A Shadow Bright and Burning

A Shadow Bright and Burning

2016 • 416 pages

Ratings11

Average rating3.7

15

I really enjoyed the world built by Cluess and her writing was easy to read and follow. However, some of the archaic misogyny - while presented in and for the purposes of historical accuracy - was a little jarring and unnerving. I found a lot of Henrietta's ideals and thought processes made me wish she was a little more developed as a modern character and not like something out of a British historical melodrama. There are also some racist and classist ideas represented in the writing that, while again historically accurate for the time this was inspired by, brought me out of the story with shock. I still overall really enjoy the book and plan on moving on to the sequel just released but felt that these things could have been edited out in a way that kept the historical aspects still there.

September 30, 2017Report this review