Thank you to Blue Box Press and Jennifer L. Armentrout for the advanced reader copy in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are my own.
The Primal of Blood and Bone is the sixth installment of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s fantasy romance series From Blood and Ash. The series is finally when Poppy, Casteel and Kieran’s journey reaches it’s crescendo as Poppy awakens as the Primal of the Blood and Bone and Kolis rises once more.
This post contains spoilers for the entire From Blood and Ash, Flesh and Fire and Awakening series.
Poppy Ascends as the Primal of Blood and Bone but is Possessed by Kolis
Poppy is in the primal dream state, similar to Seraphena Mierel, the The Primal of Life did during her ascension. She is in stasis and going through her ascension as well. She sees the ancients, just like Sera did, what they dreamt, ruin and wrath, the beginning and the end. She sees Sotoria, her heart, Kolis and other details from the past and glimpses of what’s to come.
Casteel and Kieran continue watching over Poppy. They are worried she is going to wake up without her memories and what they will do if that happens. They feel different since Poppy has reached the end of her culling due to their joining. Kieran can feel the essence of life in him with eather in his veins glowing silver and gold.
Casteel however feels a different power, crimson and silver eather pulses in his veins and he feels the calling of death. He also feels significantly stronger than before. They ponder what it means that powers of life and death is split between them.
Poppy opens her eyes, awakening, her eyes are full of silver, but she passes back out. Everyone is worried that Kolis might sense her ascension and come.
Casteel is pulled aside by Hisa and Emil to perform some of the monarch’s duties. Some of the Ascended who are under house arrest, are fully drained of blood. Outside of the house the ground is drained of life and smell of stale lilacs permeates the air.
Casteel tells Reaver he is worried that Kolis, in his incorporeal form, drained the Ascended. Reaver suggests he thinks Kolis could’ve entered a vessel with the same embers of his own, Malik. They realize Isbeth never planned to sacrifice Poppy as Malik, with the embers of death inside of him, was intended to be Kolis’s vessel.
They ponder why did Isbeth need Poppy. Reaver hints at Poppy can kill Kolis but refuses to elaborate.
Poppy continues dreaming. She hears a creepy voice in her dream telling her to give in and give up. She wakes up but doesn’t recognize Casteel. The voice continue speaking in her mind, telling her to give into violence and harm Casteel. Casteel on the other hand tries to coax her into feeding and asks her to feed from him. Poppy feeds from him but loses control, nearly draining Casteel.
Reaver throws Poppy into a wall saving Casteel’s life but also infuriating him because he’s harmed Poppy. Reaver realizes Kolis is possessing Poppy.
Poppy, still awake, summons Kieran through the notam, in a moment of clarity asks him to fulfill his promise to her. Casteel is befuddled, unaware of the promise. Kieran is devastated and doesn’t want to go through with it. Poppy begs him to kill her and that something is wrong with her.
Casteel asks Kieran what Poppy is talking about. When Kieran reveals what Poppy asked him to do while he is in captivity, Casteel attacks Kieran.
They move Poppy to a cell much to Casteel’s dismay and Casteel asks Kieran to stay away from them. Casteel keeps her company throughout, refusing to leave her side. They realize when the Revenant attacked Casteel while she is in stasis, it weakened her enough for Kolis to possess her. Kolis occasionally speaks through Poppy taunting Casteel and even trying to seduce him one time.
Reaver consults with Nektas who sends Attes. Attes is a spitting image of Malik and Valyn. Attes introduces himself, irritates Casteel and reveals that Poppy is possessed by Kolis and likely carries Kolis’s mark. They search her body and find his mark on her chest.
Attes burns Poppy’s chest with Nektas’s blood, and two snakes slither out of the mark. His hand is burned in the process, but should recover in a couple of days. Kolis is removed from Poppy’s body. Attes warns them she’ll likely go into a deeper stasis, and urges them to be patient.
Before leaving, Attes urges them to speak to the Fates to figure out what has Casteel and Kieran have become.
Poppy falls into a deeper slumber. Casteel, devastated and desperate, prays to Seraphena to help Poppy through her ascension.
Poppy is in a field of poppies hearing Kolis’s words when she sees a bright red haired woman who reminds her of someone. She smells fresh lilacs and a voice telling her to wake up.
