If you have been following our posts for a while, then you know we adore Jennifer L. Armentrout’s work, published by Blue Box Press. From her Blood and Ash series to the prequel Flesh and Fire series, we are here for all of it. As we have said before in our Blood and Ash reading order, a sort of parallel reading is a must to get the full experience of this fantasy romance.
We have talked about the characters of From Blood and Ash, and even talked about the Blood and Ash family tree for those who did not venture in the Flesh and Fire series. But it is now time to meet daddy Nyktos and his Court, starting with the summary of A Shadow in the Ember, the first book of the prequel series.
If you liked Blood and Ash, there is almost a 100% chance you will fall in love with the story of Nyktos and Sera and rush off to read the next book, so let’s get on with it.
Beware, valiant bookworms, spoilers ahead!
The mortal realm and, especially, the Kingdom of Lasania, has been plagued by barren soil, unstable weather, and a great famine. It is up to Roderick Mierel, the King of Lasania, to find a way to stop the Rot. In a deal with Eythos, Roderick barters the firstborn Mierel Princess as the Consort to the Primal of Death. So when a little girl is born to Queen Calliphe and King Lamont Mierel, it is time for the debt to be paid.
Seraphena Mierel is raised and groomed to be the Maiden, the Consort of the Primal of Death. Hidden away in Wayfair Castle, she has lived her life as a shadow, a nameless Princess, unknown to her people. Only her distant mother Calliphe, her new husband and King Ernald and his two children, Tavius and Ezmeria, along with her old wet nurse and Sir Holland know of her. As she is finally seventeen, it is time for her to be presented to the Primal of Death in a silver platter. Her dread of the fearsome Primal of Death, who is darkness and ash, radiates and things do not go as planned. Despite living the life of a chosen, alone, veiled, and unblemished and even learning the art of seduction, the Primal of Death declares that he does not need a consort, leaving her without purpose.
Scorned by all for her failure, not only to be chosen, but of failing her ultimate goal to kill the Primal of Death and end the Rot regardless of the consequences to her, Sera wanders aimlessly. Her training with Sir Holland along with her stubbornness and perseverance make her a threat, but her people are still dying of the Rot, and she has failed to save them.
The only place she can be herself is her lake, a distant warm spring she has visited since she was a child. However, her peace is disturbed when she meets a stranger there. A charming, insanely handsome and enchanting stranger called Ash. Something tells her to stay away from him, but fate brings them together in the most cunning ways. To prevent getting caught by some vigilante gods, they are even forced to pretend they are kissing to cover their faces—what torture, right? The more times, the closer they come. They even have a very heated and intimate exchange in Sera’s lake. But Sera has to go back to her life, and Ash is clearly a god belonging to Iliseum not a dying kingdom.
Sera often helps her step-sister Ezmeria, aka Ezra, with providing for those in need. Sera even steals food saved for the rite of Ascension—the third sons and daughters are taken to Iliseum and are Ascended to gods by Kolis, the Primal of Life—to give to poor families. But in one such mission, Ezra and her best friend, Marisol, get in trouble, resulting in Marisol’s death. Ezra, who has witnessed Sera bringing dead animals to life, begs her to help Marisol, the woman she loves. Sera brings Marisol back to life, hoping there will be no consequence. On that same night, though, she discovers that the Fates demand balance—a life for a life. King Ernald suddenly dies, making his son Tavius the next king of Lasania.
Tavius has been nothing but a cruel bully to Sera, and now that he is king, he takes it one step further. He has her whipped and is possibly about to do so much worse to her, when a divine power intervenes. Mists rise and the air crackles with power as Nyktos, the Primal of Death, materializes in the castle’s main hall and is none other than Ash. Nyktos, the Asher, the one born of ash, not only punishes Sera’s step-brother, but also accepts to take her as his Consort. After sentencing Tavius to the Abyss, Nyktos takes Sera to the Shadowlands, to rule by his side.
Sera has many questions and doubts, but all she knows is that she must free her people of the Rot. Betrayed by Nyktos and thinking him responsible for her people’s misery, she is determined to kill him. She is surprised, however, to see that the hands of the Rot have reached Iliseum as well.
There she meets Nektas, the first of the draken, blessed with dual life by the Primal of Life. She also meets Aios, Ector, Saion, Bele, Rhahar, Rhain and others, who are all gods from other courts who have voluntarily decided to stay in the Shadowlands. Their devotion to Nyktos makes her hesitant to carry out her mission, but her people must be saved.
The more time she spends in his presence, the more she longs for Ash’s touch. But he seems reluctant to trust her. Attraction and passion, though, bring them constantly together. As things between them progress, Nyktos reveals he’s never been with a woman—you read that right, he is a virgin while she is experienced. Suffice to say, he is an extremely quick and talented learner in the arts of sexual pleasure, and soon they have sex for the first time, bonding them even more.
