Title: A Light in the Flame (Flesh and Fire #2)
Author: Jennifer Armentrout
Genre: Fantasy, fantasy romance
Publisher: Blue Box Press
Publication Date: 2022
Page count: 615

Rating:

A Light in the Flame was the second book in the Flesh and Fire series, which serves as a prequel/companion to the Blood and Ash series. The book came out in 2022 but I only managed to get it off of my TBR this month and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it.

I thought the first book in this series was good, but I didn’t think it quite lived up to the expectations I’d had after reading Blood and Ash. Perhaps I’d read them too closely and needed a little time apart because I thought this installment was excellent. The world Armentrout has created is intricate and detailed, the characters are flawed but loveable, and the plot had some of the characteristic twists and reveals that I’m used to in her writing. It did feel a bit long at parts, mainly around the middle, and I do find Armentrout’s writing to be a touch predictable, but neither of those aspects bothers me. In fact, I find it really comforting and exciting, to move through her novels. You can see as things are arcing or characters are evolving in really enjoyable ways, and even if you think you might know where it’s going, it’s still satisfying as the plot makes its way there.

The Flesh and Fire series was one I wasn’t sure that I was going to continue, but after this book, I know that I absolutely need to. I’m really looking forward to seeing where Sera and Nyktos end up, and also getting to the conclusion of the massive cliff-hanger that the end had.

Before reading, I would be sure to review trigger warnings—this book examined a lot of difficult themes, including anxiety, depression, and suicide, so worth it to review before you jump right in.

Fair warning: spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn’t read this book.

Book Review: A Light in the Flame by Jennifer Armentrout

A Light in the Flame picks up where A Shadow in the Ember left off: Sera and Nyktos are told that Sera contains the embers of life due to the deal struck between Nyktos’ father and her relatives. This is just after coming to terms with Sera admitting to having been sent to kill Nyktos while fulfilling the original deal. This new revelation means that Sera holds the keys to overcoming Kolis if they could only determine how to safely remove the embers from her and transfer them to Nyktos. She also learns that she is the reincarnated Sotoria, the true love of Kolis, and no one can be sure that Kolis will not know this upon seeing her for the first time.

The news of the embers bears a new burden for Sera, who is still grappling with the fallout of losing the trust and friendship of everyone in Nyktos’ court because of her betrayal. She’s even more isolated than before, and in her view, is still destined to die, just in a new way. Instead of seducing and killing Nyktos, she now believes it’s her destiny to do so to Kolis instead. She attempts and fails, to escape in order to fulfill this destiny, but quickly finds that Nyktos will not cooperate with her. He wishes to remove the embers from Sera while keeping her alive and refuses to acknowledge any outcome where she doesn’t survive.

From here, much of the story focuses on the journey to obtain more information about how the embers might be able to be removed and how they can stop Kolis for good, which runs in tandem with the story of Sera grappling with her own emotions and existence. While the story is part love story and part epic quest, Armentrout takes a considerable amount of time in a reflective state from Sera’s perspective as Sera grapples with anxiety, depression, and trauma. For her entire life, she’s had no one to support her, no one she could trust, and has essentially been raised for slaughter for the good of her realm. She doesn’t know how to exist in a world where her death might not be imminent, and where people are looking out for her. The result is her having to face the inner demons that she’s suppressed for most of her life and determine how it is that she wants to live going forward. Armentrout’s depiction of Sera’s anxiety and depression, in my opinion, felt quite accurate and poignant. It was an exploration that I think is familiar if you’ve been through something similar, and even though the circumstances that bring it about are extreme and fantasy-oriented, they feel realistic in the tone and depth of the emotion.

Beyond Sera’s personal turmoil, the love story between Sera and Nyktos was one of my favourite aspects of the book. Nyktos technically cannot love, having had his kardia (or the part of his soul responsible for love) removed, but very quickly you begin to question if that was successful. He clearly cares deeply for Sera, and his support of her as she moves through incredibly dark emotions feels genuine and kind. The evolution of their relationship is so satisfying to see, it just hit all the right romance notes for me and had me not caring at all about whether or not you could see the twists and turns of the rest of the plot coming.

As I mentioned before, Armentrout’s writing is partially so enjoyable to me because her style is so consistent. In A Light In The Flame, we see some of the same tropes that she’s employed in Blood and Ash, and just as with that series, they’re really thoroughly enjoyable to see play out. I enjoyed this book a lot and am actively excited for the final installment to be released.