Poppy, finally awakens.
When she awakens, she recognizes Casteel. He immediately has her feed from her. Poppy’s focus is scattered but is eventually herself. When she stabilizes, her eyes are not silver like other Primals but instead is of all colors with blotches of blues, golds and browns, like the ancients.
Poppy Crosses the Primal Veil, Travels to New York and Enters Iliseeum
Casteel fills her in on what she’s missed out on while in stasis. Poppy realizes Casteel is much stronger than he should be and the eather in him is significantly stronger.
Poppy has vadentia, the foresight Seraphena and the others have.
Before they can dive deeper into what’s going on with Casteel due to their Joining, Poppy senses intense agony and pain.
A portal opens behind her and Poppy crosses the Primal Veil into an alternate dimension. Poppy finds herself in New York City, overlooking the Statue of Liberty. She sees modern people holding their phones and wearing AirPods.
She is wondering what she is doing in this reality when the ground breaks open and bone creature with wings, and without a face begin coming out of the ground. They destroy everyone. Clearly curious about Poppy, they make their way to her. Poppy holds her own against it for a while but clearly a bit weaker from the creature.
When she attempts to restore the lives of the others, Holland arrives stopping her. He tells her the mortals’ life is forfeit, and if she brings them back all she is going to do is lengthen their suffering.
Holland takes her to Mount Loth in Iliseeum. There, she finds Vikter. The two of them reunite, Vikter telling her he is proud of her and he approves of Casteel because of how much he loves her. They bid goodbye once more, with Vikter telling her she needs to speak with Tawny.
Two other ancients, Lirian and Thorne (I KNOW!!!), arrive.
Thorne tells Poppy her ascension is the cause of events in the alternate dimension, as her ascension to Primal of Blood and Bone has awaken the ancients from the ground. Poppy realizes the Fates are the Ancients who gave up some of their power to make the Primals, remembering her dreams.
Going over the facts, Thorne reveals what Poppy’s ascension truly means. So many variables came together; Poppy is a second daughter, from the blood of life and death, biological daughter of a false god and she completed a Joining. All of these factors led to Poppy forming a new pantheon, she is the creator of new era and life which is why the ancients in the other dimension has awakened.
Casteel and Kieran are the first of Poppy’s creations. They are not false primals, or gods, but Deminyen Primals.
Deminyen Primals are powerful and dangerous. As Primals with Courts are burdened by their responsibilities and kept in check by the rules of their court, Deminyen Primals as courtless primals have no boundaries.
Poppy, Casteel and Kieran are Deminyen Primals.
The ancients have awakened because the balance between life and death is off.
Jadis, Tawny, Seraphena and Zombies
Poppy returns to her dimension. Casteel is beyond himself worried about where Poppy has gone, being held back by Aydun another Fate. Casteel also instinctively know the Fates are Ancients.
Poppy and Casteel discuss where she has gone to, but they can’t, because Reaver arrives, asking her to help Jadis. She is entombed under Stonehill. Poppy agrees, they go to Ironspire to awaken Jadis but when she touches her like she touched Nektas, nothing happens.
Devastated, they return back to the castle.
Poppy reunites with Delano and Emil. Tawny also wants to see Poppy but Poppy feels a strange sense of guilt every time she think of her.
They have another report of disturbance, which Poppy insists on going. She arrives at the scene and finds houses and houses of people slitting their own throats under Kolis’s influence. As they are investigating the scene, the bodies open their eyes. They behave like zombies and attack them.
Poppy realizes something is amiss between Kieran and Casteel but can’t put her finger on it.
They arrive at a meeting with their generals and decide to tell the people of Solis the bare minimum and not reveal Atlantians all truths about Kolis yet. They suspect Kolis is in Pensdurth. Poppy floats going there by herself since she knows she can kill Kolis. She is immediately shut down and Casteel is furious.
Tawny arrives and they reunite. Poppy realizes, when she healed Tawny after she was stabbed with a shadowstone dagger, she sucked in Tawny’s soul. When she ascended with her soul inside of her, Tawny’s soul is destroyed, forever leaving her without one. Poppy is wrecked and devastated by her guilt.
