Also, 10/10 for Nektas. His character was great and I love him so much. He was fantastic in this book and the way he just meddles…you’ll know what I mean when you read it. Jadis and Reaver are also so adorable – though Reaver would probably hate that description – but I love that they had slightly bigger roles in this book. I love their relationship with Sera. In old Primal language, graeca meant life. But as Aios had said, it was also interchangeable with the word love. Because she carries the Embers in her, Nyktos is trying his hardest to keep her safe (also, because he really likes her and he likes her sexy body), keep her alive until he can figure out a way to remove the Embers without harming her and without her loosing her life if she Ascends.

The scene where she tries to get him to explain and frustratingly enough he doesn’t, and you wonder WHY?! You know deep down he would never do anything like that since all you see from him after that scene is how sorry he is and how horrible he feels. How much he cares and how vocal he has become about it. How he told Nektas she was important to him, how he gave his guards and friends an earful about treating her with anything but respect. Honestly everything he did for her should tell us how he feels. It was not intentional,” Holland said. “But it was her time. You intervened, upset the balance, and it had to be righted.” There are so many people to love, so many people to hate, and everything in between. I loved being wrapped up in in this world and I didn’t want to leave. And then JLA drops a cliffhanger that left me reeling in more ways than one! The emotional punches in those final chapters had my heart pounding, and I am desperate to continue the story. No.” His voice had dropped, but it still somehow thundered through me. “It was not.” “Then don’t do it,” I snapped. “It’s rude.”The Fate nodded. “It is what becomes of a mortal when their life force—their blood—is stolen from them, and the loss isn’t replenished. It does not matter who the mortal was before. The act rots them, in body and in mind, turning them into amoral creatures driven by an insatiable need for blood. Craven.” Another thing we find out right before shit hits the fan is that Sera intended to k*ll herself when she took a lot of the sleep aid before she meets Ash in book 1. She never intended to wake up and that reveal spoke volumes to why she was always never in fear of death and the fact Nektas is the only one to know of that confession makes it even more special. I wonder what Ash would have thought or done knowing this information, it would confirm what he has felt and known for so long: She didn't value her life. This will be a spoiler free review. Thank you to Jen and her team for letting me be a part of the JLanders Review Team and allowing me to read A Light in the Flame early in exchange for an honest review. I’ve been a fan of the Blood and Ash series since the beginning and absolutely loved A Shadow in the Ember and all the story we’re getting in the Flesh and Fire series. This second installment was fantastic and I’m dying to know what happens next! No, he cannot,” Holland interrupted. My head swung to him. “As I’ve said, there must always be balance. In everything—even among the Primals. Life cannot exist without Death, and they should not be one and the same.”

Some of the issues they dealt with could have been prevented if they just were honest and talked things through, but I think because both Sera and Nyktos are trying to understand whatever it is they are feeling toward each other and not having to communicate is their usual MO things didn't always work in their favor. All of that build-up is worth it when the sexy time comes, because there is so much between these two. The sex is just a reflection of the tumultuous chemistry and depth of feelings between them, and it’s all so freaking intense! Yeah, except I had technically done that with Bele, paving the way for her to replace Hanan if he fell.But then she started to really admit to herself and come to terms with her feelings and respect others which really made her character better. You asked what Kolis would do to get to the embers of life. He would find a way to obtain them. Perhaps he wouldn’t use his cruelest methods to do so”—her brilliant blue eyes dimmed, becoming haunted—“but if he were to realize who you once were, he would stop at nothing to have you.” please, when sera realized she was in love with nyk, i was in tears 😭 and oh my god when he sensed her love but didn’t know what it meant—

Before we go any further, a reminder once again, this review will contain major spoilers from book one, so please don't read past this point!!I was warned by a friend that Sera was going to remind me so much of Poppy from FBAA that I would feel like I was reading the same book, and that was absolutely correct. However, I felt that Seraphina had some additional nuances that weren’t found in Poppy’s character. While I can’t say that I like Sera more than Poppy, I can say that I related to her more. Nyktos also has such depth and darkness, more so than Casteel in my opinion, that even though the characters and plot mirror each other in many ways, I still found myself captivated by this story. Frustration surged through me. “What does Kolis even want? What is his goal with these creations of his?” I completely understand that Sera was insistent on going to Kolis and continue with the initial plan that was set for Nyktos, but her instance also came about because she found herself being cared for. For the first time in her life someone actually cared about her wellbeing, someone is there for her if she wants to talk, simply put, someone is there for her. Bullshit,” I said, and the silver of his irises shifted to iron. “I don’t need to be protected from the truth. It’s not like I’ll be so frightened by it that I’ll run off a nearby cliff.” Holland sighed.

Their romance also has this doomed and tragic quality to it that makes it more gripping and intense, and I have to say that while I love Cas, I feel that Nyktos has more personality and individuality. He has his issues and worries, and it’s not all about Sera, there are also moments about him and his problems, and he has his character arc. I could go on and on about how much I love him, but I have a character limit to respect so I will simply say that he is perfection and strawberries and chocolate and I want one just like that for Christmas please, and thank you. I'm still freaking out over how freaking awesome this book is. I love this series more and more with each book. I'm starting to think that I might love this just a tad more than the original. Don't fret, I love Poppy and Casteel and their story as much as I've always had, but there's something about Sera and Nyktos that has me in a chokehold. Breathe in. My mortal body and mind wouldn’t be able to handle the power of the embers once I began the Ascension. The only chance I had of surviving wasn’t even a hope. Hold. Because it required the blood of the Primal that one of the embers of life belonged to—that and sheer will powered by love. Also, my other issue with this book is that it seemed the plot was going in circles sometimes and unlike book one, this was more repetitive. And similar to the world-building issue, I'm trying to word this correctly, but there shouldn't be as many new reveals especially as we're heading towards the end of Flesh and Fire and Blood and Ash series because I'm trying to connect the dots and I'm struggling. As I said earlier in this post, A Light in the Flame is a devastatingly beautiful and heartbreaking book, with moments that made me laugh in ways I didn't' expect, exasperation levels I didn't think I could reach and some of the most swoon worthy moments I have read in quit some time.

A muscle throbbed in Nyktos’s temple. “I cannot love,” he bit out between clenched teeth, speaking to Holland. “I made sure that would never be a weakness someone could exploit.” Something told me that this was more than just him making such a claim. “And how can you ensure that?” My heart tripped. While that was a nice vow for him to make, I knew it stemmed from the knowledge that I carried the embers of life in me. And because Nyktos was decent. Protective. Good. “Thanks, but I’m not worried about what will happen to me.” The shifting dynamic between Sera and Nyktos is a huge part of this story, and JLA writes feisty, chemistry-filled interplay so brilliantly. From arguing to playful banter, heart-filled conversations, flirting, teasing and lusty swordplay (yes, really), I was feeling it all, and the sexual tension steadily builds through all of it, forming the basis for a fabulously passion-filled love story. I understand the sentiment,” Penellaphe said with a bemused expression. “Prophecies can often be confusing, even to those who receive them. And, sometimes, only bits and pieces of a prophecy are known by one—the beginning or the end—while the middle is known to another and vice versa. But some visions have come to pass, both in Iliseeum and in the mortal realm. It’s hard to see this since the destruction of the Gods of Divination and the passing of the last of the oracles.”