AUTHOR: Jennifer L. Armentrout
RATING: 5 Stars
PUBLISHER: Blue Box Press
SERIES: Blood & Ash #1
SOURCE: eArc kindly provided by author
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.
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.
(synopsis taken from Goodreads)
Jennifer L. Armentrout has said that FB&A is a book from the heart, and as a reader you can tell that it is a passion project. Something that she has poured her own heart and soul into and given us this incredible book that is SO much more than just another fantasy romance. I've been a longtime JLA fangirl, so I know it may seem biased of me to say this but, I am so glad she wrote this book. All hail the Warden for giving her a talk she needed!
From Blood and Ash follows Poppy who is a Maiden, a title that at first seems like something that would be fun. But for Poppy, it's really just a cage. A cage to keep her separated from the world, as she waits for her Acension day to come in which she must be found worthy of the gods. Poppy is not what I was expecting, and I know all my strong heroine lovers out there are going to be thrilled to learn that Poppy does not disappoint. She has this incredible strength and grace about her that I wasn't anticipating, especially considering her past and how she's grown up isolated from doing the things she wanted to do. But if there's one thing that JLA taught me in this book, it's that some can't be caged for long, and Poppy is everything I never knew I needed in a heroine!
Hawke deserves basically all of the love and fangirling and squeeing. I'm not even sure what all to say about him because no spoilers but oh lord. Daemon Black and Rhysand should be worried, I believe Hawke may be about to take the #1 place in my heart, which for those that know me, is a big deal! I know that from reading the synopsis it may sound like the tropey fantasy romance but while Hawke is amazeballs, and I ship the ship so hard, PLEASE know that FB&A is sooo much more than a romance.
I know a lot of us are probably feeling alone, isolated (similar to Poppy) and this book is a balm for the soul. You're going to feel all the feels, gasp, maybe even cry. But most of all, you're going to be immersed in a world where you cannot help but feel incredibly connected to these characters. FB&A was the surprise release we all needed and I cannot thank Jennifer enough for giving us this great gift, and I sincerely cannot wait to see what happens next because that ending!
No comments:
Post a Comment