Book Review :: From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
ISBN: 1952457009
Series: Blood and Ash #1
Published by Blue Box Press
on 2020-03-29
Genres: Fantasy, Romantasy, Vampires
Pages: 613
Goodreads

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.

Last updated on 13 February 2023

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What is From Blood and Ash about?

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout follows the story of Penellaphe (Poppy), a Maiden waiting for the day of Ascension when she will be found worthy of the gods.

She’s meant to be the first initiate to the Ascension since The War of Two Kings, and as the Maiden, she is bound to the Kingdom in a way that few else are.

“I can’t celebrate my birthdays because that’s ungodly. I’m not allowed to go to picnics at the Grove or to supper with others because I’m the Maiden. I’m not allowed to defend myself because that would be unseemly. I don’t even know how to ride a horse.

Nearly every book is forbidden to me. I can’t socialize or make friends because my sole purpose is to serve the kingdom by going to the gods – something no one will even explain. What does that even mean?”

When she is out in the town at the Red Pearl, a place she should not be, Poppy meets Hawke, under some less-than-ideal circumstances. But it comes to pass that Hawke becomes a personal guard for Poppy, when she is suddenly in need of another. Their lives are woven together all of a sudden, and while Poppy is still learning what it means to be the Maiden, as well as what Ascending really means … is it what she thought?

Or has she been lied to her whole life?

And who is Hawke really?

My thoughts on From Blood and Ash

I absolutely loved From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I actually really struggled to write any sort of synopsis because a) there was a lot going on and it’s hard to summarise in a snappy way, b) I read a book straight before that was a similar sort of vibe and I had to make sure I was writing about the correct book, and c) did I mentioned how much was going on?

A synopsis or a summary is meant to do just that: summarise. But I do feel like I missed some crucial parts, so let me just throw those in for ya.

As well as the Ascended – superior beings who live among normal people – there are also the Atlantians. And there are Cravens.

Spoiler alert!

The Atlantians, as it comes to our attention, are like good, neutral vampires, that only feed on other Atlantians. (Did I mention this was sort of a vampire book? No? Sorry.) The Ascended are the bodies, the ones who feed on humans and accidentally make Cravens, which are sort of like zombies that attack people. But here’s the thing: the blood of an Atlantian can make an Ascended. So it all gets a little complicated.

And that’s one gripe I did have with this book: it was going fine and well with some sort of mysterious element to it and then BAM suddenly I have to keep track a little better of what is what and who is who and why they’re doing what they’re doing.

Having said that, it didn’t drop my star rating for me. I loved this book.

“Nothing is ever simple. And when it is, it’s rarely every worth it.”

It was full of action and mysterious, flirty banter and a whole back history that was intricately woven into the present-day characters’ lives. The world that Armentrout has created is vast and well put together, with all that history and lore already embedded into the story that it felt like I was stepping into a great epic tale.

And that’s what I suspect the rest of the series is going to be. I can’t wait to pick up the next in the series, A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire, and then continue the series. There are 4 books currently out (at my writing of this review), and there are 2 more on the Goodreads Series list.

Keep on the lookout for my review of the next book!

Have you read From Blood and Ash? What did you think?