Cereens and Sea Horses attack the docks. A huge fight happens. Poppy goes into full primal mode, eather pour out of her and she summons wings. She nearly burns out. A Kraken rises causing a tsunami.
Just as they are about to get overwhelmed, two gods arrive Rhahar and Saion. Saion battles the Kraken and as Rhahar tries to buy him time, he is smited by a crimson lightning, Kolis’s will and disappears.
Poppy teaches Kieran how to use the primal essence of life to heal others and they heal everyone they can.
Casteel is frustrated that Poppy won’t trust him to get stuff done, feeling hurt by her asking Kieran to put her to the ground instead of her, and a fight breaks out between them. He loses control and he shifts into a cave cat. Poppy is shocked as they are Deminyen Primals they are not supposed to be able to shift for centuries.
Reaver tells them that Seraphena is coming. Poppy is self conscious about meeting the Queen of the Gods and her grandmother, wondering if she’ll like her. When Seraphena arrives however she is kind, teasing, and nothing like she’s expected. She thanks her for bringing her sons home.
The wolven are drawn to Seraphena’s presence, so she can’t stay for too long to not draw the notam for her favor. She reveals that Kolis is corporeal and has been releasing monsters from the Abyss, which is why it took them so long to arrive.
We learn that Seraphena went to the ground because she realized her son Malik could not be trusted to not enact the prophecy. She helped Eloana entomb Malik and devastated by what she’s done, she went to the ground.
She tells them primals cannot fight in mortal realm in their full powers and that Rhahar sacrificed himself to save everyone because he is a primal without a court. She also tells them, all of the fates are untrustworthy something Poppy agrees.
They go back to the Ironspire this time with Seraphena. Seraphena tells them Jadis is awake, she is terrified and scared. She calms her down and asks Poppy to touch her. Jadis is herself again. She is thin, scarred, traumatized and she cries, repeating over and over again not wanting to be there. Eventually Jadis is taken home by Reaver.
Seraphena asks to speak with Poppy privately, which Casteel refuses and Poppy reaffirms. Seraphena gives Poppy a full history lesson on Callum, Kolis, Aios, Wolven, the revenant and the heartmate trials. She tells them about Sotoria and that they denied Isbeth and Malik heartmate trials to prevent Sotoria from being reborn. Isbeth however still managed to manipulate fate and conceived a second daughter, Poppy.
Seraphena then reveals Poppy the biggest truth of all, that she is Sotoria and she is destined to kill Kolis.
She reveals the True Primal of Death can break any bond, including the Joining bond Poppy, Kieran and Casteel has. Meaning, if Casteel and Kieran are present around Kolis he can break their bond and kill them.
Seraphena departs, telling Poppy she’ll come for aid if things go south.
The Primal of Blood and Bone Ending Explained
Poppy is reeling from the reality that she is not her own person, but hundreds of lives lived over and over again. She rages in Isbeth’s vault, finding the star diamond where her soul resided for centuries and destroyed it.
Delano comforts Poppy and in return Poppy gives her the bloodstone dagger made out of Preela’s bones.
They confront Valyn, who tells them Attes is his grandfather making Malik and Casteel direct descendants of a primal. Casteel has ascended to a full primal instead of from a mortal which is why t hey think his essence is stronger. He likely have died when the Revenant attacked him and stabbed him with ancient bond, the Joining bond reviving him, ascending him to a full primal.
We also learn the truth about the Wolven’s creaetion; Seraphena has saved Jasper’s life as Malik was about to kill him, and instead of letting him die, she created the Wolven. She chose the realm over her son.
Poppy, restless at night, goes to the Cliffs of Sorrow, where Sotoria has died. There, she finds a Revenant possessed by Kolis. She attacks him. Kolis speaks through the Revenant, telling she always belonged to him. Sotoria means my poppy.
Attes arrives to save her, but Poppy doesn’t need help. Poppy kills the Revenant with her eather.
Casteel arrives, shadowstepping by following Poppy’s will, infuriated that she’s left without waking him. Attes is clearly connected to Poppy, constantly staring at her and unable to keep his eyes off of her much to Casteel’s chagrin.
