The best reading order for Jennifer L. Armentrout’s ‘Blood and Ash’ and ‘Flesh and Fire’ series

• “Blood and Ash” by Jennifer L. Armentrout is a popular romantasy series.
• But there’s some confusion among readers about the reading order for the series and its prequels.
• Insider broke down the best reading order for a digestible, spoiler-free experience. 

As a devoted reader of fantasy and romance books, it’s no surprise I binged Jennifer L. Armentrout’s New York Times bestselling “Blood and Ash” series. 

I stumbled upon the first book in the series, which is published by Blue Box Press, on Goodreads after finishing Sarah J. Maas’ “A Court of Thorns and Roses.”

I was delighted to find it scratched the itch for a tension-filled, magical story “ACOTAR” had left in my life.

I’ve since read all five installments in the series, as well as the two books that Armentrout has published in the prequel series, “Flesh and Fire.”

‘Blood and Ash’ is an ongoing fantasy series about a Maiden questioning her fate

In the first book of the series, “From Blood and Ash,” readers meet Poppy, an 18-year-old who is more than just a girl. She has been chosen by the gods as the Maiden, and when she turns 19, she will be given to them to help turn humans into the Ascended, immortal beings that rule her kingdom, Solis.

Poppy has always known her fate, but living as the Maiden hasn’t been easy. She must always wear a veil in public, no one is allowed to touch her, and she spends most of her time alone. So when she meets Hawke, a new guard who treats her like a person instead of a symbol, she finds herself questioning her commitment to the gods.

But the Ascended and Hawke are both keeping secrets, and when Poppy finds out the truth about them — and herself — everything in her life will change.

Armentrout’s world becomes a sweeping tale of magic and warring kingdoms as Poppy comes into her power throughout the “Blood and Ash” series, which currently has five published installments: 

• “From Blood and Ash”
• “A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire”
• “The Crown of Gilded Bones”
• “The War of Two Queens”
• “A Soul of Ash and Blood”

“A Soul of Ash and Blood” technically takes place after “The War of Two Queens,” but the majority of the book is told through flashbacks that bring readers back to the timeline in “From Blood and Ash.” 

According to Goodreads, Armentrout is set to release the next installment in the series, “The Primal of Blood and Bone,” in 2024, though it does not yet have a specific release date. 

Armentrout is also writing a prequel series to ‘From Blood and Ash’

Armentrout has published a prequel series called “Flesh and Fire.” The series exists in the same world as the “Blood and Ash” books, but it takes place thousands of years before Poppy is even born.

Like Poppy, Seraphena Mierel is a Maiden, promised to the Primal of Death in a bargain designed to save her people from a rot spreading across their lands in the first installment in the series, “A Shadow in the Ember.”

But Sera is a double agent, and she has trained her whole life in secret as an assassin so she will be able to break down the Primal’s defenses and kill him when he’s vulnerable. But when she finally meets the Primal, he’s nothing like Sera expected, awakening urges in her she didn’t know she had. 

Two installments of the series are currently available to read:

• “A Shadow in the Ember”
• “A Light in the Flame”

The third book in the series, “A Fire in the Flesh,” will be released on October 31, and the fourth and final installment, “Born of Blood and Ash,” hits bookshelves on May 7, 2024, according to Armentrout’s website.

Armentrout is also publishing a companion to both series, “Visions of Flesh and Blood,” in February 2024 to provide readers with easy access to information from the books. 

The plots of the two series are interconnected, so you shouldn’t read them separately

The events and characters of “Flesh and Fire” overlap with those in “Blood and Ash,” and “The War of Two Queens” is actually difficult to understand if you haven’t read “A Shadow in the Ember.”

But the books also contain spoilers about Poppy’s adventures, so it doesn’t make sense to read them before you start the “Blood and Ash” series. 

Instead, I recommend reading the books that are currently published as one interconnected series in the following order: 

• “From Blood and Ash”
• “A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire”
• “The Crown of Gilded Bones
• “A Shadow in the Ember”
• “The War of Two Queens”
• “A Light in the Flame”
• “A Soul of Ash and Blood”

The order allows you to enjoy “Blood and Ash” without spoilers, but you will also be able to fully digest “The War of Two Queens” without feeling confused.

Plus, “Blood and Ash” can get a little overwhelming as the world becomes larger. The tension between Sera and the Primal in “Flesh and Fire” was a welcome tone shift that made me want to continue reading both series as new installments are released. 

Despite the flashbacks, I would still leave “A Soul of Ash and Blood” until the end of your Armentrout journey, as it contains too many spoilers about the series to be read right after or in tandem with “From Blood and Ash.” It actually works best as a refresher on the series, centering you in the fantasy world before Poppy’s story continues.

And if you want advice on how to read Sarah J. Maas’ books, you can find out more here.