A Sorrow Fierce and Falling is the third and final installment in author Jessica Cluess' Kingdom on Fire trilogy. This story picks up where A Poison Dark and Drowning left off. 17-year old protagonist Henrietta (Nettie) Howel finds herself days from marrying Lord George Blackwood at Sorrow-Fell his ancestral home after escaping a disastrous loss to the Ancients. Meanwhile, Nettie hasn't told anyone that she has found the so called chosen one, or that she was bitten by Rook or what that could mean for her future.

Nettie will soon learn all she needs to know about the deepest secrets about Sorrow-Fell, what it means to her, and what she is expected to do now that she is to take on the title of Countess Blackwood. Some of these secrets really put a strain on her relationship with Blackwood. If that weren't enough to worry about, only a few people know who R'hlem really is, and why he is so angry and why destroying England is at the top of his list of things to accomplish.

This book definitely does not lack action, adventure, twists, turns, shocks, emotional scenes, romance, and an ending that will leave you with all sorts of conflicting emotions. I won't hesitate to say that there are a whole lot of conflicts between Nettie and Blackwood which could have been avoided had Blackwood actually took a step back and saw what she was trying to do. I will also say that it is expected that you would have read the first two books in this series before reaching this point so that you can avoid any and all spoilers from your fellow reviewers, including me!

Nettie is a great character who was born a Magician, but trained as a Sorceress. She is surrounded by friends like Magnus, Maria, Lilly, Lambe, Valens, Dee, Wolff, hell, even Queen Victoria seems to be on her side when it comes to dealing with the Ancients. The most impressive part of this story is to leave her friends behind in order to find a coalition of the willing. Willing Magicians, Witches, and even Magicians in order to fight and send the Ancients home where they belong. When you read this book, be prepared to be a bundle of emotions and nerves. Things will hit you in the mouth, and they don't stop until the final page of the story is finished.

Thanks to the publisher for access to this title in return for a fair review.

3.5 stars

While Henrietta may not be the chosen one, she is still very much involved in saving the world from the ancients and her own father. If only she can get all three magical groups to work together - preferably before they kill each other. . .

While not quite as strong as the first two, this one wraps things up nicely. I was pretty annoyed with the characters being so hot and cold and the relationships are everywhere and super inconsistent throughout the book, but it works out by the end. Overall, a decent ending to the series.

Satisfying conclusion to a wonderful trilogy!

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC for an unbiased review!

We are so excited to read the conclusion to this series! Several of my students are waiting on this one, and I won't see the book on my shelf for a while.

Excellent ending to this trilogy. The monster/gods were Lovecraftian, and horrifying in that respect. The Skinless Man was a great villain. I think this is a strong debut trilogy form this author.

I didn't enjoy this read as much as I anticipated I would. The plot was everywhere, the setting was confusing and hard to grasp and while sympathy is attempted to be garnered out of me with the death count, I could care less about these characters, therefore leading to my lack of empathy for their situation. Especially the main character. Her character development is nonexistant and her being in this abusive relationship while pitying him and not acknowledging this was not okay made me uncomfortable. I'll give a nod to the abundance of female friendships, and the LGBTQIAP+ side characters, but this was not fun.

I’ve been waiting to get my hands on A Sorrow Fierce and Falling by Jessica Cluess since the moment I turned the last page of book 2 in this series. Cluess does a fantastic job of combining a fantasy and magical world into a historical setting and since these also happen to be some of my favorite genres I definitely hopped on board the “I’m loving it” train. Since this is a book 3, I can’t promise not to spoil any of the prior books but will avoid any spoilers with this one.

Book 3 picks up shortly after the wrap of A Poison Dark and Drowning. As Henrietta is preparing to marry Blackwood, she finds out she must complete a ritual and when she does, she also finds out that Sorrow-Fell is not the safe place they thought it would be. The thing I like about Henrietta is that she isn’t afraid to do whatever is necessary to further their cause against the Ancients and protect the people she loves. Because of that, she also has to face some pretty daunting things but with the right people at her side, she does well.

As the war against the Ancients continues, Henrietta’s relationships with the people around her do take some hits...don't get me wrong, there are for sure some good things, but a lot happens and not all of it turns out great. Of course, there is Blackwood…but she also has Maria, Magnus, and Rook is out there somewhere too. I thought Cluess did a great job of pulling all these characters together and keeping their stories connected. Now, you all know that with a book 3 that it is possible that not everyone will make it out of this fight alive and that’s all I will say about that.

So much happens in this book that I can’t really give you details on only because I don’t want to ruin even one page of this book for you. Just know that there is great progression in this book. We find out a lot about all of the characters and how they react when things go wrong, that’s for sure. Admittedly, I wasn’t entirely happy with some things that happened and some of it felt a bit rushed and there were for sure characters I wanted more of in this story, but I also have to keep reminding myself that Henrietta is at the center of this story and not everyone else.

In the end, there is so much about this series that I love, and I will admit that I had a few moments of disappointment with this installment. With that said, I still really enjoyed the series and look forward to more from Cluess. If you are looking for a book that combines magic, danger, and solid characters with a historical vibe, consider checking this book/series out.

First off, I'm going to say this was a five star read even though what I have to say may not feel like it is! To start, anything that involve fire power, give it to me!

What I love about these books is the world—it has some pretty awesome and dark descriptions! I also love the historical type setting, even though it is a fantasy world. Also, I absolutely love Magnus! When I read book one, I probably wouldn't have said that, but since book two, my mind has been changed. Who would have thought?

Let's get to the nitty gritty—geez, Henrietta has been one character I've wanted to shake all along. The chemistry between her and Blackwood got real weird in book two and even worse here. Still not sure about the Rook situation either—she was all about putting him first before, but then barely thought of him in this book.

Cluess, though, has a way of keeping you immersed in the story and it's addicting words. Like I said above, her descriptions are fantastic. Besides wanting to strangle Henrietta a few times, I enjoyed this book much more than book two and felt it was on the same level as the first one! And that ending was perfection!

This is the emotionally intense conclusion to the Kingdom on Fire trilogy. Henrietta Howal, her fiance George, Lord Blackwood, the remaining sorcerers and Queen Victoria have fled to Blackwood's home Shadow-Fell to plot a way to take back England from the Ancients who are overrunning it.

Howal and Lord Blackwood find that they have very different plans for defeating the Ancients and their relationship is tested to the breaking point by all the things are happening. Howal decides to flee Shadow-Fell, taking the Queen with her, and make her vision of the future which includes a consortium of witches, magicians, and sorcerers working together to send the Ancients back home.

This story has epic highs and lows, treachery and deceit, love and fidelity. It was a real emotional roller coaster that had me reading for a bit and then putting the book down to recover. Fans of the first two books of the series won't want to miss this conclusion despite the fact that some favorite characters don't survive the adventure.

An enjoyable series conclusion that will satisfy Cluess’ fans, even if it causes a few tears to fall.

A fitting end to a trilogy I've loved. The plot resolution was, if not quite what I was anticipating, excellent; the actual actions didn't look like what I expected but the emotions that I felt were exactly what I hope for at the end of a trilogy. I laughed; I mourned; I was devastated right along with Henrietta in all the right places, and I was ultimately satisfied with how we left the characters. The sexual tension between Henrietta and Blackwood early in the book felt a bit out of place and incongruous both with the tone I'd come to expect and the plot (which honestly I cared about more than their romance), but the contrast it drew with the scenes with Magnus was effective. Magnus and Maria were easily my favorite characters. I'll be sad to let these characters go, but this was exactly the ending the series needed, and I look forward to seeing what comes next from Jess Cluess!

I have a lot of thoughts and feeling about this novel. While I enjoyed it, I didn’t love it, which was disappointing because I almost cried tears of joy when I was approved for an ARC. It was my least favorite of the three Kingdom on Fire books. It took me almost a month to read it. At first I blamed that on work. But, as I slowly realized I was turning on Netflix in my free time rather than picking up this book, I had to face the reality that my heart wasn’t into reading it. Overall, the plot line kept me interested even though it was quite choppy. It’s like Jessica Cluess had all these ideas for how to end the series but did not have a fully laid out plan on how to write them so that they flowed as one book. A lot of the book felt more like fleeting moments and they left me wanting more because of how much I love the world Cluess created.

The romance in this novel-which I previously enjoyed very much- was really frustrating and emotionally exhausting. Love triangles (or in this case, squares) are overrated and often times I find that it makes the strong female lead seems like a silly little girl who flits between a group of men. While I agree with the notion of loving more than one person and in different ways, I am tired of books depicting that as happening all at once. This was the same issue I had with The Infernal Devices. I’d be more on board with an author doing that if their story took place over a longer period of time. I also find that death and/or a sudden change in personality is an easy out for convoluted love stories with multiple characters.

