Overall Book Rating: 🌸🌸🌸 (3/5)
Spice Level: 🌞🌞🌞🌞
Fantasy Elements: Primal Power & Ancient Gods, Reincarnation & Prophecy, Soul Bonds, Fates & Bargains, Resurrection & True Death, Kingdoms at War, Betrayal & Redemption
Romance Tropes: Fated Mates, Betrayal → Devotion, Lovers Torn Apart, Power Couple, Soul Recognition, Sacrifice for Love
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Spoiler-Free Zone
🎧 Reading Ambiance Recommendation:
If you want the perfect vibe while reading The Primal of Blood and Bone, this is the exact YouTube ambiance I used during my read-through. It matches the mood so well — soft, emotional, and just eerie enough for all the ancient-god chaos to come.
Watch here: https://youtu.be/ZSBMSEW4Ftc?si=8JFexPAm9j7ONFE5
First Impressions
I wanted to start off with my spoiler-free thoughts of the book. I know many of you are asking if you should read this book and if it’s worth your time.
To that my answer is yes.
You’ve invested in at least nine books to make it to this point, so let’s just keep swimming. You have to read it.
Now, is this one my favorite? No. To be completely honest, I’m a little let down. I’m not sure if my expectations were just too high or what, but it didn’t hit like I thought it would.
This book took me over a week to read when normally I am so engrossed in this series I finish in days and can’t put it down. This one was a bit of a fight to keep myself reading.
I’m giving JLA the benefit of the doubt and hoping that because she had to split the book in two, the better part is yet to come this spring.
Pacing, Expectations, and What Worked
I was so hyped for this release because I was ready for that “Avengers Assemble” moment and that didn’t happen. Some Flesh and Fire characters definitely pop up and others I desperately wanted to didn’t. So here’s to hoping that moment is waiting for us next time.
Some of you might be saying you’re just going to wait until the next book is out and read them both together. Honestly, not a bad idea. Just realize the time commitment that’s going to take. This book alone was almost 1,300 pages (I’m a Kindle reader). I have no clue how long the next one will be, but I’m not expecting short.
So if you’re waiting, know that reading both together is going to take time. Which to me is honestly a plus. I love long books and series, for me that means a longer retreat from normal life. But I know not everyone is like that.
This book honestly felt like a lot of background, filler, and lore dump. I’m hoping that means the next book can go straight to the action. Did I hate it? Absolutely not. But it definitely wasn’t what I expected or hoped for.
⚠️ Spoiler Alert
If you haven’t read The Primal of Blood and Bone yet, please stop here.
I have so many thoughts. That ending. Cas and Kieran. Cas in general this book. All the lore dumps. Kolis. Isbeth is alive. Poppy learning she was Sotoria. There were so many moments but also moments we didn’t get.
How was there zero visit from Nyktos this entire book? Come on. So let’s sort everything out together.
When You Finish All You Can Think About Is THAT ENDING
Let’s be real, the ending completely overshadows everything else.
Cas is in his asshole era and honestly, I’m not sure that I’m here for it. I was disappointed and annoyed by the direction he went this book.
That fight with Kieran lasting the entire book was honestly ridiculous. I get that the tension and Poppy’s betrayal, going on her own and not letting him follow, triggered that era, but wow, he felt so far removed from the Cas we’ve come to know.
I’m hoping once Poppy shows up all healed he gets it together. The prophecy hints that he may lean darker, maybe even villain, but that can’t be right. I hope.
I really hope Cas gets his head out of his ass and looks into why people react the way they do instead of being so reactive himself. That goodbye to Poppy when she left, when she thought she wasn’t going to see him because he was so mad, and then he showed up, was so emotional. I cried real tears. That was probably the only part of the book that truly hit me like that.
The Crossovers and What Worked (and What Didn’t)
What I did like about this book were the crossovers.
I loved seeing Poppy meet Sera. It finally looks like she’s going to have that family she never truly had. I loved having Attes around. He’s seriously one of my favorites. I love that Cas is descended from him, but seriously, why does Cas hate all of my favorites? I love Attes and I love Reaver, and Cas hates them both.
Kieran calling Reaver “Reaver butt” just to annoy him cracks me up. Those moments reminded me why I love this world.
And the gods popping in and out? So fun, but I just wanted more. I wanted them truly working together, an actual team, not just brief cameos. Hopefully, that’s what we’ll finally get in the next book.
Poppy’s Awakening and the Kolis Twist
We finally got our answer from the last book, but wow, the road to get there was rough.
The first time Poppy woke up from her stasis Kolis possessed her. I did not see that coming. I hated every second of it, but I understand why it happened. It raised the stakes and showed just how powerful and cruel he really is. Still, it made me so impatient for that reunion I’d been waiting for since the last book.
Watching Poppy trapped inside herself, struggling against Kolis’s control, was hard. Every time she tried to fight back, you could feel that small part of her still there, clawing to the surface.
