Name: A Shadow in the Ember
ISBN: 9781952457487

Jennifer L. Armentrout

#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 world of the Blood and Ash Series. The story of Nyktos and his Consort. And how their love shaped the realms for all time.

A Shadow in the Ember

Chrissie Smith

Autumn Hunsinger

Lila Raymond

Maria Eugenia Espinal

Miss Bookworm

Megan Lapides

Abigail | 

Somehow 4 book into this series, I understand less than when I started.

emily  amata

arwen

Syrina

i think it’s the best book i’ve ever read. you have to read it after the first 3 FBAA books. the end is a HUGE shock and brings everything together perfectly for the next FBAA book. i was dumbfounded at the end unlike any other book. JLA really knows how to end books on a cliffhanger that MAKES you pick up the next one immediately 

Gia Chicka

Sidney Schaffner

** spoiler alert **
           Honestly, was exactly like the first FBAA book. Love a thick main character who can kick ass. Noticed there were more POC in this book. Love when a main character is the one doing the betraying and not getting betrayed. Semi good spice.

A bit of a slow start to this one as she creates the world, but Sera is a likable protagonist. There are enough surprises to keep you going and invested, enough steamy bits to keep the tension up, and details that create some truly lovely scenes. Can’t wait till you read the lake scene. 👌🏼

Kristen Savage

3.5 nothing happened, i predicted every twist, but somehow i still loved every second ? 

Sage Palmer 

When I first read this book I was obsessed with it but after reading the Blood and ash series I've realized that this book is a copy of From blood and ash with just different characters 

Despite that I did enjoy this book and I'm in love with Seraphena and Nyktos. I read this book before I knew that you're supposed to read the From blood and ash series first but I didn't finish the last chapter until after The crown of gilded bones 

That last chapter was crazy ! The last line ! I kind of knew it but I was still shocked nonetheless. I'm not sure if I'll continue the Flesh and fire series but this book was amazing and I am crazy about Sera and Nyktos and their lovers-to-enemies-to-hopefully-lovers-again dynamic 

June

When I first read this book I was obsessed with it but after reading the Blood and ash series I've realized that this book is a copy of From blood and ash with just different characters 

Despite that I did enjoy this book and I'm in love with Seraphena and Nyktos. I read this book before I knew that you're supposed to read the From blood and ash series first but I didn't finish the last chapter until after The crown of gilded bones 

That last chapter was crazy ! The last line ! I kind of knew it but I was still shocked nonetheless. I'm not sure if I'll continue the Flesh and fire series but this book was amazing and I am crazy about Sera and Nyktos and their lovers-to-enemies-to-hopefully-lovers-again dynamic 

Okay so why do I like this series more than From Blood and Ash so far?? I was attached to the main characters almost immediately. The progression of this book just has really good pacing and really didn’t expect too much of what was going on. Very little predictability, spice is a little less but I have a feeling it will build as the series progresses

Ashley Krajnak 

Great read but I did not like this one as much as FBAA series. The building to this world JLA has created is amazing and I’m here for it! 

Roxanne Ramirez

becky oh

Me thinking I don't want to fall in love with a fictional character:



*adding a book to my TBR where I DEFINITELY know I will fall in love no matter what*

Update: I AM SO IN LOVE

(Bre)anne✨

Well now I have a huge book hangover. I was really cautious going into the prequel thinking there was no way a different couple could compete with Poppy and Cas vibes. Well I was wrong. I was ENTHRALLED. This started off somewhat slow but it was all part of the build up and I was along for the ride every step of the way. This had me tearing up at the end. If book one of the prequel has me this way I am not ready for their stories to intertwine!

Abigail

Estefany 

Bueno, honestamente no sabia qué esperar de este spin-off, y como estaba un poco disgustada con el tercer libro de la saga principal, no venia con muchas expectativas. Sorprendentemente, me gustó bastante, no diré que este primer libro es buenísimo porque no. Pero, cumple su función introductoria, sobre Niktos. Y los personajes no están nada mal, por cierto, me gusta mucho el personaje de Ash, es un oso amoroso, y Sera me irrita por momentos, pero me gusta. Ya veremos cómo evolucionan.

La historia me entretuvo mucho, y me mantuvo pegada a sus páginas. Así que estoy deseando leer el segundo libro.

