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A review by theliteraryel
From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This was highly entertaining. I quite enjoyed the banter and the story overall.
-spoilers below-
The world building was lacking a little but since it is only Poppy’s POV and she lived her whole life as sheltered as it gets, it is only through her eyes and perspective we see the world, and she doesn’t know much at all, and whatever she knows is a lie or skewed version in most cases. So, the lack of world building is kind of the natural thing, in a way increases the anticipation.
She was taken and told to be special, gods-chosen maiden but kept in dark completely about her abilities, why she was chosen or even what Ascension is. I was like "WTH is the ascension?" the whole time. Despite not interacting with people, without learning anything beyond whatever it was fed to her, she was pretty badass. I liked she was smart, she knew how to handle situations, she knew how to fight, and she was sneaking out to see the world. I really liked her.
From almost the beginning, it was pretty obvious Hawke was not a random guard or a commoner. I figured he was Casteel early on, it took out the surprise element but still mostly fun. He is a fun character, and very charming! The way he treated Poppy was fine in general. I really liked that he always stood up for Poppy, and also gave her the space she needed. And always humorous. But I found it a little icky that he had sex with her, knowing how big of a deal it was to her, without telling her the truth about his real identity. I can understand the reasoning behind it but it still doesn’t fully justify it. I’d feel awful if I were Poppy.
The story and plot twists were a bit predictable, but it didn’t take the fun out. And it was executed pretty well, the pacing, the events and characters. But I wished we had more character into the side characters, they were a little too bland.
Apart from the little bits, it was a quite solid romantasy book, balanced romance and fantasy sides well.
-spoilers below-
The world building was lacking a little but since it is only Poppy’s POV and she lived her whole life as sheltered as it gets, it is only through her eyes and perspective we see the world, and she doesn’t know much at all, and whatever she knows is a lie or skewed version in most cases. So, the lack of world building is kind of the natural thing, in a way increases the anticipation.
She was taken and told to be special, gods-chosen maiden but kept in dark completely about her abilities, why she was chosen or even what Ascension is. I was like "WTH is the ascension?" the whole time. Despite not interacting with people, without learning anything beyond whatever it was fed to her, she was pretty badass. I liked she was smart, she knew how to handle situations, she knew how to fight, and she was sneaking out to see the world. I really liked her.
From almost the beginning, it was pretty obvious Hawke was not a random guard or a commoner. I figured he was Casteel early on, it took out the surprise element but still mostly fun. He is a fun character, and very charming! The way he treated Poppy was fine in general. I really liked that he always stood up for Poppy, and also gave her the space she needed. And always humorous. But I found it a little icky that he had sex with her, knowing how big of a deal it was to her, without telling her the truth about his real identity. I can understand the reasoning behind it but it still doesn’t fully justify it. I’d feel awful if I were Poppy.
The story and plot twists were a bit predictable, but it didn’t take the fun out. And it was executed pretty well, the pacing, the events and characters. But I wished we had more character into the side characters, they were a little too bland.
Apart from the little bits, it was a quite solid romantasy book, balanced romance and fantasy sides well.