High Fantasy

From Blood and Ash (Blood & Ash #1)

Author: Jennifer L. Armentrout

Average Rating: 4.13 / 5

Trigger Warnings:

Jump forward to A Kingdom of Flesh & Fire (#2)

Poppy’s destiny has been determined from her birth. She is the Maiden and the hope of her people’s future. That is, if she can make it to her Ascension and still be deemed worthy by the gods. She must remain absolutely pure. No one can see her face. No one can speak to her. She must remain completely above the Court, kept on a pedestal. No friends. No pleasure. No colour. In other words, no fun whatsoever. And definitely no learning to protect herself and her kingdom from the evil that stole her family and threatens to overcome their land. That would be highly inappropriate.

Poppy’s dedication to her cage will be tested when a new personal guard enters her life. Hawke is a handsome and talented killer. He’s also the first person to see Poppy and value her for who and not what she is. Bound by honour and the oath that he took, Hawke has one job: to protect the Maiden and see that she reaches her Ascension. But duty will become intertwined with want as Hawke tests Poppy’s beliefs and resolve. What will she do when tempted by forbidden desires and where is the line that she cannot come back from?

Unrest is growing and danger can be found within and beyond the city walls. Those who oppose the current world order want nothing more than to destroy the Maiden and what she represents. Evil long thought vanquished is creeping closer and the Maiden’s Ascension is more critical than ever. But will she still be found worthy if she loses her heart? 

Corinna : 5/5

I had so much anticipation built up from Booktok and friends, and this book didn’t disappoint! 

I liked that the book opened up into a scene that was forbidden for The Maiden. We got to see her adventurous side and not what The Maiden was intended to be. I enjoyed Poppy’s character arc, going from being told she must be pure, untouched, and mute, and how she discovers that she really does not want any of it and she starts breaking the mold that was put around her. 

I was initially annoyed at the lack of explanation of the world’s terminology (ie Craven, Ascended, etc) but in the end I loved that Armentrout let us know just enough of the details without being obvious. I ended up enjoying the discovery and eventual reveal. Armentrout’s world building took pieces of known mythology and folklore, and made it her own, and interpreted it in a way I had not seen or heard of before. I also liked the combination of modern and medieval, I mean who wouldn’t want a world with castles, swords and horses, but also have electricity and plumbing with hot water!

There was a little trepidation in regards to consent in the first scene in The Red Pearl, but as I reviewed all the spicier scenes, there is explicit verbal consent that Hawke asks for and wants to hear verbally from her before proceeding. While he often says he won’t be able to hold himself back, he still asks for consent. I would have liked a scene where Poppy says no and he listens, that would have made the consent topic a lot clearer and also give a spotlight to the importance of it, even in a made-up fantasy world. 

I started straight into book two of this series, as I could not wait to see what happens next.

Lydia : 4/5

SPICY BOOKTOK FOR THE WIN! This book did not disappoint in the fantasy or the spiciness. I was a tad worried in the beginning as it was taking me awhile to get into it (to be fair, I was just coming out of a reading slump). The more I read, the more I refused to put this book down and before I knew it I had finished it and bought the second one. 

I really enjoyed Poppy’s character. I felt that I fully understood her vulnerability and innocence and all the nods to that (her naivety, her choices regarding Hawke, etc.). I loved that she was not a helpless lady just waiting to be saved and that she decided to kick ass every chance she got. 

Most of all, I loved the surprises we got. I thoroughly enjoyed the twists and turns when it came to Hawke. The only thing I think could have been worked on were some of the sentence structures. I hadn’t noticed until we discussed this book in person but looking back there were a few structural and grammatical errors that should have been fixed prior to the release. 

Maybe it’s the romantic in me, or the Slytherin even, but I loved Hawke the whole way through. 

Megan : 3/5

I was warned that the book took time to get into, but I didn’t find that to be the case at all. Right from the first chapter I was pulled into Poppy’s life. This is a spicy fantasy that is a fast read and engaging. That being said, there were a few things I found annoying about the book.

Armentrout started the world building but didn’t explain it enough for me to really imagine it. It would’ve been nice if a map had been included because every time a place was referenced, I couldn’t figure out where it was in relation to Poppy’s city. The author also drew out explaining the various creatures, phenomena, society, and ceremonies. Some could be deduced based on what else was being said, but for the most part, you had to wait for the explanation to appear further into the story than necessary. There were elements that I wasn’t surprised about regarding the ending. Armentrout relied so heavily on foreshadowing that by the time it came for the big plot twist, all I could think was “finally”. 

While I enjoyed reading the scenes between Hawke and Poppy, there were times that I got mad with him as he would take advantage of Poppy. He was aware of her situation, yet at times, he kept pushing her further than she wanted and ignored her when she said no. I do look forward to seeing where their relationship goes in the next books and I hope it becomes healthier than what it has been so far.

Despite all that, I would still recommend reading this book. It’s a good escape into a new world where mysterious gifts, intrigue, and adventure await. 

Sharaya : 4.5/5

I was really looking forward to reading this book and was pulled in almost immediately. It was interesting how Armentrout developed the Kingdom of Solis. She left it almost entirely to the reader to piece together her mythos. While I found this frustrating at first – seriously, what the heck makes her “The Maiden” – in the end, I decided that I really liked it. I got to figure out what a Craven was on my own and what becoming an Ascended really means. I thought that Armentrout wove familiar creatures and mythology into a truly unique world, and I’m excited to uncover more in book #2.

I quite liked the main character. I enjoyed Poppy’s sass and the way she processed her changing feelings regarding her role as the Maiden. I thought that Armentrout did a good job of writing a character who was both bold and strong, but incredibly naive and sheltered. Conflicting character traits that she handled well. 

For the most part, I liked Hawke very much. I loved that he saw Poppy as a person instead of The Maiden, and that he wanted to protect her from being treated like a commodity – even when there could be dire consequences. Hawke kept pushing Poppy to think beyond her Maiden-approved box, which was necessary for the story, but did frustrate me. Does having “noble” motivations really excuse essentially the same manipulative behaviour as the Ascended? Maybe he did need to push Poppy that hard to get her thinking on her own instead of as she was raised, but it did feel heavy-handed at times. So, while I loved their relationship as it developed, I was really unsure about it by the end of the book. Let’s see what the second book brings. I’m withholding judgment (or ship-ment?) for now. 

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