[Book Review] From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Summary

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 rest 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 a 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 lofe when every blood-soaked threat that holds her together begins to unravel.

Book Facts

Published: March 2020
Length: 622
Genre: High Fantasy
Format: e-Arc

✨ I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ✨

Review

Buckle up guys because this book is going to knock your socks off! Seriously it’s the best thing I’ve read in ages and I think my first 5 star read of the year can I get a whoop whoop!!

Poppy has been chosen by the goods, born into a role she never asked for and doesn’t particularly want, soon she will ascend and lead her people. This is a burden that weighs heavily on her shoulders, all she really wants is to experience a bit of life instead she shrouded in secret and kept mostly in isolation – protected from the outside world. However things are starting to get complicated, an uprising is looming promising violence and death. If that wasn’t enough a certain guard who is also her sworn protector is making Poppy feel things she has never felt before, her life is about to make a turn that she never could have predicted.

I really liked Poppy, that little rebellious side of her was so relatable, she is sassy and brave and totally kicks ass, she has all these people protecting her but damn, the girl can totally hold her own, damsel in distress she certainly is not. She has also endured a lot of tragedy and sadness. I really felt for her need to be normal, she has all this responsibly thrust at her and she copes with it remarkably well.

Hawke… this guy man I mean holy shit – he knocks all the other love interests Jen has written off the shelf, bye Daeman, mover over Roth, au revoir Seth, and Aiden. Hawke has more charm, attitude, and snark than all of them combined. I never knew what to expect from him and I was so there for it. At times it was hard to decipher which was more gripping, where the storyline was going or how Hawke was going to react to it. His whole relationship with Poppy was so inappropriate, as the Maiden, she should be addressed in certain ways and not part take in things an like other people can and he had total disregard for this and did whatever the hell he wanted and again I couldn’t get enough – everyone loves a rule breaker and he is my new favorite.

The synopsis of this book doesn’t really give you a big hint to what this book is really about, so it made reading this story a highly intense experience.  The last few chapters are some of the best storytelling I’ve read in god knows how long – just so bloody good! I’m so excited for this book to come out!

In a nutshell…

This book is just amazingly good, a thrilling high fantasy that packs a punch, each page will leave you wanting more… and that last line… damn!

My Rating: 5/5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

About the Author

#1 New York Times and #1 International Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, hanging out with her husband and her Border Jack Apollo. In early 2015, Jennifer was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a group of rare genetic disorders that involve a breakdown and death of cells in the retina, eventually resulting in loss of vision, among other complications.  Due to this diagnosis, educating people on the varying degrees of blindness has become of passion of hers, right alongside writing, which she plans to do as long as she can.

Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Tor, HarperCollins Avon and William Morrow, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her Wicked Series has been optioned by PassionFlix. Jennifer has won numerous awards, including the 2013 Reviewers Choice Award for Wait for You, the 2015 Editor’s Pick for Fall With Me, and the 2014/2015 Moerser-Jugendbuch- Jury award for Obsidian. Her young adult romantic suspense novel DON’T LOOK BACK was a 2014 nominated Best in Young Adult Fiction by YALSA. Her adult romantic suspense novel TILL DEATH was an Amazon Editor’s Pick and iBook Book of the Month. Her young adult contemporary THE PROBLEM WITH FOREVER is a 2017 RITA Award Winner in Young Adult Fiction. She also writes Adult and New Adult contemporary and paranormal romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.

She is the owner of ApollyCon and The Origin Event, the successful annual events that feature over a hundred bestselling authors in Young Adult, New Adult, and Adult Fiction, panels, parties, and more.