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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I will try my best to include as few spoilers for this series or the From Blood and Ash series as possible, but please proceed with caution. This review is mostly an emotional overview from a fan who has been with these characters since their debut.
We have reached the finale to a prequel series, which means it hardly feels like a finale at all, but it is no less bittersweet. Since the very first book with Sera and Ash I knew I felt a special connection to them. This story quickly rose in the ranks as a favorite with the introduction of Daddy Nyktos, drakens, and a mortal woman who wasn’t afraid to stab death in the chest. Repeatedly.
I have been a fan of JLA and her work for so long that I have trouble recalling which books I’ve reviewed, and which I have not. I remember reading JLA books as early as 2011 (Obsidian, I’m looking at you). I think it’s only fair that I try to do my due diligence with this review, and give my honest thoughts overall.
No writer is perfect, though as readers we may wish them to be. When it comes to JLA I often struggled with certain aspects of her writing. On one hand the parallels between Sere and Ash and Poppy and Cas helped ease my anxiety while reading. The flow and plot beat of the first novels in each series was so strikingly similar it was not a struggle to guess what might happen on the next page. I think after finishing this finale JLA managed to tie things up in a way that made this repetition appear intentional, based on who Sera and Poppy are to one another.
There are also moments while reading where I might cringe a bit internally. Whether it was from naming an important location Lasania and then having a character joke about said name reminding them of pasta, or Sera and Ash’s occasionally cringe worthy dialogue during their more steamy, intimate scenes together. This series is by no means perfect, but it will always be one of my favorites despite some of its flaws.
All of these novels are long, and after the torturous events of the previous novel that left me flayed open like a bundle of raw, exposed nerves, this story felt like it went on forever. And not in a bad way. We got to watch as these characters worked through years worth of trauma together, as they began plotting how to build a stable life together, and we watched as Sera grew into the Primal she was always meant to become.
Every time I felt like we were finally getting a moment of peace in this novel it would be interrupted in savage and heartbreaking ways. Because of this I think the final battle fell a little flat. It happened so fast, with at least one good twist with Sera using her powers in a way I hadn’t anticipated but probably should have, and before I knew it everything was over. There had been such a huge, devastating moment a few chapters before when Sera lost control that the final battle felt almost insignificant, despite it being the entire goal of the book.
It was wild as a reader knowing how their story would end, and waiting to see how time would play a role in the events of this novel. Would we skip years into the future, or weeks, or months, and see what we knew would inevitably play out? Or would we be stuck in the present day with Sera and Ash, having to piece the puzzle together ourselves and fill in the gaps until we catch up with Poppy.
In this finale we eventually got a mix of both. A majority of the novel takes place in the here and now, but we do get a few flashes forward in the last two to three chapters. They were nowhere near what I would have loved to see in this novel. I am yearning to see Sera and Ash as parents. To watch them dote over their twin boys, to see how those boys’ powers grow as they do, and to watch their friends embrace their new family. I’m hopeful that in the future, once JLA is finished with Poppy and Cas’ story, which should eventually meet back up with Sera and Ash, that JLA will go back and give us a few snippets of the twins growing up with their parents before Poppy’s story truly begins again.
Finishing this series set so many things in motion within my own mind. It left me whirling, wanting to immediately pick up the original series and find all the easter eggs hidden throughout. So much more of the original series makes sense now, and so much will be even more heartbreaking to reread. Having now seen some of those characters as children, or having spent time with their parents before their birth, and knowing the eventual outcome of their lives is probably the closest I”ll ever come to feeling like a god (or a Fate) myself.
As a writer I wonder how JLA crafted these two stories? Did she know about Sera and Ash before she created Poppy and Cas? I have so many questions I’d want to ask from a writing standpoint, but that’s definitely not the point of this review. How does one review the finale to a prequel series without completely spoiling both stories in the process? Finishing a series is such a bittersweet moment. I hope I’ve conveyed all the churning emotions I’m feeling. I’m even more excited to reread Poppy and Cas, while looking for hints of beloved characters who were influenced and created by Sera and Ash.
We have reached the finale to a prequel series, which means it hardly feels like a finale at all, but it is no less bittersweet. Since the very first book with Sera and Ash I knew I felt a special connection to them. This story quickly rose in the ranks as a favorite with the introduction of Daddy Nyktos, drakens, and a mortal woman who wasn’t afraid to stab death in the chest. Repeatedly.
I have been a fan of JLA and her work for so long that I have trouble recalling which books I’ve reviewed, and which I have not. I remember reading JLA books as early as 2011 (Obsidian, I’m looking at you). I think it’s only fair that I try to do my due diligence with this review, and give my honest thoughts overall.
