From Blood and Ash: Blood and Ash, Book 1

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. "You're an absolutely stunning, murderous little creature." I read this back in 2021 and I liked it then... But then I decided to try Audible and well, now I'm in love. I want to say my original review is 4 stars, I'm now bumping it up to 5 because listening to this on Audible was so much more enjoyable. It made getting through the world and character building much easier. I struggled heavily getting through the first 60-70% of the book while reading it but it's been a breeze listening. I can walk around and do adulting things while I am listening. The narrator is enjoyable to listen to and she does a good job at playing all parts. I did giggle the first few times that she talked as Casteel / Hawke but I think it's mainly because I wasn't prepared for her to deepen her voice and give him a slight accent. Regardless, the narration was enjoyable and kept me engaged even while I was doing other things. Due to TWOTQ being released in just a couple of weeks, I wanted to read FBAA again and refresh my brain for it. I really have enjoyed it more so the second time around versus the first. I'm obsessed with these books. The story that JLA created and the emotion it ignites. I love this series and I'm so freaking excited to read the next installment. ORIGINAL REVIEW: "I won’t lie, I nearly put this book down an OBSCENE amount of times, I felt as though the story was slow to start and at times I didn’t quite understand what was going on. Once I got about 70% of the way through was when the story picked up and the world was more built for the story and I liked it more. I won’t say I truly fell in love, but it became intense and picked up speed to the point where I enjoyed it more than I did the first part of the book. A friend of mine had to keep telling me to have patience and wait, so I could see just how good it got. Overall, 4/5 because the story for me personally was slow to start. I think anyone who likes fantasy with some smut will enjoy this."

JLA has done it yet again. She has created a masterpiece with this story. I have no idea why she ever hesitated to write this story. It’s written in a way that draws you into the story and doesn’t let you go until you reach the end. And boy, what an ending that was. It sets the stage for the second book and I cannot wait for it. The world JLA has created in FB&A is fascinating, riveting, suspenseful, and so full of angst and heartache that I almost couldn’t handle it. I devoured this story and completely fell in love with Poppy and Hawke. I need more of these two and their world. Poppy is an epically awesome character. I loved every second of getting to know her. She’s naive and sweet, but at the same time strong and hardcore. She is not at all what I expected and I loved every second. Poppy is the Maiden, which basically means she is not in control of her own life. The Gods and the Ascended (those in charge of her world) are in control of her. She has to be as perfect and pure as possible. She can’t do anything she wants. She’s not allowed to interact with most people, she’s not supposed to learn how to defend herself, she’s not supposed to express her own opinions, she’s not supposed to talk unless spoken to, and she’s not supposed to be her own person. Basically, she’s supposed to be whatever those in charge tell her she can be, which isn’t much. Her choices have been taken from her. Her free will has been taken from her and she finally makes the choice to begin taking back control over her own life little by little in unexpected ways. She learns self-defense (that girl is amazing with a dagger and sword), she sneaks out to go on adventures and to experience life, and she starts expressing her thoughts and feelings. Poppy’s character development was wonderful to read and I cannot wait to see where the second book takes her. She is pretty darn awesome and a perfect match for Hawke. Oh, Hawke. I loved everything about his character, even though I thought he had ulterior motives the entire story. It was just too convenient how quickly he moved up in the ranks of the Royal Guard. But, alas, I won’t go into to much detail there. Hawke is just so full of surprises. He’s charming, funny, witty, and so dangerously sexy. Gods, his character fascinated me. He did what he thought was the right thing and didn’t care about what the consequences could be. And that was so wickedly hot. He stood up for Poppy when no one else could or would. That right there made me fall in love with his character. I enjoyed every scene with Hawke. He was just so deliciously wicked and sinful and he made me wish that he was more than a fictional character. Goodness gracious. The things he said made me fan myself silly. He is definitely a dangerous one for the health of all females. I need more of Hawke! Poppy and Hawke together is everything. I simply adore them. These two are fire together. The chemistry between them is absolutely perfect. Hawke made Poppy feel alive in a way no one else did and she actually allowed herself to feel alive in those stolen moments with him. These two were never meant to be together, but they couldn’t fight the attraction and the feeling that they knew one another. Hawke is one of the only people who fought for Poppy. He told her she is worthy of having free will, she is allowed to control her own life, and she is allowed to feel things. And that it’s okay to be scared. She’s allowed to simply feel. Gods, these two made my heart dance with joy whenever they were together. I couldn’t get enough of their banter and sarcastic remarks with one another. Hawke is one of the first people to treat her like an actual human being with her own thoughts and feelings. Poppy is so much more than just the Maiden. Who Poppy is as a person is important, more important than what she is. I swear the second book better answer all my questions about these two or I’m gonna combust! I can’t wait for more! Overall, if I could give this story more than 5 stars, I would. It’s an amazing story that takes you into a world of mystery, intrigue, suspense, and heartache. JLA truly has outdone herself with this story. I was totally captivated by the world she created and I can’t wait to see where she takes us next. I need to know absolutely everything about Poppy and Hawke and I cannot wait to see where their journey takes them. The next book in this series cannot be released soon enough.

