Although it's been quite a while since I read The Priory of the Orange Tree, and I've not yet gotten to A Day of Fallen Night, Among the Burning Flowers stands on its own incredibly well. It eased me right back into the world again, smoothly enough that I didn't even have to Google any names or places (honestly a miracle as my memory is abysmal)!

This book was exquisite. Rich and immersive worldbuilding, beautiful prose that strikes the perfect balance between flowery and accessible, and such emotional depth. Marosa's poise, determination, and resilience in the face of incredibly bleak and horrific circumstances was the highlight of the book for me, but I also definitely grew a soft spot for Aubrecht's dutiful nature and love for his family, and it was fun to learn more about Estina, although I wish we'd gotten a little more of her POV!

I'm in awe at how much was conveyed in under 300 pages while not feeling rushed or underdeveloped. Definitely my favourite read of the year so far! Highly recommend for anyone who loves intricate fantasy with heart-wrenching stakes.

I really enjoyed this book! The Priory of the Orange Tree and A Day of Fallen Night is one of my favourite series. If you've heard about them but the large page counts put you off, this book is a great place to start. Among the Burning Flowers is a short novel which ends where The Priory picks up. So if you enjoy this book you can move straight on to see the story continue to unfold.

For readers that have already read these books, this novel gives so much extra context to the history of our characters, the political alliances and the fragile nature of the situation. It's good to know whether its 800 pages or 200 Samantha continues to rip out my heart and make me feel.

Easter eggs of some of our favourite characters
This story happens after A Day of Fallen Night and there are brief mentions of those characters in this book. For anyone that hasn't read it, you probably won't notice them, but I kicked my legs a little when I came across a few mentions and saw their legacy shine through.

I get so attached to characters so this was such a lovely touch to add and it helps pull all the stories together.

Shannon is a brilliant writer and we see this through her storytelling. She seamlessly weaves worldbuilding, history and character dialogue with such heavy tension. She plays on the readers emotions and in such a short amount of pages I felt intrigue, sadness, pity, anger, confusion.. It's real talent to get the reader so involved and part of the story.

We also get familiar with characters that have previously only been mentioned by name. It was good to get a sense of them and see their interactions, who they are, how they carry themselves. This world is rich with lore and I love digging into it and building on what I already know.

I also loved to see more of our Priory main characters. I wasn't a huge fan of Aubrecht but after this and seeing his passion and loyalty, I have been swayed. Also getting more context of Queen Sabran and what Marosa has been through. I ache more for her and the strength she's shown.

More representation as expected from Samantha Shannon!
Shannon continuously adds representation to her books and this one is no different. Love comes in all forms and if you like your books with sapphic love, give this one a try!

‘A few years ago, an ancient compass came into my keeping. At some point in time, its needle had rusted in place,’ she said. ‘I was like that compass when you found me. I had finally established a safe place, a home, in Perunta. But the longer you remain still, the more rust starts to cover you, and underneath, you become fragile. And soon it hurts to move at all.’

I can tell so much thought has gone into this. Shannon has planned out these characters very well and when reading the Character Glossary to remind myself of a few points, Shannon has made note of characters in there from the very first book (in 2019) that she's referred back to in this story. She has played the long game and its very smartly done, I love that.

Fantastic story rich with lore and tension

The story was intriguing, unfortunately I wasn't emotionally invested in the Characters.

I'm hoping its because it's a short prequal as I haven't read any of the other books from the series yet, but they are still on my TBR and I look forward to reading them now that I know what to expect.

The characters seem strong willed and the world is vast. All the different locations and names took me a moment to get used to but the addition of Wyverns was a pleasant surprise as I went into this book blind.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an eARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I loved dipping back into my favourite world and learning more about some Priory characters we only caught a glimpse of initially.
So many emotions for something so short.

Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon is a fantastic book. I loved the characters and the storyline was perfect! I rated it 5 stars because I couldn't put the book down for a second.

“I see you’ve accepted my offer. Only took the end of the world.”

I know Samantha Shannon has advised reading this as a less daunting introduction to the Roots of Chaos series, but I’d personally recommend reading it after The Priory of the Orange Tree. Among the Burning Flowers is an incredible book on its own, but 288 pages is a blink of an eye for the Roots of Chaos series, and I think I would have struggled to understand the scale of the world and its characters without having read Priory first!

As always, I adored the worldbuilding; Among the Burning Flowers provides a deeper exploration of Mentendon and Yscalin. It dives into different - and forbidden - faiths, backstory behind Yscal’s reigning house of Vetalda, and gives us the POV of some of the wonderful characters that are just side characters in Priory.

