Title: A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire
Series: Blood and Ash #2
Genre: Fantasy Romance, New Adult
Published: September 1, 2020 by Blue Box Press
Kindle Page Count: 637 pages
Audio Length: 24 hrs and 21 mins (Brilliance Audio)
Goodreads: 4.32 / 5
My Rating: 5 / 5 (Read my review here)
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Everything Poppy has ever believed in is a lie, including the man she was falling in love with. Thrust among those who see her as a symbol of a monstrous kingdom, she barely knows who she is without the veil of the Maiden. But what she does know is that nothing is as dangerous to her as him. The Dark One. The Prince of Atlantia. He wants her to fight him, and that’s one order she’s more than happy to obey. He may have taken her, but he will never have her.
A Choice…
Casteel Da’Neer is known by many names and many faces. His lies are as seductive as his touch. His truths as sensual as his bite. Poppy knows better than to trust him. He needs her alive, healthy, and whole to achieve his goals. But he’s the only way for her to get what she wants—to find her brother Ian and see for herself if he has become a soulless Ascended. Working with Casteel instead of against him presents its own risks. He still tempts her with every breath, offering up all she’s ever wanted. Casteel has plans for her. Ones that could expose her to unimaginable pleasure and unfathomable pain. Plans that will force her to look beyond everything she thought she knew about herself—about him. Plans that could bind their lives together in unexpected ways that neither kingdom is prepared for. And she’s far too reckless, too hungry, to resist the temptation.
A Secret…
But unrest has grown in Atlantia as they await the return of their Prince. Whispers of war have become stronger, and Poppy is at the very heart of it all. The King wants to use her to send a message. The Descenters want her dead. The wolven are growing more unpredictable. And as her abilities to feel pain and emotion begin to grow and strengthen, the Atlantians start to fear her. Dark secrets are at play, ones steeped in the blood-drenched sins of two kingdoms that would do anything to keep the truth hidden. But when the earth begins to shake, and the skies start to bleed, it may already be too late.
TROPE GUIDE: Enemies to Lovers | Forced Proximity | Marriage of Convenience | Chosen One
QUICK LINKS: Chapter Summary 1–12 | 13–25 | 26–37 | 38–45 // Book Review
TL;DR Summary
This quick chapter summary of A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout contains spoilers.
Chapter 1. Cas announces he plans to marry Poppy, surprising her, then kills Landell for insulting her and doubting the plan to trade her for Malik.
Chapter 2. Cas warns Poppy not to oppose him in front of Alastir. Later, Kieran tells Poppy she smells of death and reassures her that Cas isn’t someone she should fear.
Chapter 3. Poppy panics and runs from the castle to find her brother, but Kieran stops her in wolf form, and Cas challenges her to a fight.
Chapter 4. Cas offers Poppy a chance at freedom through a fight, but Poppy loses. During a Craven attack, Cas kisses her, and Poppy realizes that she is part Atlantian after surviving a previous Craven bite.
Chapter 5. Poppy realizes that escape is nearly impossible after Cas warns her again, and later she learns that “Hawke” is Cas’s middle name, a name used only by his mother and brother.
Chapter 6. Cas shares the origin of his name to build trust, denies that he killed the first Maiden, explains the fate of half-blood Atlantians, and insists on sleeping beside Poppy, even though Poppy resists.
Chapter 7. Poppy and Cas bond over shared nightmares, which leads Cas to admit his revenge plans and his use of compulsion, while Poppy recalls a haunting childhood rhyme.
Chapter 8. Poppy is locked in her room and briefly alarms Delano. Later, Kieran takes Poppy to dinner, where Emil and Alastir question her Atlantian heritage. Kieran then suggests that Poppy might belong to a long-lost bloodline.
Chapter 9. Poppy learns that Cas can smell her arousal. After Cas shows Poppy a crypt honoring victims of the Ascended, he insists that they must marry to keep her safe.
