Lastly, Kieran Contou is obviously just as delightful as Poppy and Casteel. I especially loved his presence in this book as he doesn't have much of it in the first one. Unsurprisingly, he is as wonderful as he has ever been. He is so supportive and understanding of Casteel, even though he doesn't agree with his crazy schemes and tries to advise him against them. He is also a calming force and an anchor, especially after Casteel's imprisonment.

A Soul of Ash and Blood - The Blue Box Press A Soul of Ash and Blood - The Blue Box Press

It is a complete recap of FBAA through Cas' POV and it is extremely well written. We got to see a side of Cas that was long forgotten by JLA and I missed him. Cas deserves to be in the limelight as much as Poppy and I hope JLA seriously considers writing the next book in Cas' pov, it was chef's kiss 🤌 The only thing that I really loved was the meeting between Ires and Poppy - that was beautiful, albeit short lived, but a great scene full of emotion. I knew this was real. What was between us. What she felt for me. What I felt for her. This. It was real." Besides, Malik and Millicent make an appearance in this book as well. They aren't active in Casteel's storytelling, of course, but appear in the present. Both are fascinating characters, not just individually, but as a pair as well. There isn't enough information on what happened between them that is keeping them apart, other than Malik trying to kill Poppy that is, but they are heartmates and I want them to be together. It is a bit funny to me that Casteel and Malik, two brothers, fell in love with Poppy and Millie, two sisters, but it isn't unheard of and doesn't bother me at all. I am fully invested in both Malik and Millie's relationship with each other and the relationship they have with their respective siblings. If their relationships aren't solidified by the end of the series there will be protests. Fair warning: I can be incredibly annoying!A great primal power has risen. The Queen of Flesh and Fire has become the Primal of Blood and Bone—the true Primal of Life and Death. And the battle Casteel, Poppy, and their allies have been fighting has only just begun. Gods are awakening across Iliseeum and the mortal realm, readying for the war to come. He is unable to process who he is while in that form, but he knows Poppy is his and destroys the Rev To be brutally honest, it was rinse and repeat throughout this book; a complete regurgitation of what happened in book 1; it was both monotonous and fatiguing to read.

A Soul of Ash and Blood - Goodreads Ashlyn’s review of A Soul of Ash and Blood - Goodreads

Nothing is ever simple.” I pressed my forehead to hers. “And when it is, it’s rarely ever worth it.” I wasn’t sure what to expect going into this. Obviously I knew that we’d be getting FBAA from Cas’ POV, and that’d also move the story forward, but I wasn’t entirely sure what that would truly look like, and I’ve got to say, I’m a massive fan.I know people are mad about the emotional intimacy between Kieran and Poppy, as well as the Joining. Personally, I'm not really sure why the Joining was surprising for anyone...why would JLA introduce the concept in book 2 unless she planned for it to happen? It would've been weird if it didn't. I think Kieran and Poppy's relationship makes sense. There's just so much love there. Casteel and Kieran have been bonded for literal centures, closer than any 2 people can be; seeing Poppy and Kieran develop an unbreakable bond like that too now that they're both bonded and love Casteel just makes everything feel complete to me. But I know people will yell at me for having that opinion, I guess.

A Soul of Ash and Blood (Blood and Ash, Book 5 My Thoughts on A Soul of Ash and Blood (Blood and Ash, Book 5

I knew this was real. What was between us. What she felt for me. What I felt for her. This. It was real.”

This story is a retell, that is not quite a retell, of From Blood and Ash from the male main character’s point of view, Prince Casteel Hawkthrone Da’Neer. He is the Prince of Atlantia, the Dark One, and the Maiden’s personal guard who has been plotting to free his brother from the Ascended for the past 100 years. He planned to kidnap the Maiden and use her as ransom…..until plans changed. I should’ve seen this coming when Cas started having chapters in the previous book. Usually, authors do that for one of two reasons: Damn, my little marshmallow's getting kinda crispy'' Delano being referred to as marshmallow made me happy. And all the unseen Vikter, Tawny, Emil, Niall, Delano and of course Elijah content was truly what I needed. And his interaction with Malik, gosh it just goes to show that even though they have a very long road ahead of them, there is always a way to fix things. To act where it is needed. I am sure there is a metaphor in there somewhere. Why did I just now read this book? I really wish I would have gotten it sooner, but at the same time, it was perfection, so I'm not really sure if I'm okay that I had to wait for it.

A Soul Of Ash And Blood’ By Jennifer L Book Review: ‘A Soul Of Ash And Blood’ By Jennifer L

Now, that ending. THAT ENDING. My gosh it has made me so excited for the next one. Cas being able to syphon off some of Poppy’s primal power? The shifting??? Ah, brilliant. I hope Poppy learns to shift swiftly otherwise Cas is never gonna hear the end of it, I’m sure. BUT ALSO, I have a feeling that there’s more to Cas than we realise too, and maybe it’s not just syphoning Poppy’s power?? Because at the start Nektas seemed to be hinting that Cas’ ancestor is still around, possibly waking up along with everyone else so, maybe he’s actually got a god in his line or something? Ah I’m not sure, but there’s definitely more to it than we’ve been lead to believe so far I think! To answer your first question: no, this is not just a retelling of the same scenes we saw from Hawke's perspective. To answer your next question: yes, this reads like its own independent story with brief present day interludes. Essentially, ASoAaB does replay all of Poppy and Hawke's interactions from Hawke's perspective, but there is so much more in between. We get to see scenes that were alluded to, but never downright explained, like Hawke killing the duke. We also get to see so many scenes of Hawke and Kieran scheming, and discussing how said schemes change as Hawke starts to develop feelings for Poppy. It becomes clear very early on that this isn't the story of the Maiden from a different perspective. This is the story of the broken prince that tries to abduct her for leverage, and falls in love with her instead. From the teasers and other posts that Jennifer released on her FB group about ASOAAB, it seemed like this book wasn't going to simply be a rehashing of events from Book 1, it would also deal with the trauma Casteel went through during his time as Isbeth's captive.And so, he does. He reminds Poppy how their journey began, revealing things about himself that only Kieran knows in the process. But it’s anybody’s guess what she’ll wake to or exactly how much of the realm and Cas will have changed when she does. Book Details AHH THAT CLIFFHANGER!!!!! There are some spoilers below, but I tried to avoid anything major. If you liked book 1 of this series, I think you will like this! It's so sweet. Yes, it's a retelling of book 1 from Casteel's POV, but there are a ton of new scenes in it too that are worth reading, in my opinion. Other than that, we got a moment where Malik and Cas hash out their feelings before coming to an understanding. While yes, Malik could’ve sent word to Cas, it wouldn’t have changed anything besides moving up the timeline of Cas going to the capital. Only he wouldn’t have met Poppy and likely would’ve been killed as Isbeth would’ve forced Malik to choose between Cas and Millie, and only one brother was needed to ascend Poppy. Not to mention, if they had to do it all over again, neither brother would change a thing as they got their heartmate in that process. Cas also realizes that Malik probably doesn’t feel like he deserves Millie after everything he’s done, similar to how Cas felt about Poppy. Only Cas and Poppy worked that out, while Millie and Malik haven’t yet. Is everything perfect between the brothers again? No. But at least they are on better ground and aren’t at each other’s throat anymore.