3.5/5

For fans of: For fans of: vampires, shapeshifters, high fantasy, enemies-to-lovers, morally grey characters, smut, character-driven

Synopsis: Picking up directly where From Blood and Ash ends, Poppy and Cas have a lot to work on in their relationship while news of unrest in Atlantia meets them on their way there. In addition, Poppy’s powers are changing. Flashbacks, voices, and magic are stirring within her. Both have their own agendas crossing the kingdom of Solis to reach Atlantia, but their growing attraction to each other and unease among everyone traveling with them are starting to muddy the waters. They clearly need each other for their goals, but can Poppy forgive Cas for his betrayal and is Cas truly willing to give up his decades long goal for love?

Review: Initial thoughts are that the plot of this series is SLOW. Yes there is mystery and skullduggery afoot, but the plot felt it was just going nowhere. I am also not a fan of the very repetitive dialogue between Poppy “I have a question” and Kieran “Of course you do" as well as Cas “Your violence makes me horny” and Poppy “There is something wrong with you.” I get that Poppy is the reader’s eyes and ears so she doesn’t know much, but Kieran being her tour guide to the world of Atlantia was a big no for me.

Now what I did like is the expansion of characters and world building. Now that we are getting more truth behind the lies, this entire world is absolutely fascinating. We learn so much more about the wolven, Atlantians, and the Ascended. We get so much more history and drama as well as a better understanding of the motives of so many characters. I also love the banter between Poppy and Cas so much more than in the first book. Overall, I am invested in the series and I’m looking forward to the prequel once I finish The Crown of Gilded Bones. I hope the plot picks up and we get more twists and turns as the politics ramps up and tension builds to the inevitable war between Atlantians and Ascended.