The War of Two Queens (From Blood and Ash #4)

˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗˗ˏˋ ★ ˎˊ˗ (5 stars)

To be honest, I’m not sure this book was as good as the first 3 in the series…however, I’m not sure I believe Armentrout can do any wrong. I’m so incredibly invested in these characters, and I’m already ready for the next book in the series. That’s why it got 5 stars; I’m biased AF. I already can tell I’m probably going to rate the next book that high too! I’ve been sucking in these books SOOOO fast, and to think I have to wait several months until the next one!

but first, the summary

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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.

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**some spoiler highlights**

📚 📚 📚 📚HIGHLIGHTS: 📚 📚 📚 📚

**THE JOINING – Let’s talk about the elephant in the room: The Joining. I’ve been 100% positive that the Joining would happen at some point in this series. Every book we’ve slowly inched toward the inevitable. I’m pretty sure some of us really hoped it wouldn’t happen and some of us wanted nothing but. As Kieran and Poppy grew closer, I was actually kind of excited to read a book getting into polyamory and doing it so well. It took its time and didn’t rush, it was believable, they were bonding, and no one was threatened. It was awesome….until it happened…and I didn’t really like it. It was confusing…like who’s hands were WHERE? What the HECK was happening? I kept thinking it would like…make some sense and then it like didn’t. I just felt like if Armentrout was going to go there, then she should have GONE THERE. Like commit 100% to it. And if it was really JUST about keeping Kieran safe and a really close friendship…then why did it keep having to talk about their feelings all vaguely and stuff…? I don’t know. Let’s hope it clears up in the next book.

**MORTAL VS ATLANTIAN VS GOD VS PRIMAL – As much as any Fantasy-genre lover, I do enjoy a good spin where the character ends up being much more than you originally thought. Originally, we believe Poppy is the Chosen mortal. Then, we discover she’s ATLANTIAN….but no, now she’s a god. And to be honest, it could have ended there for me and I would have been very happy. Once it got to Primal, I couldn’t help feeling like it was a bit much. And to be honest, ‘Primal’ doesn’t sound quite as exciting or as powerful as a ‘God.’ Maybe it should have been called a ‘Titan’ instead?

**WHERE’S CASTEEL? – Let me start by saying, I’m REALLY glad it was hard work to get Casteel back. I’ve read so many books where everything happens so fast and they just magically make it all work and that’s so ridiculously unrealistic. Armentrout made Poppy and us work for it, and I loved that. On the flip side…for a book where the whole point of reading it is about Casteel and Poppy and their undying love for one another and the smut that ensues because of that…it felt a bit weird for him to be gone like a big gaping hole. I could have done with it being a bit shorter….or for Armentrout to really explore Kieran in the meantime. I’m a spice addict and she made us work for it too!

**INDEPENDENT POPPY – I may have just complained about Casteel not being around, but I must admit I did enjoy seeing Poppy grow into herself and her character without Casteel. Yes, a lot of the time she was enraged or depressed or lost without him, but she also was battling overwhelming power and emotions and asserting herself as a Queen. For a character that was caged and had no control over her life before, it was incredibly enjoyable to see her come into her independence, confident in her power and her ability to turn the situation around.

**ARMENTROUT IS THRIVING – I have been reading Jennifer Armentrout’s books for over a decade now, far before she became such a popular #BookTok writer. I’ve read the Dark Elements series, Lux series, the Covenant series, and her contemporary ‘With Me’ romance novels. She has long been one of my favorite authors. In library world, her books have always been challenging to classify — were they YA or adult fantasy? They were always WAY too spicy for some readers. The thing I kept saying to myself while reading the Blood and Ash novels though is that no matter how much I have loved her past books, I am BLOWN away but how much better of a writer Armentrout has become. She’s really grown into her storytelling and world building. She’s managed to keep the romance and smut from being cheesy (which is actually very challenging), and she has gotten really good at telling original stories. She’s absolutely thriving and I CANNOT wait to keep reading more of her work!

📚 📚 📚 📚CONCLUSION: 📚 📚 📚 📚
ALL IN ALL, I loved this book just like all the other Blood and Ash novels. Series like this that suck me in where I don’t want to do anything else but READ THE VERY NEXT BOOK are the types of series I live for. Absolutely DIVINE

where to read it

The War of Two Queens by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Available on Amazon in Paperback & Hardback, as well as via eBook through Kindle Unlimited