Blog Tour: The War of Two Queens by Jennifer Armentrout

 

Nothing will stop Poppy from freeing her King and destroying everything the Blood Crown stands for.

The War of Two Queens, the stunning continuation in the Blood and Ash series from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is available now!

War is only the beginning…

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes book four in her Blood and Ash series.

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.

Download The War of Two Queens now!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ZJrbrB

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/TwoQueens

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3bzLpXl

Nook: https://bit.ly/3EHXwOF

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3EArwfh

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3w6HP0e

Amazon Hardcover: https://amzn.to/3BEQIzo

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3CDH94N

Barnes & Noble Hardcover: https://bit.ly/3pVWrP3

Audible: https://adbl.co/3CDI2u9

Start the series today with From Blood and Ash!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/39nro2I

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3byVPo7

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/bloodash

Nook: https://bit.ly/2US0v1o 

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2Us5gji

Google Play: https://bit.ly/39yLW8h

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2UuUUiF 

Excerpt

Casteel
The click and drag of claws drew closer as the weak flame above the lone candle sputtered and then went out, pitching the cell into darkness.
A thicker mass of shadows appeared in the open archway—a misshapen form on its hands and knees. It halted, sniffing as loudly as a godsdamn barrat, scenting blood. My blood.
The smooth bands of shadowstone tightened around my throat and ankles as I shifted, bracing myself. The damn stone was unbreakable, but it did come in handy. A low-pitched wail came from the creature.
“Mother—” The thing exploded out of the archway, scurrying forward, its keening moan becoming an ear-piercing screech. “—fucker.”
I waited until its stench of decay reached me and then pressed my back against the wall, lifting my legs. The length of the chain between my ankles was only about half a foot, and the shackles wouldn’t give an inch, but it was enough. Planting my bare feet into the creature’s shoulders, I got a good, most unfortunate look at the thing as its foul breath blasted me in the face.
Man, the Craven was not a fresh one.
Patches of gray flesh clung to its hairless skull, and half of its nose was gone. One entire cheekbone was exposed, eyes burning like hot coals. Lips torn and mangled— The Craven twisted its head down, sinking its fangs into my calf. Its teeth tore through the breeches and into flesh and muscle. Air hissed between my gritted teeth as fiery pain burned its way up my leg.
Worth it.
The pain was more than worth it.
I would spend an eternity taking these bites if that meant she was safe. That it wasn’t her in this cell. That she wasn’t the one in pain.
Shaking the Craven free, I dragged the short chain over the thing’s neck as I crossed my feet. I twisted at the waist, pulling the dull bone chain tight across its throat, ending the Craven’s screams. The shackle clamped down on my throat as I kept turning, cutting off my air as the chain dug into the Craven’s neck. Its arms flailed on the floor as I jerked my legs in the opposite direction, snapping the creature’s spine. The spasming became more of a twitching as I hauled it within reach of my bound hands. The chain between my wrists, connected to the shackle at my throat, was much shorter—but long enough.
I grasped the Craven’s cold, clammy jowls and brought its head down hard, slamming it against the stone floor by my knees. Flesh gave way, spraying rotting blood over my stomach
and chest. Bone split open with a wet-sounding crack. The Craven went limp. I knew it wouldn’t stay down, but it bought me some time.