Chapter 10. Cas convinces Poppy to agree to a temporary marriage to protect her, assist with peace talks, and help her find her brother, with the promise of a future divorce and a large engagement ring.
Chapter 11. Poppy manages to stay composed at breakfast as Cas announces their engagement, while Alastir questions Poppy and Cas’s relationship and learns that they met at the Red Pearl.
Chapter 12. Cas assures Alastir that the engagement is real and not just for Malik. Later, Alastir privately questions Poppy and offers her a way out, but Poppy refuses and asks Alastir to look into whether her parents were linked to his Atlantian escape network.
Chapter 13. While looking into Atlantian bloodlines, Kieran feels a jolt from Poppy’s touch. Cas suggests that Poppy might be an empath warrior, but their conversation is interrupted by news that the Ascended are coming.
Chapter 14. Poppy and Cas watch as Lord Chaney questions the villagers about the Maiden and kills Mrs. Tulis. Cas reveals himself, admits that the Maiden is in the keep, and declares that he is the Dark One, which triggers Lord Chaney and the knights to turn into Craven-like monsters.
Chapter 15. During the battle, Poppy kills two knights but is knocked out. She later wakes up in a carriage with Lord Chaney, who says that he knows Poppy’s true nature and bites her arm when she tries to escape.
Chapter 16. Poppy kills Lord Chaney. When Cas arrives, Cas explains that he healed Poppy with his blood to help them escape and reveals that Lord Chaney had still killed the child.
Chapter 17. Poppy and Cas see a blood tree omen. Poppy then uses her empath gift to heal and learns that she is a “second daughter.” Poppy and Cas kiss, pretending to be just Poppy and Hawke.
Chapter 18. Cas takes Poppy to the dungeon to kill Lord Chaney. Kieran explains his emotional bond with Cas, and Poppy later carves the victims’ names into the chamber wall.
Chapter 19. Cas gives Poppy comfort and pleasure after a nightmare. The next day, Poppy and Cas say goodbye to Elijah before they leave for Spessa’s End.
Chapter 20. Poppy and Cas talk about their relationship and Cas’s past, but Cas grows distant for several days. Just before the Dead Bones Clan attacks, Cas teaches Poppy how to use an Atlantian bow.
Chapter 21. Poppy uses her bow to fight while Cas is wounded. Cas assures Poppy that he will heal, and Poppy notices Cas’s unusually large pupils. Poppy and Cas then arrive at Pompay.
Chapter 22. The group finally arrives at Spessa’s End. Poppy later wakes to find a starving and aggressive Cas pinning her down. Kieran rushes in, and Poppy calms Cas with her gift before Cas regains control, apologizes, and leaves.
Chapter 23. Kieran tells Poppy that Cas hasn’t fed since Masadonia because of Cas’s feelings for Poppy. Kieran then hints that Poppy and Cas might be heartmates.
Chapter 24. Poppy decides to offer Cas her blood after realizing her feelings and learning that Cas would have let Poppy go had she refused Cas’s proposal. Alastir later talks about the Joining.
Chapter 25. Alastir admits he was King Malec’s bonded wolven and betrayed the king. Cas later apologizes to Poppy for what happened, explains the Joining, and agrees to take Poppy’s blood while someone keeps watch.
Chapter 26. With Kieran present, Poppy lets Cas feed from her. The moment becomes intense and intimate between Poppy and Cas.
Chapter 27. Poppy and Cas pretend again to be just Poppy and Hawke during a visit to Spessa’s End. Cas teaches Poppy to ride while sharing the land’s history.
Chapter 28. Poppy meets Vonetta, Kieran’s sister, who feels a static charge from Poppy. Beckett is seriously injured, so Poppy uses her touch to ease his pain, and Poppy’s body glows.
Chapter 29. After realizing that she healed Beckett, Poppy worries people might think she is a Soul Eater. Poppy then finally agrees to marry Cas in Spessa’s End.
