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michellemaas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
inspiring
tense
fast-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
5.0
First read: 5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Second read: 5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Third read: 5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but I am content with just typing it in this review: I LOVED this book!
Going into it, I was excited to read the book as I enjoyed the first installment in the series but I was quite frankly blown away. My main problem with the first book was that it dragged at the beginning and felt quite rushed at the end. A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire suffered from none of those pacing problems and was constantly moving quick enough that I didn't get bored, but slow enough that I was still able to comfortably follow what was happening. Another issue I had originally was with the world-building. I didn't understand most of the lore and that left me confused at times (especially during the end) but with this book, I was just in a nice rhythm where I was starting to understand the things that were unclear previously while not adding too many new worldbuilding type facts.
The story picks up directly after Hawke's announcement that he intends to marry Poppy and then deals with Poppy's adjustment to this new world while deepening her relationship with Hawke (who is no longer Hawke, I might add).
Going on to some more specifics, the romance was there, the humor was there, the action was there and ahhhh I just loved it. This may be my post-finishing-a-book-high doing the typing, but I just thought there really was a perfect amount of everything. I have always thought that you don't read a fantasy book to be enlightened or to appreciate "good writing". You read it for the escapism, to appreciate the creativity of another human, and to be entertained. I can honestly say that I was engrossed in the world and thoroughly entertained for the entire 639 pages and being that that's what I look for in a good fantasy book is why I think so highly of it.
Furthermore, Jennifer L. Armentrout has the power to bring my mind to a place that not many authors can. There was a scene in the book where the Ascended used the heads of Poppy and Casteel's friends as catapults and I do not remember being that thoroughly horrified while reading in a long time. I love that Jennifer L. Armentrout has the guts to describe both the sex scenes and the fighting scenes in all their gory, gruesome glory. I don't want to fill in the blanks because I've been told that they're "super bad people and that's why I should hate them". Give me a reason to actively root against the villain.
Lastly, I want to talk about Poppy and Casteel's relationship. I am a pretty dramatic person, but I'm not trying to be dramatic when I say that Poppy and Casteel's relationship may be the most realistic depiction of falling in love and learning to care for someone I have seen in all of the entertainment industry. Now that may be on the books I've read and the movies/shows I've watched but even if I had read every book and watched every show/movie I still don't think my opinion would change (much). Poppy and Casteel's relationship was messy and complicated, and really not because of some unnecessary and unwanted miscommunication trope but because of their circumstances, their choices, and who they are as people. I often see love portrayed as you fall for this person and it's never hard again. That gives people unrealistc expectations of love and life and is just really annoying. Love is scary and there will often be doubts and regret but you stick it out because the other person is worth it. The fact that both Poppy and Casteel can be described as morally grey characters is also very appealing to me as everyone has a different sense of right and wrong.
I cannot wait to reread this book in a couple of months, and until then I will recommend the series to anyone who will listen. It gives me such Game of Thrones X Twilight vibes (taking into account that I have never seen nor read either of those two) and I know that Jennifer L. Armentrout is going places.
Second read: 5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Third read: 5 - ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
I wanted to shout it from the rooftops, but I am content with just typing it in this review: I LOVED this book!
Going into it, I was excited to read the book as I enjoyed the first installment in the series but I was quite frankly blown away. My main problem with the first book was that it dragged at the beginning and felt quite rushed at the end. A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire suffered from none of those pacing problems and was constantly moving quick enough that I didn't get bored, but slow enough that I was still able to comfortably follow what was happening. Another issue I had originally was with the world-building. I didn't understand most of the lore and that left me confused at times (especially during the end) but with this book, I was just in a nice rhythm where I was starting to understand the things that were unclear previously while not adding too many new worldbuilding type facts.
The story picks up directly after Hawke's announcement that he intends to marry Poppy and then deals with Poppy's adjustment to this new world while deepening her relationship with Hawke (who is no longer Hawke, I might add).