A very good start to the series; fun, dramatic, and surprisingly emotional. The story feels a little innocent compared to other books, and the description of fighting scenes can be confusing at times, but it’s engaging and addictive. Spoiler warning: This is also the best book in the series; it’s a bit downhill from here.

Those of you who have known me for a long time and are familiar with my literary tastes, as you well know and if you remember well I am a huge fan of the author. I worship her: Jennifer L. Armentrout. I've read all of her novels and undoubtedly the Dark Elements series is by far among my favorite series,but this one...the Blood and Ash series contends for the podium with Roth. When Armentrout announced the publication of this book, I wasn't ready for this! Jennifer tries her hand at her first high fantasy. Everything came from her mind: the main characters, the world they live in, the events. Everything came from Jennifer's pen. Writing high fantasy is not at all easy in my opinion, because, as I said before, everything comes from her head. “You’re such a bad influence,” I murmured as I placed my hand in his. Hawke curled his fingers around mine. The weight and warmth of his hand was a pleasant shock. “Only the bad can be influenced, Princess.” Poppy is a Maiden and she's following orders fomt the Duke and Duchess and waiting until the time of her Ascension. “With my sword and with my life, I vow to keep you safe, Penellaphe,” he spoke, voice deep and smooth, reminding me of rich, decadent chocolate. “From this moment until the last moment, I am yours.” One night she decides to sneak out to live a little and has an unforgettable encounter with a royal guard named Hawke (watch fell in love with him). Soon, Hawke replaces one of her personal guards and Poppy always finds herself with Hawke. With her feelings and attraction becoming harder and harder to ignore, Poppy begins to uncover secrets about the kingdom and her duties as she falls in love with… “Hawke?” I whispered, my heart crashing like thunder. “Kiss me. Please.” My dear readers, somewhat like Poppy, I too have fallen madly in love with Hawke! The world Jennifer created, the characters... it kept me glued to the pages of the book, so much so that despite the sheer size, I devoured it in one day. I've read of some opinions where they say that in the beginning the book is a continuous blah blah blah. I disagree. When you create something from nothing, it's normal that as an introduction the author takes her time in explaining, as she should. As you go along you are rewarded. And since few have told you this: you absolutely MUST READ THIS BOOK!

No tengo palabras para describir esta maravilla de libro. La ambientación, los personajes, la historia...¡TODO ES FABULOSO! JLA ha vuelto a hacerlo: ha vuelto mi mundo del revés y me ha transportado a otro lugar con sus palabras. Aventura, fantasía, tensión, traiciones, sangre, muerte, pasión y criaturas de cuentos de terror. Este libro tiene de todo: giros increíbles, sorprendentes, oscuridad, pasión a raudales, mucha acción y una trama que te atrapa desde el principio. Original como pocas. Atrayente, intrigante. Te coge y no te suelta hasta el final. Los protagonistas son increíbles, creo que hacía mucho que no me enamoraba tanto de una pareja de protagonistas (puede que los pueda comparar con Katy & Daemon, o Aiden & Alex). En serio, alucinante. Poppy y Hawke son maravillosos, hacen una pareja increíble, aunque su historia tiene un futuro muy poco esperanzador. ¿Y el final? Como viene a ser habitual, JLA consigue pararte el corazón y dejarte con unas ansias por seguir, que casi no se pueden soportar. I have no words to describe this book. The character, the history, the places,...EVERYTHING IS AMAZING! JLA has done it again: she just put my world upside down. Adventure, fantasy, angst, passion, romance, incredible plot twists, blood, death...This book has everything you want in a fantasy novel. You can't stop reading from the beginning to the end. I just couldn't stop. The main characters are awesome. I fell in love with Poppy and Hawke. They are amazing. I love them as individuals and as a couple. And the end? I almost died. My heart stopped. I can't wait to read the next one!

