Book Review - From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout

Title: From Blood and Ash

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Genre: Adult High Fantasy

Rating: ☕️☕️☕️☕️☕️

Release Date: March 30'th, 2020

Page Length: 634

Blurb:

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. 

Review:

This is Jennifer L. Armentrout's first venture into adult high fantasy, and she did a damn good job, not that I expected any less. 

"Death is like an old friend who pays a visit, sometimes when it's least expected and other times when you're waiting for her." 

As always with JLA's books the plot and the characters were amazing. From Blood to Ash did give me a little bit of a different vibe in writing than her other books, which is to be expected since this is the first high fantasy that she has released, but it's no less enjoyable than her other books. Like any of her other books the humor and banter in From Blood and Ash is A+. 
Especially between Hawke and Poppy. 

"Fear and bravery are often one and the same. It either makes you a warrior or a coward. The only difference is the person it resides inside."

I loved the two main characters. I loved Poppy from the beginning, but my love for her grew even more as she developed through the book. She is a very strong minded character, in the best of ways. I love the stubborn ones. 😂 And Hawke is just everything you want in a leading man. He's not your typical brooding male. I really loved how no matter what, he always had a joke or a smile, even when thing's got serious. His humor is one of my favorite things about his character. I'm a sucker for a sarcastic hero with a sense of humor, and Hawke definitely has that going for him. 

Like I said this book is adult and when it gets to that point the sexy parts between Hawke and Poppy were damn hot. And their relationship in general, the sexual tension, the bickering, all of it was fantastic, and very well written. You can practically feel the tension coming off of the pages. 

"Some things, once spoken, were given a life of their own."

But this story isn't just about these two and their relationship, the plot and storyline hooked me from the beginning and I loved how it unfolded throughout the book.I definitely did guess at what was going on, but I loved it because it made me even more excited to keep reading to find out if I was right. 

"Some truths do nothing but destroy and decay what they do not obliterate. Truths do not always set one free."

From Blood and Ash was a fantastic, action packed, high fantasy. It has everything you could want, forbidden romance, great characters, fantastic humor, and a great plot and storyline to keep you hooked to the pages. It was a five star read for me and I one hundred percent recommend this book if you love fantasy reads. Jennifer L. Armentrout does not disappoint with her first high fantasy release. She blew it out of the water with this one. 

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- Danielle