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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️�� (2nd reread)

''What I feel is the closest thing to peace I've ever experienced''

Safety warnings:
- No cheating
- No OM drama
- Slight OW drama (not what you think)*
- Mention of attempted su*cide
- Mention of r*pe/assault/abuse
- Violence/d*ath
- Torture
- Mention of loss of loved ones
- Cliffhanger

*Explained in the review

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

SPOILERS BELOW ⬇️

Update: JLa answered a bunch of questions for the book club (FB JLA book club) and some theories must be wrong with the answers we got 😬 We also now know that book 4 will not the last book in the Flesh and Fire series and despite the fact we will have to deal with another cliffhanger I am super happy these two get more books.

I have over 300 highlights for this book which means this is going to be a long review so buckle up folks:

To be honest I don't even know how to start this review. I truly needed some time to recuperate before I wrote anything about what happens in this book and how I felt while reading it. I was apprehensive going into ASITE after reading TWOTQ (which I was not the biggest fan of), but I was proven wrong time and time again throughout this amazing book.

I also waited over a year for this sequel, and I swear I sometimes hate myself for reading books so fast and not being able to wait longer since I know I KNOW I will have to wait possibly another year or so for the final book.

In my eyes Ash and Sera are superior. Not only to Poppy and Cas but to a lot of fantasy book couples. They have something that just makes them utter perfection and I cannot get enough of their story, their journey, and their eventual love.

If you have read all the FBAA books then you know they get their HEA (kind of, in terms of love) so you know that no matter what happens in these books that they will be in love and have children. Sera will become the primal of life and LOVE somehow saves them. A love that Ash admits he cannot feel, not because of Sera but because he removed his kardia aka the part of himself he would have needed to feel love and the facets of it.

So much happens in this book and yet we are not really close to the figure out why the gods/primals all went to sleep and how Sera ascended.
Theory: Since she is the Primal of life and the embers are really strong as stated a lot in this book, she will possibly be able to grow back Ash's kardia either through their relationship or possibly (likely) through the blood he consumes from her

''That one decent and kind bone I have in me belongs to you''
We get the most beautiful and steamiest smut in this book. It's so obvious how the deal they made ''pleasure for the sake of pleasure'' is definitely not at all about that but something more. I really liked the fact that Ash didn't dwell too much about Sera's betrayal...he truly accepted her reasons why and understood where she was coming from and how desperate she must have been to want to fulfill the plan. He kisses her even though he said it would never happen again, he touches her and cares for her in ways he shouldn't want to, but you cannot help but realise how kind he is despite what he thinks of himself to let something that massive go without truly feeling resentment.

I LOVED Nektas and how absolutely amazing he was with Sera. I saw their friendship and admiration for each other the way I wished Jennifer had kept Kieran and Poppy. The contrast between the two is massive in my eyes.

Something I need to say, and a lot of people might disagree with is how much I love that Sera is not out here wanting to experience and explore sex with others after meeting Ash (TWOTQ I am looking at you). She meets Primals, gods and even sees orgies and Nektas naked but not once did she feel anything. She never felt aroused by any of it and only and truly ever wanted Ash. She views him as if he is the peace and breath she always seeks. Which is how it should be in eyes, especially if their love is depicted as this GRAND and EPIC story. Also, they are either heartmates or soulmates and that in itself should equal to them wanting each other and it being more than enough.

Another thing we find out right before shit hits the fan is that Sera intended to k*ll herself when she took a lot of the sleep aid before she meets Ash in book 1. She never intended to wake up and that reveal spoke volumes to why she was always never in fear of death and the fact Nektas is the only one to know of that confession makes it even more special. I wonder what Ash would have thought or done knowing this information, it would confirm what he has felt and known for so long: She didn't value her life.

HOWEVER, the end of Chapter 28 and Chapter 29 left me in tears. I was screaming (on the inside) and pleading that whatever it was Sera walked in on was NOT at all what she truly believed. Her losing control was heartbreaking and filled me with so much sorrow.
Sera walks in while Veses is on Ash's lap and feeding from his throat. She assumes two things: 1. He lied about everything and has had relations with others and 2. They were having sex. Both are wrong and it takes quite some time for that to be revealed. (Around chapter 39)
Her reaction almost causes the entire building to collapse and forces Ash to protect her since she was entering stasis and that would kill her as she is still a mortal. His reaction after finding her in destruction mode was one of fear and desperation. He was just apologising the entire time because nothing else could be said or done to reverse the damage.

The scene where she tries to get him to explain and frustratingly enough he doesn’t, and you wonder WHY?! You know deep down he would never do anything like that since all you see from him after that scene is how sorry he is and how horrible he feels. How much he cares and how vocal he has become about it. How he told Nektas she was important to him, how he gave his guards and friends an earful about treating her with anything but respect. Honestly everything he did for her should tell us how he feels.

''It means the deal we made? It's over. The only thing between us now are these stupid embers. I want them gone, and then I want to be gone''

Questions:Why Veses was feeding from him and why did he allow it?
Answer: Three years ago, she followed him to the temple where Sera was offered to him for the first time. She witnessed the fact he had a consort and she blackmailed him into doing what she wanted in order for her to not sell the information to Kolis. Ash being absolutely protective of a girl he never knew decided to let her feed from him when she required it.

