From Blood and Ash Books in Order

Why this order?

Blood and Ash is the simplest kind of series to start: read it in publication order and you cannot go wrong. From Blood and Ash (2020) introduces Poppy, the Maiden, and the realm of Solis, and each book picks up close to where the last left off. A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, The Crown of Gilded Bones, The War of Two Queens, and now The Primal of Blood and Bone (2025) carry the main arc forward, so resist the urge to jump around. This is Jennifer L. Armentrout's biggest fantasy-romance series, and the momentum between books is a large part of the appeal.

The one wrinkle is A Soul of Ash and Blood (2023). It retells events from Casteel's point of view rather than advancing the timeline, and although it leans heavily on the events of book one, his perspective stretches across the early arc. Most readers treat it as a companion to enjoy after The War of Two Queens, which is why the reading order below slots it into the main run as a retelling rather than a forward step. The strict forward-moving arc is From Blood and Ash, A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, The Crown of Gilded Bones, The War of Two Queens, then The Primal of Blood and Bone.

The bigger question is the Flesh and Fire prequel series: A Shadow in the Ember, A Light in the Flame, A Fire in the Flesh, and Born of Blood and Ash. These follow Sera and Nyktos and are set thousands of years before Poppy's story, filling in the gods and history behind the main books. They reward you most once you already understand that world, so we recommend reading them after the main series. Adventurous readers sometimes interweave them by publication date, but going prequel-first spoils key reveals.

If you love this world, fans of Armentrout's romantasy register often move on to Sarah J. Maas (A Court of Thorns and Roses) next.