From Blood and Ash reading order
Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Blood and Ash novels in publication order, where the Flesh and Fire prequels sit, and why those prequels are not book one.
Start here
From Blood and Ash
It is the first Poppy novel (2020). A Shadow in the Ember is a later-published prequel series. Do not start there because it is “earlier.”
Two related runs: the Blood and Ash novels, and the Flesh and Fire prequels. Publication of the main series is the first-read path. The prequels assume you already want this world.
Blood and Ash novels
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  From Blood and Ash | 2020 | Start here. | Amazon |
| 2 |  A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire | 2020 | Amazon | |
| 3 |  The Crown of Gilded Bones | 2021 | Amazon | |
| 4 |  The War of Two Queens | 2022 | Amazon | |
| 5 |  A Soul of Ash and Blood | 2023 | A look backward inside the series. Still fifth, not a new book one. | Amazon |
| 6 |  The Primal of Blood and Bone | 2025 | Amazon |
Read them in this order. A Soul of Ash and Blood retells and extends from another shoulder. It is not an on-ramp.
Flesh and Fire prequels
| # | Title | Year | Notes | Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  A Shadow in the Ember | 2021 | Prequel series. After at least the first FBAA novels for a first read. | Amazon |
| 2 |  A Light in the Flame | 2022 | Amazon | |
| 3 | A Fire in the Flesh | 2023 | Amazon | |
| 4 |  Born of Blood and Ash | 2024 | Amazon |
Contested order, labeled: some readers insert Flesh and Fire after FBAA book 3 or 4, when the main series starts leaning on that earlier age. Others wait until they finish the published Poppy books. House rule: do not start with A Shadow in the Ember. If you want the crossover texture earlier, the least damaging insert is after The Crown of Gilded Bones, not before From Blood and Ash.
Novellas and extra scenes exist. Optional. Not a hidden book one.
Common mistakes
- Starting with Flesh and Fire because it is chronological.
- Starting with A Soul of Ash and Blood because it looks like a beginning.
- Mixing in the Covenant or Lux shelves as if they were the same series.
What to read next
- ACOTAR (Sarah J. Maas) — If you want another romantasy door with a novella that looks like a novel.
- Empyrean (Rebecca Yarros) — If you want another unfinished romantasy with a strict first book.
- Throne of Glass (Sarah J. Maas) — If you want a finished long run after an unfinished one.
- Zodiac Academy (Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti) — If you want another long dark romantasy shelf whose neighboring series looks like book one.
- Stop after book two if the temperature is not for you. You do not owe a six-book romantasy.
FAQ
Flesh and Fire first?
Not for a first read.
Is the series finished?
No. Read what is published in order.
Is Soul of Ash and Blood skippable?
You can skip it and lose a retell. Do not start with it.
Sources
- Jennifer L. Armentrout — author site and series lists. Opened 2026-09-13.
- Blue Box Press — publisher hub for the Blood and Ash titles. Opened 2026-09-13.
Same shelf
