Tuesday, October 31, 2023

Review: A Fire in the Flesh (Flesh and Fire, #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  



Here's a little about A Fire in the Flesh (Flesh and Fire, #3)
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From #1  New York Times  bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes book three in her Flesh and Fire series…

The only thing that can save the realms now is the one thing more powerful than the Fates.

After a startling betrayal ends with both Sera and the dangerously seductive ruler of the Shadowlands she has fallen madly in love with being held captive by the false King of the Gods, there is only one thing that can free Nyktos and prevent the forces of the Shadowlands from invading Dalos and igniting a War of Primals.

Convincing Kolis won’t be easy, though – not even with a lifetime of training. While his most favored Revenant is insistent that she is nothing more than a lie, Kolis’s erratic nature and twisted sense of honor leave her shaken to the core, and nothing could’ve prepared her for the cruelty of his Court or the shocking truths revealed. The revelations not only upend what she has understood about her duty and the very creation of the realms but also draw into question exactly what the true threat is. However, surviving Kolis is only one part of the battle. The Ascension is upon her, and Sera is out of time.

But Nyktos will do anything to keep Sera alive and give her the life she deserves. He’ll even risk the utter destruction of the realms, and that’s exactly what will happen if he doesn’t Ascend as the Primal of Life. Yet despite his desperate determination, their destinies may be out of their hands.

But there is that foreseen unexpected thread—the unpredictable, unknown, and unwritten. The only thing more powerful than the Fates…



Read from: October 27 to October 29, 2023
Read on: eARC


Review



I have no idea how to start this review and it’s often the case when it comes to Jennifer L. Armentrout’s (JLA or Jen) books. I swear while reading this one, I wanted to throw it as much as I wanted to hug it. After finishing this one, I could understand the need to be a 4th book because I can’t imagine how big it would have been considering we know quite a few things still needs to happen.

Well, I’ll go with my usual disclaimer: if you haven’t read the previous books in the Fire and Flesh series, please do not read this review since it’s a big possibility that spoilers from the previous books will be mentioned. Also, I recommend highly to go read them if you haven’t read them because along with the Blood and ash series, it is my favorite JLA book series.

The book continues where the previous one left us and honestly, from this moment to the next, there is not a boring moment. Even the fillers in this book are filled with information that you know will be useful later on in this series or the other.

Honestly, I didn’t know what I was expecting when I went into this book because I knew that with Sera now being captured by Kolis, this book wasn’t going to be a walk in the park, and I was right as much as I was wrong.

Jen has a way to make you feel through the characters even the ones you don’t want to. The way she wrote Kolis is something that I wasn’t expecting. I liked that I was surprised that I could feel things for him other than hatred (though still the strongest and main feeling hahaha). 

Sera’s strength in this book is once more shown throughout the whole book. I honestly felt for her through it all; from her fears to her determination, she powers through even in moments of doubts. I feel like this book is really the epitome of what Sera was always meant to realize she could do.

Sera and Ash’s bond is so strong and as much as I would like to add more than this simple sentence, I feel I’m about to spoil something, but yeah, these two are just a new level of chemistry.

And so many reveals are in this book and my mind was blown quite a few times through my reading. Some of them were something I wasn’t expecting at all, and I love that. I love how I am always surprised with these books.

So much is said and done in this book and I feel like a lot of what’s to come in the blood and ash series were hinted in this book and as much as I would like to believe that I am good figuring them out (FYI I am not :P), I feel like whatever my mind can come up with, Jen will find a way to surprise us again by adding her own special twist into them.

Overall, this book is a 5-star read and I’m just waiting on the fourth book now because I know a lot has happened in this one, but since she had to add another book; I feel we need to be ready to what else she’s going to put us through to get to the end of this series.

I was giving an advanced copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Tuesday, September 12, 2023

Review: Fall of Ruin and Wrath (Awakening, #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

  



Here's a little about Fall of Ruin and Wrath (Awakening, #1)
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Long ago, the world was destroyed by gods. Only nine cities were spared. Separated by vast wilderness teeming with monsters and unimaginable dangers, each city is now ruled by a guardian―royalty who feed on mortal pleasure.

Born with an intuition that never fails, Calista knows her talents are of great value to the power-hungry of the world, so she lives hidden as a courtesan of the Baron of Archwood. In exchange for his protection, she grants him information.

When her intuition leads her to save a travelling prince in dire trouble, the voice inside her blazes with warning―and promise. Today he’ll bring her joy. One day he'll be her doom.

When the Baron takes an interest in the travelling prince and the prince takes an interest in Calista, she becomes the prince’s temporary companion. But the city simmers with rebellion, and with knights and monsters at her city gates and a hungry prince in her bed, intuition may not be enough to keep her safe.

Calista must choose: follow her intuition to safety or follow her heart to her downfall.



