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A review by tomeaftertome
A Kingdom of Shadow and Ash by J.F. Johns

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious reflective 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? Yes

5.0

WOW. Just—wow.


This book didn’t just pull me in— it dragged me, breathless and willing, through every page! From the very first sentence, I was immersed in a world so vivid… so visceral, it felt like stepping through a portal  into something dangerously alive.

Mal Blackburn is pure fire; fierce, defiant, and burning with the kind of rage that makes you want to stand up and scream with her. She’s the embodiment of every woman who’s ever been underestimated and she owns it. Watching her evolve, break, and rise again was nothing short of exhilarating.

The forbidden love? It simmers. It's , the kind of tension that coils in your chest and refuses to let go. Their chemistry is undeniable, full of stolen glances, reckless touches, and the kind of need that feels like war.

And then there's the rebellion. The betrayal. The relentless call to resist. This story doesn’t shy away from the hard themes like duty, sacrifice, oppression, power, and it weaves them into every character, every twist, every quiet moment before all hell breaks loose again.

The characters don’t just live on the page— they haunt you. Every one of them is layered, flawed, unforgettable. And just when you think you know what’s coming, the author rips the rug out from under you with secrets you never saw coming.

I especially appreciated the way the author organically whoa the world building in throughout the entire novel through letters from a character that set the curse which bound the fates of Mal & Ash. Not only was this a creative and effective tool to use, but also pulls you that much deeper into their world.

This book is cinematic. Bold. Unapologetically powerful. It demands the spotlight. If a publisher doesn’t snatch this up, it’ll be one of the greatest missed opportunities in the genre.

Book 2 of the Kingdom of Gods series can't get in my hands fast enough. I need more… more fire, more betrayal, more of that forbidden heat that will have to burn all of this in opposition down in order to survive. This is the kind of story that stays with you.

Thank you so much to the author for a copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review.
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