A review by tewkie2000
A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout
3.0
“You should’ve thought about that before you picked up that whip,” the Primal growled. “And touched what is mine.” What is mine? Another laugh tickled the back of my throat. Now he claimed me?”
This. This is the greatest achievement in JLA history. Coming so much closer to pointing out how toxic your male love interests are (and it's still kinda sexy?). We aren't quite there but this is progress folks.
OK, preface: I'm not a fan of the FBAA series (JLA's main series. Shadow in the Ember is the prequel) - especially books 2 and 3. I mean, I LOATHED book 2 and 95% of book 3. So the bar was set v low going into A Shadow in the Ember.
And so my expectations were exceeded.
Overview:
The story revolves around our girl secret Princess Sera who has been born and bred for a single purpose: marry the Primal of Death, make him fall in love with her, and kill him to save her kingdom. Sounds like your typical enemies-to-lovers trope. But then when the day comes to marry...he rejects her as his consort, ending her task before it can even begin.
You had one job...
So she spends the next 3 years being shamed and reviled by her dismissive mother, psycho stepbrother, and useless stepfather while she tries to get on with her life. Until she meets a sexy, mysterious god named Ash and witnesses some senseless murders...then shit explodes.
This was inspired by the story of Hades and Persephone by the by.
My thoughts: I still think her writing is weak. Her world-building is OK and her dialogue is yikes and an excuse to info-dump - and it gets boring and kind of nonsensical during those parts. BUT the main characters and story? Despite the basic frameworks being recycled from the FBAA series, I was more invested in the characters in A Shadow in the Ember. I finished the book rather quickly - so there was enough action to balance out the romance and keep me satisfied.
Note: I make comparisons between the two series in the review for context for those already familiar with the FBAA world.
Let's break it down:
Dialogue: What irks me
1) She uses basic dialogue to provide context and world-building which ends up being an info dump and ends up repeating the same scene: specifically the "I have so many questions!" line.
2) She inserts contemporary slang into her character's more neutral/formal vernaculars and it just doesn't fit. This included "on the regular" and "show him what a hot piece y0u are" amongst other offenders. Pick which way to go and stick with it; it's not written well and it makes me cringe. Physically and mentally.
Worldbuilding: decent as a standalone series, still a bit all over the place, especially if you're trying to align it with her FBAA series. Her descriptions are typically bare-boned and there's an inconsistency: some parts are absolutely vibrant, some needed clarification/fleshing out, and some should have just been discarded.
Plot: Notttt too bad. Predictable but still interesting to see unfold. I sped through this book relatively fast, given the time I had. Were there slow parts? Yup. When JLA sticks her characters in one place for many chapters and relies on dialogue to move the plot I get very, very scared (ex: Kingdom of Flesh and Fire) but thankfully there weren't as many. Overall, to me, it read much like FBAA #1 - which I found the most exciting and fast-paced of the three in the FBAA series. While the world-building and context could get confusing, I was eager to see what happened and didn't put the book down once.
Characters: Intriguing. See below.
Overall
The quality of the primary characters was solid while there were too many unremarkable minor characters and underdeveloped villains. But I'll happily say I'm more invested in this prequel series than the original.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Although I feel some are obvious.
MC: Our girl Princess Sera, caught up in the middle of a deal gone wrong between her royal bloodline and the Primal gods.
I still got the same "I'm soo violent" and "I will push back on EVERYTHING even if it's entirely inconsequential" vibe like Poppy in FBAA which was complete overkill. Her thought process runs around in circles and she can be incredibly repetitive and predictable. But Sera is a reliable MC: she actually makes good on her promises to the reader. Her character arc was clearer and stronger than Poppy's: 1) been groomed her whole life for one crucial task 2) fails said task, 3) experiences the aftermath of failing said task 4) identifies her new purpose. She's fierce, yet compassionate and there's more complexity to how she grapples with her shifting identity throughout the book. She's not a Jude Duarte but she's got promise.
Also, she's 20! Not a teen. Wow. We made it into the 20's y'all. Excellent progress.
LI: Ash/Nyktos - the Primal of Death, our dual-personality, morally gray sexy boy.
We meet him as Ash - mysterious, alluring, rather sweet. I was so afraid it would go wrong like the Hawke to Casteel transition (y'all know this was coming, it's not really a spoiler). But no, this boy is leaps ahead of FBAA's Casteel. You know why? Because there is CONSENT ladies and gentlemen! Yes!! He makes sure Sera consents to EVERYTHING. He is not overly persistent and aggressive; he doesn't physically overpower Sera unless it's critical for her safety. He quickly realizes that ordering her around, even with good intentions, ain't the way to go about it. And he accepts it. Incredible.
