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A review by deena_
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
4.0
This book had a slow start, a single moment or a day's event dragged on for chapters. Almost half the book went on about Poppy wandering the castle halls, tending to her duties and complaining about the unfairness of the world. She was thoughtful and well aware of the suffering of others; she gunienely wished for a change of ways but those were just her thoughts, it took her so long to take action. The plot twist was mostly left out in the open, but still I was curious how it'd fall in place with the storyline. Picking this book up was hard cause people either loved it or hated it, there seemed to be no in between. It was indeed entertaining but not enough to stick with me afterwards.
Plot:
Penellaphe Balfour is the chosen maiden of her kingdom, destined to take part in the 'Ascension' on her 19th birthday to get the blessing of immortality and great power, enhancing the power of the ascended royal elite that rules the kingdom. She is the first one to perform this ceremony after the great war of two kingdoms, Solis and Atlantia. Long before the war, Atlantia had the blessing of Gods but they soon fell out of favor and were wiped out by the Solis soldiers. But descendants of the dark one 'The Atlantian Ruler' still lurk in the shadows. Their bloodthirsty, deadly creatures named 'Craven' crawl over the rise, spreading a strange disease that transforms the mortal into something monstrous. Penellaphe has the ability to feel the emotions of others and alleviate them. From birth, she has been secluded, bound by duties and honor, a veil covering her from the outer world. She is not allowed to speak or show herself to anyone except a selective audience. Suffocated under the weight of her gift, she craves freedom like the air she breathes. She doesn't know how the power hungry ascended rulers can be the savior of their kingdom. Taking children from their homes in the name of serving God, leaving the villagers unprotected in the face of such danger and claiming that the uprising chaos is God's wrath. Penellaphe decides she doesn't want to ascend and become one of them; she wants a change. With the Ascension near, when an abduction attempt is made on her and her guard Rylan gets killed. The new royal guard Hwake Flynn is recruited to replace him. She realizes the man who wears charm and mystery like a cloak and has every bit of her heart in his possession is going to be more trouble than help as she tries to escape her fate and protect the people of Solis.
Characters:
Ever since bearing witness to her parents' murder by the craven and being thrust into the role of the 'Maiden' at a very young age, Penellaphe Balfour (Poppy) knew tragedy to be her intimate friend but she didn't let it shape the person she has become. She is by no means weak; despite being sheltered behind closed doors all her life, she's skilled at the art of weaponry and is not afraid to use it against palpable threat. Growing up, she was never allowed to have a friend or interact with anyone, which is why she's extremely nervous around new people but she'd cross every limit to protect her loved ones. She respects the queen of Solis deeply because she is the one who took a little Poppy under her wing right after the biggest tragedy of her life. Gorgeous, all so charming Hwake Flynn wields his powerful presence like a shield. His deadly skills as a soldier earned him the honorable position of protecting the 'Maiden'. Even with his reputation, he's all about easy smiles that sweep the ladies off their feet. He understands Poppy in a deep level. Vikter is the only thing close to a father Poppy had. His caring for her went beyond his duty. He was the one to teach her how to defend herself; he gave her secret lessons ever since he was assigned as her guard. He sympathizes with her situation and wants the best for her. Tawny is Poppy's only real friend who makes her feel a little less horrible every day in her confinement. It was sad to see Poppy doubting her friendship because Tawny was duty bound to take care of her. The Duke and Duchess are the ascended in charge of Poppy until she fulfills the ritual. The Duchess is kind to her most of the time, somoene she could confide in; being close to God hasn't wiped off her kindness, but the Duke was cruel to her, even more so than others; she couldn't decipher the reason. He called her unworthy of being the chosen one and often carried on with his sadistic punishments, calling them a lesson for her misbehavior. Lord Mazeen and Priestess Analia have been on my hate list for the entire book. Lord Mazeen is a close friend of the duke and has a weird obsession with Poppy and Priestess Analia is the rude mentor who teaches Poppy the way a maiden should act and belittles her every chance she gets. Keiran is the mysterious royal guard who was tasked to accompany Poppy to the Capital on Hawke's request.
