Week 29 Review: A Soul of Ash and Blood

From Goodreads:

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.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits Poppy and Casteel's epic love story in the next installment of the Blood and Ash series. But this time, Hawke gets to tell the tale.

My Review:
I adored reading this book! It was so fantastic to be in Cas's head! I wasn't sure how this book would work, that we would see the events of the first book from his perspective, but having her go into stasis to finish her Culling, and the fear that she might come out of it without her memories, Cas is telling his side to her. And I loved that!

It's interesting, but I never think of what other characters might be capable of, even once we learn of those capabilities, and what they could've done, because I wasn't in their perspective. So of course Cas knew who Poppy was in the Red Pearl, and he could overhear her conversations with Tawny.

This book really gave us a look to see how conflicted that he was about what he was doing. He wanted to free his brother, but as he was spending time with Poppy, to learn that she didn't know what the Ascendants were doing, that she was a fighter, as he fell for her, it got so complicated, and hard to have a right path forward. They found one, but it was difficult! 

Some of my favourite parts were in the present, and Keiran was reacting to what Cas was saying. Some of them didn't have that, and had other things going on, like with his brother, and there was a climatic scene at the end, but also having Cas reflect on what had happened in those events that he told from his position now, having experienced what he has, was so great as well! 

This was a fantastic read, and I can't wait for more! 

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout 
Series: Blood and Ash #5
Read: July  18th, 2023
Source: Bought 
Reason Why: Love her writing and this series, and it's a Prequel & Sequel Challenge 2023 Book and a WoW Book! 
Publisher: Blue Box Press
Published: July 18th 2023

5/5 Hearts

5/5 Books

5/5 Stars