Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon (Review)

Among the Burning Flowers by Samantha Shannon

Blurb

It has been centuries since the Draconic Army took wing, almost extinguishing humankind.

Marosa Vetalda is a prisoner in her own home, controlled by her cold father, King Sigoso. Over the mountains, her betrothed, Aubrecht Lievelyn, rules Mentendon in all but name. Together, they intend to usher in a better world.

A better world seems impossibly distant to Estina Melaugo, who hunts the Draconic beasts that have slept across the world for centuries.

And now the great wyrm Fýredel is stirring, and Yscalin will be the first to fall . . .

Review

I had this book preordered for ages as I absolutely love The Roots of Chaos series. When the book arrived I was very shocked how short the book was. After reading the two bricks A Day of Fallen Night and The Priory of the Orange Tree I was a little disappointed at how short Among the Burning Flowers is.

Among the Burning Flowers tells the story of the fall of Yscalin and how the once faithful kingdom came under draconic rule. The story is told from multiple points of view and I thought those voices were very well chosen. Melaugo is an outlaw and dragon hunter and a character who reappears in Priory of the Orange Tree. Sadly Melaugo’s point of view was dropped around half way through the book, which I really missed.

The bulk of the book is told from the point of view of Marosa who is the Donmata of Yscalin. Due to the bulk of the story being told from Marisa’s point of view her character had a lot more depth and back story that I really enjoyed. I also really enjoyed seeing just how much pressure she was under and just how difficult her life becomes. She is constantly on a knife edge.

I found it a shame that we didn’t get more from Melaugo but I thought it was clever that we got two points of view who were worlds apart. Marosa is royalty and lives a privileged life, Melaugo’s life is far from privileged and heavily influenced by the decisions made by royalty and the land’s rulers.

This book immediately hooked me in and I loved the descriptions of Marisa’s home, the idea of a land of flowers with a river of a lava through was fantastic. This book is beautifully written and my only complaint is that it was too short! I give this book 5 out of 5 Dragons.

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About the author

Samantha Shannon is the New York Times and #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of the Bone Season series. From 2010 to 2013 she studied English Language and Literature at the University of Oxford. Her fourth novel, The Priory of the Orange Tree (2019), was her first outside of the series. It has sold over a million copies in English alone, and was a finalist in the Lambda Literary Awards 2020. Its standalone prequel, A Day of Fallen Night (2023), won the gold medal in the Fantasy category at the Ippy Awards 2024.

Samantha’s work has been translated into twenty-seven languages. Her most recent book is The Dark Mirror (2025), the fifth instalment in the Bone Season series.

Etsy

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Goodreads Monday: 6/10/2025

Goodreads Monday is now hosted by Budget Tales Book Club. All you have to do is show off a book from your TBR that you’re looking forward to reading.

Hello!

I hope everyone has had a good start to the week. I have had a busy day of teaching but I have managed a bit of reading.

My chosen book to feature this week is another recent purchase for me and a new author for me but one I am very excited to read.

Bookshop.org | Harper Collins | TG Jones | Waterstones

Aphrodite by Phoenicia Rogerson

Aphrodite saw the gods on Mount Olympus and decided she wanted a piece of what they had. Only problem is, she’s not a goddess, just a lowly being who’s supposed to remain in a distant cave, keeping the threads of Fate woven neatly. But Aphrodite’s never let anyone tell her what to do…

Weaving herself a web of lies and careful deceptions, she convinces everyone she’s the goddess of love and that her rightful place is among the Olympians, who lord it over everyone else at the top of the world, but under the stifling rule of Zeus. For the first time, she has the best of everything, as well as friends, peers, even loved ones. Only, being a goddess isn’t quite like she thought. Those who oppose Zeus tend to disappear, or worse. And one day, Aphrodite decides she’s had enough…

Happy Reading

Etsy

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The Weekly Brief

Hello!

I have had a nice quiet Sunday which has involved some reading. I’m still behind with my book reviews but I’m hoping next week I can start to catch up a little.

Blog Posts

Currently Reading

I am thoroughly enjoying this so far and really enjoying the format it is written in.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

October 2025 TBR

Hello!

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend so far. I have had a lovely day of reading today and I hope to do the same tomorrow.

I didn’t do very well with my planned reading for September. In fact I didn’t even read one book off my September TBR. I am hoping to do better in October.

Great Eastern Hotel by Ruchir Joshi
She Played and Sang: Jane Austen and Music by Gillian Dooley
The Stolen Crown by Tracy Borman
Medusa by Rosie Hewlett

I have gone for a smaller selection for October because the Great Eastern Hotel is over 1000 pages! I really hope I get to read these books this month.

Happy Reading

Etsy

If you enjoy reading my blog and would like to make a donation I would be very grateful. Thank you

Friday Poetry: Joy Harjo

Happy Friday Everyone!

I hope everyone has had a good week so far.

My chosen poem this week is by the American poet, musician, playwright and author Joy Harjo (1951).

Remember

Remember the sky that you were born under, 
know each of the star's stories.
Remember the moon, know who she is.
Remember the sun's birth at dawn, that is the
strongest point of time. Remember sundown
and the giving away to night. 
Remember your birth, how your mother struggled
to give you form and breath. You are evidence of 
her life, and her mother's and hers.
Remember your father. He is your life, also.
Remember the earth whose skin you are:
red earth, black earth, yellow earth, white earth
brown earth, we are earth.
Remember the plants, trees, animal life who all have their
tribes, their families, their histories, too. Talk to them,
listen to them. They are alive poems.
Remember the wind. Remember her voice. She knows the 
origin of this universe.
Remember you are all people and all people
are you.
Remember you are this universe and this 
universe is you. 
Remember all is in motion, is growing, is you.
Remember language comes from this.
Remember the dance language is, that life is.
Remember.

Joy Harjo