Lungs burning, I unwound the chain and kicked the creature away from me. It landed by the archway in a tangled mess of limbs as I relaxed my muscles. The band around my neck was slow to loosen, eventually allowing air into my burning lungs.
I stared at the Craven’s body. At any other time, I would’ve kicked the bastard into the hall like usual, but I was weakening.
I was losing too much blood.
Already.
Not a good sign.
Breathing heavily, I looked down. Just below the shadowstone bands, shallow slices ran up the insides of my arms, past both elbows and over the veins. I counted them. Again. Just to be sure.
Thirteen.
Thirteen days had passed since the first time the Handmaidens swarmed this cell, dressed in black and as quiet as a tomb. They came once a day to cut into my flesh, siphoning my blood as if I were a damn barrel of fine wine.
A tight, savage smile twisted my mouth. I’d managed to take out three of them in the beginning. Ripped their throats out when they got too close, which was why they’d shortened the chain between my wrists. Only one of them actually stayed dead, though. The damn throats of the other two had stitched themselves closed within minutes—impressive and also infuriating to witness.
Learned something valuable, though.
Not all of the Blood Queen’s Handmaidens were Revenants.
I wasn’t sure how I could use that information yet, but I guessed they were using my blood to make brand-spanking-new Revs. Or using it as a dessert for the lucky.
Tipping back my head against the wall, I tried not to breathe too deeply. If the stench of the downed Craven didn’t choke me, the damn shadowstone around my throat would. I closed my eyes. There had been more days before the Handmaidens showed the first time. How many? I wasn’t exactly sure. Two days? A week? Or—?
I stopped myself there. Shut it the fuck down.
I couldn’t go down that road. I wouldn’t. I’d done that the last time, trying to clock the days and weeks until there came a point when time simply ceased to move. Hours became days. Weeks became years. And my mind became as rotten as the blood seeping from the Craven’s ruined head.
But things were different in the here and now.
The cell was larger, with no barred entrance. Not that there needed to be one with the shadowstone and the chains. They were a mix of iron and deity bone, connected to a hook in the wall and then to a pulley system to lengthen or shorten them. I could sit up and move a little, but that was about it. However, the cell was windowless like before, and the dank, musty smell told me they once again held me underground. The freely roaming Craven were also a new addition.
My eyes opened to thin slits. The fuck by the archway had to be the sixth or seventh one that had found its way into the cell, drawn by the scent of blood. Their appearance made me think there was one hell of a Craven problem aboveground.
I’d heard of Craven attacks inside the Rise surrounding Carsodonia before. Something the Blood Crown blamed on Atlantia and angry gods. I’d always assumed it was due to an Ascended
getting greedy and leaving mortals they’d fed on to turn. Now, I was beginning to think the Craven were possibly being kept down here. Wherever here was. And if that were the case, and they could get out and get aboveground, so could I.
If only I could get these damn chains to loosen. I’d spent an ungodly amount of time pulling on the hook. In all those attempts, it may have slipped a half-inch from the wall—if that. But that wasn’t the only thing different about this time. Other than the Craven, I’d only seen the Handmaidens. I didn’t know what to think about that. I’d figured it’d be like the last time. Too-frequent visits from the Blood Crown and their cronies, where they spent their time taunting and inflicting pain, feeding, and doing whatever they wanted.
Of course, my last go-around with this captivity bullshit hadn’t started that way. The Blood Queen had tried to open my eyes first, coax me to her side. Turn me against my family and my kingdom. When that hadn’t worked, the real fun had begun.

