A Light in the Flame is the second book in the Flesh and Fire series, developing the saga’s overarching themes of the interplay between free will and destiny, the redemptive power of love, and resilience in the face of trauma. The series is set in a fantasy universe where mortals coexist with gods and magical creatures like draken (humanoid dragons) and wyverns (dragon-like creatures with two legs). The mortal realm consists of kingdoms like Lasania and Terra, while gods rule courts in Iliseeum. The most powerful gods are known as the Primals and have important duties such as judging souls, giving life, and providing wisdom. One of the most distinctive features of the universe is Ascension: a mechanism by which mortals can become gods and lesser gods can change into Primals. The mechanism of Ascension varies but typically involves the mortal being drained of blood until only the last drop remains and then brought back to life with a god’s blood. In A Shadow in the Ember, the first book in the series, Sera, the Princess of the mortal kingdom of Lasania, is fated to be the Consort of Nyktos, the Primal God of Death, as part of a deal between Nyktos’s father, Ethyos, and her ancestor.