Going on to some more specifics, the romance was there, the humor was there, the action was there and ahhhh I just loved it. This may be my post-finishing-a-book-high doing the typing, but I just thought there really was a perfect amount of everything. I have always thought that you don't read a fantasy book to be enlightened or to appreciate "good writing". You read it for the escapism, to appreciate the creativity of another human, and to be entertained. I can honestly say that I was engrossed in the world and thoroughly entertained for the entire 639 pages and being that that's what I look for in a good fantasy book is why I think so highly of it.
Furthermore, Jennifer L. Armentrout has the power to bring my mind to a place that not many authors can. There was a scene in the book where the Ascended used the heads of Poppy and Casteel's friends as catapults and I do not remember being that thoroughly horrified while reading in a long time. I love that Jennifer L. Armentrout has the guts to describe both the sex scenes and the fighting scenes in all their gory, gruesome glory. I don't want to fill in the blanks because I've been told that they're "super bad people and that's why I should hate them". Give me a reason to actively root against the villain.
Lastly, I want to talk about Poppy and Casteel's relationship. I am a pretty dramatic person, but I'm not trying to be dramatic when I say that Poppy and Casteel's relationship may be the most realistic depiction of falling in love and learning to care for someone I have seen in all of the entertainment industry. Now that may be on the books I've read and the movies/shows I've watched but even if I had read every book and watched every show/movie I still don't think my opinion would change (much). Poppy and Casteel's relationship was messy and complicated, and really not because of some unnecessary and unwanted miscommunication trope but because of their circumstances, their choices, and who they are as people. I often see love portrayed as you fall for this person and it's never hard again. That gives people unrealistc expectations of love and life and is just really annoying. Love is scary and there will often be doubts and regret but you stick it out because the other person is worth it. The fact that both Poppy and Casteel can be described as morally grey characters is also very appealing to me as everyone has a different sense of right and wrong.
I cannot wait to reread this book in a couple of months, and until then I will recommend the series to anyone who will listen. It gives me such Game of Thrones X Twilight vibes (taking into account that I have never seen nor read either of those two) and I know that Jennifer L. Armentrout is going places.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Sexual content, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
g_monaghan's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-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
4.0
Hot
Princess/ Guard Trope
Destiny
Us against the world
Dominant power play
Longing
Injury
Fantasy
Princess/ Guard Trope
Destiny
Us against the world
Dominant power play
Longing
Injury
Fantasy
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Blood, Kidnapping, Murder, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Body horror and Death of parent
ninaakh's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
inspiring
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
There's smut. Read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Sexual content, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Cursing, Blood, Grief, and War
Minor: Murder, Alcohol, and War
holthmsn's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
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
5.0
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire far exceeded my thoughts of From Blood and Ash, which was nevertheless was also a 5 star review.
We begin where we had left off exactly from the previous book, and it is full of action, *pretending*, secrets, conflict, hatred, and forgiveness. The From Blood and Ash world continues to develop, with the improvement of showing rather than telling (especially for Poppy). The final chapter leaves you begging for more.
We begin where we had left off exactly from the previous book, and it is full of action, *pretending*, secrets, conflict, hatred, and forgiveness. The From Blood and Ash world continues to develop, with the improvement of showing rather than telling (especially for Poppy). The final chapter leaves you begging for more.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Sexual content, Torture, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, and Murder
sofslibrary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
the second book gave me some serious slow ass burn and i LOVED it. it got a smidge repetitive at times but i was able to overlook it for the sake of ✨romance✨. casteel blew my back out every time he opened his dimpled mouth and i am hanging on by a thread and very satisfied. not gonna lie i got confused by the world building at times, it was doing the mostest in its attempts to really get me lost BUT i think i got the gist of it in the end. overall, i really enjoyed the second instalment of the blood and ash series and can’t wait to pick up the third once i get back home 🥰
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Violence, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, and Torture
Minor: Rape
arwen_faerie's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
ledianity's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Blood, and Murder
gxldyjess's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Violence
Moderate: Confinement, Blood, and Murder
ejlarson88's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Child death, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
gingerale06's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Violence, Blood, Grief, and Murder