The character development throughout the whole series has been great-especially for Blackwood and Magnus- but Blackwood’s change during this book was EXTREMELY irritating. He went from being a Darcy like figure, the typical brooding man who actually has a soft heart to being a power hunger dictator then back to being a kind hearted selfless man. To me, it just didn’t fit and seemed forced in the same way her sudden passionate interest in Magnus seemed forced. I never a huge fan of Rook because I always felt that he was somehow in the way but he deserved better than what he got in this book. His storyline in this novel and subsequent death was very rushed. I would have liked to see him as an Ancient fleshed out more. In the end, I had a lot of respect for him.

I really liked Magnus as the comic relief in the first novel but I also really enjoyed seeing him come into his own and become a strong leader. I personally never viewed him as anything more than an older brother type figure for Henrietta. Magnus had the character development I wish Blackwood had gotten in this novel. I wanted to see Blackwood become a fair, selfless leader and he ended up going in the entirely opposite direction for most of the book. Blackwood’s death crushed me. I wanted more for him and I felt he deserved better. He and Henrietta balanced each other out and were good for each other. I never saw them as being only intertwined because of destiny. They had chosen each other because of the balance they created for the other. They brought out the best qualities in each other and-I felt-made each other whole. When you’ve gone through the hardships and trauma the two of them have gone through and hid the parts of themselves they had to, you need someone who understands you and grounds you. Magnus might be able to relate, but he will never be the twin flame Blackwood was to Henrietta—at least in my opinion. So, yeah, a big chunk of my grievances with this book come from the fact that Henrietta didn’t end up with Blackwood. The romance was never the sole plot line of the book but it was a part of it that I had really been enjoying until now.

The more I digest the ending, the more I realize I didn’t like it. It was one of those endings where you’ll either be ecstatic with it or feel ambivalent towards it. I was definitely in the latter category. It just didn’t seem to fit with where I saw the series going. Although, as I write that, I realize I don’t know where I saw the series going. All I know is, this wasn’t it. The only part of it that felt as if it belonged was when The Order is diminished and three magical consortiums are built to create equality amongst the magical communities. Everything else about the epilogue was just....meh. I can’t think of the right word to describe it. It was cute but it was meh. I think I wanted more politics for the ending. I wanted to see more of what Queen Victoria did with her new magical parties. I wanted to learn more about what England was like after the war was over. What did the non magical people think? How were others rebuilding? We never quite got enough of the world around the magical community.

Thus, I’ve come to the 3.5 star rating. ASFAF was page turning at times and droll other times. Some character get the ending you might expect, others will surprise you. Whether that is a good or bad surprise all depends on the reader.

Professionally, I found this book to be a fine end to the trilogy. Personally, I felt the main character's romance was poorly done and a lot of characters had to be sacrificed for the main character to end up with the leading man the author preferred.

I received this ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. I was in no way compensated for this review.

A Sorrow Fierce and Falling is Jessica Cluess’ conclusion to the epic Kingdom on Fire trilogy! This series took me by surprise when I first picked it up but it drew me in in a way I never expected! It’s pure magic and just an overall amazingness that left me kind of speechless each and every time! It happens every so often that a book just leaves me stunned and I cannot think of a single adjective to do it justice, and Jessica Cluess’ books are the perfect example!

We pick up quickly where we left off, in some ways. Henrietta and the sorcerers have taken refuge at Sorrow-Fell which is Blackwood’s property. There they will gather and think of the perfect plan to putting a stop to the world-ending plans of Henrietta’s father, R’hlem. Prior to that though, a wedding must be planned between Henrietta and Blackwood!

Though the wedding does prove to be a point of interest, needing to stop the Ancients is a bigger problem and it seems that every time Henrietta and Blackwood get close to saying the “I dos” something catastrophic happens. Then Henrietta makes a startling discover, the entrance to the Ancients’ home is on Blackwood property and when she thinks of a plan to put it all to use, Blackwood is against the idea. Then a whirlwind of chaos ensues and Henrietta finds herself on the outside of the protection spell placed on Sorrow-Fell.

Since this is the final book in the series, I have to say, a LOT happens in it! It was pretty much a book filled with nonstop action and excitement! I was turning through the pages as fast as my eyes and time would allow because the story just sucks you into it and demands to be read! So much happens, so many emotions get toyed with and it’s just one of those reads where I am seriously left speechless because I know if I open my mouth to talk a jet stream of garble will come out that cannot be understood until I let loose a spoiler without intending to! Lol! So yeah, I find myself in one of those states of reviewing mode!

Needless to say that when a book leaves me with these kinds of feelings, you know it was an epically amazing read! This series from the beginning held me so enchanted that I was always left desperate for more! The characters were so deep and colorful. They were all complicated and messy and I just loved them to pieces! There was so much to love about this series! And this final installment, I have to say, takes the cake!

