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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An absolutely stunning romantic masterpiece set in an original world!
I’m going to be honest when I first bought this book I didn’t think I would like it because I couldn’t seem to find the motivation to read it. I had to keep rereading the first few pages at first but I think that was because I was sorta in a loud environment. What I do know is that the moment I found a quiet area to read in I literally couldn’t put the book down. I was completely sucked in and refused to quit reading, I mean at first, I was a bit intimidated by the number of pages but when I read it, it didn’t even feel like I had read 500+ pages. The storyline, the romance, and all the turn of events are literally so good and will keep you hypnotized throughout the whole thing.
From Blood And Ash! We Will Rise!
From Blood and Ash is Jennifer L. Armentrout’s very first High Fantasy novel.
I read most of her other books and she’s one of my favorite authors. So my expectations were high and I can say she topped it.
The whole story is enthralling, stunning and amazing. To sum it up: One of the best book I’ve ever read. You won’t be bored or disappointed. This book is a huge, action-packed and an absolutely addictive NA Romance. Jennifer didn’t just create a whole new world with very special characters, she truly created a masterpiece.
I really love the heroine. Poppy is the Maiden, the Chosen and she slowly begins an inner fight against her fate but still tries to fulfill her duty and what expected from her. She isn’t a flawless princess-like type of a girl. She’s more like a bad-ass character, really brave, strong and sassy. So it’s easy to fall for her.
Hawke is a HAF alpha-male and on the best way to claim the BBF-Throne 🙂 He’s a funny little bastard who loves dirty talking and teasing Poppy. But she isn’t a helpless girl. She fights back.
I really enjoyed the chemistry between Hawke and Poppy. It was a kind of magic. There where so many amusing conversations as well as hot and OMG/WTF moments.
When I was halfway thru, I imagined Hawke hides a dark secret. A theory about him nestled in my head and from that minute I couldn’t stop until I was done. Then I reached the last third. There was a big fat plot twist and it confirmed my suspicion. But there were a lot of surprises, too. All I can say is: Holy S***!
I truly devoured this book and it was totally worth a sleepless night. I can highly recommend it. You’ll love it, too.
5+/5
I loved this book so much, it was amazing reading about a world with different species and a girl that is destined to save her people at a very high cost.
The heroine has a reclusive life and she can’t interact with other people, she is forbiden to show her face, fall in love and use her powers…. But then she meets a beautiful man that shows her that she deserves to be free, and she finds out that not everything is what it seems….
If you enjoy reading about romance, a brave hero and a feisty heroína, then this is for you.
5+ stars
Omg omg omg this book.. I m in LOVE with all of Jennifer’s fantasy/paranormal romance books and this was no different. I flove this book so hard. This book grabbed me from the beginning and kept me on edge throughout the book. Oh God the sexual tension nearly killed me lol. I m speechless. Like wow i cannot even begin to explain how thrilling and twisty and intense and intoxicating this story is. Oh damn that plot twist whoa. Truly fascinating! I was super consumed by this story and it’s characters. And omg Hawke holy god. I can’t wait for book 2
Definitely a MUST READ.
I’m not a huge fantasy reader but I gave this book a chance and was a home run! Absolutely fell in love with this world and the characters in it!!
You will fall in love with Poppy. She’s such a strong female lead, despite her circumstances. But also, one word: HAWKE! Ugh love him!
What’s your best read so far this 2020?
It isn´t every day that I can say I managed to read a book spoiler free but I did and thank God for that.
From Blood and Ash is easily the best read I´ve had on 2020 so far.
I love strong female characters and Poppy doesn’t disappoint even thou she´s been sequestered almost all of her life, she has spirit, sass and a violent streak like I haven´t seen before. She´s also pure hearted a great friend, a victim and a hero. All in a pretty demure but explosive package.
Hawke… I have no words. As soon as he appeared I was done for, hook line and sinker. He´s incredibly handsome, a fighter, charming his comebacks are epic. He also doesn´t know the meaning of the word humble. He is epic.
This book shocked me like no other, the truths you learn about along the book pissed me off so bad I wanted to throw my reader across the room.
I won’t spoil you but I’ll tell you this. Not everything is as it seems, there are signs everywhere if you look for them, the hawt scenes are soooo worth it and so are the fight scenes. The ending is killing me and I need the next book now.
Fav. quote:
“Fear and bravery are one and the same. It either makes you a warrior or a coward. The only difference is the person it resides inside
Sooo good!
I do so love stories like this. Castles and maidens and monsters and guards. Attractive guards. Attractive, flirty guards. Where it’s not all about the sexytimez and there’s a story to hear and a mystery to solve. So fantastically wonderful.
