nuriacarot's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Violence
Minor: Death of parent
fatkidatheartreads's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
mysterious
3.75
That cliffhanger!!
The similarities between this book and FBAA are glaringly obvious but, hear me out. This one was better. Nyktos x Sera served banter and entertainment more than Hawke x Poppy ever could.
Sera is a badass and Nyktos is my soft yet dangerous angel who I would willingly sacrifice all characters for.
I'm still waiting for a Kieran look alike because that wolf entertains me!
Onto book 2.
The similarities between this book and FBAA are glaringly obvious but, hear me out. This one was better. Nyktos x Sera served banter and entertainment more than Hawke x Poppy ever could.
Sera is a badass and Nyktos is my soft yet dangerous angel who I would willingly sacrifice all characters for.
I'm still waiting for a Kieran look alike because that wolf entertains me!
Onto book 2.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Murder
symabee's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Violence, Blood, Sexual content, and Torture
Moderate: Physical abuse and Death of parent
Minor: Confinement
jen1804's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Love Sera’s character.
Love Nyktos’ character.
Loved the enemies to lovers content.
I love a slow burn but my god was this burn practically a sloth.
I have so many questions and I have immediately forgotten pretty much the entire book.
This whole book was one big info dump and without the help of my trusty friend Shan explaining things to me and also going back through her tabs of the previous FBAA books to link things up I’d be so lost right now. My brain hurts and I don’t wanna have to work this hard when reading.
Plot was good though so I guess JLA is forgiven for frying my brain cells.
Satisfactory ending? Yes
Love Nyktos’ character.
Loved the enemies to lovers content.
I love a slow burn but my god was this burn practically a sloth.
I have so many questions and I have immediately forgotten pretty much the entire book.
This whole book was one big info dump and without the help of my trusty friend Shan explaining things to me and also going back through her tabs of the previous FBAA books to link things up I’d be so lost right now. My brain hurts and I don’t wanna have to work this hard when reading.
Plot was good though so I guess JLA is forgiven for frying my brain cells.
Satisfactory ending? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, War, Death, Blood, Violence, and Sexual content
hapalyn's review
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Death, Injury/injury detail, Blood, Murder, Sexual content, and Violence
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Death of parent
ashlightgrayson's review against another edition
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I found that I had a lot of fun with these characters. Sera reminds me more of Poppy from the From Blood and Ash series than Ash reminds me of Hawke. Overall, both had interesting backstories and were interesting characters. I think the plot twist was reasonably predictable, but the journey to get there was fun enough that I did not mind. Ash and Sera have a lot of banter that is entertaining but also lets us see the character's vulnerability. The side characters are also very memorable and I feel add to the depth of the story. There are lots of fun new creatures introduced into this world (same setting as the From Blood and Ash series) and I can't wait to learn more about it as this series goes on. I feel Armentrout has improved in her world building and pacing and I can appreciate that.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Sexual content
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Cursing
ka_ke's review
adventurous
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
As a “prequel” A Shadow in the Ember is great for people who want to know more about the lore of the From Blood and Ash series. I read it after reading TWOTQs and I don’t know that there is much difference compared to if i had read it before TWOTQs. I found that Sera’s character was thoroughly more enjoyable than Poppy but I also understand why Poppy is the way she is in From Blood and Ash.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Injury/injury detail, Toxic relationship, Classism, Blood, Murder, Religious bigotry, Sexual content, Violence, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, and Misogyny
Minor: Child abuse, Death of parent, and Torture
theespressoedition's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
I thought, "Oh! This book is a spin-off from FBAA so maybe it'll be a little more interesting to me and it'll be different enough from the other books that I'll really enjoy it." Boy, was I wrong. THESE CHARACTERS ARE IDENTICAL.
Like - was there any point when JLA thought, "maybe I should give them different and unique personality traits?" Because Poppy is stabby and inquisitive. So therefore Sera is stabby and inquisitive. Poppy went off to have sex with randos to feel something. Sera went off to have sex with randos to feel something. I genuinely felt like I was reading FBAA all over again with different character names. The only difference? I somehow disliked Sera and Nyktos more than Poppy and Casteel. If they're the same characters, how is that possible? I don't know, it just is.
Someone noticed what I was reading when I was on vacation and said, "do you like your book?" I said, "no, not really." They said, "oh, well, does it at least have good writing?" I said, "no, definitely not." And they said, "why are you reading it then?" And I genuinely didn't have an answer. Why did I read this? Solely because I was hoping it would be a different formula than FBAA.
If you've read FBAA and are hoping for something new - THIS ISN'T IT. It even had the same pacing. Slow as molasses, repetitive as heck, and a super fast-paced and interesting ending with a MASSIVE reveal in the last few pages. I need something new. Stat.
Like - was there any point when JLA thought, "maybe I should give them different and unique personality traits?" Because Poppy is stabby and inquisitive. So therefore Sera is stabby and inquisitive. Poppy went off to have sex with randos to feel something. Sera went off to have sex with randos to feel something. I genuinely felt like I was reading FBAA all over again with different character names. The only difference? I somehow disliked Sera and Nyktos more than Poppy and Casteel. If they're the same characters, how is that possible? I don't know, it just is.
Someone noticed what I was reading when I was on vacation and said, "do you like your book?" I said, "no, not really." They said, "oh, well, does it at least have good writing?" I said, "no, definitely not." And they said, "why are you reading it then?" And I genuinely didn't have an answer. Why did I read this? Solely because I was hoping it would be a different formula than FBAA.
If you've read FBAA and are hoping for something new - THIS ISN'T IT. It even had the same pacing. Slow as molasses, repetitive as heck, and a super fast-paced and interesting ending with a MASSIVE reveal in the last few pages. I need something new. Stat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Gore, Violence, Murder, Sexual content, Torture, and Toxic relationship
sarah_speaks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is just as good as From Blood and Ash…too much so. Sadly, A Shadow in the Ember is basically FBAA with new names for the characters; too many scenes and character dynamics are recycled. I'm still giving ASITE 4.5 stars, just as I gave FBAA 4.5 stars (both rounded up to 5 stars on Goodreads), because it really is an enjoyable read, especially if you haven't read the Blood and Ash series yet. However, ASITE is decidedly less enjoyable than FBAA due to its lack of originality.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Gore, Murder, Violence, and Sexual content
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Animal death, and Death of parent
Minor: Alcohol
josxphinchen's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Death of parent, Blood, Death, Vomit, Violence, Torture, Murder, Gore, Suicidal thoughts, Child death, Injury/injury detail, and Animal death
Moderate: Violence