Focul din sânge

Flesh and Fire #3

by Jennifer L. Armentrout, Elena Arhire (translator)

SINGURUL LUCRU CARE POATE SALVA ACUM TĂRÂMURILE ESTE UNICUL LUCRU MAI PUTERNIC DECÂT PARCELE.

După uimitoarea trădare ce are drept consecință capturarea de către falsul Rege al Zeilor a Serei și a periculos de seducătorului conducător al Ținuturilor Umbrelor, de care ea este nebunește îndrăgostită, un singur lucru se mai poate face pentru a-l elibera pe Nyktos și a împiedica forțele din Ținuturile Umbrelor să invadeze Dalosul și să stârnească un război între zeii primitivi. Însă Kolis nu poate fi manipulat cu ușurință ‒ nici după o viață întreagă de antrenament în acest sens. În vreme ce Revenantul lui preferat susține cu insistență că Sera nu este nimic mai mult decât o minciună, firea capricioasă a lui Kolis și straniul lui simț al onoarei o zdruncină până în străfunduri pe Sera, pe care nimic nu ar fi putut-o pregăti pentru cruzimile ce au loc la curtea zeului și pentru adevărurile șocante ce îi sunt dezvăluite. Descoperirile acestea nu doar că anulează tot ce credea ea despre propria datorie și despre însuși modul în care au luat naștere tărâmurile, ci pun sub semnul întrebării adevăratul pericol. În orice caz, supraviețuirea în urma confruntării cu Kolis reprezintă doar o parte a luptei. Ascensiunea ei se apropie, și Sera simte cum timpul i se scurge printre degete. Dar Nyktos va face orice pentru a o ține pe Sera vie și a-i oferi viața pe care o merită. Va pune la bătaie însăși distrugerea tărâmurilor – și chiar asta urmează să se întâmple dacă el nu își face ascensiunea ca rege primitiv al vieții. Și totuși, în ciuda determinării lui marcate de disperare, se prea poate ca propriile lor destine să fie mai presus de controlul lui.

La toate astea se adaugă ceva neștiut, nescris și imposibil de prezis. Singurul lucru mai puternic decât Arae...

Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Romance, Fantasy Romance, Audiobook, Fiction, Vampires

656 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 2023

About the author

Hey Guys! Please note: I don't send out ARCs for review. If you're interested in reviewing a book of mine before release date, please contact the appropriate publisher. I also do NOT check my Goodreads email.

To email me, please use the below addy.
jenniferlarmentrout@live.com

# 1 New York Times and # 1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Charles Town, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.

Reviews

[Laura French · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was SO excited for this because the first and second are some of my favourite books of all time and to say I was disappointed is an understatement.

It reads like JLA had planned 3 books, knew she wasn’t going to make the deadline for this so added in loads of filler content and added in a 4th book for next year. And the most frustrating thing is that the actual filler book, the Casteel POV, was great.

Who is editing this? 650 pages that could have been 150 if you cut out all of Sera’s overthinking. I wanted to spend a whole day with this book and instead I was skim reading entire paragraphs out of boredom.


***************
SPOILERS BELOW:

It pissed me off when Poppy and Cas were separated for most of a book (WOTQ? I forget) but that she DID IT AGAIN. Sera and Nyktos were separated for 65% OF THE DAMN BOOK. 65% of Kolis whining and Sera overthinking and literally nothing happening.

What is the point of spending two books introducing incredible characters like Aios, Nektas, Bele and then not even using them?

And do not even get me started on the lack of Jadis and Reaver.

Unimpressed.

[Lea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book could’ve been an e-mail. I’m disappointed.

[Evie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm gonna cry. Just finished ALITF. I need this book NOW😭😭😭
*
Edit: Nov. 3rd
And I'm done. This was the best fucking thing ever😭😭😭

[Ree Ree · Rating 1 out of 5]

IMO this is what happens when you only give ARC copies to readers in your cult fan group who refuse to give constructive criticism.

Nothing happened. Literally could have condensed this into 200 pages instead of having a book that just kept repeating the same two scenarios over and over. This could have ended in one book instead of two.

I’ve never seen an author have such a toxic fan base that refuses to take their heads out of the authors ass

[Phuong ✯ · Rating 3 out of 5]

– 2.5 stars

”Fuck the greater good, Sera.”
”Fuck the greater good,” I mumbled instead of screaming as I’d done before. The embers hummed throughout me. “Because we aren’t…”
”We aren’t good, liessa.”
”But you are.”
”Not without you,” he said. “Not without you.”

