A Flesh and Fire Novel Book 1: A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout

A Flesh and Fire Novel Book 1

The Flesh and Fire series is 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.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/57446424-a-shadow-in-the-ember

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My Review: 5/5 Stars

I'm blown away by this book. Absolutely amazing and I demand to have the next one immediately. WOW! After learning that we were getting a bit of prequel series to From Blood and Ash series, I was beyond excited. There is so much history to that world that was yet to be revealed. So much that we didn't know and that our characters didn't know. So to take it back to the beginning, to see how things were and what had occurred to lead to the changes and the current situations that are going on in From Blood and Ash, I couldn't wait to find out and I was not let down. So since I mentioned history, let me start there. The world building has only gotten richer and the world before the Atlantians, where the Primals and gods were awake was incredible and incredibly different. You learn A LOT of important information in this book. Information that made things in all of the From Blood and Ash books that are out so far make a lot more sense and I'm sure will continue to shape the books to come. I loved learning and meeting all these characters. 

Sera and Nyktos. OMG I love them. When you are reading you see exactly where Poppy gets everything from. It was absolutely hilarious to see the parallels. And I loved every moment of them. So let's start with Sera. Sera was born to do one thing. To end the Rot that has plagued her land and fulfill the deal her ancestor made to be the Consort to the Primal of Death. But her ancestors want her to do more than just become his Consort. They told her she must make him love her. To become his weakness. Then end him. That is the true way to end the Rot. Yet when the day comes, Nyktos arrives and tells her he has no need of her. Everything spirals from there. She has failed her duty and has to pay the price. Three years pass and Sera has been pushed to be more of an assassin when her mother, the Queen, needs her to be. And to be shoved aside and forgotten the rest of the time. Everything changes when she meets Ash, a god she meets when she comes across a few gods killing mortals. Their connection is instant. But both know that being near one another is a bad idea. Until the day comes where everything changes and Ash reveals himself to be Nyktos and claims her at last. Truths are revealed about the deal that sealed Sera's fate. And not only that but there is much more going on in their world than Sera originally knew. Nyktos. Wow. I don't even think I can put into words how much I love Nyktos. His power and fierce devotion to those who he considers his is stronger than anything that Sera believed possible. And though she knows her duty is to end him, she is in consistent conflict with herself because he is nothing like he was said to be. Their story is so much more than just Sera fighting to figure out what to do when it comes to her duty. There is so much more going on that is constantly changing the story and issues. I can't even say it because it would be quite the amount of spoilers. But basically the theme is not everything is as it seems and not even a Primal as powerful as Nyktos knows all when it comes to their future. 

If you have loved the From Blood and Ash series so far, there is no doubt you will love this one. Sera and Nyktos are kick ass characters who are similar yet so different to Poppy and Casteel. Then we have side characters like the gods and of course the draken. Wait until you read about them!!! The enemies are stirring in this story. We see and get glimpses and the beginnings of fights and possibly even a war of Primals that is yet to come. The action and world building are incredible. And the romance... WOW! You won't be disappointed. And the story isn't even over yet. That cliffhanger is a game changer. We may know bits of the future from reading the From Blood and Ash series so far but there are so many pieces we don't know yet. Things we don't even truly understand because a lot has been so vague and unknown to our characters. Absolutely amazing. Definitely a favorite of mine from this world so far. And I cannot wait for the next one. 

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.