Image from @goodyreads, my bookstagram account!

Hello Readers!

It’s been a joy to make yet another fancast for my blog for others to enjoy, and after I got caught up on this series in particular, it was a huge goal of mine to complete ASAP! The From and Ash series has very quickly become a huge favorite of mine this year, and has become almost like a beacon of light and hope over what has to be the crappiest year EVER with 2020!

Who knew I’d become absolutely obsessed with a book series about Vampires and Werewolves in 2020, but with how this year has been going, it feels like nothing can surprise me some days…

For those that aren’t aware, this is a book series that somehow got two books published this year from Jennifer L. Armentrout, who must be a writing machine because these books are thicccccccc! We’re talking 600+ pages for both of them, and it’s also 600+ pages of pure wicked entertainment!

If I had to describe this series in a couple words, they’d be the following: Enchanting, Dangerous, Ominous, Sultry, Seductive, Enthralling, hair-raising, spine-tingling, dangerous, and utterly romantic. Fans of authors like Sarah J. Maas, Holly Black, and Laura Thalassa just to name a few will absolutely devour these books and become as obsessed as pretty much every other reader who’s gotten their hands on them.

It’s a story of a young woman named Penellaphe Balfour, or “Poppy” as her friends call her, who’s raised as the maiden, who’s a holy figure amongst her people and is the chosen who will one day become Ascended. With that, she must live a life of solitude; no eye contact, no spoken words, and to keep her head down unless ordered otherwise. It’s a sad life, but others would kill for the position, so she should be thankful…

All that is called into question as Hawke Flynn comes into her life and becomes her new knight/bodyguard. Duty and passion become twisted together as he helps her question everything she’s ever known, but also finally gives her the push to hope for more…

There’s whispers of an ancient Kingdom back on the rise, plus creatures of the night growing more and more restless. Lines are blurred as to what is right and wrong, and Poppy will do whatever it takes in order to protect not only those she cares about but also herself and her heart…

To see my review of book #1 – From Blood and Ash – Click HERE!

To see my review of book #2 – A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire – Click HERE!

To see my review of book #3 – The Crown of Gilded Bones – Click HERE!

To see my review of Flesh and Fire Book #1 – A Shadow in the Ember – Click HERE!

To see my review of book #4 – The War of Two Queens – Click HERE!

Quick Disclaimer!*** I do not own any of these images even as I try to credit all who are known, and I will promptly remove if asked to do so by any of the owners.

~~~

Here’s my official Fancast/Dreamcast:

~~~

Kieran Contou: Isha Blaaker

Image courtesy of the actor’s IMDB profile

Kieran is a huge fan favorite for the series, so I had to come up with someone who’d look like he deserved to have a large following! I originally casted Kendrick Sampson as the role, but I honestly fancast him for a ton of parts where it’s a character who’s POC with lighter colored eyes. I wanted to switch it up, plus I’d say I do the same thing with Jesse Williams (who’s too old for the part anyways), so Isha definitely looks the part!

~~~

Vikter Wardwell: Graham McTavish

Image courtesy of the actor’s Twitter account

Love this Scottish actor in both Outlander and even his smaller role in the fourth season of Lucifer, but he has that older, more protective fatherly figure vibe which is right up Vikter’s alley, so I think Graham would nail this role if they were to actually make From Blood and Ash into a movie/TV series.

~~~

Rylan Keal: Garrett Hedlund

Photo courtesy of Nicolas Guerin/Contour @ Getty Images & GQ Italia

I’m not too familiar with this actor, but a few movies he’s pretty noteworthy of was the rebooted Disney’s TRON: Legacy film from about ten years ago, plus he was in Country Strong. I don’t know, he just has those unassuming blond looks that I really pictured for Poppy’s original bodyguard.

~~~

Tawny Lyon: Caris Shelton

Tawny was actually a hard choice, and part of me feels like I still may switch out this choice at some point or another if another face comes along that I think would fill the role better. Until that happens, I think this gorgeous model I found on Instagram has the look I imagined for Tawny.