➛ the book started out good. the first few chapters were really action packed and i loved seeing Nyktos and Kolis trying to kill each other and fighting over Sera, but once Nyktos lost the fight and Sera was fully captured by Kolis the book started to drag so much. Kolis is a decent villain and i actually feel sorry for him a little, but there is only a certain amount of screentime i can handle for the villain and this book had too much.

➛ one of my most hated tropes in fantasy book is when the main characters separated for most of the book and A Flesh in the Fire had exactly that: for 65% of the book Sera and Nyktos were kept in captivity and their only scenes together where when they slept walk, while those scenes were good, it wasn’t nearly enough!

➛ the last 30% were so much better once seranyktos have reunited and it was more emotional as well, but i really really really missed all the precious side characters from the other books 🥺 my beloved Reaver and Jadis and Nektas.. YOU WERE MISSED 💔 not even one tiny scenes of them together .. we were robbed.

➛ i’m a huge JLA fan and will always be, but i don’t like how she keeps recycling scenes in this series. FBAA & FAF already have so many similarities, same with poppycas and seranyktos, but then she goes and rewrites very similar scenes again why? Nyktos ripping someone’s spine out in this book was so Casteel coded. when Cas did it, i thought it was hot, but when Nyktos did it i just felt meh about it, because it didn’t really feel original.

➛ the ending was so tame?? since this wasn’t the last book in the series, i expected another cliffhanger, but the ending was good and cute. JLA could’ve fleshed out this ending a little bit more and i would have accepted it as the series final. everyone was so happy, the villain was momentarily defeated .. why do we even need a fourth book?

➛ all in all, i’m glad when the whole FBAA world will come to an end soon, because ngl i feel kinda sick reading about these primals, gods, craven, revenant and this whole world 💀

┍━━━━━━━━»•» «•«━┑
FLESH & FIRE SERIES

#1 A Shadow in the Ember – 3.5 stars
#2 A Light in the Flame – 3.5 stars
#3 A Fire in the Flesh – 2.5 stars
#4 Born of Blood and Ash – tbr
┕━»•» «•«━━━━━━━━┙

[M T · Rating 1 out of 5]

Such a boring filler book.
There was no need for this, the series could have stayed 3 books.
I swear this author loses half of her readers by unnecessarily dragging out plots.

This author needs a proper editor, 90% of this book could have been cut.



I was really looking forward to this book, one of my most anticipated reads for 2023, and after reading it I couldn’t care less. The female leads in this author’s books seem to get stupider and less rational with each book in a series.

Full of constant repetitions in her inner monologues, going over scenes that l i t e r a l l y just happened, and not just once, but like 4 times. Yeah, we get it. We remember. It just happened.

At one point, the female lead had an argument with another person that lasts 10 pages, where they each labour on 1 point the entire time. Why did that have to be so long? We got the idea after 1 page.

[Marianna Moore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was by far my least favorite book in the entire blood & ash/flesh & fire universe so far and I’m UPSET!! Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t TERRIBLE, it was just okay? There was a lot I loved and a lot I couldn’t stand about this book. Which unfortunately happens. It felt like a filler book for the most part that really didn’t need to happen so the whole thing just kind of dragged until the last 35%.

What I loved:
- Ash literally killing everyone in his path to get to Sera, ripping out their spines and tearing them in half and turning them to ash… BYE. He is the true definition of I will burn down the world for her.
- Ash and Sera at the lake… 😭😭😭😭😭 even though “take me to my lake” made me sob uncontrollably and will haunt me for the rest of my days. I’m a sucker for the pain.
- The connections to FBAA… I’m sorry, Sotoria means “pretty poppy” GTFO!!!
- Nyktos in his primal form being absolutely FILTHY
- The “where’s my wife” moments 🤭🤭🤭
- Ash being feral
- Ash being hot AF
- Ash falling in love
- Ash ash ash ash ash

Honestly that’s about it… the 3 stars is probably generous but I’m biased and absolutely adore Sera and Nyktos so I refuse to go lower.

What I didn’t like.
- Sera being stuck with Kolis for literally 60% of the book…. ???
- JLA making Sera look dumb when she is the furthest thing from dumb… the whole time I kept questioning whether or not I was reading about the same character.
- Sera’s constant back and forth inner monologue about whether or not she should seduce Kolis. Girl. WHAT THE FUCK WERE YOU DOING?????? Like I get it, she has trauma and she was scared/confused but it didn’t need to go on for over 300 pages??!!
- Once Sera and Nyktos were finally reunited essentially all the happened was smut. I mean at first I was eating it up but then I had to skip over it.
- The lack of found family and very little time with my favorite side characters and drakens 😭

Yeah in short this book didn’t need to happen but I am very excited for the conclusion!!

