Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.4 AVERAGE
4.4 AVERAGE
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
challenging
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!
Samantha Shannon may be my new favourite author. I am a new fan of the Roots of Chaos series, so when I was approved for this book I was delighted. It's a relatively short read, a bite-sized look into the world that Shannon has created, but it left such an impact on me. Among The Burning Flowers follows three characters through dark and desperate times and helps set up the events that occur in Priory of the Orange Tree.
Despite the short length of this book, it still delivers on the intense relationships between characters, romantic and platonic, and has a lot of action scenes that had me sitting on the edge of my seat. This book is packed full of the rich lore and worldbuilding we already know from the previous books, and every time a name I recognised was mentioned or a location, I was so excited. It was great putting things together myself as someone who read and loved Priory, but I do think this would be an excellent starting point to the series as a whole.
Overall, this was a fantastic quick read, and I highly recommend it to all fans of the Roots of Chaos series, or if you're looking to begin reading this series and want something a bit shorter to begin with.
Samantha Shannon may be my new favourite author. I am a new fan of the Roots of Chaos series, so when I was approved for this book I was delighted. It's a relatively short read, a bite-sized look into the world that Shannon has created, but it left such an impact on me. Among The Burning Flowers follows three characters through dark and desperate times and helps set up the events that occur in Priory of the Orange Tree.
Despite the short length of this book, it still delivers on the intense relationships between characters, romantic and platonic, and has a lot of action scenes that had me sitting on the edge of my seat. This book is packed full of the rich lore and worldbuilding we already know from the previous books, and every time a name I recognised was mentioned or a location, I was so excited. It was great putting things together myself as someone who read and loved Priory, but I do think this would be an excellent starting point to the series as a whole.
Overall, this was a fantastic quick read, and I highly recommend it to all fans of the Roots of Chaos series, or if you're looking to begin reading this series and want something a bit shorter to begin with.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thank you to Samantha Shannon, NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for allowing me to read an advanced copy of AtBF. This review is 100% my own and unbiased.
What a wonderful addition to The Roots of Chaos series. Marosa is a gorgeous character. So complex and strong; she is a wonderful POV character. Learning more about Yscalin and the influence that Fyredel has over the people there. Contrasted with Aubrecht's POV where we learn more about that period before The Priory follows through.
As always Samantha Shannon has given us beautiful and lyrical prose. Her characters are solid and deep thought out. The world is so rich and full that this was such a welcome little dip back into the world Shannon has created.
I definitely recommend it to anyone who has read and loved the other books in The Roots of Chaos. Or for anyone who wants a shorter taster of what the series is about.
What a wonderful addition to The Roots of Chaos series. Marosa is a gorgeous character. So complex and strong; she is a wonderful POV character. Learning more about Yscalin and the influence that Fyredel has over the people there. Contrasted with Aubrecht's POV where we learn more about that period before The Priory follows through.
As always Samantha Shannon has given us beautiful and lyrical prose. Her characters are solid and deep thought out. The world is so rich and full that this was such a welcome little dip back into the world Shannon has created.
I definitely recommend it to anyone who has read and loved the other books in The Roots of Chaos. Or for anyone who wants a shorter taster of what the series is about.
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Is it cheating that I used this book to finally return to this world after The Priory of the Orange Tree and before I ever picked up A Day of Fallen Night, an 850+ page book that's been sitting on my shelf for over 2 years now? It's not, right? At least it really wasn't necessary to read A Day of Fallen Night to enjoy this third book set in the same world. Among the Burning Flowers could be viewed as a standalone, but I honestly wouldn't recommend reading it as an entry to the Roots of Chaos series. It's basically a long prologue to Priory and probably most enjoyable if you read the main story first. Only then will you recognize the characters and it will also provide a better understanding of the world, although there is enough information given to not be completely lost. All the POV characters are already familiar from Priory, which I realized so late that it's actually shameful. This book is set just a few years before the events of Priory and it leads straight to the beginning of that book.
