Katherine
Added to listworthy of a re-readwith 114 books.
Honestly, A Light in the Flame ascended me to primalhood. SO GOOD. It is hard to write a review because all I want to do is gush about how much I love this book. I will attempt to be coherent in this review, but you have been warned.
While some readers may criticize A Light in the Flame for being slow and too much in Sera/Ash’s heads, I personally loved it all the more because of that. Their story is devastatingly beautiful, and wrecked me more than I care to admit. If you have a tendency for empathy, get prepared now because I felt every single emotion from Sera throughout this book. I left longing, heartbreak, I felt devastation, shame, joy, love, lust, happiness… just wow. My heart was in constant ache for her and Nyktos, never getting on the same page and always just out of reach. The insecurity she feels throughout the book is so sad was presented stunningly, as is her anxiety. I have never felt more seen in a book than I have in A Light in the Flame and the Flesh and Fire series as a whole. Not many books go into detail on these kinds of emotions and thoughts for as long as this one did, and I loved it.
The chemistry between Sera and Nyktos/Ash was insane and left me heated after every interaction. Their spice is simply perfection, and SO GOOD.
Moving into the world building and characters, Jennifer Armentrout blessed us with plenty and for that I am so happy. We learn a lot more history, we meet a lot more primals and gods, we get to know some wonderful and some horrible gods. There are feuds and battles, we visit multiple lands within Iliseeum, and watch Sera and Nyktos/Ash do lots of things. I have come to love Nektas, Jadis, Reaver, Aios, Belle, Rhain, Ector, and Scion so much.
The dynamic of Sera’s secret being out and the Shadowlands group disliking her was a very interesting and captivating angle. I really enjoyed watching her win them back over with everything she did.
We meet the Arae, learn about a prophecy, realize some terrible things, and see what people are truly made of.
I am not sure how to put everything I am thinking about this book into words. It left me emotionally exhausted in the best of ways, with one hell of a cliffhanger and a lot of heartbreak but also hope. I feel slightly betrayed by the book ending this way, but love it nonetheless.
Overall, A Light in the Flame by Jennifer Armentrout is a fantastic read, and I LOVED this second book in the Fire and Flesh series.
Originally posted at woarr.com.
Honestly, A Light in the Flame ascended me to primalhood. SO GOOD. It is hard to write a review because all I want to do is gush about how much I love this book. I will attempt to be coherent in this review, but you have been warned.
While some readers may criticize A Light in the Flame for being slow and too much in Sera/Ash’s heads, I personally loved it all the more because of that. Their story is devastatingly beautiful, and wrecked me more than I care to admit. If you have a tendency for empathy, get prepared now because I felt every single emotion from Sera throughout this book. I left longing, heartbreak, I felt devastation, shame, joy, love, lust, happiness… just wow. My heart was in constant ache for her and Nyktos, never getting on the same page and always just out of reach. The insecurity she feels throughout the book is so sad was presented stunningly, as is her anxiety. I have never felt more seen in a book than I have in A Light in the Flame and the Flesh and Fire series as a whole. Not many books go into detail on these kinds of emotions and thoughts for as long as this one did, and I loved it.
The chemistry between Sera and Nyktos/Ash was insane and left me heated after every interaction. Their spice is simply perfection, and SO GOOD.
Moving into the world building and characters, Jennifer Armentrout blessed us with plenty and for that I am so happy. We learn a lot more history, we meet a lot more primals and gods, we get to know some wonderful and some horrible gods. There are feuds and battles, we visit multiple lands within Iliseeum, and watch Sera and Nyktos/Ash do lots of things. I have come to love Nektas, Jadis, Reaver, Aios, Belle, Rhain, Ector, and Scion so much.
The dynamic of Sera’s secret being out and the Shadowlands group disliking her was a very interesting and captivating angle. I really enjoyed watching her win them back over with everything she did.
We meet the Arae, learn about a prophecy, realize some terrible things, and see what people are truly made of.
I am not sure how to put everything I am thinking about this book into words. It left me emotionally exhausted in the best of ways, with one hell of a cliffhanger and a lot of heartbreak but also hope. I feel slightly betrayed by the book ending this way, but love it nonetheless.
Overall, A Light in the Flame by Jennifer Armentrout is a fantastic read, and I LOVED this second book in the Fire and Flesh series.