I absolutely loved this book but it did feel like alot of lines and plot points were exactly the same as in From blood and ash. I get that they are books in the same series but it's almost like Jennifer copied From blood and ash almost exactly, just with different named characters. Despite that I did devour this book and I'm obsessed with Seraphena and Nyktos. I read this book before I knew that you're supposed to read the From blood and ash series first but I didn't finish the last chapter until after The crown of gilded bones. That last chapter was crazy ! The last line ! I kind of called it but I was still shocked nonetheless. I'm not sure if I'll continue the Flesh and fire series but this book was amazing and I am crazy about Sera and Nyktos and their lovers-to-enemies-to-hopefully-lovers-again dynamic 

momo-reads

Fun escapism.  Were there scenes lifted from FBAA? Yes, but that didn’t bother me as much as the details lifted from ACOTAR.

freya.nightwolf

Perfection

It's my third read of this book and I loved it every time. Personally, I like it more than "From Blood and Ash" because it has action from the beginning till the end. Yes, FBAA is the starting book of this world, but I feel like even if I were a new reader of this world, and let's say I would've started with the prequel - ASITE - I would still understand this world and how everything started with the actual action of ASITE. So I think ASITE, as a starting book of a series, it's way better than FBAA.

I love Ash, but I have a whole lot of dibs for Nektas :))) Looks like I like playing with death and with fire :))) At the first reading, I followed Jennifer's order of reading and when I read TWOTQ after ASITE, I was screaming because, as a reader, you start to connect things and start having wicked smiles because you know something that the current characters don't, so thank you, Jennifer, for this. Now, in preparation for ALITF, I reread the "Blood and Ash" series first, then ASITE, and being at my third reread, I still have some issues with Sara. I don't mind that she is stubborn, I like that about her, BUT I don't like that she doesn't stop and listen for a bit to what the people around her tell her. This attitude tends to go to arrogance, the exact thing that she's not. If I were her, I would listen to them and try to understand their point of view in perspective. I literally yield at the book: "Sara, just shut up for f*** sake and listen!"

I love the friendship between the Primal and the Gods, the power of choice, and also the trust between them. It reminded me a little bit of the inner circle from ACOMAF. The idea of a powerful King who has friends that chose to be by his side, and trust and respect him for WHO he is and not WHAT he is - not forced ones as Kolis does.

I've found a lot of similarities between Sara and Poppy, and so far "like grandmother, like niece" :)) but I'm very interested in Ires because I'm sure that Poppy took something from her father too. Maybe she can shift [let's see if into a wolf - from her grandfather's side - or a giant cat - like her father]. I'm very happy that Poppy has powers from Nyktos. I mean shadows!!!! and Kieran's statement that "she smells like death"!!! Well her grandfather is death!! and when Nektas said the same thing to Sara [even if it meant completely different things :)))] I couldn't stop laughing :)))

I didn't understand something. In ASITE, Nektas and Reaver have red eyes, but in TCOGB and TWOTQ, they have pale blue/gray eyes... why?!?!?! I'm guessing this will be explained in the following books, but at first reading, it's kind of disturbing... 

I LOVE NEKTAS AND I WANT A BOOK JUST FOR HIM! WE NEED MORE NEKTAS [AS WE NEED MORE REAVER :))))]

Lauren Nicole

3.5/5 Stars

This book would have been rated higher if I hadn’t read FBAA first. There are way too many similarities and repetitive lines and themes; I don’t know how anyone could think they could get away with it. 

Despite that and despite the poor editing, I think ASITE is the better story. I wanted to dislike this book because it was the same thing over and over, but now I find myself angry that I don’t have the next book to continue, lmao.

A Shadow in the Ember is the first book of the Flesh and Fire series, a prequel series to the From Blood and Ash series. I read book 1, 2, and 3 of the Blood and Ash series and then I read this book. Now, I think I'm going to finish the Flesh and Fire series before finishing the Blood and Ash series. I believe you can read both series on their own, but I want to know the full backstory before I finish Blood and Ash. 

A Shadow in the Ember is about the first Maiden before Poppy, Seraphena, someone you already know a little about if you've started the From Blood and Ash series like I did. This book follows the beginning of  Sera's story as she is raised for one purpose: to fulfill a deal her father made with the Primal of Death and stop the Rot from overtaking her kingdom.

I loved the way this story kept me so engrossed. I felt the need to know what happens next and learn the truth of things alongside Sera throughout the entire book. There were plenty of thrilling twists and turns in the plot, and a great level of interpersonal intrigue between the characters.

I also really love the world-building in this series. So many things are so seamlessly blended into this world to make sense together: vampires, gods, werewolves, dragons, and even zombies! You would think it wouldn't work, but in this series it really does. I feel like if all of these story elements were in a universe altogether, it would be in the way portrayed in this series. 

This book is interesting because it almost inverts the enemies-to-lovers trope, a bit like book 1 of Blood and Ash did. Truths become known and then characters that were once friends and even lovers are forced to become enemies in circumstances that feel dire and just on the brink of almost being unforgivable. Reading along as we see just how they will work past the obstacles in their way has been a thrilling ride so far. 