Chapter 30. Poppy and Cas get Alastir’s reluctant approval to marry without Cas’s parents’ consent. Cas then takes Poppy to a hot spring, where the two agree to stop pretending.
Chapter 31. Poppy and Cas share an intimate moment. Afterward, Cas explains he took precautions to prevent pregnancy, a revelation that hurts Poppy. At dinner, people stare at Poppy for healing Beckett, and she’s stunned when Alastir reveals Cas was betrothed to another woman.
Chapter 32. Poppy struggles with the news of Cas’s past engagement and faces distrust from an Atlantian. Kieran walks her back to her room, where she breaks down after realizing the door is unlocked and reflects on her feelings for Cas. She wakes up to find Cas in her bed.
Chapter 33. Poppy confronts Cas about his engagement to Gianna and his lies. Cas admits his feelings for Poppy changed everything. Their conversation is cut short when Emil bursts in, saying, “The sky is on fire.”
Chapter 34. Poppy and Cas watch a huge fire from the Rise. Delano finally returns badly hurt. Poppy heals Delano with her power, and Delano warns that the Ascended are coming.
Chapter 35. Cas learns of Dante’s death and the Ascended army’s approach. He sends Alastir and Kieran to Atlantia for aid, but lets Poppy stay. Later, Cas confesses his feelings to her and admits he killed Shea after her betrayal.
Chapter 36. Poppy tells Cas she loves him. He promises to protect her heart and proposes, and she says yes. She gets ready for the wedding with Vonetta’s help.
Chapter 37. Poppy and Cas marry in a simple Atlantian ceremony. The sky turns black, which is a good omen. Later, they share blood and make love, but are soon woken by a signal that the Ascended have arrived.
Chapter 38. Poppy ignores Cas’s order to hide and confronts Duchess Teerman, who declares that Poppy is Queen Ileana’s granddaughter. The duchess then shows Poppy and Cas Elijah and Magda’s severed heads.
Chapter 39. Cas, Poppy, Quentyn, and the Guardians fight the Ascended. During the battle, Poppy and Cas are knocked down, and Cas shields Poppy as flaming arrows rain down.
Chapter 40. Poppy threatens to kill herself to stop the Ascended. Just in time, the wolven and Atlantian reinforcements arrive. Poppy kills Duchess Teerman, learns that Ian and Malik are alive, and then shares an intimate moment with Cas.
Chapter 41. After the battle, Poppy heals the wounded. Cas tells her she unknowingly called the wolven for help. Poppy shares her concerns about the Atlantian’s distrust of her. She also reveals that the Queen plans to take Atlantia through their marriage.
Chapter 42. While traveling through the Skotos Mountains, Cas helps calm Poppy’s nerves. At their resting spot, Poppy feels awkward sleeping so close to Cas and Kieran, but eventually falls asleep, hearing a whisper call her name.
Chapter 43. Poppy dreams of her parents’ murder and is saved from falling off a cliff by a mysterious woman. Cas pulls her back to safety, and the ground suddenly trembles. Kieran explains that it is a god returning to rest.
Chapter 44. Poppy and Cas arrive at Saion’s Cove as a married couple, which angers Alastir. As Beckett gives Poppy a tour of the Chambers of Nyktos, Atlantians and mortals attack her. Poppy’s skin starts to vibrate, and then the sky suddenly begins to rain blood.
Chapter 45. As the sky bleeds, Poppy’s eyes glow. She kills her attackers by channeling their hatred, and a Blood Forest tree grows. Cas leads a hundred wolven who kneel before her, and Queen Eloana gives up her crown, naming Poppy the new Queen of Atlantia.
Chapter-by-Chapter Summary
This chapter-by-chapter summary of A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire by Jennifer L. Armentrout contains spoilers.
Chapter 1
Prince Casteel “Cas” Da’Neer shocks Penellaphe “Poppy” Balfour by announcing in a room full of strangers and enemies that they will be married. Bewildered, Poppy asks why he thinks she would ever marry him.
