It has been over a year now since The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout was published. I’ve read it already upon publication in English, but in the Netherlands we’re about a year behind on the “Blood & Ash” series. And since I reread the Dutch editions of these books as well, I needed to do a quick reread before starting on the English version of book 5. Okay am I still making sense? So to cut things short: I’ve reread the fourth novel in the “Blood & Ash” series, so beware of spoilers.

• Title: The War of Two Queens
• Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
• Series: Blood and Ash #4
• Publication date: March 15, 2022
• Publisher: Blue Box Press
• ISBN: 9781952457722
• Number of pages: 628
• Genre: New Adult, Fantasy
• Format read: Ebook

From the desperation of golden crowns…

Casteel Da’Neer knows all too well that very few are as cunning or vicious as the Blood Queen, but no one, not even him, could’ve prepared for the staggering revelations. The magnitude of what the Blood Queen has done is almost unthinkable.

And born of mortal flesh…

Nothing will stop Poppy from freeing her King and destroying everything the Blood Crown stands for. With the strength of the Primal of Life’s guards behind her, and the support of the wolven, Poppy must convince the Atlantian generals to make war her way—because there can be no retreat this time. Not if she has any hope of building a future where both kingdoms can reside in peace.

A great primal power rises…

Together, Poppy and Casteel must embrace traditions old and new to safeguard those they hold dear—to protect those who cannot defend themselves. But war is only the beginning. Ancient primal powers have already stirred, revealing the horror of what began eons ago. To end what the Blood Queen has begun, Poppy might have to become what she has been prophesied to be—what she fears the most.

As the Harbinger of Death and Destruction.

I was really looking forward to revisit the events of this book. Upon first read, I finished it quite soon, but a year has passed and when I started reading the first chapter of A Soul of Ash and Blood, I realized I forgot a lot and I still had the Dutch edition which was left unread yet. So, I expected to do a quick reread and to be able to remember a lot afterwards. Well, it was a quick reread in deed and I loved every second of it.

As we all know, Casteel is captured by the Blood Queen in the final chapters of book 3. Poppy is determined to get him back, so she and Kieran embark on a journey to free him. They get help ffrom one of Nyktos’ dragons to accomplish this mission. This journey takes up the first part of the book, because the capturing of Casteel is not the only problem they face. On the other hand, there is Casteel who’s being held camptive and also does his best to retrieve as much information as he could to help destroy the Blood Crown once and for all. Also, he reunites with a familiar face he hasn’t seen in a very long time. In the second half, the book gets more interesting as moe events happen. Throughout this novel, you see Poppy grow as a person. She was really insecure and quite naive in the first two and a half books, but is growing into a strong woman now. Casteel is not growing that much, but that’s difficult when being held in a dungeon.

The writing was still intriguing. I like the fact that POVS are alternating between Poppy and Casteel. This way we get as much information as we could possibly get. Furthermore, little cliffhangers are provided which make you want to continue reading.

The plot itself is – to be fair – quite similar to the earlier books. Does that matter? No, not at all. I believe Armentrout did a fantastic job in creating this rich and complex world of this series and it’s only getting even more complex. I love that honestly, because there is a lot to explore. Also, I’m liking Poppy and Casteel, their dynamics are great and interesting as well as their banter. This book provides more information we need in the next book and that’s my current read. So, overall, I really enjoyed my reread of The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout.