Synopsis: Henrietta Howel can burst into flames. When she is brought to London to train with Her Majesty's sorcerers, she meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, young men eager to test her powers and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her. As Henrietta discovers the secrets hiding behind the glamour of sorcerer life, she begins to doubt that she's the true prophesied one. With battle looming, how much will she risk to save the city--and the one she loves?
Review: A Shadow Bright and Burning was such a fun read. I've seen some people criticize this book for being trope heavy, and being too similar to other YA fantasy books. I disagree. Henrietta begins this story thinking she is supposed to be a sorcerer meant for grand things, then she is told that she isn't the prophesied one. This already makes the story wildly different from other fantasy books because the main character is usually the "chosen one." Henrietta really embodies a "fake it 'til you make it" attitude and I appreciated that. I liked Henrietta a lot. I felt like her training and getting a better grasp at her magic was a little rushed, but she was an entertaining main character. I adored Hargrove. I'm probably going to regret that, but he was fun to read. He acted very silly, kind of like Merlin from the animated The Sword in the Stone.
The story had some predictable elements, but there was much of the book that I didn't see coming. The last couple of chapters in particular, there was a time where Henrietta realized she had friends, and they would help protect her, which I found very touching. Other YA authors would have probably twisted the story into, "The main character has been rejected by those closest to her and now she has to fight on her own." I'm a little worried about how the series will continue. In this world, there are creatures called Ancients that have awoken and are terrorizing the world, and Henrietta is training to stop them. This series isn't long. There are only 3 books. But Henrietta is supposed to take out 7 Ancients. I'm afraid some of it will be rushed, or dropped completely. I also struggled with the differentiation between magicians and sorcerers. One is accepted, and the other is not, but the book didn't explain the different very well.
Fun start to a fantasy trilogy. I can't wait to see what happens to Henrietta next.
4 howls
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