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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Amazing! A must read. Don’t miss out on this series.
I’m in love! This is my new favorite series. YA? Kids shouldn’t read this lol
Absolutly loved that book!
From Blood and Ash is definitely one of my favorite books this year! I read it back in March and let me tell you, I couldn’t be left any more shocked and speechless as I was and I was so caught up in the story, that I didn’t even realise there were vampires until it became official.
This book isn’t only Jennifer’s very first High Fantasy novel with a whole new world, characters and secrets, it’s a damn masterpiece.
It follows Poppy, the Maiden, the Choosen of her kingdom Masadonia, and Hawke who became one of Poppys guard, after her previous one was murdered.
I really didn’t expect that fast character development, given it was just the first of four books, but in my opinion it was totally plausible and really refreshing. Poppy is torn back and forth between fulfilling her duties as the Maiden and actually living and being adventurous, and it tore my heart apart at one scene especially because it became clear how much Poppy suffers which was just really heartbreaking. But she is also a very strong, brave and bad-ass character and it wasn’t hard for me to fall in love with her.
At the beginning, I really liked Hawke, he was being described as the typical book boyfriend I always want to have in real life, but the closer I came to the end of the book, the more skeptical I became and at the very end I wasn’t sure how to feel about him.
We were also introduced in a few side characters, for example Poppy’s best friend Tawny, or Vikter who is the only one close enough for her to being considered as a father figure, or Hawke’s best friend Kieran, of whom I hope we will learn more about in the next books.
To sum it up: From Blood and Ash is an action- packed, stunning High Fantasy novel, that left me utterly shocked at the end and excited for the second book. It also evoked all the right and wrong feelings in me, it made me laugh, cry and giggle like a schoolgirl but has also plot twist that made my heart beating way too fast.
It was also a book I could’t put down until I was finished, hence I stayed up until 4 in the morning reading, and I was wide awake for another two hours because my heart was beating so fast and I couldn’t stop thinking about all the good and shocking developments.
Poppy has been preparing as the Maiden for her Ascension. to the gods. She never had a choice, she was selected and while she does her best to honor the Queen’s wishes, she is uneasy with what is going to happen and wishes the Gods would find her unworthy. She knows there is no hope for that and when unrest settles in the kingdom with threats of the Craven and Atlantean’s rumored to be near, a threat to Poppy is ever present. One man, who Poppy is well aware of, is set to be part of her royal guard but Hawke is unlike every other guard he watches, he sees what she tries desperately to hide. She finds herself tempted with Hawke, she knows it is forbidden but everything about him makes her want to trust him, but could she be putting herself in more danger in his presence?
There is so much to this story, reminded me a bit of Handmaids Tale/Ascheron. I thought this was excellent, you are swept into a world that holds a lot of secrets. I felt for Poppy and there is a cruelness that happens that has your mind wondering which way the story goes. Terrific read and Hawke, wowza he radiates through the pages.
I went into reading this book not knowing anything about it. I saw it all over TikTok and decided to give it a try. When I read the back cover synopsis…I hesitated. I honestly didn’t think I was going to like it. “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…” I finally decided to give it a go and I didn’t sleep. I stayed up til 4 AM to finish the book and order the next two. It was so good. I was sucked right into that world.
Started off a little slow after Poppy and Hawke’s initial meeting, but once it picked back up, I couldn’t put this book down. The unique take on monsters and mythology pleasantly surprised me as it wasn’t at all what I was expecting to find, and a lot of the pivotal scenes were incredibly satisfying and cinematic – two things that I don’t often come by when I read, especially traditionally published books. Poppy was an unapologetic badass and I absolutely adored her for it. Eagerly looking forward to book two, and hoping it delivers as much as this did.
Book Review
5 Stars
This series Blood and Ash from Jennifer L. Armentrout was recommended by one of my favorite authors, J. R. Ward, and I am thrilled it did not disappoint.
I was hesitant at first to continue when I realized that once again the main FC was only 19yo, but the character was so well written that she pulled me into her story. I had a feeling how things were going to play out, but I was so intrigued at how it would be told that I could barely put the book down. The book is full of emotional rollercoasters and strong characters, coupled with an captivating story. I was very impressed with how the author outlined and choreographed the intimacy between characters as well, being both a bit of innocence and expertise that worked effortlessly for the two main characters.
