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A review by thelongroadtosanity
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
"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"
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From the very beginning I was sucked into this book and the world built around it (no pun intended). I really enjoyed that this isn't the stereotypical 'vampire' romance, and that the bodyguard troupe in it is something I actually wasn't expecting. To be honest, even though I had a huge plot twist spoiled for me (thanks Instagram) I still was dying to know what happened on the next page.
Poppy is the Maiden, someone blessed by the gods to Ascend and bring forth the next generation to the gods. Despite her high role in society, Poppy can't stand being the Maiden and does what she can, in secret, to feel alive and live the life she chooses. Her secret life takes her to The Red Pearl, a high end brothel that the elite tend to visit in disguise. Recognizing some of her own personal guard in the brothel, Poppy tries to leave, despite the mask hiding her identity, and is ushered into an unoccupied room by a worker trying to help her hide. Unbeknownst to her, the room however, is occupied by one of the newest and elite guardsman, Hawke. Deciding to live a little, things progress between them until Hawke is called away and begs Poppy to stay. She doesn't, and returns back to the castle that she resides in. After a few days, she comes to realize that Hawke is her personal guard, and that he sees her differently than anyone has ever seen her before, not just as the Maiden, but as Poppy.
I really liked how you had to read between the lines to understand the world building, until the truth comes out near the end of the book. I did correctly anticipate a few things in regards to the political structure and history of the world, but I was still surprised how well it was done, with nothing being truly spoken until the end. I feel like the beasts like the Cravens and Wolven have never really been done before, so I really enjoyed that unique element to this book. I also wasn't anticipating the spice (like 2-3 peppers). Usually I feel it takes a while to develop but I enjoyed the sprinkles of it through the book. I also really thought Poppy was a well done character. I never really felt annoyed with her like I typically do with characters in her troupes, to which I think adding the Maiden element to conflict with her own personal views and personality helped me understand her more.
Definitely will be reading more of this series in the upcoming year. A solid 4 out of 5 stars. (12/2023)
*
**
***
**
*
From the very beginning I was sucked into this book and the world built around it (no pun intended). I really enjoyed that this isn't the stereotypical 'vampire' romance, and that the bodyguard troupe in it is something I actually wasn't expecting. To be honest, even though I had a huge plot twist spoiled for me (thanks Instagram) I still was dying to know what happened on the next page.
Poppy is the Maiden, someone blessed by the gods to Ascend and bring forth the next generation to the gods. Despite her high role in society, Poppy can't stand being the Maiden and does what she can, in secret, to feel alive and live the life she chooses. Her secret life takes her to The Red Pearl, a high end brothel that the elite tend to visit in disguise. Recognizing some of her own personal guard in the brothel, Poppy tries to leave, despite the mask hiding her identity, and is ushered into an unoccupied room by a worker trying to help her hide. Unbeknownst to her, the room however, is occupied by one of the newest and elite guardsman, Hawke. Deciding to live a little, things progress between them until Hawke is called away and begs Poppy to stay. She doesn't, and returns back to the castle that she resides in. After a few days, she comes to realize that Hawke is her personal guard, and that he sees her differently than anyone has ever seen her before, not just as the Maiden, but as Poppy.
I really liked how you had to read between the lines to understand the world building, until the truth comes out near the end of the book. I did correctly anticipate a few things in regards to the political structure and history of the world, but I was still surprised how well it was done, with nothing being truly spoken until the end. I feel like the beasts like the Cravens and Wolven have never really been done before, so I really enjoyed that unique element to this book. I also wasn't anticipating the spice (like 2-3 peppers). Usually I feel it takes a while to develop but I enjoyed the sprinkles of it through the book. I also really thought Poppy was a well done character. I never really felt annoyed with her like I typically do with characters in her troupes, to which I think adding the Maiden element to conflict with her own personal views and personality helped me understand her more.
Definitely will be reading more of this series in the upcoming year. A solid 4 out of 5 stars. (12/2023)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Sexual content
Moderate: Physical abuse and Violence