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Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout – a Review

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Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout – a Review

 

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Description:
The line between love and obsession has never been wider.

While Sera is finally free of Kolis and back with those she loves, not everything is calm. Memories of all she’s endured still haunt her, but Sera finally has hope for a future with the other half of her heart and soul. Nyktos desires, loves, and accepts every part of her—even the monstrous bits she still battles.

More than ever, Sera and Ash have everything under the realms to fight for, and Nyktos has no doubt Sera is fit to be the Queen of the Gods. But she must find that faith within herself if they hope to convince the other Courts to support them against Kolis and make Iliseeum and the mortal realm better, safer places for all.

But as Sera begins to piece together the importance of her bloodline and the true meaning behind the foreboding prophecy, it becomes clear that everything that has happened and is yet to come is much bigger than Kolis and his dark obsessions.

They cannot help but wonder exactly how much influence the Fates have had and what their ultimate goal is. What Sera does know for sure is that they can trust very few—including her.

A battle between the gods is brewing, and heartbreaking losses are imminent with the true Primal of Death strengthening. With a family of the heart willing to battle by their side, can Sera and Nyktos stop Kolis before he destroys the realms, or will it all disappear in a fiery inferno of blood and ash?

And the line between justice and vengeance has never been so thin.

 

 

Review:

Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the conclusion of her Flesh and Fire series. Refresher: Born of Blood and Ash is a prequel to her wonderful Blood and Ash series, taking place thousands of years prior to that series. Seraphena (Sera) Mierel, our heroine, was born to be an assassin, fulfilling her part in a deal made by her ancestor all those years before, as she has trained to be a powerful weapon. Nyktos (Ash) saves her life, and he takes her to his home, to become his Consort. Sera and Nyktos/Ash were so great together, with their chemistry off the wall, and in time, all of his people cared about Sera and her abilities.

As Sera reaches her Ascension, she will develop new skills, such as intuitions; as she returns to her family becoming the True Primal of Life. Sera, as the Queen, begins to put pieces together, especially what is behind the foreboding prophecy; with both Sera and Ash trying to convince the other courts to help stop Kolis. We learn quickly that Sera is now pregnant, with two boys; and Ash is happy and thrilled to be able to have children.  But first they need to find a way to get Kolis to entombed.

Kolis plans to take control Sera and Ash, which leads him to kill Sera’s entire family and her town. Everyone is dead, and Sera mourns the loss of her stepsister, wife, mother; leading Sera to lose control and destroy others.  Sera finds solace from Ash, who together will eliminate those close to Kolis.  She kills Veses, and Attes kills his brother, Kyn, as they needed to die.  The final battle to lock, and entomb Kolis away for centuries, was deeply intense. The Star that was intended to free Sotoria was stolen, as Calum hid it away, to be used centuries into the future.

We did get to see how Sera and Ash helped the ones they trusted to become new primals of those in other courts.  Attes plans to go into stasis to rest, passes his court to Lailah. Aios and Belle were great together, with Belle having her own court. Penellaphe also ascended.  I loved Reaver and Jadis, as they were cute; but I loved Nektas from the start to finish.  We also got hints leading into Poppy and Cas, with Sotoria being reborn.

 What follows is an exciting, emotional, sexy, intense, and romantic adventure, that had a number of reveals giving us clues of what is yet to come.   Sera is a fantastic and amazing heroine, being powerful, strong, courageous, determined and fierce. I also loved how much Ash loved Sera. Jennifer L. Armentrout gives us another very good story, with a bit slow early on, but the last third was awesome.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy purchased

 

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A Fire in the Flesh by Jennifer L. Armentrout – a Review

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A Fire in the Flesh by Jennifer L. Armentrout – a Review

 

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Description:
The only thing that can save the realms now is the one thing more powerful than the Fates.

After a startling betrayal ends with both Sera and the dangerously seductive ruler of the Shadowlands she has fallen madly in love with being held captive by the false King of the Gods, there is only one thing that can free Nyktos and prevent the forces of the Shadowlands from invading Dalos and igniting a War of Primals.

Convincing Kolis won’t be easy, though – not even with a lifetime of training. While his most favored Revenant is insistent that she is nothing more than a lie, Kolis’s erratic nature and twisted sense of honor leave her shaken to the core, and nothing could’ve prepared her for the cruelty of his Court or the shocking truths revealed. The revelations not only upend what she has understood about her duty and the very creation of the realms but also draw into question exactly what the true threat is. However, surviving Kolis is only one part of the battle. The Ascension is upon her, and Sera is out of time.

But Nyktos will do anything to keep Sera alive and give her the life she deserves. He’ll even risk the utter destruction of the realms, and that’s exactly what will happen if he doesn’t Ascend as the Primal of Life. Yet despite his desperate determination, their destinies may be out of their hands.

