A Light in the Flame by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Here is a summary with spoilers for A Light in the Flame by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Princess Seraphena “Sera” Mierel of Lasania has spent her life preparing to become the Consort of Nyktos, the Primal God of Death, so she can eventually kill him and stop the Rot devastating the realms. Her understanding of her mission changes when she discovers she carries the embers of life, a divine essence capable of healing wounds and resurrecting the dead. The embers mark her as a potential Primal of Life, but they are also killing her. After accidentally unleashing immense power during a battle and nearly harming Nyktos, Sera realizes the embers are far stronger than anyone expected. Nyktos reassures her they will find a way to control her abilities, while their bond deepens as they confront the reality of what she is becoming.

The only way to save Sera is through Ascension, but Ascension requires Nyktos to love her, something he claims he made himself incapable of doing. To protect her from the gods, especially Kolis, Nyktos hides Sera within the Shadowlands. Kolis, the false King of the Gods who stole the embers from Nyktos’s father, Ethyos, cannot discover another dangerous truth: Sera’s soul carries the reincarnation of Sotoria, the mortal woman Kolis has obsessively hunted across lifetimes. Sera gradually realizes the true enemy is not Nyktos, but Kolis himself, because only Kolis’s defeat can stop the Rot and restore balance to the realms.

As threats against the Shadowlands grow, Sera proves herself during attacks from Cimmerian warriors and hostile gods seeking Bele, the goddess Sera resurrected. The battles reveal the unstable balance between the Primals and the danger surrounding Sera’s existence. Nyktos and Sera begin searching for a way to remove the embers before they consume her, devising a plan to seek out Delfai, the God of Divination. Along the way, Sera asserts her independence and refuses to remain a pawn or protected figure. Her defiance creates tension with Nyktos, but also forces him to acknowledge her as an equal. Their relationship grows increasingly intimate as they confront shared fears, destiny, and the uncertainty of the future.

Before Sera and Nyktos can proceed with her coronation as his Consort, Kolis sends Attes to the Shadowlands to forbid the union until Kolis personally approves Sera. While awaiting the summons, Sera becomes close to Nyktos’s inner circle, including Nektas, Reaver, Jadis, Bele, Aios, Saion, Rhain, and Ector. However, her trust in Nyktos fractures when she finds Veses feeding from him in an intimate encounter. Devastated and humiliated, Sera loses control of her embers and nearly destroys part of the palace. Though Nyktos later explains that Veses forced the arrangement in exchange for keeping Sera’s embers secret, Sera distances herself emotionally and insists their focus remain on removing the embers and securing her freedom.

Sera and Nektas travel through the Vale searching for Delfai, facing sirens, ancient nymphs, and increasingly dangerous manifestations of Sera’s power. During one attack, Sera unleashes the full force of the embers, destroying enemies with power far beyond that of a godling. The display terrifies even Nyktos’s allies and reinforces the urgency of removing the embers before they consume her entirely. Delfai eventually reveals that Sera’s death may not be inevitable after all, offering hope that fate can still be changed. At the same time, Aios shares the horrors she suffered as one of Kolis’s favorites, warning Sera of the cruelty waiting within Kolis’s court and the danger of underestimating him.

When Sera and Nyktos travel to Dalos in response to Kolis’s summons, they enter a corrupt court filled with monstrous creatures created by Kolis himself. Kolis forces Sera to prove herself worthy by killing Thad, a young draken tied to Attes’s court. Though horrified, she complies, then later resurrects Thad, gaining Attes’s allegiance. Back in the Shadowlands, Veses nearly kills Reaver, provoking a violent confrontation that ends with Nyktos imprisoning her. After learning the full truth behind Veses’s hold over Nyktos, Sera reaffirms her desire to become his Consort. Nyktos crowns her with two crowns, one as Princess of Lasania and one as Consort of the Shadowlands, fulfilling part of an ancient prophecy.

Soon after, the Shadowlands fall under siege. Sera watches in horror as Aios and Ector are impaled during the attack. She resurrects Aios, but Ector is killed before she can save him. During the battle, Attes offers peace if Sera surrenders herself to Kolis. Willing to sacrifice her freedom for Nyktos and their people, she agrees. In Dalos, Kolis reveals he has always known about the embers and believes Sera is the prophesied mortal Primal destined to challenge the gods. He waited until she fulfilled the prophecy’s conditions, being crowned with two crowns and resurrecting a draken, before attempting to claim the embers for himself. As Kolis attacks her, Sotoria’s voice speaks through Sera, accusing him of causing her deaths across countless lifetimes. In the middle of the confrontation, Sera sees a wolf outside and realizes Nyktos has come for her, setting the stage for the final battle over the fate of the realms.