A Shadow in the Ember

A Shadow in the Ember is a 2021 fantasy romance novel by Jennifer Armentrout. It is the first book in the Flesh and Fire series, set in the same world as Armentrout’s bestselling Blood and Ash series. The novel follows Princess Seraphena “Sera” Mierel, the princess believed to be destined to become the consort of a supreme god as part of a pact to save her kingdom from the Rot—a disease of the land that is destroying crops. However, Sera is a Maiden, an individual born fated to ascend to the ranks of the gods and usher in a new age for her people, and she secretly has very different intentions about what her life will entail.  

This guide references the Blue Box Press 2021 e-book edition.

Content Warning: A Shadow in the Ember references sexual assault, death by suicide, and domestic abuse, and depicts child abuse and murder.

Plot Summary

Princess Seraphena “Sera” Mierel is believed to be destined to become the Consort of the Primal of Death, Nyktos, a powerful eternal being who rules over other gods. This union was part of a pact that one of Sera’s ancestors made with the Primal of Death to stop the Rot, a disease that kills crops, from destroying their kingdom, Lasania. When Sera was born, she bore a sign that marked her as a chosen Maiden—an individual destined to ascend to the ranks of the gods and bring great change to the realm. However, Sera’s family and closest subjects believe that the Primal of Death must be killed in order to guarantee the safety of the land, so they have raised Sera largely in secret, training her to seduce the Primal and then assassinate him.

When Sera is 17, she is deemed ready to become the Primal’s consort, but he unexpectedly rejects her. Sera’s mother, Queen Calliaphe, accuses Sera of dooming the kingdom. Three years later, Sera stumbles upon gruesome murders committed by gods. Another god, Ash, stops her from interfering and being killed herself and says he’ll be watching her. Later, she practices combat skills with Sir Braylon Holland, a member of the Royal Guard, and successfully disarms him, but she faces criticism for her feud with her stepbrother, Prince Tavius, heir to the throne. Later, she visits her nursemaid, Odetta, who hints at Sera’s connection to life and death, but says only the Fates can explain. After a heated argument with the Queen about the royals’ responsibilities to the kingdom’s starving population, she leaves and senses the presence of death in the city. She discovers the scene of another murder: A woman has been killed. Ash is there, and Sera stabs him in a panic. While they argue over her impulsive stabbing, the victim reanimates, but Ash destroys her. He advises Sera to keep their meeting a secret and leaves.

As Sera later walks into a forest, troubled by recent events, she encounters a wounded wolf and uses her forbidden power to heal it. She then seeks solace at a lake but realizes Ash is also there. The god warns of impending company. After a fight with hostile Hunters, a type of malevolent creature, Sera questions why they were after them, and Ash suggests it might be because of him. They discuss their pasts and passionately kiss, though they decide not to proceed further. As the Rot grows, Sera is disturbed by the lavish preparations for a feast in the palace. She confronts the King and Tavius regarding their indifference to the kingdom’s suffering. At the Sun Temple, she watches the Rite of Ascension, during which Kolis, the Primal of Life, looks directly at her. Afterward, Sera’s stepsister, Princess Ezmeria (or Ezra), begs her to revive her partner after she was killed during a riot. Sera agrees, despite warnings to never use her healing gift on a human. However, Tavius, now King after his father’s sudden death, sends Sir Holland away and tortures Sera. The Primal of Death appears in response and is revealed to be Ash (or Nyktos). He releases Sera, and she kills her stepbrother. Ash says he’s come to claim her as his Consort to protect her and takes her to his domain, the Shadowlands.

In the Shadowlands, where there is no day or night, Sera and Ash encounter draken, dragon-like shapeshifters who protect Primals. The pair reach the House of Haides, Ash’s palace. After Sera settles, they discuss her life over the past three years, and she learns the priests never attempted to summon Ash again after he rejected her the first time. Ash reveals his father, the former Primal of Death, was the one who suggested the engagement, not him. Sera starts to see him in a different light but believes she needs to kill him for her kingdom’s sake. During a meeting in the throne room, Ash is informed about a missing woman, Gemma, which worries him. Later, Sera uses her power to heal an injured hawk on the palace grounds, which draws Hunters to her. Ash stops them, but the creatures poison Sera during the attack. He uses a rare antidote to save her life. A grateful Sera becomes closer with other residents at the palace and learns many of them were rescued from the Courts of other Primals, particularly from the court of Kolis, the Primal of Life. Sera is disturbed by the reality of Kolis’s cruelty but decides her kingdom’s safety outweighs godly politics. Still, she and Ash become intimate.

The body of the missing woman, Gemma, is finally found and taken to the palace. Sera uses her power to revive her, shocking everyone. Ash warns the residents not to speak of her power—an ember of life that came from his father, Kolis’s brother, and the original Primal of Life before Kolis usurped him. Sera reveals her mission to kill Ash, only for Kolis’s monsters to appear. After the battle, Ash is injured, and Sera offers him her blood. Their feeding turns into sex, but he maintains emotional distance. Later, Gemma awakens and reveals Kolis seeks Sera’s power to create undead Revenants (reanimated corpses). After sharing blood with Ash, Sera begins to experience the effects of “Culling” (a transformation into godhood).

Sera realizes she needs a proper explanation from the Arae, the Spirits of Fate. She is attacked by the gods who committed the earlier murders; the goddess Bele dies protecting her, and Ash kills the other intruders. However, Sera Ascends Bele, making her an immortal challenger to the Primals. Sir Holland arrives and reveals himself to be an Arae. He explains that Sera requires the blood of a god who loves her to survive the process of Culling. However, this is framed as impossible since Ash is incapable of love. Sir Holland also reveals that Sera is the latest reincarnation of the woman whom Kolis became the Primal of Life to save, and therefore his only weakness. Sera, however, is the true Primal of Life because Ash’s father gifted her an ember of life, and her death would mean catastrophe.