~~~

Lord Brandole Mazeen: Craig Parker

Some of you may or may not recognize this actor, but he’s actually been in a couple widely popular films and TV shows! He was the Elven general in Lord of the Rings, he was also in TV shows like Reign and Spartacus, which if you’ve watched them, will totally make you agree with how I casted him for such a cruel character in these books!

~~~

Duke Dorian Teerman: Peter Facinelli

I mean, why not cast at least one character from the Twilight movies in this? Part of me still can’t believe I’m so obsessed with a Vampire-esque Paranormal Romance quite like From Blood and Ash, and it’s freakin’ 2020! The Duke is cold, menacing, and vicious behind closed doors, so I thought it’d be an interesting switch from Peter playing Dr. Carlisle.

~~~

Duchess Jacinda Teerman: Inbar Lavi

She played the first ever woman in the world, Eve, in the Netflix hit, Lucifer, and for some reason I totally pictured her playing the role of the Duchess as well…it totally could just be because I was watching the show and reading the first book around the same time. Kind of like Peter Facinelli above, the roles are so opposite of each other, I’m curious to see if the actress could pull it off!

~~~

Jericho: Tom Felton

Jericho was a smaller role for the first book, sure, but why not have a bigger name actor to play the role itself? For some reason, Jericho was giving me some major Draco Malfoy vibes, so I thought it’d be fun to have Tom Felton play the role, why not?

~~~

Elijah: Travis Van Winkle, or Nathan Parsons

Image courtesy of Twitter account @SpoilerTV

Elijah was a toss-up since not much was actually told about his looks other than his beard and warm eyes. I mean, that could be taken in so many directions, right? Travis Van Winkl;e fulfills the more wholesome, all-american guy next door vibe I could see Elijah having, but Nathan Parsons, who’s been on The Originals (Spin-off of The Vampire Diaries), so it wouldn’t be unfamiliar territory for him either!

~~~

Delano: Drew Van Acker

Drew Van Acker is a personal favorite of mine! He was the tortured and gorgeous Jason Dilaurentis in the tv adaptation of Pretty Little Liars, and his sad, soulful eyes along with the rest of his good looks have always stuck with me over the years, and I love to fancast him for other blond male roles if I see fit.

~~~

Naill: Rome Flynn

The other half of the Wolven dynamic duo along with Delano, Rome Flynn is who I pictured for this particular character, who’s only been described thus far as having dark skin. I picture all the Wolven being stunningly gorgeous, I mean why not?…so I pictured this young actor from the Shonda Rhimes courtroom drama, How to Get Away with Murder, to add up some even more sex appeal onto this fancast of mine.

You’re welcome.

~~~

Alastir Davenwell: Brett Tucker

Alastir was described as being rather good looking even with it being obvious he’s getting a little older in age, and this Australian has been on my radar ever since I first saw him in the TV Show, Spartacus. Alastir may be a total drama loving instigator, and I could go on about all that, but at least he’s pretty easy on the eyes, amiright ladies, gents, and non-binaries?

~~~

Emil Da’Lahr: Ken Bek

Image courtesy of the model’s Instagram profile

I feel like Ken Bek is just the basic-bitch go to casting for EVERYONE who needs an attractive male redhead for some character (him and Sam Heughan), but I can’t help it with this one! Ken just has that mischievous smirk in almost all his modeling photos that really just remind me of this character, who I still don’t know whether I like them or not quite yet!

~~~

Lord Chaney: Finn Wittrock

Finn is an incredible actor, probably one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood right now! He’s incredibly versatile, and I can say that even just from watching him perform a wide variety of characters in a couple seasons of American Horror Story. Plus, Lord Chaney is an Ascended, and I just picture them being beautiful beings.

~~~

Vonetta Contou: Logan Browning

Logan Browning has become a favorite of mine since I’ve seen her star as the powerful roll of Sam in the Netflix show, Dear White People, I also picture her as Kieran’s sister in this series. Her acting chops are definitely up to par, I know she’d do nothing but add even more greatness to the cast!

~~~

Jasper Contou: Luke Evans

Jasper was one of those characters you just fall in love with the moment you meet them, and I could say the same about Cinna from Suzanne Collins’ trilogy, The Hunger Games. At first, I was like a ton of the fandom who’d fancasted Idris Elba and/or Lenny Kravitz, but Jennifer Armentrout actually confirmed that Jasper is white (It makes sense if Kieran and Vonetta are lighter in skin tone), so I had to reimagine the character and who could play him. Luke Evans, whose been in The Hobbit trilogy and even Gaston in the live-action remake of Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, would be my new Jasper!