At that moment, Landell, an Atlantian, questions Cas about their plan to use Poppy in exchange for Prince Malik‘s freedom. Landell then insults Poppy by calling her a “scarred-face bitch.” Enraged by the insult and seeing Poppy flinch, Cas violently rips out Landell’s heart.
Chapter 2
As Poppy and Keiran start to leave for her room, Cas stops them, warning Poppy not to oppose him, as they’re about to have company. Alastir Davenwell, advisor to the King and Queen, arrives and shows interest in Poppy. Cas, however, tells Alastir that Poppy is retiring for the night.
After walking for a few minutes, Kieran suddenly stops and tells Poppy that she smells of death. Later, back in the room, Poppy asks him if she should be afraid of Cas. Kieran reassures her that, despite Cas’s past actions, he is the one person that she has no reason to fear.
Chapter 3
Kieran’s words fail to reassure Poppy, and she begins to panic. Determined to find her brother Ian, she picks the lock, flees the castle, and runs through the woods.
Just as Poppy thinks that she might escape, Kieran, in his wolven form, blocks her path. Refusing to go back, she stands her ground. Cas catches up and tells Poppy that if she wants to fight, she’ll have to fight him instead.
Chapter 4
Cas proposes a deal: if Poppy defeats him in a fight, she earns her freedom. He sends Kieran back to the keep, and Poppy, armed with a short sword, battles Cas.
During the fight, Cas expresses concern for Poppy’s safety, criticizes her escape attempt, and insists that he’s protecting her. Despite disarming him, Poppy is overpowered by Cas, who admits his attraction to her fierce nature.
Poppy and Cas’s moment is interrupted by a Craven ambush. Cas kisses Poppy and promises to continue their conversation later. After defeating the Craven, Poppy reveals that she was bitten before and realizes that she survived because she’s part Atlantian. Cas confirms that Atlantians are immune to the Craven’s curse.
Before returning to the keep, Poppy tells Cas that she will continue to resist his plans and try to escape again.
Chapter 5
Back in the room, Poppy and Cas find Kieran waiting. Cas explains that they fought off some Craven and warns Poppy against trying to escape again before leaving with Kieran to burn the bodies.
While bathing, Poppy reflects on her failed escape attempt and realizes that escaping is nearly impossible due to Cas and Kieran’s vigilance.
When Cas returns, Poppy questions his marriage plans, which she still opposes. Cas reveals that he chose the name “Hawke” in honor of his uncle Hawkethorne, following Atlantian tradition. Only his mother and brother knew him as Hawke until he told Poppy.
Chapter 6
Cas reveals that Kieran knows the origin of his name but doesn’t call him Hawke. When Poppy asks why Cas is sharing this, he says it’s important to her. He encourages her to ask anything, promising the truth.
Taking Cas’s offer, Poppy asks if he killed the first Maiden. Cas denies it, unsure that she even existed. He explains that half-blooded Atlantians can’t become Ascended but are sustenance for vamprys. He then tells Poppy that they’ll talk more about their future tomorrow.
Despite Poppy’s resistance, Cas insists on sharing a bed with her. He confides that he told Poppy about his name so she would know that not everything was a lie.
Chapter 7
Later that night, Poppy has a vivid nightmare about the Craven attack on her family. She wakes up in Cas’s arms and finds comfort in his embrace. She apologizes for waking him, and Cas shares his nightmares from his captivity. He admits that his desire for revenge on Queen Ileana and King Jalara kept him going.
Cas then tells Poppy that she was talking in her sleep, reciting a disturbing nursery rhyme about a flower. Poppy remembers someone speaking to her mother before the Craven attack and thinks it might be the same person who mentioned the flower, but Poppy is unsure.
Shifting the conversation, Cas admits that he used compulsion on Duke Teerman‘s Royal Guard to learn what the Duke did to Poppy. Poppy tells Cas that she’s glad that he didn’t stake Lord Mazeen along with the Duke, as she wanted to see the Lord’s face when she killed him.
