A Soul of Ash and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout – a Review
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Description:
Only his memories can save her…
A great primal power has risen. The Queen of Flesh and Fire has become the Primal of Blood and Bone—the true Primal of Life and Death. And the battle Casteel, Poppy, and their allies have been fighting has only just begun. Gods are awakening across Iliseeum and the mortal realm, readying for the war to come.
But when Poppy falls into stasis, Cas faces the very real possibility that the dire, unexpected consequences of what she is becoming could take her away from him. Cas is given some advice, though—something he plans to cling to as he waits to see her beautiful eyes open once more: Talk to her.
And so, he does. He reminds Poppy how their journey began, revealing things about himself that only Kieran knows in the process. But it’s anybody’s guess what she’ll wake to or exactly how much of the realm and Cas will have changed when she does.
Review:
A Soul of Ash and Blood by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the 5th book in her wonderful Blood and Ash series. Poppy has now become the Primal of Blood and Bone, the true Primal of Life and Death, with the gods beginning to awaken. But A Soul of Ash and Blood is mostly in Cas’s POV, especially when Poppy is now in stasis completing the culling. At the start, both Cas and Kieran knew something was not right with Poppy; Cas and Kieran are told to let her rest, but they were also told there is a possibility she may not remember them., when she wakes. Nextas gives them advice, when watching over her, Cas needs to talk to her, which brings us very much in the past.
For most of the book, Cas reminds Poppy about their journey to what she has become, and their wonderful love for each other. I did enjoy the retelling from the past, as well as in the present when Kieran and Cas remembered things, while they talked to the sleeping Poppy. It brought back such wonderful memories, which was fun to read, but also intriguing; as well as learning some new things.
I loved seeing in the past, with Poppy and Hawke. It was great to spend time again with so many of our favorite characters. Kieran played a big part, especially when he worried about Cas falling for Poppy; I loved how Delano always followed Poppy and was so loyal to her. It was great to see many of the others; Vikter, Tawny, Emil, Naill, just to name a few.
What follows is an in depth look in Cas’s POV, with so many memories from when Blood and Ash all started. The cliffhanger at the end left us holding our breath, especially with Cas desperately trying to save Poppy, and the final scene. I know people are saying they can’t wait for the next book, but in February 2024, JLA is releasing the 6th book, Visions of Flesh and Blood: A Blood and Ash/Flesh and Fire Compendium. My question, when do we get the real book 6?
A Soul of Ash and Blood is a wonderful look into this fabulous series, with us falling in love with Cas and Poppy all over again. There is a cliffhanger, as Poppy’s powers continue to grow to become the Primal of Life and Death. If you are a fan of high fantasy, you would need to start with the first book, but for all of us who continue to followed JLA, we wait anxiously.
Reviewed by Barb
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