Add The War of Two Queens to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3nQgT13

About Jennifer L. Armentrout 

#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications.  Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.

Connect with Jennifer L. Armentrout 

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2xSL7u5

Instagram: @jennifer_l_armentrout http://bit.ly/33GWn8R

Twitter: @JLArmentroutnews http://bit.ly/2QvDYpT

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3dnOSIi

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2U5Jemy

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2U2Fe63

Stay up to date with Jennifer by joining her mailing list: https://bit.ly/2qBce5m

Website: https://jenniferlarmentrout.com

Connect with Blue Box Press
Facebook: https://bit.ly/37fl0uT
Instagram: https://bit.ly/36zQAni
Website: https://theblueboxpress.com/

Stay up to date on all 1001 Dark Nights and Blue Box Press releases, join their mailing list today! https://bit.ly/2zgxaHu

Release Blitz: The War of Two Queens by Jennifer Armentrout

 

War is only the beginning…
From the desperation of golden crowns
And born of mortal flesh
A great primal power rises
As the Harbinger of Death and Destruction.

The War of Two Queens, the highly anticipated fourth book in the Blood and Ash series from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is available now!

War is only the beginning…

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout comes book four in her Blood and Ash series.

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.

Start the journey today!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/2ZJrbrB

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/TwoQueens

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3bzLpXl

Nook: https://bit.ly/3EHXwOF

Kobo: https://bit.ly/3EArwfh

Google Play: https://bit.ly/3w6HP0e

Amazon Hardcover: https://amzn.to/3BEQIzo

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/3CDH94N

Barnes & Noble Hardcover: https://bit.ly/3pVWrP3

Audible: https://adbl.co/3CDI2u9

Add The War of Two Queens to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3nQgT13

Read the first book in a Blood and Ash series!

Amazon: https://amzn.to/39nro2I

Apple Books: https://apple.co/3byVPo7

Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/bloodash

Nook: https://bit.ly/2US0v1o 

Kobo: https://bit.ly/2Us5gji

Google Play: https://bit.ly/39yLW8h

Amazon Paperback: https://amzn.to/2UuUUiF

About Jennifer L. Armentrout

#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications.  Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.

Connect with Jennifer L. Armentrout 

Facebook: http://bit.ly/2xSL7u5

Instagram: @jennifer_l_armentrout http://bit.ly/33GWn8R

Twitter: @JLArmentroutnews http://bit.ly/2QvDYpT

Amazon: https://amzn.to/3dnOSIi

Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2U5Jemy

BookBub: http://bit.ly/2U2Fe63

Stay up to date with Jennifer by joining her mailing list: https://bit.ly/2qBce5m

Website: https://jenniferlarmentrout.com

Connect with Blue Box Press
Facebook: https://bit.ly/37fl0uT
Instagram: https://bit.ly/36zQAni
Website: https://theblueboxpress.com/

Stay up to date on all 1001 Dark Nights and Blue Box Press releases, join their mailing list today! https://bit.ly/2zgxaHu 

Review: From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I just finished my re-read of From Blood and Ash as we get ready for the release of The War of Two Queens and realized I never posted a review. I listened to the audiobook this time around and thought Stina Nielson did a great job with the characters. There were some minor mistakes in the audiobook where the narrator misspoke, but it really didn't detract from the storyline. You would have only noticed if you were reading along with the book or had read it previously in print. I went on to listen to A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire and there weren't any noticeable mistakes in the audiobook. I'm about 20% into The ​Crown of Gilded Bones and she's done a great job maintaining consistency with the voices of the characters throughout the series.

This book has been out for quite a while and has become pretty popular. I read it initially right after it was released in 2020 before all the hype. I love the series, but I can see why some people do not. It is trope heavy and parts of it are predictable. There are other parts that are unique and interesting. Jennifer L. Armentrout is one of my favorite authors, so it is no surprise that I loved this.

The synopsis lays out the plot pretty well so I won't really go into that too much. Poppy is "The Chosen One", though she isn't really sure why. She's lived a pretty sheltered life, but she finds ways to rebel against the rules set for her. Poppy is terrified of the future that has been chosen for her and she isn't quite sure that she wants what is in store for her. As the book progresses we see that Poppy is so much more than the demure Maiden that she is supposed to be. Hawke is her personal guard, but it quickly becomes clear that he's not fully bought into Poppy as "The Maiden" either.

If you are a traditional fantasy lover, this may not be to your liking. The world building is ok, but we don't get the detailed descriptions you might expect in a high fantasy series. It is more atmospheric and character driven. The magic system isn't fully explained yet (we learn more in the later books). If you've read some of Jen's other PNR books you will know that she often sets up things to be learned later on in the series. This is going to be 5 or 6 books in total so I expect things to be revealed as we go much like they did with the Lux series. While it is set in a fantasy world with fantasy elements, it has more of the feeling of a paranormal romance or urban fantasy. Many of the tropes you expect to find in a PNR are present here. The romance element is front and center with the fantasy parts taking a secondary role. I like both high fantasy and PNR, so you get no complaint from me on that front. The characters speak in modern terms which didn't bother me, but I know that can irritate some readers. Parts of this world have electricity and running water while other parts rely on lanterns and candle for light and pitchers of water for washing. It walks the line of traditional high fantasy and urban fantasy. That will not be to everyone's taste.

