A Soul of Ash and Blood follows Cas as he revisits when he first met Poppy and the events in the first book. A Soul of Ash and Blood was intoxicating, gritty, smile inducing and absolutely impossible to put down! Unfortunately, this was only touched on very lightly and did not delve any deeper than surface level. I grazed the scar that started at her temple and thought of the first time I’d seen her unveiled for some reason.

I wouldn't bother with this book if I didn't have to but the author has put crucial information at the beginning and end of the book that you need to know before diving into The Primal of Blood and Bone. what i appreciated from this book was being able to see Cas vulnerable side as well as his inner struggle and conflicted feelings about Poppy (saving his brother vs.This was an intriguing and magical fantasy romance about love, power, family, sacrifice, and revenge. Her hand was already pressed against the side of Ires’s throat by the time I curled an arm around her waist. These “Present” chapters were great because Kieran and Casteel would banter back and forth about the story with Kieran weighing in sometimes with his POV (how he knew Cas was in love with her even then, etc. I carried Poppy back through the underground maze and to the first floor, my heart calm and steady because it followed the rhythm of hers.

I also loved getting to see Hawke still struggling with the darkness he was forced to endure and how slowly, Poppy helped him start to find his way out. the fact that we still don't know whether the main relationship is poly / MF (with a one-time sharing) / MFM / MMF / menage. Cas and Kieran knew it, and Nektas seemed to possessive knowledge that I wanted to pry out of his brain.I knew going into this, that I would feel all the emotions but reading about his thoughts on a deeper level and how he used to cope. One of my favourite things about this book is how both Poppy and Hawke are trying to have somewhat of a healthy relationship even after everything that’s happened. He advises him to TALK to her and just keep her constantly hearing him which he does and this how we get the story of FBAA Cas (and pre-FBAA). You could say that the most exciting parts of this book were the first and last 100 pages, while the middle 400 were mostly spice and other bits, but I thoroughly enjoyed the book anyway.