BOOK REVIEW: From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L. Armentrout
YA Fantasy at its absolute best!
This amazing little fantasy story has been on my To Be Read list for a while. Don’t be confused, it’s not so little, coming in at over 600 pages. It is, however, quite a good fantasy read.
I recently came off of reading A Court of Thorns and Roses series, and while the young adult fantasy genre tends to have very similar threads that create parallels between the different book series, I will not hesitate to say that I’m more engaged with this one than I ever was with ACOTAR.
Poppy is something else. She has to learn how to live almost a double life between the one she is forced to live, and the one she needs desperately to live. As the Maiden, she is protected and excluded and basically a prisoner in the castle unable to go anywhere, talk to anyone, or even have her face unveiled, but she is spunky and sassy and fierce. She is, in essence, manipulative and innovative as she is determined to get what she wants. Behaviors and traits that are very unbecoming of a maiden.
I love the cast of supporting characters that surround her while she awaits her summons back to the capital for her ascension, which is kept a total secret. A process that is shrouded in uncertainty. Tawny, her personal attendant, aka only friend she is allowed to have, is the perfect balance to Poppy’s craziness. She too has some personality traits that would probably earn her some “lessons” with the Duke if they were discovered. Victor, one of Poppy’s personal royal guards, is a father figure that both supports what is expected of Poppy as the Maiden, but bends several of the rules to aid her in experiencing life. Then, there of course is Hawke, the good looking love interest. Talk about shrouded in mystery and uncertainty. He told Poppy several times that she intrigued him, but at the end of the day, he intrigued me, and I sought to figure out his truth. Let’s not leave out Kieran, he is another one of my favorites Again, kudos to JLA for creating characters that pull you in.
It is very much the antagonistic characters and some of the characters that enter the story later that are the most intriguing. Like, the Dark One, who is hinted at and feared beyond all others. The one who apparently wants to kidnap Poppy. Lord Mazzeen, Armentrout’s development of him and the Duke was expertly done. Chapter 26... just woah! Don’t piss Poppy off. The characters and emotions and the scenes where those emotions come to a head are so vivid. They make you as the reader feel the heartache and anger.
The world is created beautifully, with the history of the kingdom, the war, the creatures, the evil that is embodied in the legends of the Atlantians and the Descenters. As the book is written in 1st person from Poppy's point of view, you become engrossed in her beliefs, her truths, her frustrations and her anguish over her status. As she learns new truths, the reader must assimilate them as well, which I enjoy, because while you can guess that some things aren’t as they seem, it's almost impossible to figure everything out on your own.
Yes, love, lust, and obsession plotlines seem to dominate Poppy’s young, naive mind for a little more time than is needed, but I still enjoyed her interactions and battles with Hawke. Because, well, I really like Hawke’s character. As more details are revealed about him throughout the course of the book, prior behaviors and actions make more sense. But Poppy is just an 18ish year old girl who has lived a sheltered life, so of course she’s going to pine for this guy, and obsess over him. Don't forget that she does also use him to get what she wants; she’s definitely not as innocent as she should be as the Maiden. His sarcastic arrogance is entertaining and how they just dig at each other is comical.
With 600+ page books, it’s easy to feel that there is too much exposition, narration, and basic filler that could be cut from the book without any impact on the course of action. But with From Blood and Ash that’s not the case. One of the most enjoyable aspects is that it really flowed with peaks and valleys. Ones that actually made sense. There weren’t long stretches where you just got tired of reading and put the book down. Instead, action scenes and pivotal events happened at perfectly timed moments. I really didn’t want to put the book down. I will be honest, the first chapter or two were a little slow moving for me, and I was initially concerned about the pace, but man was I pleasantly surprised.
I thought this was a well crafted, well developed, and well thought out fantasy that really engaged me. It addressed the common characteristics of the genre more effectively than some other books in this genre. There are secrets, betrayals, friendships, disputed loyalties, and self-discovery. It’s about standing up for who and what you are and not letting others determine your life for you. There is also a lot of violence.
Where is this on my bookshelf?
Top shelf all the way! Sitting comfortably next to Anxious People and The Guest List. As soon as I finished, I immediately got book 2, A Kingdom or Flesh and Fire. I highly recommend this book.