Poppy struggles with sleeping at night even with Kieran sleeping at her side in his wolves form. Then they wait for the rest of the armies to show up. They march up to the castle, round up the Ascended hiding there, and kill them for what they did to the humans–it turns out that the Ascended living in the town have been taking the humans out to the forest and turning them on purpose. Her group runs through the whole town, taking out only those who try to attack them, and leaving those who have not taken up arms or those who put down their arms against them.

As they near the walls of the Rise of the town, they find that there are a lot of bodies tacked up onto the wall, with the white headdress covering their faces–a nod towards Poppy’s time as The Maiden. Poppy and her contingent of wolves, Atlantan soldiers, make their way towards a smaller town near Oak Ambler–which they intend to capture to make their assault on Oak Ambler. It turns out that Isbeth is not the Ascended–she is a demis–not quite a god but not quite a human.

Occasionally, the Handmaidens show up to take blood from him, and eventually Isbeth herself shows up to talk to him for a moment about what she hopes for Poppy and what she has done in order to get where she is. He knows that this act will potentially weaken him, and bring him into bloodlust, which he will try to stave off for as long as possible, but he would give himself up again to save Poppy. Queen Ileana is really Isbeth, Poppy’s mother and also the mistress/heartmate of Malec, who is the ex-husband of Queen Eloana, Casteel’s Mother. 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.Īs the Harbinger of Death and Destruction.What It’s About: Casteel Da’Neer finds himself in a dark cell, having given himself up in order to save his wife–Penellaphe (“Poppy”)–from being taken by the Blood Queen, officially known as Queen Ileana. Ancient primal powers have already stirred, revealing the horror of what began eons ago. Together, Poppy and Casteel must embrace traditions old and new to safeguard those they hold dear - to protect those who cannot defend themselves. Not if she has any hope of building a future where both kingdoms can reside in peace. 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. Nothing will stop Poppy from freeing her King and destroying everything the Blood Crown stands for. The magnitude of what the Blood Queen has done is almost unthinkable. Armentrout comes book four in her Blood and Ash series.Ĭasteel 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.

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer L.

The war of two queens series