ŷ������

�� Strong badass main character
�� Casteel
�� Relationships (yes, I’m talking about Kieran, Poppy, and Cas)
�� Intense romance
�� Smut
�� Plot and pace
�� Action
�� Angst
�� Draken! 🐉 (but not enough of Reaver��)
✅�� Kieran ( I love him so much, but I would have loved more depth)
🆗 Not much of Netta, Delano, Naill, and Emil
❗️❗️ I definitely recommend reading A Shadow in the Ember before reading The War of Two Queens.

4.5 stars I think�� Please don’t hate me, and I apologize in advance for the long review.

Together.
Always.
And forever.

I think it’s the first time I’m afraid to receive hate because I loved a book. 😬
➡️ Yes, I loved it.
➡️ No, I don’t think there was any emotional cheating.
➡️ No, I wouldn't mind a throuple in the future books, even though I am hoping for Kieran to find his one true love.
➡️ Please keep in mind that everyone has their own opinion and preferences and that we can all share it respectfully.

“The pain was more than worth it. I would spend an eternity taking these bites if that meant she was safe. That it wasn’t her in this cell. That she wasn’t the one in pain.��

The very first chapter of this book is from Cas’s POV, and I was SO HAPPY to finally have some chapters from his perspective. Again, I know many readers thought that the book was long and boring, but I was hooked from page 1. As Casteel is held prisoner by the Blood Queen, Poppy is raising her army. She has the draken and wolven behind her, but she also needs the support of the Atlantians if she hopes to win the war, kill Isbeth, and save her King.

The Gods and Primals�� history and significance are more important in this book, hence my recommendation to read ASITE first. I thought that the main villain in this series would be the Blood Queen and her allies, but I realize now that I was sorely mistaken and that the war has only begun. I am so happy that I enjoyed this book when so many others did not, and I am very excited for the next one.

We can’t save everyone, Kieran reminded me. But we can save the ones we love.

This book is filled with heartache, rage, sorrow, angst, and love. The suffering Casteel endures broke my heart, and seeing Poppy and Kieran in pain and desperate to find him and save him before it was too late was painful. I do love angst, and I had a good dose of it in this book. Oh, how I wanted to see Callum and the Blood Queen die a painful and slow death. I hate them so much, but at the same time, I’m happy that I hate them because it means that I am so much more involved in the story.

I knew Cas would eventually be rescued, I also know that he would persevere and endure, no matter what because he’d rather be the one suffering than Poppy. But among all that despair and rage, there was also hope because he knew that his Queen would come for him.

“Whether she ruled over all the lands and seas or was the Queen of nothing but a pile of ashes and bones, she would—will—always be my Queen. Love is too weak an emotion to describe how she consumes me and what I feel for her. She is my everything.��

Poppy becomes even more confident in this book. The stakes are higher than ever before, and she tries her best to win a war without killing innocents or destroying cities. She also has to deal with the Atlantian generals who are doubtful about her and her ability to rule, and we can see how she hurt and how the weight on her shoulders was slowly becoming too much. Cas as usual, was a perfect supporting husband. Never try to stop her or tell her that she couldn’t do what she wanted to do. He trusts her completely and gives her the power over her life that she didn’t have in all of her years as The Maiden. Their love is inspiring and beautiful�� It’s also full of passion and sexy moments. 😏

“Don’t forget what he means to me, Poppy. I’ve known him my whole damn life,�� he said. “We shared the same crib more times than not. We took our first steps together. Sat at the same table most nights, refusing to eat the same vegetables We explored tunnels and lakes, and pretended that fields were new, undiscovered kingdoms. We were inseparable. And that didn’t change as we grew older.�� His voice roughened, and he dropped his forehead to mind. “He was and still is a part of me.��


I reached over, clasping his shoulder. “We are not brothers of the same blood. We are not friends due to some bond,�� I told him, and his gaze met mine. “We are not loyal to each other because of courtesy or tradition or title. We have always been above all that. And, in a lot of ways, we’re two halves of the same whole. Different than Poppy and me, but not that much different. You know that.��

Cas and Kieran’s love and fierce loyalty for each other are so wholesome and heartwarming. I love them with all my heart, and seeing how much they care for each other and would do anything for each other was beautiful. This is some higher-level bromance here. I have loved Kieran from the start, but I do have one complaint here�� Even though he is much more present, which I adored, he lacked a certain depth. This uniqueness that he had in the second and third books was forgotten here and he had such a Cass-like-behavior at times, which I don’t mind if it’s a few times, but in this book, while I love his relationship with Poppy, I feel that his behavior changed quite a lot to mimic Cas�� behavior when he is with Poppy.