Among the Burning Flowers tells the story of the fall of Yscalin and how this once faithful kingdom came to be under draconic rule. It's a multiple POV story and the perspectives were well chosen in my opinion. On the one hand there's Marosa, the future queen of the land who is kept isolated from the court of her father, and then there's Melaugo, an outlaw and dragon hunter whose job got way more dangerous ever since all the sleeping dragons are waking. So we have one royal character in a powerful position and one commoner character who is directly affected by the decisions of royalty. Another POV is added in the second half of the book, and after we first get firsthand accounts of the fall of Yscalin, it is later shown what kind of impact this event has on the rest of the world. The structure made sense, but it was rather unsatisfying how Melaugo's POV was dropped halfway through because of it. She also appears in Priory, but I honestly had to google it, because I couldn't remember her. It is predominantly Marosa's story and this book gave depth to her character, especially highlighting what kind of position she was actually in during the main story.
This book lacks a strong standalone plot in my opinion, but it still expands the world in an interesting way. The dragons are as fascinating as ever with them being creatures with intelligence and agency, and them being the main antagonists of this series. I also have to praise Samantha Shannon's writing. This relatively short book drew me in right away and there was such a heavy atmosphere, it was truly astounding. The way Marosa's city was described in the beginning – full of flowers with a river of lava running through and endangered by earthquakes and the fire mountain that's right next to it – painted such a lively picture that it set the vibe for the whole book. It was clear that this book would not provide happy endings for these characters, yet.
Overall, a great addition to the series, but not a standalone work in my opinion. I know that it seems like a more accessible entry to the series because it is dramatically shorter than the previous two books, but if you really want to fall into this world, you better start with one of the 850-page bricks. I will definitely get a physical copy of Among the Burning Flowers, because it looks STUNNING and there will be illustrations in the final version. I just can't wait to look at them.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
Among the Burning Flowers tells the story of the fall of Yscalin and how this once faithful kingdom came to be under draconic rule. It's a multiple POV story and the perspectives were well chosen in my opinion. On the one hand there's Marosa, the future queen of the land who is kept isolated from the court of her father, and then there's Melaugo, an outlaw and dragon hunter whose job got way more dangerous ever since all the sleeping dragons are waking. So we have one royal character in a powerful position and one commoner character who is directly affected by the decisions of royalty. Another POV is added in the second half of the book, and after we first get firsthand accounts of the fall of Yscalin, it is later shown what kind of impact this event has on the rest of the world. The structure made sense, but it was rather unsatisfying how Melaugo's POV was dropped halfway through because of it. She also appears in Priory, but I honestly had to google it, because I couldn't remember her. It is predominantly Marosa's story and this book gave depth to her character, especially highlighting what kind of position she was actually in during the main story.
This book lacks a strong standalone plot in my opinion, but it still expands the world in an interesting way. The dragons are as fascinating as ever with them being creatures with intelligence and agency, and them being the main antagonists of this series. I also have to praise Samantha Shannon's writing. This relatively short book drew me in right away and there was such a heavy atmosphere, it was truly astounding. The way Marosa's city was described in the beginning – full of flowers with a river of lava running through and endangered by earthquakes and the fire mountain that's right next to it – painted such a lively picture that it set the vibe for the whole book. It was clear that this book would not provide happy endings for these characters, yet.
Overall, a great addition to the series, but not a standalone work in my opinion. I know that it seems like a more accessible entry to the series because it is dramatically shorter than the previous two books, but if you really want to fall into this world, you better start with one of the 850-page bricks. I will definitely get a physical copy of Among the Burning Flowers, because it looks STUNNING and there will be illustrations in the final version. I just can't wait to look at them.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Bloomsbury Publishing for providing a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.
thanks to bloomsbury for the arc courtesy of netgalley!
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Among the Burning Flowers is Samantha Shannon at her best: lush, evocative, and brimming with emotional depth. As a long-time fan of the Roots of Chaos series, I loved every moment of this novella, and I think it’s a fantastic entry point for new readers. It stands on its own while enriching the larger world with nuance.
