by Jennifer L. Armentrout
I respect this series a lot, but it’s really fallen off a cliff for me. But because I enjoyed the first books so much, I want to give it a better over-all review, and encourage you to at least read the first four books.
Side note: I did not read the novellas that comes along with this series (Visions of Flesh & Blood and a Crown of Ruin) but from what I understand, they don’t really need to be read to understand the series and there aren’t important plot points. They are also from POV’s from side characters.
So, let me start by saying, when I started reading this series, only the first three books were out and War of Two Queens was scheduled to come out soon thereafter. I read (and then promptly re-read) the first three books…three times. I have read the first three books a total of four times, War of Two Queens three times, Soul of Ash and Blood (the fifth book) twice and Primal of Blood and Bone once.
The books follow Penellaphe (Poppy) who was “Chosen” as the Maiden. A great honor and her life is dedicated to serving the Gods. When she’s kidnapped by the Dark One to be used as leverage to free the Prince of another kingdom, she goes on an adventure that shows her that everything she thought was true, was a lie.
Poppy becomes so much more than a demure Maiden who serves at the feet of Dukes and Queens. She finds a power within her that is greater than many have seen in centuries. The story has so much potential, and Armentrout just plain ruined it with book 6.
I was an avid fan, I’ve read her other series as well, and I have been waiting patiently for book 6 even though I was not a huge fan of book 5. She pulled a Twilight and a 50 Shades and basically re-wrote book one from the love interest’s perspective. Which was fine, because I was sure that book 6 was finally going to be the climax I’ve been waiting for for literal YEARS. I. was. WRONG.
Book 6 made the characters out to be just the worst possible versions of themselves. The book itself is incredibly long and it is 98% dialogue and 2% action. Nothing important got solved and it was basically your two main characters (now husband and wife) being petulant and immature around each other. It took me months to force myself through that book and I will not be reading the next one.
I will say, however, that the first four books are so very good and I really hope you read them and then maybe just don’t put yourself through the next two. Unfortunately, because of the last two books (mostly the last book) this feels more like the author is trying to draw this out as long as possible without giving much to the readers and doing a huge disservice to the amazing characters who are now basically…the worst.
Ratings!
Book 1: From Blood and Ash – 5 stars, loved it – you watch Poppy suffer and then you watch her get freed.
Book 2: Kingdom of Flesh and Fire – 5 stars. So much action, so good, so much information that changes what you thought you knew!
Book 3: The Crown of Gilded Bones – 5 stars. Things really get interesting and Poppy learns more about who she really is.
Book 4: A War of Two Queens: 4.5 stars. Armentrout makes some really easy to hate characters (The Red Queen)!
Book 5: A Soul of Ash and Blood: 3 stars. A retelling from Casteel’s POV. Got boring, had to push through it.
Book 6: The Primal of Blood and Bone: 1 star. Could barely finish. Made the characters into disrespectful, annoying shells of who they were. It was constant “meetings” and “play-fighting” and just painful to push through. And I’m not happy I did. Some people say they’re happy they pushed through to the end of a book, this one was disappointing to the end.