And then Attes showed up to help. I loved that moment. He used Nektas’s blood to break Kolis’s hold on her, targeting the mark he’d left on her chest, and it worked. It was such a full-circle moment, because Attes has always known who she truly is — and you can feel the mix of sadness, loyalty, and care in every scene he shares with her.
Meanwhile, Cas’s internal battle was just as painful. The guilt he carried after being attacked by the revenant and knowing what that moment cost her was brutal. You could feel his desperation in every scene, especially the moment he finally prayed to Sera, Poppy’s grandmother and the True Primal of Life.
Poppy finally woke up as herself again. After waiting so long for this book, that moment of relief hit hard. It felt like everything we’d been waiting for finally happened. She was back, truly herself, and ready to fight again.
Poppy Learns She’s Sotoria
Poppy finally found out she was Sotoria. I wish she had listened to Sera and let Cas leave so she could have had her moment to process it before worrying about how he would feel about it. I’m glad he eventually figured that out though.
Watching her struggle with being Poppy now but knowing she was Sotoria was hard. You could really feel that push and pull between who she is and who she used to be. I was relieved when Cas and Kieran both reinforced that no, she is Poppy, that who she’s become matters just as much as who she was.
I also loved all of the little easter eggs sprinkled throughout the book showing that while Poppy has no real recollection of being Sotoria, her soul still remembers. The way she’s drawn to look at the cliffs at night. Her feelings about Attes, like she knows him but doesn’t understand why. Even being able to picture him in her head, like he’s half a memory she can’t quite place.
It made me stop and think. Was that from when Kolis possessed her and Attes was there, or was it her soul recognizing him? That lingering familiarity between them was haunting and so beautifully done.
I can’t wait to see how that unfolds in the next book, because I have a feeling there’s a lot more to that connection and to who Poppy is becoming now that she finally knows the truth.
Kolis, Death, and the Destruction He Brings
Kolis.
Do we have to talk about him? Because I hate him even more now.
I didn’t see it coming that he was no longer in love with Sotoria. And then he killed Delano. How could he?!
I was devastated. And Cas’s dad dying after everything we found out about him this book. And so many others. It was just death and destruction everywhere.
I’m honestly hoping Delano doesn’t stay dead. Earlier in the book, Poppy said she knew he wouldn’t get another chance, but if Isbeth can be brought back and get two tries, then Delano deserves three. I’m still dying to know how she was brought back and.. WHAT IS SHE?!
The Ending: Pain, Power, and Prophecy
The ending was intense and honestly the only part where I was completely locked in.
The last hundred pages were amazing and horrible all at once, finally the action, finally the emotion, finally the chaos. But our side was definitely not winning.
When Poppy made that deal with a Fate to keep Cas from following her, I knew it would wreck him. And it did.
Then Millie shows up at the end with Callum, and it’s like, what just happened?
And then comes the prophecy reveal.
For six books we’ve all assumed it was about Poppy. She was the Harbinger, the bringer of death and destruction. Kolis was the Great Conspirator. But the Ancients were wrong about who the prophecy truly pointed to. It wasn’t Kolis. It wasn’t even Poppy.
It was Casteel.
That moment hit like a thunderclap. Cas sitting on the remnants of ruin and wrath, on a throne of bone and ash, crowned in darkness like jagged bone antlers. The visual was chilling. The prophecy fulfilled itself right before our eyes.
This ending was the gut punch I needed after all that buildup. I just have to hope this low sets up an even bigger high when we finally, finally kill Kolis in the next book.
Final Thoughts
This book was a slow burn setup for what’s clearly coming next. It wasn’t what I hoped for, but it still had moments that made me feel. The pacing was slow, the lore heavy, but the ending delivered enough emotional punch to keep me hanging on.
Here’s to hoping The Primal of Blood and Bone is the calm before the chaos and that next spring Jennifer L. Armentrout gives us the war, the unity, and the catharsis we’ve all been waiting for.
Final Reflections
Why It Worked:
- Deep worldbuilding and lore expansion
- Emotional payoffs for long-term readers
- High-stakes ending that finally delivered tension
- Gorgeous dark fantasy imagery
Why It Faltered:
- Slow pacing for most of the book
- Lore dumps overshadowing emotion
- Underused crossovers and character moments
- Cas’s tone shift felt inconsistent
Overall:
The Primal of Blood and Bone isn’t bad it’s just slow. It’s a long inhale before the chaos, packed with prophecy and pain, setting us up for what I hope will be an explosive Book 7.
If you’ve come this far, it’s still worth the read. Just bring patience… and snacks.
Want More? 📚
- Flesh and Fire Series Recap: Everything to Know Before The Primal of Blood and Bone
- Blood and Ash Series Recap
- From Blood and Ash Universe Reading Order + Guide
- What to Read Next After The Primal of Blood and Bone
