Jennifer L. Armentrout Books in Order: Blood and Ash Series Reading Guide
How to read the Blood and Ash series and Jennifer L. Armentrout's full romantasy catalogue in the correct order, with context on the Flesh and Fire prequel series.
Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Blood and Ash series is one of the most influential romantasy series of the 2020s — a slow-burn, enemies-to-lovers story set in a richly built world that rewards readers who follow it across multiple books. If you’re new to the series or trying to navigate the expanding universe of connected novels, this guide covers reading order, the relationship between the main series and its prequel, and what to read next.
Blood and Ash Main Series Reading Order
The five-book Blood and Ash main series follows Poppy — a Maiden chosen by the gods, forbidden from human touch, and kept in profound ignorance of her own nature — and Hawke Flynn, the guard assigned to protect her whose identity proves to be more complicated than Poppy is prepared for.
Book 1: From Blood and Ash (2020)
Start here. From Blood and Ash establishes the world, the central relationship, and the core mystery: what is Poppy, and what does the world that raised her actually want with her?
The slow-burn enemies-to-lovers romance is the engine of the book, and Armentrout sustains the tension with skill across a long novel. Hawke is the series’ defining love interest — charismatic, morally layered, and concealing a secret that shapes the entire second book. Most readers find From Blood and Ash genuinely difficult to put down.
Book 2: A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (2020)
The revelations of the first book are addressed immediately, and the central relationship is tested by them. The mythology of the world expands significantly. Read directly after From Blood and Ash — this book begins in the immediate aftermath of the first.
Book 3: The Crown of Gilded Bones (2021)
Poppy’s true nature and origins are revealed in full. The scope of the conflict moves from political to mythological, and the series enters its more expansive second phase. At 730 pages, this is the longest book in the main series.
Book 4: The War of Two Queens (2022)
War has come. The fourth book follows Poppy and Hawke across a conflict that tests every relationship in the series. Several supporting characters receive significant development.
Book 5: A Soul of Ash and Blood (2023)
The fifth book offers a significant structural shift — the story is told partly from Hawke’s perspective, allowing readers to revisit events from the first book through his eyes. For longtime series readers, this is one of the most emotionally resonant instalments.
The Flesh and Fire Prequel Series
The Flesh and Fire series is a prequel set in the same world, thousands of years before the events of Blood and Ash. It follows Seraphena Moran, who is sent as a consort to a god she expects to be her enemy, and whose story illuminates the origins of the mythology that Blood and Ash gradually reveals.
Reading order:
- A Shadow in the Ember (2021)
- A Light in the Flame (2022)
- A Fire in the Flesh (2023)
When to read it: Most readers recommend completing at least From Blood and Ash and A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire before starting Flesh and Fire. The prequel series makes more emotional sense once you have enough context from the main series — reading it first spoils revelations that Blood and Ash sets up carefully.
What to Read After Blood and Ash
If you’ve read the main series and want similar reads:
- Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros — The other dominant adult romantasy of the 2020s. Same heat level, propulsive pacing, and enemies-to-lovers dynamic, set in a dragon-rider war college.
- A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas — Five-book fae romantasy with a long backlist. The ACOTAR series is the third pillar of the contemporary romantasy canon alongside Blood and Ash and Fourth Wing.
- The Bridge Kingdom series by Danielle L. Jensen — A slower-burn enemies-to-lovers fantasy romance with a spy heroine and a morally grey prince.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What order should I read Jennifer L. Armentrout's Blood and Ash books?
Read the Blood and Ash main series in publication order: 1. From Blood and Ash (2020), 2. A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire (2020), 3. The Crown of Gilded Bones (2021), 4. The War of Two Queens (2022), 5. A Soul of Ash and Blood (2023). Optionally, read the Flesh and Fire prequel series (A Shadow in the Ember, A Light in the Flame, A Fire in the Flesh) either after Book 2 or after the main series concludes.
Do I need to read From Blood and Ash before A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire?
Yes, absolutely. A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire picks up immediately after From Blood and Ash's ending and assumes complete knowledge of the first book. From Blood and Ash ends on major revelations that drive the entire second book — reading A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire without it would make the second half of the story incomprehensible.
Should I read the Flesh and Fire prequel series before or after Blood and Ash?
Most readers recommend reading the Blood and Ash main series first, or at minimum reading From Blood and Ash and A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire before starting Flesh and Fire. The prequels make more emotional sense once you know what the mythology of the world becomes — reading them first can spoil revelations that Blood and Ash parcels out carefully.
How many books are in the Blood and Ash series?
The main Blood and Ash series has five books: From Blood and Ash, A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, The Crown of Gilded Bones, The War of Two Queens, and A Soul of Ash and Blood. The companion prequel series Flesh and Fire currently has three books: A Shadow in the Ember, A Light in the Flame, and A Fire in the Flesh.
What should I read after the Blood and Ash series?
After Blood and Ash, most readers move to From Blood and Ash's companion prequel series Flesh and Fire, then to Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros (the other dominant title in adult romantasy), or to A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas. Readers who prefer the darker, Gothic tone of Armentrout's world often enjoy Emily Henry or Penelope Douglas for contemporary romance with similar emotional intensity.