Title: From Blood and Ash Series: Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout Publisher: Blue Box Press Edition: Kindle Amount of Pages: 622 Genre: New Adult, Fantasy, Romance Cliffhanger: Yesish HEA/HFN: Hard to say Cheating: No Triggerwarnings: No Insta love/Insta hate: No Single Parent/Kids/Pregnancy: No Date Read: 08-03-2020 - 09-03-2020 Favorite Quote: "Both halves are as beautiful as the whole" "With my sword and with my life, I vow to keep you safe Penellaphe. From this moment until the last moment, I am yours" "You're an absolutely stunning, murderous little creature" "I came back for you that night. Just like I told you I would. I came back for you, and you weren't there. You promised me, princess." "I have a feeling that if you don't leave, he's just going to stand there and drain precious air from my room." "While looking exceptionally handsome. You forgot tot add that." "The next time you go out, wear better shoes and thicker clothing. Those slippers are likely to be the death of you, and that dress... the death of me" "I'll say it again. I don't care what you are. I care about who you are" "What you want is me" My breath caught."That doesn't matter""What you want should always matter" "His words had touched the deepest part of me, and it was thrilling. I felt alive, like i was finally waking up" "I am a bad maiden." "No" He kissed my other temple. "You're a perfectly normal girl. What is expected of you is what's bad" He paused. "And yes, you're also a very bad Maiden"/ "Promise me you won't forget this, Poppy. That no matter what happens tomorrow, the next day, next week, you won't forget this, forget that this was real" Review: I want to start my review by saying that not being able to talk about this release was so hard. It was killing me not to be able to gush about it to anyone that would listen. This is the first high fantasy book by Jennifer, and I really hope that it isn't the last. Just like with her other works, her ability to create worlds, create hot swoony men and strong feisty female characters is simply amazing. This book has everything we could ever want and more, mystery, humor, steamy scenes, betrayal, mystery and suspense. This book pulls you in right from the starts and doesn't let you go, not at all. Hawke could potentially kick all of Jennifers other book boyfriends right from the top and run away with the nr 1 medal. What is this book about: Poppy is the Maiden, meaning she has to remain "pure" until the gods find her worthy of Ascending into immortality. It's suppose to be a honor, and it means that when Poppy ascends, so do all the other Lords and Lady's in waiting. It's suppose to be the biggest ascension since the gods blessed them with it. However it's not something Poppy want's. And she's not sure when this life is suppose to become a honor. Since arriving in the city a long time ago, she has been, uhm lenient when it comes to following the rules that constrict her live every day. She didn't expect to want to break so many more rules the second she meets Hawke. Things aren't always what they seem. The truth can either set you free or destroy every thing you know. The Dark One is done waiting and he is coming to get what he wants. And what he want's is Poppy... What did I like/love about this book: Why ofcourse I loved it! It's a Jennifer L. Armentrout book after all! I didn't expect to love it this much though. I should have known that when I started this book at 8pm that I wouldn't stop when I was done. Silly me. I loved the interactions between Poppy and Hawke. It's was hilarious and just the best. I loved that Poppy was a take charge kind of girl. The hand she has been dealt isn't a fair one. The rules that where imposed on her would drive anyone insane but she managed to get through it with strength and dignity. And Hawke, he was funny, charming, protective and just fun. I just love him so much! But at the same time he broke my damn heart and pissed me off. I honestly need the next book now! Like right now! What did I dislike/hate about this book: Nothing, absolutely nothing. Rating: 5 mindblowing, amazing stars

There are seven hundred fifty million thousand other options I could have chosen for my favourite quote and they all resonate as deeply as this one, but I think whoever goes into this book needs to go into it without the awareness of what they’re getting into. For that cause alone, I’m going to refrain from talking about the characters or the story itself. From Blood and Ash was the biggest surprise of this year and I applaud everyone who was in on it for not having spoken about it, because this book was really really good. Like gush-about-it-can’t-keep-it-a-secret good. In all truth, I wasn’t sure what to expect from JLA given the choice of genre because this is her first book in the high fantasy genre and to quote her, this is her version of high-fantasy (so feel free to expect swoon, lots of it). From the very first word, I knew just how different this book was from her usual style of writing and for her having taken the risk and writing so out of what was typically expected from her… it must have been daunting, but I’m so glad she did it because she’s told a wonderful story. Truthfully, had it not been for the dialogue and the snark that is so typical of her, I wouldn’t have guessed that she had written this book. If there’s one thing I always forget every time I start reading JLA’s work, it’s all the tear-jerking. It’s almost as if JLA has a peek into your deepest sorrows and she writes addressing these sorrows. So, yes, there were lots of tears and anger and pain for me as the reader. She wrung out emotions like a pro and had it not been for the fact that the book was so gripping, I would’ve curled in a corner and rocked for a bit just feeling all my feels. For the first time ever, I was utterly in tune with exactly where JLA was taking the story, which meant, the curves and twists of the story didn’t surprise me. However, I do believe that JLA may not have specifically hidden the suspense from us and kept us focused on it because the destination is what she was fooling us about all along. I was not prepared for a cliff-hanger, now I don’t know what to do with my life. *rocks in the corner* This book gave me mild Laura Thalassa feels, especially The Fallen World series, even though obviously the link is in my head and understandable only after the book has been read and I love me some Laura Thalassa stories; so throw in JLA and I had no chance of surviving. I went into this book unsure if I would like it, because it was so different from what I was used to from her; but apparently even comfort food can go through upgrades and still taste like ambrosia Five stars. Hopefully I survive the wait for book two. Highly recommend. ❤