My only minor complaint about this book, if I had to voice one, would be the recurring theme of the main character saying the phrase, "I have so many questions," and the main character being someone known for always asking so many questions. Personally, I feel this calls attention to something that doesn't need attention called to it. I think the author can get away with simply having the character ask questions without pointing out to the reader that they are asking so many questions. I actually don't notice the MC "asking too many questions" until it's pointed out in this way, and then I'm kind of taken out of my immersion as a reader a bit. Otherwise, I love the way the world is revealed to the reader through naturally occurring discourse between the MC and other characters as she also discovers new things about the world alongside you. 

Overall, I loved A Shadow in the Ember and highly recommend this series. It's a book I literally couldn't put down with deliciously painful betrayals, plot twists, clever and very fun-to-read dialogue, lovers-to-enemies-to-hopefully-lovers-again, fantastic world-building, and more. I already have book 2 of the series, A Light in the Flame, and can't wait to find out what happens next!

Kimber Severance 

A Shadow in the Ember is the first book of the Flesh and Fire series, a prequel series to the From Blood and Ash series. I read book 1, 2, and 3 of the Blood and Ash series and then I read this book. Now, I think I'm going to finish the Flesh and Fire series before finishing the Blood and Ash series. I believe you can read both series on their own, but I want to know the full backstory before I finish Blood and Ash. 

A Shadow in the Ember is about the first Maiden before Poppy, Seraphena, someone you already know a little about if you've started the From Blood and Ash series like I did. This book follows the beginning of  Sera's story as she is raised for one purpose: to fulfill a deal her father made with the Primal of Death and stop the Rot from overtaking her kingdom.

I loved the way this story kept me so engrossed. I felt the need to know what happens next and learn the truth of things alongside Sera throughout the entire book. There were plenty of thrilling twists and turns in the plot, and a great level of interpersonal intrigue between the characters.

I also really love the world-building in this series. So many things are so seamlessly blended into this world to make sense together: vampires, gods, werewolves, dragons, and even zombies! You would think it wouldn't work, but in this series it really does. I feel like if all of these story elements were in a universe altogether, it would be in the way portrayed in this series. 

This book is interesting because it almost inverts the enemies-to-lovers trope, a bit like book 1 of Blood and Ash did. Truths become known and then characters that were once friends and even lovers are forced to become enemies in circumstances that feel dire and just on the brink of almost being unforgivable. Reading along as we see just how they will work past the obstacles in their way has been a thrilling ride so far. 

My only minor complaint about this book, if I had to voice one, would be the recurring theme of the main character saying the phrase, "I have so many questions," and the main character being someone known for always asking so many questions. Personally, I feel this calls attention to something that doesn't need attention called to it. I think the author can get away with simply having the character ask questions without pointing out to the reader that they are asking so many questions. I actually don't notice the MC "asking too many questions" until it's pointed out in this way, and then I'm kind of taken out of my immersion as a reader a bit. Otherwise, I love the way the world is revealed to the reader through naturally occurring discourse between the MC and other characters as she also discovers new things about the world alongside you. 

Overall, I loved A Shadow in the Ember and highly recommend this series. It's a book I literally couldn't put down with deliciously painful betrayals, plot twists, clever and very fun-to-read dialogue, lovers-to-enemies-to-hopefully-lovers-again, fantastic world-building, and more. I already have book 2 of the series, A Light in the Flame, and can't wait to find out what happens next!

I loved this read. Truly the best one from JLA thus far; I read this after A Crown of Gilded Bones. I found Sera to be so relatable - I found myself so excited to continue to get to know her. 

This was a 4 star read in my opinion, I took a half star off simply bc the first sex scene between Nyktos and Sera was so dumb lol I was so upset that their first time happened like that. 

That is my only grievance of this book - other than that, I thought it was fantastic. Kind of upset that I have to go back to the world of Poppy and Casteel now lol. 

Tess Martinez

I loved this read. Truly the best one from JLA thus far; I read this after A Crown of Gilded Bones. I found Sera to be so relatable - I found myself so excited to continue to get to know her. 

This was a 4 star read in my opinion, I took a half star off simply bc the first sex scene between Nyktos and Sera was so dumb lol I was so upset that their first time happened like that. 

That is my only grievance of this book - other than that, I thought it was fantastic. Kind of upset that I have to go back to the world of Poppy and Casteel now lol. 

Lily Balderston

ohhhhhh my god I loved the blood and ash series so much but I might've liked this book more. Make sure you read this after Crown of Gilded Bones but before TWOTQ! It gives important context on the first maiden and Nyktos.

Yasmin Giudetti

*Recommendations please* I absolutely loved this book, after having read FBAA series (can’t wait for the 4th book to be released!) it was nice to get to know about Nyktos and his Consort and their back story (I’ll say no more or go into how it links with FBAA).

Whilst I eagerly await the 2nd book to ASITE and the 4th to FBAA, can anyone provide me some recommendations that are very similar to these series please?

I would be most grateful!

Mikala Mawer

“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-a target.” 
I simply cannot fathom how amazing this book is. This is defiantly a new favorite of mine.