~~~

Hawke Flynn/ Casteel Da’Neer: Danilo D’Agostino

Danilo D’Agostino, image credits to owners

Of course, like almost every other fandom with a wickedly devastating male love interest like this character, there’s a huge debate of who would be perfect to play him. EVERYONE has their own preference of who they feel is attractive enough and skilled enough to play the part, which is totally fine! Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and I have to say I can agree with just about every choice I saw come up: Stephen Amell, Jesse Metcalfe, Theo James, Matthew Daddario (who was my original choice), but after much deliberation on my part, this is the guy I’ve narrowed it down to!

~~~

Penellaphe “Poppy” Balfour: Peyton Gastel, or Laura Gwyneth Butler

Peyton Gastel, image courtesy of the model’s Instagram profile

Laura Gwyneth Butler, image courtesy of listal.com

Poppy is the vampire para-romance heroine we really need; she’s the exact opposite of Bella Swan, and I am fully behind her on her journey, and these two are my final choices of who’d portray her in a cinematic format! The first is a model I found on Instagram who has the red hair, green eyes combo that is Poppy! My other choice is a model who Facebook user Tiffany R. on the Facebook group I’m a member introduced us to, and I fully support this choice as well!

~~~

Queen Eloana Da’Neer: Gal Gadot

She’s used to playing a powerful, regal figure like Diana (aka: Wonderwoman) in the DC Superhero movies, but I also imagined her playing the role of the Queen of Atlantia, and also Casteel’s mother. She’s actually a very complex character as you read on in The Crown of Gilded Bone, and I know Gal would do an amazing job!

~~~

King Valyn Da’Neer: Chris Pine

We all know King Valyn was going to be blond daddy goals, and at first I was picturing Brad Pitt playing this role, but I know with how word of mouth is he was miserable on the set of Interview With a Vampire back in the 90’s, so I think he’d avoid another vampire franchise like this one. As for Chris Pine, why not? He’s got the looks, the acting ability, and we know he has chemistry with Gal Gadot in the Wonderwoman movies too!

~~~

Commander Jansen: Simon Merrellis

He was a character that I—and I’m sure most of the fandom is guilty too—totally overlooked and didn’t think would become a bigger character than where he was already at. But reading the third book, he practically shoves his way to the forefront and became worthy of my consideration to add him on here. I only know this actor from the STARZ hit show, Spartacus.

~~~

Hisa Fa’Mar: Lesley-Anne Brandt

LOOOOOVE her in Lucifer, and even though the characters are incredibly different from one another, I know that Lesley can play badass, powerful females. She’d have no problem being the General of the Atlantian Army.

~~~

Kirha Contou: Danai Gurira, or Angela Bassett

Danai Gurira, image courtesy of latimes.com

Angela Bassett, image courtesy of amomama.com

Two totally iconic POC woman in Hollywood, I would be happy with either choice to play the mother of Kieran and Vonetta as well as wife to Jasper. This is a softer role—at least so far of where we’re at in the series—but I imagine Kirha is a glorious fighter on the battlefield when she needs to be! Danai was in Black Panther and The Walking Dead, and Angela Bassett I know from American Horror Story, Black Panther, and 9-1-1 on Fox.

~~~

Perry: Nathan Owens

Image courtesy of the actor/model’s IMDB profile

So as soon as I found out this Wolven is actually Delano’s on-and-off lover, I had to include him in my fancast! This gorgeous model would add some serious eye candy to the screen, and the total hotness that is the friendship with Casteel and Kieran as they’ve all known each other since childhood.