[panguloo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bet it's gonna be called "A Fire in the Flesh"

Edit: Funny, I actually forgot about these books for two years, dusted off my Goodreads account and now I see I actually guessed the name, though it wasn’t that hard bc I think it was a line from the book? I don’t really remember. I guess I should re-read them (yay!!) and finish the series this time.

[Lucie V. · Rating 4 out of 5]

✅ New characters
✅ New setting
✅ Beginning
✅🆗 Sera (I like her, but her inner monologues are killing me)
✅🆗 Plot and pace
🆗 Repetitive
🆗 Kolis
❗️❗️Trigger warnings: captivity, mentions of torture, murder

3.5 stars

Honestly, I liked this one more than I thought I would. After being quite disappointed with A Soul of Ash and Blood, because I thought it was a pointless book and it was way too long for what little it brought to the plot, I was wary of this one, because this series went from being 3 to 4 books sometimes this year and I was dreading another long and pointless filler book. Thankfully, I did like it overall, but many things still annoyed me.

This book picks up right where A Light in the Flame ended. Kolis has Sera, but she manages to convince him that she is Sotoria reborn, even though she doesn’t look like her that much. Nyktos tries to save her, but ends up being beaten by Kolis and Sera and Nyktos then spends about 60% of the book being in a cage. We don’t know much about what happens to Nyktos, but we see every detail of Sera’s daily life in captivity. It’s sad to say, but the most entertaining and interesting parts were when Sera had interactions with Attes, Veses, and Callum. Yeah, you read that right, Veses and Callum were the interesting part of this book, even though they are despicable most of the time and I hate them.

The beginning of the book was engaging and addictive, and I loved it, but then the middle part got repetitive and dragged on, and then I think I was just too bored to truly appreciate the intensity of the last part, so I just found it to be a little mundane and redundant and an excuse to add smut to the book (it was a smut-fest for over 2 chapters). It was cute and romantic, but I was just ready for this book to be over by then to fully enjoy the little crumbles of SeraxNyktos we got.

There were some info-dumps in conversation, as was the case with the other books in this universe, but it wasn’t so bad… At first… It got annoying after a while. I still find it weird though how Attes told Sera that they didn’t have much time to talk, but they then proceeded to have a conversation that lasted for more than 20 pages.

There were still some repetitive conversations and the unending inner monologues of Sera, but the change of setting and the new characters brought some nice changes, thankfully. That being said, I am still beginning to get tired of reading about how brave Sera is. We get it, and we should be able to see it in her actions without the need for the author to write it on every other page.

While I liked seeing more of Attes, I missed the drakens and Ash’s inner circle so much in this book. It felt boring without them around and I really hope they will be more present in the next (and hopefully final?) book. While I’m talking about the characters, wtf was that with Kolis? He has been portrayed as this cruel, cold, cunning, and ruthless Primal since the beginning of the series, but in this book, he mostly appears as an unstable Primal who might need mental help. He just seemed clueless about acceptable social interactions and how to behave with someone you care about, and overall I almost felt bad for him at times because he appeared more like an unstable, sick Primal on a power trip, than a scheming and vindictive one.

I think it would have been refreshing and more engaging to have multiple POVs in this book. I’m getting fed up with Sera’s repetitive inner thoughts, and I would have loved to know more about what Ash thought and went through, even a few Kolis’ chapters would have been a nice and intriguing change.

It was not bad, but again, Sera's inner monologues felt long and repetitive, and there were parts of the story that dragged on, so it was not my favorite book of this series for sure... It could easily have been 100 or 200 pages shorter and still convey everything relevant to the plot and romance.


1. A Shadow in the Ember ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
2. A Light in the Flame ⭐⭐⭐⭐


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[Courtney ✩ · Rating 2 out of 5]

✎𓂃 "to you, the reader. yes, you."

No.
No JLA.
This was not for me.
(notice how I wrote that exactly like the 1000000+ times you did so in this book??)

632 pages of me falling asleep and almost dnf’ing. +1 star 🌟 for daddy nyktos and daddy nyktos alone.

Debating if this deserves a full review from me or not, bc who doesn’t love a good rant 🤬 (PS sorry to those who loved it–genuinely v happy for you but I would rather run outside in my current -30° windchill than endure this 60% Kolis snorefest)



--------------
pre-review: look, jla. i'm not hopeful. you burned me after TWOTQ, and once this prequel series is done i am not returning lol.

let's try to pleasantly surprise me?? 🙏

[Chels · Rating 2 out of 5]

go girl, give us nothing!

