The Crown of Gilded Bones, the highly anticipated third book in bestselling Blood and Ash series from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is out now, and it’s one of my most epic reads for 2021!

 

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Blurb

She’s been the victim and the survivor… 

Poppy never dreamed she would find the love she’s found with Prince Casteel. She wants to revel in her happiness but first they must free his brother and find hers. It’s a dangerous mission and one with far-reaching consequences neither dreamed of. Because Poppy is the Chosen, the Blessed. The true ruler of Atlantia. She carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. By right the crown and the kingdom are hers.

The enemy and the warrior…  

Poppy has only ever wanted to control her own life, not the lives of others, but now she must choose to either forsake her birthright or seize the gilded crown and become the Queen of Flesh and Fire. But as the kingdoms’ dark sins and blood-drenched secrets finally unravel, a long-forgotten power rises to pose a genuine threat. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that the crown never sits upon Poppy’s head.

A lover and heartmate…

But the greatest threat to them and to Atlantia is what awaits in the far west, where the Queen of Blood and Ash has her own plans, ones she has waited hundreds of years to carry out. Poppy and Casteel must consider the impossible—travel to the Lands of the Gods and wake the King himself. And as shocking secrets and the harshest betrayals come to light, and enemies emerge to threaten everything Poppy and Casteel have fought for, they will discover just how far they are willing to go for their people—and each other.

And now she will become Queen…

 

 

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Review

6 epic stars!

OMG, what a ride! This book is all kinds of epic. Full of action, intrigue, excitement, humour, drama and romance, it’s everything I was hoping for and more, and I adored every single moment.

This is a complex world with a lot of characters. If you don’t remember what’s happened so far, I recommend a reread. I reread book #2 before starting this one, and I’m so glad I did because there were so many details I had forgotten, and it put me in the perfect position to continue Poppy and Casteel’s incredible story. If you’re not up to date on those two books, beware some minor spoilers below.

The book starts at the moment the last book in the series ended, picking up at the cliffhanger and diving straight into incredible scenes that had my heart pounding. I was completely and totally hooked, and couldn’t stop reading as the story twisted and turned in ways I wasn’t expecting. It’s a rollercoaster ride of adventure and emotion as Poppy and Cas embrace their destiny and fight for each other, their friends and family, and for the changes they so desperately want to see in their world.

“You need to understand that I will do anything and everything for my wife.” Casteel’s gaze latched on to his father‘s. “No risk is too great, nor is anything too sacred. Because she is my everything. There is nothing greater than her, and I do mean nothing.”

The fantasy/paranormal element is strong. It’s a complex, but well-developed world, and there’s lots of magical powers on display. And when combined with the mental, physical and emotional strength of these characters, it’s all so exciting and badass!

And the love story! The slow burn that developed over the first two books has already been well and resolved, but this book steps it up even further and we get the most incredible romance. OMG, I was in a world of swoon. Cas is pretty much the perfect man – funny, sexy, strong and protective, but also allowing Poppy to absolutely shine, and just happy to be right there beside her. The steamy time also kicks up a notch in this one, and the sex is passionate, intense and frequent. This love story is truly epic, and I loved every moment of seeing Poppy and Cass as the power couple they were so meant to be.

“I will set this entire kingdom on fire and watch it burn if that ensures that the crown sits on your head.”
I jolted. “You love your people—”
“But I love you more.” Flecks of gold burned brightly in his eyes, churning restlessly. “Do not underestimate what I would or would not do to ensure your happiness. I think you know this by now. There is nothing that I wouldn’t do, Poppy. Nothing.”

“You are the foundation that helps me stand. You are my walls and my roof. My shelter. You are my home.”
His lashes swept up, the amber of his eyes churning wildly. “As you are mine.”

Helping along the way is an amazing cast of characters. I loved watching them all evolve along with Poppy and Cas as their world changes around them, but they all manage to keep their sarcastic wit and sense of humour, and I laughed so many times at the antics and dialogue of this crew. The dynamics are just fantastic, and the bonds between them all are beautifully written. They’re a fun group to read about and I loved them all.

But it’s not all happy and loved-up times. There are some big surprises in this book, and my head is still reeling from some of those big reveals. I loved the twists and turns, and I’m sure there will be more to come, and I can’t wait to see where the story goes from here.

I loved this book so much. I laughed and cried happy and sad tears, my heart broke and my heart soared. I was terrified, excited and giddy and couldn’t get enough, desperate to know what was going to happen while at the same time rereading certain scenes over and over again. It’s a loooooong book, but it never dragged, and every moment of it was magical – even that killer cliffhanger (because daaaaaamn!).

Definitely a fave for 2021.

6 huge stars!

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

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Excerpt

CHAPTER ONE

“Lower your swords,” Queen Eloana commanded, her hair shining a glossy onyx in the sun as she sank onto one knee. The raw emotion pouring out of her seeped into the Temple floors of the Chambers of Nyktos, bitter and hot, tasting of anguish and a helpless sort of anger. It stretched out toward me, needling my skin and brushing against this…primal thing inside me. “And bow before the…before the last descendant of the most ancient ones. She who carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. Bow before your new Queen.”

The blood of the King of Gods? Your new Queen? None of that made sense. Not her words or when she had removed her crown.

A too-thin breath scorched my throat as I looked at the man standing beside the Queen of Atlantia. The crown was still upon the King’s golden-haired head, but the bones had remained a bleached white. Nothing like the gleaming, gilded one the Queen had placed at the feet of the statue of Nyktos. My gaze skipped over the terrible, broken things scattered about the once pristine, white floors. I’d done that to them, adding their blood to what had fallen from the sky, filling the thin fissures in the marble. I didn’t look at that or anyone else—every part of my being focused on him.

He remained on one knee, staring up at me from between the vee of the swords he’d crossed over his chest. His damp hair, blue-black in the Atlantian sunlight, curled against the sandy-hued skin of his forehead. Red streaked those high, angular cheekbones, the proud curve of his jaw, and ran down lips that had once shattered my heart. Lips that had pieced those broken shards back together with the truth. Bright, golden eyes locked with mine, and even bowed before me, so motionless I wasn’t sure he breathed, he still reminded me of one of the wild and strikingly beautiful cave cats I’d once seen caged in Queen Ileana’s palace as a child.

He had been many things to me. A stranger in a dimly lit room who’d been my first kiss. A guard who had sworn to lay down his life for mine. A friend who had looked beyond the veil of the Maiden to truly see me underneath, who’d handed me a sword to protect myself instead of forcing me into a gilded cage. A legend cloaked in darkness and nightmares that had plotted to betray me. A Prince of a kingdom believed to have been lost to time and war, who had suffered unimaginable horrors and yet managed to find the pieces of who he used to be. A brother who would do anything, commit any deed to save his family. His people. A man who bared his soul and stripped open his heart to me—and only me.

My first.
My guard.
My friend.
My betrayer.
My partner.
My husband.
My heartmate.
My everything.

 

WANT MORE? Read the first three chapters here

 

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Blood and Ash

 

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About the Author

#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true.  When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was a Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.

 

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