~~~

Miss Wilhelmina Colyns: Nia Long

I’m so happy we get to meet the illustrious, infamous being that is Miss Willa Colyns in this series. She’s more than just an author of a smutty diary that is—not so secretly—Poppy’s favourite book, but is also an elder of the Atlantian kingdom! Nia Long is a stunning pop culture icon whose been acting for quite some time now, I totally remember her all the way back when she was in Fresh Prince of Bel Air, but she’s also been in Big Momma’s House, Third Watch, and NCIS: Los Angeles.

~~~

Ian Balfour: Ben Barnes, or Nathaniel Buzolic

Ben Barnes, image courtesy of seventeenmag.com

Nathaniel Buzolic, image courtesy of bookingagentinfo.com

So yes, I’ve totally already binged Shadow and Bone on Netflix as I type this, so meeting Ian shortly after that probably has made me have Ben Barnes on the brain, and can you blame me? He was a magnificent Darkling, and I’d love to see him apart of this series if it ever came onto our screens too someday! If SaB took about eight years or so to make it happen, it could very well happen for Blood and Ash too! Nathaniel has a background in vampire filmology as well, he was Kol Mikaelson in both The Vampire Diaries and The Originals!

~~~

Nyktos: Henry Cavill

A lot of the fandom has put Henry’s name out there as possible fancast choices for Hawke/Casteel, and while I’d never be so douchey and rude as to tell anyone who they can and can’t choose for their own personal casting, I also couldn’t say I agreed with that either. Henry needed to play an older character, and why not play the King of the Gods? This way we’re all happy that Henry can be a part of the series after all, and get lost in either his dreamy eyes or his impressive jawline!

~~~

The Consort, Sera Mierel: Katheryn Winnick

Image courtesy of unitedagents.co.uk

I wanted to fancast this role ASAP since it appears that were also getting some prequel books in the Blood and Ash world that stars Nyktos, and spoilers in the third book also reveal more about this character. Katheryn Winnick was in the popular show Vikings, and I keep telling myself that I need to watch it someday!

~~~

Nektas: Martin Sensmeier

Mandatory Credit: Photo by Ray Tamarra/Soul B Photos/Shutterstock (12886528bo) Martin Sensmeier Prime Video’s ‘Outer Range’ premiere, The Harmony Gold Theater, Los Angeles, California, USA – 07 Apr 2022

Here is a Native American Actor who is a much better option for Nektas than who I had before! Before it was Tom Ellis, but that was before I was fully aware that Nektas was POC, and I had Tom Ellis, who is a terrific actor, but wasn’t russet skinned like this character is described as! So here is me with a quick apology for whitewashing a character, I ignorance on that so no cancelling me please and offer this new choice as a solution!

~~~

The Handmaiden/Revenant: Megan Fox

This was an interesting new concept added to the series in The Crown of GIlded Bone, and as soon as this character was introduced into the story, I got some major Kate Beckinsale in Underworld vibes. I also instantly thought of this image of Megan Fox I picked, and thought she’d play the role incredibly well. I can already tell this character will be one to watch out for in several ways, and Megan Fox honestly doesn’t get enough credit for her acting abilities. I believe she has more to offer than just how Hollywood perceived her and marketed her as back in the day when Michael Bay pretty much almost completely blacklisted her.

~~~

Prince Malik Da’Neer: Reeve Carney

We finally meet the older brother to Casteel, the firstborn Da’Neer son who was set to take the throne. I loved the twist with him, I can say I didn’t see it coming and all he had to offer the game of thrones we’re now playing in this series. This actor was in Penny Dreadful, and instantly who I thought could play Malik as soon as we met him!

~~~

Queen Ileana: Christina Hendricks

I am honestly doing a chef’s kiss at how perfect I think this casting choice would be if they made the Blood and Ash books into the show or film series. Christina Hendricks has been in Mad Men, and she’s also currently in the Netflix show Good Girls, and she has a unique look to her, a sultry vibe who I think is the ONLY choice who’d perfectly capture the Blood Queen and leader of the Ascended.

