A big thank you for letting me read the ARC!!
I could not put the book down. This is the first ever fantasy book I’ve read that involved witches and it didn’t not disappoint. The title of the book feels like I’ve seen it multiple times it nothing new the cover gorgeous.. I’m not a big fan of 3rd person pov, and it didn’t find it kinda hard to keep track with all the jumping around from the different pov’s.

Overall it was a fairly easy story to read. The pacing was really fast moving and I loved it, the authors does a good job of being very descriptive about characters and world building. The banter between the MFC (Mal)and MMC (Ash)was fantastic. The ending left me wanting more. I felt like there was some plot wholes here and there. I also loved that the MMC isn’t your typical “Alpha” male that you usually see in fantasy books. The romance parts did feel a bit rushed Towards the end of the book. It started off a a slow burn then bam it just kinda hits you. Wish there was a little bit more to them. I feel like we saw more detailed relationships with Kai’s and Alina. Can’t wait to read the second book.

A strong FMC, a curse, an epic love story and multiple betrayals…. I couldn’t put this book down after I started it!!

“The world was on fire.” This book was on fire!! A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash was a pleasant surprise. Betrothed into a foreign kingdom, very different from her own, Mal is expected to save all the remaining kingdoms from a hundred-year-old curse. She was raised semi-hidden from the world because she carries a trait that has long been intentionally forgotten. This trait will ultimately lead to twists and turns that promise to keep the reader captivated.

The story is briskly paced and effective. The exploration of the various characters and their interconnected lives was engaging… Tabitha’s diary entries at the beginning of each chapter proved insightful without taking away from the primary storyline.

J.F. Johns strings words and ideas together in a way that kept my interest the entire time, oh, she is good! This book blends fantasy with romance, offering enough excitement for fans of both genres. I look forward to following the characters and their journeys in the next book!

Disclaimer: I received an advance reader copy of A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash by J.F. Johns from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Overall Impressions

I have to be honest and say that I dove into A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash by J.F. Johns purely because of its cover. It's beautiful, the protagonist, Mal Blackburn, on the cover is absolutely stunning — menacing, powerful, and just as lethal as the book describes her. I didn’t know what to expect other than a magical fantasy. Although the premise and the lore had me excited in the first few pages, this book is somehow doing both too much and too little at once. The lore is so broad that the characters and events only scratch the surface and never dig in deep enough.

Characters

The cast is huge in A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash, with glimpses of characters from all across the kingdoms. However, every character seems dialed up to their most extreme traits. Mal is the most beautiful, lethal, amazing warrior there is — period. That same pattern follows for the rest of the cast, where each person quickly becomes a single trait (for example, a chatty character is only chatty across the pages), which makes them feel one-dimensional and either overly flawed or too perfect. I think this stems from the book introducing too many characters and parts of the world too quickly, without allowing enough time to develop the kingdoms or give the characters the attention they deserve.

Plot

The lore and premise are incredibly promising. Every time a new region was introduced, I ate up the details, hungry for more. However, this circles back to the book doing too much, too quickly. The characteristics of each region weren’t explored deeply enough, and a lot of the lore came in the form of exposition rather than letting the reader naturally discover the world through character and story.

It definitely gave me Lightlark vibes, or what Lightlark could’ve been with a more mature writer, so it had that going for it.

I loved the overall premise: a princess and a prince, with a bit of enemies to lovers tension, though it leaned pretty hard into my least favorite trope, miscommunication.

There’s just so much lore packed into this book that even 600 pages couldn’t handle it. It definitely could’ve used some editing down and trimming of the worldbuilding, which often took the spotlight away from what I personally think should’ve been the focus, Mal and Ash’s story.

The ambitious breadth of the lore took away from other key elements like rushed character relationships, non-descriptive environments, and outfits that were basically just “a slip of cotton in a solid color” (💀). I wanted to love this book so badly, but it was so broad that it never got to dive deep into any of the parts I was excited about.

That said, I enjoyed the plotline, the misdirections, and even the ending landed okay for me. Honestly, I would’ve loved to see this story stretch into a second book just to give this amazing world time to breathe and flourish.

Writing Style

I love multiple POVs, and with a cast this big, the book definitely needed them to tell a comprehensive story. It gave me strong Throne of Glass book 6 vibes. But then again, Throne of Glass waited six books to get to five-plus POVs, and I really think this book would’ve felt more special if the pacing had been slower.

The writing style was probably what pulled me in and out of the story the most. Similar scenes were often described using the same repetitive phrasing. The characters “consumed each other” and “became vengeance” a lot. The tone stayed very "epic" for most of the book, and I usually need a bit more build-up before those high-drama paragraphs land with full impact.

That said, I did enjoy the dialogue. It felt fantasy-esque and grounded, although I struggled with the talkative character’s dialogue (trying to avoid spoilers here). I appreciated the attempt at distinct speech patterns, but I think it went a little too far and pulled me out of the immersion. There were also a lot of “as you know” conversations, where characters told each other big chunks of plot instead of letting those details unfold naturally through action and events.

