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| From Blood and Ash |
Publisher: Blue Box Press
Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Supernatural
Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout
Age Group: New Adult
Source: Amazon (purchased)
Review
So this was
one of the many books that I had seen hyped on Bookstagram and thought to give
it a go after I caved to the excitement. This is also the first time I have
read one of Jennifer L. Armentrout’s books. As a first time reader of Armentrout’s
I was not hugely satisfied by her style of writing, don’t get me wrong I didn’t
dislike the book, but for me the writing itself lacked a certain depth and
focused more on explaining the action rather than actually delivering the story
organically through the actions of the characters, which is my preferred way of
reading a book.
I wasn’t sure
at the beginning of the book whether I would actually continue to read it as I wasn’t
keen on the main character Poppy. If you, like me, are drawn to strong independent
characters than Poppy may not excite you either. Beginning this book I felt
that Poppy lacked strength. Of course you cannot ignore that she has been raised
in a social environment that restricts her independence, and I could understand
why she didn’t act freely of her own
accord. However, she continually said that she was unhappy and tried to rebel,
for me if she was truly defiant she would have found more permanent means of
defying and freeing herself from the abuse and restrictions placed on her. That
said by the end of From Blood and Ashes I began to develop a fondness
for Poppy and could see her future potential for future books in this series.
Without giving too much away by the end of the book Poppy can certainly hold
her own in a fight and definitely begins to voice her desire for freedom and
respect, so I am definitely excited to see how Poppy develops in the next books
of this series.
‘I hadn’t been lying or trying to cover up a hidden agenda when I helped Agnes or exposed myself to Marlowe. I did that because I could—because it was my choice. I trained to use a sword and bow because it was my choice. But was there another motive behind sneaking off to watch fights or swimming naked? Visiting gambling dens or lurking in parts of the castle forbidden to me and listening in on conversations that I wasn’t supposed to hear?’
One of
the elements I did enjoy about From Blood and Ash was the relationship
between Poppy and Hawke. I can never truly resist a snarky overly perfect guy! No relationship is
perfect and I am aware that some readers of the series were uncomfortable with
Poppy and Hawke’s relationship which are completely valid and I respect. Personally
for me though. I enjoyed them together. I would describe the beginnings of
their relationship as playful, like a game of cat and mouse. If you enjoy
smutty relationships, than you will not be disappointed! However, the most
important element of their relationship that stood out for me was Hawke’s respect
for Poppy’s need to fight for herself and claim her independence. He does
not deny her from fighting and using her sword skills to protect herself and the
few individuals that she cares for and for that reason I enjoyed their
relationship, below is a quote that I think sums up their relationship nicely:
‘From the night on the Rise to the Blood Forest when he’d thrown me the sword, he didn’t only protect me. He believed in me and respected my need to defend myself.’
Synopsis (Goodreads)
Key Quotes
“Some truths do nothing but destroy and decay what they do not obliterate. Truths do not always set one free. Only a fool who has spent their entire life being fed lies believes that.”
“Princess, I’m confident that if you didn’t want me to do something, I’d be lying flat on my back with a dagger at my throat before I even took my next breath. Even if you can’t see an inch in front of you.”
“I’m not afraid to speak the truth. He may be powerful, but he’s just a weak man, who proves his strength by attempting to humiliate those more powerful than he is. Someone like you, with your strength? It makes him feel incompetent—which he is. And your scars? They are a testament to your fortitude. They are proof of what you survived. They are evidence of why you are here when so many twice your age wouldn’t be. They’re not ugly. Far from it. They’re beautiful, Poppy.”
