Title: A Shadow in the Ember
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Publisher: Blue Box Press
Publication Date: October 19, 2021
ISBN: 9781952457494
Synopsis:
Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel’s future has never been hers. Chosenbefore 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.
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A Shadow in the Ember was a pleasant surprise to encounter and enjoy, and fell into my lap entirely by surprise. I’ve only read one other Jennifer L. Armentrout book and did really like it, though I’m getting the books through the Libby app and all books in the series have “several months” wait on them, so I don’t think I’ll be making much progress with these anytime soon. Sniffs sadly. I’d completely forgotten I’d put this book on hold months ago and when it came for my turn to borrow, I dove right in. It did not disappoint. I am glad that I’ve read the first book in the Flesh and Fire series, as it did give a little context to a lot of the elements in this other series, though I don’t think it’s totally necessary to have read the other series (she says having only read the first book of both). So much world-building takes place, and that includes outlining some big fantasy concepts in enough detail that readers new to these books are not required to have prior knowledge to fully understand and enjoy this plot.
I love that this book introduces the world of the mortals and the world of the gods, and that the two, while separate, also can influence one another if magic or the balance of power tilts. The inhabitants of both worlds can also move between the worlds, though only a small number of the population does this. The world of the gods is the basis for the mortal religion, and the beings who inhabit it are the stuff of legends, if not tales of fiction. Some of what the mortals believe has ceased to exist or fallen into extinction has truly just been locked away in a world inaccessible to most.
Sera’s character is so fascinating and her story arch even more so. Though the first born Princess, thus should inherit the throne, she is marked to forever be given over as Consort to the Primal of Death as a part of an age old deal that should end the blight on their land that is killing the land, and the food and life-sustaining crops with it. Sera holds a secret deep within her—a life-giving power that she keeps from everyone she knows, save the rare few who have witnessed it themselves. She is bound to her duty and will not fail the people she is beholden to, even if it means losing everything, including her life.
The Primal of Death, Nyktos, is everything and nothing like you’d expect. Powerful beyond measure and keeping himself at a distance, he is every inch the powerful being to rule over the land of the dead. There is so much lurking beneath the surface with Nyktos, that I’m sure I’ll soon discover many new sides to him that reveal him to be full of kindness, mercy, and love. He may preside over the journeys of the dead to the afterworld, but in life, he is well-regarded, respected, and thoughtfully kind to those in his inner circle. For you ACOTAR fans, he really gives off major Rhysand vibes and I’m totally here for it.
I’m excited to see where this story is going to take me next, and I’m so glad to have found Armentrout in the wake of my Yarros and Maas book hangover. I just need to keep forging ahead on this romantasy adventure. I’m a total convert.
Happy reading!
Worn Pages and Ink 