Jennifer L. Armentrout has captivated me with another engaging fantasy that is chockfull of chemistry and tension between the main characters! Calista embodies the amazing characteristics that we have come to appreciate from JLA's female main characters. She is caring, determined and feisty. She has a slow-burn, tension-filled relationship with the mysterious Thorne. Their banter and hate you, but want you attraction only adds to their chemistry as we follow them on their journey. The world building and relationships between side characters has been thoughtfully planned and executed. I'm invested in their stories as much as the main characters.

JLA has created another action packed novel with mystery, reveals and cliffhangers. This is the first book in what is going to be a great series. I have so many questions I need answered after that ending! I will be anxiously awaiting the next book in the series. I highly recommend this to readers who are fans of Jennifer L. Armentrout, Sarah J. Maas, Kerri Maniscalco and Laura Thalassa

Thank you to NetGalley and TOR Publishing Group/Bramble for an eARC in exchange for my review.

I didn't dislike this book, necessarily, and I will most likely continue with this series, but it wasn't my favorite of JLA's works. For a fairly long first book, not much happened in the way of actual plot, There were a ton of explicit scenes, which were, as always, well-written, and I liked both the main character and the love interest. However, I felt like the explicit scenes overshadowed the plot. There was just a lot of talking and a lot of Calista doing something silly because of her intuition.

It's been a really long time since I read an adult Armentrout book. It's been a while since I read one of her YA books for that matter. This did remind me of why I enjoy her so much as an author. Because I have read so many of her YA books, it seemed that there was a lot more focus on bedroom activities (wink wink)...which I have to say I was not used to for her.

I did enjoy the story and world building as well as the characters though Lis did frustrate me a bit but when I remembered her background, her actions were within her character. In the end I did enjoy the book and the reminder of Armentrout's storytelling prowess.

Honestly, one of my guilty pleasures is diving into another well-written Jennifer L. Armentrout fantasy. I find myself in my dimly lit study, sipping red wine, and immersing myself in the captivating fictional world she has created. Her characters never fail to engage me, and with each chapter, the tension builds and the chemistry between them becomes more intense.

In her latest installment, she has once again delivered a compelling story. She introduces us to an amazing, badass heroine whom I adore even more than her previous characters. This feisty, caring, and determined protagonist steals the spotlight in every chapter. And let's not forget about our charismatic and mysterious hero, Thorne. The enemies-to-lovers and hate-at-first-sight dynamic between them, fueled by their witty banter, provides immense satisfaction as we delve into their action-packed and tense journey.

Our protagonist, Calista, is a gifted mind reader who grew up as an orphan on the streets, struggling with poverty and abandonment. However, her luck changes when she becomes the secret courtesan of Baron Archwood in exchange for protection. But one day, her intuition leads her to a traveling prince who is in the midst of a great turmoil. Her courageous act lands her a position as the prince's traveling companion, thrusting her into a world of rebellion, terror, and fist fights. Calista finds herself torn between her intuition, which may save her from danger, and her heart, which pulls her towards a potentially doomed fate.

Without giving too much away, be prepared for classic Armentrout-style big cliffhangers and jaw-dropping twists throughout the book.

Although the book is quite long and has an extra slow burn, which is the only reason I lowered my rating, it is definitely worth your time. It features a plethora of well-developed supporting characters who are easy to connect with. The detailed and vividly depicted dystopian meets high fantasy world building, along with the intricately crafted magic system, is executed flawlessly. Personally, I found myself more attached to the main characters in this series than those in her previous works (especially Poppy, as mentioned before). The cliffhanger at the end left me reeling, and I am eagerly anticipating what will happen next in the story. I simply cannot wait to read the next book.

I would like to express my gratitude to NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group/Bramble for providing me with a digital reviewer copy of this unputdownable book in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Pumped doesn’t even begin to cover how excited I am to review this book. I squeed when I got my review copy. I’m a Big JLA fan. While I’m not blind to her world building issues there’s just something about her storytelling that sweeps me away every single time. All of that feels appropriate to say for ‘Fall of Ruin and Wrath’ and I’m absolutely happier for it!

First off, I can’t review this book without mentioning that our narrator, Lis, has many similarities to both Poppy and Sera (JLA’s other adult romantasy heroines.) So much in fact that at times I would find myself forgetting that I wasn’t reading something written for the ‘From Blood and Ash’ universe only to be reminded by a reference to the different magic system. Was this a problem? For me personally, no, but it’s worth note that in a lot of ways the narrative is identical.

Once I started to see the similarities between the two it was difficult to ignore. While not predictable the world is a very similar and strange mix of modern speech and aristocratic sensibilities and scandals. The main couple has a familiar dynamic to others that JLA has written as well. In terms of the story and plot, I thought this was pretty slow moving. It wasn’t really until the final third of the book that I started to see the direction the plot was going. Of course, once it took off it really took off. All the ground work in magic systems and conflict is laid out very quickly. I’ll be interested to see how this develops throughout the rest of the series and I’d be happy to revise my opinion at that point, because I was really left with the feeling that we needed more.

With all that said, I still really enjoyed reading this! There’s something comforting about reading a story that feels so familiar on the first go around. While Nyktos and Sera are still absolutely my favorite JLA couple the romance in ‘Fall of Ruin and Wrath’ was definitely swoony guilty-pleasure goodness. And, of course, because this is Jennifer L Armentrout, that cliffhanger ending will be living with me rent free until the next book.

TL:DR - If you liked ‘From Blood and Ash’ read this book, it’ll give you all the same feelings and vibes. If you didn’t, go ahead and give this one a pass it probably won’t be Armentrout’s redemption for you.