A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout

#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.

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?

Sera is decidedly more petulant and annoying than Poppy, but outside of that they are interchangeable. I was really excited about this book before reading it. I love the Blood and Ash series, but I wanted more contrast between the two storylines. At this point I feel like I'm just being picky, but I'll keep reading this series as the books come out.