BookTokers and romantasy lovers, here’s your next must-read. The Blood and Ash universe been one of the chief places for Sarah J. Mass fans to scratch that ACOTAR itch for years now, ever since author Jennifer L. Armentrout published From Blood and Ash in 2020. Next up: the climactic Born of Blood and Ash.
Just like A Court of Thorn and Roses, the Blood and Ash universe requires a map to help you navigate through all the books that fall under its umbrella. Armentrout has been seriously productive this decade, having published nine books already, with at least two more on the way. These are spread out across two series, the mainline Blood and Ash arc and the prequel spinoff series, Flesh and Fire.
While we’re still waiting on Blood and Ash Book 6, The Primal of Blood and Ash, to arrive sometime this year, we also have the fourth and final entry in the Flesh and Fire sequence to come as well. A little confusingly, it’s titled Born of Blood and Ash, teasing its connections to the mainline books. Let’s find out all that we know about it together.
What’s Born of Blood and Ash about?
Set a thousand years before the events of the mainline books, the Flesh and Fire series follows Seraphena “Sera” Mierel, the daughter of the king and queen of the kingdom of Lasania, as she is sent to become the Consort of Nyktos, the dark yet dishy (not his official description) Primal of Death and King of the Gods. Originally the FaF sequence — comprising A Shadow in the Ember, A Light in the Flame, and A Fire in the Flesh — was supposed to be a trilogy, but Armentrout surprised all her fans with the announcement of a fourth book.
So top-secret is Born of Blood and Ash that a synopsis for it has yet to even be announced at the time of writing. Readers are split down the middle over whether the book is needed, as some feel the story could’ve ended with the third novel while others are glad they get to spend more time with Sera, who some prefer to the main series’ heroine, Poppy. It remains to be seen whether Born will be a worthy last chapter in the spinoff saga, but you know romantasy (romance fantasy) readers are going to get their hands on it as soon as possible either way.
When does Born of Blood and Ash release and where can I buy it?
The good news is Born of Blood and Ash will here before you know it. The fourth book in the Flesh and Fire saga releases on May 7, 2024. As for where you can buy it, the novel will be available from all good bookstores and all morally compromised online retailers. e.g. Amazon or Barnes and Noble (who are also offering an exclusive hardcover for pre-order, including signed copies). As we wait for its release, maybe these similarly steamy supernatural titles might hit the same spot.