A Light in the Flame: A Flesh and Fire Novel

Ana S.

Even better than the first book!

"Let me just say something right off the bat, you guys are not ready. Armentrout has once again created a masterpiece. A devastatingly beautiful story, that will have you wanting to strangle some characters a few times, and an ending that will probably have you gasping and wanting to physically harm a specific character in a way you never thought before! A Light in the Flame picks up right where A Shadow in the Ember left off, like right after that bombshell revelation about who Sera actually is and sadly how close her end might be. Before we go any further, a reminder once again, this review will contain major spoilers from book one, so please don't read past this point!! So Sera is very set on her ways to complete her duty. I completely understand that Sera was insistent on going to Kolis and continue with the initial plan that was set for Nyktos, but her instance also came about because she found herself being cared for. For the first time in her life someone actually cared about her wellbeing, someone is there for her if she wants to talk, simply put, someone is there for her. And she has no idea what to do with it. As we learned in book one, Sera carries the Embers of Life. The reason why Daddy Nyktos' daddy (get it, daddy? because Ash is daddy Nyktos and I'm talking about his actual dad? No? Okay, I'm cool I promise!) made the deal with her family and the reason why she is meant to be his consort, his Liessa, his queen. Because she carries the Embers in her, Nyktos is trying his hardest to keep her safe (also, because he really likes her and he likes her sexy body), keep her alive until he can figure out a way to remove the Embers without harming her and without her loosing her life if she Ascends. The problem with Nyktos' plan is that he expects Sera to value her life more than she actually does, for her to stay still and to not run into battle any chance she gets and to not be willing to still fulfill her duty, "make him fall in love with her and then kill him." But "him" it's not Nyktos, it has never been. It's Kolis. The fake Primal of Life. Sera finds herself without purpose and a realm of possibilities she never expected to have. She is sort of spiraling and the only ways she can cope with the knowledge that Nyktos was the wrong primal, she is the reincarnation of Kolis' human obsession, she might perish before she turns 21 (which is coming up in just a few months) and that Nyktos can never actually fall in love with her, is by being a bit... destructive. Sera is willing to risk her life to make sure no one dies protecting her and do whatever is in her power to restore balance with the Primals, even if it kills her. Nyktos is also... stubborn. Some of the decisions he made had me wondering what in the hell he was actually thinking when he decided that was the best course of action. Some of the issues they dealt with could have been prevented if they just were honest and talked things through, but I think because both Sera and Nyktos are trying to understand whatever it is they are feeling toward each other and not having to communicate is their usual MO things didn't always work in their favor. Of course A Light in the Flame is not all problems, battles and sadness. There are so very spicy, sexy times that had me sweating and wishing I could find my own Ash. Sera and Ash have much to figure out, but their character development through the 652 pages of this beautiful book takes us through their highs and lows in the most amazing ways that you will not be able to stop reading. As I said earlier in this post, A Light in the Flame is a devastatingly beautiful and heartbreaking book, with moments that made me laugh in ways I didn't' expect, exasperation levels I didn't think I could reach and some of the most swoon worthy moments I have read in quit some time. Armentrout created a beautiful masterpiece and you will not want to miss a single word of it. ["

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November 15, 2022 Verified Purchase

Jeraca

Love love love this series! A must read!

"This is my honest review. With almost all of JLA's books, the second I get them, I DEVOUR them. Inhale them. One sitting type deal. But with ALITF, I savored it, took my time. I read it for 4 days (which to some may still be speed reading, but I typically read a book a day, so this was definitely "slow" for me). And ya'll? The EMOTION I felt? I seriously felt every single emotion from Sera throughout this book. And let me tell you, a certain chapter? I felt devastation, utter heartbreak and it took me hours before I could pick up the book again because I knew JLA wouldn't leave it like that. But I couldn't get over how much my heart felt from these characters. That's how amazing JLA is at creating worlds, characters, stories, and emotions somehow emote off of the page and into my soul. This is why I will read any and all works by JLA. Because she makes me become lost in the moment, sucked into the world, and feel every amazing feeling. Authors are honestly creating magic every time, and JLA will always be my number 1 with her amazing talent. Sera and Nyktos? They have my heart. I believe more so than Poppy and Cas at this point. I love the way they are with each other, I love the way they react to one another. I love this storyline and how we can see the power growing in both of them. And how determined they both are. Sera is my favorite. She has been taught to do one thing her entire life, and when that time has now come, everything she knew was wrong. And then she finally gets to LIVE for once, and seeing her discover things she never knew? I was living with her. She is strong-willed, determined, but also level minded. When bad news comes, she is down to earth and understands what every decision means. And she's so selfless. She comes to the bitter acceptance of choices more than most would, and she does so with the understanding that it's the best decision. And Nyktos? He is so stubborn and thinks he can fix everything. I also loved seeing him grow more throughout this novel. He still made a ton of mistakes that caused a lot of issues that didn't need to happen, but, again, stubborn. He also refuses to think of decisions that will make him unhappy, which is enduring in a sense, but also reckless in my opinion. That ending? JLA is known for leaving the reader wanting more and that is where I'm at right now. Definitely wouldn't call it a cliffhanger in the sense that I've read a cliffhanger by JLA and I am surviving this one just fine right now. But I am very intrigued to see how everything will unfold in book 3. Because things just got VERY interesting at the end and I am so so excited to see it come to it's conclusion and how it will get intertwined with the FBAA series. I will honestly be drowning in the emotions I've embraced from this book until I get my hands on book 3 because it was so powerful and dug into my bones how much I felt from this book. I love everything in this novel and I love everything JLA writes. I'm so happy I savored this book and, as always, I cannot wait for JLA's next masterpiece! ["

