House of Ash and Shadow by Leia Stone

Item: House of Ash and Shadow
Rating: 5
Author: karenbaron

Posted April 17, 2025 by karenbaron in Fantasy, Review, Romance, Young Adult / 0 Comments

House of Ash and Shadow

by Leia Stone

Series: Gilded City #1
Series Rating:

Published by Bloom Reads on January 2, 2024
Genres: YA Romance Fantasy
Pages: 293
Format: Audible Audiobook, Kindle, Paperback
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Get Your Copy at: Amazon

From USA Today bestselling author Leia Stone, House of Ash and Shadow is the first book in the addictive Gilded City series, about a girl who must battle curses, dark powers, and her own heart. This world of dazzling fae magic and romantic pining is perfect for fans of Wednesday and Holly Black.

Seventeen-year-old Fallon Bane was born with a devastating curse: a single touch from another person will cause her excruciating pain. Thus, she has accepted that she will die without ever being kissed, without even hugging her own father, though it breaks her heart every day.

But when her beloved father falls ill, she breaks into the magical Gilded City to find a healer fae that can save him. When handsome healer Ariyon Madden agrees to help, everything she knows about herself and her curse changes. Because during her father's healing, Ariyon reaches out and touches her bare skin. She waits for the agony… but it never comes. For the first time in her life, she imagines a new future for herself. However, that fantasy is quickly destroyed, because not only does Ariyon flee from her in disgust when he learns of her curse; he also reveals her existence to powerful fae who want to hurt her.

Fallon is then swept away to a magical academy, where she learns the terrifying truth about her family history and her dark magic. Her life and the future of fae everywhere hang in the balance, and all the while Fallon can't help but wonder if she will get to touch Ariyon Madden one more time before she dies…

This enchanting story of family, fae, and yearning is perfect for readers who love:
Romantic fantasy books for teens
Unputdownable & bingeworthy novels
Magical boarding schools
Grumpy sunshine romance
Holly Black and Sarah J. Maas

House of Ash and Shadow by Leia Stone turns Fallon Bane’s life upside down when she makes one mistake.

Will Fallon survive going to the Academy and being near Ariyon Madden?

Fallon Bane

Fallon Bane Brookshire was found at the edge of her village on the outskirts of the Gilded City and was raised by her father ever since. She doesn’t care to know about her birth parents since they didn’t seem to care enough about her to raise her. Fallon grew up feeling loved not only by her father but also by some of the villagers. The most problematic part is that none of them can touch her without causing her pain. Fallon’s world was a simple one until her father became so ill that her best friend couldn’t do anything for him. After that, Fallon’s world is completely transformed, and she is thrust into a world that revolves around magic.

I love Fallon as a character and feel so bad about how she grew up. She has a great life and is trying to learn everything she can. Fallon definitely changes a bit once she starts going to school and learning about her magic.

The Story

Fallon Bane Brookshire ends up attending a magical academy in the Gilded City, all because Ariyon Madden tells a powerful fae about her. The Queen and her guards move her and her father into the city, where she has to live for four years to study at the academy. Fallon discovers things about her and her magic that she would rather not have learned about, since it makes her not want to use them. Even worse when the people she is starting to care for end up getting hurt because of her.

I truly enjoyed the story, and when I got to the end of the book, I was left wondering what would happen next.

Five Stars

My rating for House of Ash and Shadow by Leia Stone is five stars. I recommend it to anyone who loves a good young adult fantasy romance involving the fae folk. Ms. Stone is a fantastic author who had me glued to the book after reading the first chapter. The following two books are on my TBR list.

Gilded City Trilogy

Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of House of Ash and Shadow by Leia Stone.

Until the next time,

Happy Reading!

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About Leia Stone

Leia Stone is the USA Today bestselling author of multiple bestselling series including Matefinder, Wolf Girl, Fallen Academy and Kings of Avalier. She’s sold over three million books, and her Fallen Academy series has been optioned for film.

Her newest series Gilded City is published by Sourcebooks/Bloom. Her novels have been translated into multiple languages and she even dabbles in script writing. Leia writes romantasy with sassy kick-butt heroines and irresistible love interests. She lives in Spokane, WA with her husband and two children.