I shot him a glare. ”Would you like to help, or do you just want to stand there and watch me get yelled at by an old woman?��
“Is there a third option?��
My eyes narrowed.

Poppy and Kieran get closer to each other emotionally and physically in this book. I know that some readers saw this as “emotional cheating��, which I respect, but I did not see it that way. They are both going through the same emotional pain after losing Cas, and they are doing all they can, including risking their lives in crazy plans to save him. Cas himself does not mind them getting closer and does not see it as cheating, nor does he see Kieran as a threat. On the contrary, Cas is the one bringing them all together, and I truly believe that Poppy will need both of them to keep her in check in the future with her growing powers and this damn prophecy saying that she’s the Harbringer and that she will remake the realms.

Emotions clogged my throat, and I didn’t know if it belonged to them, me, or if it was a combination of all of us.

The three of them love each other. Poppy and Cas can love Kieran without loving each other less. They both love Kieran, and it is heartwarming, sweet, and beautiful. I would not mind a throuple at all in the next book because even though I ADORE Cas and Poppy, their also loving Kieran, and Kieran loving them does not diminish the heartmate bond and the fact that they would do anything for each other (please don’t hate me for this). On the other hand, I would also love it if Kieran finds his heartmate or his special person, so I would be happy with both options.

‼️MILD SPOILER BELOW ‼️
(But seeing how every hateful reader ranted about chapter 44 on every social media, you probably already know about this mild spoiler)��

“I fought the urge to ask him what kind of love he felt for Casteel. For me. I knew it wasn’t a familial one and that it went beyond what one felt for friends. I also thought that it wasn’t the same as what he’d felt for Elashya or what Casteel and I felt for each other. But I also knew that what I felt for Kieran wasn’t the same as what I felt for Delano or Vonetta or Tawny. It was…more.��

I just love how the relationship between Cas, Poppy, and Kieran gets deeper with each book. It is clear that Cas and Kieran have a special connection, and seeing how Poppy grew on Kieran and how she learned to rely on him and to love him was precious. I am happy that Kieran was more important in the plot this time and that he was more present throughout the book. We can see that things are starting to change between Poppy and Kieran. Of course, her heartmate remains Cas, but she feels something more than friendship for Kieran. The three of them just have this symbiotic connection, and I love how it might turn out for them. I know that many people were against the idea of The Joining or against the idea of Kieran getting involved in Poppy and Casteel’s relationship, but to me, it just makes sense that they will (hopefully) find a way to make it work because they all love each other deeply. That is what a throuple sounds like to me, and I am not ashamed to say that I would love that for the rest of this series.

Now, about all those hateful and rude comments�� I do believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I respect that 100%, but I also believe that there is a way to share one’s opinion while remaining civilized and respectful.

I saw many hateful reviews saying that the fact that Poppy was growing closer to Kieran while Cas was imprisoned was disgusting, that The Joining made no sense because Cas would never share Poppy, and that the scene just came out of nowhere to please a few horny fans on Facebook.

➡️ The concept of The Joining was introduced in the second book. From the very start, Poppy shows that she is not disgusted by the idea of sharing blood between 3 people and maybe something more in the heat of the moment.

➡️There are also a few hints of Poppy and Kieran potentially getting physically closer (the scene where he is behind her as Cas drinks from her, when they’re all sleeping together while traveling to Atlantia, or when he was holding Poppy while she was drinking from Cas and also having sex with him in the third book).

➡️I also distinctly remember in the second book, when Poppy awakes to find Kieran sleeping right behind her while she was cuddling Cas, she says that it was as if Cas was a magnet that drew them both.

