Last year, I’ve read A Fire in the Flesh by Jennifer L. Armentrout, the third novel in the “Flesh and Fire” series. I had a tough time with that book and I was wondering whether I should finish this series, as I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I do with “Blood and Ash”. It’s the companion series, so I figured it would be the best if I indeed finish it in order to gain all the necessary iformation for the main series. Was this a wise decision?

Just a quick note: from now on, I will provide information on the audiobooks for every new book I review. I’m a frequent audiobook listener myself and many people seem to gravitate towards them. So, why not provide any info?

Born of Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Series: Flesh and Fire #4
Published by Blue Box Press on August 13, 2024
Pages: 770
Genres: Fantasy, New adult, Romantasy
Rating: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/92839106-4882-492d-ad45-3a9cde6dcacb

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes the thrilling conclusion to her beloved Flesh and Fire series… 
The line between love and obsession has never been wider. 
While Sera is finally free of Kolis and back with those she loves, not everything is calm. Memories of all she’s endured still haunt her, but Sera finally has hope for a future with the other half of her heart and soul. Nyktos desires, loves, and accepts every part of her—even the monstrous bits she still battles. 
More than ever, Sera and Ash have everything under the realms to fight for, and Nyktos has no doubt Sera is fit to be the Queen of the Gods. But she must find that faith within herself if they hope to convince the other Courts to support them against Kolis and make Iliseeum and the mortal realm better, safer places for all. 
But as Sera begins to piece together the importance of her bloodline and the true meaning behind the foreboding prophecy, it becomes clear that everything that has happened and is yet to come is much bigger than Kolis and his dark obsessions.
They cannot help but wonder exactly how much influence the Fates have had and what their ultimate goal is. What Sera does know for sure is that they can trust very few—including her. 
A battle between the gods is brewing, and heartbreaking losses are imminent with the true Primal of Death strengthening. With a family of the heart willing to battle by their side, can Sera and Nyktos stop Kolis before he destroys the realms, or will it all disappear in a fiery inferno of blood and ash? 
And the line between justice and vengeance has never been so thin.

Before reading

To be honest, I wasn’t expecting a lot from this final book in this series. The story already felt dragged out in the previous book, it took me about 70% before I enjoyed that particular book. This final book is a huge one, with 770 pages and 37 hours in the audiobook. Yes, it felt intimidating. I was hoping to be sucked in much sooner now, as Armentrout used to be one of my autobuy authors. I was hoping to get as much enjoyment as I got from the “Lux”, “The Dark Elements” and “Harbinger” series. These series never bored me at all. This one however, does and although I hoped this time would be different, I knew that somehow would be wishful thinking. So I went in with a lot of reluctance, but I just wanted this series to get over with.

Characters

One of my biggest issues with this entire series are the characters. Whereas I love Poppy and Casteel and their banter, I don’t feel the same for Sera and Nyktos. They feel quite similar to Poppy and Casteel and I find them lacking personality. I can’t describe these characters’ personalities because I simply don’t know. Sera is an anxious mess, which is not surprising after everything she endured. However, she doesn’t really grow in her character arc and that’s unfortunate, especially for a final instalment in a series. Nyktos on the other hand was way too horny, he only seems to think about sex. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind smut at all, but this book was too much of it. It already started at the first chapter. I enjoyed the little drakens though, I loved their interactions with Sera and Nyktos. Reaver especially is growing so fast. He still is a youngling, but already wise beyond his age. Besides these characters there are a lot of side characters. Maybe a bit too many, because I couldn’t remember anything and anyone. Who were they and what was their role and relation to Sera and Nyktos again? I mean, a large cast of characters is good, but this one was a bit too large. Their names were similar as well.

Writing

Whereas Armentrout often manage to suck me in with her writing, it felt pretty repetitive this time. Not much was happening and it felt like she was confused herself on multiple occassions. Moreover, the chapters were incredibly long. It therefore felt dragging. I had to stop in the middle of a chapter every single time because I just couldn’t finish one before I cut put the book down. I’m not the biggest fan of long chapters, especially when the plot is not intriguing either.

Plot

As stated before, this series has one big issue and that is the pacing. Each book is Way too long. The plot feels repetitive in every single book and I am wondering why. This book could have been at least 400 pages shorter, because the first 70% was incredibly boring. Not much happens, there was a lot of talking and little to no action. Apart from in the bedroom, but that’s not the action I was anticipating. I wanted – and even expected – nerve-wrecking battles in order to conquer Colis once and for all. Instead, that part felt really rushed. The final 20 chapters felt rushed anyway, even though the action picks up. A lot is happening, finally, but I would have prefered a better distribution of these events. This could have kept me on the edge of my seat instead of falling asleep multiple times. Furthermore, I don’t have the feeling I gathered all the necessary information for the continuation of the “Blood and Ash” series, since this is still a blur to me. The world feels very complicated. Yes, there’s another companion novel, Visions of Blood and Ash, but that’s not for me because it provides too many maps. Why should I need yet another guide in order to understand a series anyway.

Final thoughts

Unfortunately, but not unsurprising, I didn’t enjoy Born from Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout. This is a very disappointing series finale. The characters, who I didn’t enjoy in the first place, made themselves insufferable and boring. The writing feels repetitive and the first 70% is incredibly boring. I zoned out a lot, because that was possible. This book could have been at least 400 pages shorter as it would make this story more njoyable. I will finish the “Blood and Ash” series though, but I hope that won’t become such a disappointment either.