Review: Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Series: Blood and Ash #1

Publication date: May 25th, 2021

Pages: 496

Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Synopsis:

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 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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Story:

This is one of those books that you get spoiled for you easily as time goes by. Luckily I didn't retain a lot of what I may have seen on TikTok since the book released so I was able to give the story a fair shake. I always like to find a comparison so that anyone who is curious about the book has a reference point but this one was unlike any that come to mind for me. You have a race war essentially set in a fantasy world where two groups have pushed the narrative that they are the right side and the other the wrong for so long that the truth becomes unknown entirely. Vampires are prevalent but what kind? The ones that burn in the sunlight? The ones who are ravenous blood fiends? Perhaps the ones who have the intoxicating bite that makes their victims experience pleasure over pain? Yes to all three but they are all different races instead of being one singular breed of vampire. That is what I found fascinating about the story. Blood seemed to be at the forefront of every single person's mind (except for the poor clueless humans) but at varying degrees. There were those lost to their bloodlust who were more animal than human, others who were ever thirsty to the point of bad decisions in need of hiding, and those who had a well established system of feeding that harmed very little. But which one fell into which category between the Ascended, the Craven, and the Atlantians? I found the plot and the setting of the story to be fascinating. Leaving the character's completely out of it, I think it was a story that unlike any I had read before and that is almost an impossibility for me these days. It is a romantasy rooted in war, love, and the pursuit of the truth at any costs. 

Character(s):

• Poppy - When she was first introduced as the Maiden and I saw how subservient she was with most of the Ascended, I was worried she was going to be another powderpuff character that was going to need to be saved at every turn. But that opinion evaporated the first time I saw Poppy fight. She was not a victim. She was not submissive. She was a force to be reckoned with and someone who could take care of herself if she needed to. She didn't want the future that had been laid out before her. She just wanted to live a life of pleasure and fun and substance. She was not permitted to have a life and that only made her crave it more. I loved her banter with Hawke and how she was willing to throw a punch at his face at the first chance she got. Hawke never failed to comment on how violent she was and I loved that about her. She was a feral tiger disguised as a house cat. I loved everything about her character.

• Hawke - The cocky attitude on this one! Hell's bells, he was so sure of himself to the point of driving me just as crazy as he did Poppy. There was always something about him that I didn't entirely trust but I liked how he treated Poppy and hoped for the best. The twist in this book that features his character makes all the sense in the world but it still broke my heart. I wanted to throw a punch at him alongside Poppy but at the same time I couldn't help but absolutely adore his character. I am rooting for him even as he continues to try to win Poppy over. But I have a feeling that we have only cracked the surface of who he is to become.

Writing:

I have read a number of Jennifer L. Armentrout's books and her writing never ceases to amaze me. She has a way of drawing her readers in and painting a world of fantasy that feels entirely immersive. In "From Blood and Ash" we see her creating a society of different races of vampires and how they battle for supremacy. Between the banter of the characters, the world building, and the uniquely individual world she created, I can't find a single thing to complain about with her writing.

Overall:

I am angry with myself for putting off reading this book for so long. It has sat on my shelf staring at me for a while. The world building was brilliant, the characters were charismatic, and the love story was sensational. I can't wait to read the next book in the series and become even more immersed in Poppy and Hawke's world even more.