One of the strongest themes in AtBF is identity, particularly how we navigate personal choice in a world determined to define us. Shannon explores this with grace, offering characters who struggle, change, and ultimately assert who they are on their own terms.
Marosa was a standout for me. In The Priory of the Orange Tree, her role was more limited, so getting a deeper look into her motivations and inner world was incredibly satisfying. She’s compelling and deeply human, exactly the kind of character who lingers after the final page.
The prose is everything you’d expect from Shannon: rich and immersive, without ever feeling overwrought. The novella structure keeps the pace tight, yet it never loses the emotional resonance that makes her storytelling so memorable.
If you're already a fan of the Roots of Chaos universe, this is a must-read. If you're not yet, Among the Burning Flowers might be the perfect place to start.
One of the strongest themes in AtBF is identity, particularly how we navigate personal choice in a world determined to define us. Shannon explores this with grace, offering characters who struggle, change, and ultimately assert who they are on their own terms.
Marosa was a standout for me. In The Priory of the Orange Tree, her role was more limited, so getting a deeper look into her motivations and inner world was incredibly satisfying. She’s compelling and deeply human, exactly the kind of character who lingers after the final page.
The prose is everything you’d expect from Shannon: rich and immersive, without ever feeling overwrought. The novella structure keeps the pace tight, yet it never loses the emotional resonance that makes her storytelling so memorable.
If you're already a fan of the Roots of Chaos universe, this is a must-read. If you're not yet, Among the Burning Flowers might be the perfect place to start.
adventurous
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
As a massive Roots of Chaos fan, I loved this book. We get to learn more about three characters who appeared in priory from their POVs in the years leading up to priory and into the beginning of the book.
Although there are 3 POVs, I’d say this book is mostly Donmata Marosa with a sprinkle of Aubrecht and a dash of Malaugo. I really appreciated getting to learn more about Yscalin, how it gets to the position it’s in at the beginning of Priory and just more about Marosa and who she is. I loved Marosa’s chapters. I felt like her chapters alone are enough to justify this book.
Then we have some chapters spent with Aubrech in Mentendon before he’s ever betrothed to Sabran. Again, I loved reading from his POV. But also I’m sad because how can Shannon make me like him even more???
Lastly there’s a couple of chapters of Melaugo, the boatswain of the rose eternal and we follow her and learn how she gets her position there. I felt there wasn’t really a lot of Melaugo but the parts we did get I really liked. I especially loved seeing the impact on Yscalin from her eyes.
Overall I loved this. There were loads of references to the other books and little pockets of information here and there. I’m not sure though how I would have liked it if this was my first roots of chaos book. In my opinion this book worked well because I already knew what each of the plots in this book are leading to. I’d be interested to see what people think who’s this is their first introduction to the world.
Although there are 3 POVs, I’d say this book is mostly Donmata Marosa with a sprinkle of Aubrecht and a dash of Malaugo. I really appreciated getting to learn more about Yscalin, how it gets to the position it’s in at the beginning of Priory and just more about Marosa and who she is. I loved Marosa’s chapters. I felt like her chapters alone are enough to justify this book.
Then we have some chapters spent with Aubrech in Mentendon before he’s ever betrothed to Sabran. Again, I loved reading from his POV. But also I’m sad because how can Shannon make me like him even more???
Lastly there’s a couple of chapters of Melaugo, the boatswain of the rose eternal and we follow her and learn how she gets her position there. I felt there wasn’t really a lot of Melaugo but the parts we did get I really liked. I especially loved seeing the impact on Yscalin from her eyes.
Overall I loved this. There were loads of references to the other books and little pockets of information here and there. I’m not sure though how I would have liked it if this was my first roots of chaos book. In my opinion this book worked well because I already knew what each of the plots in this book are leading to. I’d be interested to see what people think who’s this is their first introduction to the world.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No