From Blood and Ash is the first in a series by Jennifer Armentrout.
Format: Paperback
Genre: New Adult Fantasy
Page Length: 627 pages
Publisher: Blue Box Press (March 30, 2020)
Star Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Mr. Darcy‘s Rating: “You have bewitched me, body and soul.”
A Chasing Mr. Darcy Review
I originally read From Blood and Ash in a buddy read on bookstagram, and I completely fell in love with this story. It's one of my favorite books! I own three copies of the book - the original paperback, the B&N hardback, and the iBooks version. THAT's how much I love it. I originally read the paperback version, but I photographed the hardback because it's GORGEOUS for this review.
Here’s a summary from 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.
I think From Blood and Ash is the first "new adult" genre book I've read, and let me say, I am here for this genre! It brings in fantasy, spice, romance, spice,...you get my drift. It really has it all. I'm not sure what classifies this book as "new adult" because it reads pretty much like an adult fantasy book.
This book starts off building the world, and truth be told, the beginning is a bit slow. I was confused a little for the first fifty pages or so, and then the story just sucked me in. This was a total bookstagram made me buy it book, and I'm so happy I did. I was immediately drawn to Poppy and her circumstances. She was so constrained, so held back, by those around her, and it didn't make sense because she was supposed to be the chosen one, the maiden, the one to...well, Poppy really didn't know what she was supposed to "be" as the maiden, but she knew she served a purpose. The people around her, especially the evil Duke, were pretty tight lipped about Poppy's role in everything basically, leaving her cut off from the world except for her friend Tawny and her guard Viktor, a surrogate father in many ways.
Enter Hawke, a new guard who catapults to Poppy's protective detail. From the beginning, you know that something is going on with Hawke, but you don't know exactly what it is. You do know, though, he's dreamy, perfect, sexy as hell, and everything I want in a male fantasy lead. He's cocky with just the right touch of humility and compassion. He is tailor made for Poppy, even if neither of them realize it. Even though you realize pretty early on he likely has ulterior motives, you don't care. That's how good he is. You literally don't care.
The connection between Poppy and Hawke in this book is dynamite, and it's the reason I love this book so much. They connect instantly, and I love when two people have an instant attraction. There's this will they/won't they vibe to their relationship because Poppy is supposed to stay untouched as the maiden, and there's a restraint in Hawke that you just know means something major...and boy, does it. Beyond the emotional connection, the physical connection between these two is pure fire. I'm surprised the pages of my book didn't ignite while I was reading. When Hawke says, "From this moment until the last moment, I am yours," I practically melted away while I was reading into a hot puddle. Who wouldn't just straight pass out if Hawke said those words to her? I'll wait for you to find a woman immune to his charms...
More than that, though, I enjoyed the twists and turns of this book. There's heartache, betrayal, love, intrigue...everything you could ask for in a fantasy novel set against a backdrop of a world ready to implode from years of simmering hate. Even when I thought I had some aspects of the story figured out, JLA threw in a grenade to twist and change my perceptions. I'm so glad I read this one when I already had the second book because that cliffhanger left me going nuts!
I highly recommend purchasing all the books in this series before you start reading them; each book ends in a dynamite cliffhanger, and you will want answers.
Buy this book, please, and love it as much as I do.
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