Through many incidents, from gyrms—undead spelled creatures—attacking, to almost giving life back to the Shades—restless souls that refused to go to the Abyss, Sera realizes things are not what they seem. Ash reveals that he was never meant to be the Primal of Death. His father, Eythos, was the true Primal of Life until his twin brother Kolis, the true Primal of Death in reality, stole his embers of life, for denying restoring life to his beloved Sotoria—the girl that Kolis literally scared to death.
To protect his son, Eythos took the last embers of life from him, but did not give them to Kolis. Instead, he placed them in a mortal bloodline, the Mierel line, along with Sotoria’s soul. Sera carries the last true embers of life. Sera realizes she has been sent on the wrong murder mission all along and when her true intentions come to light, she loses the trust of all the gods.
Nektas who has seen Sera’s effect on Ash, is reluctant to hate her. As for Ash himself, having witnessed the way her family treated her and offered her to him, he understands her intentions, but cannot forgive the betrayal. She intended to make him love her, thus becoming his weak spot, but he cannot be hurt by love. Ash has had his kardia removed and cannot feel love, so what’s the harm? Unless they are mates of the heart, which would mean they were fated to love each other anyway—sounds suspicious. One thing is for certain, though, Sera and the embers she harbors are a weapon that can be used against Kolis.
In the meantime, Gemma, a chosen who used to live in Dalos, Kolis’ court, is brought back to life by Sera. Gemma explains what happens to the third sons and daughters, they either become servants for the gods or get turned into something monstrous called the Ascended. Sera knows now more than ever that her mission was never to kill Ash, but Kolis, the true Primal of Death, a horrible dictator.
When Sera finds herself in grave danger, Bele dies defending her and Ash has to show his true Primal form to protect her. Sera, unable to handle Bele’s loss, brings her back to life, but she is no longer a mere god, but a Primal. In other words, a threat to the Primal ruling her court, and the impact of her Ascension was felt all across Iliseum confirming her existence for Kolis. After Ash saves Sera, one of the Fates, the Arae, pays them a visit. Sera expects to see a stranger, but it’s Holland, the man who has been with her her whole life.
Holland and the goddess Penellaphe, reveal that there is a prophecy regarding Ash, Sera and Kolis. Her fate had always been to die before twenty-one, but a new thread has shown up ever since she came to the Shadowlands. Her entanglement with Nyktos seems to be reshaping the realms. And according to the prophecy, she is the one meant to rule, having the last remaining true embers of life. She is destined to rule the realms and be the Queen of the Gods, hence Kolis’ worst enemy.
Poppy, or Penellaphe, Balfour is the descendant of Sera and Nyktos and the one uniting the embers of life and death. She is the true Primal of Life and Death, the one born from blood (life) and ash (death). Casteel Hawke Da’Neer is not only Poppy’s heartmate and husband, but he is most likely a descendant of Attens, the Primal God of Accord and War.
We learned more about the Primals in The Crown of Gilded Bones, and then the two storylines become intertwined in The War of Two Queens, where the Gods awaken and Poppy calls Seraphena’s name to save her.
If you like intricate world-building, sizzling tension and an epic love against-all-odds journey, then the JLA universe is the one for you. Perhaps a re-read of the whole FBAA universe along with the four books of the Flesh and Fire series is in order. Don’t forget re-reads count in your Goodreads challenge, too!
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Yes, it is spicy and has explicit language. The whole FBAA universe has spice scenes, and explicit language. It is ideal for lovers of romantasy with some extra spice! There are more spice scenes in the next books of the series, A Light in the Flame, A Fire in the Flesh and Born of Blood and Ash.
The Kingdom of Lasania does no longer exist, but it lay approximately where Carsodonia is located in From Blood and Ash. Carsodonia is the capital city of the Kingdom of Solis, the blood kingdom, where Poppy is raised as the Maiden.
Yes, A Shadow in the Ember is the Flesh and Fire #1 and as the first book in the prequel series. It starts from the era the Primals we know from FBAA came to be. The last book, Born of Blood and Ash, brings us back us to how Poppy came to be and how Kolis was entombed. It all circles back to the present with Poppy as the true Primal of Life and Death and ruling, Casteel by her side.
Always living in her own enchanted little world, Christina discovered the magic that can be hidden within the pages of a book when one dares to take a closer look from a tender age. An avid reader, she is constantly inspired to delve into the secrets woven between the lines and challenges herself to find her own voice amidst the chaos. She is a dedicated fan of the classics, but the supernatural creatures that have tormented readers for years are her kryptonite. The mastery it takes to infuse the author's essence, molded by the era they grew up in to their innermost desires fascinates her. Undoubtedly, putting her passion and knowledge on paper has a mesmerizing allure on her, and following the steps of so many other dreamers before her she wishes to leave her mark in the literary world. Guided by T.S Eliot’s haunting words: “I will show you fear in a handful of dust” she intends to wreak havoc in the minds of her future readers.