Question:Why doesn’t he tell Sera?
Answer: Two reasons. He feels utter shame for what she is doing to him (to me this is basically assault) and because he did not want Sera to feel guilty or sorry about his choice to protect her. He was letting himself be abused in order to protect Seras life and he never wanted her to feel like she wasn’t worth it.

He never slept with her, there was never anything sexual happening, no kissing, no feeling, no desire, no need or want. Nothing. She was just using him as her personal blood meal and its downright abuse. She abused him and he let it happen so he could protect Sera long before she ever was anything to him. Tbh this is very close to how Cas was used during his imprisonment and if anyone sees this as cheating or Ash betraying Sera needs to get their head checked.
Ash also admits Veses wants Kolis and since he wants nothing to do with her, Ash is the next best thing and the more he denied her the more she wanted to break him, but Veses doesn't really want him, and he NEVER wanted her.

''I also couldn't tell him that I loved him - that I'd been in love with him before I learned of the deal he'd struck with Veses to keep my safe''

During all this Sera comes to finally realize her feelings towards Ash. She’s in love with him and it scares her, and of course he notices a sweet taste in her emotions one of chocolate and strawberries (which we see Poppy refer to love as this taste as well throughout FBAA) but Ash cannot understand what that emotion is connected to as he has never felt it.

''Rise for the One who is born of Blood and Ash, the Light and the Fire, and the Brightest moon''
''Rise for the Consort of the Shadowlands''

The coronation finally happened, and Sera is crowned as the consort and honestly the moment she realises Ash is her husband is one we would all feel. AND they get the imprint like Poppy and Cas have and I cannot wait for that little piece of information to be noted in FBAA 5 (since we know Ash and Sera are awake and Sera is there during that teaser Jla posted not too long ago < check her JLanders FB group this).

''Her death will not come at my hands''
Onto more depressing things. It's revealed that Sera cannot have the embers removed from her since the object that allows that to happen is in the hands of Kolis and that is how he removed his brothers and switched places. They do not have the time nor the resources to search for it and so they are told the second and more likely option is the simplest one.
Ash has to drain her to death in order to get the embers back into himself.
Great right?
Nope.
He refuses and this is the part I have been waiting for:

''I would've loved you if I could have. There would've been no stopping me''

All this brings up the sad realisation from Sera that she will die no matter what, the future she had hoped for is gone and her death remains the only constant. I cried along when Ash cried tears of blood, the sign of a Primals absolutely in grief.

He wishes he never had his kardia removed. He wants to love her and hates himself for being her damnation. Honestly, this entire book is one big painfest. I love them so much, I seriously do. It's nice to know that in the present time (FBAA timeline) these two are together and she ascended, are madly in love and had two children. I know it gets all messed up because of reasons we do not know yet but it's always good to know they will get their happy ending.

''I wish I'd never had my kardia removed''
''I never wanted to love. Not until you, liessa''

Then Sera makes him make the ultimate promise in regard to her end:

''When it comes times'' I whispered, ''can you take me to my lake? I want it to be done there.''

Honestly, I see this moment happening in the next book. There is no other way, and she makes him keep his promise. They go off to her lake for her death and this is the moment he realises he loves her and has possibly loved her for a long time. It will be the most angsty and sad scene if it happens like this, but it also would be such a powerful moment.

Things that happened at the end that I needed to take a minute to gather myself:

ECTOR
IS
DEAD
And to think all the theories as to why he was not listed in the Primal list was because he was a traitor and was suspicious. Nope. He was loyal and amazing, and I hate that his end was so brutal. That Sera could not save him, and we have to forever remember that all he wanted was to protect both of them and he died doing it.

Aios died as well but Sera was able to get to her and bring her back and of course she ascended.

Attes - the traitor. He was the one we should have not trusted and sadly he was playing them all along. He has been Kolis's lapdog for ages and so is his brother Kyn. They attacked and killed and left blood trails everywhere because of what? A false king?
I hope he is playing the long con and he isn't a traitor but let's be fair he might just be stuck and if forced to be at Kolis's side.

Sera accepts Attes's deal to go with him in order to stop the killing and battle. She goes to save them all and of course is chained and finds out the greatest twist of all:
Kolis has known about the embers for ages. He knows she has them and he knows how to get them. He has known all along; he knew when he summoned them to get permission for the coronation. He also revealed that Ash's mother loved Kolis and that's why Eythos hated him. WTF? I thought they had a great love and now I don't know what to think. Also, all of this means everything Ash did to protect Sera was for NOTHING.

The last line makes me want to beg JLa to give us the next book tomorrow
''A silver beast. Bathed in the brightest moonlight. Ash''
Daddy Nyktos is NOT happy, and he is going to go to war to get his wife back.

We get a little easter egg about the Balfour family which as FBAA readers know is Poppy's last name.

Also, the way JLA handled, and portrayed anxiety was spot on for me. I really appreciated the way it was written and never looked down upon as a weakness.

My ultimate theory about WHY all the primals have been replaced with the Ash's close group in the future?
Sera creates a plan where she ascends them all in order to replace the ones that are corrupted or need to be killed. So, either they die willingly, and she ascends them, or they die during a battle, and she brings them back.
We know with Aios and Bele that they ascended and it's def a possibility that they thought this was the only way to control the narrative.

My hopes for book 3?
Ash gets his kardia back or already has it back and is unaware
We get a big love confession
We see Sera ascend to a Primal
We see her pregnant and the twins born
We see why/how/when they went to sleep
We know why the gods turned into primals
And so much more!