The War of Two Queens Book Review

Note: All the reviews on my blog are written for the sole purpose of sharing my experience and enjoyment of the book reviewed.  My first language is not English so please forgive the possible multiple errors in grammar and misspelled words. Oopss! 

 

 

SPOILERS ALERT!!!!! While I always try to make my reviews or summaries spoiler free and short, I will have to make an exception with this one. There was a lot of drama and mixed reviews surrounding this book of the series and there was a lot of drama in the different social media platforms. When this happens it can make readers who have yet to start the series or this specific book, hesitate or prolong starting it, I speak from experience. 

From Blood and Ash is by far my favorite series in all the different genres. It was the book that got me out of a decade long reading slump and when a new book comes out in the series I stop whatever I might be doing or reading to start the new release. The War of Two Queens was probably the most awaited book of the series so far for a couple of different reasons. Number one being that since the release of book one in March of 2020, the amount of fans of the series has grown a lot, as people are still discovering the series mostly thanks to social media platforms like Instagram and Tik Tok, as well as obsessed fans like myself who just won't shut up about it. The number two reason has a lot to do with how book three ended, leaving us in a state of suffering and desperation for our beloved Casteel. And last but not least, the release of A Shadow in the Ember last fall. A Shadow in the Ember is a  prequel to From Blood and Ash and it also takes place in the From Blood and Ash world. This new series named Flesh and Fire series, give us a lot of information that answers a big amount of questions we had while reading the From Blood and Ash series, and it also introduces two very important characters to this fantasy world. So imagine my surprise as I woke up on release day to find a whole lot stuff going on from Facebook to Goodreads. Good, bad and excessively intense yet unnecessary reviews that not only spoiled the book without warning to those who had yet to read it, but led to it's author having to step back from social media because some readers went as far as issuing threats, which is totally not cool. Therefore I feel the need to talk about the book more openly and for that spoilers will be needed. So here we go, once again if you don't want to read spoilers, now is the time to stop reading.

 

 

Ok, so let's get right to it and address the big elephant in the room, THE JOINING. Was I team Joining?

NO.

Did finding out it took place in this book before even starting to read it make me less excited to start?

YES

Thanks to all those readers who were so pissed about it that they didn't care to put spoilers alert in their reviews or social media rants.

How do I feel about it now?

Totally fine. While I was not for it, this is something that is talked about earlier in the series and I always knew there was a big chance of it taking place. I think the scene was very well done and I understand the bigger picture, It took place in order to do whatever possible to save Kieran's life. After everything he had done for both Poppy and Cas, I would've thought less of them if they didn't do whatever they could to try and save him if the Blood Queen went back on her word. Out of all the four books, I would rate this one four stars, unlike the previous three which I rated five starts, still that missing star has nothing to do with the Joining. 

What I liked most about the book?

All the action. Reading it made me feel like the people you see on videos watching important scenes of a show or a movie, moments that make you want to jump, scream or hit something out of pure adrenaline. Like for example, the fight of the Avengers with Thanos in Endgame when Captain America gets a hold of Thor's hammer. Those scenes in the book got me hooked.

 

What did I like the least?

No, it wasn't the Joining. I think one of the things that brings readers into this series and makes them obsessed with it, is the relationship between Poppy and Cas, the romance. So I didn't really like the change in the relationship between Kieran and Poppy. I understood the Joining, I could understand Poppy's confusion when it came to Kieran a bit, especially when Cas was still being held hostage, but the fact is that most of us readers fell in love with Cas and Poppy's story, how it started in book one, how it develop and grew in book two and how passionate they were with each other in book three. Having Kieran's interactions with Poppy and her now feeling confused as to what kind of love she feels for him was kind of a let down, even though Poppy does say multiple times that while she doesn't know how to explain her feelings, she knows they are very different from what she feels for Cas. I think I had more problems with Kieran been way too touchy for my taste than with Poppy's confusion. 

Do I still love the series and will I continue reading what's to come?

HELL YEAH! The things is, we are all different, and while I might have not liked that part of the story I know there are a lot of readers out there that do. Authors can't make everyone happy. There's a whole lot more to this amazing story, especially now with the addition of the Flesh and Fire series. I am still as invested as I was when I started it. 

I learned my lesson with the Ravenhood series by Kate Stewart. I almost stopped reading it after the first book and it is now one of my favorites. My advice is, read it and don't let yourself to be discouraged by what you read on the internet, read it and come to your own conclusions. 

I must add, I liked the fact that we were not left with a major cliffhanger this time around. Also, book two of the Flesh and Fire series comes out this fall.

RATING: 4/5

SPICE RATING: 4/5

If you didn't mind reading the spoilers even though you haven't read the series, don't give it much thought and get started. Links for the books provided below.

 

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FROM BLOOD AND ASH SERIES BY JENNIFER L ARMENTROUT

Book One - From Blood and Ash

Book Two - A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire

Book Three - The Crown of Gilded Bones

Book Four - The War of Two Queens

 

FLESH AND FIRE SERIES

Book One - A Shadow in the Ember