I had the novel on audiobook, and the narrator did a spectacular job with the emotions and the pace of the story. Well done!
I’ll be moving on to book 2 in the series A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire next.
It took a bit to get into but after that boy was I hooked! And even though I saw all but one of the twists coming, it didn’t stop this from being an absolutely fantastic and enjoyable read.
I didn’t except to fall so ridiculously in love with this book, but I did. If someone would have told me (or had I read the Amazon categories) that it was a vampire romance, I might have bypassed this book. I am SO glad I didn’t. This story goes away from what I think as the typical vampire thing and spins a whole new web of lore. I bought book 2 and 3 before even made it three quarters through 1. Yeah. HIGHLY RECOMMEND for high fantasy romance fans.
I love this series and can’t wait for the 4th book!!
Wow! Binge reading alert! An absorbing fantasy romance that’s full of action. It had me hooked with the steamy relationship and impressive world building.
“You’re an absolutely stunning, murderous little creature.”
Oh, my gods!! This book!! Why did I put it off for so long again?? Honestly, I am so mad at myself because this story was nothing short of perfection. It has everything I could have ever wanted and then some. Poppy was every bit the heroine we deserve, and Hawke is the delicious hero we all crave!! All the stars for From Blood and Ash book one in the Blood and Ash series from Jennifer L. Armentrout!!
“Fear and bravery are often one and the same. It either makes you a warrior or a coward. The only difference is the person it resides inside.”
Chosen from birth to be the Maiden, Poppy’s life has never been her own. She is never to be seen, touched or experience any kind of pleasure until she has ascended, and the Gods deem her worthy. That kind of life has taken its toll on the young woman, but she is no weakling. After surviving a Craven attack many years ago and surviving, she has been taught by her head guard and father figure to protect herself and to never leave herself vulnerable. Poppy has been sneaking out of her room for years but one fateful night her life as she knows it is about to change, forever. When she comes face to face with Hawke, a guard from the royal army she is feelings things she is not supposed to feel for him. One brief moment together is all they get before everything starts to change. After an attack leaves Poppy without a guard, she knows that a new guard will have to be brought in but what she never expects is for that guard to be the one man she could never forget.
“I came back for you that night. Just like I told you I would. I came back for you, and you weren’t there. You promised me, princess.”
Poppy might know Hawke is far more than her guard but if she can keep quiet long enough then he might never suspect she is the woman he encountered one night in a room above the tavern. See, with Poppy not being able to be seen she wears a veil to keep her face covered so that no one can recognize her. It should be easy right? If Poppy doesn’t talk then Hawke won’t recognize her but when the Craven descend upon the kingdom she can’t just sit around and when she knows how to fight them. Here in lies the first of many problems when Hawke is intrigued by the young woman who can fight but Poppy thinks she has escaped notice until he confirms that he knows exactly who she is. Now is when everything she thought she knew starts to change and Poppy is left feeling far more vulnerable than she ever wanted to be again.
“Hawke sensed my move and shifted, blocking my knee with his thigh. “You’re so incredibly violent.” He paused. “I think I like it.”
Poppy is my new favorite heroine!! While she was naïve it wasn’t overly so, the things she didn’t know she did put together from her own deductions rather than having to have someone explain them to her which I loved. She is honestly the heroine I have been waiting for, she didn’t let people protect her because she was the Maiden and that was glorious. Hawke wasn’t your typical hero either. Everything he found intriguing about Poppy were about she was and not what she was. Yes, she might have been the Maiden, but she was so much more. Hawke was the one who helped Poppy become more the person she was born to be. You will LOVE their banter and their…. chemistry??
“Promise me,” he said, seeming to not hear me as he lifted his head. His gaze snagged with mine. “Promise me you won’t forget this, Poppy. That no matter what happens tomorrow, the next day, next week, you won’t forget this—forget that this was real.”
