Ratings Explained

 Title: From Blood and Ash 

By: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Published: March 29, 2020

Rating: 5 stars

Summary (from Goodreads): 

A Maiden…

Chosen from birth to usher in a new era, Poppy’s life has never been her own. The life of the Maiden is solitary. Never to be touched. Never to be looked upon. Never to be spoken to. Never to experience pleasure. Waiting for the day of her Ascension, she would rather be with the guards, fighting back the evil that took her family, than preparing to be found worthy by the gods. But the choice has never been hers.

A Duty…

The entire kingdom’s future rests on Poppy’s shoulders, something she’s not even quite sure she wants for herself. Because a Maiden has a heart. And a soul. And longing. And when Hawke, a golden-eyed guard honor bound to ensure her Ascension, enters her life, destiny and duty become tangled with desire and need. He incites her anger, makes her question everything she believes in, and tempts her with the forbidden.

A Kingdom…

Forsaken by the gods and feared by mortals, a fallen kingdom is rising once more, determined to take back what they believe is theirs through violence and vengeance. And as the shadow of those cursed draws closer, the line between what is forbidden and what is right becomes blurred. Poppy is not only on the verge of losing her heart and being found unworthy by the gods, but also her life when every blood-soaked thread that holds her world together begins to unravel.

Review: 

OMG where do I even begin?!! This book blew me away-one of my favorite books of 2020. It took me awhile to understand the world building since it's pretty much a dump of information in the first chapter. Because of this there were certain times throughout the book that I had to go back and refresh my memory; however, once I understand the world, I was captivated and could not put this book down. Although, some people might find the world "dumping" (lack thereof a better word lol) annoying, I personally did not mind because the rest of the book's main focus was the characters and plot which were amazing. 

The two main characters are Poppy and Hawke. I can not get enough of them, from their very first interaction I felt their insane chemistry. I love sarcastic banter between love interests and trust me they had this in spades. Poppy grew up very sheltered and unable to be her true self in public; however, with Hawke's help she is able to truly grow. I love strong female heroines and Poppy embodies this from her fighting skills, her bravery, and her kindness towards friends and family even though she has been through hell and back. In addition, I like my male heroines to be tall, dark, and handsome with sass for days which pretty much sums up Hawke (aka I found myself I new book boyfriend:)

I do not want to give too much away, but the plot kept me up until 4 AM. There was so much action, suspense, and romance that you can't help fully immersing yourself in this book. FYI there is a plot twist/cliffhanger that although I saw coming, I still screamed at my kindle. I can't wait for book 2 which comes out September 1st.