[Kate The Great · Rating 1 out of 5]

One of my most anticipated reads of 2023 and it was an utter disappointment. Too long, too much repetitive dialogue, filler, and the most ridiculous use of modern slang. It's not even in the same ballpark as the first two.

"He looked as comfortable as a bug snug in a rug." - Actual quote from Sera.

[toointofiction · Rating 5 out of 5]

A guttural, inhuman growl shook the cage.
"Get your fucking hands off my wife."

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️


If I had to describe this book in one sentence it would be 'This is what happens when all-powerful beings don't go to therapy.' Seriously, more than half of these people are in desperate need of professional help. Ironically, I am also in desperate need of a therapist after finishing this book. More accurately, after this book finished me. Thankfully, and this is the only sort of spoiler I'll mention in this review, it doesn't end in a cliffhanger. Quite the opposite, in fact, but that's all I'll say about it.

To begin with, this has been such an intense, gut-wrenching, and wholesome experience. The majority of it is unbearable pain with the briefest moments of relief, and the rest is a compilation of the sweetest, most wonderful moments I've read in this series, so far. There is also entirely too much Kolis in this one, although that was expected, and not nearly enough Nyktos. To be fair, I think Nyktos should be in every scene, on every page, all the time. Alas, that has yet to happen. Unless you count the bonus scene of the last book.

Aside from this rollercoaster of emotions, there are a whole bunch of major revelations for both this series and the original. Revelations that have left me so shooketh, my eyes practically popped out of my sockets. So many things make so much sense now.

Moreover, Sera is absolutely fantastic. She is even more amazing than before. The strength she has is unreal. What she goes through is devastating, yet she is determined to see her plan through. I was so touched by her resilience and determination, and her will to protect those she loves no matter the cost, no matter what happens to her. Equally so, Nyktos is as wonderful as ever. He may not appear as often as I would have liked, at least in the first part of the book, but every moment with him in it is pure bliss. His character arc has some major development of its own, and, as always, his Daddy Nyktos/Dotting Husband vibes are an absolute treat.

Besides, Sera and Nyktos's relationship hit new heights. While many things keep getting between them, they are devoted to each other and determined to stay together at all costs. They share some of the most wholesome and bittersweet moments, and they say the most wonderful things to each other. I lost count of how many times I cried and awed at them. Also, unsurprisingly, they are hot as fuck!

Lastly, you know a book is worth it when the villain is a disgusting, vile filth with an admittedly solid origin story. I hate Kolis with my entire heart. The things he does in this book left me literally nauseous. However, I can admit that his backstory explains perfectly how he turned out to be this way, and that he wasn't always such a horrific person. Yet, none of it is meant to excuse his behavior and actions. It only shows how he turned out the way he did. This sort of villain character arc is one I always appreciate in books.

[✨Julie✨ · Rating 1 out of 5]

If you had asked me who my favorite authors were in 2020, JLA would have been at the very top of the list. I have read 30 of her books (yes, I counted), some of them multiple times. She has written some of my all time favorite book boyfriends and I have loved experiencing all of the worlds she has created. I have been a loyal fan for years, but sadly I no longer feel comfortable recommending her work.

This was an absolute turd of a book. It was 632 pages and took place in roughly 8 scenes. There was almost no forward momentum. JLA has lost all sense of timing and no longer seems capable of creating the tension and feeling of urgency needed to keep readers engaged in a story like this. Readers who pick up this book can look forward to spending hundreds of pages trapped in Sera’s repetitive thought spiral. She spends half the book in captivity and the other half having an overly dramatic heart to heart with Ash (read sex) despite the claimed “urgency”of their situation.

I have heard rumors that JLA no longer has an editor and it SHOWS. Girl, you need an editor! This book legitimately should have been 250 pages. There was too much repetition and so much that shouldn’t have made it to print. I am shocked by how highly this book and some of her last books in the Flesh and Fire series are rated. Did we even read the same books? I know it sounds dramatic, but I feel betrayed by her recent works. These beloved characters deserved better and so did her readers. What a disappointment this was. Sigh*

—————————————————————————

Started November 3rd… wow. I have had this on pause for a while and sometimes I think that I really should DNF it. Based on what others have said, I believe I’ve already suffered through the worst of it though. May as well finish it. JLA’s ability to tank a series is unmatched.

[Rebecca (life's chaotic catching up) · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was 630 pages of tortuous filler.

[✨⚡ Kelcey (felinebooktrovert) ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm so disappointed this isn't a 5-star read for me, but her time with Kolis DRAGGED.