As I said the romance is what really shines here. JLA is really good at writing intimate scenes at the YA, NA, and adult level. This book gives you a taste of what is to come in the later books and while Poppy and Hawke get a little steamy here, the books only get more steamy going forward. I do feel there are several situations that had questionable consent between Hawke and Poppy, and that continues through the 2nd book. I know I'm not the only one who feels this way as I've seen it mentioned several times in the more negative reviews. I don't think I noticed on the first read, but I definitely notice the 2nd time. The author tried to clear it up with Poppy's inner monologues and what was supposed to be witty banter between the main characters, but I feel clear consent is really important in books as is use of protection. They do discuss birth control as protection isn't really an issue as far as disease is concerned between the two of them. That being said the banter between the characters is excellent! I was laughing out loud constantly while listening to this.

Overall, this is the start to a fun fantasy romance series. I really enjoyed it. It is easy to read, has great banter, and I thought the pacing was good. This does end with a cliffhanger, so be prepared. If you've read Jen's other books you should expect that, but if you are new to her books you've been warned. I'm anxiously awaiting the remaining books in the series to find out what happens.

View all my reviews

Blog Tour: A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout

“Jennifer L. Armentrout has absolutely blown me away.”
-- Larissa Ione, New York Times bestselling author

A Shadow in the Ember, the much anticipated fantasy romance set in the Blood and Ash world from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout is available now!

#1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L. Armentrout returns with book one of the all-new, compelling Flesh and Fire series—set in the beloved Blood and Ash world.

Born shrouded in the veil of the Primals, a Maiden as the Fates promised, Seraphena Mierel’s future has never been hers. Chosen before birth to uphold the desperate deal her ancestor struck to save his people, Sera must leave behind her life and offer herself to the Primal of Death as his Consort.

However, Sera’s real destiny is the most closely guarded secret in all of Lasania—she’s not the well protected Maiden but an assassin with one mission—one target. Make the Primal of Death fall in love, become his weakness, and then…end him. If she fails, she dooms her kingdom to a slow demise at the hands of the Rot.

Sera has always known what she is. Chosen. Consort. Assassin. Weapon. A specter never fully formed yet drenched in blood. A monster. Until him. Until the Primal of Death’s unexpected words and deeds chase away the darkness gathering inside her. And his seductive touch ignites a passion she’s never allowed herself to feel and cannot feel for him. But Sera has never had a choice. Either way, her life is forfeit—it always has been, as she has been forever touched by Life and Death.

Grab your copy today!
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3bROCSS
Amazon Worldwide: http://mybook.to/ShadowEmber
Nook: https://bit.ly/2R1qDIY
Hardcover: https://bit.ly/2S6RP9Z
Apple Books: https://apple.co/3eyxHoD
Kobo: https://bit.ly/3aGWsxR

Add to Goodreads: https://bit.ly/3gCGatH

Excerpt

She reached back, curling her arm through mine. The unexpected contact caused me to  flinch, and I was suddenly grateful for the veil. Like any of the Chosen, my flesh should not  encounter another’s unless related to my preparations. It spoke volumes that Lady Kala had  touched me.  

She led me through the twisting, endless halls of nothing but doors and numerous blazing  candle sconces. I had just begun to wonder if she was lost when the hazy outline of two silent  figures draped in black appeared by a set of doors. 

Shadow Priests.  

They’d taken their oath of silence to all new heights, having stitched their lips closed. I  always wondered how they ate or drank. Based on their wraithlike, sunken frames under the  black robes, whatever method they used wasn’t exactly working out that well for them.  

