I ended 2021 with a fantasy trilogy, which while did not impress me too much, did inspire an academic research paper that I’m currently working on. So, in one word, this trilogy has been thought-provoking. Also, major smut alert for the whole of the three books. If you’re new here, we don’t do “no spoilers” review so proceed at your own risk.

So, first things first, we talk a lot about male protagonists written by women authors and how great they are, I think, Jennifer Armentrout took it upon herself to break that stereotype with her male protagonist. Casteel Da’neer is the worst fantasy male protagonist with questionable understanding of consent and that is not the only reason why he is not even on the bottom of the list, he is not even on this imaginary list consisting Rhysand and Dorian and Elias and Ali.

The plot delves deep into complex ideas of realms and gods while a not-so ordinary girl rebels against all that is expected of her and goes on the quest to discover her own identity and powers. Poppy embodies a number of roles in her life within these first three books. She has been a Maiden, a Princess, a Queen, a Deity and a God.

I read the three books at a go, From Blood and Ash, A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire and The Crown of Gilded Bones. I loved the fact that the plot was not repetitive and I did not feel like skipping anything even though I binge read it. That is usually a good thing about a series. From Blood and Ash did not impress. It had a pretty basic plot (note, trigger warning for abuse by guardian) with a naive protagonist being fooled by the rest of world as plots are set into motion. Poppy becomes part of a conspiracy bigger than her understanding of the world and has the potential for greater things. It starts getting interesting from the second book and the third book basically has the plot of two books and suffers from poor distribution of plot, to be honest. Nevertheless, the third book, by virtue of its length, offers a lot of explanations and creates a lot of problems. The naivete of the two protagonists remain as they keep making poor choices and walking straight into traps.

From Blood and Ash could serve as a mediocre exposition to a fantasy series, sure. Flesh and Fire was just smut. Gilded Bones added a lot to my review of the books and the interest in the series as well. Though the last book was a bit difficult to follow and somebody or the other kept dying and coming back to life, until they didn’t, it was an interesting read. You just need patience to read this series because it does get interesting. Betrayals are common occurrences in this series and by the end of the third book, the protagonist finally completes her character arc.

To me, it didn’t quite hit the mark. It wasn’t a good fantasy, wasn’t a good romance, not even a good smut. It started gaining interest by the middle of the third book and ended with a cliffhanger, so I am waiting for the next book but really, there are better books out there in every genre that this one claims to check. Three stars from me, mostly for the third book and with the expectation of some reprieve from Casteel for at least half of the next book.