From Blood and Ash Book Review

From Blood and Ash is the first book in the Blood and Ash series by Jennifer L Armentrout.

BLURB

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.

REVIEW

Armentrout creates such an interesting world that is built around gods and goddesses blessing people to come ascended. We meet Poppy who is chosen but doesn’t seem satisfied and is starting to question what she is being called to do.

Armentrout creates so many amazing characters and in particular Poppy, Victor, Hawke and Tawny. Her relationship with Victor is father/daughter and he is so protective of Poppy even though he is her guard. Her relationship with him is amazing and he treats her so well, even training her to protect herself. Tawny is like a sister to Poppy and she is her lady in waiting. I love how supportive she is of Poppy.

Poppy’s growing relationship with Hawke definitely changes in the last half of the book and I’m looking forward to book two to see how it develops more. There is more than enough romance in this book and I’m living for it.

The twists in the book was amazing and I definitely celebrated in places when events happened. Armentrout flips the book around and I didn’t see things coming which is always very good. I loved that there are hints at vampires but depth of the book has me wanting more.

I definitely recommend this book to readers who love diving into a world full of romance and the supernatural. Lovers of the Styclar Saga and The Beautiful will definitely enjoy this book.

5/5 stars