once and is now THE BEST at everything. No, she has trained all of her life and is a force to be reckoned with, and best of all, she knows it too.

On the other hand, though, it felt like her husband-to-be, Ash, was a little underdeveloped and underwhelming. His story seemed to focus most on just his personal issue (which I do love, btw, I am here for the inclusivity). I would have loved to get to know him better.

His sister Alina, however, is a damn treasure. Her backstory had a lot more depth and, in turn, I liked her a lot more than her brother, who is supposed to be one of the main characters.

The main couple’s romance wasn’t the one that hooked me the most… Plus, do I see an lgbtq+ couple in the future (fingers crossed!)?

There were quite a few twists and turns. Some I saw coming, while others smacked me right in the face. Ouch. Well done, J. F. Johns.

Great worldbuilding, can’t wait to learn more about the other kingdoms and what the witches and warlocks have secretly been up to.

After THAT CLIFFHANGER (readers beware), I am very interested to see where the story is going to go, so I will definitely be reading A Kingdom of Sand and Ice as soon as it comes out!

Thanks to NetGalley and J. F. Johns for the opportunity to read this book early in exchange for my honest review!