Jennifer L. Armentrout
My rating: 4.5 hearts
Genre: Upper Young Adult, High Fantasy, Romance
Publication date: March 31, 2020
Publisher: Blue Box Press
Synopsis:
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.
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I've had the ARC of this one for a few weeks now, and it has been pure torture to keep this super secret release to myself, because my favorite author wrote a High Fantasy. That's right. Jennifer L. Armentrout has written a High Fantasy, and it is everything. Okay, it had some small annoyances, but as always, her writing pulled me in - or more like dragged me by my teeth - and kept me there.
From Blood and Ash follows Poppy, a girl destined for great things and given very few choices in her own life. As the Maiden, she isn't allowed to do much of anything - including, but not limited to, showing her face to anyone but a select few, talking to people, and having friends. Despite all this, Poppy is a total badass. Of course, she learned how to fight in secret. And she's a true rebel. She refuses to follow all the rules imposed on her. But outward, she still tries to be a proper Maiden. I loved her from the start. But the way she grew through the book, the way she went from hiding herself from everyone to shamelessly standing up to herself, well, I loved it. And I loved how completely flawed she was - like how she is a bit reckless, and takes unnecessary risks. Poppy was truly prefectly imperfect.
"Anger flooded my system once more, overwhelming me. I thrust my knee up, aiming for a very sensitive part of him--the one that somehow made him more qualified than I was to fight."
And the romance... Armentrout is the queen of tension. It's there from the start (and okay, lust at first sight does annoy me, but she does it so well) and it's enough to steal your breath and make your heart race. And the witty banter between Poppy and Hawke is hilarious. While there is certain attraction between them from the start, they certainly aren't in love, or even really friends, at first. What grows between them does so slowly and organically, and I loved every moment of it.
The world-building wasn't perfect. In the beginning, I felt like I got too much information, but that was really just the first couple of chapters. After that, it was much better spaced out, so it didn't really matter for my enjoyment of the book. My biggest annoyance was that the plot twists weren't all that surprising. In fact, it was pretty predictable. And maybe that makes sense, considering I have read more than fifty books by this author. Again, it didn't ruin my enjoyment of the book, because obviously, Armentrout has magic powers.
"Some truths do nothing but destroy and decay what they do not obliterate. Truths do not always set one free. Only a fool who has spent their entire life being fed lies believes that."
With imaginative writing, Armentrout weaves an irresistible tale of loneliness, friendship and the power of choice. From Blood and Ash is a high-stakes adventure that will leave you wanting more.
"This wasn't just about him. I knew that from the moment I'd asked him to stay. It was about me. What I wanted. My choice."
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