But there is that foreseen unexpected thread—the unpredictable, unknown, and unwritten. The only thing more powerful than the Fates…

 

 

 

Review:

A Fire in the Flesh by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the 3rd book in her Flesh and Fire series. I am such a big fan of Armentrout, as I have read all of her fantastic fantasy books, with fabulous characters.   The Flesh and Fire series is a prequel to her wonderful Blood and Ash series, taking place thousands of years prior to that series. Refresher: Seraphena (Sera) Mierel, our heroine, was born to be an assassin, fulfilling her part in a deal made by her ancestor all those years before, as she has trained to be a powerful weapon. Nyktos (Ash) saves her life, and he takes her to his home, to become his Consort; and get to know all the wonderful warriors that guard him.  Sera and Nyktos were so great together, with their chemistry off the wall, and in time, all of his people cared about Sera and her abilities.

A Fire in the Flesh starts off with Sera now held captive by Kolis, with Nyktos trying to rescue Sera, only to lose the fight and he too becomes captive.  Unable to do anything to help Nyktos, Sera finds herself in a cage, with visits from Kolis, as he thinks that she holds Sotoria’s soul inside her; who happens to be his long-lost love.

Sera is a fantastic and amazing heroine, being powerful, strong, courageous, determined and fierce in trying to find Ash to save him.  She openly speaks her mind at any time, not to mention her temper.  Sera must deal with Kolis’s erratic and twisted handling of his court; constantly upsetting Sera.

I love everything JLA writes, but I found this being a slow start, and a bit repetitive. Especially with Kolis and Sera constantly going around with secrets and circles. Kolis was a true villain, and too much time was spent with almost 65% of the book revolving around Kolis, Sera and his court of evil people.  Besides Kolis being the villain, there were a number of other villains that Sera had to deal with, such as Veses, Kyn, Callum to name a few.

It wasn’t until we got to the last third of the book finally changing, with Nyktos coming into the story. I will say that Nyktos and Sera were so wonderful and romantic together. With Sera beginning to get weaker, as the Ascension is rising in her, and she realizes that she is out of time, knowing that she is dying. A desperate Nyktos takes refuses to let Sera die, and attempts to find a way to save her.  Will he succeed and what are the consequences?

What follows is an exciting, emotional, sexy, intense, and romantic adventure, that had a number of reveals giving us clues of what is yet to come.   The last third of the book was wonderful, mind-blowing, and steamy, especially with Sera and Nyktos together. Without giving any information, you will need to read this book to learn some of the reveals that may slightly relate to the Flesh and Fire and Blood and Ash series.

Jennifer L. Armentrout gives us very good story, a bit too slow early on, but the ending was so very good. I look forward to the final book in this series, Born of Blood and Ash, coming in May, 2024.

Reviewed by Barb

Copy provided by Publisher

 

 

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A Light in the Flame by Jennifer L. Armentrout – a Review

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A Light in the Flame by Jennifer L. Armentrout – a Review

 

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Description:
The only one who can save Sera now is the one she spent her life planning to kill.

The truth about Sera’s plan is out, shattering the fragile trust forged between her and Nyktos. Surrounded by those distrustful of her, all Sera has is her duty. She will do anything to end Kolis, the false King of Gods, and his tyrannical rule of Iliseeum, thus stopping the threat he poses to the mortal realm.

Nyktos has a plan, though, and as they work together, the last thing they need is the undeniable, scorching passion that continues to ignite between them. Sera cannot afford to fall for the tortured Primal, not when a life no longer bound to a destiny she never wanted is more attainable than ever. But memories of their shared pleasure and unrivaled desire are a siren’s call impossible to resist.

And as Sera begins to realize that she wants to be more than a Consort in name only, the danger surrounding them intensifies. The attacks on the Shadowlands are increasing, and when Kolis summons them to Court, a whole new risk becomes apparent. The Primal power of Life is growing inside her, pushing her closer to the end of her Culling. And without Nyktos’s love—an emotion he’s incapable of feeling—she won’t survive her Ascension. That is if she even makes it to her Ascension and Kolis doesn’t get to her first. Because time is running out. For both her and the realms.

 

 

Review:

A Light in the Flame by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the 2nd book in her Flesh and Fire series. I am such a big fan of Armentrout, as she always gives us fantastic fantasy stories, and wonderful lead characters.  The Flesh and Fire series is a prequel to her wonderful Blood and Ash series, taking place thousands of years prior to that series. Refresher: Seraphena (Sera) Mierel, our heroine, was born to be an assassin, fulfilling her part in a deal made by her ancestor all those years before, as she has trained to be a powerful weapon. Nyktos saves her life, and he takes her to his home, to become his Consort. It is here where we meet all of Nyktos’s wonderful warriors that guard him, and when they get back home, we meet many more wonderful secondary characters. A Light in the Flame picks up where A Shadow in Ember left off, with Sera’s true mission was exposed.

Though at first, most of Nyktos’s people resent Sera, but as she realizes Nyktos was never her target, everything begins to change; especially her feelings toward him. Nyktos truly accepts that she was trained to enact her forced plans, but now Sera is free, determined to help defeat the real enemy. Sera had been trained all her life to kill Nyktos, and now she knows that everything she knew was false.  Sera and Nyktos were so great together, with their chemistry off the wall.  Nyktos continues to protect Sera, and slowly all his crew, begin to care for her too. I loved how Sera would not listen to others, when she wanted to train, as well as to help Nyktos; the warriors always gave in, and her wonderful abilities won them all over. 

