ARC Review: A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash #2)

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash #2)
by Jennifer L Armentrout

Published By: Blue Box Press
Publication Date: September 1, 2020
Date Read: August 2, 2020
Genre: NA – Fantasy
Source: eARC from JLAnders Reviewers
Format: E-Book

From Goodreads:
A Betrayal…

Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.

A Choice…

Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation.

A Secret…

But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late.

~ Warning: Spoilers from the first Blood and Ash book, From Blood and Ash are present in this review. ~

“Atlantis rose from blood and ash. We are no longer a fallen kingdom. Not by any sense of the word. We haven’t been for a very long time. We are a kingdom of fire.”

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire has been a book I have been dying to get my hands on these past few months. It’s no surprise to anyone how much I adore everything Jennifer L Armentrout writes. I was so excited earlier in the year to find she was writing an epic fantasy series. Fantasy is my all time favourite genre and I fell head over heels in love with From Blood and Ash. I’d been preying for years that she would write a fantasy series and I still can’t believe she finally has. I was so excited to find that A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire was releasing sooner than any of us thought. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. I had such high expectation and blew every single one of them out of the water.

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire picks up right where From Blood and Ash left off, with Poppy away from everything and everyone she has ever known and surrounded by Atlantians and Wolven alike. And not all of them are thrilled to find The Maiden with them. Right from the start I couldn’t put this book down. I just needed to know what was going to happen. I am completely and utterly obsessed with this world and this vampire related mythology. I just love every single moment of it. I am always hesitant to talk about this series as a vampire-series as it really isn’t. It is so, so much more. It’s a heart-racing epic fantasy that just so happens to have some vampire type mythology intwined in this incredible storyline.

Poppy and Casteel are two of my all time favourite characters. They have such great character growth throughout this book and I loved every moment of this development. They are both thrust into this situation that they weren’t expecting and have to gradually come to terms with their feelings for each other. Despite the betrayal and everything they have been through, they have to accept that they are going to have to work together. Honestly, I loved how much their relationship developed throughout this book. It was just such a fantastic development. I absolutely adore them both and some of my favourite quotes in this book comes from the romance between these characters. It’s absolutely heartmelting.

Honestly, I was so anxious while reading this book. I’m in Jen’s reader and spoiler groups for her books and I had seen many, many theories of things readers wanted to see. One of them is a major thing for me and something that should it appear in a book I would DNF on 99.9% of the time. It would absolutely kill me to have to do that with this series, so I was in such a panic about it. I am so glad I continued and pushed through though as this book was just completely and utterly epic!

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire is filled to the brim with twists and turns. Honestly, it’s mind-blowingly good. I usually guess a lot of the twists and turns throughout the books that I read but there were certain things in this book that I didn’t see coming at all. When I finished it I actually could not speak. I couldn’t believe what had just happened and I was just left shouting WHAT?!?! If a book can do that for me then that is a sign that it’s a phenomenal book!

A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire was just utter perfection. From the heart pounding twists and turns and the mind-blowing plot, to the swoon-worthy romance, this book had absolutely everything that I love in a book. You thought From Blood and Ash was good? Look out the absolute epicness of this sequel. I couldn’t put it down and I am now left reeling dying to know what is going to happen next. This series is a must-read for any fantasy fan.

“Your heart, Poppy. It is a gift I do not deserve. But it is one I will protect until my dying breath.”

Follow K-Books on WordPress.com