Originally posted at woarr.com.
A Shadow in the Ember is one of my favorite reads of 2023. There is something about Sera and Ash that bring you into their story and keeps you rooting for them both throughout the whole book. Sera is strong, feisty and temperamental, beautiful, and desperately wishes her family would love her – especially her mother. Being the outcast allows her to explore the city on her own, but it comes with a high price: a hefty dose of depression and despair, and the belief that no one really cares for her.
Ash is strong and caring, quiet and passionate, and is constantly drawn to Sera’s spirit and strength. He has been through a lot of horrible things in his lifetime, a lot of them leaving their mark. But Sera seems to see straight through to his center and bring a warmth and peace to him he was unable to achieve before she came into his life.
Together they are a force to be reckoned with. A fiery passionate pairing, both trying and failing to resist each other, which makes the spice oh-so-good each time.
I loved that the book touched on Sera’s depression and emptiness, and mentioned the incident with the sleeping draft. Sera doesn’t seem to value her life and is so unhappy that she doesn’t mind that her outcome in life has always been death. Ash however takes great offense at this and constantly confronts her about her lack of will to live. I love that the book touches on these themes of mental health issues. It is relatable and helps normalize that people have these issues and are still worthy of a good life.
The dynamic between Ash and Sera is amazing, but so is the dynamic between Ash and his friends – Nektas, Ector, Belle, Saion, Aios, Raihn, etc. It is snarky and full of funny quips and pushing each others buttons and I love it.
The angle of Ash being the Primal of Death but working very hard to save people is really interesting. You’d think this was another bad guy who has a soft spot for a beautiful woman, but then you meet him and time and time again he proves how good he is. He cares for his people very much and it quickly becomes obvious we are dealing with a new type of tall dark and handsome – and I am here for it!
The storyline and plot in A Shadow in the Ember was really interesting and kept me hooked the whole time. I cannot wait to find out what happens next in book 2.
Overall, A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer Armentrout was a fantastic book and quickly became one of my favorites for the year. At this point in time writing this review, this is my 3rd time reading it in 2023. Does that say enough?
Originally posted at woarr.com.
A Shadow in the Ember is one of my favorite reads of 2023. There is something about Sera and Ash that bring you into their story and keeps you rooting for them both throughout the whole book. Sera is strong, feisty and temperamental, beautiful, and desperately wishes her family would love her – especially her mother. Being the outcast allows her to explore the city on her own, but it comes with a high price: a hefty dose of depression and despair, and the belief that no one really cares for her.
Ash is strong and caring, quiet and passionate, and is constantly drawn to Sera’s spirit and strength. He has been through a lot of horrible things in his lifetime, a lot of them leaving their mark. But Sera seems to see straight through to his center and bring a warmth and peace to him he was unable to achieve before she came into his life.
Together they are a force to be reckoned with. A fiery passionate pairing, both trying and failing to resist each other, which makes the spice oh-so-good each time.
I loved that the book touched on Sera’s depression and emptiness, and mentioned the incident with the sleeping draft. Sera doesn’t seem to value her life and is so unhappy that she doesn’t mind that her outcome in life has always been death. Ash however takes great offense at this and constantly confronts her about her lack of will to live. I love that the book touches on these themes of mental health issues. It is relatable and helps normalize that people have these issues and are still worthy of a good life.
The dynamic between Ash and Sera is amazing, but so is the dynamic between Ash and his friends – Nektas, Ector, Belle, Saion, Aios, Raihn, etc. It is snarky and full of funny quips and pushing each others buttons and I love it.
The angle of Ash being the Primal of Death but working very hard to save people is really interesting. You’d think this was another bad guy who has a soft spot for a beautiful woman, but then you meet him and time and time again he proves how good he is. He cares for his people very much and it quickly becomes obvious we are dealing with a new type of tall dark and handsome – and I am here for it!
The storyline and plot in A Shadow in the Ember was really interesting and kept me hooked the whole time. I cannot wait to find out what happens next in book 2.
Overall, A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer Armentrout was a fantastic book and quickly became one of my favorites for the year. At this point in time writing this review, this is my 3rd time reading it in 2023. Does that say enough?
Originally posted at woarr.com.