Everything you think you know about fantasy/paranormal stories put to the side because From Blood and Ash will completely obliterate that. The creativity that Armentrout put into each character, the story and the places such as The Blood Forest will have you on the edge of your seat just waiting to see what happens next. From pretty much the start of this book there was no guessing what was to come, every moment I thought I had something figured out the story would change, and I would be left with a “what the f*ck???” moment. This has been my one of my favorite books of 2021 so far and all I want to now is dive right into book two A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire. We have just started the journey of Poppy and Hawke’s story and I just want to be 100% absorbed into until I see how it ends.
Where do I even start??????
OMG!!
This book surprised me by how much I enjoyed it. I loved Poppy and Hawk’s chemistry from the start and I loved how everything was unveiled and the ending??? Those last handful of chapters made this book hard to put down.
My only gripe and it’s nothing really major but I figured out the twist and turns super early on. The author does a great job at dropping hints on how this was going to play out. I am super intrigued to see how the rest of this series goes about.
Def pick this up if you have a chance.
This is for the entire series (so far!) I devoured the first three books and can’t wait for the next one!! If you love fantasy, then I can’t recommend this series enough!
I am a huge JLA fan, and usually she releases a book for a series once a year, so I was really excited by how quickly this series was going to release comparatively.
On the whole, I enjoyed the book. It’s never taken me so long to get into one of her books though. Until about 40% of the way through I read some here and there. In the beginning I had a tough time wrapping my mind around all the mortal, craven, ascended, ascending, Atlantian, and gods stuff.
Anyway, once I hit that point in the book though, I had what I call a reading tantrum and wanted to do nothing other than finish the book. This continued for the entirety of the second book and I can’t wait to get my hands on the third. I love that this is an adult romance book and Poppy and Hawke have great chemistry.
Loved this book!!
• •
: From Blood and Ash
: Blood and Ash #1
: Jennifer L. Armentrout
: 5/5
I am actually writing this review after my reread and it was just as amazing (maybe even better) as the first time I read this book. The book starts of with a bang and I really liked the worldbuilding in the beginning. Everything is explained pretty clearly and you’ll understand more and more as you get further in the book. Due to the information dump the book does start pretty slow (apart from that banging start), but once it gets going I found myself immersed in the fantasy world. There is a lot of action and also most definitely some romance. There were some amazing plot twists (some I did not see coming) and a lot of hints here and there for the next book(s). Poppy has to be one of my favorite characters ever. She’s just such a strong character and I loved getting to know her in this book and I cannot wait to see how her character develops. Hawke is the love interest in this book and what I love (yes, I already love him) most about him is that he realizes from the beginning, that Poppy can handle her own and doesn’t always need to be saved. The side characters are amazing as well and there were a lot of great ones. Once I was getting close towards the end of the book, I felt like the story was really beginning and I could not get enough.. onto the next one. Overall, recommending this for people who like an enemies to lovers fantasy romance.
A lot of my reviews are also available with photo at my Bookstagram: @justmyfantasyworld
A book that started slow and had me grit my teeth a bit at the world-building but the pace really picks up halfway through and the main character begins to shine. Despite the predictability of some events, I absolutely adored some character interactions such as Poppy and Vikter and Hawke with everybody else. Definitely a good setup for the rest of the series. From Blood and Ash is perfect for new adults or readers that wish to transition slowly from YA to Adult Fantasy.
Where do I even begin… This book is absolutely amazing and one of the best books I’ve read in a while!!! The storyline is incredible and sooo well-written, with interesting characters that are sooo rich in depth that you can’t help but fall in love with them… even the nasty ones.
Welcome to the Kingdom of Solis, ruled by the Acended and where Poppy Balfour is the Maiden, the Chosen one and the Queen’s Favourite… and Hawke Flynn is the dashingly handsome, golden-eyed guard, chosen by her guardians the Teermans, to protect her and ensure her Ascension on her 19th birthday.
“I was Penellaphe of Castle Teerman, Kin of the Balfours, and the Queen’s favorite. I was the Maiden. Chosen. And in a little under a year, upon my nineteenth birthday, I would Ascend, as would all Ladies and Lords in Wait.”
Be prepared to be taken on the most extraordinary journey of a lifetime!!! This book has an incredible storyline full of unexpected twists and turns and is based in the most extraordinary world that is both beautiful and deadly. I was completely captivated from the get go and couldn’t stop reading this book until I finished it. I’m absolutely obsessed with this series! Bring on book two!