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November 15, 2022 Verified Purchase

CellarDoorReads

Not my normal synopsis review!

"It’s hard to find a place to start. I’m always drawn into the storylines and characters more than I can imagine. I love reading The From Blood and Ash Series, but now to read the prequels almost simultaneously, is something I haven’t experienced before but only Jennifer Armentrout can make you laugh, cry, love, scream, and relate to the raw emotions of these characters. When a character would appear from the FBAA series and we would dive deeper into their lives it would leave me in chills. I promise you will not realize you could love a character more than you already do, but this is Jennifer writing a story. Being able to relate to a character, such as Sera and her struggles stood out first in my thoughts. The story is remarkable. I have rarely read an author that can keep you turning the page and have you sincerely feeling what the characters are also feeling on the pages. It’s magical. Sera and Nyktos. I remember in my review of A Shadow in the Ember, thirty-six was a little thing but hit my heart in such a different way. When I read, thirty-six again and knowing the sweet meaning behind it made me have tears in my eyes. Being seen and having the little things as this cherished by someone of extreme importance can mean the world to someone. Sera struggles with anxiety. A fantasy character that has real, true emotions as we do in the real world helps you connect that much more. To know the feelings and see her cope and have someone she can trust to see it, recognize it, and love her unconditionally is monumental. I have anxiety and have experienced a version of this and I have found my two that I can open up to and see my internal struggles as Nyktos really sees Sera. They go through so much, yet he consistently checks in on how she is “really” feeing. Kolis is the worst. Well, now there are a few on the same level with him, but he sum of evil. The embers of life are felt inside Sera as they desperately try to hide them from Kolis. I felt for awhile that Sera felt she was separate from the embers and they belonged to Sotoria. Bythe end, you are left puzzling out if Sera is and the embers of life are tied to her just as much as they were tied to Sotoria. This isn’t a normal review because it’s not a normal book. I didn’t even get to Nektas, Jadis, REAVER, Holland and I could go on and on, but this was the first time in a long while wanting more instantly! Jennifer, you have penned another masterpiece. The words thank you are never enough. ["

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November 18, 2022 Verified Purchase

Teresa

My favorite in this world to date!

"This world hooked me from the very first book and I love how much this world has expanded and that we have gotten to explore so many corners of this world. I’ve loved every book in the Blood & Ash universe, but I wasn’t sure anything could top Crown Of Gilded Bones…. but A Light In The Flame did. This book is my favorite to date and it just knocked it out of the park. I adore Sera and Nyktos. I love how Sera is such a fighter but still has her struggles and I love her snark. She never backs down and fights for the things that are important to her. And Nyktos… he is just…. I love him. I love him so much. He is one who’s actions speak louder than words and his actions SCREAM. I love their chemistry and their banter is so much fun. AND THEN WE HAVE NEKTAS. He may just be my favorite. I loved him and his commentary and just everything about him. Also honorable mention to Reaver and Jadis who are such sweeties and seeing little Reaver melts my heart. There is a lot I love about this series but I especially love how it explains so much about what Cas and Poppy are dealing with in their time. It’s also a testament to how knowing where things end up for some characters doesn’t necessarily take away from the story. This had me on edge and was very hard to put down. Up to now I’ve been slightly more partial to Cas and Poppy’s story… but this book changed the game. Sera and Nyktos just stole my heart in this one and everything about this book was engrossing. I hate comparing them because I really love them both and just this world in general, but there is no denying this one was my favorite by a long shot. The moment I closed the book I wanted to start it all over again. A Light In The Flame simply delivered. Easily one of my favorite books of the year and the end knocked me on my behind. I truly cannot wait to see how all of these books come together into one story. I have so many questions and I keep trying to put all the pieces together and I just can’t wait to finally see the full picture. ["

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November 15, 2022 Verified Purchase