I suppressed a shudder as each of the Priests opened a door to reveal a large, circular  chamber aglow with hundreds of candles. A third Shadow Priest seemingly appeared out of thin  air, taking Lady Kala’s place. The bony fingers didn’t touch my skin but pressed into the center  of my back. The contact still bothered me, made me want to pull away, but I knew better than to  step away from the coldness of his fingers seeping through the thin layer of cloth. Forcing myself to breathe, I stared at the etchings carved into the otherwise smooth stone. A circle with a line  through it. The symbol filled each stone tile. Having never seen it before, I wasn’t sure what it  meant. My gaze lifted to the wide dais before me. The Priest guided me down the aisle, and some  of the pressure returned to my chest. I didn’t look at the empty pews. If I had truly been Chosen,  those benches would be full of the highest-ranking nobility, the streets outside alive with cheers.  The silence of the room chilled my skin. 

There’d only ever been one throne before, constructed from the same stone as the Temple.  Shadowstone was the color of the deepest hour of night, a marvelous material that could be  polished until it reflected any source of light and whetted into a blade sharp enough to pierce  flesh and bone. The throne was the glossy sort, absorbing the glow of the candlelight until the  stone appeared as if it were full of dark fire. The back of the seat had been carved into the shape  of a crescent moon.  

The exact shape of the birthmark I bore just above my left shoulder blade. The telltale sign  that even before I was born, my life had never been mine. 

Tonight, there were two thrones. 

As they led me to the dais and helped me up the steps, I really wished I had asked for that  glass of water. Guided to the second throne, they sat me there and then left me alone. Resting my hands on the arms of the throne, I scanned the pews below. Not a single soul  from Lasania was in attendance. None even knew that their lives and their children’s lives all  hinged on tonight and what I needed to do. If they ever discovered that Roderick Mierel—the  one the histories of Lasania called the Golden King—hadn’t spent day and night in the fields  with his people, digging and scraping away land ruined by war until they revealed clean, fertile  soil… That he hadn’t sown the land alongside his subjects; his blood, sweat, and tears building  the kingdom… If they learned that the songs and poems written about him had been based on a  fable, what was left of the Mierel Dynasty would surely collapse.  

Someone closed the doors, and my gaze stretched to the back of the chamber, where I could  make out the shadowy forms of my mother and Tavius in the candlelight. A third figure stood  beside them. King Ernald. My stepsister, Princess Ezmeria—Ezra—stood beside her father and  brother, and I didn’t need to see her expression to know that she hated every aspect of this deal.  Sir Holland wasn’t here. I would’ve liked to have said goodbye to him, even though I didn’t  expect him to be here. His presence would raise too many questions among the Shadow Priests.  

Would reveal too much.  

That I wasn’t the beacon of Royal purity, but rather the wolf dressed as the sacrificial lamb. I wouldn’t just fulfill the deal that King Roderick had struck. I would end it before it  destroyed my kingdom. 

Determination filled my chest with warmth as it did whenever I used my gift. This was my  destiny. My purpose. What I would do was bigger than me. It was for Lasania. 

So, I sat there, ankles crossed demurely beneath the gown, hands relaxed on the arms of the  throne as I waited.  

And waited some more.  

Seconds ticked into minutes. I didn’t know how many passed, but tiny balls of unease  formed in my belly. He’d been summoned to his Temple. Shouldn’t…shouldn’t he be here? My palms dampened as the knots grew, stretching into my chest. The pressure increased.  What if he didn’t show? 

Why wouldn’t he? 

This was his deal.  

When King Roderick had grown desperate enough to do anything to salvage his lands ruined  by war and save those who were starving after already suffering so much loss, I imagined he’d  expected a lesser god to answer his summons—which was far more common for those bold  enough to do such a thing. But what had answered the Golden King was a Primal.  

And when he’d granted King Roderick’s request, this was the price the Primal of Death had  requested: the firstborn daughter of the Mierel bloodline as his Consort.  

The Primal had to come. 

What if he didn’t? My heart pounded as my fingers curled against the chilled stone of the  throne.  

Breathe in. Hold. Breathe out. Hold. 