This one started a little on the slower side for me, but once it picked up, I couldn’t put it down! This is definitely a book for fans of the ACOTAR series! I went into this one without knowing a lot about the story and I would suggest everyone go into it that way…I think you’ll enjoy it much more!u2063
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Poppy is The Maiden. She’s been socially isolated while she waits for her Ascension. She’d rather be off fighting and helping people in secret. Though naive and with no social experience, she is a skilled fighter thanks to one of her longtime personal guards. Hawke is a new guard who takes an oath to keep her safe until her Ascension. Charming and a little snarky (which lends itself to some great banter), he challenges her on all levels…and he just might make your book boyfriend list. u2063
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While a few things were slightly predictable given some of the foreshadowing, the world itself was very well built. I enjoyed the new take on some standard fantasy creatures as well. It’s always nice when there’s a twist on an old favorite. There’s a fair bit of steam in this one as well! I won’t mention the chapter number so no one will be tempted to skip ahead! u2063
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Overall, I love this new fantasy world and the characters who live there! I can’t wait to see where this story goes next!u2063
Hands down one of the best books I’ve read all year! I’m so excited to start A Kingdom of Flesh and Fire next!
This book easily became one of my favorite read of all times. And possibly an obsession. I had to get the audio book after I finished book two so that I could experience this book all over again.
I absolutely ADORED this book. JLA is a go-to for me, but this series is beyond expectation. My favorite read of 2020!
I’ve been out of the review game for a while because real life has been crazy lately, but I loved this book so much I feel like I NEED to write something. I am obsessed with this series. I know I say that a lot since I’m generally a very enthusiastic book reviewer, but seriously ya’ll. THIS IS MY NEW OBSESSION.
Several book friends have screamed about this series so much that I decided to take a shot and order the physical paperbacks and it was WORTH IT. The beginning half of this novel is admittedly slow and there’s a lot about the world building to wrap your head around. That’s why this is getting 4.5 stars instead of a full 5. But despite the slow pace, I was never bored and once you hit that halfway point, the plot takes off and never slows down.
This was just SO FUN to read and I could not put it down. I loved all the characters, I loved the world building, I loved all the plot twists—it was GREAT. In the beginning I equated it to another ACOTAR kind of book, which didn’t bother me since I loved that series. However, it eventually morphs into something all it’s own and now I can’t even imagine comparing it to anything else.
If you love fantasy romance books, you NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE.
—FINAL WORD—
GIMME MORE GIMME MORE GIMME MORE
***** AUDIOBOOK REVIEW *****
Oh My Lanta!! Y’all, no joke, this audiobook is BEYOND 5 STARS! It’s a long audiobook but i finished in record time and it didn’t even feel like nearly 20 hours long. I’m trying to wrack my brain on ways to truly get across to you all the full amazingness of this first book. It is way more than any other fantasy-type story. This one was so very detailed. Jennifer L. Armentrout brought this story to life. Normally the narrators are what gives a pulse to the book. However, this story was so vivid, so intense in just words that Armentrout paints a 3D story by herself. To say I am eagerly awaiting the second book is putting it mildly… I’m ready for the movie adaption! I know, I didn’t really talk about the story but I can’t do it justice… I just don’t have the eloquence.
Stina Nielsen has easily put herself into my top 5 favorite narrators, ever! She’s hypnotic. She wove this tale and I was in it. Surrounded by a world created by Armentrout and a world flourishing at Nielsen’s voice. I recently heard Miss Nielsen narrate The House Guest by Mark Edward’s (it was good) but the narration, or specifically Nielsen’s performance was one of the bests! I’m not sure where she’s been hiding but I’m THRILLED to have found her… I’ll be eagerly following her!
I’m already gobbling up book two!
Okay, not gonna lie this was a tough book for me to get into. I kept seeing great reviews and MUST read recommendations but it didn’t really pick you for me until about 68% through. Boy am I glad I pushed through! This book ended up being awesome! I saw the few twists coming but not that cliff hanger! I’m so glad the second book is out already because I’d be livid if I had to wait. Poppy is clearly a confusion girl and I’m so glad she had Victor and Hawke to help her out but boy oh boy does it take a turn. Be prepared because when this storyline picks up it gets GOOD quickly.
I love the world building in this book, there are so many layers and so many mysteries. I was a little slow to get started but once I got to the middle of the book I had a hard time putting it down. The Maiden was chosen at birth and when the story begins she has been living in a castle far from the Capitol where she spent her early years. The poor girl has to wear white and a veil, is not allowed to talk to anyone, touch anyone, and is only allowed limited freedom on the castle grounds.
What I liked most was seeing her personal growth, and her relationships with her guards and her maid, who are the only people she is allowed to be with. She keeps testing the boundaries of what she can get away with.
There are so many shocks, surprises, twists, I never knew what to expect next. I love this book and can’t wait to read the next book in the series.
Well, I finished, lol. This book certainly was not the right fit for me. I know others love it but I just don’t care for any part of it really.
This book is slow and way too detailed with no real clear explanation as to the world, mythology or the plot. Even after 600+ pages I’d have to read book two to get half the story. It took me 6 months to finish this book.
It’s repetative and drags on and on. The author tried to add in vampires and werewolves but I am still massively confused as to how this world works and the politics involved. This story is just a mess inside my head. I asked for help from other readers but they haven’t been able or willing to help. I didn’t enjoy it at all and will not be reading the next one.
We can’t all love the same books and we can’t love every book we read. I would still be interested in this authors works in the future.