The War of Two Queens: Blood and Ash, Book 4

THIS REVIEW IS NOT SPOILER FREEThis is a worthy successor to the four books before and while answering a lot of questions, opens just a many more. What/who is Callum? Will Malik and Milly get together? What’s going on with Tawny? What does the Gods waking up mean for the kingdoms? Is the Rot back? Those are just a fraction of the so many questions I have.What a wild, intense, emotional ride. I loved every bit of this book and can’t wait for the next one.Thoughts on poor reviewsFirst, my thoughts on the poor reviews since they seem to mostly center around the Poppy, Cass, Kieran relationship. Anyone who didn't see the Joining coming did not read the same books I did. It has been talked about and hinted at Book Two - A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, so it should come as NO surprise to anyone. It was first used a tool to freak poor Poppy out by Alistair but then it was talked about as a way to extend Poppy's life. Poppy didn't want to do it at that time because she didn't want to take a chance of Kieran dying because his life was tied to hers. It was because of her love for him. When the Joining finally happens, it is to save Kieran’s life. However, Poppy has already been thinking about it even before the Blood Queen’s curse because she couldn’t bare to think about life without Kieran. Anyone complaining about the Joining absolutely do not get this relationship at all.We also need to remember this was already the Bond between Cas and Kieran before Poppy ever came into the picture. That Bond had been there practically since birth. And, yes, it was broken when the Primal Notam settled with Poppy but that DIDN’T CHANGE the love that Cas and Kieran had for each other. They were closer than brothers. When Poppy connected to all of the wolven, she became so much more.I can’t even begin to fathom where people are coming up with Poppy cheating on Cas. We already knew he was okay with a Joining and even so, nothing actually happened between Kieran and Poppy until the Joining except for her feeding from his wrist. I actually think this was a very sweet scene, extremely well written by JLA. Kieran and Poppy have always been a bit flirtatious with each other. I mean who many times has Poppy said she was going to stab Kieran? That’s foreplay for her and Cas. It’s just natural for this to be part of the Kieran/Poppy relationship as well.Now onto my thoughts about this amazing book.I’ve read books with some pretty twisted characters but The Blood Queen takes first prize is twisted characters. To treat her daughters this way… I just can’t even… To raise Poppy just to be a sacrifice to bring Kolis back is unforgivable. Then to tell Poppy she killed Malec instead of her because she loves her? Really? I’d like some popcorn and a front row seat at her torture in the Abyss please and thank you.The Cass/Poppy/Kieran relationship – Perfectly set up if you were even paying half attention to the previous books and even if you weren’t, what else would you expect from Poppy when she realized she would outlive BOTH Cas and Kieran. She is a Primal after all. The Joining ceremony was extremely well written as only JLA can do. A bit awkward. A bit romantic. A bit ritual. A bit hot. I’m so glad the morning after wasn’t weird between them. Once the Joining took worked, it shouldn’t be. I was really happy with Poppy being surprised that it wasn’t awkward.The buildup to the final scenes had me needing life support. I felt the tension from the characters. Hell, I was tense. I wanted to hide under my covers, but then I couldn’t find out what happened next. LOLPoppy handled receiving Cas’ ring and finger much better than I did. Glad I didn’t have her powers because my house would have been flattened.The secrets that Cas’ parents kept would have had me never speaking to them again. I mean, it’s one thing to keep something that would only hurt from your children but to keep something as important from them as who the Blood Queen really is, is beyond forgivable. Arguably, they are at fault for Malik’s and Cas’ capture and for this whole bloody mess. I hope we get more of an explanation as to why they did this in the next book or two…if there is an explanation.Then the loss of all of our friends during the final battle. OMG! I had a heart attack. So glad the Consort fixed that otherwise I would have been in mourning for years.I could go on forever but hopefully, this will give someone the courage to go on and read this amazing book despite the haters.

