by Jennifer L. Armentrout
The War of Two Queens is the 4th book in the Blood and Ash series. Before diving in you should also read A Shadow in the Ember, the first in the prequal spin-off series Flesh and Fire.
Spoilers for previous works ahead.
What is in store for our favorite stabby couple? Casteel is a prisoner reliving his worst nightmares in Solis. Poppy and Kerian, with the aid their friends, must balance their need to rescue Cas with their responsibility to Atlantia. What lies before them is a mess. A mess that the War of Two Kings failed to end, and allowed to steadily decline for a couple hundred years. Which queen will win the war? Let’s find out!
Read if you like: Adult fantasy, adult fantasy romance, morally ambiguous baddies, character-driven storyline, evil plots & ancient prophecies, dark and overconfident men, a leading lady who is trying to come into her own power.
Our beloved couple is separated and they find themselves in wholly different, but equally precarious situations, as war looms between Atlantia and Solis. War that might irrevocably change the realms as we know them. Reeling from the revelation of her parentage, Poppy and Kerian must overcome the wariness of the leaders of Atlantia so they can carry out the plans they and Casteel have begun to set in motion. Casteel is being held captive by the Blood Queen, and though it’s not as horrifying as his first time in the dungeons, he knows her cruelty should never be underestimated. But what he learns from the queen’s peculiar entourage speaks to her grief-drenched insanity and desperation, and shows just how little is known about the true history of the realms.
Get ready for the bombs to drop. Relationship bombs. Truth bombs. Spicy bombs. Draken bombs… okay that’s just Reaver wanting to burn everything and everyone in opposition to their cause. There’s just so much that happens in this book. Poppy learns to trust her own strength and also that she isn’t alone, even when everything is at its worst. Kerian shines in his role as advisor and all-around best boy. Cas learns that others can bear the weight. It’s a whole truckload of *~*emotional growth!*~* So if you think chapters of character/ relationship development is boring… this isn’t the book (or author) for you. Me personally… yummm… ::character development in a realistic manner where people who are traumatized aren’t forced to overcome horrific events in, like, one whole day::… delicious. There is also a lot of plot and world building. So much of what our crew know of their history is partial truths, outright lies, or selective omission – not to mention the great swaths of knowledge that has been completely lost to time. So there’s a lot… which is why if you didn’t heed my warning to read A Shadow in the Ember… you should probably go do that right now… it will help with the general confusion.
I cannot wait for the release of The Light in the Flame so we can get back to the prequel storyline and all the juicy lore and Nyktos. <3
If you've heard about the drama... read on... if not... thanks for stopping by!
Ok... deep breaths everyone.
Thinking about confusion… yes, there is still modern dialogue that breaks from the setting that made me roll my eyes a time or two. But if that’s my only problem… ehh, gimme da’ gorbage (FYI: I think none of this book is ‘gorbage’ or garbage, even). And if you didn’t like this book or any of JLA’s writing… that’s fine… there’s stuff I don’t like, too. And yes, I know people got mad on principle about a fictional relationship, set in a fictional society, with fictional expectations about relationships and the physical nature thereof. I’m so glad you’d never submit yourselves to a magical relationship ritual that would extend the lives of everyone involved to the level of the most over-powered individual… I mean I wouldn’t either... that would be nuts! Seriously... in the real world all of this would be crazy.
And if I didn’t like it… I sure wouldn’t attack the author or the readers who do like it… cause that’s actually more nuts than being upset over fiction, because those people ARE real. Resist hate y’all. And if fiction is so real to you, remember that an animated bunny once said way back in 1942, “If you can’t say something nice… don’t say anything at all.”
Comments