Closing Thoughts

I struggled with this book when I wanted to love it. I was absolutely GIDDY about the premise the first hundred pages or so, the world is so vast, there are so many creatures and different cultures that we could've experienced and learned about, which sounds like there was an opportunity given the second book's name.

However, the world moved so much faster than for us external readers to consume its content, and it didn't build quick enough for me to continue being invested in it. The focus for me in the first book was the main couple's chapters which I desperately wanted more of and enjoyed plenty! I wish there was more of them.

I think the story was good, but it's not really an enemies to lovers, so maybe label it as forced proximity / arranged marriage instead? I think as a community we're using enemies to lovers too often when it's just characters not speaking to one another.

I don't think I can recommend this right now or jump into the next book, however I do want to follow the author in the future as their work gets a bit more edited as an author!

Rating: 4/5 stars

This was such a solid read. The writing was genuinely beautiful—easy to follow, but still vivid and immersive. One line that really stuck with me was: “The Dark Library was a sanctuary of splendor and wisdom, a vast chamber where the echoes of history were carefully preserved, each archive a thread in the tapestry of their world’s past.” It captured the worldbuilding perfectly.

Mal’s character arc was definitely a highlight. Watching her go from feeling small and overlooked to becoming this powerful god of shadows was so satisfying. It gave me the same kind of energy as Aelin from Throne of Glass or Violet from Fourth Wing—a quiet strength that builds into something huge.

Ash was a refreshing change from the typical male lead in romantasy. He was still charming, but not the usual broody, morally grey type we see all the time. He felt more grounded and a bit different, which I really liked.

The ending left off on a good cliffhanger that definitely makes me want to pick up the next book. If I had to nitpick, I wish there had been dual POVs—I would’ve loved more insight into their thoughts and feelings. And while the connection between Mal and Ash was interesting, I wanted more from their relationship. A bit more tension, more build-up, more of that emotional pull.

Overall, a great start to the series. I’m really curious to see where it goes next.

This book totally grabbed your attention from the start. If you’re looking for a slow-burning story, this isn’t it. I have a ton of questions because I haven’t read the first part of this series, which I definitely plan to do. I can’t wait to find out more about Mal. The full series is called the Eternal Darkness Universe, and since you can read this as a standalone, you’ll definitely want to know more! Not just want, but need to know more!

To me A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash leans more into high fantasy than romantasy — lots of lore, multiple kingdoms, and a rich magic system.

While I appreciated the ambition, it was a bit too heavy on the fantasy side for my taste.

The third-person POV and constant perspective shifts made it hard for me to connect emotionally. I was more invested in Mal and Ash’s dynamic than the wider cast, and I wish their storyline had stayed more central.

That said, the worldbuilding is creative, the prophecy element is intriguing, and fans of slow-burn fantasy with light romance may find a lot to enjoy here.

ARC received via NetGalley

I had so much fun reading A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash! This was such a fast-paced, captivating read that had me hooked with all its twists and turns The world-building wasimmersive, and I loved all the different kingdoms and houses within the book. Even though it was a little hard to keep track of everyone at times (there are a lot of characters!), it didn’t take away from the experience. I found myself loving the entire cast and getting invested in all their stories.

While the beginning started off a bit slow, it didn’t take long for the pace to pick up—and once it did, I couldn’t put it down. The story had a great balance of action, mystery, and character development that kept things fresh and exciting. I’m already looking forward to book two and can’t wait to see where the story goes next!

By the third chapter, I was all in on this world of 8 magical kingdoms. The love stories - and I saw many developing - are what pulled me along, page after page late into the night on my three day marathon to get to the finale. I enjoyed the high and lows, even when I wasn’t sure if it would end in war or happily ever after. I especially liked that there were multiple heroes . There is still so much I want to unravel and understand. So this book goes down into my “addiction” bookshelf.: and now I must console myself and wait for the next book in the series.

Wasn’t to sure how this one would go but the title has me thinking it would be a good book and it was! Absolutely beautiful book!

I was sent a note by the author that this book was part of a series . I feel like the story line is so fluid and cohesive that it could be a stand alone . I fully understood the plot , characters and story line with just this book . I loved this book , it has so many elements to it , enemies to lovers , female heroines , family dynamics. I love witches and warlocks , this book combines witch magic with other types of magic and creatures . To read a book with so many different elements was a treat . The character building is fantastic, you want these people to succeed or ( die ) , given the character! I will definitely be checking out the prior books in this series !

Okay, so A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash totally pulled me in from the start. The atmosphere? Immaculate. There’s this dark, slow-burning tension that builds beautifully, and the world feels rich without being overwhelming. The main characters actually have depth, and the romantic tension had me invested. I wasn’t just reading—I was fully in the trenches with them.

Pros:
• Loved the morally gray characters—felt layered and real, not just “dark for the sake of dark.”
• The world-building was lush but digestible. It didn’t feel like a lore dump, which I always appreciate.
• Pacing kept me hooked. It was slow in parts, but in that simmering way that pays off later.
• The vibes? Peak broody fantasy with just the right amount of angst.