~~~

King Jalara: Jude Law

Jude Law was actually very close to becoming my choice for King Valyn, but then I remembered how well he played the villain in King Arthur, and he does have a sexier, almost devilish appeal to him, so I wanted him to stay on the dark side and play this role as well too!

~~~

Reaver: Ewan Mitchell

So for the sake of not using Jamie Campbell Bower AGAIN on another fancast, even though you look up Reaver’s physical description on his wiki page and it literally reads like him….I’m going to toss out this actor’s name instead to switch things up and get some variety! He’s only 25, from Derby, England, and isn’t as recognizable unless you’re a fan of a certain new HBO show about a certain line of dragon ridings rulers…yes, this is the guy who plays Aemond Targaryen!

So there you have it for now!

With many more books on the way—including a least one told from Casteel’s perspective—I know there will be even more characters to add, so wait for those next books to release and I’ll add more names and faces ASAP!

Thanks for Reading!

— Nick Goodsell

Fantasy, New Adult, New Adult Romance, Paranormal, Romance

My Review: A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (Blood and Ash #2): by Jennifer L. Armentrout

September 14, 2020November 9, 2020 nicholasjgoodsell

Publish Date: September 1st, 2020

Number of Pages: 697 Pages

Publisher: Blue Box Press

Genre(s): Fantasy, New Adult Romance

***Warning!!! This review contains spoilers from this book/the previous book in this series, so read on at your own risk! You’ve officially been warned!!!***

To see my review for book #1 – From Blood and Ash – Click HERE

To see my Fancast/Dreamcast of the series so far – Click HERE

Total Star Rating: 4.5 Stars

I seriously love those moments when the sequel surpasses the first book!

From Blood and Ash, the first book of this series that only released earlier this year, was an amazing gem that I had no idea I was going to love so much when I’d ordered my copy on my Kindle, but here I am now in love with just about everything about it: Poppy, Hawke/Casteel, the entire kingdom, the romance, the smut, and I only have one other person to talk to it about in real life! This book somehow got even bigger and better with of all those aspects, and I had to make sure I went through at a slower pace than before to savor it all instead of blasting through it as quickly as possible.

But oh……My………Goodness! You guys, I seriously can’t recommend this book, no this series, enough!

I’m quickly becoming a huge fan of books that aren’t traditionally published because they are turning out to just be more impressive stories that really grab my attention nowadays. That, plus they don’t have to worry as much with the guidelines and restrictions that I’m sure those big publishers limit their works with. I could totally just be speculating on that, but that’s how it feels like!

I’m still just blown away by how the author was able to pound out these first two books all within the same year, because these books are thicccc! Like, both are over 600 pages but released only a few months away from each other! Either the author had this all written way before hand, or she’s one of those authors that really benefited from quarantine, and just locked herself away to write, write, write! I wish I was like that, but all the anxiety and depression that’s come from the disaster that is the year 2020 has made it seemingly impossible to be able to concentrate on my own WIP’s.

Okay, enough tangents, back to the story!

Like I was saying before, this sequel is even bigger and badder than the previous book, and overall it includes everything you loved about the previous book, but at an even more elevated level. More information gets revealed, more secrets get out, and the romance still develops at an oh-so-achingly delicious slow burn that readers love and hate at the same time. The story still has its slower moments, but this time there are a lot more bloody battles to make it have a much more exciting, roller-coaster type of pacing. Sure, it felt like the battles were over way too quickly and could’ve been more descriptive, but they were still quite exciting!

The story continues off immediately from the final line of the previous book, where Hawke/Casteel threw us all a wicked curveball of a marriage proposal. Poppy is still fresh off the epic betrayal she feels with him and his whole shocking reveal of being the Dark One/The Atlantian Prince.

Things are incredibly tense—understandably—but both have something to gain from this more…unorthodox of partnerships: both want their brothers back from the clutches of the Ascended Vamprys in their capital city. With the growing threat of those she used to live under the same roof with in danger, she also has to deal with being hated and unaccepted for being an outsider from the Atlantian people along with her incredibly conflicted feelings for Casteel. She doesn’t want to want him, but oh boy she is hooked whether she likes it or not!