The first 15%? Fucking awesome. The last 40%? Fucking epic. The middle 45%? Was the same formula on repeat. I need to make him trust me > have a "deep" conversation with him that is an excuse for an info dump > he does something atrocious > repeat. This got old really fast and I found myself pushing myself to keep reading to get out of this part of the book. I think her capture could have been half as long and still pungent and emotional and progressive to the story. It's no wonder she couldn't fit everything into 1 book and has had to split into another book.

And now that there will be a 4th book, what the actual fuck will be happening? Ash and Sera can probably lay waste to whoever they want at this point, so Kolis couldn't possibly be any kind of threat to them. I guess we'll see...

But even though the middle dragged, I still enjoyed Sera's emotional struggle and her progression into understanding what she's capable of and what she's allowed to feel.

And JLA writes tense and actions scenes so well they're cinematic. Very similar to SJM's writing though JLA has much more fluff than SJM. SJM's writing I think is much more deliberate.

AND WHAT IS THIS LINE TOWARD THE END?
For if they rose, they did so as blood and bone, the ruin and the wrath of that once great beginning.
IS THIS A CROSSOVER!?

[Iqra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a sweet precious perfect ending I deserved after so much heartache and tears omfds I wanna protect SeraNyktos with my life my soul my everything 🥹😭🙏 THEYRE MY EVERYTHING I LOVE THEM WITH MY WHOLE BEING PLS THEYRE SO PERFECT I WANNA CRY

SeraNyktos are the definition of soulmates. They’re what soulmatery is made of. Their love is unmatched. Their love is the personification of the phrase ‘I’ll burn down the world if ur not in it’ 😫💕🦋💞💋💞💓🎀

Also omfds the last 100 pages had me in the tightest chokehold I did NOT want to be free of like ever. Pls why did this have to end I want- no, I NEED MORE‼️

SeraNyktos have become the standard to which all other fantasy couples will have to meet from this day forward. I don’t think their love, passion and loyalty to each other can be topped.

Their individual and collective character development 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 I’m in love with JLA’s writing in this series. She’s done a PHENOMENAL job of writing them and the world building. I don’t think many understand how delicate the romance is when a book is written in single pov. The mmc has to prove himself and his worth to not only the fmc but US as well, thru words and more importantly actions. And Nyktos went above and beyond. My man crawled thru the pits of hell for her.

Nyktos is the man of my DREAMS. He’s no mere mmc that u find in every other romantasy, no this is a MAN in every sense of the word. Gahh I cannot begin to even EXPRESS what this man does to me. Just read the fucking book- JUST DO IT AND REAP THE BENEFITS, THANK ME LATER 🔐💋

[Poppyflowerjj · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 ⭐
3/5 🌶️

FATES! I HATE KOLIS! HATE!! 🗡️⚔️

"Fire in the Flesh," the third installment in Jennifer L. Armentrout's gripping Flesh and Fire series, continues to captivate readers with the enthralling love story of Ash and Sera. Right from the outset, it's clear that the chemistry between the protagonists is electric, making them a fantasy couple for the ages. Admittedly, personal tastes vary, but for me, their connection has been a highlight since the first book, and this installment only solidifies their status as an ultimate fantasy couple.

What sets this book apart is the depth given to Ash and Sera as individuals. From book one, I've been invested in their characters, and in "Fire in the Flesh," Armentrout not only maintains but surpasses my expectations. The first 50-60% of the narrative is particularly delightful, providing insights into Kolis's motivations and behavior, adding layers to the story.

Quotes:
"Ash was terrifying, his beauty vicious and breathtaking in both forms. And he was mine."

“With my sword and my life.” Eather-laced eyes lifted to mine. “I swear to you, the One who is born of Blood and Ash, the Light and the Fire, and the Brightest Moon, to honor your command.”

“You told me before that all of us are capable of monstrous acts, but it does not make us monsters.”

“Life is vicious. When stolen, it can become the ruin of realms, a wrath that even Death will hide from.”

"And I knew. I knew I was not a part of the cycle of life. I was the cycle. The beginning. Middle. The last breath before the end. Death’s steadfast companion. I was Life."

[Mandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was super tough to write...I'm a HUGE JLA fan as you can tell from my ratings of all her many books...but I have always tried to be honest in my reviews, and this one should be no exception. This review will contain spoilers so just fair warning!

It was boring. It was frustrating. It was unnecessary! I can't express how disappointed I am. I love the Flesh and Fire series so much, I love Nyktos and Sera so much more than Poppy and Cas and I think this book just may have ruined them for me.

