A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire

In Blood and Ash, “all kingdoms are built on blood.” In what ways is blood crucial to the wielding of political power in Solis and Atlantia? What other sources of political power are there in this world?

How does Poppy’s first-person perspective allow the reader to explore Atlantia and the world outside Solis? How does the first-person perspective enrich the reader’s understanding of Poppy’s character? How does it limit it?

Cas and Poppy participate in many killings without moral opprobrium. What does this show about the way the characters treat violence? Why do you think they believe violence is sometimes necessary?

In what ways is Cas the archetypal romantic hero? In what ways does he go beyond this trope?

Why is the freedom to choose so important to Poppy?

How does Armentrout’s world-building of the geography, myths, and customs of the people of Atlantia and Solis help explain character motivations?

Both the Ascended and the Atlantians feed on blood to sustain themselves, yet the power of the Ascended is seen as cruel and unnatural. Why does the novel adopt retrograde ideas about the natural right to rule?

Poppy notes that were she born in Atlantia, the practice of feeding on someone else’s blood would have seemed common to her. What does this say about how familiar cultural norms shape our understanding of the world?