Finished reading on: August 16, 2023
Read on: eARC


Review



This first book in the Awakening series was not what I first expected. If you are in the author's Facebook group, you will know that she likes to share snippets of her writing in progress and when she posted those about this book, I had started to imagine many possible scenarios around these snippets, and it looks like I wasn't good at guessing. 

I will start by saying that Jennifer L. Armentrout knows how to write an amazing heroine who can be both vulnerable and strong. Calista (or Lis) is no exception to this rule. I really liked how she is portrayed in this and I'm looking forward to seeing her character evolve in the next books.

Thorne is a character that many will love and add to the fictional boyfriends list, but as much as I do like his intensity and honesty; I still have problems liking him as much as I feel like I should or could. Perhaps in the next book, something will happen that will change my mind about him. But he is an interesting character and I'm looking forward to seeing what else we will discover about him.

Lis and Thorne are, like most of JLA’s couples, a good fit for one another. One example coming to my mind would be like I feel that even though he doesn’t deal with emotions the same way most people do; she does bring a softer side (not sure if it’s the right word, but it’s the only one coming to my mind). He's more rational and she's more intwined with her emotions. And the chemistry between is off the charts. Honestly, if it’s like this in the first book, I’m intrigued to see how far it will go in the future ;)

So many secondary characters in this book that I'm hoping that we'll see again or more in the next books. Either because I like them or because I need to know how I need to feel about them because there is always one or two characters you want to like but you feel like you might just hate them and vice-versa.

I need more Grady, if only for his friendship with Lis. They are there for each other and are protective of one another. I really feel like their friendship is genuine with their ups and downs.

Overall, the first book of this new series pretty much sets the world building, and I will admit it took a while before I felt something was really happening, but once it did, I knew that I would be hooked on a new series of hers.

The end will make you want to know what happens next and you’ll need it with everything you learn and everything that will be added through the rest of the series.

I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

Tuesday, July 18, 2023

Release Blitz+Review: A Soul of Ash and Blood (Blood and Ash, #5) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

      



A Soul of Ash and Blood, the highly-anticipated fifth book in the Blood and Ash Series from #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is available now!




Here's a little about A Soul of Blood and Ash (Blood and Ash, #5)
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Only his memories can save her…

A great primal power has risen. The Queen of Flesh and Fire has become the Primal of Blood and Bone—the true Primal of Life and Death. And the battle Casteel, Poppy, and their allies have been fighting has only just begun. Gods are awakening across Iliseeum and the mortal realm, readying for the war to come.

But when Poppy falls into stasis, Cas faces the very real possibility that the dire, unexpected consequences of what she is becoming could take her away from him. Cas is given some advice, though—something he plans to cling to as he waits to see her beautiful eyes open once more: Talk to her.

And so, he does. He reminds Poppy how their journey began, revealing things about himself that only Kieran knows in the process. But it’s anybody’s guess what she’ll wake to or exactly how much of the realm and Cas will have changed when she does.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout revisits Poppy and Casteel’s epic love story in the next installment of the Blood and Ash series. But this time, Hawke gets to tell the tale.


Fall in love troday and download your copy!



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Finished reading on: June 27th, 2023
Read on: eARC


Review:



Where can I start with this review? Honestly, I was so happy to relive the first book of the series through Casteel’s eyes.

I also enjoyed that the past and present were mixed too because sometimes some conversations between characters added to the retelling from Casteel’s point of view. 

So let’s start with the basic, this book continues mostly where the last book ended. As I’m trying to keep my review spoiler free, I will only mention what is already written in the blurb of the book which is as follow; as events transpired, Poppy is now in stasis and Casteel decides to talk to her until she comes back to him.

What I love most with retellings is that not only you get to revisited possibly some moments you enjoyed reading in the book the first time (or hundredth time), but you also get to see more details that were not known or seen from the other person’s POV. Casteel’s recollection of these moments was just adding so much because we could speculate about what he might have been thinking in these moments all we want, but sometimes, we could be off the mark just a little bit hahahaha

Being in Casteel’s mind was really an eye opener because we get details that we didn’t necessarily have in the previous books, and you get to feel it through him about how all the events transpired and how conflicted he was about certain things. We also catch glimpses of what happened to him before too; details that we might not have picked on in the previous books as he spoke to Poppy or sometimes new information all together.

And reading key moments between him and Poppy just made me remember why I love their banters and how they interact with one another so much.

This book also had a few background details for other characters that either made me love or hate them more; or perhaps just made me more confident in the way I always felt about these characters. 

I can’t tell you just how much some scenes really got to me either they made me sad, happy or feeling extremely satisfied with the outcome of some characters (if you know, you know 😉).

But as much as I love the past retellings, like I said before, I also loved that we had moments in the present because some of them might not be as entertaining as some chapters in the past, they do add to the story Casteel is telling Poppy. But there are also moments from the present that you might not be ready for; let’s leave it at that.

And the ending will make you want the next book as soon as possible because like always, she does know how to keep us hooked.