The story picks up right where Light in the Flame left off. Sera manages to convince Kolis that she might actually be Sotoria so after beating the shit out of Nyktos, Solis puts Sera in a lovely cage and there they sit for 65% of this book. I was flabbergasted with all the information. Just continuous questions from Sera, and yes it WAS cute the first two books but this quirk is just magnified by a million and it felt like I was in a lecture hall in college listening to my professor drone on and on. The only parts I felt any type of feeling for was whenever Sera and Callum were bickering and when Veses shows up with her awful self. Imagine that, CALLUM AND VESES saving the book, lol oh my god I laugh to keep from crying! Instead of Kolis being this actual scary villain JLA made him out to just be a creepy, slightly insane guy. At one point you almost feel sorry for him and that almost made me sick to my stomach. He's supposed to be the bad guy!

Finally when Nyktos and Sera get reunited we have to worry about her dying all over again. This part was sad, I admit, but it wasn't enough of a redemption for me to give the book a better rating. Nyktos does his thing and says "Fuck the Fates!" and saves Sera and then they happily fuck for two and a half chapters straight. Look I love JLA's smut usually but this just went on and on and on and on and I found myself skimming. The book ends with them being so in love with each other. That's it. Nothing happened. No amazing cliffhanger to keep me wanting more.

There are so many questions that are STILL unanswered. Is she pregnant yet? There were so many clues through out this book that makes me think she already is, but is it mentioned out right? NO! Other things that bugged me: Why does she have to sleep (in FBAA world), there's no scenes with Jadis or Reaver (UNACCEPTABLE!), what the hell happened to Nyktos? He was written so differently from the first two books in my opinion. First off there's not near enough of him in this book, but I digress. Secondly he seemed so much more soft than from the previous two books almost a weaker waterdowned version of himself. And I'm still stumped on how he was able to love again? If it really is just because they are heartmates and the removal of his Kardia doesn't even matter then what was the whole point?? And him talking of watching Sera grow up....ummmm yeah... that was icky! ALSO, big spoiler here but if Sotoria really is Poppy I will be livid. Don't ruin FBAA like that, I beg!

In my opinion this book wasn't needed. JLA should've kept it to three books and thrown in a chapter or two on what Revenants were. That's basically what we learned here. It was 560 pages of filler. I'm not sure the final book will redeem the series for me. There's still so much that needs to be addressed and I was hoping the timelines would eventually meet up with FBAA but we are still too far from it, I think. Overall super disappointed with this one.

[Gaby · Rating 5 out of 5]

5/5 ⭐️

No surprise here, I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I was worried it would be a filler considering a new book was announced but I really liked this. I enjoyed learning about this world a lot and there’s tons of little hints that I picked up on relating to the FBAA books. I would say a good 50% is learning about those key details, so a lot of information coming at once. At times I felt like it was a little bit slow but other scenes more than make up for it. I got chills when I was connecting certain hints to FBAA and just everything that is revealed.

I wish there were more actual Nyktos and Sera scenes, you’ll understand what I mean when you read it. Sera is such a baddie. I love how she responds to situations. She mostly has no filter and it has me laughing out loud. I love it. She’s so strong and relatable. I love how she has anxiety, I feel like we don’t see this in fantasy books and it felt so real. Also Nyktos is incredible. My heart feels like its being squeezed with how caring he is. I am obsessed with him. He cares so much for Sera. He is adorable and sexy all at once. The shadows? Very hot. I love Sera and Nyktos together. They bicker and argue so often and it’s hilarious. I can’t wait to see where the next book leads and the conclusion to this story.

[chev ۫ ꣑ৎ · Rating 2 out of 5]

only nyktos can whisper the cheesiest lines and I will eat them up.

─── ⋆⋅˚ʚ♡ɞ˚⋅⋆ ──

“I am yours. All of me. My body. My blood. My soul.” His voice roughened. “My heart.”

─── ⋆⋅˚ʚ♡ɞ˚⋅⋆ ──

but in terms of plot wise, I feel that it is very slow , and this book could have been shortened to a novella. I felt that this book was lengthened to be sold as a full novel, which shouldn’t be the case, as quality over quantity.

1 star 🥹 ( +1 star for my bb)

[Lex B · Rating 3 out of 5]

idk what was happening a solid 75% of the time but I’ll still read the next one

[Athena of Velaris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only JLA could make me cry and laugh about death in the span of a few sentences.

[mads · Rating 1 out of 5]

she keeps releasing this garbage and i keep eating it like an unsatisfying, cold door dash delivery

[⋆ ༻ Rue ༺⋆ · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay, surprisingly, this one didn't hit a new low?? and was enjoyable, so I hope the finale is good too.

