A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
A Betrayal…
Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.
A Choice…
Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation.
A Secret…
But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late.
A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
So Exciting!
The following ratings are out of 5:
Narration: 🎙🎙🎙🎙
Romance: 💙💚🖤💜❤️
Heat/Steam: 🔥🔥🔥
Story/Plot: 📕📗📘📙📔
World building: 🌎🌍🌏🌎🌍
Character development: 😳🤬😏🤓🥰
The heroine: Penellaphe (a.k.a. Poppy) – the chosen one,”The Maiden” of the Soulless Kingdom. She has been betrayed by Hawke, taken and has found out things about both herself and the people she has lived with her entire life that shake her world to the core.
The Hero: Casteel Da’Neer (a.k.a. Hawke, a.k.a. The Dark One) – He is the prince of the Atlantian people. The second son who wants to get his brother back, the brother who is heir to the Atlantian throne and is being held by the Queen of the Soulless.
The Story: Poppy now believes that the Queen of the Soulless and the ascended knew what she was and were planning to use her and many of them were evil. However, she hasn’t seen her brother Ian since he ascended and she loves her brother. She has memories of him as a gentle soul and has trouble believing that he has changed since he ascended.
She wants nothing more than to return to the capital city to find Ian and see what he now is, she knows that she might have to end his life if he has become like many of the ascended who feed on and kill children. However, she would not rest until she knew for sure. So she might have to go along with Hawke’s plans in order to get to Ian.
The story in this book moved faster than in the first book, which makes sense since book one in a fantasy series always has to have a lot of backstory and set-up so the reader knows everything that is going on. However, I did like this one even more. The narration again was great, I really enjoy Stina Nielsen’s voice and she does a great job doing different voices. She does great European accents for Hawke and his Wolven friend Kieren, and Alistair.
I loved the battles and the fact that Poppy is a strong warrior in her own right and always has a knife at the ready to defend herself or attack if necessary. Also that Hawke is fierce and that his alias “The Dark One”, they are perfect for each other. The banter between Hawke, Poppy and Kieren was terrific. I loved all the characters.
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