The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout ~ Review

The Crown of Gilded Bones (Blood and Ash #3) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Source: ebook copy provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

She's been the victim and the survivor…

Poppy never dreamed she would find the love she’s found with Prince Casteel. She wants to revel in her happiness but first they must free his brother and find hers. It’s a dangerous mission and one with far-reaching consequences neither dreamed of. Because Poppy is the Chosen, the Blessed. The true ruler of Atlantia. She carries the blood of the King of Gods within her. By right the crown and the kingdom are hers.

The enemy and the warrior…

Poppy has only ever wanted to control her own life, not the lives of others, but now she must choose to either forsake her birthright or seize the gilded crown and become the Queen of Flesh and Fire. But as the kingdoms’ dark sins and blood-drenched secrets finally unravel, a long-forgotten power rises to pose a genuine threat. And they will stop at nothing to ensure that the crown never sits upon Poppy’s head.

A lover and heartmate…

But the greatest threat to them and to Atlantia is what awaits in the far west, where the Queen of Blood and Ash has her own plans, ones she has waited hundreds of years to carry out. Poppy and Casteel must consider the impossible—travel to the Lands of the Gods and wake the King himself. And as shocking secrets and the harshest betrayals come to light, and enemies emerge to threaten everything Poppy and Casteel have fought for, they will discover just how far they are willing to go for their people—and each other.

And now she will become Queen…

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So I'm sitting here, trying to figure out how to start this review and I just don't have words. Obviously I was excited when this book landed on my Kindle for review. I loved From Blood & Ash, I loved A Kingdom of Flesh & Fire even more, and The Crown of Gilded Bones was one of my most anticipated books of 2021. But now I've read it and it was amazing and I don't know how to put it into words.

So I'll do what tends to help me in these situations and resort to bullet points:

- From the very beginning, this book is interesting. It doesn't take a few chapters to draw you in. It picks up right where book 2 left off and takes off running.

- The romance is, of course, extraordinary. Poppy and Cas are such a strong couple--literally the power couple of my dreams. They have their sweet moments, they have their steamy moments, they have their badass moments...they're everything and I love them.

- I was such a fan of the all-around character growth. Poppy has come such a long way. She's brave, she's clever, she's caring. And she's not afraid to speak up when she has something to say. 

- And in that vein, I ADORE the way Cas supports Poppy in all ways. If she speaks up about something, he backs up her word. If she feels a certain way, he's at her side for whatever she needs. She needs to be able to protect herself? He's all in to fight along side her as she does. It warms my heart.

- I also am in love with Kieran. His bond with both Cas and Poppy--the trust and respect between all of them--is *chef's kiss*. I want 500% more Kieran all the time. He's the greatest.

- The. Freaking. Ending. I'm not going to say anything in particular because I don't want to spoil, but in hindsight I should have seen it coming. And I am in dire need of book 4 now!!!!!!

I could probably go on much longer about this book and how obsessed I am with it and how much it hurt me in all the best ways. But I'll wrap it up here. The Crown of Gilded Bones is not only the best book in this series so far, but also one of the best books Jennifer L. Armentrout has written, period. If you're on the fence about picking this one up: do it. If you haven't even started the Blood & Ash series yet: DEFINITELY DO IT. 

5 stars - One of the best books JLA has ever written!