I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of places in Yscalin, like Ortégardes the City of Courtesy - Samantha Shannon has a way of breathing life into everything she writes. I also loved the POV of all three characters, although I was surprised that Estina Melaugo was my least favourite.

My only complaint is that Among the Burning Flowers is short, and I could have spent a Samantha Shannon-typical 900 pages with these characters.

The world of the Priory is one of my all time favorite fantasy worlds ever, and I truly believe it will be spoken of amongst all the greatest fantasy stories. Samantha Shannon builds a beautiful, intricate world that I feel at home in. I’ve loved both books so far and this is why it pains me to admit I found this one lacking.
Don’t get me wrong; it’s still a great book. We follow three characters, as usual; I found all of them to have interesting and strong personalities, and one of them in particular grew to become a top tier character in my mind. There were a lot of very effective scenes, storylines I was easily invested in and some twists that took me by surprise! A lot of this book felt like missing puzzle pieces that explained the previous story better, which was my favourite part of the whole thing!
However, there are some negatives. Basically the biggest problem is that this book is very short- that is, for a Priory book. Because of this, the story lacked nearly all descriptions, and trusted that the reader will be able to place themselves into the exact time frame and place the plot picked up- and having read PotOG twice, it was still hard sometimes!
Despite being less than a fourth of what the light of previous books have been, the story still attempts to follow the same amount of characters, which I think was a mistake.
Overall, my biggest problem with this book was that it lacked the feeling of ‘historical telling of the world of Inys’ that the previous books had- with so many hidden Easter eggs, ties in between chapters and storylines and consistent narratives, I used to feel like I am reading a plausible explanation of a history of a realm. This time, I felt like I’m reading a fantasy book.
With all of this said, I would definitely still recommend this book to all fans of the series- it was a great time nevertheless, with fun bits of lore. Also, my ARC did not have illustrations yet, so I cannot wait to see those, because THE POTENTIAL?!?

Impeccable world building again from Samantha Shannon. Every detail feels well though out and aids to making the world feel very real.
Quite a bit shorter than I was expecting after the first two tomes, but was still a fantastic and immersive read.

Surprisingly short from Samantha Shannon. I was expecting 600+ pages and instead got what felt like a novella in comparison.

I think for that reason, this really doesn’t stand well by itself. You need to have knowledge of both ADOFN and Priory I would argue.

The future queen, the Donmata Marosa is a prisoner in her own home, controlled by her father, the King. She is looking forward to escaping to her betrothed, Aubrecht Lievelyn, who rules Mentendon in all but name.
Estina Melaugo is a Culler, hunting Draconic beasts that have started emerging since the Draconic Army slumbered.

To steal the spotlight, the great wyrm Fýredel is stirring, and Yscalin (as we know) is the first to bend the knee.

Craft-wise, Shannon still manages to pack intimate character moments, high stakes, yearning, pining, and emotions in. However, again, that short page count did mean we lacked the depth in comparison to the other two.

<b>‘A few years ago, an ancient compass came into my keeping. At some point in time, its needle had rusted in place,’ she said. ‘I was like that compass when you found me. I had finally established a safe place, a home, in Perunta. But the longer you remain still, the more rust starts to cover you, and underneath, you become fragile. And soon it hurts to move at all.’
</b>
It was fascinating to see the pieces fall into place and now I kind of want to reread Priory.
Was this also sort of fan service? Yes, but it didn’t feel pushy or unneeded.

Arc gifted by Bloomsbury Publishing.

Thank you to the publisher for a digital copy of this book to review.

Samantha Shannon is back again with a beautiful novella to expand her Roots of Chaos world. This novella focusses on three characters present in The Priory of the Orange Tree and shows their backstories. It also, primarily, shows the reader how the kingdom of Yscalin chose the path of the Dragon as opposed to the path of the Saint. Shannon reminds us of her characters with ease and paints a larger, more detailed picture of their backstories and environments with deft, musical prose. Straight away you feel consumed by the myth and legend of the world of the Roots of Chaos and in places this novella helped me piece together certain locations or relationships that before felt a little unclear.

This book is the perfect springboard into the world if you are a new reader who feels daunted by the size of Priory or ADOFN. Vivacious and musical, it is a bite sized snippet of all of the things Shannon does excellently within the larger main novels. I immediately started rereading Priory after finishing this, as I was desperate to revisit that world.

Overall, a brilliant addition to this fantasy landscape and a must read series for any major Fantasy fans!

Samantha Shannon never misses and delivered yet another amazing high fantasy novel!

I read this entire book in one day because I couldn't NOT continue to read it until the end (and because compared to the other RoC novels, this one was tiny lol). I absolutely loved all of the main characters and their depth.

