“One of the best fantasy worlds I have ever read.” — Carrie Ann Ryan, New York Times bestselling author    A Shadow in the Ember, the brand new fantasy romance set in the Blood and Ash world from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is available now!

Synopsis

#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.

 

Review

4,5 stars

Jennifer Armentrout did the impossible: make me forget how impatient I was to read Poppy and Cas’s sequel! I didn’t think this new book would capture my attention like it did but I found myself immersed in Sera and Nyktos story. And now, to add insult to injury, I don’t have to wait only for Poppy and Cas’s story but for Sera and Nyktos as well! Gah!!!

When I began reding A Shadow in the Ember, it was rather unsettling because of the familiarity with the Blood and Ash series. Of course, you’d say, this is a prequel duh! But this was more than that as we had a “Chosen” living as a Maiden (like Poppy) to fulfill a higher destiny and you had a villain: Death or Nyktos (like Casteel). Also the Chosen alias Sera was isolated just like Poppy had been and then, some years later, after she had been turned down by Death, she’ll go seek pleasure in a pleasure house. Does it ring a bell? Yes? Good because it should!

So I feared the worst, a pale copycat. Did Jennifer succumb to the money god and rehash a well used recipe? My answer came later on with my reading progress: no.

  Well of course there is use of well-known tropes in romance but this was not a retelling of Poppy and Cas. Pfew! It still is a very good fantasy romance with worthy heroine and panty dropping gorgeous male lead!
 
Sera is a strong and compassionate female character. She bears a unique gift, one akin to Poppy’s. She has been rejected, hidden by her own mother. Groomed to serve a deadly purpose involving the demise of Nyktos, her mother will totally shun her once Nyktos will refuse Sera as a consort.
Being rejected was equally freeing and dooming for Sera. Freeing because she could finally leave the castle and roam the city like she wanted, no longer needing to remain the maiden. But dooming because Sera despair for her people. She feels powerless to help them dying from hunger because of the Rot slowly spreading.
Having learned to fight like the best warriors, Sera can kill easily. But she also has huge compassion for her people and wants to help every abused woman or kid or…
 
When she’ll meet Asher, gorgeous and huge male for the first time, their interaction will be…spicy! Every meet they have cement their undeniable attraction. It’s also Asher who will give Sera her first gift ever. Do I need to add that you’ll fall for him? Gorgeous, deadly and caring? Mmmm?
 
I won’t delve further into the plot as I don’t want to spoil your fun but know that you get the same well-crafted world building as you got in From Blood and Ash series with added explanations about gods and primals.
You also have a prophecy, a deal made before Sera’s birth, some major treason, a secret about Sera that is not yet fully explained by the end of the book and of course some very HAWT scenes! Aaaand a cliffhanger. Of course.  
 
Now I need the sequel…

 

Grab your copy today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3bROCSS

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/ShadowEmber

Nook: https://bit.ly/2R1qDIY

Hardcover: https://bit.ly/2S6RP9Z

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3eyxHoD

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3aGWsxR

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3gCGatH

About Jennifer L. Armentrout  #1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, 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 Border Jack Apollo. 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 an 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 a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.   Connect with Jennifer L. Armentrout  Facebook: http://bit.ly/2xSL7u5 Instagram: @jennifer_l_armentrout http://bit.ly/33GWn8R Twitter: @JLArmentroutnews http://bit.ly/2QvDYpT Amazon: https://amzn.to/3dnOSIi Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2U5Jemy BookBub: http://bit.ly/2U2Fe63 Stay up to date with Jennifer by joining her mailing list: https://bit.ly/2qBce5m Website: https://jenniferlarmentrout.com  

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21 Comments

  2. And we don’t even have a date for the second book LOL! That kills me! I loved this story so much, I am obsessed with how the story played out and Sera and Ash. I can’t wait to see what happens next with them!

    Reply

  5. I don’t usually enjoy prequels, but this sounds like it is fantastic! I will have to get this series moved up on my tbr. I hope that the next book in the series is just as enjoyable for you! 🙂

    Reply

      1. Oh, you better believe it!

        My actual dilemma right now is purchasing the books. Do I purchase them? (I’ve previously read copies from the library, but am pretty sure I want my own copy.) And, if so, in softcover ($20 though a Canadian bookseller) or hardcover ($40CDN through an American bookseller)? ARGH! THE DECISIONS!

        Reply

  10. I can’t wait to find out what my thoughts are gonna be about this book. I definitely plan on reading it!

    Reply