From Blood & Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout ~ Review

Source: Review copy provided by the author in exchange for a fair and honest review.

From Blood & Ash (Blood & Ash #1) by Jennifer L. Armentrout

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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When JLA started dropping hints and teasers about a fantasy romance she was writing, I was intrigued. Then when the ARC landed on my kindle, I was excited. So of course that means it took me too long to pick it up because I was afraid of my own expectations. But yet again, Jennifer L. Armentrout has written a stellar novel that's more than likely going to land on my list of 2020 favorites.

From Blood & Ash is a new genre for JLA, and I'm genuinely impressed at how she tackled it. The story was told in a way that was intriguing while also informative of the world. I was interested in the characters and the world and the lore and everything mixed together to make this book everything it was, and that's thanks to Jennifer L. Armentrout's skillful storytelling.

I'm especially a fan of the unique take on vampires. And the paranormal aspects that make up the fantasy world as a whole. They were complex and clever and the way they unfolded with the story was great.

As always, the characters were crafted well. I liked Poppy from the beginning. I was skeptical of Hawke for a while, but he definitely won me over as a love interest. I enjoyed the side characters, both Poppy's friends and the new additions later in the novel that I get a feeling we're going to see more of in the next book(s).

The romance, like Hawke, took a minute for me but once it started working it WORKED. Like, I will go down with this ship. I love Hawke and Poppy's dynamic. They're funny and passionate and are going to make an awesome couple once they settle into it. I'm looking forward to seeing their relationship grow and evolve as the series continues.

There were only two real downsides to this book for me. One was the fact that I had to skim a little in the beginning, because I have little patience for exposition and there was of course a lot of it--which is to be expected in high fantasy. It didn't drag as much as it could have, which I'm thankful for, and it picked up not too far in and from there I just flew through. Like, read 461 pages in one day flew through. And then there were some things about the story I predicted. That's all I'm going to say about that so I can avoid spoilers.

Overall, From Blood & Ash was an impressive venture into a new genre for one of my favorite authors. I sincerely enjoyed the story, characters, and unique take on vampires, and I cannot wait for book 2!

4.5 stars - I'm genuinely impressed--surely a 2020 favorite!