Among the Burning Flowers— Book Review with Content Warnings

Author: Samantha Shannon

Genre: Epic fantasy

Series: Roots of Chaos, Book 1.5

Age Rating: Teen+

Synopsis

Yscalin is a land of lavender and sunshine, until the dragons wake again. Marosa is a princess trapped in a black tower in her capital city—first by her father, the king, and then by the great wyrm, Fýredel. She longs to escape, but has few allies. Among the Burning Flowers details the descent of Yscalin into darkness and chaos as the High Westerns rise to rule and destroy the world.

Content Warnings

General Rating: Teen+ (PG-13 / TV-14 /14A)

• Spice Rating: None

• Violence Rating: Severe—descriptions of death by dragon and bestial violence, hangings, and torture

• Profanity Rating: Moderate—occasional use of f*ck in Melaugo’s perspective in the first half of the book

• Other Trigger Warnings: death of a parent, suicidal thoughts, depression, emotional abuse, coercion/manipulation, blood/gore, torture, murder/attempted murder, graphic violence, confinement

Overall Rating: 4.25/5

This is a devastating prologue to The Priory of the Orange Tree, describing how Yscalin fell from a nation of Virtuedom to a Draconic Kingdom in thrall to the rising power of the waking High Westerns. Victory is not won in this book; that’s for The Priory to tell. Among the Burning Flowers is the descent into chaos, madness, and murder. For the princess Marosa, this means the loss of her dream to escape the black tower of Cárscaro.

What I Liked

• The unflinching descent into fiery death and destruction: Shannon shies away from anything resembling a happy ending. While many readers don’t prefer this, I found the book’s boldfaced stare into darkness quite refreshing.

• The rawness of Marosa’s imprisonment, desire to escape, and ripping away of that dream *spoiler*: I was rooting for her all along, and it is devastating when she does not escape her tower or get her happy ending.

• Excellent dialogue: So much tension and intrigue!

What I Didn’t Like

• BIG worldbuilding: In Shannon’s typical nature, the worldbuilding is extensive and complex. It is beautiful, but takes a little bit to get behind, especially if one hasn’t read the previously published books in Roots of Chaos or if it has been a while since they have.

• It’s too short: Honestly, I would have loved it if the story had been fleshed out more. I wanted more of Marosa and more of Aubrecht’s perspective. I found the elimination of Melaugo’s POV after the first half confusing; where did she go, and what happened? Similarly, it would have been nice to hear Aubrecht’s POV in the first half rather than only in the last half. However, the story serves its purpose; it tells us how Yscalin became the Draconic Kingdom and what place Marosa has in the story.

Themes and Reflections

• Descent into madness and chaos: How much is a descent into madness and chaos a result of the need for survival, and how much is it a reflection of the evil within human hearts? Marosa sees no way out and is willing to don the Draconic helmet for her survival and the survival of her kingdom. Does this make her choice evil, or is it simply for survival? The book challenges the reader on presupposed definitions of evil and the roots of chaos.

• Temptation to power: This is an old-time trope, but it is always worth exploring in fantasy, because fantasy does it so well. Those in power are always tempted to bend their morality for more power, while those who have no power simply want to live free.

“For a long time, Marosa could only shiver at the precipice. At last, she heard movement. A low rumble, followed by earth-shaking thuds, shards of rock skittering. It took some time for her eyes to tell rock from scale, and to pick out the face of the wyrm. The face of Fyredel.”

— Among the Burning Flowers, Samantha Shannon

Writing Style

• Fluid, cinematic prose

• Linear, fast-paced narrative

• Foreboding, tense atmosphere

• Third-person POVs from three different characters

• Formal, sharp dialogue

• Atmospheric, immersive worldbuilding

• Devastating and memorable
  

Tropes

• Court intrigue

• Corruption of power

• Forbidden magic

• Betrayal

• Dark Lord
  

More Like This

• The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien

• The Sovereign by C.L. Clarke

Publisher Info

• Publisher: Bloomsbury

• Release Date: October 2, 2025

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