Sera was an awesome heroine, strong, fierce, powerful, determined, a warrior, with amazing abilities and courage.  Soon she realizes that she loves Nyktos, even though he is unable to love, but she will also be protective of him.  Nyktos was also great, as we couldn’t help fall in love with him; especially how he protects Sera, as well of all in his realm.  They were so great together, both succumbing to their true feelings.

I enjoyed all the wonderful characters in Shadowlands, as they were lots of fun, and totally opening up and accepting Sera.  I loved Nektas, who was great with Sera, always offering advice.  But most of all I adored both Jadis and Reaver (Nektas’ baby drakens). I really loved how Sera would use her powers to bring back to life two important women, whom both would then ascend. As we get closer to the end, thinking all was well, the coronation happens, and Sera is crowned Consort.

There were many villains in this book, that had me hating them, and as we raced to the end, we learn how despicable many of them were.  Kolis, the King of the Gods (the false Primal of Life), was evil, especially when the truths are revealed about his knowledge of the past, changing the game.  Attes, who turned into a traitor, showing his true side. Veses, who blackmailed Nyktos, causing Sera to think he was having affair with her, but later she will learn the real truth.

What follows is an exciting, action filled, emotional, sexy, intense, and romantic adventure that had me holding my breaths so many times.  The last third of the book was mind-blowing, with heart wrenching, emotional and many surprising twists. Jennifer L. Armentrout once again gives us another intriguing story, with wonderful world building, and lots of action, suspense, violence, betrayal, passion and fantastic characters. Of course, as the norm for JLA, we are left open, with a cliffhanger at the end.  Now we have to wait to see Sera and Nyktos again. If you have not read the Blood and Ash series, I suggest you read that series, then start Flesh and Fire series.

Reviewed by Barb

Owned copy

 

 

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A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout – a Review

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A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout – a Review

 

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Description:
Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel’s future has never been hers. Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort.   

However, Sera’s real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania—she’s not the well protected Maiden but an assassin with one mission—one target. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then…end him. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot. 

Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Until him. Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her. And his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s never allowed herself to feel and cannot feel for him. But Sera has never had a choice. Either way, her life is forfeit—it always has been, as she has been forever touched by Life and Death.

 

 

Review:

A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout is the 1st book in her new Flesh and Fire series. I am such a big fan of Armentrout, as she always gives us fantastic fantasy stories, and wonderful lead characters.   A Shadow of the Ember is a prequel to her wonderful Blood and Ash series, taking place thousands of years prior to that series.

Seraphena (Sera) Mierel, our heroine, was born to be an assassin, fulfilling her part in a deal made by her ancestor (made by the Primal of Death) all those years before, as she has trained to be a powerful weapon, and help her country survive by weakening the current Primal, and killing him.  When she comes face to face with becoming his consort, to her shock he refuses and leaves; her family treats her badly, blaming her for the failure to join with the Primal. Sera is lonely, and keeps herself private, continuing to train as a warrior. Along the way, she meets Ash, and a slow build romance begins, with both feeling the intense attraction to each other. 

When her evil brother takes over the throne, he is determined to destroy Sera, and it is Ash who comes to her rescue.  The caveat, Ash is Nyktos, the Primal of Death, who originally (3 years ago) refused her to become his consort, which he felt he did not need.   Nyktos saves her life, and he takes her to his home, to become his Consort. It is here where we meet all of Nyktos’s wonderful warriors that guard him, and when they get back home, we meet many more wonderful secondary characters. 

Nyktos was wonderful with Sera, patient, kind and their chemistry was off the wall; very steamy, as well as emotional. The longer she spends time with him, Sera realizes she is having strong feelings for him, worried that she would not be able to do what is expected of her, when the time came. I loved Nytos and Sera together, and prayed things would work out between them.  Sera was a great heroine, totally outspoken, fierce, a warrior, and loyal;  Nyktos was also great, and we couldn’t help fall in love with him; especially how he protects and takes care of all in his realm.  Sera and Nyktos were so good together, with the banter and sexual tension between them.  I also loved seeing more of the Drakens (Nektas and his two adorable tiny drakens), as well as the fabulous secondary characters that helped make this such a fantastic read.

What follows is an exciting action filled adventure that had me holding my breaths so many times.  The last third of the book was mind-blowing, with heart wrenching, emotional and many surprising twists; with me unable to put the book down. A Shadow in the Ember was another intriguing story, with wonderful world building, and lots of action, suspense, violence, betrayal, passion and fantastic characters. Jennifer L. Armentrout has once again written such an amazing high fantasy, with two wonderful heroes, destined to be together.  From start to finish, Armentrout kept me glued to my kindle, with this wonderful world she has created.  I cannot wait to see what Jennifer has in store for us.  If you have not read the Blood and Ash series, you need to start with that, then read A Shadow in the Ember. 

Reviewed by Barb

Owned copy

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