Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout is live!

OMG, what a ride! The conclusion to the Flesh and Fire series, JLA delivers an amazing read that is everything I was hoping it would be. I am wildly in love with these characters and this world, and this book is full of action, supernatural badassery, shocking moments, incredible romance, heartache and triumphs, and I felt it all!

 

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Blurb

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes the thrilling conclusion to her beloved Flesh and Fire series…

The line between love and obsession has never been wider.

While Sera is finally free of Kolis and back with those she loves, not everything is calm. Memories of all she’s endured still haunt her, but Sera finally has hope for a future with the other half of her heart and soul. Nyktos desires, loves, and accepts every part of her—even the monstrous bits she still battles.

More than ever, Sera and Ash have everything under the realms to fight for, and Nyktos has no doubt Sera is fit to be the Queen of the Gods. But she must find that faith within herself if they hope to convince the other Courts to support them against Kolis and make Iliseeum and the mortal realm better, safer places for all.

But as Sera begins to piece together the importance of her bloodline and the true meaning behind the foreboding prophecy, it becomes clear that everything that has happened and is yet to come is much bigger than Kolis and his dark obsessions.

They cannot help but wonder exactly how much influence the Fates have had and what their ultimate goal is. What Sera does know for sure is that they can trust very few—including her.

A battle between the gods is brewing, and heartbreaking losses are imminent with the true Primal of Death strengthening. With a family of the heart willing to battle by their side, can Sera and Nyktos stop Kolis before he destroys the realms, or will it all disappear in a fiery inferno of blood and ash?

And the line between justice and vengeance has never been so thin.

 

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Review

5 huge, emotionally overwhelming stars

OMG, what a ride! The conclusion to the Flesh and Fire series, Jennifer L. Armentrout delivers an amazing read that is everything I was hoping it would be. I am wildly in love with these characters and this world, and this book is full of action, supernatural badassery, shocking moments, incredible romance, heartache and triumphs, and I felt it all!

This is a loooooooooooooong book. It’s over 800 pages, and is a behemoth of a read, but I relished being back in this world and spent multiple happy nights snuggled up with my kindle and madly flipping pages.

The Flesh and Fire series is a prequel to the Blood and Ash series, and JLA had the complex task of wrapping up this series, lining it up with the beginning of From Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, #1), as well as preparing us for the continuation of Blood and Ash series (there are still two books to come in that one). It was a tricky task, but she did it so well. I’ve been reading these books as they have been released, alternating between the two series, so I went into this one knowing a little bit about what to expect – at least, where it needed to finish up to align with the beginning of the From Blood and Ash – but it still brings surprises. You can read this series independent to Blood and Ash if you choose, but as always, I suggest reading them in publication order, as the author intended. Find full reading order here.

Beware, this review will contain minor spoilers for earlier books in the series.

The true Primal of Life has ascended, and Seraphina’s whole world has changed. Thankfully, she has her devoted husband by her side to guide and support her through it, and this book sees her settling into her new powers and her new life (again), and leading the fight to take out Kolis once and for all.

But first, she has to deal with the trauma that she has endured, and we get to witness her personal journey as she works through it all, and slowly finds the courage to share her story and her grief with her loved ones. By her side through it all is her devoted Nyktos, and in so many ways, for so many reasons, I just adore him.

“You are who I fell in love with, Sera. Every part of you. Not just the easy stuff but the complicated, messy aspects, too. I love each part of you equally. You will always be what I cherish most, liessa.” Clasping my cheeks, he kissed the top of my head. “Nothing will ever change that.”

This is a huge story with lots of characters, and it’s complex and intricate, but at the heart of the series is the most incredible love story that owns my heart. Nyktos and Sera are incredible together – openly loving, wildly sexy, funny, playful, deep and intense, strong yet vulnerable with each other, they are true partners in every way, and every moment of them together is just beautiful.

“You will not lose me.” He clasped the back of my head with his free hand. “Never.”
“Do you promise?”
“With every breath I take and every beat of my heart,” he swore.

Sera’s journey and character growth blends wonderfully with her deepening relationship with Nyktos and their preparations for the looming battle, as she discovers who she now is, what she’s capable of, and what the future holds. There’s so much plotting and planning, and there’s a lot of things and people to remember, but even though I was initially foggy on some of the details, I was easily captivated by it all, and eagerly devoured every moment.

Through it all, Sera has allies by her side, old and new, and I have SO much love for all of these characters! Special shout out, though, to Nektas and Attes. Nektas is everything. Every time he’s on the page, the draken just shines as the wise yet sarcastic mentor to both Sera and Nyktos, with a huge heart that he’s not afraid to show. And Attes is wonderful as the sarcastic side kick always ready with a smart comment. This wonderful crew bring so much to the story, and I loved seeing them together and fighting by Sera and Nyktos’ sides.

I still have questions about the time gap between the two series, and hope that the final two books I the Blood and Ash series will bring the final pieces of the puzzle together. But there’s no denying that JLA has crafted a fantastic fantasy world, and Sera and Nyktos’ story is a truly special read.

Exciting, action packed, surprising, sweetly heartfelt, shockingly dramatic, laugh out loud funny, steaming hot, swoonily romantic, this book is everything, and I absolutely loved it.

5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author for an honest review.

 

Flesh and Fire

 

Find Blood and Ash / Flesh and Fire reading order here

 

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About the Author

#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true.  When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.

 

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