Stephanie’s Review of “From Blood and Ash” by Jennifer L. Armentrout

By: Stephanie Wyatt

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout tells the story of a teenager named Poppy who is her kingdom’s Maiden. She is tasked with remaining pure so she can ascend to take her rightful place with the gods and help others in the kingdom ascend as well. One night during her usual stroll around the grounds, her guard and friend Rylan is murdered by dissenters. He is replaced by an up-and-coming guard named Hawke.

Hawke encourages her to think beyond her destiny and turns her world upside down.

I had huge expectations for this book because it was hailed as a weapon of mass destruction. I expected it to grab my attention and never let go. There were a few moments when I thought I would get pulled in, but then I got pulled back out. 

The forever pure maiden corrupted by the dark, brooding, and snarky love interest is a favorite trope of mine. Hawke seemed like he was just waiting to get into her pants. He had reasons for everything he did, and they made sense. But he never stopped being creepy to me.

Poppy isn’t your typical, beautiful, thin heroine who learned to defend herself through the novel’s plot. She learned to fight and defended her home because her parents never had the chance. She is a bigger character, and she still fights skillfully.

There are a few spicy scenes, but not anything you can’t skip. I honestly expected more with how spicy people claimed the series is overall.

Overall, I appreciated how Poppy was a strong yet naive character. I’m curious about where the series will take me. It let me down because I wasn’t instantly obsessed. It goes to show that a book can be popular and still not be for you. I would give it a 3/5 stars. Fingers crossed that the next book in the series is better for me.

You can find From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout wherever books are sold.