The romance, of course, was a big highlight of the whole book! The banter, the admissions of feelings (eventually), the love scenes; pretty much almost everything about it was what had me glued to the pages whenever I picked it up. I dare anyone to not absolutely fall for Hawke/Casteel after reading these books and put him on all of your Book Boyfriends lists, I know he’s on mine! He just becomes so much more complex here, and is now such a much stronger character than just simply being the personal bodyguard who’s sworn to protect the Maiden. Know that he’s this dark prince with paranormal abilities, he’s just so much more interesting this time around. I never thought I’d fall for a vampire prince in 2020, and I usually avoid vampire/werewolf books like the plague, so that says a lot about how good these books are if I can so easily look past those paranormal clichés occurring here.

The beginning felt like it was getting close to info-dump territory, at least within the first 200 pages or so, but it wasn’t too bad as I’ve definitely dealt with worse in other books. After that, it’s not even noticeable and it’s all more about the worldbuilding that the author does to enrich us with the lay of the land and learn more about the history, which has a lot more depth than I gave it credit for in the previous book! This time around, the threat of ancient gods about to enter the battle certainly raises the stakes.

I don’t want to give too much else away because anyone who’s interested in this series absolutely NEEDS to go get a copy of this book and read it immediately, plus there’s still plenty of the rest of my review to read!

What It’s About:

The Official Blurb:

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.

What I Liked:

Kieran Must Be Protected At All Costs! I’m not gonna lie, but I thought Kieran was a total creep in the first book, and felt like something was way off about him the entire time. Turns out I wasn’t completely wrong, but luckily he really grew on me in this book, and I believe the whole fandom can agree with me on that! I still believe there’s some social awkwardness there, but it’s also so hilarious how DONE he is with the angst between our two main characters that can’t admit their real feelings to each other. He’s incredibly sarcastic, bacon is his favorite food, and he loves to give Poppy a hard time about all the questions she likes to ask, but now he’s just one more thing to absolutely adore about this series! Plus, there’s the spirited debate amongst the fandom whether he should get involved with Cas and Poppy in some NSFW activities due to his Wolven bond with Casteel, plus the author totally played with the idea of it maybe happening…I for one am totally for polyamorous relationships. It’s 2020, so why not?
Cas & Poppy’s Chemistry! This author knows how to write such good romance! Wowza! Literally everything pertaining to the romantic dynamic between Cas and Poppy was done to near perfection: from the beginning of the story with the betrayal and reveal of his true identity still cutting fresh wounds in Poppy’s heart, to their slow and steady reconciliation, then their absolutely scorching love scenes, to the heartfelt admissions…ugh….it was all just so good, for sure a gigantic highlight of the book! Casteel is definitely up there on the growing list of Book Boyfriends, and like my friend Erika—who’s also read these books—said, he may even be better than the famous Rhysand from Sarah J. Maas’s A Court of Thorns and Roses series! That’s right, you just read that. With his demeanor, to how everyone acts towards him, to his obvious affection towards Poppy, plus his backstory that slowly gets revealed, I totally agree, and wonder how anyone could not absolutely fall for this lonely, dark prince! It’s just a shame that not as many readers will really read this series and get to know about him because it isn’t really published in the most mainstream way, and won’t have as much exposure because of it. The thing I will definitely give to the author that she does better than SJMaas is how the love scenes don’t fall short. Both authors are amazing at the sensuous buildup and tension between the two characters, but one thing I do sometimes notice with Maas is the eventual scene where the characters finally hookup just doesn’t live up to the hype. Whether it’s the word choice because she had to be careful not to get too graphic since her books are YA , or she’s just not good at that particular aspect of romance writing quite yet, but some fans just aren’t 100% about “velvet wrapped steel” or the claiming, marking, owning of SJMaas writing style with sex. Armentrout did an amazing job of both the buildup and the climax (side note: I can’t help but giggle at the usage of the word climax here). I mean, cue the gif of Santana Lopez from Glee fanning herself, Blanche from The Golden Girls spraying herself down; Poppy and Cas have some HAWT moments in this book for anyone who likes things more on the smutty side! ~ Have No Shame!
More Worldbuilding! Instead of the whole story taking place in one town/kingdom/etc. like the previous book, this sequel has a much wider journey for our characters, and with the reveal in the last book of the kingdom of Atlantia not being just a total myth, the author really stepped up her wordbuilding craft here! I will still say that SJMaas still holds the title of best worldbuilder, but Armentrout really impressed me with all that she included in this book.