You know why else? Ash (I like calling him Ash) is thoughtful and caring. He doesn't leave his goodness at the door and become some psychopath once he's revealed as Nyktos. On the flip side, FBAA's Hawke/Casteel was like a 180...I bemoaned the death of Hawke. But Ash and Nyktos are really the same, just with more power, responsibility, and maybe a bit more ruthlessness. It's clear what his goals and priorities are, even if they change as he meets Sera and uncovers new information.
And, let me tell you, this dude is committed when he sets his mind to something. In his centuries of life, he had never once had sex on the off chance it would make him fall in love - the only way a Primal can be killed. It actually makes the romance more compelling but yeee gods.
I have a feeling some may think he's boring...but I didn't at all. He's kinda hot.
Villains: weak but the most recent shows potential. There's an opportunity for some strong antagonists in future books if she wills it.
Minor characters: weak. There were way too many god(dess) sidekicks created for the purpose of comic relief that didn't do their job. I can't tell the difference between them. Seriously, I don't remember any of their names and I finished the book a couple hours ago. One of the strongest parts of FBAA was Kieran, Casteel's bff and none here stood out like him. Maybe give Nektas and the baby drakens some more screen time - they're your best bet.
Romance/Smut:
Not bad. It's slow-burn smut (not kinky 24/7 FBAA smut) and I was here for it. What I like is that the pair were discovering and exploring their sexuality together . There's a rawness to that.
We could have gotten a bit more in the denouement sex scene but I expect it all to ramp up in future books when the couple get over themselves and realize they're into each other.
Rounded this up to a “Hawke” rating (3 stars) - the highest I’ll go for a JLA novel -rating system below. It's on par with (or better than) FBAA book #1, even if it recycles some plot points and characters from the original series.
So I award JLA her own character.
My Ratings:
⭐= “Feminist King Rhys” Hard pass.
⭐⭐= Mal bleh but better than ⭐️.
⭐⭐⭐= Hawke Liked it but something was off.
⭐⭐⭐⭐= Aidas Oh, intriguing.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐= Cardan I have reached nirvana.
FYI - the image above credited to artist @dominiquewesson
This. This is the greatest achievement in JLA history. Coming so much closer to pointing out how toxic your male love interests are (and it's still kinda sexy?). We aren't quite there but this is progress folks.
OK, preface: I'm not a fan of the FBAA series (JLA's main series. Shadow in the Ember is the prequel) - especially books 2 and 3. I mean, I LOATHED book 2 and 95% of book 3. So the bar was set v low going into A Shadow in the Ember.
And so my expectations were exceeded.
Overview:
The story revolves around our girl secret Princess Sera who has been born and bred for a single purpose: marry the Primal of Death, make him fall in love with her, and kill him to save her kingdom. Sounds like your typical enemies-to-lovers trope. But then when the day comes to marry...he rejects her as his consort, ending her task before it can even begin.
You had one job...
So she spends the next 3 years being shamed and reviled by her dismissive mother, psycho stepbrother, and useless stepfather while she tries to get on with her life. Until she meets a sexy, mysterious god named Ash and witnesses some senseless murders...then shit explodes.
This was inspired by the story of Hades and Persephone by the by.
My thoughts: I still think her writing is weak. Her world-building is OK and her dialogue is yikes and an excuse to info-dump - and it gets boring and kind of nonsensical during those parts. BUT the main characters and story? Despite the basic frameworks being recycled from the FBAA series, I was more invested in the characters in A Shadow in the Ember. I finished the book rather quickly - so there was enough action to balance out the romance and keep me satisfied.
Note: I make comparisons between the two series in the review for context for those already familiar with the FBAA world.
Let's break it down:
Dialogue: What irks me
1) She uses basic dialogue to provide context and world-building which ends up being an info dump and ends up repeating the same scene: specifically the "I have so many questions!" line.
2) She inserts contemporary slang into her character's more neutral/formal vernaculars and it just doesn't fit. This included "on the regular" and "show him what a hot piece y0u are" amongst other offenders. Pick which way to go and stick with it; it's not written well and it makes me cringe. Physically and mentally.
Worldbuilding: decent as a standalone series, still a bit all over the place, especially if you're trying to align it with her FBAA series. Her descriptions are typically bare-boned and there's an inconsistency: some parts are absolutely vibrant, some needed clarification/fleshing out, and some should have just been discarded.
