The War Of Two Queens
(Blood And Ash #4)
By Jennifer L. Armentrout
Narrator: Stina Nielsen & Tim Campbell
Length: 26 hours and 38 minutes
War is only the beginning…From the desperation of golden crowns…Casteel Da’Neer knows all too well that very few are as cunning or vicious as the Blood Queen, but no one, not even him, could’ve prepared for the staggering revelations. The magnitude of what the Blood Queen has done is almost unthinkable.And born of mortal flesh…Nothing will stop Poppy from freeing her King and destroying everything the Blood Crown stands for. With the strength of the Primal of Life’s guards behind her, and the support of the wolven, Poppy must convince the Atlantian generals to make war her way—because there can be no retreat this time. Not if she has any hope of building a future where both kingdoms can reside in peace.A great primal power rises…Together, Poppy and Casteel must embrace traditions old and new to safeguard those they hold dear—to protect those who cannot defend themselves. But war is only the beginning. Ancient primal powers have already stirred, revealing the horror of what began eons ago. To end what the Blood Queen has begun, Poppy might have to become what she has been prophesied to be—what she fears the most.As the Harbinger of Death and Destruction.
Check Out The Other Books In This Series:
(Linked to my review)
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My Review:
This book made my anxiety skyrocket. It was so bad that I had to politely beg *ahem* ask for spoilers from a very kind soul on Twitter. I bet this will make a fantastic reread but the first time around was H*LL. By this point I don't even know where the story is going I'm just hanging on for dear life hoping the author ends everything on a happy note. In terms of world-building, this was fantastic! It gives much more insight into other cities and their people. It also confirms how prominent the resistance is and how entrenched they are in the cities ready to accomplish their goals.
Poppy was just as bad*ss as ever. She was putting disrespectful people in their places left and right. She stood up and laid down what was going to happen in the most respectful of ways. All the while making clear that it was going to go her way period.
I loved the spotlight this particular book cast on Kieran. He's come such a long way from when we first met him. It's been made clear that he's slowly (over the last 3 books) warmed up to and has come to enjoy Poppy's company and her never-ending questions. He's a really nice guy who will stand beside Poppy regardless of if it puts his life in jeopardy. I like how he still teases her about her questions even though she's The Queen. Their banter is so adorable!
Cas has been put through the wringer with this one! I hope the author is done torturing him. This book was so hard to get through because I didn't know what would happen to him. I was making myself sick with worry. It was not fun. However, I loved that he was still just as fiercely in love and adoring with Poppy as he's been in past books. I really appreciate how Cas treats Poppy. I really like them together because they complement each other so well!
SPOILERS AHEAD!
YOU'VE BEEN WARNED.
(Highlight with mouse to read!)
Now to talk about the elephant in the room: The Joining. I was never particularly against or for The Joining. As long as the author didn't obviously force it or create a plotline that obviously had nothing to do with anything in the story to push this I knew I was going to be okay with it.
The way it happened flowed well with the story. It wasn't something completely out of left field. It was obvious that the event was planned ahead of time and had a lot of thought and intention put into it. It was also consistent with Kieran's evolution toward Poppy in past books. I can say that with certainty because I just got done with a reread of the series so everything is still fresh in my mind. At the same time though, it's weird/out-of-character because of how possessive Cas is of Poppy. I understand that in their society it's a normal tradition that people grow up knowing about (even though it's fallen out of "fashion" for some time) and it's an honor. How can Cas be okay with sharing his wife with his best friend in that way? Food for thought I guess.
My question going forward then becomes will Cas, Poppy, and Kieran become more than they already are (AKA will they enter into a poly relationship)? Or will it be like it never happened and it'll be Cas and Poppy with Kieran being the loyal BFF/advisor?
What I wouldn't do to sneak a peek at the storyboard the author probably has outlined for this series and the other series planned in this universe!
END OF SPOILERS.
The end was not as painful or as heartwrenching as the past cliffhangers in this series have been so far. It was actually a great reprieve considering how anxiety-inducing the first 16 or so hours of this audio book were for me. The very end had a lot of big revelations and will definitely need a reread before the next book gets released. Though I will say I dislike how murder happy the author has been with the characters in this series. I'd really prefer that to stop and for everyone to be happy. It's impossible. I know. But a girl can dream.
The Audio Book:
I've gotten so used to how Stina Nielsen narrates/vocies the characters that I kinda sorta disliked Tim Campbell's narration from the very beginning. I tried my best to give him a fair shot but if I'm being honest I would have preferred Stina Nielsen to have narrated this whole book as well. OR if from the beginning this whole series had been dual narrated with both their dialogues interspersed between each other. Considering how big this authors books are and how well they sell that should have been a conversation that was had with the publisher from the beginning.
Let me be clear that there wasn't anything necessarily wrong with Tim Campbell's narration. This is a personal issue I have. I usually dislike male narrated books because I find that their voices grate in the long term due to not having as wide of a range in voices as I would like/am used to with female narrators. There have been exceptions and I've listened to many MUCH worse narrations. This one was one of the almost pleasant ones but still not a favorite.
My Rating:
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