Review: A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout
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Introduction:
Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel’s future has never been hers. Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort.
However, 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—one target. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then…end him. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot.
Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Until him. Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her. And his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s never allowed herself to feel and cannot feel for him. But Sera has never had a choice. Either way, her life is forfeit—it always has been, as she has been forever touched by Life and Death.
Review:
Reviewed By Dakota Watson
I tend to avoid JLA books like the plague if at all possible. Not because they aren’t good. It’s because they are TOO good and I know from experience the books and the authors that’s going to follow in my TBR list are going to suffer like crazy and pale in comparison by lightyears by no fault of theirs at all. I truly feel for them. But as my husband had decided to buy every book in my wish list (majority being JLA books) as a Christmas present now I HAVE to read at least one series so he doesn’t frown whenever he sees that pile of JLA books I’ve neatly tucked away in the shelf. I love you so much baby but I hate you right now. lol! So here goes!
I understand JLA’s Flesh and Fire series is a foreshadowing or prequel series to her Blood and Ash series, set in the same world, and a lot of people were really disappointed by similarities in characters and the premise. However as I haven’t read the latter I had no such complaints and managed to thoroughly enjoy this book. If you are a fan of JLA by now we already know her world building is always sublime. This case was no different. I loved the expansive world A Shadow in The Ember was set in with it’s pantheon of Primals, Gods, Drakens and mortals and the realms as well as their unique kingdoms. The premise sounds cheesy and unoriginal when you glance at the synopsis because the assassin princess trope has been adapted over and over, BUT once you start reading you know JLA is going to take you for a wild rollercoaster ride throughout the story with action, mystery, suspense, unexpected plot twists, romance and a galore of spice and A Shadow in The Ember did just that.
Sera’s character was to die for. She was a kickass FMC. I truly loved her. She was headstrong, impulsive, stubborn and independent but very rational, curious and open to walking in someone else’s shoes at the same time. I loved how she never seemed to have a ‘brain to mouth’ filter. She was very blunt and straightforward.
Ash/Nyctos was a brilliant MMC too. For someone that powerful, I loved how he was vulnerable and inexperienced in some areas, wink! wink!. This was heartwarming. I love myself a story alphahole but there is a certain secretive allure to a vulnerable man, isn’t there? He too was a logical character yet flawed and morally grey. Most of all he was unintentionally funny. I know this was VERY intentional on JLA’s part but I loved how she managed to make him so.
I absolutely loved their banter and sarcastic back and forth, even while trying to be intimate. Their interactions were beautifully written. From start to finish it was impossible not to love them both.
My only complaint about the book is that there were some chapters that were very conversation heavy. While I understand these chapters were essential to building the story, I didn’t feel any connection to the characters in them, especially the chapters with the side characters.
Apart from this tiny hitch in my enjoyment of A Shadow in The Embers, I devoured this book in two sittings.
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