Quotes I Liked:
“You must be the goddess Bele or Lailah given mortal form,”
“You’re an absolutely stunning, murderous little creature.”
“Maiden or not, good or bad, Chosen or forsaken, I deserved to live and to exist without being cloistered by rules I never agreed to.”
“Because he wants you even though he knows better, even though he knows it will end in yet another tragedy.”
Plot:
Penellaphe Balfour is the chosen maiden of her kingdom, destined to take part in the 'Ascension' on her 19th birthday to get the blessing of immortality and great power, enhancing the power of the ascended royal elite that rules the kingdom. She is the first one to perform this ceremony after the great war of two kingdoms, Solis and Atlantia. Long before the war, Atlantia had the blessing of Gods but they soon fell out of favor and were wiped out by the Solis soldiers. But descendants of the dark one 'The Atlantian Ruler' still lurk in the shadows. Their bloodthirsty, deadly creatures named 'Craven' crawl over the rise, spreading a strange disease that transforms the mortal into something monstrous. Penellaphe has the ability to feel the emotions of others and alleviate them. From birth, she has been secluded, bound by duties and honor, a veil covering her from the outer world. She is not allowed to speak or show herself to anyone except a selective audience. Suffocated under the weight of her gift, she craves freedom like the air she breathes. She doesn't know how the power hungry ascended rulers can be the savior of their kingdom. Taking children from their homes in the name of serving God, leaving the villagers unprotected in the face of such danger and claiming that the uprising chaos is God's wrath. Penellaphe decides she doesn't want to ascend and become one of them; she wants a change. With the Ascension near, when an abduction attempt is made on her and her guard Rylan gets killed. The new royal guard Hwake Flynn is recruited to replace him. She realizes the man who wears charm and mystery like a cloak and has every bit of her heart in his possession is going to be more trouble than help as she tries to escape her fate and protect the people of Solis.
Characters:
Ever since bearing witness to her parents' murder by the craven and being thrust into the role of the 'Maiden' at a very young age, Penellaphe Balfour (Poppy) knew tragedy to be her intimate friend but she didn't let it shape the person she has become. She is by no means weak; despite being sheltered behind closed doors all her life, she's skilled at the art of weaponry and is not afraid to use it against palpable threat. Growing up, she was never allowed to have a friend or interact with anyone, which is why she's extremely nervous around new people but she'd cross every limit to protect her loved ones. She respects the queen of Solis deeply because she is the one who took a little Poppy under her wing right after the biggest tragedy of her life. Gorgeous, all so charming Hwake Flynn wields his powerful presence like a shield. His deadly skills as a soldier earned him the honorable position of protecting the 'Maiden'. Even with his reputation, he's all about easy smiles that sweep the ladies off their feet. He understands Poppy in a deep level. Vikter is the only thing close to a father Poppy had. His caring for her went beyond his duty. He was the one to teach her how to defend herself; he gave her secret lessons ever since he was assigned as her guard. He sympathizes with her situation and wants the best for her. Tawny is Poppy's only real friend who makes her feel a little less horrible every day in her confinement. It was sad to see Poppy doubting her friendship because Tawny was duty bound to take care of her. The Duke and Duchess are the ascended in charge of Poppy until she fulfills the ritual. The Duchess is kind to her most of the time, somoene she could confide in; being close to God hasn't wiped off her kindness, but the Duke was cruel to her, even more so than others; she couldn't decipher the reason. He called her unworthy of being the chosen one and often carried on with his sadistic punishments, calling them a lesson for her misbehavior. Lord Mazeen and Priestess Analia have been on my hate list for the entire book. Lord Mazeen is a close friend of the duke and has a weird obsession with Poppy and Priestess Analia is the rude mentor who teaches Poppy the way a maiden should act and belittles her every chance she gets. Keiran is the mysterious royal guard who was tasked to accompany Poppy to the Capital on Hawke's request.
Quotes I Liked:
“You must be the goddess Bele or Lailah given mortal form,”
“You’re an absolutely stunning, murderous little creature.”
“Maiden or not, good or bad, Chosen or forsaken, I deserved to live and to exist without being cloistered by rules I never agreed to.”
“Because he wants you even though he knows better, even though he knows it will end in yet another tragedy.”