A review by samchase112
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout

adventurous reflective slow-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? Yes

2.0

I have so many feelings. Let's put them in a list, because I don't think I can form coherent sentences or a coherent review right now.

  1. This book was so. damn. slow. I wanted to jump into the pages, shake every character, shakes JLA, and force them to TAKE SOME ACTION. Each conversation took 10 pages, each issue was gone over again and again, each day was streeeeetched out to be fifteen chapters. It was excruciating. Maybe it's because I came off of reading The Poppy War, where things happen super quickly, but this was extra difficult to slog through for most of it. I just got so freaking frustrated with JLA and all her characters. JUST DO SOMETHING.
  2. If I thought the info dumping was bad in the first book, this one was even worse? Why??? At one point Poppy gets mad because Casteel didn't share some information with her, and all I could think was I wish he had never told her anything at all, because this series' world building was absolutely excruciating.
  3. MY THREESOME THEORY FROM BOOK ONE WAS WAY WAY TOO REAL. But also...why not?
  4. There were sooooooo many sex scenes. So so many. Don't get me wrong, I appreciate a good sex scene, but I think all Casteel and Poppy did was have sex and go over all the Ascended's lies??? And, um, one of those scenes was a bit too much for me. Not the content but...the circumstances?! I just...if you know you know.
  5. The fight scenes were epic, I love a good fight scene. Less so when vampires are ripping into each other's necks, but ce la vie.
  6. I want to know more about the Dead Bones Clan, and now we never will. They were so freaking cool, so fascinating!
  7.  "Heartmates"? Just call them soulmates, I swear with this naming thing.
  8. Okay Poppy is pretty cool, I like her. I actually don't mind any of the characters, but I'm not in love with any of them, either.
  9. The revelation of Shea and Casteel's backstory with her was honestly anticlimactic. She thinks and thinks about it for so long, and then when he tells her they just kinda brushes over it. Okay then.
  10. The ending was pretty dang epic, and I'm excited to see where it goes, but it just left me wondering why these powers didn't materialize before? Real convenient timing, Poppy's powers.

Contrary to what the above list may suggest, I'm actually excited to read the next book. It's probably going to be a wild ride, and I want to see what happens. Although I'm assuming it will probably be the same info dumping, lethargic slog these last two were. Ah well, let's just hope there's at least a threesome to spice things up.
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