Cons:
• Some moments felt predictable (especially if you’ve read a lot of fantasy romance), and I guessed a few plot points early.
• The heroine had a couple of choices that made me pause—like, girl, really?—but she redeemed herself eventually.
• Not a huge deal, but I wish the magic system had been fleshed out just a little more.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. It’s the kind of book that leaves you needing the sequel immediately, and I’ll definitely keep going with the series. Would recommend if you like your fantasy with a bit of grit, emotional stakes, and a slow-burn romance you can feel.

So I normally don’t like multiple povs or 3rd pov but….. I could not put this down, the representation of the mmc condition was just chefs kiss imo. Dragons, wyverns, magic, arranged marriage, all the tropes you need!

I had read that this book is part of a series in the eternal darkness universe which I haven’t read YET! But the world building in this book did not disappoint and the side characters were perfection, my only criticism is that I now have to wait so long for the next book! Definitely a contender for one of my favourite books this year.

I really enjoyed this! This was my first fantasy arc as I’m normally just a romance girly but I’ve been enjoying fantasy lately and this book didn’t disappoint!! The world building was perfect for me and I was able to follow along well! I loved the main characters! Mal was everything!!
Overall I really enjoyed this book! Thank you

Beautifully written adult romantasy, with the highlight being our dear prince, battling issues and demons pretty much unseen in the romantasy genre nowadays. This story has familiar fantasy elements of romantic tropes, curses, arranged marriages, and dragons, but also some newer and interesting elements.
There is a simplicity to the story (as I would say it’s not as complex or convoluted as other high fantasy books), but it’s quite digestible and genuinely fun to read each chapter. The pacing slows down in the middle of the book, but I found the ending and twists and turns to be interesting. I focused more on the major plot line of the story, and didn’t feel as invested in our side characters and their drama.
Again, I highly appreciate our MMC and his type of representation, for him to veer away from the alpha male trope into someone who is vulnerable, misunderstood, but whole. I appreciate a good slow burn, though this was a bit too slow and then all-at-once for my taste. As for the rest of the story, I thought that the different kingdoms and their culture felt a bit superficial for me, with questionable representations of people groups (e.g., the “desert folk”). However, I enjoyed the various POVs of each chapter to slowly unravel our story. The ending is very intriguing, and makes for an interesting anticipation for book two.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC; posted on my Goodreads account

Tropes:
Enemies to lovers
Found family
Arranged marriage


The book is set to 3rd POV with some first person. I definitely was not a fan of this. Make it 3rd person completely through or vice versa with first person. The back and forth was not it for me.

I loved the world building and tension in the book. That saved it from being a DNF for me.

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️

“She didn’t want to conquer his heart… she wanted to stab it.”
That line alone hooked me, and this book kept me captivated from start to finish. 💥

The premise?
Mal Blackburn, the fourthborn daughter of the Kingdom of Darkness, is set to marry the cruel Fire Prince. But her real goal isn’t love—it’s revenge. She plans to kill him and break a curse no one believes in. But secrets, witches, and dragons make it much more complicated… 🐉🔥

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What I loved:
• The worldbuilding – rich, immersive, and full of history. 🌍✨
• Mal – complex, morally gray, and driven by more than just revenge. 💔
• The tension – enemies-to-lovers, slow-burn romance, and hidden powers. 😏
• The atmosphere & magic – dark, mystical, and full of secrets. 🔮

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What didn’t quite work for me:
• Shifting POVs mid-chapter – took a while to get used to. 🔄
• Pacing issues – a few overly descriptive moments that slowed down the plot. ⏳
• Romantic payoff – some moments felt a bit rushed. 💨

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Final Thoughts:
This book is dark, magical, and full of secrets. Mal’s journey of vengeance, power, and legacy was captivating, and I can’t wait for the next book! 🙌

Big thanks to NetGalley & J.F. Johns for the ARC!

I was honored to receive an ARC for this one. To be honest, the cover hooked me. I know they say not to judge a book by its cover, but I couldn't help myself.
This story was so complex. The magic systems and the world building were perfect. I felt connected to every single character that graced the pages.
This is more high fantasy, in my opinion. The 3rd person POV was great for getting the perspective of all these different characters from all the different lands.
I look forward to reading more from this author.

DNF at 27%. There’s so many words but nothing to keep me entertained. The world building was kiiind of there, but also wasn’t? Everything was over explained to the point of not being explained at all. Hopefully this makes sense😅 Lots of POVs, but it’s not always clear whose we’re in. I really had high hopes for this one.

The cover is gorgeous, so points for that. I love the strong FMC and the horns, but that’s about it.

I really liked this, I will admit it was a little tricky for me to get into but thats with all fantasy books I feel like. I really like our FMC and her story throughout the book. The wyverns are a great element, there is some good political plot. It is 3rd person view, and I did love the enemies to lovers romance. The cliffhanger got me.
So overall, and solid 4⭐️