Total pages in book: 247
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 231436 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1157(@200wpm)___ 926(@250wpm)___ 771(@300wpm)
Poppy’s brother extends an invitation for them to meet. Informing his parents of their journey to Spessa’s End to meet with Ian, Kieran begins gathering wolven to join them on the trip. When they arrive in the city, utterly exhausted, Kieran communicates with Poppy telepathically, and she orders them all to rest.
Later, in their wolven forms, Kieran and Delano, along with Netta and Nova, accompany Cas and Poppy to their meeting. When they come face-to-face with Ian, Kieran makes his distaste clear, and Poppy orders him to stand down.
During dinner, Kieran and Poppy talk about Iliseeum, Fate, and relationships. They chat about Lyra, and he teases Poppy about watching them at the wolven wedding. He then tells her about his lost love, Elashya.
In Evaemon, Kieran accompanies Poppy and Cas through the palace. When her nerves get the best of her, he reminds her that she is a descendant of the gods and runs from no one and nothing. As the Queen relinquishes her crown to Poppy, Kieran and the others kneel out of respect.
Kieran accompanies Cas and Poppy to the hall for the Council meeting, and I finally meet Poppy and Casteel in person. When it’s time for the big announcement to the people, Kieran remains in his mortal form, and I delightfully announce the new King of Blood and Ash and Queen of Flesh and Fire to their people.
Later, Poppy and Cas summon Kieran. He believes it’s to discuss the Joining, but utterly shocking him, they reveal that they want him to be their Advisor to the Crown. He initially protests, insisting that it should be someone older—like his father—but Cas makes it very clear that they never even considered anyone else. That chokes him up a bit.
Poppy asks some questions about the draken, and Kieran tells her that she shouldn’t be so excited about them. He goes on to say that the draken were notoriously unfriendly and temperamental—not to mention they breathe fire—then adds that he hopes none of their group pisses them off.
Little does he know he’ll be at the center of one of those draken’s ire.
As the group sets out for Iliseeum, they make their way through the tunnels. Just as Netta is talking about wanting to read my journal—who wouldn’t?—she falls through the floor, taking years off Kieran’s life. He attempts to save her and pull her up, but he’s not quite able to reach her to get a good enough grasp. Luckily, Poppy is able to use her power to save his sister.
Once in Iliseeum, and after battling some skeletal soldiers, they approach the Temple, and Kieran realizes what the statues are—draken. When Poppy touches one, causing the stone to crack, revealing an eye, Kieran warns the rest of the group.
The girl simply cannot help herself. Her curiosity gets the best of her much too often.
Back in the mortal realm after nearly dying of anxiety when Poppy dared to antagonize the King of Gods, she, Kieran, and Cas spend late dinners trying to come up with a way to get past the Rise around Castle Redrock without being seen.
Over dinner one night, Kieran and others discuss going to Oak Ambler, and he lays out the plan. They will travel by sea, coming in where the Ascended don’t expect, and another group will approach by land on the other side, diverting their attention.
In disguise, Kieran and the others enter the city. The state of things there is shocking to them, as is finding a caged cave cat that turns into a man at Poppy’s touch—she really does need to stop touching random things. Before they can go much farther, a Handmaiden and some Royal Guards and knights stop them, and they realize they’ve been thwarted. Brought before the Queen, Kieran is shocked to find Malik there—and looking hale and hearty to boot. When Malik talks about how he was meant to be Poppy’s Ascension of the flesh, Kieran has to hold Casteel back, warning him that his loss of control is precisely what they want.
After the Blood Queen reveals all her secrets and sets her terms, killing Ian as a punctuation mark, Kieran fears for Poppy’s state of mind. A battle begins, and Lyra dies, enraging Kieran even more.
In the woods of Oak Ambler after the melee, Poppy regains consciousness, and Kieran is forced to tell her that Cas handed himself over to Isbeth in order to save them. He tries to explain that there was nothing they could do, and that the Queen gave them Tawny as a gesture of goodwill. In her fury, Poppy conjures a storm. Kieran tries to calm her and begs her to stop, but she throws him with her power.
After a period of calming and taking care of Tawny, they return to Evaemon and Vonetta and Kieran go with Poppy in wolven form to inform Eloana what has happened and to reveal the truths of what Poppy was told about her being a god and more. Once everything is laid out, Poppy announces that she’s going to summon Nyktos’s guards.