A Shadow Bright and Burning by Jessica Cluess
Summary: Henrietta Howel can burst into flames. When she is brought to London to train with Her Majesty’s sorcerers, she meets her fellow sorcerer trainees, young men eager to test her powers and her heart. One will challenge her. One will fight for her. One will betray her. As Henrietta discovers the secrets hiding behind the glamour of sorcerer life, she begins to doubt that she’s the true prophesied one. With battle looming, how much will she risk to save the city–and the one she loves?
In an alternate Victorian England where ancient monsters have invaded our world, a young teacher who has been hiding her extraordinary gifts to control fire is declared the chosen one to save humanity. But Henrietta, who has suffered monstrous things at the charity school where she grew up and now teaches, knows she is not the girl in the prophecy. Desperate to protect herself and her best friend Rook, who was irreparably injured in an attack by one of the Ancients, she undertakes sorcerer training anyway. Just as thrilling as watching Henrietta learn to use her powers is watching her navigate the casual misogyny of her fellow students and the perils of being the only female sorcerer among them. She clashes with chilly Lord Blackwood, flirts with the handsome Magnus, and comes to respect her teacher, Agrippa, who is working through the tragic loss of his daughter. Through it all, Henrietta’s relationship with Rook, her oldest friend and perhaps something more, is the beating heart of the story, and as Rook’s ties to the Ancients, through his scars, morph into frightening powers, Henrietta must make some difficult choices about whom to trust. Thoughtful, sincere, and determined, Henrietta is not a born fighter, but she must learn how in order to save herself and those she loves.
A SHADOW BRIGHT AND BURNING is out now.
Kathy MacMillan 