No writer is perfect, though as readers we may wish them to be. When it comes to JLA I often struggled with certain aspects of her writing. On one hand the parallels between Sere and Ash and Poppy and Cas helped ease my anxiety while reading. The flow and plot beat of the first novels in each series was so strikingly similar it was not a struggle to guess what might happen on the next page. I think after finishing this finale JLA managed to tie things up in a way that made this repetition appear intentional, based on who Sera and Poppy are to one another.
There are also moments while reading where I might cringe a bit internally. Whether it was from naming an important location Lasania and then having a character joke about said name reminding them of pasta, or Sera and Ash’s occasionally cringe worthy dialogue during their more steamy, intimate scenes together. This series is by no means perfect, but it will always be one of my favorites despite some of its flaws.
All of these novels are long, and after the torturous events of the previous novel that left me flayed open like a bundle of raw, exposed nerves, this story felt like it went on forever. And not in a bad way. We got to watch as these characters worked through years worth of trauma together, as they began plotting how to build a stable life together, and we watched as Sera grew into the Primal she was always meant to become.
Every time I felt like we were finally getting a moment of peace in this novel it would be interrupted in savage and heartbreaking ways. Because of this I think the final battle fell a little flat. It happened so fast, with at least one good twist with Sera using her powers in a way I hadn’t anticipated but probably should have, and before I knew it everything was over. There had been such a huge, devastating moment a few chapters before when Sera lost control that the final battle felt almost insignificant, despite it being the entire goal of the book.
It was wild as a reader knowing how their story would end, and waiting to see how time would play a role in the events of this novel. Would we skip years into the future, or weeks, or months, and see what we knew would inevitably play out? Or would we be stuck in the present day with Sera and Ash, having to piece the puzzle together ourselves and fill in the gaps until we catch up with Poppy.
In this finale we eventually got a mix of both. A majority of the novel takes place in the here and now, but we do get a few flashes forward in the last two to three chapters. They were nowhere near what I would have loved to see in this novel. I am yearning to see Sera and Ash as parents. To watch them dote over their twin boys, to see how those boys’ powers grow as they do, and to watch their friends embrace their new family. I’m hopeful that in the future, once JLA is finished with Poppy and Cas’ story, which should eventually meet back up with Sera and Ash, that JLA will go back and give us a few snippets of the twins growing up with their parents before Poppy’s story truly begins again.
Finishing this series set so many things in motion within my own mind. It left me whirling, wanting to immediately pick up the original series and find all the easter eggs hidden throughout. So much more of the original series makes sense now, and so much will be even more heartbreaking to reread. Having now seen some of those characters as children, or having spent time with their parents before their birth, and knowing the eventual outcome of their lives is probably the closest I”ll ever come to feeling like a god (or a Fate) myself.
As a writer I wonder how JLA crafted these two stories? Did she know about Sera and Ash before she created Poppy and Cas? I have so many questions I’d want to ask from a writing standpoint, but that’s definitely not the point of this review. How does one review the finale to a prequel series without completely spoiling both stories in the process? Finishing a series is such a bittersweet moment. I hope I’ve conveyed all the churning emotions I’m feeling. I’m even more excited to reread Poppy and Cas, while looking for hints of beloved characters who were influenced and created by Sera and Ash.
adventurous
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The first 60% of the book felt like filler? The last 40% was SO good and had such a strong plot but I almost DNF’ed because it just dragged on. I wish it had kept up with the pace of the previous book from the beginning.
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book makes me excited for the main series and the rest of its story, but also I’m DEVASTATED to not be able to read more of Sera and Ash’s love 😔
Seeing them take down Kolis and discover more of the true order of the prophecy and what that means is so satisfying.
My only complaint is, the plot is SOOOOOO interesting and fascinating, and there is just WAYYYYYY too much fucking. I get it in some ways. Like in book 3 she was away from ash for the majority of the book, so they’ve got some things to catch up on 😉. And it’s also a part of her process of healing and surviving that trauma that kolis caused. But oh my goddnessssssssssssss it just was a lot and I usually just kinda skipped over it.
Like I’d say a good 50% of this book (probably more) was just them going to town. No shame if that’s your thing, I was just really excited about the plot and it kinda got lost, a lot in this book. That is why I can’t give it 5 stars. Like I was kinda hoping we’d even see the birth of their sons, or maybe how she ended up going to ground, but we got none of that. I did like the fates (ancients) chapter/perspective at the end. It does make me look forward to the rest of the books in the main series.
Otherwise, great read. I’ll probably re-read the series before the last couple books come out for the main series… boy I am not ready for that day 🥹
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Emotional abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment