From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout

Jennifer L Armentrout, who also has published under the name J Lynn, has several different series that she's published but I don't think it would be a stretch to say that the Blood and Ash series is her most popular. It has even spawned a prequel series, the Flesh and Fire series. This is a review for the first book in the Blood and Ash series, but for a summary of the book and a spoiler free study guide, check out our Blood and Ash series page. From Blood and Ash is the first novel in the series and deals with body horror and body shaming, bullying, child abuse and child death, confinement, death, emotional and physical abuse, slavery, torture, violence, blood, kidnapping, grief, death of parent, gaslighting, sexual harassment, war, injury, classism, and murder. So as you can see, there's a lot going on.

Poppy is the Maiden, chosen by the gods. As such, she is held above all the rest, and separated. She is not supposed to interact with anyone else, no speaking, certainly no laughing; her face is not to be seen, she's supposed to wear a mask even a private; she wears only the color white. Her life is not her own, she is punished harshly for even the smallest infraction and she is scheduled to ascend very soon. The closer she gets to her Ascent, the more nervous she feels about it. What happens during the Ascent? What happens to her afterward? Will the gods find her worthy? On top of that, things in Masadonia are heating up. Attacks from the Dark One and the Craven that are getting ever closer to Poppy, almost as if she is the target. When Hawke begins to guard her, Poppy starts to wonder if she wants to be found worthy by the gods. What would happen if the Maiden didn't ascend after all.

This book has way more meat on its bones than I expected. The setting was really great and well explained, I thought the author did a good job of setting the scene while not giving too much away at once. Poppy is a well rounded and fleshed out character, although some of the other characters are not as well developed. I have hope that Hawke will become a more dynamic character, that we are not seeing all the sides of him right now. The twists in the story were rather predictable, but the storyline was still compelling and I enjoyed reading it. The writing was well done. All in all, I enjoyed this far more than I expected to.

I'm giving From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout 4.5 stars out of 5. Spice rating is a 1.5. A really good book and I'm hopeful that the subsequent books in the series will only get better. I'm excited to start the next novel, Kingdom of Flesh and Fire. Keep an eye on our Blood and Ash series page for summaries of all the books and spoiler free study guides!

For more from the author, check out her website at https://jenniferlarmentrout.com/

Pairs well with cucumber sandwiches and doing something out of your comfort zone.