The War of Two Queens is the fourth book in the Blood and Ash series.I thankfully was able to avoid all spoilers before reading, so I went into this book completely blind which I’m really grateful for.While, this book is not my favorite in the series I still really loved it and was captivated by the story and characters. I did completely devour this book all in one sitting as well and I just loved all the world building we got.This book is definitely more fantasy heavy then the others, with more political and war elements involved so it was a bit slow, especially in the beginning. But the last half absolutely made it all worth it, as I was on the edge of my seat and so intrigued on where the story was heading.There is a lot of foreshadowing and clues throughout this book, so I wasn’t that shocked with some of the twists that occurred. Some however, definitely did catch me off guard and I’m excited for those to be explored upon more.I definitely would recommend reading A Shadow in the Ember first as it tie-ins beautifully with this book. Some of my theories were spot on as well but I still have a lot of questions and several new theories after reading this book.I loved having Casteel’s POV, thought that was such a great bonus. However, I would have liked a bit more character development from him.While, a lot of the side characters weren’t as prominent in this book as I had wanted, Reaver absolutely made up for it. He’s definitely my new favorite character and his banter with Kieran was hilarious.Again, this book definitely focuses more on the war aspect so a lot of people do end up dying and there are some somber moments. Also, Casteel isn’t rescued until 60% into the book so he does end up being captive and tortured for a bit, which was heartbreaking to read.Poppy is absolutely amazing in this book, just loved her growth and development. I also loved her connection with Kieran and all the other characters. She is definitely growing into a badass Queen and true leader, so I’m very excited for her to continue growing.The spice is incredible and we do get the joining as well even though it isn’t very descriptive. I really enjoyed it though, as the focus was more on the emotional bond and connection between them all instead of the physical part. Chapter 32 is also just perfection and Cas losing control was *chefs kiss*Those last 50 pages were so action packed and intense. Isbeth got what she deserved and I loved how it was Seraphena who made it happen. No one messes with her family as she said in A Shadow in the Ember.Now, in regards to the big issue with Kieran and Poppy’s relationship I personally did not feel like there was any emotional cheating happening. While there were a few eye-raising moments, I felt that their relationship and bond grew over their shared pain and trauma over Casteel’s captivity. They obviously care a lot about each other and that has been building throughout the entire series, so it just grew and was expanded on a lot more in this book. I will say that there are various types of love and I personally think JLA did a wonderful job writing that. Again, I see where people are coming from and their opinions are a hundred percent valid, it’s just for me I didn’t see any cheating involved and had no problem with the growth of Poppy and Kieran’s connection.I will say though, I think there does need to be a bit more clarification on Poppy, Casteel and Kieran’s dynamic now and how that will affect the rest of the series.Overall, I know there’s a lot of discord with this book and how certain aspects were developed. For me though, I just really enjoyed this book and cannot wait for the next one.

Essa mulher tem algum pacto ou fez uma feitiçaria, porque eu simplesmente NÃO CONSIGO parar de ler.Digo com tranquilidade que esse é o melhor livro da saga até o momento. Tem trisal? NÃO. Cuidado com quem se revoltou com uma cena do livro, que em nada altera o comportamento dos personagens ou muda a relação. Poppy e Casteel são um casal, e isso não envolve o Kieran. Quem diz o contrário, é mentira.The War of Two Queen encerra uma parte dessa história, quando a Poppy finalmente descobre tudo por trás dos planos da Isbeth. Mas esse é apenas um pedacinho, porque no fim entendemos que tudo está apenas começando. A guerra está apenas começando. Isbeth é só um peão. Ansioso por The Primal of Blood and Bone e A Fire in the Flesh!É incrível como tudo se conecta, desde From Blood and Ash até A Shadow in the Ember. Para quem não leu o spin-off: está perdendo, pois profecias e segredos estão todos interligados entre a série principal e o spin-off.

I've been following this series since book 1, i fell in love with the characters right there in FBaA, now we can see that all that happened in TCoGB AND twotq was foretold in FBaA and AKOFAFMost theory revelations were not big shocks, or major plot twists, i mean, there were a lot of surprises, but nothing just came out of the blueYou don't see it at first, but world building really did start in book 1, we just didn't understand, the Ascension, the rite, the maiden, the vamprys, we started getting the explanation to all of that from book one, book 3 gets a tad confusing, but then in this book, against all odds, it makes complete sense, it ALL makes sense nowNot all questions are answered, but you do get more answers that questions in this oneDon't let bad reviews discourage you, the books are amazingEnjoy ❤️

Holy Moly!I'm at a loss for words after finishing The War of Two Queens (TWOTQ). I feel like my mind is blown into many pieces after reading it. This book is a masterpiece. If you have read my reviews in the past you would know I'm a huge fan of Jen's since 2011. Her writing since has made me addicted to read anything she will write because they are all amazing. She has out done herself with this one because I would give her a standing ovation.The War of Two Queens is the fourth book in the Blood and Ash series and it has so many twists and turns that you won't expect. Poppy's family tree is definitely the most intriguing as well as many other characters we start to get to know better. I would recommend you read A Shadow in the Ember before reading this. There is very important information that you will need to know. So go pick it up!One thing I did love in this one was Poppy and Cas. I will always enjoy reading about them and the things that Casteel says will make you swoon. I was definitely highlighting as I was reading because the information was so important because while we love the romance, this one was plot driven and I loved learning everything along with Poppy. JLA's character development was phenomenal, these characters have gone through so much especially Poppy as she is coming into her powers in each book. She is a total badass even as a Queen.This book was absolutely epic! I'm already looking forward to the fifth book and the next Flesh and Fire book! Thank you Jen for allowing me to review all of your amazing books. I cannot wait to see what will happen! If you haven't started this series yet, go do it immediately!

The media could not be loaded.  Al fin he podido comprar el 4° libro de la saga! Ha llegado en buen estado, es bastante grueso. Tengo muchas ganas de empezar a leerlo!

Perfect conditions , arrived on time !