A Fire in the Flesh (Flesh and Fire, #3)
Jennifer L. Armentrout
The only thing that can save the realms now is the one thing more powerful than the Fates. After a startling betrayal ends with both Sera and the dangerously seductive ruler of the Shadowlands she has fallen madly in love with being held captive by the false King of the Gods, there is only one thing that can free Nyktos and prevent the forces of the Shadowlands from invading Dalos and igniting a War of Primals. Convincing Kolis won’t be easy, though – not even with a lifetime of training. While his most favored Revenant is insistent that she is nothing more than a lie, Kolis’s erratic nature and twisted sense of honor leave her shaken to the core, and nothing could’ve prepared her for the cruelty of his Court or the shocking truths revealed. The revelations not only upend what she has understood about her duty and the very creation of the realms but also draw into question exactly what the true threat is. However, surviving Kolis is only one part of the battle. The Ascension is upon her, and Sera is out of time. But Nyktos will do anything to keep Sera alive and give her the life she deserves. He’ll even risk the utter destruction of the realms, and that’s exactly what will happen if he doesn’t Ascend as the Primal of Life. Yet despite his desperate determination, their destinies may be out of their hands. But there is that foreseen unexpected thread—the unpredictable, unknown, and unwritten. The only thing more powerful than the Fates…
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02/5 stars
I really wanted to love this but it was just too many words that said nothing, and not even the relationship between Sera and Ash could save it. That book could have been at least 10 chapters shorter and still accomplished more.
There was also a lot of telling rather than showing everyone's feelings which also made this book seem to drag on as Sera narrated every one of her feelings piece by piece.
Some quotes that really threw me off:
“cringeworthy”
“ick factor”
“if I had pearls I’d be clutching them”
Not sure when we started throwing Gen Z slang in high fantasy but I am not here for it.
SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!!!!!!
SPOILERS:
Pros:
Veses continues to be an hateable villain which is great, even after Sera saves her. I felt like I really needed someone to root against after Kolis let me down.
The twist with Callum being related to Sotoria was kind of fun, but I feel like I could know more about him given he’s been around for ages.
Cons:
I cannot get past the use of the aforementioned tiktok slang, that’s my book ick in fantasy.
Kolis was so weird and I cannot believe he got to be all mighty and powerful if Sera can manipulate him no problem. He was kind of childlike and I’m not sure I’m intimidated enough to believe him as a villain.
There is no way this book needed to be this long, and it still wasn’t resolved. It feels like I just read a little side story to get to know the characters better except it was 632 pages.
The whole plot relying on Nyktos not being able to love Sera only to actually have been in love with her the whole time is not the glorious love story it could have been.
Also, was she pregnant or not? I feel like that was hinted at and never resolved with her mentioning she "missed a cycle" and then threw up out of nowhere.
This book also came at a time when we really needed plot because we have been stuck at the same point at the War of Two Queens and we need some forward motion. This book had potential to jump into the plot but didn’t and instead provided an unresolved ending where we could have instead entombed Kolis and jumped back into our main storyline.
Overall, not sure I’ll read the rest of these given the ridiculously slow pace and lackluster plot. Good characters and romance will only take you so far.
I think this book has killed the whole series for me and I will no longer be reading any more of her books.
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