Honestly, if she wasn’t a busy bee as she already is, I would need all the first books to be in his POV because I feel with this book, we only scratched a few layers of everything going through his mind.

Overall, I fell in love with this book and loved every minute of it. I am thrilled that Jen has decided to write this book because I love when she does the that because she seems to know just what to add to make the book we already know and loved into a whole new reading experience.

I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.


Check out the order to read the books from the Blood and Ash world & Flesh and Fire world...




Here's a little bit about From Blood and Ash
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Captivating and action-packed, From Blood and Ash is a sexy, addictive, and unexpected fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Laura Thalassa.

A Maiden…

Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.

A Duty…

The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.

A Kingdom…

Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.



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Here's a little about A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash, #2)
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Is Love Stronger Than Vengeance?

A Betrayal…

Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.
 
A Choice….

Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation.
 
A Secret…

But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late.


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Here's a little about The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash, #3)
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She's been the victim and the survivor… 
 
Poppy never dreamed she would find the love she’s found with Prince Casteel. She wants to revel in her happiness but first they must free his brother and find hers. It’s a dangerous mission and one with far-reaching consequences neither dreamed of. Because Poppy is the Chosen, the Blessed. The true ruler of Atlantia. She carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. By right the crown and the kingdom are hers.  
 
The enemy and the warrior…  

Poppy has only ever wanted to control her own life, not the lives of others, but now she must choose to either forsake her birthright or seize the gilded crown and become the Queen of Flesh and Fire. But as the kingdoms’ dark sins and blood-drenched secrets finally unravel, a long-forgotten power rises to pose a genuine threat. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that the crown never sits upon Poppy’s head. 
 
A lover and heartmate…
 
But the greatest threat to them and to Atlantia is what awaits in the far west, where the Queen of Blood and Ash has her own plans, ones she has waited hundreds of years to carry out. Poppy and Casteel must consider the impossible—travel to the Lands of the Gods and wake the King himself. And as shocking secrets and the harshest betrayals come to light, and enemies emerge to threaten everything Poppy and Casteel have fought for, they will discover just how far they are willing to go for their people—and each other.

And now she will become Queen…


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Here's a little about A Shadow in the Ember (Flesh and Fire, #1)
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#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns with book one of the all-new, compelling Flesh and Fire series—set in the beloved Blood and Ash world.

Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel’s future has never been hers. Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort.

However, Sera’s real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania—she’s not the well protected Maiden but an assassin with one mission—one target. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then…end him. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot.


Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Until him. Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her. And his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s never allowed herself to feel and cannot feel for him. But Sera has never had a choice. Either way, her life is forfeit—it always has been, as she has been forever touched by Life and Death.




Here's a little about The War of Two Queens (Blood and Ash, #4)
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War is only the beginning…

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes book four in her Blood and Ash series.

From the desperation of golden crowns…

Casteel Da’Neer knows all too well that very few are as cunning or vicious as the Blood Queen, but no one, not even him, could’ve prepared for the staggering revelations. The magnitude of what the Blood Queen has done is almost unthinkable.

And born of mortal flesh…

Nothing will stop Poppy from freeing her King and destroying everything the Blood Crown stands for. With the strength of the Primal of Life’s guards behind her, and the support of the wolven, Poppy must convince the Atlantian generals to make war her way—because there can be no retreat this time. Not if she has any hope of building a future where both kingdoms can reside in peace.

A great primal power rises…

Together, Poppy and Casteel must embrace traditions old and new to safeguard those they hold dear—to protect those who cannot defend themselves. But war is only the beginning. Ancient primal powers have already stirred, revealing the horror of what began eons ago. To end what the Blood Queen has begun, Poppy might have to become what she has been prophesied to be—what she fears the most.

As the Harbinger of Death and Destruction.


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Here's a little about A Light in the Flame (Flesh and Fire, #2)
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The truth about Sera’s plan is out, shattering the fragile trust forged between her and Nyktos. Surrounded by those distrustful of her, all Sera has is her duty. She will do anything to end Kolis, the false King of Gods, and his tyrannical rule of Iliseeum, thus stopping the threat he poses to the mortal realm.

Nyktos has a plan, though, and as they work together, the last thing they need is the undeniable, scorching passion that continues to ignite between them. Sera cannot afford to fall for the tortured Primal, not when a life no longer bound to a destiny she never wanted is more attainable than ever. But memories of their shared pleasure and unrivaled desire are a siren’s call impossible to resist.

And as Sera begins to realize that she wants to be more than a Consort in name only, the danger surrounding them intensifies. The attacks on the Shadowlands are increasing, and when Kolis summons them to Court, a whole new risk becomes apparent. The Primal power of Life is growing inside her, pushing her closer to the end of her Culling. And without Nyktos’s love—an emotion he’s incapable of feeling—she won’t survive her Ascension. That is if she even makes it to her Ascension and Kolis doesn’t get to her first. Because time is running out. For both her and the realms.

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About Jennifer L. Armentrout

#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 an 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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