If he didn’t arrive, all would be lost. Everything he’d granted King Roderick would continue  to come undone. If he didn’t come for me, and I failed to fulfill this, I would doom the kingdom  to a slow death at the hands of the Rot. It had started upon my birth, first with just a small patch  of land in an orchard. Unripe apples had fallen from trees that had begun to lose their leaves. The  ground below had turned gray, and the grass, along with the roots of the apple trees, had died.  Then the Rot had spread, slowly taking out the entire orchard. In the time that passed, it had  devastated several more farms. No crop could be seeded in the soil and survive once tainted by  the Rot.  

And it wasn’t only affecting the land. It had changed the weather, making the summers  hotter and drier, the winters colder and more unpredictable.  

The people of Lasania had no idea that the Rot was a clock, counting down. It was an  expiration date on the deal the Golden King had made, one that had started with my birth. There  was a good chance the Golden King hadn’t realized the bargain would expire no matter what.  That was knowledge gained in the decades after the deal had been struck. If I failed, the kingdom  would— 

It started as a low rumble, like the distant sound of wagons and carriages rolling over the  cobblestone streets of Carsodonia. But the sound grew until I felt it in the throne I sat upon—and  in my bones.  

The rumbling ceased, and the candles—all of them—went out, plunging the chamber into  darkness. An earthy-scented breeze stirred the edges of the veil around my face and the hem of  my gown.  

In a wave, flames sparked from the candles, surging toward the pitched ceiling. My gaze  fixed on the center aisle, where the very air itself had split open, spitting crackling white light.  A mist seeped out from the tear, licking across the stone floor and seeping toward the pews.  Tiny bumps erupted all over my skin in response. Some called the mist Primal magic. It was  eather. The potent essence that not only had created the mortal realm and Iliseeum but also what  coursed through the blood of a god, giving even the lesser, unknown ones unthinkable power. 

I blinked. That was all I did. I blinked, and the space in front of the dais that had been empty  no longer was. A male stood there, garbed in a hooded cloak and surrounded by pulsing,  churning tendrils of deep shadows laced with luminous streaks of silver. I didn’t allow myself to  think of what Tavius had said about him. I couldn’t. Instead, I tried to see through the wispy  mass of smoky shadows. All I could tell was that he was unbelievably tall. Even from where I  sat, I knew he would tower over me—and I wasn’t short by any means, nearly the same height as  Tavius. But he was a Primal, and in the stories written about them in the histories, they were  sometimes referred to as giants among mortals.  

He appeared broad of shoulder—or at least that was what I thought the deeper, thick mass of  darkness was that took the shape of…wings. His hooded head tilted back.  I forgot those breathing exercises in an instant. I couldn’t see his face, but I felt the intensity  of his stare. His gaze pierced straight through me, and for a brief, panicked moment, I feared that  he knew I hadn’t spent seventeen years preparing to become his Consort. That my tutelage went  beyond that. And that the meekness, the submissiveness I’d been taught, was nothing more than  another veil I wore.  

For a moment, my heart stopped as I sat on the throne meant for the Consort of the  Shadowlands, one of the Courts within Iliseeum. Looking up at the Primal of Death, I felt real  terror for the first time in my life. 

Primals couldn’t read mortals’ thoughts. In the back of my mind, where some bit of  intelligence still existed, I knew this. There was no reason for him to suspect that I was anything  other than I appeared to be. Even if he’d watched me grow over the years, or if spies had been  sent to Lasania, my identity, my heritage and bloodline, had been kept hidden. No one even  knew there was a Princess of Mierel blood. Everything I did had been carried out in highly  planned secrecy—from training with Sir Holland to the time spent with the Mistresses of the  Jade.  

There was no way he could know that in the two hundred years it had taken for me to be  born, the knowledge of how to kill a Primal had been obtained.  

Love.  

They had one fatal weakness that made them vulnerable enough to be killed, and that was  love.  

Make him fall in love, become his weakness, and end him.  

That was my destiny.  