The focus of the story is the origin of Yscalin as we come to know it in Priory. Despite being connected to both RoC novels, I feel as though this book would be understandable to someone who hasn't read either of the first books yet. The world building is, of course, impeccable, and so detailed and vibrant.

I felt that it was very easy to feel connected to the characters and, if not relate to them, at least feel empathy for the situations they find themselves in. All of the characters felt realistic for the setting and acted appropriately, even if not riotously. Many of the characters find themselves in situations where there is no easy answer to their problems, making it all the more heartbreaking when they must act against their true wants.

Even after reading I keep thinking about Among the Burning Flowers, like the other RoC novels, Samantha Shannon writes in a way that is beautiful and haunting at the same time. I absolutely loved this addition to the Roots of Chaos world and am already waiting for whatever will be coming next (and probably doing a reread of all three books in the meantime).

Oh Samantha Shannon did it again. I mean obviously I already knew the world building would be fantastic, as I’ve read the two other Roots of Chaos books. But I did not expect for me to feel so emotional about the characters, particularly Marosa - oh I want more of her in another book please please please. The work that Samantha Shannon has done on the character arcs is truly mind blowing. The book was heartbreakingly tragic, and I feel so lucky to get to read stories such as this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. Although as always with Samantha Shannon's books, I have had this on pre-order since the second it was announced and will still be buying my copy!

Among the Burning Flowers is a direct prequel to Priory of the Orange Tree, and by the end some events overlap slightly with the events of Priory. It's intended as an easier entry point into the Roots of Chaos world and it functions perfectly for this; even as someone who has read Priory multiple times, the only thing I want to read after finishing Among the Burning Flowers is Priory again!

The story is a fascinating insight into the downfall of Yscalin, giving context and backstory to some minor characters who appear in Priory. It would be incredibly accessible for a newcomer to the world but it is almost most impressive to someone who's read both Priory and A Day of Fallen Night because it dovetails so beautifully into Priory that it makes it clear that the backstories already existed in Samantha Shannon's head, this is just her opportunity to share it with the world.

It's this level of world building that really sets Samantha Shannon apart as an epic fantasy author. To have so many characters have a developed backstory that was never used, just to give depth to the world is a commitment to detail and realism that I doubt many fantasy authors have reached since Tolkien.

The characters are rich and interesting, their choices always understandable even when they're arguably terrible. It takes so little time to get the reader invested in their journeys.

This certainly isn't designed as a standalone, I can't imagine anyone reading it and not needing to immediately pick up Priory afterwards and in some ways it's a shame that the story isn't self-sufficient, but by nature it can't be because Priory is the main event.

Overall I loved this, and I've reviewed and starred it as part of the Roots of Chaos universe. If I was reading it with no intention of ever reading Priory, I would probably give 4 stars but that's beside the point really because the entire aim of the book is to set up for Priory and it does that absolutely perfectly.

An un-put-down-able tale from Samantha Shannon! Set in events before Priory of the Orange tree this was an addictive tale from Yscalin building on our knowledge of King Sigoso and how he came to worship the Nameless One.

I devoured this easily in one setting and was definitely looking for more! I loved learning about Marosa, her resilience and her devastating tale. I also loved Estina and Liyat and their blossoming love. Estina hunts draconic beasts and is on the run for murder. Liyat has to choose between work and love.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.

***This book takes place some years before Priory HOWEVER the ending does overlap with Priory so I would recommend reading this first if you haven’t started your Roots of Chaos journey yet***

Samantha Shannon has this wonderful habit of making me fall in love with side characters and then making me sad and breaking my heart - but I love her for it.

As you may recall in Priory, Queen Sabran does marry… what you may not know is that he was betrothed before to Marosa who lives in what we know as the first draconic kingdom in Priory (just for reference this is where Kit and Loth visit and obtain the mysterious box… and the plague).

In Priory we meet King Sigoso and understand that he has pledged loyalty to the wyrms but we don’t know what caused that… but now we do!!

I truly did not care for Aubrecht in Priory but what I can now say is that I mourn him and cannot believe that was the fate he met. He is truly a wonderful romantic man - lowkey Sabran did not deserve him.

I liked Lord Gastaldo, the ram not the man - peak epic fantasy comedy when I got the joke.

Also, Melaugo feeling ‘as stiff and weary as a woman many times her age’ is highly relatable as another woman in her twenties.

I read all 250+ pages in one sitting and I loved diving back into this world. Compared to the other books in this series, which over double the amount of pages, this was a nice easy high fantasy read that answered a lot of questions I was left with after Priory.