Plot: Notttt too bad. Predictable but still interesting to see unfold. I sped through this book relatively fast, given the time I had. Were there slow parts? Yup. When JLA sticks her characters in one place for many chapters and relies on dialogue to move the plot I get very, very scared (ex: Kingdom of Flesh and Fire) but thankfully there weren't as many. Overall, to me, it read much like FBAA #1 - which I found the most exciting and fast-paced of the three in the FBAA series. While the world-building and context could get confusing, I was eager to see what happened and didn't put the book down once.
Characters: Intriguing. See below.
Overall
The quality of the primary characters was solid while there were too many unremarkable minor characters and underdeveloped villains. But I'll happily say I'm more invested in this prequel series than the original.
SPOILERS AHEAD. Although I feel some are obvious.
MC: Our girl Princess Sera, caught up in the middle of a deal gone wrong between her royal bloodline and the Primal gods.
I still got the same "I'm soo violent" and "I will push back on EVERYTHING even if it's entirely inconsequential" vibe like Poppy in FBAA which was complete overkill. Her thought process runs around in circles and she can be incredibly repetitive and predictable. But Sera is a reliable MC: she actually makes good on her promises to the reader. Her character arc was clearer and stronger than Poppy's: 1) been groomed her whole life for one crucial task 2) fails said task, 3) experiences the aftermath of failing said task 4) identifies her new purpose. She's fierce, yet compassionate and there's more complexity to how she grapples with her shifting identity throughout the book. She's not a Jude Duarte but she's got promise.
Also, she's 20! Not a teen. Wow. We made it into the 20's y'all. Excellent progress.
LI: Ash/Nyktos - the Primal of Death, our dual-personality, morally gray sexy boy.
We meet him as Ash - mysterious, alluring, rather sweet. I was so afraid it would go wrong like the Hawke to Casteel transition (y'all know this was coming, it's not really a spoiler). But no, this boy is leaps ahead of FBAA's Casteel. You know why? Because there is CONSENT ladies and gentlemen! Yes!! He makes sure Sera consents to EVERYTHING. He is not overly persistent and aggressive; he doesn't physically overpower Sera unless it's critical for her safety. He quickly realizes that ordering her around, even with good intentions, ain't the way to go about it. And he accepts it. Incredible.
You know why else? Ash (I like calling him Ash) is thoughtful and caring. He doesn't leave his goodness at the door and become some psychopath once he's revealed as Nyktos. On the flip side, FBAA's Hawke/Casteel was like a 180...I bemoaned the death of Hawke. But Ash and Nyktos are really the same, just with more power, responsibility, and maybe a bit more ruthlessness. It's clear what his goals and priorities are, even if they change as he meets Sera and uncovers new information.
And, let me tell you, this dude is committed when he sets his mind to something. In his centuries of life, he had never once had sex on the off chance it would make him fall in love - the only way a Primal can be killed. It actually makes the romance more compelling but yeee gods.
I have a feeling some may think he's boring...but I didn't at all. He's kinda hot.
Villains: weak but the most recent shows potential. There's an opportunity for some strong antagonists in future books if she wills it.
Minor characters: weak. There were way too many god(dess) sidekicks created for the purpose of comic relief that didn't do their job. I can't tell the difference between them. Seriously, I don't remember any of their names and I finished the book a couple hours ago. One of the strongest parts of FBAA was Kieran, Casteel's bff and none here stood out like him. Maybe give Nektas and the baby drakens some more screen time - they're your best bet.
Romance/Smut:
Not bad. It's slow-burn smut (not kinky 24/7 FBAA smut) and I was here for it. What I like is that the pair were discovering and exploring their sexuality together . There's a rawness to that.
We could have gotten a bit more in the denouement sex scene but I expect it all to ramp up in future books when the couple get over themselves and realize they're into each other.
Rounded this up to a “Hawke” rating (3 stars) - the highest I’ll go for a JLA novel -rating system below. It's on par with (or better than) FBAA book #1, even if it recycles some plot points and characters from the original series.
So I award JLA her own character.
My Ratings:
⭐= “Feminist King Rhys” Hard pass.
⭐⭐= Mal bleh but better than ⭐️.
⭐⭐⭐= Hawke Liked it but something was off.
⭐⭐⭐⭐= Aidas Oh, intriguing.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐= Cardan I have reached nirvana.
FYI - the image above credited to artist @dominiquewesson