Gaining control of my hammering heart, I pulled from the hours spent with my mother,  learning what would be expected of me as his Consort. How to move, speak, and act in his  presence. How to become whatever he desired. I was ready for this—whether or not he was  covered head to toe in the scales of the winged beasts that guarded the Primals.  

My fingers relaxed, my breathing slowed, and I allowed my lips to curl into a smile—a shy,  innocent one. I stood in the glow of the candlelight on feet I couldn’t feel. I clasped my hands  loosely across my midsection so nothing would be hidden from him, just as my mother had  instructed. I started to lower to my knees as one would upon greeting a Primal.  

The stir of air was the only warning I got that the Primal had moved.  

Shock silenced the gasp of surprise before it reached my lips. He was suddenly in front of  me. No more than a handful of inches remained between us. Swirling light rippled the air around  me. He felt cold, like the winters to the north and east. Like each winter here in Lasania slowly  became with each passing year. 

I wasn’t sure I even breathed as I looked up into the void where his face should be. The  Primal of Death shifted closer, and one of the shadow tendrils brushed across the bare skin of my  arm. I gasped at the icy feel. He lowered his head, and every muscle in my body seized. I wasn’t  sure if it was his presence or the innate instinct we all had that warned us not to run. Not to make  any sudden movements in the presence of a predator.  

“You,” he said, his voice smoke and shadow and full of everything that awaited after  someone took their very last breath. “I have no need of a Consort.” 

My entire body jerked, and I whispered, “What?”  

The Primal pulled back, the shadows retracting around him. He shook his head. What did he  mean? 

I stepped forward. “What—?” I said again.  

The wind whipped from behind me this time, pitching the chamber into darkness as the  candles whooshed out. The rumbling was weaker than before, but I didn’t dare move, having no  idea where he was. I wasn’t sure where the edge of the dais even was. The earthy scent  disappeared, and the flames slowly returned to the candles, sparking weakly to life… 

He no longer stood before me.  

Faint wisps of eather wafted up from the now-sealed opening in the floor.  He was gone.  

The Primal of Death had left. He hadn’t taken me, and in a deep, hidden part of me, relief  blossomed and then crumbled. He hadn’t fulfilled the deal.  

“What…what happened?” My mother’s voice reached me, and I looked up to see that she  was before me. “What happened?” 

“I…I don’t know.” Panic sank its claws into me as I turned to my mother, wrapping my  arms around myself. “I don’t understand.” 

Her eyes were wide and mirrored the storm brewing inside me as she whispered, “Did he  speak to you?” 

“He said…” I tried to swallow, but my throat tightened. The corners of my vision turned  white. No amount of breathing exercises would help the alarm that took root. “I don’t  understand. I did everything—” 

The burning sting of my mother’s slap came as a shock. I hadn’t expected it—hadn’t even  prepared myself for her to do something like that. Hand trembling, I pressed it against my cheek,  standing there stunned and incapable of processing what had happened—what was happening.  

Her dark eyes were even wider now, her skin a ghastly pale shade. “What did you do?” She  pulled her hand back to her chest. “What did you do, Sera?” 

I’d done nothing. Only what I’d been taught. But I couldn’t tell her that. I couldn’t tell her anything. Words failed me as something shattered inside me, shriveling up. “You,” my mother said. While her voice was not smoke or shadow, it was just as final. Her eyes glistened. “You’ve failed us. And now, everything—everything—is lost.”

About Jennifer L. Armentrout
#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. She spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications. Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that features over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.

Connect with Jennifer L. Armentrout
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2xSL7u5
Instagram: @jennifer_l_armentrout http://bit.ly/33GWn8R
Twitter: @JLArmentroutnews http://bit.ly/2QvDYpT
Amazon: https://amzn.to/3dnOSIi
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/2U5Jemy
BookBub: http://bit.ly/2U2Fe63
Stay up to date with Jennifer by joining her mailing list: https://bit.ly/2qBce5m
Website: https://jenniferlarmentrout.com