✨ Book Review - A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout ✨

 

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Title: A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash, #2)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Genre: High fantasy/paranormal

Rating: ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️

Pages: 637

Blurb:  

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. 

Review:

This book. Oh my gosh. Jennifer Armentrout is without a doubt an absolutely fantastic writer. From Blood and Ash, the first book, was her first release in high fantasy, and she blew it out of the water, but A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire!? Holy, shit. 

"He was both the villain and the hero, the monster and the monster-slayer."

I 100% can not stop thinking about this book. It is hands down one of my favorite books EVER! I was so absolutely enthralled with this world and Poppy and Casteel once again. But the story and the plot that Jennifer has created is just so intricate and amazing, I can't get enough. 

This was very big book and I can honestly say that I did not want it to end. I absolutely love Poppy and Cas. Both of them had so much developed throughout this second book. They have both been through some horrific things, and there is a lot of working through that and learning to trust one another, but the end result is more than worth it. These two seriously might be my favorite couple i've ever read about. 

"The world, no matter how big, is often smaller than we realize." 

As always with JLA's books, the humor and bantering is on point. I absolutely love the way that Poppy, Cas, and Keiran banter back and forth with each other. I love their bond, and getting to watch it development between the three of them. Honestly, you'll never want to let go of these characters. 

This is one of those books that is so magical, so all encompassing, that I found myself forgetting to eat until someone would remind me, or just not wanting to do anything else other than read. I was so completely captivated. I think if I could stay in this story forever, I would. 

"Kissing Casteel was like daring to kiss the sun."

So, in my humble opinion, AKOFAF ends in a cliffhanger. I'm not going to say what, but I 100% am going to slowly be dying waiting for book three. It's a good cliffhanger, though. It's nothing bad, it just has you dying for more. But I figured I'd give the warning since I know some people prefer to wait when there are cliffhangers. 

This is one of my favorite books of 2020, hence the 6 star rating. If you love fantasy at all, I highly recommend this book. Amazing characters, a fantastical world, great friendships, fantastic humor, and some steamy romance. A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire has it all. 

"So incredibly violent, my princess."