[earth to vivie' · Rating 5 out of 5]

“𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘃𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗼𝘂𝘀, 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗲𝗻, 𝗶𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝘂𝗶𝗻 𝗼𝗳 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗺𝘀, 𝗮 𝘄𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗺𝗲”

➮ just 𝗪𝗢𝗪 this did not disappoint, the ending was so beautiful i had tears of joy in my eyes, i don't know how am i supposed to wait till may for the next book tho I'm already going out of my mind with need to know what happens next😭

“𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗹𝘀, 𝗴𝗼𝗱𝘀, 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗻 𝗶𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗻𝗼 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗼.”
𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙀𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙮 𝘽𝙚𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜.

➮ 𝗱𝗮𝗱𝗱𝘆 𝗻𝘆𝗸𝘁𝗼𝘀🧎🏽‍♀️, i'd like to thank Jennifer for introducing me to the man of my fuckin dreams, ash is one of my favourite favourite characters in the fantasy genre fr
➮ there's something so beautiful about the way Jennifer writes fr, she just makes you feel so much with her words, her characters are literally the best, ilove all of them

“𝗶 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗿𝘂𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗳 𝗶 𝗹𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗶𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗶𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗵𝗼𝗽𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺, 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺, 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗹, 𝗴𝗼𝗱 𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗹, 𝗶 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝘆 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺 𝗮𝗹𝗹.”

“𝗜’𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮,” 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘀𝗹𝗶𝗽 𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗺𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁. “𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂.”

“𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗺𝘆 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴,” 𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗮𝗶𝗱, 𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗮𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱. “𝗺𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱, 𝗺𝘆 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗺𝘆 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.”

➮ do we even need to talk about 𝗮𝘀𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗮 together? they're literally perfection, they remind me so much of casteel and poppy but in their own different way
about 𝗸𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀, this book made me feel all type of things for him fr, starting from hate to confusion to sympathy and back to hate again, his character makes you question things in your head, he's the true definition of "not right in the head"
“𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙠𝙤𝙡𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙚𝙡𝙩 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣’𝙩 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨.”
kolis is truly and utterly incapable of love, he only feels blind obsession which was terrifying tbh, i was so fuckin mad about what he did to sera, what he did to 𝙨𝙤𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙞𝙖 and his so called favourites, it was truly sickening, i need the next book RIGHT NOW because i want to know what happens nexttt

“𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙙𝙨 𝙙𝙤 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙖𝙨𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙢𝙨 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙧𝙤𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘼𝙗𝙮𝙨𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙚.” 𝙖𝙣𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙨𝙡𝙞𝙙 𝙙𝙤𝙬𝙣 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙠, 𝙙𝙖𝙢𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙞𝙙𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙘𝙧𝙞𝙢𝙨𝙤𝙣. “𝙞 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚, 𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙢𝙚.”
➮ let's just not ever forget about this scene because he was crying primal tears of blood and agony and i was crying alongside them😭

𝗤𝗨𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦 ❤‍🩹:

“𝗮 𝘄𝗼𝗹𝗳 𝘀𝗮𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗮𝗸𝗲, 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝘁𝗲, 𝗵𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗶 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲.”

“𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗶𝘁𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵’𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗺𝘀, 𝗜 𝘀𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗱.”

“𝗱𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝗮 𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗳 𝗳𝘂𝗿𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗻𝘆, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗹 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝗼𝗳 𝗮 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴.”

“𝗶 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝗺𝘆 𝗸𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗶𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝗜 𝗸𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝘄𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘄𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗺𝗲”

“𝗶'𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗵𝗮𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗺𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳.”
𝙎𝙤, 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩. 𝙄 𝙛𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩.

“𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗺𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱”
“𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙨”

[T · Rating 1 out of 5]

I typically do not add DNF books to my "read" category but here we are. This will be the first and the last.

I was OVER THE MOON with the first two books of this series- namely, because I thought that JLA was correcting everything that went wrong with the FBAA series. I was wrong.

This entire book was filler and almost exactly like the other series. I stopped at 60% because I wasted my time and money on this. There is a fine line between parallels and just lazy writing and recycling. The mc isn't even in this book and we get it- Kolis has a f*cked up definition of love. OMG I could scream at how bad this was.

Sad to say that this is another JLA DNF series for me. I will not be picking up another book from this author.

[• Lindsey Dahling • · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book needed to be around 400 pages shorter. It’s repetitive AF and goes nowhere.

If you recall how book 2 ended, you know where this one begins. You can also probably guess how that turns out. Long story short (or long story long, in this book’s case), you really don’t see Ash until you’re at the 65% mark. I’m not even kidding. SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT.

What’s going on in the meantime?
1. Sera does a bunch of breathing exercises.
2. Sera drinks a lot of sparkling water. (What was WITH that?! Who cares?!)
3. Kolis wears linen pants.
4. Sera sits there with a whole bunch of power and yet still can’t figure out just ~how~ to get out of this pickle she’s in. I mean wow, what could be the way to fight back? Just WHAT could she do? If only there was someone with a bunch of ALMIGHTY POWER around here who could help.