There’s A Map Now! This kind of continues off my last point in terms of worldbuilding, but one thing I didn’t like in the previous book was how the author was constantly referencing other towns/cities/kingdoms/etc. and we didn’t have a map to go back and use as reference! One thing I feel like any Fantasy genre title is required to include is a map to show readers where exactly everything is! It’s very minor, I know, and I could just make it all up in my head, but doesn’t mean I have to, so I’m going to continue to pout about it when it doesn’t happen. Stay Mad, bro!

What I Didn’t Like:

“Heartmates”…I’m sorry, but when I first saw this specific term show up in the book, I was rolling my eyes with a massive scoff. It’s not that I’m against the whole “mate” concept—I mean c’mon, Sarah J. Maas is one of my favorite authors—but what kind of middle-grade, Sailor Moon cheesy name is that?!?! Poppy and Cass are endgame, that’s no question, and I’m even cool with them being mate’s if that dynamic even applies to this story, but just the term “heartmates” gets a big, fat NOPE from me.
Alastir Is A Total Drama Starter…I really liked Alastir at first; he’s the fatherly figure for Cas who reminded Poppy of Viktor. He looks out for the wellbeing of Cas and the whole Kingdom of Atlantia, but as I read on and saw how he interacted with Poppy and pulled her aside…Oh. My. Goodness…This man is such a little instigator!! Like, he always hints at something big to Poppy, she of course asks for him to elaborate, then he’s all “Oh, Casteel didn’t tell you? Oh well, I really shouldn’t….” but then TELLS HER WHAT IT WAS LITERALLY EVERY TIME ANYWAYS! It usually was some sort of information or leading to something really important, but it always lead to another rift between Cas and Poppy, to which I wanted to yell to Alastir: “Stop blowing holes in my ship!” very much like Captain Jack Sparrow. Towards the end, I wasn’t exactly sure how I felt about him; he reminds me of Varys from Game of Thrones a little bit. He means well, but I have a feeling he’s going to double-cross Cas in some major way later because it’s “for the good of Atlantia” or some BS like that. We’ll see, but I’ve got my eyes on him. (side note: not really a spoiler but more a theory: he was totally behind the final moments of the book with Poppy being drawn away, and with that group of people!)
Poppy and Cas Both Seem Convinced That The Other Doesn’t Have Any Feelings…I mean, that pretty much sums it up to be honest. I guess it could sort of fall under the “fake dating” trope except that we know it’s actually a fake marriage based off how the previous book ended. Poppy doesn’t know what’s real or just pretend when it comes to Cas, especially with his feelings regarding her. He kisses her, is always touching her in some way and calls her beautiful, but part of her is always questioning if he’s sincere or totally faking it all for the sake of putting on a charade. I know I said the romance was absolutely amazing, but I admit I did get slightly annoyed by this after a while. I swear, Kieran was quoting me directly from my thoughts at how DONE he was with the two of them and probably heard their mutual love towards each other at separate times, but both were convinced the other felt absolutely nothing in return…the whole thing was one big angsty mess for a bit there! Add in the fact that he probably sits there as they both separately grovel to him with their woes about it all, and I pretty much picture Kieran looking like the disappointed man with hands on his hips meme…

Conclusion:

Overall, this series is quickly turning into a massive highlight of 2020, which has to be the worst year for literally everyone. These books are like a North Star shining through the smog and destruction, and gives me hope to get through all this crap that is pretty much this year in general, so I guess I owe Jennifer L. Armentrout a huge thanks for these absolute gems of books! I’m officially obsessed!

I still recommend these books to anyone who’s looking for a steamy Fantasy genre romance: much like authors like Sarah J. Maas, Stephanie Garber, Leigh Bardugo, Susan Dennard, Karen Marie Moning, and Laura Thalassa just to name a few! They’re all just great at writing romance stories with the brave, young woman with the morally grey, dark and brooding prince type of male with cheeky one-liners thrown in at almost every chance!

My mind wasn’t completely blown like most of the fandom when I finished this book, but I will say the ending definitely raises a few brows in an incredibly good way! I for one wasn’t fully expecting it to get to the level that it did, even if the author hasn’t been hinting at it throughout the entirety of this book. It also certainly raises even more questions, and I for one am already looking forward to when the next book gets released in early/mid 2021.

P.S: We’ve been told that there will two more books for the series, PLUS a bonus book told from Casteel’s perspective! I was hoping that’d be the case because spoiler: the end of this book includes a bonus chapter of his perspective of the night with Poppy at the Red Pearl!