Cas then tells Poppy that they’ll leave for Spessa’s End once the storm passes. Poppy eventually falls asleep peacefully beside Cas, dreamless.
Chapter 8
The next morning, Poppy feels relieved that Cas is gone, but frustration sets in when she finds herself locked in her room with Delano guarding the door.
Suddenly, Delano bursts in, pale and alarmed. He mistakes Poppy’s internal yelling for a cry for help. He dismisses it as the wind, then quickly leaves and locks the door, further frustrating Poppy.
Later in the afternoon, Poppy wakes to find Kieran ready to escort her to dinner. As they walk, they talk about Atlantian bloodlines. Their conversation is interrupted by Emil Da’Lahr and Alastir, who question Poppy’s parentage and Atlantian heritage. Kieran quickly leads her to the banquet hall, where Poppy notices that the bodies on the wall are gone. He informs her that Jericho is finally dead.
During dinner, Poppy asks Kieran about Atlantians, and he suggests she might belong to a once-thought-extinct bloodline.
Chapter 9
When Cas enters the banquet hall, Poppy feels a strong physical reaction to him. She asks Kieran about Cas’s heightened senses. To her dismay, Kieran confirms that Cas can indeed detect arousal through scent.
Cas then leads Poppy to a hidden crypt, where a wall is covered with names and carvings of those who have died because of the Ascended’s actions. The crypt serves as a place for mourning and reflection.
As they walk back to the keep, Poppy and Cas talk about the upcoming move to Atlantia. Cas insists that they need to marry to guarantee Poppy’s safety and ensure she has a long, free life.
Chapter 10
Cas asks Poppy to hear him out. He explains that their marriage will protect her from those seeking revenge against the Ascended and help prevent a full-scale war between Atlantia and Solis. He plans to negotiate his brother’s release and reclaim some of Atlantia’s lost lands.
After laying out his plan, Cas promises that he will grant Poppy a divorce in the future. Poppy agrees to marry Cas temporarily if he helps her find her brother. However, she will continue to argue with Cas privately but will maintain appearances publicly.
Poppy then insists on a large engagement ring, and Cas agrees.
Chapter 11
The next morning at breakfast, Kieran informs Poppy that Cas will announce his and Poppy’s engagement and advises her to behave, which makes her anxious.
Lost in thought, Poppy misses Cas’s question but refocuses when he touches her back and holds her hand. This makes her realize that she needs to pull herself together and do her part.
During the conversation, Alastir voices his doubts about the engagement because Poppy is the Maiden. Cas clarifies that she’s no longer the Maiden and explains that she initially refused his proposal but was eventually won over.
Curious, Alastir asks how Poppy and Cas met. Cas explains that they met at the Red Pearl when Poppy sneaked out of the castle. Alastir then asks if Cas plans to keep her.
Chapter 12
Cas tells Alastir that he wouldn’t marry Poppy if he didn’t plan on keeping her. Alastir questions if their engagement is just a strategy to free Cas’s brother, Malik. Cas admits that it offers some bargaining power but states that his main motivation has shifted and that he has accepted Malik’s situation.
Despite Cas’s explanation, Alastir remains skeptical but hopes Cas is being truthful. He requests a private conversation with Poppy to ensure that she isn’t being forced into the marriage. Cas hesitantly agrees.
As they walk, Poppy tells Alastir that her personal guard, Vikter, taught her how to fight. Alastir reveals that Cas was once engaged to his strong and independent daughter, Shea. He hopes that Poppy will ask for help if needed and offers her an escape if she’s being forced into the marriage.
Despite being moved inside, Poppy declines Alastir’s offer and assures him that Cas isn’t using her. She then asks him about his past efforts to help Atlantian descendants escape Solis. She wonders if her parents, Coralena and Leopold, knew about this network. Alastir agrees to investigate and find information about her parents once they reach Atlantia.