Early Review: The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash #4)

The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash #4)
By Jennifer L Armentrout

Published By: Blue Box Press
Publication Date: March 15, 2022
Date Read: February 23, 2022
Genre: Adult – Fantasy
Source: eARC from JLAnders Reviewers
Format: E-Book
Pages: 621

From Goodreads:
From the desperation of golden crowns…

Casteel Da’Neer knows all too well that very few are as cunning or vicious as the Blood Queen, but no one, not even him, could’ve prepared for the staggering revelations. The magnitude of what the Blood Queen has done is almost unthinkable.

And born of mortal flesh…

Nothing will stop Poppy from freeing her King and destroying everything the Blood Crown stands for. With the strength of the Primal of Life’s guards behind her, and the support of the wolven, Poppy must convince the Atlantian generals to make war her way—because there can be no retreat this time. Not if she has any hope of building a future where both kingdoms can reside in peace.

A great primal power rises…

Together, Poppy and Casteel must embrace traditions old and new to safeguard those they hold dear—to protect those who cannot defend themselves. But war is only the beginning. Ancient primal powers have already stirred, revealing the horror of what began eons ago. To end what the Blood Queen has begun, Poppy might have to become what she has been prophesied to be—what she fears the most.

As the Harbinger of Death and Destruction.

“Love is too weak an emotion to describe how she consumes me and what I feel for her. She is my everything.”

Holy Shit! That was my initial thought upon finishing the absolute masterpiece that is The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L Armentrout. Anyone who knows me, will know I have been completely obsessed with Jennifer’s work since her debut back in 2011. Every time she has a new book out I say she has surpassed herself… but honestly… this book is without a doubt the best one she has written to date.

The War of Two Queens is the fourth book in the Blood and Ash series and it is filled to the brim with twists and turns. Some I saw coming… I literally shouted aloud I KNEW IT and scared the life out of my family… some I didn’t and was left shocked and reeling. This book is just full of twist after twist. If you haven’t read her prequel book A Shadow in the Ember, I urge you to do so before picking this one up. It is so important, and a lot of the information we learn in there, comes into this book. You will be missing out on some of the shock moments if you don’t have that knowledge.

One thing I adored most about this book is how plot focused it was. Jennifer is always known for her amazing romance in her books… and fear not, that is, as always, a focus in this book. However, as a plot driven reader, I loved that there were so many plot points happening and it was very heavy on the action and driving the story forward. There were so many times where I was left thinking WHAT IS HAPPENING!!! I seriously couldn’t stop reading because I just needed to know what was going to happen next. That makes this one my favourite of this series so far.

Another thing I loved about this book was the character development. Sometimes, when you have a long series (yes, I consider this a long series), the characters have already gone through so much development that they can sometimes feel like they’re already finished in their growth. That was absolutely not the case in this book. Poppy is still growing as a person and she goes through some serious character development in this book. I loved every single moment of it and I loved seeing her be this totally badass queen, able to stand alone and not need to rely on anyone else. It’s one of my favourite parts of this book.

The War of Two Queens was absolutely epic! I am still in awe of Jennifer’s phenomenal storytelling skills in this book. I loved every moment, there wasn’t a single moment of this book that I didn’t like. I cannot wait to see what is going to happen next in this series. If you haven’t started this series, I highly recommend it to everyone… if you have, let me tell you… y’all ain’t ready for this! It’s so much better than you can even imagine is possible. This is an absolute must-read for any fantasy fan.

“I’m never not in awe of you. I’m always utterly mesmerised. I’ll never stop being that. Always and forever.”