They continue strategizing, Attes and Casteel arguing at every step.
Tawny and Gianna begin a relationship.
Isbeth returns on horseback, sort of resurrected by Kolis. He demands parley with Poppy, strongly urging Casteel and Kieran to be present as well. Poppy wants to go to Iliseeum but Thorne arrives, warning her they cannot enter Iliseeum as the ancients have created wards from Primals not born in Iliseeum from entering, although they can exit.
They argue about who should go to Pensdurth. Poppy doesn’t want Kieran and Casteel to go as Kolis can break their bond and kill them. Casteel accuses Poppy of not trusting him, finally revealing he knows about her request from Kieran to end her not him, if she ever is out of control.
They fight. Poppy apologizes for hurting his feelings, but she knows Casteel could never harm her and is unreasonable about her.
She writes goodbye letters to Millicent and Tawny. She says goodbye to Delano and Kieran. Casteel arrives as she is ready to depart to Pensdurth on her own and they say a strained goodbye.
Casteel continues to think a man in love does not act like Kolis and he doesn’t think he loves Poppy.
Poppy and Attes arrive at Pensdurth. The entire scene is drenched in blood. Kolis taunts Poppy. She pretends to submit to Kolis to get close enough.
Then she stabs him in the heart.
Kolis, however, reveals that he was awake much of the thousand years he was entombed, and he got over his feelings for Sotoria, meaning Poppy can’t kill him. Kolis now, only wants Poppy’s essence.
Casteel sits on the throne where he waits for Poppy. He is spiraling, worried about Poppy and waiting for her to get back. Kieran keeps him company. Just as Poppy goes into stasis, Casteel collapses. A sense of dread envelops him.
Kolis begins beating Poppy. He bites Poppy and begins draining her of blood. Poppy’s last thoughts are of Casteel. She hopes he can go a few more minutes without feeling her die.
Attes manages to open a gate to Iliseeum, taking Poppy to her family’s home. The wards kick in, and Poppy goes down, going into stasis.
Casteel collapses, feeling the marriage imprint on his finger fade. He passes out.
When he wakes, Kolis unleashes a song of death. He kills Delano, Valyn, Hisa and many others.
Casteel’s grief detonates. He erupts.
Feeling her grief and rage reform her, he erupts fully Primal. His body becomes silver bone with wings. His wings have silver feathers threaded with dark gray and crimson. Kolis says impossible.
Days later Jasper arrives. He is clearly aware of everything that has happened. Kieran takes him to the throne room.
On their way there, they see a woman with a moonlight colored hair, a spitting image of Seraphena at the entrance to the throne room. Millicent has returned. Malik is beyond happy to see him, Millicent cannot return the feelings though or does not appear to.
Millicent has Callum with her, revealing that if anyone knows anything about Kolis, it’s him.
They make their way back into the throne room. Kieran warns Jasper, Casteel is not as he remembers.
Jasper tells him maybe they should’ve let Casteel do whatever terrible thing he would’ve should he have gone with Poppy. Sometimes, terrible things are required to be done.
They enter the throne room, covered in sentient, inky black vines. There is a figure on a throne of bones made out of Kolis’s supporters which Casteel hunted down in the past days. The throne is held together with the vines, pulsating as the vines become near Casteel.
Poppy is at Iliseeum which Jasper says as long as she is with her family she’ll be alright.
Attes is with Casteel despite the fact that they keep getting into fights.
Kieran thinks about the prophecy, what it truly means and how it’s been in front of them all along.
Yes, Poppy is the harbinger and Kolis is the Great Conspirator. However, the death and destruction they always feared is not what Kolis will do.
Looking at Casteel on the throne, a fusion of flesh and bone, his honey gold eyes with streaks of crimson, wearing a crown of bone and ash.
Casteel after all, is the Primal of Death and Destruction, and they will all have to endure the ruin and wrath he’ll unleash.
And that’s everything! I truly loved The Primal of Blood and Bone, a much darker and mature book. I have so many thoughts on what will happen next and have plenty of theories but that will be in another post! I’m just so glad we finally know how the worlds connect, and the prophecy has finally unraveled!
What did you think of the sixth installment of From Blood and Ash?
Let me know in the comments!
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