➡️The hints were there, and the fact that they are now sharing the same anguish and pain with the temporary loss of Cas can very well explain why they grew closer to each other. Also, Poppy and Kieran developing a stronger and more intimate bond does not mean that she wants to replace Cas or that she loves him less.

➡️Now, concerning the comments stating that “real men don’t share”�� Let’s keep in mind that Cas and Kieran share a very strong, ancient, and unique bond. They’re not just best buddies; they grew up together, and they trust each other with their life. Their connection is a strong one. Cas did not get jealous or angry at Kieran the few times he saw Poppy naked or had a front-row seat for some intimate moments, nor did Cas get angry or possessive when Poppy saw Kieran naked. More than once.

“Nothing and everything had changed between the three of us since the Joining. Our relationship remained as it had been, but there was an intimacy now that hadn’t been there before. A closeness. A bond we were reminded of every time I felt our hearts beating in tandem.��

I will finish this segment on the Joining by saying that I think the relationship between Poppy and Kieran was well done, and it started in the second book; it did not appear suddenly in this one. I also strongly believe that there is a way for Poppy, Kieran, and Cass to love each other without diminishing the love they have for each other. Cas and Kieran have been very close for centuries, so it does make sense in a way, and I do not believe that The Joining was there only to add some spice and to please some fans. It just shows how close the three of them have become and how they could manage to share everything.

‼️END OF THE MILD SPOILER‼️

Seeing Reaver in his mortal form was already an utterly unexpected experience. But seeing him completely, absolutely naked whilst crouched on a pillar took the oddness of the situation to a whole new level.


Casteel's eyes narrowed. "And can you please stop giving Kieran the middle finger?"
"I was actually giving it to everyone, but whatever." Slowly, Reaver lowered his middle finger.

I adored Reaver and his “I don’t really give a shit�� attitude in this book, but I would have loved to see more of the drakens. Reaver’s an odd one for sure, but he added many funny moments in this book, and I want more of him in the next one!

”You’re just saying nonsense. You both are nearly the same height and size,�� I said.
“I believe your vision could use improvement,�� the draken responded, and I rolled my eyes.
“You could use an attitude improvement,�� Kieran retorted.
“I ate a lot of ham,�� I announced to Kieran before Reaver could fire back another barb. Both males looked at me. “A lot. You’d be proud.��
“While I’m glad to hear that,�� Kieran began, “that was a little random, Poppy.��


“I get it. Kieran almost stepped on your tail.�� I turned to the wolven. “Reaver almost bit your hand. Stop whining and get over it.��
“He almost stepped on my entire leg,�� Reaver corrected. “Not my tail.��
“And he almost bit my arm off.�� Kieran’s eyes narrowed. “Not my hand.��
I stared at them. “You two are�� I don’t even know.��

I said earlier that while I would not mind a throuple, I would also love it if Kieran found his special person or even heartmate. Am I the only one who was hoping for a hate-to-love relationship to develop between Kieran and Reaver? There is tension between them, and I’m not sure it’s 100% angry tension, if you know what I mean. Apparently, the author already confirmed that it would not happen, but it would have been nice. I really like their snarky interactions and how Reaver just didn’t seem to give a shit about anything besides burning humans and annoying Kieran.

I would also have loved to have more of Delano and Netta. While I am happy that Kieran was more important, most of the book follows him, Poppy, and Cas, and we do not really know what is happening with the Atlantian army, with the other wolven, and with the drakens that stayed behind. I feel that Poppy did not have any time with them, or the generals, or the other “important�� Atlantians, which would help her gain their trust and know better how to organize her army.

Also, a special mention to Malik and Millie, who are both quite intriguing, Millie even more than Malik. I fully expect to see them again in the next books, and their role in this war is not over. I don't want to say too much because I don't want to spoil anything, but let's just say that there is potential for me to like these two in the next books if they make good decisions.

Overall, I did love this book very much. The last 10% were INTENSE, and I am already excited for the next book. I know that many people were disappointed, but all I can say is to at least give it a chance, and not base your opinion only on all the 1-star reviews, and hopefully, you will enjoy it as much as I did!


1. From Blood and Ash ⭐⭐⭐⭐��
2. A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire ⭐⭐⭐⭐��
3. The Crown of Gilded Bones ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5



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