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A Shadow in the Ember cover art

A Shadow in the Ember

Written by: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Narrated by: Stina Nielsen
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Publisher's Summary

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns with book one of the compelling Flesh and Fire series - set in the beloved Blood and Ash world.

Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel’s future has never been hers. Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort. 

However, Sera’s real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania - she’s not the well protected Maiden but an assassin with one mission - one target. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then...end him. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot.

Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Until him. Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her. And his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s never allowed herself to feel and cannot feel for him. But Sera has never had a choice. Either way, her life is forfeit - it always has been, as she has been forever touched by Life and Death.

©2021 by Jennifer L. Armentrout. (P)2021 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

What listeners say about A Shadow in the Ember

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

What?

If you read From Blood and Ash, you’ve basically read A Shadow in the Ember, just with new characters. I did like the story, and the characters but it was just all the same. I hope she continues with a second book because I’m so confused. I feel like JLA really wrote herself into a circle and is going to have to scramble to straighten out all of the inconsistencies.

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6 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Whaaaa? Didn’t I read this already

Perhaps you have read through some reviews before you got to mine, talking about it being the same story as blood and ash. Like me, you may dismiss those as exaggerated. Well. They were not exaggerated.
Different names…. But all the same scenes with just a few tweaks. I keep wondering if the author is playing a joke on me

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4 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Couldn’t put it down!

Loved every single piece of the this book! The characters, story, romance every part was just perfectly written. Can’t wait for the next one

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

What a ride!!

I am so glad that I read this after I finished the books in the Blood and Ash series, totally would have ruined that story for myself if I hadn’t. I’m really enjoying these series. Holy smokes! Great story telling, spicy will they won’t they romance, and a wonderful narrator.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Accidental guilty pleasure

I didn’t realize what kind of book this was when I first purchased it on a whim during a 2-for-1 sale. By the time I’d realized it was some kind of paranormal, sexy-time, romance fantasy, it was too late to return it… although I did try! I decided not to waste any more of my time listening to this novel. But something curiously made me come back to it. And “by gods”, I found myself compulsively listening despite my initial eye-rolling reaction to the cheesy sex scenes. The story was actually quite fun, even if there were moments of cringing at the over-the-top descriptions of the sex. If you know what you’re getting into and you enjoy this genre, you’ll likely enjoy it. And if you don’t know what you’re getting into (like me) you might find yourself enjoying it anyway! Lol

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing

O. M. G.
5 amazing kickass stars.

Well… I never thought I would have the hots for an immortal grandpa, but here we are. I was not expecting to love this book so much. I think I love Sera and Nyktos even more than Poppy and Cas.

Seraphena Mierel's only purpose in life is to fulfill her part in the deal her ancestor made with the Primal of Death many years ago. In an attempt to save his people, he asked for help and in exchange, he promised the first daughter to be born in the Mierel line would be given as a Consort to the Primal of Death. Sera is the first daughter of the line, the maiden born in a shroud and chosen by the Fates, the lonely girl with no say in her future. All her life she has been kept hidden and groomed to become the perfect Consort but also trained to become the perfect assassin. She needs to play her part now more than ever as the Rot is slowly destroying Lasania, and it’s only a matter of time before everything dies.

That is quite a simple plan, except of course that Nyktos is not the horrible and cruel Primal of Death everyone is expecting. He is kind, sweet, caring, and also very sexy. He’s the newest addition to my long list of amazing and perfect book boyfriends that I can never have. He is complex and multidimensional, and I just loved how we discovered him in bits and pieces as the story went... I am in love with him. Really. Totally.

I also really love Sera as the main character, and while she shares many similarities with Poppy (hidden maiden, secretly trained in combat, fierce and outspoken, proclivity for stabbing sexy men), I think I like Sera more than Poppy. Both are strong and fierce, but Sera’s moral compass is more ambiguous than Poppy’s, which makes me like her more somehow. She does bad things for good reasons, but also bad things because she did not really have a choice, and while she knows she should feel bad about it, she is trying to stay sane and to survive so she manages to detach herself from it. She is also not afraid to consider a ruthless option to a problem if it can help save more people and somehow this greyness makes her feel more flawed and human. She also has fewer inner monologues so that helps too. I love Poppy, but sometimes the inner monologues get tedious.

The development of her character is just great. It is full of emotions and hidden moments of vulnerability, but at the same time, she remains strong and determined. She realizes as she spends more time with Nyktos that he is kind and that killing him might prove much more difficult than she thought… Making him fall in love with her, without falling for him might prove to be even harder.

I fell in love with Casteel in the FBAA series, but seriously, Nyktos is as lovable, if not even more. He is kind and sweet, yet strong and a badass fighter. He is a broody alpha and he knows the power he holds, yet he does not abuse it. I also adored that he was mature on top of being a kickass alpha-male. He has seen a lot and it shows in his behavior and reflections about life and death. He shares similarities with Casteel, but at the same time, he has a very different vibe. He is level-headed and controls his temper. It takes a lot to get him really riled up. He is soft-spoken, but his words hold authority and power that is not to be discussed. He is more serious and does not use sarcasm to try to lighten the mood every few pages like Cas does in the FBAA series. Overall, it really gives us the impression of an older soul, more in control and more broody and mysterious.

The relationship between Sera and Nyktos was the perfect mix of snark, banter, sexual tension, and heat… It’s a slow-burn romance, but the smut and sexual tension run high between them from the very start. It’s more than that though, we can really see the emotional connection that they make, and how they recognize themselves in the other. It was really beautifully written and developed, and I fell deeply in love with both of them.

What made it even better for me is all the hurt and angst that was added in the last 25%. I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil it for anyone, but the angst-lover in me was VERY happy with all the angst and hurt and conflicted feelings involved in the last part of the book, and I can’t wait to read their next book and see how their relationship will progress... I mean, I know they will end up together and have their HEA, but I feel that there are going to be a few obstacles in their way (you know because of the fact that Nyktos can’t trust Sera anymore because she was groomed to seduce and kill him).

I am happy that even though it’s the 4th book that takes place in this world, the world-building still managed to impress me, and it was similar for some parts, but also completely new for other parts. I am happy that we got to see more about the Gods', Primals', and drakens' home and their everyday life (and their scheming and plotting and murder attempts of course).

As a whole, the characters’ dynamic, the world-building, and part of the plot did feel familiar and similar to the FBAA series, but at the same time, the execution was different, and this book has its own uniqueness. I am not sure if it makes sense… I guess what I mean Is that if you liked FBAA, you will for sure love this series, and even though it appears to be similar at first, keep on reading because it is different and just as good, if not even better!

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  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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The narrator was amazing.....

loved the narrator. hate the writing. potential to be good. maybe another deep edit?

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    1 out of 5 stars

What a terrible waste of of time

This book was so predictable. I did not connect to any of the characters. I wish I could get back my time. I only purchased because it was recommended. I wish I could get my credit back.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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  • LB
  • 2024-01-20

Things are never quite what's believed

I love to listen to an epic, long adventure to keep me motivated to get things done. I remember seeing this one when it came out, so I'm a bit behind everone else who jumped onboard and loved the series years ago. This first story focuses on the Primal of Death and the mortal Sera, promised to him centuries before she was even born. However, things are never quite what they appear and over the 25 hours of this fantastic adventure, we learn just how much that's true. Both the story and narration are great. Already downloading book two in the series. 4.5 stars.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Nothing to like

I don't understand why people loved this book so deeply. the characters were weak. The age disparity I couldn't get over and the plot was overly predictable. couldn't finish.

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