This was one of those rare books where I never knew who I wanted the heroine to wind up with, romantic wise! She had three contenders for her heart, there was her beloved best friend, Rook, though he was turned into an Ancient himself, she hopes to save him from himself and return him to his former glory, then there was Magnus, the sorcerer she fell for so early on and always went back and forth with in a game of flirting, and then of course there was Blackwood himself, the man she agrees to marry. All different sorts of guys and yet, I never could really decide who I liked best. Of course, it wasn’t long before I did make my choice in this series and I was happy to see who Henrietta ended up with.

That being said, I will say that this book also killed me over and over again! Being a series finale, you can expect the turmoil of emotions, but oh my god, I wasn’t expecting my heart to break several times! I think it was around 7 times maybe? Lol. Yes, it wasn’t a pretty read that’s for sure as my heart was constantly being ripped to shreds only to mend again a few chapters later before the next tearing. But in a way, you start to expect that as a reader! Lol. Perhaps I am just starting to realize how authors think and what they delight in doing to their readers’ emotions and feelings!

But through it all, you always know how the story will end…in some way. It may not be in the way you imagined or hoped for, but the ending is always the same. Truly, I hope to never find a book that ends in the opposite way, I don’t think my fragile mind could take that! Lol.

A Sorrow Fierce and Falling was a positively beautiful read that all fantasy readers will come to adore! Though I do recommend reading the first two books, because spoilers! Lol. The Kingdom on Fire trilogy was an exquisite series to read and I am happy to have taken that leap in picking up the first book ever so long ago. And one last comment, how gorgeous have these covers been?! I swear that they got more beautiful as the series went on!


Overall Rating 5/5 stars


A Sorrow Fierce and Falling releases October 16, 2018

It was a nice conclusion to the book and series. I would recommend the book and series. But it did not wow me as other books and series have done.

I've loved this series from day 1 and I couldn't wait to see how Cluess ended things. I've loved Henrietta from the first day, she knows her own mind and knows what's right for her. As a high school teacher, I ADORED the fact that even within the constraints of the Victorian time period, slut shaming was put down and shown to be unacceptable. Even more, I loved that just because you have feelings/ are attracted to another person, it doesn't mean you are a good fit for a relationship. At times, plot points seemed a bit rushed, but all in all, I loved this book.

Great wrap up to a fun series. I love how one review summed it up - Harry Potter meets Jane Eyre. Perfect.

This was a great continuation to the Kingdom of Fire series. I was in love with the second, it was my favorite, but now this one has become my new favorite of the three. The story continues to rise and fall and never once stagnates.

Welcome back to the world of Ancients and magic!

Without spoiling anything, I can say that while this is not *that* explosive of a finale, it is mindblowing with a dose of humor and action and gutwrenching moments. I fell in love with Jessica Cluess's superb worldbuilding from the very first page of the first book and I am still deeply in love with it until the last page. Looking back, the pieces of the puzzles laid since the first book, the secrets and revelations had been solved well. I mean, I could've missed some, but everything has a reason.

When I read the second book, I was thankful that the magic system became more complex, but in the finale, I was glad it was handled well. I cannot wish for more.

The relationships in this book are magical and pure. The ending is both heartwarming and heart-wrenching. It's not entirely a goodbye but not unsatifying too (thank God!). It's more like a closing of an adventure done well, a story well-told. If there would be more in this world with a focus on other characters, you can bet I'd be first in line to read!

Magic & monsters & petticoats return in this final Kingdom of Fire installment! Can the Ancients be defeated or will England fall?

I devoured this book. I read the whole novel in one sitting. Stayed up until 3 am.

I. Could. Not. Stop. Reading.

Henrietta Howel is my favorite kind of protagonist—flawed, headstrong, and evolving. Cluess truly take time to develop her characters and that, combined with the fast pacing and complicated world, hooks me.

And then there’s Magnus. Ahhh, Magnus. And sweet Rook. Heck, even Blackwell on a less pompous occasion makes my heart flutter. Okay, yes, the romance is complicated but reaches a solid conclusion.

Usually, I favor the first book in a trilogy but this series improved with each book. A Shadow Bright and Burning was good, but a bit bogged down in world/magical-system building. The second & third books thrived, just existing in the established world. A Sorrow Fierce and Falling is what readers want in a final book-- it solves problems, explains mysteries, and completes the story.

I will be first in line for whatever Cluess writes next. Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for my copy.