A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire: A Blood and Ash Novel Paperback – September 1, 2020

Spoilers & Thoughts Below!!•Second book following From Blood and Ash.•I absolutely loved this book, could not put it down! I’m just amazed at how well JLA writes, honestly her characters and stories are some of the best.•Poppy is literally one of the best badass female characters I’ve read. Her growth throughout this book was amazing; she never backs down, speaks her mind, and fights for what she believes in.•I can see why some people may find Poppy’s inner turmoil annoying but I thought it was just so realistic and understandable for her situation. Her conflicting emotions and thoughts surrounding Casteel were so well written and heartbreaking.•Casteel aka Hawke is now my new book boyfriend! He is honestly just perfection; love how charming, charismatic, strong, violent, and passionate he is. Also, everything he says is just swoon worthy, absolutely love him.•The Culling is very interesting and I hope we get to see more of that in the future books. Wondering how that’s going to effect Poppy and her abilities.•Loved the explanation regarding Casteel and Kieran’s bond and how fiercely protective Kieran is over him.•Enjoyed that we got to see more of Poppy’s abilities, definitely something more is going on there because the things she is able to do and feel seems more than just her being half Atlantian and from an empath warrior bloodline.•The empath warrior also being called soul eaters was so cool and I’m definitely curious about them.•All the details regarding the other mythical creatures like the wivern, draken, ceeren, and gods was so interesting. Definitely expands the world and characters.•I have some mix feelings about Alastir. I didn’t really trust him at first but after his offer to Poppy I somewhat came around to him, however towards the end of the book I’m back to being somewhat suspicious of him. So don’t really know just yet how I feel about him.•To learn what Casteel experienced while he was being held captive absolutely broke my heart and to know his brother is going through the same thing is just unimaginable.•I have admit I was worried about Shea and that whole history so I definitely shocked to learn what truly happened and again I’m just so heartbroken for Casteel.•Some of my favorite side characters were Delano and Vonetta. Hopefully we get more of them in the future.•There were so many interesting plot points and characters including the dead bones clan, the female guardians, the blood tree, the Skotos mountain and mist.•Poppy and Casteel’s relationship is incredible. The tension and build up between them was amazing and the whole fake marriage trope was hilarious because we all knew they weren’t pretending. I honestly just love how fiercely protective he is of her and doesn’t hold her back.•Favorite quote: “She is more than capable of handling things herself. But that is my future you were walking away with. Guard her well. Your life depends on it.”•Spice level was very hot! All their scenes left me blushing!•The whole heartmates concept has me very intrigued and I just love how much deeper and meaningful that means for a couple.•So the Joining….I was a little skeptical at first but I want and need it to happen now because after that one scene I can totally picture it and wow, definitely hot!•I really enjoyed the development of Kieran and Poppy’s relationship, definitely see them growing closer together in the next book.•So we didn’t get a huge betrayal like the first book, which I expected and feared but the not telling her about the whole promised to another definitely hurt and made me cry.•Their fight in chapter 33 was so heartbreaking but I did love that they were finally really communicating with each other and telling their truths.•The battle in Spessa’s End was very intense and a lot of interesting things occurred and breadcrumbs were laid out. Curious to know if the certain things that were mentioned are in fact true.•Their declaration to each other in chapter 36 was just perfect. They love each other so much that it makes me cry.•I have no words about that ending expect…what!!•Poppy…is she really?? Like what does that mean!•There are so many unanswered questions that I cannot wait for to be revealed but I do have to say I have a bad feeling about Poppy’s brother.•Honestly one of the best books I have read this year and I cannot wait to continue with the series!!

This book was everything I could have hoped for and ... more, more, more.There are few things that compare to reading the sequel of a book you adore and realizing that sequel is even better. And if there’s one sequel that fits this distinction, it’s this one. In fact, From Blood and Ash was my favorite book of the year at the time and well ... this book has stolen that title and is now crowned champion.Everything I loved about the first book: the action, THE ROMANCE, the banter, the mythology, the tension, has been turned up tenfold and let’s just say Jennifer L. Armentrout nails it.A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire picks up right where From Blood and Ash left off and we are immediately dropped back into the action. Certainly, the first book gives us revelation after revelation during the last quarter or so and left us all reeling with questions and just an innate drive for MORE.Many of those questions and speculations are answered (albeit, some lead to more questions) and we get to do more traveling in this one and learn more about the world of the Atlantians, especially. There’s a number of fascinating new characters introduced and familiar ones (Kieran is a smol cinnamon roll, prove me wrong) that we learn more about, too.Poppy must navigate this new world and choose who to believe while she grapples with her own desire, the changing of her gift and determining who she can trust.If you’re like me and your favorite aspect of the first book was the romance ... well buckle up folks because the romance in this book is fun, flirty and just overall incredible. I can’t say much here without giving spoilers (especially to those who haven’t read the first book) but let’s just say it was my favorite part in this one too. Super steamy, super angsty and definitely a driving force in the plot. The flirty, teasing vibe and depth of it reminded me of Sarah J. Maas’ A Court of Mist and Fury and I think that’s a fair comparison. In fact, I loved the romance in this book even more than ACOMAF (shocking, I know). Perhaps that’s because there’s more of it, it’s more mature and it’s addressed more but I just loved every little bit of it.And speaking of loving something ... UGH THE BANTER IS SO GOOD. For real, I have always loved the banter in JLA’s books but it really hit the mark here. It’s funny, witty, flirty at times and I just pulled off really well. The timing, the natural discourse, it all works really well.I loved any time Kieran was in a scene because I knew I’d be laughing or smirking at something he says. Seriously, Kieran guys ... he is a whole snack. I loved his character so much and I am glad we got to learn more about him. His teasing of Poppy and interactions with her and Casteel were great. I could read a whole book about Kieran and be happy as a clam (*begs, please*). If you love side characters that will steal your heart, Kieran is your guy.Like the first book, this one ends with a shocking revelation that will leave your head spinning! Again, many questions are answered but we are also left with a few bigger ones. There’s always something more to discover and I love that I never once felt like I knew everything. The tension is intense and really well done throughout!Needless to say, I really feel as though this book is the perfect follow up to From Blood and Ash. If you loved the first book, I think you’ll be more than pleased with this one. Definitely my favorite read of the year and one of my top books of all time, I’d be shocked if something could dethrone it.