
“And you needed this moment alone in a pantry?” He turned his head slightly, lining up his mouth with mine. “I just needed.”

Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lieππ±. She is dealing with painful deception and revelations regarding who she is. Poppy’s anthem is most definitely You Don’t Own Me by saygrace ft G-Easy. π΅ “I’m not just one of your many toys. You don’t own me. Don’t say I can’t go with other boys. And don’t tell me what to do. Don’t tell me what to say.” π΅ Homegirl, is a BAWSE πͺπΌ babe. Beautiful! Fearless! Brave! And “so incredibly violent, my Princess.” But when it comes to Hawkeβ¦dang, her treacherous shattered heart skips a beat. Trust was broken. Her π heart is grieving as if someone had died. What Poppy perceives in spite of everything feels like a slippery slope. It means either forgiving or forgetting.
The guard who pledged to protect Poppy with his sword and his life. It wasn’t real. Was it? Tell me it’s real! A man of many names: Hawke, Casteel, Dark One, the Prince. Hawke is handsome, but in the way all wild, dangerous predators were. Deadly, fast, and impossibly strong. Hopelessly charming. π» And those stupid dimples that wink into existence. Poppy and Hawke have one commonality: they want their brothers back. Working WITH him instead of against him is a gamble.
Two kingdoms hiding the truth. Whispers of war have become stronger. Atlantia rose from blood and ash, no longer a fallen kingdom. The people want retribution. There is madness and chaos and death. π
JLA does a phenomenal job keeping you on your toes! I found myself willing my eyeballs to read FASTER. Her world building is ππΌ and her character development is ππΌ. Poppy and Hawke’s overdramatic teasing and quick-witted banter ππΌ. Poppy x the Prince scenes = Iβm alive. Basically Iβm trash for the OTP. Kieran! Infinite snort π½π LOL πΉ moments with the trio. A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire is a story of bone-deep hurt, disappointment, deceit, unexpected contradictions, and intangible hope and love. I COULD NOT HAVE LOVED THIS ANY MORE! π₯° All the praise to Jennifer Armentrout for inviting us readers into a mesmerizing fictional world. A must read follow up to the captivating and action-packed high fantasy novel, From Blood and Ash. Iβm already utterly homesick for the next installment. B & A THREE! I need it like Hawke needs Poppy.
Be prepared to eat your feelings. Grab your BFFs, Ben & Jerry π¦ (obvi), ALL the tissues π€§, and your fave sad-boy band music π§. Because you will cry over the betrayal and choices and secrets. Oh, my!

πΆ song: Scars To Your Beautiful by Alessia Cara πΆ
HUGE thanks ππΌ to the Social Butterfly PR team π¦, Blue Box Press, and Jennifer Armentrout for allowing me to devour an advance reader copy. It was an honor. π€πΌ

AUGUST 16th 2020: initial reaction
I need a mo’.