What really drove me crazy in this book was the complete lack of urgency. Everyone just sort of dicks around when we should be, to quote my grandmother who always yelled at us on Sunday mornings when we were all dragging our feet when putting on dresses for church, getting this show on the road. WHAT IS GOING ON?! We have a lot of pressing matters here, but everyone is just sitting around bantering the same stale lines, in no way concerned about the impending doom of the realms.

This book needed to be no more than 150 pages. I’ll die on that hill (which literally no character will notice because they are busy DRINKING SPARKLING WATER AND FLIPPING THE BIRD).

[Sara Machado · Rating 3 out of 5]

The keyword for this book is inconsistency. JLA opens Fire in the Flesh with three action packed chapters, that were the best she ever written, and then moves forward to a series of circling and tedious monologues, to pick up again the action, immediately after loosing my interest.

I hardly ever consider DNF a book, and this was a strong candidate for me. I did finish it, but only after pausing it for a bit. Ironically, I’ve paused reading it exactly one page before the return of some sort of plot/ action, which was quite unfortunate.

A Light in the Flame it’s just an info dump to support a new idea for Blood & Ash. If you enjoy that series, you’ll need to read this one before, I don’t see a way around it.

Most of the book was absolutely unnecessary! There are even scenes that were actually good and end up being unnecessary (key to the jail in case some of you have forgotten 🙈). Pages and pages filled with “I’m going to be a white canvas to save Niktos”, “I’m going to behave to save Niktos and make Kolis weak” just to end up infuriating Kolis the second after.
I honestly can’t stand this feisty girl act anymore! It should have been about their love, the angst of saving her despite the lack of Kardia but it takes 63% of the book for them to even be together.

Do you like the secondary characters? I do, but JLA decided they are not important for this book. What is the purpose of creating interest characters and exclude them from a whole book??l

With each new book, the existing characters become more similar with other ones. I’m not sure I can distinguish between Poppy and Sera or Cas and Niktos anylonger. Attes and Nektas read exactly the same to me.

Kolis and Callum were great characters but it was not enough to carry the story.

This book could have been reduced to half its size (probably less) and added the fourth book material to finish the series.

“One of” the reasons we read JLA books it’s the smut, and again, inconsistency is the word here. The smut is absent for most of the book, and when we finally get there, kindle tells me it was 1 hour of it!! I’m a fast reader so for a lot o you it might end up being 2 to 3 hours of only Smut. It was hot, maybe a bit cringe because it was so much of it, but in these chapters we do get what we wanted.

I feel I only do rant reviews now for JLA. Dear Jennifer, please do not attempt to release three books again in the same year. Take your time writing, reviewing, editing.

3 very generous starts because I do love Ash

[feral haven · Rating 1 out of 5]

*rage-filled pterodactyl screeching*

I rarely get angry at a book.
BUT HERE WE ARE.
SEE!
I CAN HIT THE RETURN KEY TOO!

• where the **** is the editor
• if i ever read the word “Primal” again it will be too soon
• the same conversations took place over & over again
• yeah we get it Sera is ~wEiRd~ (she’s not. I’m personally FURIOUS at “I’d been collecting rocks for some bizarre reason” KIDS LIKE LOOKING FOR COOL ROCKS. PEOPLE LIKE LOOKING FOR COOL ROCKS. IT ISN’T BIZARRE. IT’S HUMAN.)
• “sErA iS bRaVe” IF YOU WERE CONFIDENT THAT HER ACTIONS PROVED SHE WAS BRAVE YOU WOULDN’T FEEL THE NEED TO EMPHASIZE THAT BY WRITING IT IN EVERY CONVERSATION OR THOUGHT
• how JLA went from making me LOVE Sera in the first & second book to making me want to drop kick Sera & every single thought she ever had into oblivion in this one was a truly magical experience.
• multiple POVs would have made this bearable. Could’ve even made it good, or dare I say great. We’ll never know!!! But ya know what we DO KNOW??? EVERY SINGLE SOLITARY THOUGHT THAT WENT THROUGH SERA’S BRAIN.
• “and I…” *squirts JLA with spray bottle for the use of whatever the **** this writing is*
• i demand a refund. Maybe even compensation for the time & money I’ve wasted.
• Get. An. Editor.
• i should’ve known JLA would DRAG this story out for reasons I can only guess (money, she’s too attached to her characters, whatever) & ruin a series.


If someone makes a sparknotes of the book that would be great. That way other people who have hope for the story can just read that and not waste their time & money on this RAMBLING of a book.