Review—From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Captivating and action-packed, From Blood and Ash is a sexy, addictive, and unexpected fantasy perfect for fans of Sarah J. Maas and Laura Thalassa.

A Maiden…

Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.

A Duty…

The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.

A Kingdom…

Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.

 

I finally found time to read Jennifer L. Armentrout’s From Blood and Ash and all I can say is wow! I mean I knew I was going to love it because it’s Jennifer L. Armentrout and she has never steered me wrong with one of her books. I did have a rough start of it but that’s typical of me with fantasies and entering new worlds.

Poppy is not your typical teenager, she’s eighteen and on the cusp of her Ascension. Living in a world with vampires and being beholden to the ones who rescued her and raise her after her parents were murdered by ravenous Craven, she’s lived a event life, if sheltered and over protected because of her Maiden status. Having survived an attack from the Craven with her life has earned her the title, but she would rather be a normal girl.

Things are not all easy in the kingdom though, Poppy is tortured by one her “protectors” and because of his status, it’s allowed and ignored. Then when an attempted kidnapping of Poppy leaves one of her trusted guards dead, she is forced to acquire a new one in Hawke. Who just happens to be the same man Poppy had a brief and borderline innocent tryst with when she managed to sneak out earlier.

Poppy also has a special set of abilities that allows her to sort of manipulate feelings. She can sense what others are feelings when she tries and if someone is in pain, she can take the pain away by making them feel happy and blissful as they die. It’s a process she calls dying with dignity.

There is unease in the kingdom though what with Descenters wreaking havoc on the Ascended—the elite vampires in this world. There’s talk of a dark prince who was banished from the kingdom many years ago and these Descenters are still supporting his ways and old rule.

She Poppy’s life is once again put into jeopardy, she along with Hawke and more guards begin a tremulous trip to go to the city where her Ascension is meant to happen next year, but may be moving up because of all the imminent danger. And naturally, along the way, their journey is filled with even more dangers.

I so miss the days where I could read for hours on end and would’ve had this book completed in two days tops! Lol. As it was I still got through this one faster than anticipated and I truly did love it! I’m still struggling to fully grasp all the politics within the story, I can understand them as I read enough to get through things but now trying to recollect them for a review is proving to be a bit more difficult. I’m also, literally writing this on a road trip too so yeah, motion sickness too!

Anyway, I can definitely see why this series is hoping in the book community. It was another amazing and spine tingling read from the one and only Jennifer L. Armentrout. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book of hers and not loved it. You can definitely expect more of that toe-curling romance in this one. Poppy and Hawke have an odd sort of relationship building, plus the whole Princess/Guard forbidden romance but you know there’s going to be so much more depth to it than that. And seriously, can we say toe-curling romance again? I’m pretty sure my cheeks might have flushed a few times when reading this one. Luckily, no one ever saw me!

The pacing to this one was definitely something different. It does have a bit of a slow start, but it builds up gradually as things move along and it’s never boring or dragging. It’s just a little sedate, but that can be a good thing sometimes too. It allows for some deep character growth too. Poppy is definitely one tough chick. She’s not exactly a warrior princess but nor is she a dainty one in need of rescuing. She’s got skills but can be beaten, she’s not infallible but will fight until she has no breath left.

The ending was something of a shocker too, which I suspected because it’s Jennifer L. Armentrout of course! The reveals that happened came as something of a shock to me,  I had suspicions of some things but I was still taken by surprise by all of the end games! So now, naturally, I’m deviating from my plan and reading the next book now! Lol. That is usually the best part of being behind on Erie’s, you can binge read to catch up!

So if you’re like me and were waiting to find time to read From Blood and Ash, you do you, because you’re going to want to devour this one in one go if you’re able! Jennifer has proven once again why she is one of my favorite authors and I cannot wait to read more in this series!

Overall Rating 4.5/5 stars