Week 42 Review: A Shadow in the Ember

From Goodreads:

The Flesh and Fire series is set in the beloved Blood and Ash world.

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.

My Review:
Wow, I loved reading this book! But first off, I have to say, it was weird reading about Poppy's grandparents love story. And given that we did meet Nyktos in A Crown of Gilded Bone, well, we know that their story is going to end up all right, given that a lot of the world is named after Nyktos, and he's King of the Gods. But yeah, I was really excited to read their story! And buckle in, because I have a lot to say, so this is a longer review than usual! 

Seeing characters that were mentioned in the Blood & Ash series like Aios, Saion, Reaver, and Nektas, and of course, Nyktos, well, yeah, this book was big, the long forgotten history of this world before the Blood & Ash series started. Which is just wild! And at the same time, I was a little confused until I went back and reread bits and pieces from B&A, like that the human cultures were wiped back to the Dark Ages, losing the technology that they had at this time, because Sera mentioned electricity. Yeah. 

Sera and Poppy are a lot of alike, curious, stubborn, they've both had awful childhoods-and they're both Maiden's. And their love interests go by 2 different names. They're both skilled fighters, though with Sera it was on purpose and for Poppy it was on the sly. 

Also, it seems like those from Vodina Isles just can't help it but cause trouble for our characters, though in Poppy's case it's more of what they helped set into motion. For Sera, it's the interaction between their diplomates that puts her in the mix. But boy did I wish that she could just be left alone! 

I really enjoyed the plotline of the people who were murdered by the gods, but in secret. But oh, when it all tied together, that was so very fantastic to read! It made things more immediate, and then things were taken up by the whole Consort business. But oh, the part that it plays in this book, all together! 

The feels for Sera! In her life thus far at the end of book 1, there's been 2 main injustices, that are 2 parts of the same whole. How the was raised, basically as a sacrifice, almost completely ignored, to live her life like it doesn't have value. And then there's the fact that so much that what they thought they knew, wasn't correct, and it has some pretty devastating lessons. As we learned more about the Gods and the politics, about what was wrong with the world, well, things got increasingly difficult! The stakes are so much higher, and so quickly! 

Oh, man. When we got to that ending with the prophecy (and meeting the goddess that Poppy's named after) and hearing their theories, knowing that it's about Sera and Poppy. I have a few thoughts as to how that might turn out. The whole thing with the blood, well, I can't wait to see how that goes! 

So it sounds like Sera and Poppy are going to end up facing a "great conspirator" together. It took me a few times reading the prophecy to get why they think Kolis will be this great conspirator. Who has to awaken, which means he has to go to sleep first. My first theory is that getting him to sleep is going to be the big battle in this series, and actually taking him down will be the big thing of the Blood & Ash series! If I'm right, that'd be so excellent and epic to read! 

Though there is a possibility that Sera and Nyktos's son (one of them) will be the threat, since they're Sera's kids, and she was referred to as "a fire in the flesh" and the enemy is described as "birthed from the flesh and fire" so that could work. Plus they were born in the mortal lands, which is the furthest west of the map (I can't tell if Atlantia was a country when this happened, or if it counts as mortal land, or if they went past that, but yeah, it seems to fit! And given what both of them have been through in the series, I could see one of them becoming the Harbinger and Bringer of Death and Destruction. Bah! Can't wait for the series to be out to find out if either of these is right! 

I loved this book so much, and I can't wait for The War of Two Queens! So excited for more from this world! 

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Series: Flesh and Fire #1
Read: October 20th, 2021
Source: Ebook.bike
Reason Why: Love this world, and her writing and it sounded really great, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2021 Book and a WoW Book!
Publisher: Blue Box Press
Published: October 19th, 2021

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars