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ellaray236 's review for:
Among the Burning Flowers
by Samantha Shannon
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Thank you to Bloomsbury and NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!
‘Among the Burning Flowers’ is a novella that I have been dying for: a short prequel set immediately before the events of PRIORY, we follow Estina Melaugo, Aubrecht Lievelyn, and Marosa Vetalda, as we watch the fall of Yscalin to draconic influence. All three of these characters play pivotal roles in PRIORY, and so I was beyond excited to get to know them better and see exactly how they came to be where they are in that book.
The writing was, as expected, absolutely immaculate. I think SamShan’s writing really shone here, and as usual, her prose swept me away instantly back to the world I have known and loved for three years. The scope of this book was much, much smaller than much of her other work, but this allowed beautiful characterisation work that I adored. As I have read the other books in this cycle, the overall plot did not surprise me, but some of the nuances did take my breath away at times, and despite its smaller scope, the world felt huge, with plenty of Easter Eggs and heartbreaking details that tied this firmly with the other books.
I think that those who may be intimidated by the sheer size of ADOFN or PRIORY, or haven’t really waded into epic fantasy before, this serves as a gentle easing into the world of chaos and gives you a good taste of what to expect. For those who have already read the other books, this is a beautiful and welcome addition to an already exquisite world.
5 🌟
‘Among the Burning Flowers’ is a novella that I have been dying for: a short prequel set immediately before the events of PRIORY, we follow Estina Melaugo, Aubrecht Lievelyn, and Marosa Vetalda, as we watch the fall of Yscalin to draconic influence. All three of these characters play pivotal roles in PRIORY, and so I was beyond excited to get to know them better and see exactly how they came to be where they are in that book.
The writing was, as expected, absolutely immaculate. I think SamShan’s writing really shone here, and as usual, her prose swept me away instantly back to the world I have known and loved for three years. The scope of this book was much, much smaller than much of her other work, but this allowed beautiful characterisation work that I adored. As I have read the other books in this cycle, the overall plot did not surprise me, but some of the nuances did take my breath away at times, and despite its smaller scope, the world felt huge, with plenty of Easter Eggs and heartbreaking details that tied this firmly with the other books.
I think that those who may be intimidated by the sheer size of ADOFN or PRIORY, or haven’t really waded into epic fantasy before, this serves as a gentle easing into the world of chaos and gives you a good taste of what to expect. For those who have already read the other books, this is a beautiful and welcome addition to an already exquisite world.
5 🌟